Autonomous uplink transmissions on a shared communication medium

Abstract

Autonomous uplink transmissions over a shared communication medium are disclosed. In one embodiment, an AT monitors a DMTC window of a shared communication medium while refraining from performing any AUL transmissions. The AT selectively transmits one or more AUL transmissions based on the monitoring (e.g., in one or more subframes of the DMTC window or outside the DMTC window in response to DRS detection). In a further embodiment, the AT establishes different LBT contention windows for use during and outside of a POW and / or DMTC window. In a further embodiment, the AT receives an AUL disable signal instructing the AT to disable AUL transmissions, and the AT refrains from performing one or more AUL transmissions on the shared communication medium in response to the AUL disable signal.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of Chinese invention patent application filed on December 13, 2017, with application number 201780076325.X (international application number PCT / US2017 / 066017) and titled "Autonomous Uplink Transmission on Shared Communication Medium".

[0002] Cross-references to related applications

[0003] This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 435,604, filed December 16, 2016, entitled “AUTONOMOUS UPLINKTRANSMISSIONS ON A SHARED COMMUNICATION MEDIUM,” which has been assigned to the assignee of this application and is hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0004] The various aspects of this disclosure generally relate to telecommunications, and in particular to operations involving shared communication media. Background Technology

[0005] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content, such as voice, data, and multimedia. A typical wireless communication system is a multiple access system capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., bandwidth, transmit power). Examples of such multiple access systems include Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), and others. These systems are often deployed in accordance with specifications such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) provided by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB) and Evolved Data Optimization (EV-DO) provided by 3GPP2, and 802.11 provided by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

[0006] In cellular networks, macrocells provide connectivity and coverage to a large number of users in a specific geographic area. Macro network deployments are carefully planned, designed, and implemented to provide good coverage in that geographic area. To improve indoor or other specific geographic coverage, such as coverage for residential and office buildings, additional small cells (typically low-power access points) have recently begun to be deployed to supplement conventional macro networks. Small cell access points also offer incremental capacity growth, a richer user experience, and more.

[0007] Small cell LTE operation has been extended, for example, to unlicensed spectrum, such as the unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (U-NII) band used by wireless local area network (WLAN) technologies. This extension to small cell LTE operation is designed to improve spectrum efficiency and thus increase the capacity of LTE systems. However, it may need to coexist with the operation of other radio access technologies (RATs) that typically utilize the same unlicensed bands, most notably the IEEE 802.11x WLAN technology commonly known as "Wi-Fi". Summary of the Invention

[0008] One embodiment relates to a method of operating an access terminal configured to selectively implement autonomous uplink (AUL) transmissions, the method comprising: monitoring a Discovery Reference Signaling (DRS) Measurement Timing Configuration (DMTC) window of a shared communication medium while suppressing the execution of any AUL transmissions; and selectively transmitting one or more AUL transmissions based on the monitoring.

[0009] Another embodiment relates to a method of operating an access terminal configured to selectively implement AUL transmissions, the method comprising: establishing a first Listen-Before-Speak (LBT) contention window duration for use outside a Paging Opportunity Window (POW) and / or DMTC window of a shared communication medium and a second LBT contention window duration for use during a POW and / or DMTC window of the shared communication medium; detecting a POW and / or DMTC window; and, in response to the detection, setting the LBT contention window to the second LBT contention window duration.

[0010] Another embodiment relates to a method of operating an access terminal configured to selectively implement AUL transmissions, the method comprising: receiving an AUL disable signal instructing the access terminal to disable AUL transmissions, and suppressing the execution of one or more AUL transmissions on a shared communication medium in response to the AUL disable signal.

[0011] Another embodiment relates to an access terminal configured to selectively implement AUL transmissions, including at least one processor coupled to at least one transceiver and configured to monitor a DMTC window of a shared communication medium while suppressing the execution of any AUL transmissions, and to selectively transmit one or more AUL transmissions based on the monitoring. Attached Figure Description

[0012] The accompanying drawings are provided to help describe various aspects of this disclosure, and are provided solely for illustrative purposes and not for limiting the scope of the disclosure.

[0013] Figure 1 This is a system-level diagram illustrating an example wireless network environment.

[0014] Figure 2 The example frame structure was explained.

[0015] Figure 3 A transmission sequence on the PUSCH according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is described.

[0016] Figure 4 The process of selectively performing AUL transmission according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is explained.

[0017] Figure 5 The combined execution according to embodiments of the present disclosure is described. Figure 4 The transmission sequence on PUSCH during the process.

[0018] Figure 6 The process of selectively performing AUL transmission according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is explained.

[0019] Figure 7 The process of selectively performing AUL transmission according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is explained.

[0020] Figure 8 It provides a more detailed explanation of the device-level diagrams of example components for the access points and access terminals of the main RAT system.

[0021] Figure 9 The example access terminal device for implementing the AUL manager is explained, which is represented as a series of interrelated functional modules.

[0022] Figure 10 Another example access terminal device for implementing an AUL manager is described, represented as a series of interconnected functional modules.

[0023] Figure 11 Another example access terminal device for implementing an AUL manager is described, represented as a series of interconnected functional modules. Detailed Implementation

[0024] This disclosure generally relates to autonomous uplink transmission over a shared communication medium.

[0025] More specific aspects of this disclosure are provided in the following description of various examples provided for illustrative purposes and in the accompanying drawings. Alternative aspects may be designed without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Furthermore, well-known aspects of this disclosure may not be described in detail or may be omitted to avoid obscuring more relevant details.

[0026] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the information and signals described below can be represented using any of a variety of different techniques and arts. For example, the data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referred to throughout the following description may be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or optical particles, or any combination thereof, depending in part on the specific application, in part on the desired design, in part on the corresponding technology, etc.

[0027] Furthermore, many aspects are described in the form of sequences of actions performed by elements such as computing devices. It will be appreciated that the various actions described herein can be performed by special-purpose circuitry (e.g., application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs)), by program instructions being executed by one or more processors, or by a combination of both. Additionally, for each aspect described herein, the corresponding form of any such aspect can be implemented, for example, as "logic configured to perform the described actions."

[0028] Figure 1 This is a system-level diagram illustrating an example wireless network environment, shown as an example including a "primary" Radio Access Technology (RAT) system 100 and a "competitive" RAT system 150. Each system may consist of different wireless nodes generally capable of receiving and / or transmitting (including information related to various types of communication, such as voice, data, multimedia services, associated control signaling, etc.) on a wireless link. The primary RAT system 100 is shown including an access point 110 and an access terminal 120 communicating with each other on a wireless link 130. The competitive RAT system 150 is shown including two competing nodes 152 communicating with each other on separate wireless links 132, and may similarly include one or more access points, access terminals, or other types of wireless nodes. As an example, the access point 110 and access terminal 120 of the primary RAT system 100 may communicate via wireless link 130 according to Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology, while the competing nodes 152 of the competitive RAT system 150 may communicate via wireless link 132 according to Wi-Fi technology. It will be understood that each system can support any number of wireless nodes distributed across a geographical area, and the entities described are shown for illustrative purposes only.

[0029] Unless otherwise stated, the terms "access terminal" and "access point" are not intended to be specific to or limited to any particular RAT. Generally, an access terminal can be any wireless communication device that allows a user to communicate over a communication network (e.g., mobile phone, router, personal computer, server, entertainment device, device with Internet of Things (IoT) / Internet of Everything (IOE) capabilities, in-vehicle communication device, etc.), and may be alternatively referred to as User Equipment (UD), Mobile Station (MS), Subscriber Station (STA), User Equipment (UE), etc., in different RAT environments. Similarly, an access point may operate under one or more RATs when communicating with an access terminal, depending on the network in which it is deployed, and may be alternatively referred to as Base Station (BS), Network Node, B-Node, Evolved B-Node (eNB), etc. Such access points may, for example, correspond to small cell access points. Small cell access points generally refer to a class of low-power access points, which may include or be otherwise referred to as femtocells, picocells, microcells, wireless local area network (WLAN) access points, other small coverage area access points, etc. Small cells can be deployed to supplement macrocell coverage, which can cover several blocks in a neighborhood or several square miles in a rural environment, resulting in improved signaling, incremental capacity growth, and a richer user experience.

[0030] Back Figure 1 Wireless link 130 used by the primary RAT system 100 and wireless link 132 used by the competing RAT system 150 can operate on a shared communication medium 140. This type of communication medium may consist of one or more frequency, time, and / or space communication resources (e.g., covering one or more channels across one or more carriers). As an example, communication medium 140 may correspond to at least a portion of an unlicensed frequency band. Although different licensed frequency bands have been reserved for certain communications (e.g., by government entities such as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) of the United States), some systems (particularly those employing small cell access points) have extended their operation into unlicensed frequency bands, such as the unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (U-NII) band used by WLAN technologies (including Wi-Fi).

[0031] Due to the shared use of communication medium 140, there is a potential for cross-link interference between radio link 130 and radio link 132. Furthermore, some RATs and some jurisdictions may require contention or "listen-before-talk (LBT)" to access communication medium 140. As an example, a clear channel assessment (CCA) protocol can be used, where each device verifies the absence of other traffic on the shared communication medium via medium sniffing before occupying (and in some cases reserving) the communication medium for its own transmission. In some designs, the CCA protocol may include distinct CCA preamble detection (CCA-PD) and CCA energy detection (CCA-ED) mechanisms for yielding the communication medium to intra-RAT and inter-RAT traffic, respectively. The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), for example, requires all devices to contend for certain communication media (such as unlicensed frequency bands) regardless of their RAT.

[0032] As will be described in more detail below, access terminal 120 may be configured differently, in accordance with the teachings herein, to provide or otherwise support the AUL transmission technologies briefly discussed above. For example, access terminal 120 may include AUL manager 122. AUL manager 122 may be configured in various ways to manage AUL transmissions of access terminal 120 on communication medium 140.

[0033] Figure 2 An example frame structure that can be implemented on the communication medium 140 for the main RAT system 100 to facilitate contention-based access to the communication medium 140 is explained.

[0034] The explained frame structure consists of a series of radio frames (RFs), which are digitized according to the system frame number (RF). N RF N+1 RF N+2 These subframes are numbered and divided into corresponding subframes (SFs), which can also be numbered for citation (e.g., SF0, SF1, etc.). Each corresponding subframe can be further divided into time slots (not in...). Figure 2 (As shown in the diagram) and these time slots can be further divided into symbol periods. As an example, the LTE frame structure includes system frames divided into 1024 numbered radio frames (each radio frame comprising 10 subframes), which together constitute a system frame cycle (e.g., lasting 10.24s for a 10ms radio frame with 1ms subframes). Additionally, each subframe can include two time slots, and each time slot can include six or seven symbol periods. The use of this frame structure provides a more natural and efficient collaboration between devices than self-organizing signaling techniques.

[0035] Generally speaking, Figure 2The example frame structure can be implemented as a Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) frame structure or a Time Division Duplex (TDD) frame structure. In an FDD frame structure, each subframe on a given frequency can be statically configured for uplink (UL) communication to transmit uplink information from access terminal 120 to access point 110, or for downlink (DL) communication to transmit downlink information from access point 110 to access terminal 120. In a TDD frame structure, each subframe can operate differently at different times as a downlink (D), uplink (U), or special (S) subframe. Different arrangements of downlink, uplink, and special subframes can be referred to as different TDD configurations.

[0036] In some designs, Figure 2 The frame structure can be "fixed," meaning the position of each subframe can be predetermined relative to absolute time, but may be occupied by or not occupied by the main RAT signaling in any given instance due to contention procedures for accessing the communication medium 140. For example, if access point 110 or access terminal 120 fails to win contention for a given subframe, that subframe can be silent. However, in other designs, Figure 2 The frame structure can be "floating," meaning the position of each subframe can be dynamically determined relative to the protected point of access to the communication medium 140. For example, given a frame (e.g., RF... N+1 The start-up of ) can be delayed relative to absolute time until access point 110 or access terminal 120 can win the contention.

[0037] As in Figure 2 As further explained herein, one or more subframes may be specified to include signaling referred to herein as Discovery Reference Signaling (DRS). DRS can be configured to convey reference signaling to facilitate system operation. Reference signaling may include information related to: timing synchronization, system acquisition, interference measurements (e.g., Radio Resource Measurement (RRM) / Radio Link Measurement (RLM)), tracking loops, gain reference (e.g., Automatic Gain Control (AGC)), paging, etc. As an example, DRS may include a primary synchronization signal (PSS) and secondary synchronization signal (SSS) for cell search, a cell-specific reference signal (CRS) for RRM, a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) for conveying various access parameters, etc. DRS may be scheduled to be transmitted periodically (e.g., every 10 ms) within designated subframes (e.g., subframe SF0) or a range of such subframes in each radio frame, referred to as a DRS Measurement Timing Configuration (DMTC) window defined around the designated subframe (e.g., spanning the first six subframes SF0 to SF5 of the radio frame).

[0038] As mentioned above, at some point during a contention process for a shared communication medium (such as communication medium 140), the shared communication medium becomes available (e.g., CCA is available) and access point 110, for example, occupies it. Conventionally, in order to reserve communication medium 140 for itself to achieve a transmission opportunity (TXOP) of a certain duration (e.g., one radio frame), access point 110 may send a channel reservation message (RSV) defined for the contention-based RAT system 150. The channel reservation message may be transmitted on communication medium 140 (e.g., via a transceiver that also belongs to access point 110 and varies depending on the contention-based RAT) to reserve communication medium 140 for primary RAT operation. Example channel reservation messages may include, for example, 802.11a data packets for contention-based Wi-Fi RATs, Clear to Self (CTS2S) messages, Request to Send (RTS) messages, Clear to Send (CTS) messages, Physical Layer Convergence Protocol (PLCP) headers (e.g., Legacy Signaling (L-SIG), High Throughput Signaling (HT-SIG), or Very High Throughput Signaling (VHT-SIG)) and similar messages, or other similar messages defined for other contention-based RATs of interest. Channel reservation messages may include duration indications (e.g., Network Allocation Vectors (NAVs)) corresponding to the duration of the target TXOP contending for access at access point 110.

[0039] In a particular example, the shared communication medium 140 may include an uplink data channel referred to as the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH). Conventionally, access to the PUSCH by an access terminal (such as access terminal 120) is controlled by a fast grant message transmitted by access point 110. In one example, access point 110 may allocate a subset of resource elements for the PUSCH to access terminal 120 via a grant message or similar message in the previous subframe. In a further example, the grant message may further include one or more PUSCH timing parameters that identify the start time (e.g., symbol period) of the set of resource elements carrying the PUSCH within the subframe.

[0040] Currently, certain forms of autonomous uplink (AUL) transport protocols (alternatively referred to as permissionless PUSCH) are under consideration for shared communication media. In contrast to permission-based transport protocols, where the uplink transmission time is explicitly defined in the permission message, AUL transport protocols allow access terminals to independently determine when an uplink transmission will occur (referred to herein as "AUL transmission"). Examples of AUL transport protocols may include any of the following:

[0041] Access terminal 120 initiates an AUL transmission on the uplink of communication medium 140 along with the access terminal control channel (e.g., physical uplink control channel (PUCCH)), or

[0042] Access terminal 120 receives an permission message from access point 110 specifying a time range rather than the actual defined transmission time, and access terminal 120 ultimately selects when to initiate AUL transmission within the specified time range.

[0043] As will be understood, because access point 110 does not control the specific transmission time of AUL transmissions, conflicts may occur between AUL transmissions from access terminals (such as access terminal 120) and downlink transmissions from access point 110. These conflicts typically do not occur in systems using permission-based uplink transmission scheduling protocols.

[0044] The DMTC window (briefly discussed above) is a downlink transmission window that contains the DRS with a fairly high probability. For example, the DMTC window can occur at specific intervals, such as every 40, 80, or 160 ms. Specific subframes within the DMTC window that include the DRS may fluctuate and are therefore not known at the access terminal. One reason for this fluctuation or variation in DRS subframes within the DMTC window is that access point 110 may need to modify the DRS transmission time to account for contention on communication medium 140. The DRS in the DMTC window has a higher priority (or shorter) LBT. In this scenario, conflicts are possible between AUL transmissions from access terminal 120 and DRS transmissions from access point 110, such as... Figure 3 As depicted in the text.

[0045] Figure 3 A transmission sequence 300 on a PUSCH according to an embodiment of this disclosure is depicted. (Refer to...) Figure 3 The diagram depicts a series of DMTC windows 305 and 310, respectively containing DRS 315 and 320. As mentioned above, DRS subframes can potentially be carried on any subframe within a DMTC window, conveyed by the potential DRS location (or potential DRS subframe) 325, 330, and 335. Figure 3 In this process, access point 110 makes communication medium 140 (e.g., PUSCH) unobstructed at 340 in LBT interval 345, thereby enabling the transmission of DRS 315. However, in Figure 3 In this scenario, access terminal 120 also enables communication medium 140 (e.g., PUSCH) that needs to be unobstructed at 350 in LBT interval 345, resulting in AUL transmission at 355. In this scenario, AUL transmission at 355 conflicts with DRS315.

[0046] Figure 4The process of selectively performing AUL transmission according to an embodiment of this disclosure has been explained. This is performed at an access terminal (such as access terminal 120 operated via AUL manager 122). Figure 4 The process involves an access terminal configured with AUL transmission capabilities (for example, in one instance, fewer than all deployed access terminals may have such capabilities).

[0047] Reference Figure 4 At box 400, the access terminal monitors the DMTC window of the shared communication medium (e.g., PUSCH) while simultaneously suppressing the execution of any AUL transmissions. It will be understood that by suppressing the execution of any AUL transmissions during monitoring at box 400, it is possible to avoid... Figure 3 The AUL / DRS conflict is depicted at points 315 and 355.

[0048] Reference Figure 4 At box 405, the access terminal may optionally detect DRS within the DMTC window based on monitoring from box 400. In one example, even if the access terminal does not know exactly when the DRS will arrive from the access point, it may monitor the shared communication medium during the DMTC window to facilitate DRS detection at box 405. In a further example, DRS detection at box 405 may include PSS / SSS detection within the DMTC window. In a further example, box 405 is optional because the access terminal may monitor the DMTC window without scanning for or detecting DRS.

[0049] Reference Figure 4 At box 410, the access terminal may optionally continue monitoring the DMTC window after a DRS detection to detect, based on continuous monitoring, whether a threshold number (e.g., two or more) of downlink subframes satisfying one or more conditions after the DRS detection are detected. For example, these one or more conditions may be unused or partially unused downlink subframes (e.g., the access point may transmit a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) signal in a subframe while reserving the remainder of the unused subframe, which would satisfy the condition). In one example, the optional monitoring at box 410 may be used as a condition trigger for executing box 415 to ensure that the access point does not again contend for and occupy the shared communication medium before performing an AUL transmission in a particular subframe.

[0050] Reference Figure 4At box 415, the access terminal selectively transmits one or more AUL transmissions based on monitoring from box 400 and in response to DRS detection at box 405 (and optionally based on continuous monitoring and detection at box 410). In one example, one or more AUL transmissions are selectively transmitted in one or more subframes occurring after DRS detection within a DMTC window. In an alternative example, one or more AUL transmissions are selectively transmitted outside the DMTC window. For example, one or more AUL transmissions may be selectively transmitted after the DMTC window ends, regardless of whether DRS was detected within the DMTC window (e.g., according to AUL rules that prohibit AUL transmissions during the DMTC window). In one example, box 415 is selective based on a contention protocol (e.g., attempting one or more AUL transmissions via a contention protocol and performing the one or more AUL transmissions only when the medium is available). In other words, box 415 can eliminate direct prohibition or restriction on the access terminal performing AUL transmissions while the access terminal remains subject to other transmission constraints (such as following contention-based access to the shared communication medium).

[0051] Figure 5 The combined execution according to embodiments of the present disclosure is described. Figure 4 The transmission sequence 500 on the PUSCH during the process. (Refer to...) Figure 5 DMTC window 505 is depicted as DRS 510. As mentioned above, DRS subframes can potentially be carried on any subframe within the DMTC window, which is conveyed by the potential DRS location (or potential DRS subframe) 515. Figure 5 In this configuration, access point 110 clears communication medium 140 (e.g., PUSCH) at 520 within LBT interval 525, resulting in the transmission of DRS 510. Simultaneously, at frame 530, the access terminal detects DRS 510, and subsequently performs AUL transmission at frame 535. As mentioned above, the AUL transmission at frame 535 can occur after a waiting period of two or more optional subframes, where there is little or no downlink usage and / or contention from the access point.

[0052] Although Figure 4-5 While passive monitoring based on DMTS windows is used to avoid DRS / AUL conflicts (e.g., until DRS is detected by the access terminal), other embodiments of this disclosure involve reducing conflicts between AUL transmissions and downlink transmissions from the access point via modifications to the LBT contention window duration, as will be referred to below. Figure 6 As stated above.

[0053] Figure 6The process of selectively performing AUL transmission according to another embodiment of this disclosure has been explained. This is performed at an access terminal (such as access terminal 120 operated via AUL manager 122). Figure 6 The process involves an access terminal configured with AUL transmission capabilities (for example, in one instance, fewer than all deployed access terminals may have such capabilities).

[0054] A brief discussion of the Paging Opportunity Window (POW) will now be provided. The POW is a defined time window in which a paging subframe can potentially occur (i.e., the subframe in which the access point occupies communication medium 140 and transmits a paging message). Similar to the DRS described above, the access terminal generally cannot know precisely when a paging message will be transmitted within the corresponding POW. Likewise, in some implementations, the POW may coincide with (or overlap with) the DMTC window. Accordingly, conflicts may occur between AUL transmissions and paging messages (or "AUL / PAGE conflicts"), similar to the AUL / DRS conflicts mentioned above. Figure 6 The process involves reducing AUL / DRS conflicts, AUL / PAGE conflicts, or both.

[0055] Reference Figure 6 At block 600, the access terminal establishes a first LBT contention window duration for use outside the POW and / or DMTC windows of the shared communication medium, and a second LBT contention window duration for use during the POW and / or DMTC windows of the shared communication medium. In contrast to block 600, conventional permission-based transport protocols typically use a constant LBT contention window duration (or LBT interval) rather than separate LBT contention window durations dynamically implemented based on the POW and / or DMTC window states. As mentioned above, the second LBT contention window duration can be configured for use during the POW, DMTC window, or both, including periods where the POW and DMTC windows overlap. Conversely, the first LBT contention window duration is used outside the POW, DMTC window, or both. In other embodiments, different LBT contention window durations may be used during the POW and DMTC windows, or different LBT contention window durations may be used outside the POW and DMTC windows. Such implementations are included Figure 6 During the process.

[0056] Reference Figure 6 At box 605, the access terminal detects the POW and / or DMTC window. In one example, the detection at box 605 may correspond to identifying a specific subframe as part of the POW and / or DMTC window based on scheduling information about the POW and / or DMTC window communicated from the access point to the access terminal.

[0057] Reference Figure 6 At box 610, in response to the detection at box 605, the access terminal sets the LBT contention window to the second LBT contention window duration. In one example, the second LBT contention window duration has a lower priority (or longer) than the first LBT contention window duration. This effectively increases the waiting time before the access terminal clears the shared communication medium, which in turn reduces the probability of AUL / DRS collisions, AUL / PAGE collisions, or both. In one example, if the access point wins the shared communication medium and transmits a hold signal before downlink transmission (e.g., paging message transmission), the access terminal is unlikely to have cleared the shared communication medium and therefore is unlikely to perform a conflicting AUL transmission.

[0058] Furthermore, within the POW, the access terminal may be required to attempt to read paging subframes during the first X ms before contending for the shared communication medium to perform an AUL transmission. In one example, X ms can be a typical duration within the POW, during which paging messages can be transmitted. Accordingly, if the access terminal detects the POW (e.g., at box 605), it may wait at the beginning of the POW for a threshold number of subframes (e.g., corresponding to X ms) to monitor for one or more downlink paging messages. After waiting at the beginning of the POW for a threshold number of subframes (or X ms) without detecting any downlink paging messages, the access terminal may subsequently contend for access to the shared communication medium to attempt to perform one or more AUL transmissions in one or more subframes of the POW.

[0059] Although Figure 4-6 This disclosure relates to independent actions by which access terminals self-regulate based on their AUL transmission behavior to reduce or eliminate AUL / DRS and / or AUL / PAGE conflicts. However, other embodiments of this disclosure involve access points selectively enabling or disabling signaling for AUL transmissions to one or more access points, as will be referred to below. Figure 7 As described above. In one example, selectively enabling and / or disabling AUL transmissions can reduce various types of AUL collisions, including AUL / DRS and AUL / PAGE collisions, but also potentially include AUL collisions with other uplink transmissions (“AUL / UL” collisions) or AUL collisions with other types of downlink transmissions other than DRS and paging messages.

[0060] In a specific AUL / UL conflict example, a two-phase transmission grant can be used. In Phase 1, the access point grants specific access terminal resources for future transmissions. Subsequently, in Phase 2, a trigger signal is sent at time "T" to enable transmission at time "T+Z" ms, where Z is a pseudo-random offset value (e.g., 1ms, 2ms, 3ms, etc.). AUL transmissions can conflict with two-phase grant transmissions from other access terminals and can be achieved through... Figure 7 The process is to reduce or eliminate these two-stage AUL / UL conflicts.

[0061] Figure 7 The process of selectively performing AUL transmission according to another embodiment of this disclosure has been explained. This is performed at an access terminal (such as access terminal 120 operated via AUL manager 122). Figure 7 The process involves an access terminal configured with AUL transmission capabilities (for example, in one instance, fewer than all deployed access terminals may have such capabilities).

[0062] Reference Figure 7 At box 700, the access terminal receives an AUL disable signal instructing it to disable AUL transmissions. In one example, the AUL disable signal can be received from an access point (such as access point 110). In a more specific example, the AUL disable signal can be transmitted by the access point on the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH). At box 705, in response to the AUL disable signal, the access terminal suppresses one or more AUL transmissions on the shared communication medium. Therefore, at box 705, regardless of whether the shared communication medium is open, the access terminal will not attempt any AUL transmissions, although the access terminal can still request formal permission for a TXOP from the access point.

[0063] Reference Figure 7At some point after block 705, the access terminal resumes selective AUL transmissions (e.g., based on media contention, etc.). The resumption of AUL transmissions at block 710 can occur in various ways. In one example, an AUL disable signal can instruct the access terminal to disable all AUL transmissions until an AUL enable signal is transmitted by the access point. In other words, the AUL disable signal can be used in conjunction with an AUL enable signal to toggle the AUL transmission capabilities of one or more access terminals between an on and off state. In this scenario, after block 705, the access terminal can wait to receive an AUL enable signal allowing the access terminal to re-enable AUL transmissions, and then at block 710, the access terminal selectively performs one or more AUL transmissions on the shared communication medium in response to the AUL enable signal (e.g., based on media contention, etc.). In an alternative example, the AUL disable signal can instruct the access terminal to disable all AUL transmissions for a specified time period (or the expiration period of the AUL disable period). In this scenario, after box 705, the access terminal waits until the AUL disabling period expires, and then selectively performs one or more AUL transmissions on the shared communication medium at box 710 (e.g., based on medium contention, etc.).

[0064] Reference Figure 7 The AUL disable signal can be access terminal-specific (i.e., a unicast instruction to stop AUL transmission for a specific access terminal) or cell-specific (e.g., a broadcast message instructing every access terminal served by a specific cell or access point to stop AUL transmission). In one example, a fixed number of bits (e.g., 1, 2, etc.) can be assigned to the access terminal-specific AUL disable signal, and these bits are mapped to a set of pre-configured AUL disable periods that vary from access terminal to access terminal (e.g., for a 2-bit AUL disable signal, the set of pre-configured AUL disable periods that vary from access terminal to access terminal may include AUL disable periods of 2, 4, 8, and 16 ms). Similarly, in another example, a certain number of bits (e.g., 1, 2, etc.) can be assigned to a cell-specific AUL disable signal, which are mapped to a set of pre-configured cell-specific AUL disable periods (e.g., for a 2-bit AUL disable signal, the set of pre-configured cell-specific AUL disable periods could include AUL disable periods of 2, 4, 8, and 16 ms).

[0065] An example of an AUL disable signal that varies from cell to cell is the existing shared PDCCH (C-PDCCH) signal. In some implementations, the C-PDCCH is transmitted at each subframe of the PDCCH and includes a specific number of undefined bits. One of these undefined bits can be configured as an AUL disable / enable signal (e.g., enabling AUL transmission if it is "1" and disabling AUL transmission if it is "0", or vice versa). In another example, an AUL disable signal that varies from cell to cell may correspond to a proprietary signal that can be transmitted during a time period determined by the system operator.

[0066] An example of an AUL disable signal that varies depending on the access terminal could be a downlink control information (DCI) message. For example, there are several existing DCI formats (e.g., 0A, 4A, 0B, 4B, etc.) that include unused or undefined states (or bits), and one of these undefined bits can be configured as an AUL disable / enable signal (e.g., enabling AUL transmission if it is "1", disabling AUL transmission if it is "0", or vice versa).

[0067] In a further example, one or more other unused or undefined states in the DCI message can be used to convey other types of information from the access point to a specific access terminal. For example, when a predefined unused or undefined bit mapped to an AUL disable indication is set in a DCI message, another unused or undefined bit (or bits) in the DCI message can be configured to indicate an AUL disable expiration period. In one example, for a single-bit implementation, if it is "0", AUL transmission is disabled for 5 ms, and if it is "1", AUL transmission is disabled for 5 ms. In another example, for a single-bit implementation, if it is "0", AUL transmission is disabled for 5 ms, and if it is "1", AUL transmission is disabled indefinitely (e.g., until another DCI message is set using an AUL enable indication via the aforementioned predefined unused or undefined bits). It will be understood that assigning additional bits to the AUL disable expiration period indication will allow specifying an additional AUL disable expiration period.

[0068] In another example, regardless of whether the DCI message provides an AUL enable / disable indication, unused or undefined bits (or bits in total) in the DCI message can be configured to indicate updated control information from the access point to the access terminal regarding one or more subsequent AUL transmissions from the access terminal. For example, unused or undefined bits in the DCI message can specify the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) to be used for future AUL transmissions, or alternatively, can specify other types of channel quality feedback (such as resource allocation, transmission rank, Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) procedure index, redundancy version, or any combination thereof). It will be appreciated that various unused or undefined bits in the DCI message can be further utilized to indicate any other type of AUL-related control information, provided that one or more unused or undefined bits in the DCI message remain available.

[0069] In a further example, as mentioned above, not all deployed access terminals are capable of AUL transmission. Therefore, in operation, some access terminals may be AUL-capable, while other legacy access terminals may not be (or may be non-AUL access terminals). In one example, the above regarding... Figure 4-7 Some or all of the embodiments described are intended to be completely or substantially non-destructive for legacy non-AUL access terminals, such that AUL transports and any associated AUL-related signaling do not need to affect performance on legacy non-AUL access terminals. Furthermore, compared to simply automatically disabling AUL during the DMTC window and / or POW, the above references... Figure 4-7 The described embodiments can generally be more efficient. As an example, the DMTC window can occupy up to 25% of the total transmission time on the communication medium 140 (e.g., each DMTC window can occupy up to 10 ms at a frequency of 40 ms), making AUL transmission available only about 75% of the time. See reference... Figure 4-7 Each of the above-described embodiments allows AUL transmission during at least some portions of the DMTC window and / or POW, such that higher AUL transmission utilization is expected in these embodiments compared to simply disabling AUL automatically during the DMTC window and / or POW.

[0070] For general purposes, Figure 1 Access terminal 120, including AUL manager 122, is shown only in the relevant sections. However, it will be appreciated that access terminal 120 can be configured in various ways to provide or otherwise support the AUL transmission technologies discussed herein.

[0071] Figure 8This is a device-level diagram illustrating example components of the access point 110 and access terminal 120 of the main RAT system 100 in more detail. As shown, access point 110 and access terminal 120 may each generally include wireless communication devices (represented by communication devices 830 and 850) for communicating with other wireless nodes via at least one designated RAT. Communication devices 830 and 850 may be configured in various ways, depending on the designated RAT, for transmitting and encoding signals, and conversely, for receiving and decoding signals (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, etc.).

[0072] Communication devices 830 and 850 may include, for example, one or more transceivers, such as respective primary RAT transceivers 832 and 852, and optional secondary RAT transceivers 834 and 854 (e.g., corresponding to the RAT used by competing RAT system 150) coexisting in some designs. As used herein, "transceiver" may include transmitter circuitry, receiver circuitry, or a combination thereof, but is not required to provide both transmit and receive functionality in all designs. For example, low-functionality receiver circuitry may be used in some designs to reduce costs when full communication is not necessary (e.g., a radio chip or similar circuit system provides only low-level sniffing). Furthermore, as used herein, the term "coexisting" (e.g., radio, access point, transceiver, etc.) may refer to one of various arrangements. For example, components in the same housing; components stored in the same processor main memory; components within a defined distance from each other; and / or components connected via an interface (e.g., an Ethernet switch) that meets any required latency requirements for inter-component communication (e.g., message sending and receiving).

[0073] Access point 110 and access terminal 120 may also each include a communication controller (represented by communication controllers 840 and 860) for controlling the operation (e.g., instructing, modifying, enabling, disabling, etc.) of their respective communication devices 830 and 850. Communication controllers 840 and 860 may include one or more processors 842 and 862, and one or more memories 844 and 864 respectively coupled to processors 842 and 862. Memory 844 and 864 may be configured to store data, instructions, or combinations thereof—as onboard cache memory, as separate components, in combination, etc. Processors 842 and 862 and memories 844 and 864 may be independent communication components or may be part of the respective host system functionality of access point 110 and access terminal 120.

[0074] As will be understood, the AUL manager 122 can be implemented in different ways. In some designs, some or all of its associated functionality can be implemented via at least one processor (e.g., one or more processors 862), at least one memory (e.g., one or more memories 864), at least one transceiver (e.g., one or more transceivers 852 and 854), or a combination thereof, or otherwise under the guidance of at least one processor, at least one memory, at least one transceiver, or a combination thereof. In other designs, some or all of its associated functionality can be implemented as a series of interrelated functional modules. Therefore, as will be understood, Figure 8 The components in [the document] can be used to perform the above references. Figure 1-7 The described operation.

[0075] Figure 9 An example access terminal device 900 for implementing the AUL manager 122 is described, represented as a series of interconnected functional modules. In the described example, device 900 includes a monitoring module 902, an optional detection module 904, and a selective transmission module 906.

[0076] Module 902 for monitoring can be configured to monitor the DMTC window of the shared communication medium while suppressing the execution of any AUL transmissions. Optionally, module 904 for detection can be configured to detect DRS within the DMTC window based on monitoring. Module 906 for selective transmission can be configured to selectively transmit one or more AUL transmissions based on monitoring of the DMTC window. In one example, module 906 for selective transmission can be configured to selectively transmit one or more AUL transmissions in one or more subframes within the DMTC window that occur after DRS detection in response to DRS detection.

[0077] Figure 10 An example access terminal device 1000 for implementing the AUL manager 122, represented as a series of interconnected functional modules, is described. In the described example, device 1000 includes a module 1002 for establishment, a module 1004 for detection, and a module 1006 for setup.

[0078] The module 1002 for establishing can be configured to: establish a first LBT contention window duration for use outside the POW and / or DMTC window of the shared communication medium, and a second LBT contention window duration for use during the POW and / or DMTC window of the shared communication medium. The module 1004 for detection can be configured to detect the POW and / or DMTC window. The module 1006 for setting can be configured to set the LBT contention window to the second LBT contention window duration in response to detection.

[0079] Figure 11 An example access terminal device 1100 for implementing AUL Manager 122, represented as a series of interconnected functional modules, is described. In the described example, device 1100 includes a module 1102 for receiving, a module 1104 for suppressing, and a module 1006 for recovering.

[0080] Module 1102 for receiving can be configured to receive an AUL disable signal that instructs the access terminal to disable AUL transmissions. Module 1104 for suppressing can be configured to suppress one or more AUL transmissions on the shared communication medium in response to the AUL disable signal. Module 1106 for resuming can be configured to resume selective AUL transmissions.

[0081] Figure 9-11 The functionality of the modules can be implemented in various ways consistent with the teachings herein. In some designs, the functionality of these modules can be implemented as one or more electrical components. In some designs, the functionality of these modules can be implemented as a processing system including one or more processor components. In some designs, the functionality of these modules can be implemented using, for example, at least a portion of one or more integrated circuits (e.g., ASICs). As discussed herein, integrated circuits may include processors, software, other related components, or some combination thereof. Thus, the functionality of different modules can be implemented, for example, as different subsets of integrated circuits, different subsets of software modules, or combinations thereof. Similarly, it will be appreciated that a given subset (e.g., of integrated circuits and / or software modules) can provide at least a portion of the functionality of more than one module.

[0082] in addition, Figure 9-11 The components and functions represented, as well as other components and functions described herein, can be implemented using any suitable means. Such devices can also be implemented, at least in part, using the corresponding structures taught herein. For example, the above combination... Figure 9-11 The components described in the “module for…” component can also correspond to similarly named “device functionality for…”. Thus, in some aspects, one or more of such devices can be implemented using one or more of the processor components, integrated circuits, or other suitable structures taught herein, including implementation as algorithms. Those skilled in the art will recognize in this disclosure the algorithms expressed above in a straightforward manner, as well as sequences of actions that can be represented by pseudocode. For example, by… Figure 9-11 The components and functions represented may include code for performing LOAD operations, COMPARE operations, RETURN operations, IF-THEN-ELSE loops, etc.

[0083] It should be understood that any reference to elements using designations such as "first," "second," etc., herein generally does not limit the number or order of these elements. Rather, these designations serve as a convenient way to distinguish two or more elements or instances of elements. Therefore, a reference to the first element and the second element does not imply that only two elements are applicable here, or that the first element must somehow precede the second element. Similarly, unless otherwise stated, a group of elements may include one or more elements. Furthermore, terms in the form of "at least one of A, B, or C," "one or more of A, B, or C," or "at least one of the group comprising A, B, and C" as used in the specification or claims mean "A or B or C or any combination of these elements." For example, this term may include A, or B, or C, or A and B, or A and C, or A and B and C, or 2A, or 2B, or 2C, etc.

[0084] In view of the foregoing description and explanation, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative logic blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithmic steps described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability between hardware and software, the various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been generally described above in their functional form. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system. Those skilled in the art may implement the described functionality in different ways for each specific application, but such implementation decisions should not be construed as departing from the scope of the invention.

[0085] Therefore, it will be understood that, for example, an apparatus or any component of an apparatus can be configured (or made operable for or adapted to) provide the functionality taught herein. This can be achieved, for example, by manufacturing (e.g., fabricating) the device or component to provide that functionality; by programming the device or component to provide that functionality; or by using some other suitable implementation technique. As an example, an integrated circuit can be fabricated to provide the necessary functionality. As another example, an integrated circuit can be fabricated to support the necessary functionality and then (e.g., via programming) configured to provide the necessary functionality. As yet another example, processor circuitry can execute code to provide the necessary functionality.

[0086] Furthermore, the methods, sequences, and / or algorithms described in conjunction with the aspects disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of both. The software module may reside in random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), registers, hard disks, removable disks, CD-ROMs, or any other form of storage medium (transient or non-transient) known in the art. Exemplary storage media are coupled to the processor so that the processor can read / write information from / to the storage medium. Alternatively, the storage medium may be integrated into the processor (e.g., a cache).

[0087] Accordingly, it will also be appreciated that, for example, certain aspects of this disclosure may include transient or non-transient computer-readable media for implementing communication methods.

[0088] Although the foregoing disclosure has shown various illustrative aspects, it should be noted that various changes and modifications may be made to the illustrative examples without departing from the scope defined by the appended claims. This disclosure is not intended to be limited to the specific illustrative examples. For example, unless otherwise stated, the functions, steps, and / or actions in the method claims according to the aspects of this disclosure described herein need not be performed in any particular order. Furthermore, although some aspects may be described or claimed in the singular, plural forms are also contemplated unless explicitly stated to be limited to the singular.

Claims

1. A method for an access terminal configured to selectively implement autonomous uplink AUL transmission, comprising: The access terminal monitors the Discovery Reference Signaling (DRS) measurement timing of the shared communication medium and configures the DMTC window, while suppressing the execution of any AUL transmissions; as well as The access terminal selectively transmits one or more AUL transmissions based on the monitoring, wherein the one or more AUL transmissions are selectively transmitted in one or more subframes occurring within the DMTC window after a DRS is detected within the DMTC window, or wherein the one or more AUL transmissions are selectively transmitted after the end of the DMTC window regardless of whether a DRS is detected within the DMTC window.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: The DRS within the DMTC window is detected based on the monitoring. In response to the detection of the DRS, the selective transmission transmits one or more AUL transmissions.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: Continue monitoring the DMTC window after the DRS is detected. In response to the detection of a threshold number of downlink subframes within the DMTC window that meet one or more conditions after the DRS is detected based on the continued monitoring, the selective transmission transmits the one or more AUL transmissions.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more conditions for each downlink subframe being counted toward the threshold number of downlink subframes include: The downlink subframe was not used, or The downlink subframe portion was not used.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the given portion of the unused downlink subframes in the threshold number of downlink subframes includes the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) signal, and the remaining portion of the given portion of the unused downlink subframes is unused.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the selective transmission attempt performs the one or more AUL transmissions based on a contention protocol.

7. A method for an access terminal configured to selectively implement autonomous uplink AUL transmission, comprising: Establish a first Listen-Before-Speak LBT contention window duration for use outside the POW and / or Discovery Reference Signaling DRS Measurement Timing Configuration DMTC window of the shared communication medium, and a second LBT contention window duration for use during the POW and / or DMTC window of the shared communication medium. The access terminal detects the POW and / or DMTC window; and The access terminal sets the LBT contention window to the duration of the second LBT contention window in response to the detection, wherein the duration of the second LBT contention window is longer than the duration of the first LBT contention window.

8. The method as described in claim 7, Wherein the detection detects POW, the method further includes: Wait at the beginning of the POW for a threshold number of subframes to monitor one or more downlink paging messages; as well as If no downlink paging message is detected within the threshold number of subframes at the start of the POW, one or more AUL transmissions are selectively transmitted in one or more subframes of the POW.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the detection is based on scheduling information about the POW and / or the DMTC window transmitted from the access point to the access terminal to detect the occurrence of the POW and / or the DMTC window.

10. An access terminal configured to selectively implement autonomous uplink AUL transmission, comprising: At least one processor, said at least one processor being coupled to at least one transceiver and configured to: Monitoring the shared communication medium, the discovery reference signaling DRS measurement timing configuration DMTC window is performed while suppressing any AUL transmissions; and Based on the monitoring, one or more AUL transmissions are selectively transmitted in one or more subframes that occur within the DMTC window after a DRS is detected within the DMTC window, or the one or more AUL transmissions are selectively transmitted after the end of the DMTC window regardless of whether a DRS is detected within the DMTC window.

11. The access terminal as described in claim 10, The at least one processor is further configured to detect DRS within the DMTC window based on the monitoring. The at least one processor is further configured to selectively transmit the one or more AUL transmissions in response to the detection of the DRS.

12. The access terminal as described in claim 10, The at least one of the processors is further configured to continue monitoring the DMTC window after the DRS is detected. The at least one processor is further configured to selectively transmit the one or more AUL transmissions in response to detecting a threshold number of downlink subframes that satisfy one or more conditions within the DMTC window after the DRS is detected based on the continued monitoring.

13. The access terminal of claim 12, wherein the one or more conditions for each downlink subframe being counted toward the threshold number of downlink subframes include: The downlink subframe was not used, or The downlink subframe portion was not used.

14. The access terminal of claim 13, wherein the given portion of the unused downlink subframes in the threshold number of downlink subframes includes a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) signal, wherein the remaining portion of the given portion of the unused downlink subframes is unused.

15. The access terminal of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to selectively transmit the one or more AUL transmissions by attempting to execute the one or more AUL transmissions based on a contention protocol.

16. An access terminal configured to selectively implement autonomous uplink AUL transmission, comprising: At least one processor, said at least one processor being coupled to at least one transceiver and configured to: Establish a first Listen-Before-Speak LBT contention window duration for use outside the POW and / or Discovery Reference Signaling DRS Measurement Timing Configuration DMTC window of the shared communication medium, and a second LBT contention window duration for use during the POW and / or DMTC window of the shared communication medium. Detect the POW and / or DMTC windows; and In response to the detection, the LBT contention window is set to the duration of the second LBT contention window, wherein the duration of the second LBT contention window is longer than the duration of the first LBT contention window.

17. The access terminal as described in claim 16, The detection wherein POW is detected, and the at least one processor is further configured to: Waiting for a threshold number of subframes at the beginning of the POW to monitor one or more downlink paging messages; and If no downlink paging message is detected within the threshold number of subframes at the start of the POW, one or more AUL transmissions are selectively transmitted in one or more subframes of the POW.

18. The access terminal of claim 16, wherein the detection is based on scheduling information about the POW and / or the DMTC window transmitted from the access point to the access terminal to detect the occurrence of the POW and / or the DMTC window.

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