Cot sharing technique based on non-zero packet preparation delay

Abstract

The first UE can configure an initial transmission and one or more subsequent transmissions following the initial transmission during the COT. The one or more subsequent transmissions are configured to block release of the COT. Based on the configuration, the first UE can transmit the initial transmission including an indication of the COT and a time period for transmitting the one or more subsequent transmissions. The first UE can subsequently transmit the one or more subsequent transmissions during the indicated time period. The second UE can receive the indication of the COT and the time period in which release of the COT is blocked. The second UE can prepare a packet for transmission during the time period in which release of the COT is blocked and transmit the packet during the COT after the time period in which release of the COT is blocked.

Description

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application claims the rights and priority of Greek application No. 20200100726 entitled “COT-Sharing Techniques based on a Non-zero Packet Preparation Delay”, filed on December 15, 2020, which is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] This disclosure generally relates to communication systems, and more specifically to sidelink communication. Background Technology

[0004] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide a variety of telecommunications services, such as telephone, video, data, messaging, and broadcasting. Typical wireless communication systems employ multiple access technologies that enable communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources. Examples of such multiple access technologies include Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) systems, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) systems, Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) systems, Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) systems, Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) systems, and Time Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA) systems.

[0005] These multiple access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunications standards to provide a common protocol enabling different wireless devices to communicate at the municipal, national, regional, and even global levels. An example of a telecommunications standard is 5G New Radio (NR). 5G NR is part of the Continuous Mobile Broadband Evolution (CMB) initiative released by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) to meet new requirements related to latency, reliability, security, scalability (e.g., the Internet of Things (IoT)), and other requirements. 5G NR includes services associated with enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine-type communications (mMTC), and ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC). Some aspects of 5G NR can be based on the 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard. Some aspects of wireless communication can include direct communication between devices based on sidelinks, such as in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) and / or other device-to-device (D2D) communications. Further improvements to sidelink technologies are needed. These improvements can also be applied to other multiple access technologies and telecommunications standards that employ these technologies. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The following is a brief overview of one or more aspects to provide a basic understanding of them. This overview is not a general description of all anticipated aspects, nor is it intended to identify key or important elements of all aspects, nor to depict the scope of any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed descriptions that follow.

[0007] In one aspect of this disclosure, a method, computer-readable medium, and apparatus are provided. The apparatus can configure one or more subsequent transmissions following an initial transmission during a Channel Occupancy Time (COT) for that initial transmission, the one or more subsequent transmissions being configured to prevent the release of the COT; transmit the initial transmission including an indication of the COT and a time period for transmitting the one or more subsequent transmissions; and transmit the one or more subsequent transmissions during the indicated time period.

[0008] In one aspect of this disclosure, a method, computer-readable medium, and apparatus are provided. The apparatus can receive an indication of a Control over Time (COT) configured by a first user equipment (UE) and a period of time during which the first UE blocks the release of the COT; prepare packets for transmission during the period of time during which the first UE blocks the release of the COT; and transmit the packets during a subsequent period of the COT configured by the first UE following the period of time during which the first UE blocks the release of the COT.

[0009] To achieve the foregoing and related objectives, the one or more aspects include the features fully described below and particularly pointed out in the claims. The following description and drawings illustrate specific illustrative features of one or more aspects in detail. However, these features indicate only a few of the various ways in which the principles of the aspects can be employed, and this description is intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. Attached Figure Description

[0010] Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication system and access network.

[0011] Figure 2 An example aspect of the side link time slot structure is shown.

[0012] Figure 3 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a first and a second device involved in wireless communication based, for example, a side link.

[0013] Figure 4 This is a call flow diagram illustrating the communication between the first UE and the second UE.

[0014] Figure 5 An example timeline of transmissions for the first UE and the second UE during the Channel Occupied Time (COT) is shown.

[0015] Figure 6 An example timeline of transmissions for the first UE and the second UE during COT is shown.

[0016] Figure 7 An example timeline of transmissions for the first UE and the second UE during COT is shown.

[0017] Figure 8 This is a flowchart of the wireless communication method for the first UE.

[0018] Figure 9 This is a flowchart of the wireless communication method for the first UE.

[0019] Figure 10 This is a flowchart of the wireless communication method for the second UE.

[0020] Figure 11 This is a flowchart of the wireless communication method for the second UE.

[0021] Figure 12 This is a diagram illustrating an example hardware implementation scheme for the example device.

[0022] Figure 13 This is a diagram illustrating an example hardware implementation scheme for the example device. Detailed Implementation

[0023] The specific embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are intended as descriptions of various configurations and are not intended to represent the only configuration in which the concepts described herein can be practiced. The specific embodiments include detailed descriptions to provide a thorough understanding of the various concepts. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts can be practiced without these specific details. In some cases, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring these concepts.

[0024] Several aspects of a telecommunications system will now be presented with reference to various apparatuses and methods. These apparatuses and methods will be described in the detailed embodiments below and illustrated in the accompanying drawings by various blocks, components, circuits, processes, algorithms, etc. (collectively referred to as “elements” below). These elements can be implemented using electronic hardware, computer software, or any combination thereof. Whether these elements are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0025] As an example, an element, any part of an element, or any combination of elements can be implemented as a "processing system" including one or more processors. Examples of processors include microprocessors, microcontrollers, graphics processing units (GPUs), central processing units (CPUs), application processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processors, system-on-a-chip (SoCs), baseband processors, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), state machines, gated logic, discrete hardware circuits, and other suitable hardware configured to perform the various functions described throughout this disclosure. One or more processors in a processing system can execute software. Software should be interpreted broadly as instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subroutines, software components, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable programs, threads in execution, procedures, functions, etc., regardless of whether it is referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, or otherwise.

[0026] Therefore, in one or more example embodiments, the described functionality can be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functionality can be stored on or encoded as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. A computer-readable medium includes a computer storage medium. The storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such a computer-readable medium can include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage, other magnetic storage devices, combinations of computer-readable media of the foregoing types, or any other medium that can be used to store computer-executable code in the form of computer-accessible instructions or data structures.

[0027] Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication system and access network 100. The wireless communication system (also known as a wireless wide area network (WWAN)) includes base station 102, UE 104, evolved packet core (EPC) 160, and another core network 190 (e.g., a 5G core (5GC)). Base station 102 may include macro cells (high-power cellular base stations) and / or small cells (low-power cellular base stations). Macro cells include base stations. Small cells include femtocells, picocells, and microcells.

[0028] The link between UE 104 and base station 102 or 180 can be established as an access link, for example, using the Uu interface. Other communications can be exchanged between wireless devices based on the sidelink. For example, some UEs 104 can communicate directly with each other using device-to-device (D2D) communication link 158. In some examples, D2D communication link 158 can use DL / ULWWAN spectrum. D2D communication link 158 can use one or more sidelink channels, such as the Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel (PSBCH), Physical Sidelink Discovery Channel (PSDCH), Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH), and Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH). D2D communication can be conducted through various wireless D2D communication systems, such as, for example, WiMedia, Bluetooth, ZigBee, Wi-Fi based on the IEEE 802.11 standard, LTE, or NR.

[0029] Examples of sidelink communication may include vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) (e.g., from a vehicle-based communication device to a road infrastructure node such as a roadside unit (RSU), vehicle-to-network (V2N) (e.g., from a vehicle-based communication device to one or more network nodes such as a base station), vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P), cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X), and / or combinations thereof, and / or vehicle-based communication devices communicating with other devices; these communications can be collectively referred to as vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication. Sidelink communication may be based on V2X or other D2D communication, such as Proximity Services (ProSe). Besides the UE, sidelink communication can also be sent and received by other transmitting and receiving devices such as the roadside unit (RSU) 107. Sidelink communication may be exchanged using a PC5 interface, such as in combination with... Figure 2 The examples described in [the document] are as follows. Although including [other examples] Figure 2 The following description of example time slot structures provides an example for sidelink communication related to 5G NR, but the concepts described herein can be applied to other similar fields, such as LTE, LTE-A, CDMA, GSM and other wireless technologies.

[0030] Refer again Figure 1In a particular aspect, a UE 104 (e.g., a first UE) or other device communicating via a sidelink may include a Channel Occupied Time (COT) holding component 198, which is configured to: configure one or more subsequent transmissions following the initial transmission during the COT period for the initial transmission, the one or more subsequent transmissions being configured to prevent the release of the COT; transmit the initial transmission including an indication of the COT and a time period for transmitting the one or more subsequent transmissions; and transmit the one or more subsequent transmissions during the indicated time period.

[0031] Refer again Figure 1 In certain aspects, UE 104 (e.g., a second UE) or other devices communicating via a sidelink may include a COT utilization component 199 configured to: receive an indication of a COT configured by the first UE and a period in which the first UE blocks the release of the COT; prepare packets for transmission during the period in which the first UE blocks the release of the COT; and transmit packets during a COT configured by the first UE following the period in which the first UE blocks the release of the COT.

[0032] Base station 102 configured for 4G LTE (collectively referred to as Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN)) can interface with EPC 160 via a first backhaul link 132 (e.g., S1 interface). Base station 102 configured for 5G NR (collectively referred to as Next Generation RAN (NG-RAN)) can interface with core network 190 via a second backhaul link 184. Among other functions, base station 102 can also perform one or more of the following functions: transmission of user data, radio channel encryption and decryption, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection establishment and release, load balancing, distribution of non-access stratum (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, radio access network (RAN) sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), subscriber and device tracking, RAN information management (RIM), paging, location, and delivery of warning messages. Base station 102 can communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via EPC 160 or core network 190) via third backhaul link 134 (e.g., X2 interface). First backhaul link 132, second backhaul link 184 and third backhaul link 134 can be wired or wireless.

[0033] Base station 102 can wirelessly communicate with UE 104. Each base station 102 can provide communication coverage for a corresponding geographic coverage area 110. There can be overlapping geographic coverage areas 110. For example, a small cell 102' can have a coverage area 110' that overlaps with the coverage areas 110 of one or more macro base stations 102. A network that includes both small cells and macro cells can be referred to as a heterogeneous network. The heterogeneous network can also include evolved home node B (eNB) (HeNB), which can provide services to a restricted group called a closed subscriber group (CSG). The communication link 120 between base station 102 and UE 104 can include uplink (UL) (also known as reverse link) transmission from UE 104 to base station 102 and / or downlink (DL) (also known as forward link) transmission from base station 102 to UE 104. The communication link 120 can use multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technologies, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity. The communication link can carry one or more carriers. Base station 102 / UE 104 can use spectrum allocated in carrier aggregation of up to Y x MHz (x component carriers) for transmission in each direction, with a bandwidth of up to Y MHz per carrier (e.g., 5, 10, 15, 20, 100, 400, etc.). Carriers may be adjacent to each other or not. Carrier allocation may be asymmetric relative to DL and UL (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated to DL than to UL). Component carriers may include primary component carriers and one or more secondary component carriers. The primary component carrier may be referred to as the primary cell (PCell), and the secondary component carriers may be referred to as secondary cells (SCells).

[0034] The wireless communication system may also include a Wi-Fi access point (AP) 150 that communicates with a Wi-Fi station (STA) 152 via a communication link 154, for example, in an unlicensed spectrum of 5 GHz. When communicating in unlicensed spectrum, the STA 152 / AP 150 may perform a free channel assessment (CCA) to determine whether the channel is available before communication begins.

[0035] Small cell 102' can operate in licensed and / or unlicensed spectrum. When operating in unlicensed spectrum, small cell 102' can employ NR and use the same unlicensed spectrum (e.g., 5 GHz, etc.) as used by Wi-Fi AP 150. Small cell 102' employing NR in unlicensed spectrum can improve access network coverage and / or increase access network capacity.

[0036] The electromagnetic spectrum is typically subdivided into various categories, bands, channels, etc., based on frequency / wavelength. In 5G NR, two initial operating frequency bands have been identified as frequency range names FR1 (410MHz–7.125GHz) and FR2 (24.25GHz–52.6GHz). The frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are generally referred to as the mid-band frequencies. Although a portion of FR1 is greater than 6GHz, in various documents and articles, FR1 is often referred to as the (interchangeable) "sub-6GHz" band. Similar naming issues sometimes arise regarding FR2; although different from the Ultra High Frequency (EHF) band (30GHz–300GHz) defined as the "millimeter wave" band by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), FR2 is often referred to as the (interchangeable) "millimeter wave" band in documents and articles.

[0037] In light of the foregoing, unless otherwise specified, it should be understood that the term "sub-6GHz" as used herein can broadly refer to frequencies that are less than 6GHz, within FR1, or may include intermediate frequency band frequencies. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, it should be understood that the term "millimeter wave" as used herein can broadly refer to frequencies that may include intermediate frequency band frequencies, within FR2, or within the EHF band.

[0038] Base station 102 (whether a small cell 102' or a large cell (e.g., a macro base station)) may include and / or be referred to as an eNB, g-node B (gNB), or another type of base station. Some base stations (such as gNBs) may operate in the conventional sub-6 GHz spectrum, in millimeter-wave frequencies, and / or near-millimeter-wave frequencies to communicate with UE 104. When a gNB operates at millimeter-wave or near-millimeter-wave frequencies, it may be referred to as a millimeter-wave base station. Millimeter-wave base station 180 may utilize beamforming 182 with UE 104 to compensate for path loss and short range. Base station 180 and UE 104 may each include multiple antennas, such as antenna elements, antenna panels, and / or antenna arrays, to facilitate beamforming. Similarly, beamforming may be applied, for example, to sidelink communication between UEs.

[0039] Base station 180 may transmit beamformed signals to UE 104 in one or more transmit directions 182'. UE 104 may receive beamformed signals from base station 180 in one or more receive directions 182'. UE 104 may also transmit beamformed signals to base station 180 in one or more transmit directions. Base station 180 may receive beamformed signals from UE 104 in one or more receive directions. Base station 180 / UE 104 may perform beam training to determine the optimal receive and transmit directions for each of base station 180 / UE 104. The transmit and receive directions of base station 180 may be the same or different. The transmit and receive directions of UE 104 may be the same or different. Although this example has been described with respect to base station 180 and UE 104, these aspects can be similarly applied between a first device and a second device (e.g., a first UE and a second UE) for sidelink communication.

[0040] EPC 160 may include Mobility Management Entity (MME) 162, other MMEs 164, Serving Gateway 166, Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS) Gateway 168, Broadcast Multicast Service Center (BM-SC) 170, and Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway 172. MME 162 can communicate with Home Subscriber Server (HSS) 174. MME 162 is the control node that handles signaling between UE 104 and EPC 160. Typically, MME 162 provides bearer and connection management. All user Internet Protocol (IP) packets are transmitted through Serving Gateway 166, which is itself connected to PDN Gateway 172. PDN Gateway 172 provides UE IP address allocation and other functions. PDN Gateway 172 and BM-SC 170 are connected to IP Service 176. IP Service 176 may include the Internet, intranet, IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), PS streaming service, and / or other IP services. The BM-SC 170 can provide functions for MBMS user service provisioning and delivery. The BM-SC 170 can serve as an entry point for content provider MBMS transmissions, authorize and initiate MBMS bearer services within a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), and schedule MBMS transmissions. The MBMS gateway 168 can allocate MBMS services to base station 102 belonging to a Multicast-Broadcast Single Frequency Network (MBSFN) area belonging to a broadcast-specific service, and can be responsible for session management (start / stop) and collecting billing information related to eMBMS.

[0041] Core network 190 may include Access and Mobility Management Functions (AMF) 192, other AMFs 193, Session Management Functions (SMF) 194, and User Plane Functions (UDP) 195. AMF 192 can communicate with Unified Data Management (UDM) 196. AMF 192 is the control node that handles signaling between UE 104 and core network 190. Typically, AMF 192 provides QoS flow and session management. All user Internet Protocol (IP) packets are transmitted via UPF 195. UPF 195 provides UE IP address allocation and other functions. UPF 195 connects to IP service 197. IP service 197 may include the Internet, intranet, IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), Packet Switched (PS) Streaming (PSS) service, and / or other IP services.

[0042] Base stations may include and / or be referred to as gNB, Node B, eNB, access point, base transceiver station, radio base station, radio transceiver, transceiver function, Basic Service Set (BSS), Extended Service Set (ESS), Transmitter Receiver Point (TRP), or any other suitable term. Base station 102 provides UE 104 with access to EPC 160 or core network 190. Examples of UE 104 include cellular phones, smartphones, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phones, laptops, personal digital assistants (PDAs), satellite radios, GPS devices, multimedia devices, video devices, digital audio players (e.g., MP3 players), cameras, game consoles, tablets, smart devices, wearable devices, vehicles, meters, air pumps, large or small kitchen appliances, healthcare devices, implants, sensors / brakes, displays, or any other similar functional devices. Some UE 104 devices may be referred to as IoT devices (e.g., parking timers, air pumps, toasters, vehicles, heart monitors, etc.). UE 104 may also be referred to as a station, mobile station, subscriber station, mobile unit, subscriber unit, wireless unit, remote unit, mobile device, wireless device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile subscriber station, access terminal, mobile terminal, wireless terminal, remote terminal, mobile phone, user agent, mobile client, client, or any other suitable term.

[0043] Figure 2Example figures 200 and 210 are shown, illustrating example slot structures that can be used for sidelink communication (e.g., between UE 104, RSU 107, etc.). The slot structure can be within a 5G / NR frame structure. Although the following description may focus on 5G NR, the concepts described herein are applicable to other similar domains, such as LTE, LTE-A, CDMA, GSM, and other wireless technologies. This is merely an example; other wireless communication technologies may have different frame structures and / or different channels for sidelink communication. A frame (10 ms) can be divided into 10 equal-sized subframes (1 ms). Each subframe may include one or more slots. Subframes may also include mini-slots, which may include 7, 4, or 2 symbols. Depending on the slot configuration, each slot may include 7 or 14 symbols. For slot configuration 0, each slot may include 14 symbols, and for slot configuration 1, each slot may include 7 symbols. Figure 200 illustrates a single-slot transmission, which may correspond to a transmission time interval (TTI) of 0.5 ms. Figure 210 illustrates an example of two-slot aggregation, for example, the aggregation of two 0.5 ms TTIs. Figure 200 illustrates a single RB, while Figure 210 illustrates N RBs. In Figure 210, the 10 RBs used for control are merely an example. The number of RBs may vary.

[0044] A resource grid can be used to represent the frame structure. Each time slot includes a resource block (RB) extending for 12 consecutive subcarriers (also known as a physical RB (PRB)). The resource grid is divided into multiple resource elements (REs). The number of bits carried by each RE depends on the modulation scheme. Figure 2 As shown, some REs may include control information, for example, along with the demodulation RS (DMRS). Figure 2 The illustration also shows that the symbols may include CSI-RS. Figure 2Symbols indicated for use in DMRS or CSI-RS include DMRSREs or CSI-RS REs. These symbols may also include REs that contain data. For example, if the number of ports used for DMR or CSI-RS is 1, and comb 2 mode is used for DMR / CSI-RS, half of the REs may include RSs, and the other half may include data. CSI-RS resources can begin at any symbol in a time slot and can occupy 1, 2, or 4 symbols, depending on the number of ports configured. CSI-RS can be periodic, semi-persistent, or aperiodic (e.g., triggered based on control information). For time / frequency tracking, CSI-RS can be periodic or aperiodic. CSI-RS can be transmitted in bursts of two or four symbols, distributed across one or two time slots. Control information may include sidelink control information (SCI). As described herein, at least one symbol may be used for feedback. Symbols before and / or after feedback may be used for turnaround between receiving data and transmitting feedback. Although symbol 12 is shown in relation to data, it can be a gap symbol used to allow for turnaround to the feedback in symbol 13. Another symbol (e.g., at the end of a time slot) can be used as a gap. This gap allows the device to switch from operating as a transmitting device to preparing to operate as a receiving device (e.g., in a later time slot). As shown, data can be transmitted in the remaining RE. The data can include the data message described herein. The position of any of the SCI symbol, feedback symbol, and LBT symbol can differ. Figure 2 The example shown illustrates how multiple time slots can be aggregated together. Figure 2 An example aggregation of two time slots is also shown. The number of time slot aggregations can also be greater than two. When time slots are aggregated, the symbols used for feedback and / or the slot symbols can be different from those used for a single time slot. Although feedback is not shown for the aggregation example, symbols in multi-time slot aggregations can also be assigned for feedback, as shown in the single-time slot example.

[0045] Figure 3 This is a block diagram 300 illustrating communication between a first wireless communication device 310 and a second wireless communication device 350 based on a sidelink. In some examples, devices 310 and 350 may communicate based on V2X or other D2D communication. This communication may be based on a sidelink using a PC5 interface. Devices 310 and 350 may include UEs, RSUs, base stations, etc. Packets may be provided to a controller / processor 375 implementing Layer 3 and Layer 2 functions. Layer 3 includes the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer, and Layer 2 includes the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and the Media Access Control (MAC) layer.

[0046] Transmit (TX) processor 316 and receive (RX) processor 370 implement Layer 1 functions associated with various signal processing functions. Layer 1, including the physical (PHY) layer, may include error detection on the transport channel, forward error correction (FEC) encoding / decoding of the transport channel, interleaving, rate matching, mapping to the physical channel, modulation / demodulation of the physical channel, and MIMO antenna processing. TX processor 316 processes the mapping to the signal constellation based on various modulation schemes (e.g., binary phase shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), M-phase shift keying (M-PSK), and M-quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM)). The encoded and modulated symbols can then be divided into parallel streams. Each stream can then be mapped to OFDM subcarriers, multiplexed with a reference signal (e.g., a pilot) in the time and / or frequency domains, and then combined using inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) to produce a physical channel carrying a stream of time-domain OFDM symbols. The OFDM streams are spatially precoded to produce multiple spatial streams. The channel estimate from channel estimator 374 can be used to determine coding and modulation schemes, as well as for spatial processing. The channel estimate can be derived based on a reference signal transmitted by device 350 and / or channel condition feedback. Each spatial stream can then be provided to different antennas 320 via separate transmitters 318TX. Each transmitter 318TX can modulate an RF carrier with the corresponding spatial stream for transmission.

[0047] At device 350, each receiver 354RX receives a signal via its respective antenna 352. Each receiver 354RX recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides this information to the receive (RX) processor 356. The TX processor 368 and RX processor 356 implement Layer 1 functions associated with various signal processing functions. The RX processor 356 can perform spatial processing on the information to recover any spatial stream destined for device 350. If multiple spatial streams are destined for device 350, they can be combined by the RX processor 356 into a single OFDM symbol stream. The RX processor 356 then uses a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) to transform the OFDM symbol stream from the time domain to the frequency domain. The frequency domain signal consists of a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. The symbols and reference signal on each subcarrier are recovered and demodulated by determining the most probable signal constellation point transmitted by device 310. These soft decisions can be based on a channel estimate calculated by the channel estimator 358. The soft decision is then decoded and deinterleaved to recover the data and control signals initially transmitted by device 310 on the physical channel. The data and control signals are then provided to the controller / processor 359 that implements Layer 3 and Layer 2 functions.

[0048] The controller / processor 359 may be associated with a memory 360 that stores program code and data. The memory 360 may be referred to as a computer-readable medium. The controller / processor 359 can provide demultiplexing, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing between transport and logical channels. The controller / processor 359 is also responsible for error detection using ACK and / or NACK protocols to support HARQ operation.

[0049] Similar to the functions described in conjunction with the transmissions performed by device 310, controller / processor 359 can provide RRC layer functions associated with system information (e.g., MIB, SIB) acquisition, RRC connection, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functions associated with header compression / decompression and security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functions associated with upper-layer PDU transmission, error correction via ARQ, concatenation, segmentation and reassembly of RLC SDUs, resegmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functions associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing MACSDUs to TBs, demultiplexing MAC SDUs from TBs, reporting scheduling information, error correction via HARQ, priority processing, and logical channel priority allocation.

[0050] The channel estimate derived by channel estimator 358 from the reference signal transmitted by device 310 or feedback can be used by TX processor 368 to select an appropriate coding and modulation scheme and to facilitate spatial processing. The spatial stream generated by TX processor 368 can be provided to different antennas 352 via separate transmitters 354TX. Each transmitter 354TX can use the corresponding spatial stream to modulate an RF carrier for transmission.

[0051] Transmission is processed at device 310 in a manner similar to that described for the receiver function at device 350. Each receiver 318RX receives a signal via its corresponding antenna 320. Each receiver 318RX recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides that information to the RX processor 370.

[0052] The controller / processor 375 may be associated with a memory 376 that stores program code and data. The memory 376 may be referred to as a computer-readable medium. The controller / processor 375 can provide demultiplexing, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing between transport and logical channels. The controller / processor 375 is also responsible for error detection using ACK and / or NACK protocols to support HARQ operation.

[0053] At least one of the TX processor 368, RX processor 356, and controller / processor 359 can be configured to perform operations related to... Figure 1 The COT retains the components 198 in various aspects.

[0054] At least one of the TX processor 368, RX processor 356, and controller / processor 359 can be configured to perform operations related to... Figure 1 The COT utilizes components 199 in various aspects.

[0055] Figure 4 This is a call flow diagram 400 illustrating communication between a first UE 402 and a second UE 404. At 406, the first UE 402 may configure the Call Over (COT) based on a Listen Before the Call (LBT) procedure. The COT can be used by the first UE 402 and / or the second UE 404 to transmit signals in an unlicensed frequency band. At 408, the first UE 402 may determine whether to keep the COT active after the initial transmission of the first UE 402 based on scheduling one or more COT reservation transmissions 416 from the first UE 402. Specifically, if continuous transmission is not maintained within the COT after the initial transmission, the COT configured by the first UE 402 may be released, and a subsequent LBT procedure may have to be performed to transmit subsequent transmissions. For example, after the COT is initiated by the first UE 402 and the initial transmission is performed by the first UE 402, the COT reservation transmission 416 may be sent in a manner that maintains continuous use of the channel after the initial transmission to prevent the COT from being released.

[0056] At 410, the first UE 402 can select frequency resources for its transmissions. For example, the first UE 402 can select frequency resources for its initial transmissions. If the first UE 402 determines at 408 to keep COT active before selecting frequency resources for its transmissions at 410, the first UE 402 can also select frequency resources at 410 for one or more COT reserved transmissions at 416. Otherwise, frequency resources for COT reserved transmissions can be selected at 414 after the initial transmission.

[0057] At 412, the first UE 402 may send an initial transmission, which may be received by the second UE 404. The initial transmission may include an indication of the COT configured by the first UE 402 at 406, and an indication of the COT reservation period corresponding to the transmission length of the COT reservation transmission 416. If the first UE 402 determines to keep the COT active after sending the initial transmission at 412, the first UE 402 may select frequency resources for the COT reservation transmission 416 at 414, because the first UE 402 may not have selected frequency resources for the COT reservation transmission 416 at 410.

[0058] At 418, the second UE 404 can determine its Packet Preparation Delay (PPD). That is, the second UE 404 can determine a non-zero time period for preparing packets for transmission. If the second UE 404 determines that its PPD is less than or equal to the first UE 402's COT reservation period, then the second UE 404 can prepare packets at 418 during the COT reservation transmission 416 sent by the first UE 402. The second UE 404 can also adjust packet transmission resources at 420 during the first UE 402's COT reservation period. After the first UE 402's COT reservation period ends, at 422, the second UE 404 can maintain continuous COT transmission via packet transmission without performing the LBT procedure, because the first UE 402 has already performed the LBT procedure to configure COT. Packets sent at 422 can be received by the first UE 402 or by different UEs.

[0059] Figure 5 An example timeline 500 is shown for transmissions 510a-510b for the first UE 502 and the second UE 504 during COT 506. For unlicensed spectrum, an LBT procedure 508a can be performed prior to the initial transmission 510a (such as a C-V2X transmission). For example, the first UE 502 associated with the first C-V2X transmission can determine whether the channel is idle by listening to channel activity, and if the channel is determined to be idle, the first UE 502 can perform transmission 510a in the unlicensed spectrum.

[0060] In cases where COT 506 is initiated by the first UE 502, the second UE 504 can be configured to utilize the COT 506 initiated by the first UE 502 to avoid performing LBT procedure 508a and perform transmission 510b in unlicensed spectrum. Therefore, the performance of the second UE 502 can be improved via resource selection and transmission scheduling determined by the second UE 504 based on the COT 506 initiated by the first UE 502. While adaptive resource selection and transmission scheduling within active COT 506 can improve the performance of the second UE 504, the time spent by the second UE preparing packets for PHY transmission may be greater than the duration of a single time slot. This could result in a transmission gap (e.g., as shown in the image) between the end of transmission 510a of the first UE 502 and the start of transmission 510b of the second UE 504, leading to the release of COT 506. Figure 6 (As shown). Accordingly, if the second UE 504 determines that COT 506 initiated by the first UE 502 is active throughout the entire time slot n, then if time slot n+1 does not include other transmission activity, it may be necessary to schedule the second UE 502's transmission 510b for time slot n+1, or it may be necessary to release COT 506 at time slot n+1. The gap in transmission activity at time slot n+1 may further prevent subsequent time slots utilizing time slot n+2 and COT 506 based on releasing COT 506 at time slot n+1.

[0061] If COT 506 is not continuously utilized via transmissions 510a-510b on the time slot associated with COT 506, the COT 506 initiated by the first UE 502 can be released. Since there may be no guarantee that the COT 506 initiated by the first UE 502 will still be active for time slot n+2, the second UE 502 may lose the COT sharing opportunity if the time for preparing packets for transmission by the second UE 504 prevents the second UE 504 from sending packets before time slot n+2. COT sharing techniques that allow non-zero PPD can enable the second UE 504 to adaptively select / reselect transmission resources (e.g., for unlicensed C-V2X transmissions) based on the COT 506 initiated by the first UE 502. COT sharing techniques may include guaranteeing the second UE 504 that COT 506 will remain active during the second UE 504's packet preparation time. Such a technique can improve the channel access efficiency of C-V2X devices by reducing the number of instances in which LBT processes 508a-508b are performed.

[0062] COT 506 may correspond to a time period during which the first UE 502 and / or the second UE 504 are allowed to transmit after LBT procedure 508a is performed and the first UE 502 determines that the channel is idle. In a further aspect, several UEs may be configured to utilize COT 506 initiated by the first UE 502, provided that the utilization of COT 506 corresponds to continuous transmissions by the UE. For example, one or more transmissions 510a-510b of the first UE 502 and / or the second UE 504 may occur for the entire duration of COT 506, which may be determined based on a predefined protocol. For example, the duration of COT 506 may be in the range of 2-10 ms, which may correspond to 4-20 time slots in a C-V2X configuration with a 30 kHz subcarrier spacing (SCS). Individual transmissions of one or more transmissions 510a-510b may have a duration of 0.5 ms (e.g., one time slot) and may be associated with periodic service patterns.

[0063] By implementing COT sharing technology, a single LBT procedure 508a can be executed by the first UE 502 to enable the first UE 502 and the second UE 504 to execute one or more transmissions 510a-510b. One or more transmissions 510a-510b can occur on multiple consecutive time slots (e.g., time slot n and time slot n+1). Therefore, if the first UE 502 determines to transmit on a selected time slot (e.g., time slot n) not included in the currently active / shared COT, the first UE 502 can execute the LBT procedure 508a before the start of the time slot (e.g., at time slot n-1). If the first UE 502 determines that the channel is idle based on the LBT procedure 508a, the first UE 502 can initiate COT 506 and execute one or more transmissions 510a during COT 506. If another UE (e.g., the second UE 504) near the first UE 502 that initiated COT 506 receives an indication for COT 506, the other UE can transmit in the time slot of COT 506 (e.g., n+1, n+2, n+3, etc.) based on either completely skipping the LBT procedure 508a or by performing a Category 2 (Type 2) or Type 2 LBT procedure.

[0064] The first UE 502, which initiated COT 506, can send an indication via SCI of the maximum period on which COT 506 initiated by the first UE 502 can remain active due to continuous transmission activity, so that other UEs receiving the indication (such as the second UE 504) can determine whether to utilize one or more time slots of COT 506 based on the packet preparation time of the other UEs. The indication included in the SCI can also instruct the first UE 502 to guarantee that COT 506 will remain active based on one or more COT reservation transmissions following the initial transmission 510a of the first UE 502.

[0065] The C-V2X device can receive and decode the SCI in the control channel to identify COT 506 and determine whether the upcoming transmission of the C-V2X device is covered by COT 506. For example, the C-V2X device can determine whether the maximum duration of COT 506 includes the time slot for the upcoming transmission of the C-V2X device, and whether the first UE 502 guarantees that the time slot of COT 506 for the upcoming transmission of the C-V2X device will still be active. If so, the C-V2X device can skip LBT procedure 508a and utilize COT 506. In various aspects, the second UE 504, utilizing the COT 506 initiated by the first UE 502, can further propagate / transmit an SCI indicating COT 506 for reception by another UE and determining whether the upcoming transmission of the other UE is covered by COT 506. For each transmission 510a-510b occurring within COT 506 by any UE, the transmission of COT information can be repeated via the SCI.

[0066] In timeline 500, a first UE 502 (e.g., a first C-V2X device) can determine to transmit on time slot n. Before performing transmission on time slot n, if the first UE 502 has not yet received an indication of an active COT including time slot n, the first UE 502 can perform an LBT procedure 508a at time slot n-1. Thus, a COT 506 including time slot n can be initiated by the first UE 502 via the LBT procedure 508a performed in time slot n-1. The first UE 502 can determine via the LBT procedure 508a that the channel is idle and transmit on time slot n after the COT 506 is initiated. In timeline 500, the duration of COT 506 can correspond to four time slots. However, in other configurations, the duration of COT 506 can include up to 20 or more time slots. Transmission 510a in time slot n can be indicated via SCI that COT 506 has been initiated by the first UE 502, and that COT 506 is based on a total duration of 4 time slots. A second UE 504 (e.g., a second C-V2X device) located near the first UE 502 can receive transmission 510a from the first UE 502 and decode the COT information from the SCI to determine that COT 506 initiated by the first UE 502 in time slot n will be active for a total of 4 time slots.

[0067] If the second UE 504 has previously selected a resource for transmission in time slot n+1 and received an indication for COT 506 initiated by the first UE 502 before time slot n+1, the second UE 504 can transmit packets in time slot n+1 without performing LBT procedure 508a. Alternatively, the second UE 504 can perform a Class 2 / Type 2 LBT procedure (e.g., a “light” LBT procedure) before transmitting packets at time slot n+1. The Class 2 / Type 2 LBT procedure can be associated with an increased COT initiation success rate compared to a Class 4 LBT procedure (e.g., a “full” LBT procedure). For a resource selected in time slot n+7 of timeline 500, the second UE 504 can perform a full LBT procedure 508b (e.g., in time slot n+6) because the second UE 504 has not yet received an indication for an active COT including time slot n+7. If the sensed channel is determined to be busy, the LBT process 508b can be aborted, which may result in the second UE 504 being unable to initiate a blocked / failed transmission 512 including time slot n+7 of the COT.

[0068] In the example, other UEs (e.g., the third UE, the fourth UE, etc.) that receive an indication of COT 506 initiated by the first UE 502 can utilize subsequent time slots in COT 506 (e.g., time slot n+1, time slot n+2, time slot n+3, etc.) in a manner similar to that of the second UE 504, without executing the LBT procedure 508a. That is, time slot n+1 and / or subsequent time slots of COT 506 can be utilized by the third UE, the fourth UE, etc., while time slot n in COT 506 can be utilized by the single UE that initiated COT 506 (e.g., the first UE 502), because COT 506 must be indicated to other UEs via initial transmission 510a before the existence and availability of COT 506 can be determined by other UEs. Multiple UEs can be configured to utilize the same time slot when the transmissions occupy different sub-channels of the same time slot and do not conflict. The C-V2X resource selection procedure can be configured to provide multiple UEs with access to the same time slot.

[0069] When MAC data units are available for PHY transmission, the signals to be transmitted can be generated based on multiple operations (e.g., in-phase and quadrature (IQ) sampling). For example, the PHY layer may be associated with: encoding MAC data units and rate matching with PSSCH resources; encoding SCI information to be transmitted on PSCCH resources; and generating DMRS symbols to be transmitted on PSSCH and PSCCH resources. Such a process can correspond to a non-zero PPD, which can depend on the UE implementation. That is, the PPD for the first UE 502 may differ from the PPD for the second UE 504. Therefore, the UE may experience the PPD of one or more C-V2X slots.

[0070] If COT 506 does not include continuous transmission after it is initiated, COT 506 can be released, making it possible that an LBT procedure (e.g., 508b) must be performed to initiate another COT for one or more subsequent transmissions (e.g., 512). To preserve the shared COT, the first UE 502 and the second UE 504 utilizing the shared COT 506 can transmit in a manner that prevents idle C-V2X slots from appearing within COT 506 (e.g., in 510a-510b). Therefore, the second UE 504 can determine that the shared COT 506 is active on a slot (e.g., slot n) and schedule transmissions on slot n+1 to maintain continuous transmission in COT 506, because it may not be guaranteed that the first UE 502 that initiated COT 506 or some other UE that determined the existence of COT 506 will transmit on slot n+1 to preserve COT 506 for transmissions on slot n+2. Some C-V2X transmissions can have a duration corresponding to a single time slot, so that the transmission 510a that initiated COT 506 can also have a duration corresponding to that single time slot. Based on this standard, COT sharing can be limited to the following scenario: in which the second UE 504 happens to have the previously selected resources for time slot n+1, and the packets for transmission are prepared before it is determined that the shared COT 506 is active on time slot n and available for transmission on time slot n+1.

[0071] Performance can be improved by adjusting resource selection to be located within an active COT. For example, transmission 510a associated with a generated COT 506 can be configured to trigger resource reselection based on an indication of COT 506 and an indication of the duration of COT 506's activity. If the MAC sends a data unit while COT 506 is active, the initial transmission 510a can be scheduled within the active COT 506. The second UE 504 can determine to reschedule future transmissions / retransmissions (e.g., 510b) at an earlier time / slot so that future transmissions / retransmissions (e.g., 510b) are included in the active COT 506 that the second UE 504 might not have been able to determine when the second UE 504 initially selected resources for transmission / retransmission.

[0072] Adjusting the selected resources to the newly identified COT 506 may cause the second UE 504 to prepare packets for transmission within a time interval shorter than a C-V2X slot (e.g., 0.5 ms for a 30 kHz SCS). For example, the second UE 504 may have to prepare packets for transmission during the time interval of slot n in order to send packets in the immediately following slot (e.g., slot n+1). However, some UEs may utilize more than one slot to prepare packets for transmission. Even if PSSCHIQ sampling is available (e.g., from previous transmissions), non-zero PPD may occur for retransmission of packets if SCI and DMRS depend on the frame / slot index. If the PPD is greater than the duration of the slot, transmission may not occur on the slot (e.g., slot n+1), and COT 506 may be released. Therefore, if a guarantee is provided to the second UE 504 utilizing COT 506 that COT 506 will remain active during the PPD interval, COT sharing technology can be implemented such that if the second UE is able to transmit within COT 506, the second UE can skip the LBT procedure 508a.

[0073] Figure 6 An example timeline 600 is shown for transmissions 610a-610b for the first UE 602 and the second UE 604 during COT 606. The second UE 604 (e.g., the second C-V2X device) may not utilize COT 606 initiated by the first UE 602 (e.g., the first C-V2X device) based on LBT procedure 608a because the transmission 610b of the second UE 604 at time slot n+3 is not continuous with the transmission 610a of the first UE 602 at time slot n. The discontinuous transmission may be based on a non-zero PPD for the transmission 610b of the second UE 604 corresponding to the availability of MAC Packet Data Units (PDUs) 612 that occur before the start of time slot n.

[0074] The second UE 604 can receive the MAC PDU 612 for transmission near the end of time slot n-1. However, the first UE 602 can initiate COT 606 at time slot n, and the second UE 604 can determine COT 606 by decoding the SCI of COT initiation transmission 610a. Due to the non-zero PDU, the second UE 604 may not have enough time to prepare the packet for transmission before time slot n+3. Although time slot n+3 is within COT 606 initiated by the first UE 602, it cannot be guaranteed that time slots n+1 and n+2 will include transmissions to keep the COT active. If COT 606 is not kept active, the second UE 604 can perform LBT procedure 608b, which may or may not result in a blocked / failed transmission for the second UE 602.

[0075] Figure 7 An example timeline 700 is shown for transmissions 710a-710b / 714a-714b during COT 706 for first UE 702 and second UE 704. When first UE 702 initiates COT 706, first UE 702 can be configured to transmit one or more subsequent transmissions 714a-714b in N subsequent time slots following the initial transmission 710a. For example, first UE 702 can indicate the shared COT 706 initiated at time slot n via an SCI transmission. The SCI transmission can instruct first UE 702 to continue transmitting on time slots n+1, n+2, ..., n+N. In other configurations, the duration of COT 706 may not be long enough to include time slot n+N. If the additional N transmissions 714a-714b following the initial transmission 710a cover a sufficiently long duration for the non-zero PPD used by the second UE 704, then the second UE 704 can be provided with a guarantee that it has sufficient time to prepare packets for transmission if the COT 706 is not released, so that the second UE 704 can send packets without performing (e.g., skipping) the LBT procedure 708 after having spent time preparing packets.

[0076] The total number of the additional N transmissions 714a-714b following the initial transmission 710a can be selected based on the corresponding PPD of the second UE 704 that can be attempted to utilize the COT 706 initiated by the first UE 702. For example, if the PPD corresponds to the duration of three time slots, and the first time slot is used for the initial transmission 710a of the first UE 702, then N can be equal to 2, such that otherwise the discontinuous transmission gap in the COT 706 between the initial transmission 710a of the first UE 702 and the transmission 710b of the second UE 704 is filled by the continuous transmissions of the first UE 702 (e.g., 714a-714b).

[0077] Increasing the value of N beyond the PPD of the second UE 704 may cause congestion. However, since different UEs may have different PPDs and therefore may correspond to different minimum values ​​of N, a fixed value for N may not provide optimal results in all cases. However, the value of N can be a pre-configured system-wide value or a value determined by the network and provided to the first UE 702. In a further configuration, the first UE 702 initiating COT 706 may independently determine the value of N, or the first UE 702 may determine the value of N based on characteristics of the second UE 704 that can utilize the shared COT 706. For example, if the first UE 702 determines that the load condition is increasing (e.g., based on Channel Busy Ratio (CBR) measurements), the first UE 702 may decide to set N=0 and not perform COT reservation technology, because the probability that the COT 706 initiated by the first UE 702 will be reserved by a pre-scheduled transmission of another UE may increase. In some cases, COT 706 can be reserved by pre-scheduled transmissions of multiple UEs.

[0078] Transmissions 710a / 714a-714b of the first UE 702 can be used to keep COT 706 active, even if transmissions 714a-714b correspond to noise. However, COT-reserved transmissions 714a-714b, which repeat the initial transmission 710a of the first time slot, can be used as “blind” retransmissions, which can improve the success rate of decoding the initial transmission 710b. For example, a receiver can be configured to listen for COT-reserved transmissions 714a-714b to receive information that might otherwise be associated with a single time slot. While such “soft” retransmissions may not be counted as “real” retransmissions, soft retransmissions may provide additional benefits to the COT reservation scheme. That is, while a certain number of real retransmissions can be triggered based on feedback, soft retransmissions (e.g., COT-reserved signals 714a-714b) are the maximum number of transmissions that may not be counted as allowed real retransmissions.

[0079] A true retransmission may be associated with multiple back-to-back retransmissions, while a soft retransmission may not be followed by a subsequent soft retransmission. A soft retransmission can be configured to re-indicate the presence and duration of COT 706 indicated via the initial transmission 710a. Furthermore, a soft retransmission may not carry COT information; otherwise, a soft retransmission might be followed by a subsequent soft retransmission, potentially leading to continued media usage and an unnecessary increase in congestion. Therefore, if the second UE 704 attempts to decode a soft retransmission but fails to decode the initial transmission 710a corresponding to the initiation of COT 706, the second UE 702 may be unable to determine the presence and duration of COT 706.

[0080] By reserving frequency resources for subchannels that will be used by COT reserved time slots and COT reserved transmissions 714a-714b, these resources can be excluded from potential uses by other UEs for other transmissions. For example, the frequency resources (e.g., subchannels) of the COT reserved time slots can be the same frequency resources as those used for the time slots of the initial transmission 710a, provided that no other device has previously reserved frequency resources for the time when COT reserved transmissions 714a-714b are transmitted (e.g., reservations for future resources can be used for C-V2X technology). When N is greater than or equal to 2, the same subchannels may not be used for all COT reserved transmissions 714a-714b if other devices have reserved these resources. However, if other devices have not reserved the same resources, the same subchannels can be used for both the initial transmission 710a and COT reserved transmissions 714a-714b.

[0081] If the subchannel carrying the initial transmission 710a (e.g., a COT indication transmission) has already been reserved by one or more other UEs in any subsequent COT reservation slots, the first UE 702 can skip these slots and transmit the COT reservation signal on the remaining unreserved slots. This is because COT 706 can be kept active via one or more transmissions by one or more other UEs on reserved resources. Thus, COT 706 can be reserved cooperatively by relying on one or more other UEs that have reserved resources for transmission on such resources to reserve COT 706. Alternatively, if the subchannel carrying the initial transmission 710a (e.g., a COT indication transmission) has already been reserved in any subsequent COT reservation slots, the first UE 702 can select different non-overlapping resources for these slots. Therefore, COT reservation slots can be associated with subchannels that are different from those in the COT indication slots. If a common set of subchannels is identified across all COT reservation slots, this common set of subchannels can be used for transmission.

[0082] The first UE 702 executing COT reserved transmissions 714a-714b can indicate to the network the resources to be used for such transmissions, allowing other UEs to receive the indication of the resources and select different resources for executing other UEs' transmissions. The indication to the network can be signaled via the SCI of the initial transmission 710a. That is, the COT indication transmission can indicate that N COT reserved transmissions 714a-714b will follow this transmission. The COT indication transmission can also indicate the sub-channel in which N COT reserved transmissions 714a-714b will occur. If the first UE 702 determines that it will execute COT reserved transmissions 714a-714b before the COT initiation transmission, the first UE 702 can reserve resources for COT reserved transmissions 714a-714b when the resources for the COT initiation transmission are reserved. Techniques that reduce signaling overhead (e.g., transmitting on the same sub-channel for the COT reserved time slot) can be implemented using techniques associated with increased signaling overhead. In the example, the first UE 702 may indicate the number of COT reserved slots (e.g., N) and / or indicate that the subchannel to be used for COT reserved slots is the same subchannel as the subchannel used for COT indication transmission.

[0083] The shared COT 706 can be propagated by additional UEs utilizing COT 706 via the additional UE's SCI. If the shared COT 706 is propagated by additional UEs utilizing the shared COT 706, configuring each of the additional UEs to transmit on N consecutive time slots may lead to increased congestion. Therefore, COT reservation transmissions 714a-714b can be limited to the first UE 702 that performed LBT procedure 708 and initiated COT 706, because other UEs can determine the existence of COT 706 based on the COT initiation transmission from the first UE 702. In a further example, the UEs propagating COT can perform COT reservation transmissions based on predetermined criteria. For example, COT reservation transmissions of other UEs utilizing COT 706 (where N is greater than or equal to 2) in the 2nd, 3rd, ... Nth time slots of COT 706 (but not later) can be pre-configured or determined by the network. Another approach to reducing congestion is to restrict COT reservation to specific types of transmissions. For example, COT reservation can be used if the transmission of packets is not a packet retransmission. In another example, COT reservation can be used for transmissions associated with unicast links, multicast, etc. Activation / deactivation of COT reservation can be adjusted based on network congestion, which can be determined via CBR measurements.

[0084] Figure 8This is a flowchart 800 of a wireless communication method. The method can be executed by a first UE (e.g., UE 104, 402, 502, 602, 702; device 1002, etc.), which may include a memory 360 and may be the entire UE 104, 402, 502, 602, 702 or components of UE 104, 402, 502, 602, 702 (such as TX processor 368, RX processor 356 and / or controller / processor 359).

[0085] In 802, the UE can configure one or more subsequent transmissions following the initial transmission during the COT period for the initial transmission, which are configured to prevent the release of the COT. For example, refer to Figure 4 and 7 UE 702 can determine to send COT hold-up transmissions 714a-714b following the initial transmission 710a during COT 706 to prevent COT 706 from being released. Furthermore, the first UE 402 can determine at 408 to keep COT active after performing the initial transmission. The configuration at 802 can be determined by... Figure 12 The configuration component 1240 of the device 1202 in the middle is used to perform the operation.

[0086] In 804, the UE can send an initial transmission, which includes an indication of the COT and a time period for sending one or more subsequent transmissions. For example, refer to Figure 4 and Figure 7 First UE 402 can send an initial transmission including an indication of COT and COT reservation period to second UE 404 at 412. Similarly, first UE 702 can send an initial transmission 710a including an indication that COT 706 will be active for a total of four time slots. The transmission at 804 can be performed by... Figure 12 The transmitting component 1234 of the device 1202 in the middle is used to perform this.

[0087] In 806, the UE can send one or more subsequent transmissions during the indicated time period. For example, refer to Figure 4 and Figure 7 The first UE 402 may transmit COT reservation transmission 416 during the COT reservation period indicated by the initial transmission at 412. Similarly, the first UE 702 may transmit COT reservation transmissions 714a-714b based on the indication included in the initial transmission 710a. Transmission at 806 may be performed by... Figure 12 The transmitting component 1234 of the device 1202 in the middle is executed.

[0088] Figure 9This is a flowchart 900 of a wireless communication method. The method can be executed by a first UE (e.g., UE 104, 402, 502, 602, 702; device 1002, etc.), which may include a memory 360 and may be the entire UE 104, 402, 502, 602, 702 or components of UE 104, 402, 502, 602, 702 (such as TX processor 368, RX processor 356 and / or controller / processor 359).

[0089] In 902, the UE can configure COT based on the LBT procedure. For example, refer to Figure 4-7 The first UE 402 can configure COT based on the LBT procedure at 406. In various aspects, the configured COT can correspond to COT 506 / 606 / 706 initiated by the first UE 502 / 602 / 702. The configuration at 902 can be... Figure 12 The configuration component 1240 of the device 1202 in the middle is used to perform the operation.

[0090] In 904, the UE can configure or determine that, during the COT for the initial transmission, one or more subsequent transmissions following the initial transmission are sent, and these one or more subsequent transmissions are configured to prevent the release of the COT. For example, refer to Figure 4 and 7 UE 702 can configure or determine that during COT 706, COT hold-up transmissions 714a-714b following the initial transmission 710a are transmitted to prevent COT 706 from being released. Furthermore, the first UE 402 can determine at 408 to keep the COT active after performing the initial transmission. The period during which the release of COT 706 is prevented can be equal to the sum of the period used to transmit the initial transmission 710a (e.g., the period of time slot n) and the period used to transmit one or more subsequent transmissions 714a-714b (e.g., the period with time slots n+1 and n+2). The period for COT 706 can be two or more time slots (e.g., time slots n to n+3), the period used to transmit the initial transmission 710a is at least one time slot (e.g., time slot n), and the period used to transmit one or more subsequent transmissions 714a-714b is one or more time slots (e.g., time slots n+1 and n+2). The configuration at 904 can be determined by Figure 12 The configuration component 1240 of the device 1202 in the middle is used to perform the operation.

[0091] In a first aspect, the determination (e.g., at 408) of sending one or more subsequent transmissions (e.g., COT reserved transmission 416) can be based on satisfying conditions for sharing a COT with the second UE 404. In a second aspect, the determination (e.g., at 408) of sending one or more subsequent transmissions (e.g., COT reserved transmission 416) can be based on the type of the initial transmission 412. In a third aspect, the determination (e.g., at 408) of sending one or more subsequent transmissions (e.g., COT reserved transmission 416) can be based on the network congestion level. In a fourth aspect, the initial transmission 412 can be configured to initiate a COT, wherein the determination (e.g., at 408) of sending one or more subsequent transmissions (e.g., COT reserved transmission 416) can be based on the initial transmission 412 initiating the COT.

[0092] In 906, the UE can determine (e.g., calculate) the time period for transmitting one or more subsequent transmissions based on at least one of the following: an independent UE procedure, network or base station configuration, or a predefined protocol. For example, refer to Figure 4 The first UE 402 can determine at 408: COT will be kept active after the initial transmission is sent at 412, via a time period used to perform COT reservation transmission 416. The determination at 906 can be made by... Figure 12 The determination component 1242 of the device 1202 in the middle is used to perform the operation.

[0093] In 908, the UE can select one or more frequency resources for one or more subsequent transmissions before sending the initial transmission. For example, refer to Figure 4 The first UE 402 may select frequency resources for transmission at 410 before sending the initial transmission to the second UE 404 at 412. (e.g., at 410 or 414) One or more frequency resources selected for one or more subsequent transmissions (e.g., COT reserved transmission 416) may be the same as one or more frequency resources selected (e.g., at 410) for the initial transmission sent to the second UE 404 at 412. The selection at 908 may be made by... Figure 12 The selection component 1244 of the device 1202 is executed.

[0094] In 910, the UE can send an initial transmission, which includes an indication of the COT and a time period for sending one or more subsequent transmissions. For example, refer to Figure 4 and Figure 7First UE 402 can send an initial transmission including an indication of COT and COT reservation periods to second UE 404 at 412. Similarly, first UE 702 can send an initial transmission 710a including an indication that COT 706 will be active for a total of four time slots. COT 706 and the time periods for sending one or more subsequent transmissions (e.g., COT reservation transmissions 416 / 714a-714b) can be indicated via SCI. The transmission at 910 can be performed by... Figure 12 The transmitting component 1234 of the device 1202 in the middle is executed.

[0095] In 912, the UE can determine whether one or more frequency resources selected for transmitting the initial transmission are available for transmitting one or more subsequent transmissions, wherein, when the one or more frequency resources selected for transmitting the initial transmission are available, one or more subsequent transmissions are transmitted on the one or more frequency resources selected for transmitting the initial transmission during the indicated time period. For example, refer to Figure 4 If the first UE does not select a frequency resource for COT reserved transmission 416 at 410, then the first UE 402 may select a frequency resource for COT reserved transmission 416 at 414. If the same resource is available, the selection of the resource for COT reserved transmission 416 at 414 can be the same as the selection of the resource for initial transmission 412 at 410, so that the first UE 402 can transmit COT reserved transmission 416 on the same resource. The determination at 912 can be made by... Figure 12 The determination component 1242 of the device 1202 in the middle is used to perform the operation.

[0096] In 914, the UE can send one or more subsequent transmissions during the indicated time period. For example, refer to Figure 4 and Figure 7 First UE 402 may transmit COT reserved transmission 416 during the COT reserved period indicated by the initial transmission at 412. Similarly, first UE 702 may transmit COT reserved transmissions 714a-714b based on the indication included in the initial transmission 710a. The time period for transmitting one or more subsequent transmissions (e.g., COT reserved transmission 416) may correspond to the packet preparation time of second UE 404 (e.g., determined at 418). One or more subsequent transmissions (e.g., COT reserved transmission 416) may include information that is repeated in the initial transmission (e.g., transmitted by first UE 402 at 412). Transmission at 914 may be performed by Figure 12 The transmitting component 1234 of the device 1202 in the middle is used to perform this.

[0097] Figure 10This is a flowchart 1000 of a wireless communication method. The method can be executed by a second UE (e.g., UE 104, 404, 504, 604, 704; device 1102; etc.), which may include a memory 360 and may be the entire UE 104, 404, 504, 604, 704 or components of UE 104, 404, 504, 604, 704 (such as TX processor 368, RX processor 356, and / or controller / processor 359).

[0098] In 1002, the UE can receive an indication of a COT configured by the first UE and the time period during which the first UE blocks the release of the COT. For example, refer to Figure 4 and Figure 7 The second UE 404 can receive an initial transmission at 412, which includes an indication of the COT and COT reservation period for the first UE 402. Similarly, the second UE 704 can receive an initial transmission 710a from the first UE 702, which includes an indication that the COT will be active for a total of four time slots. Reception at 1002 can be performed by... Figure 13 The receiving component 1330 of the device 1302 in the middle performs the operation.

[0099] In 1004, the UE can prepare packets for transmission during the period in which the release of COT is blocked by the first UE. For example, refer to Figure 4 and Figure 7 At 418, the second UE 404 can prepare packets during the COT reservation period corresponding to COT reservation transmission 416. Similarly, the second UE 704 can prepare packets in time slot n+1 and / or time slot n+2 for packet transmission 710b at time slot n+3. Preparation at 1004 can be performed by... Figure 13 The device 1302 in the preparation component 1342 is used to perform this.

[0100] In 1006, the UE can send packets during the COT period configured by the first UE after the period during which the release of COT is blocked by the first UE. For example, refer to Figure 7 The second UE 704 can perform packet transmission 710b at time slot n+3 during COT 706, following COT reservation transmissions 714a-714b at time slots n+1 and n+2. Packet transmission during COT 706 (e.g., at time slot n+3) can be performed without the LBT procedure of the second UE 704. For example, packet transmission during COT 706 (e.g., at time slot n+3) can be performed based on the LBT procedure of the first UE 702. Transmission at 1006 can be performed by... Figure 13The transmitting component 1334 of the device 1302 in the middle is used to perform this.

[0101] Figure 11 This is a flowchart 1100 of a wireless communication method. The method can be executed by a second UE (e.g., UE 104, 404, 504, 604, 704; device 1102; etc.), which may include a memory 360 and may be the entire UE 104, 404, 504, 604, 704 or components of UE 104, 404, 504, 604, 704 (such as TX processor 368, RX processor 356 and / or controller / processor 359).

[0102] At 1102, the UE can receive an indication of a COT configured by the first UE and the time period during which the first UE blocks the release of the COT. For example, refer to Figure 4 and Figure 7 At 412, the second UE 404 can receive an initial transmission including an indication of the COT and the COT reservation period for the first UE 402. Similarly, the second UE 704 can receive an initial transmission 710a from the first UE 702, which includes an indication that the COT will be active for a total of four time slots. In various aspects, the indication of the COT and the period during which the release of the COT is blocked can be received via SCI (e.g., at 412). Reception at 1102 can be by Figure 13 The receiving component 1330 of the device 1302 in the middle performs the operation.

[0103] In 1104, the UE can determine whether the packet preparation time will end before the expiration of the period in which the release of COT is blocked, and the packet is transmitted when the packet preparation time ends before the expiration of the period in which the release of COT is blocked. For example, refer to Figure 4 and Figure 7 If the PPD of the second UE is less than the time period used for COT reservation transmission 416, then the second UE 404 can determine the PPD of the second UE at 418 and prepare the packet for transmission at 418. At 422, the second UE 404 can send the prepared packet without performing the LBT procedure. Similarly, the second UE 704 can determine whether a packet can be prepared before the end of COT reservation transmissions 714a-714b in time slots n+1 and n+2, so that transmission of the packet can be performed at time slot n+3. The determination at 1104 can be made by Figure 13 The determination component 1340 of the device 1302 in the middle is used to perform the operation.

[0104] In 1106, the UE can prepare packets for transmission during the period in which the release of COT is blocked by the first UE. For example, refer to Figure 4 and Figure 7 At 418, the second UE 404 can prepare packets during the COT reservation period corresponding to COT reservation transmission 416. Similarly, the second UE 704 can prepare packets in time slot n+1 and / or time slot n+2 for packet transmission 710b at time slot n+3. Preparation at 1106 can be... Figure 13 The device 1302 in the preparation component 1342 is used to perform this.

[0105] In 1108, the UE can adjust the resource selection used for transmitting packets during COT based on the received instruction to COT. For example, refer to Figure 4 At 420, the second UE 404 can adjust packet transmission resources based on the PPD determination at 418 and the reception of the initial transmission at 412. The adjustment at 1108 can be made by... Figure 13 The adjustment component 1344 of the device 1302 in the middle is used to perform the adjustment.

[0106] In 1110, the UE can send packets during the COT period configured by the first UE after the period in which the release of COT is blocked by the first UE. For example, refer to Figure 7 The second UE 704 can perform packet transmission 710b at time slot n+3 during COT 706, following COT reservation transmissions 714a-714b at time slots n+1 and n+2. Packet transmission during COT 706 (e.g., at time slot n+3) can be performed without the LBT procedure of the second UE 704. For example, packet transmission during COT 706 (e.g., at time slot n+3) can be performed based on the LBT procedure of the first UE 702. Transmission at 1110 can be performed by... Figure 13 The transmitting component 1334 of the device 1302 in the middle is used to perform this.

[0107] Figure 12Figure 1200 illustrates an example of a hardware implementation scheme for device 1202. Device 1202 is a UE and includes a cellular baseband processor 1204 (also referred to as a modem) coupled to a cellular RF transceiver 1222 and one or more Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards 1220, an application processor 1206 coupled to a Secure Digital Card (SD) card 1208 and a screen 1210, a Bluetooth module 1212, a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) module 1214, a Global Positioning System (GPS) module 1216, and a power supply 1218. The cellular baseband processor 1204 communicates with the UE 104 and / or BS 102 / 180 via the cellular RF transceiver 1222. The cellular baseband processor 1204 may include computer-readable media / memory. The computer-readable media / memory may be non-transitory. The cellular baseband processor 1204 is responsible for general processing, including executing software stored on the computer-readable media / memory. When executed by the cellular baseband processor 1204, the software causes the cellular baseband processor 1104 to perform the various functions described above. Computer-readable media / memory can also be used to store data manipulated by the cellular baseband processor 1204 during software execution. The cellular baseband processor 1204 also includes a receiving component 1230, a communication manager 1232, and a transmitting component 1234. The communication manager 1232 includes one or more components shown. Components within the communication manager 1232 can be stored in computer-readable media / memory and / or configured as hardware within the cellular baseband processor 1204. The cellular baseband processor 1204 can be a component of the UE 350 and can include a memory 360 and / or at least one of a TX processor 368, an RX processor 356, and a controller / processor 359. In one configuration, the device 1202 can be a modem chip and only include the baseband processor 1204, and in another configuration, the device 1202 can be the entire UE (e.g., see...). Figure 3 (350) and includes the above-mentioned additional module of device 1202.

[0108] Communication manager 1232 includes configuration component 1240, which is configured (e.g., as described in conjunction with 802 and 902) to: configure COT based on LBT procedures; and configure one or more subsequent transmissions following the initial transmission during the COT for the initial transmission, the one or more subsequent transmissions being configured to prevent the release of the COT. Communication manager 1232 also includes determination component 1242, which is configured (e.g., as described in conjunction with 904, 906, and 912) to: determine to transmit one or more subsequent transmissions following the initial transmission during the COT for the initial transmission, the one or more subsequent transmissions being configured to prevent the release of the COT; determine / calculate a time period for transmitting the one or more subsequent transmissions based on at least one of an independent UE procedure, network or base station configuration, or a predefined protocol; and determine whether one or more frequency resources selected for transmitting the initial transmission are available for transmitting the one or more subsequent transmissions, wherein the one or more subsequent transmissions are transmitted on the one or more frequency resources selected for transmitting the initial transmission during the indicated time period when the one or more frequency resources selected for transmitting the initial transmission are available. The communication manager 1232 also includes a selection component 1244, which is configured (e.g., as described in conjunction with 908) to select one or more frequency resources for one or more subsequent transmissions before transmitting an initial transmission. The transmission component 1234 is configured (e.g., as described in conjunction with 804, 806, 910, and 914) to: transmit an initial transmission including an indication of the COT and a time period for transmitting one or more subsequent transmissions; and to transmit one or more subsequent transmissions during the indicated time period.

[0109] The device includes features for performing in Figure 8-9 The additional components of each block of the algorithm in the above flowchart. Therefore, Figure 8-9 Each block in the flowchart above can be executed by a component, and the apparatus can include one or more of these components. These components can be one or more hardware components specifically configured to execute the process / algorithm, implemented by a processor configured to execute the process / algorithm, stored in a computer-readable medium for processor implementation, or a combination of the above.

[0110] In one configuration, apparatus 1202, and particularly cellular baseband processor 1204, includes: units for configuring / determining the transmission of one or more subsequent transmissions following the initial transmission during a COT (Concurrent Opportunity) for an initial transmission, the one or more subsequent transmissions being configured to prevent the release of the COT; units for transmitting the initial transmission including an indication of the COT and a time period for transmitting the one or more subsequent transmissions; and units for transmitting the one or more subsequent transmissions during the indicated time period. Apparatus 1202 also includes units for calculating / determining the time period for transmitting the one or more subsequent transmissions based on at least one of an independent UE procedure, network, or base station configuration, or a predefined protocol. Apparatus 1202 further includes units for determining whether one or more frequency resources selected for transmitting the initial transmission are available for transmitting the one or more subsequent transmissions, wherein the one or more subsequent transmissions are transmitted on the one or more frequency resources selected for transmitting the initial transmission during the indicated time period when the one or more frequency resources selected for transmitting the initial transmission are available. Apparatus 1202 also includes units for selecting one or more frequency resources for the one or more subsequent transmissions before transmitting the initial transmission. The apparatus 1202 also includes a unit for configuring the COT based on the LBT process.

[0111] The aforementioned unit may be one or more of the aforementioned components of device 1002, configured to perform the functions described by the aforementioned unit. As described above, device 1002 may include TX processor 368, RX processor 356, and controller / processor 359. Therefore, in one configuration, the aforementioned unit may be TX processor 368, RX processor 356, and controller / processor 359 configured to perform the functions described by the aforementioned unit.

[0112] Figure 13Figure 1300 illustrates an example of a hardware implementation scheme for device 1302. Device 1302 is a UE and includes a cellular baseband processor 1304 (also referred to as a modem) coupled to a cellular RF transceiver 1322 and one or more Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards 1320, an application processor 1306 coupled to a Secure Digital Card (SD) card 1308 and a screen 1310, a Bluetooth module 1312, a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) module 1314, a Global Positioning System (GPS) module 1316, and a power supply 1318. The cellular baseband processor 1304 communicates with UE 104 and / or BS 102 / 180 via the cellular RF transceiver 1322. The cellular baseband processor 1304 may include computer-readable media / memory. The computer-readable media / memory may be non-transitory. The cellular baseband processor 1304 is responsible for general processing, including executing software stored on the computer-readable media / memory. When executed by the cellular baseband processor 1304, the software causes the cellular baseband processor 1304 to perform the various functions described above. The computer-readable medium / memory can also be used to store data manipulated by the cellular baseband processor 1304 during software execution. The cellular baseband processor 1304 also includes a receiving component 1330, a communication manager 1332, and a transmitting component 1334. The communication manager 1332 includes one or more components shown. The components within the communication manager 1332 can be stored in a computer-readable medium / memory and / or configured as hardware within the cellular baseband processor 1304. The cellular baseband processor 1304 can be a component of the UE 350 and can include a memory 360 and / or at least one of a TX processor 368, an RX processor 356, and a controller / processor 359. In one configuration, the device 1302 can be a modem chip and only include the baseband processor 1304, and in another configuration, the device 1302 can be the entire UE (e.g., see...). Figure 3 The UE 350 includes the aforementioned additional module of the device 1302.

[0113] Receiving component 1330 is configured (e.g., as described in conjunction with 1002 and 1102) to receive an indication of a COT configured by a first UE and a period of time in which the release of the COT is blocked by the first UE. Communication manager 1332 includes determining component 1340, which is configured (e.g., as described in conjunction with 1104) to determine whether a packet preparation time will end before the expiration of the period in which the release of the COT is blocked, wherein the packet is transmitted when the packet preparation time ends before the expiration of the period in which the release of the COT is blocked. Communication manager 1332 also includes preparing component 1342, which is configured (e.g., as described in conjunction with 1004 and 1106) to prepare packets for transmission during the period in which the release of the COT is blocked by the first UE. Communication manager 1332 also includes adjusting component 1344, which (e.g., as described in conjunction with 1108) is configured to adjust resource selection for transmitting packets during the COT based on the received indication of the COT. The transmitting component 1334 is configured (e.g., as described in conjunction with 1006 and 1110) to transmit packets during a COT period configured by the first UE after a period in which the release of COT is blocked by the first UE.

[0114] The device includes features for performing in Figure 10-11 The additional components of each block of the algorithm in the above flowchart. Therefore, Figure 10-11 Each block in the flowchart above can be executed by a component, and the apparatus can include one or more of these components. These components can be one or more hardware components specifically configured to execute the process / algorithm, implemented by a processor configured to execute the process / algorithm, stored in a computer-readable medium for processor implementation, or a combination of the above.

[0115] In one configuration, apparatus 1302, and particularly cellular baseband processor 1304, includes: units for receiving an indication of a COT configured by a first UE and a period of time during which the first UE blocks the release of the COT; units for preparing packets for transmission during the period of time during which the first UE blocks the release of the COT; and units for transmitting packets during the COT configured by the first UE after the period of time during which the first UE blocks the release of the COT. Apparatus 1302 further includes units for determining whether the packet preparation time will end before the expiration of the period of time in which the release of the COT is blocked, wherein the packet is transmitted when the packet preparation time ends before the expiration of the period of time in which the release of the COT is blocked. Apparatus 1302 further includes units for adjusting resource selection for transmitting packets during the COT based on the received indication of the COT. The aforementioned units may be one or more of the aforementioned components of apparatus 1302 configured to perform the functions described above. As described above, apparatus 1302 may include a TX processor 368, an RX processor 356, and a controller / processor 359. Therefore, in one configuration, the aforementioned units may be TX processor 368, RX processor 356, and controller / processor 359, which are configured to perform the functions described by the aforementioned units.

[0116] It should be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of the boxes in the disclosed process / flowchart is illustrative of an exemplary manner. Based on design preferences, it should be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of the boxes in the process / flowchart can be rearranged. Furthermore, some boxes may be combined or omitted. The appended method claims present the elements of the various boxes in an exemplary order and are not intended to limit one to the specific order or hierarchy presented.

[0117] The preceding description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. Various modifications to these aspects will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. Therefore, the claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but are to be consistent with the full scope of the language claims, wherein elements referenced in the singular are not intended to mean “one and only one” (unless specifically stated otherwise), but rather “one or more.” Terms such as “if,” “when,” and “at the time of” should be interpreted as “under the condition of”, rather than implying a direct temporal relationship or reaction. That is, these phrases (e.g., “when”) do not imply an immediate action in response to the occurrence of an action or during the occurrence of an action, but simply mean that if a condition is met, then the action will occur, but there is no specific or immediate time limit for the occurrence of the action. The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any aspect described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous to other aspects. Unless specifically stated otherwise, the term “some” means one or more. Combinations such as "at least one of A, B, or C", "one or more of A, B, or C", "at least one of A, B, and C", "one or more of A, B, and C", and "A, B, C, or any combination thereof" include any combination of A, B, and / or C, and may include multiple A, multiple B, or multiple C. Specifically, combinations such as "at least one of A, B, or C", "one or more of A, B, or C", "at least one of A, B, and C", "one or more of A, B, and C", and "A, B, C, or any combination thereof" may be only A, only B, only C, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and B and C, wherein any such combination may include one or more members of A, B, or C. All structural and functional equivalents of the elements throughout the various aspects described in this disclosure are known to or will subsequently be known to those skilled in the art, are expressly incorporated herein by reference, and are intended to be covered by the claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be offered to the public, whether or not such disclosure is expressly recited in the claims. The terms “module,” “mechanism,” “element,” and “device” may not replace the word “unit.” Therefore, no claim can be made that an element should be interpreted as a functional module unless the element is explicitly described using the phrase “unit for…”.

[0118] The following aspects are illustrative only and may be combined with other aspects or teachings described herein without limitation.

[0119] Aspect 1 is a wireless communication method for a first UE, characterized in that: during a COT for an initial transmission, one or more subsequent transmissions following the initial transmission are configured to prevent the release of the COT; the initial transmission includes an indication of the COT and a time period for transmitting the one or more subsequent transmissions; and the one or more subsequent transmissions are transmitted during the indicated time period.

[0120] Aspect 2 can be combined with aspect 1, and is characterized in that: the time period for sending the one or more subsequent transmissions corresponds to the packet preparation time of the second UE.

[0121] Aspect 3 may be combined with any of Aspects 1-2, and is further characterized in that: the time period for transmitting the one or more subsequent transmissions is calculated based on at least one of the independent UE procedure, network or base station configuration or predefined protocol.

[0122] Aspect 4 can be combined with any of aspects 1-3, and is characterized by: instructing COT and the time period for sending the one or more subsequent transmissions via SCI.

[0123] Aspect 5 may be combined with any of Aspects 1-4, and is further characterized in that: determining whether one or more frequency resources selected for transmitting the initial transmission are available for transmitting the one or more subsequent transmissions, the one or more subsequent transmissions being transmitted on the one or more frequency resources selected for transmitting the initial transmission during an indicated time period when the one or more frequency resources selected for transmitting the initial transmission are available.

[0124] Aspect 6 can be combined with any of aspects 1-5, and is further characterized in that: one or more frequency resources for the one or more subsequent transmissions are selected before the initial transmission is sent.

[0125] Aspect 7 can be combined with aspect 6, and is characterized in that: the one or more frequency resources selected for the one or more subsequent transmission selections are the same as the one or more identical frequency resources selected for the initial transmission.

[0126] Aspect 8 can be combined with any of aspects 1-7, and is characterized in that: the one or more subsequent transmissions include information that is repeated with the same information included in the initial transmission.

[0127] Aspect 9 can be combined with any of aspects 1-8, and is characterized in that: the configuration of the one or more subsequent transmissions is based on satisfying the condition of sharing the COT with the second UE.

[0128] Aspect 10 can be combined with any of aspects 1-9, and is characterized in that: the configuration of the one or more subsequent transmissions is based on the type of the initial transmission.

[0129] Aspect 11 can be combined with any of aspects 1-10, and is characterized in that: the configuration of the one or more subsequent transmissions is based on the network congestion level.

[0130] Aspect 12 may be combined with any of aspects 1-11, and is characterized in that: the initial transmission initiates the COT, and the configuration of the one or more subsequent transmissions is based on the initial transmission initiating the COT.

[0131] Aspect 13 can be combined with any of aspects 1-12, and is further characterized in that the COT is configured based on the LBT process.

[0132] Aspect 14 may be combined with any of aspects 1-13, and is characterized in that: the first time period in which the release of the COT is blocked is equal to the sum of the second time period for sending the initial transmission and the time period for sending the one or more subsequent transmissions.

[0133] Aspect 15 may be combined with any of aspects 1-14, and is characterized in that: the COT time period for the COT is two or more time slots, the time period for sending the initial transmission is at least one time slot, and the time period for sending the one or more subsequent transmissions is one or more time slots.

[0134] Aspect 16 is a method for wireless communication of a second UE, comprising: receiving an indication of a COT configured by a first UE and an indication of a time period in which the first UE blocks the release of the COT; preparing a packet for transmission during the time period in which the first UE blocks the release of the COT; and transmitting the packet during the COT configured by the first UE after the time period in which the first UE blocks the release of the COT.

[0135] Aspect 17 may be combined with aspect 16, and is further characterized in that: it is determined whether the preparation time of the packet will end before the expiration of the time period in which the release of the COT is blocked, the packet being sent when the preparation time of the packet ends before the expiration of the time period in which the release of the COT is blocked.

[0136] Aspect 18 may be combined with any of aspects 16-17, and is further characterized in that: based on the received instruction to the COT, the resource selection for transmitting the packet during the COT is adjusted.

[0137] Aspect 19 may be combined with any of aspects 16-18, and is characterized in that the transmission of the packet during the COT is performed without the LBT procedure of the second UE.

[0138] Aspect 20 may be combined with any one of aspects 16-19, and is characterized in that the transmission of the packet during the COT is performed based on the LBT procedure of the first UE.

[0139] Aspect 21 may be combined with any one of aspects 16-20, and is characterized in that: the indication of the COT and the time period in which the release of the COT is blocked is received via SCI.

[0140] Aspect 22 is an apparatus for wireless communication, including at least one processor coupled to a memory and configured to implement the method described in any one of aspects 1-21.

[0141] Aspect 23 may be combined with aspect 22 and also includes at least one of an antenna or transceiver coupled to the at least one processor.

[0142] Aspect 24 is an apparatus for wireless communication, including units for implementing the method as described in any one of aspects 1-21.

[0143] Aspect 25 is a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable code, wherein, when executed by a processor, the code causes the processor to implement the methods described in any one of aspects 1-21.

Claims

1. An apparatus for wireless communication at a first user equipment (UE), comprising: Memory; as well as At least one processor, coupled to the memory and configured to cause the UE to: During the Channel Occupancy Time (COT) for the initial transmission, one or more subsequent transmissions following the initial transmission are configured to prevent the release of the COT. The initial transmission includes an indication of the COT and a time period for transmitting the one or more subsequent transmissions, wherein the time period for transmitting the one or more subsequent transmissions corresponds to the packet preparation time of the second UE; as well as Send the one or more subsequent transmissions during the indicated time period.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The at least one processor is further configured to cause the UE to calculate the time period for transmitting the one or more subsequent transmissions based on at least one of an independent UE procedure, network or base station configuration or predefined protocol.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The COT and the time period for sending the one or more subsequent transmissions are indicated via side link control information (SCI).

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The at least one processor is further configured to cause the UE to determine whether one or more frequency resources selected for transmitting the initial transmission are available for transmitting the one or more subsequent transmissions, the one or more subsequent transmissions being configured to be transmitted on the one or more frequency resources selected for transmitting the initial transmission during an indicated time period when the one or more frequency resources selected for transmitting the initial transmission are available.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The at least one processor is also configured to cause the UE to select one or more frequency resources for the one or more subsequent transmissions before transmitting the initial transmission.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, The one or more frequency resources selected for the one or more subsequent transmissions are the same as the one or more identical frequency resources selected for the initial transmission.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The one or more subsequent transmissions include information that is repeated from the same information included in the initial transmission.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The configuration of the one or more subsequent transmissions is based on satisfying the conditions for sharing the COT with the second UE.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The configuration of the one or more subsequent transmissions is based on the type of the initial transmission.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The configuration of the one or more subsequent transmissions is based on the network congestion level.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The initial transmission initiates the COT, and the configuration of the one or more subsequent transmissions is based on the initial transmission initiating the COT.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The at least one processor is also configured to enable the UE to configure the COT based on the pre-call listening (LBT) procedure.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The first time period during which the release of the COT is blocked is equal to the sum of the second time period for sending the initial transmission and the time period for sending one or more subsequent transmissions.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The COT time period for the COT is two or more time slots, the time period for sending the initial transmission is at least one time slot, and the time period for sending the one or more subsequent transmissions is one or more time slots.

15. An apparatus for wireless communication at a second user equipment (UE), comprising: Memory; as well as At least one processor, coupled to the memory and configured to cause the UE to: Receive an indication of a Channel Occupancy Time (COT) configured by a first UE and a period of time during which the first UE blocks the release of the COT; In which packets are prepared for transmission during the time period during which the first UE blocks the release of the COT; and The packet is sent during the COT period configured by the first UE after the time period during which the release of the COT is blocked by the first UE.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein, The at least one processor is further configured to cause the UE to determine whether the preparation time of the packet will end before the expiration of the time period in which the release of the COT is blocked, the packet being sent when the preparation time of the packet ends before the expiration of the time period in which the release of the COT is blocked.

17. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein, The at least one processor is further configured to cause the UE to adjust the resource selection for transmitting the packet during the COT based on the instruction received to the COT.

18. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein, The transmission of the packet during the COT is performed without the second UE listening to the LBT procedure before the call.

19. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein, The transmission of the packet during the COT is performed based on the call-before-sounding (LBT) procedure of the first UE.

20. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein, The indication of the COT and the time period during which the release of the COT is blocked is received via side link control information (SCI).

21. A method for wireless communication at a first user equipment (UE), comprising: During the Channel Occupancy Time (COT) for the initial transmission, one or more subsequent transmissions following the initial transmission are configured to prevent the release of the COT. The initial transmission includes an indication of the COT and a time period for transmitting the one or more subsequent transmissions, wherein the time period for transmitting the one or more subsequent transmissions corresponds to the packet preparation time of the second UE; as well as Send the one or more subsequent transmissions during the indicated time period.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising calculating the time period for transmitting the one or more subsequent transmissions based on at least one of an independent UE procedure, network or base station configuration or a predefined protocol.

23. The method according to claim 21, wherein, The one or more subsequent transmissions include information that is repeated from the same information included in the initial transmission.

24. The method according to claim 21, wherein, The first time period during which the release of the COT is blocked is equal to the sum of the second time period for sending the initial transmission and the time period for sending the one or more subsequent transmissions.

25. The method according to claim 21, wherein, The COT time period for the COT is two or more time slots, the time period for sending the initial transmission is at least one time slot, and the time period for sending the one or more subsequent transmissions is one or more time slots.

26. A method for wireless communication at a second user equipment (UE), comprising: Receive an indication of a Channel Occupancy Time (COT) configured by a first UE and a period of time during which the first UE blocks the release of the COT; In which packets are prepared for transmission during the time period during which the first UE blocks the release of the COT; and The packet is sent during the COT period configured by the first UE after the time period during which the release of the COT is blocked by the first UE.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising determining whether the preparation time of the packet will end before the expiration of the time period in which the release of the COT is blocked, the packet being sent when the preparation time of the packet ends before the expiration of the time period in which the release of the COT is blocked.

28. The method of claim 26, further comprising adjusting the resource selection for transmitting the packet during the COT based on receiving the instruction to the COT.

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