Method and apparatus for directional channel sensing for beamformed transmissions

Abstract

According to various embodiments, a wireless communication device divides a plurality of transmit beams into one or more transmit beam groups including at least a first transmit beam group. The wireless communication device determines a first sensing beam requirement for the first transmit beam group. The wireless communication device determines a first sensing beam and a first scaling factor such that the first sensing beam satisfies the first sensing beam requirement scaled by the first scaling factor. The first sensing beam is selected from a set of candidate sensing beams. The wireless communication device performs a first clear channel assessment (CCA) using the first sensing beam and a first energy detection threshold (EDT), where the first EDT is determined according to the first scaling factor.

Description

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 186,622, filed May 10, 2021, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This disclosure generally relates to a system and method for channel sensing, and in certain embodiments, to a system and method for directional channel sensing for beamforming transmission. Background Technology

[0004] The Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) technologies operate in unlicensed spectrum using Listen Before Talk (LBT) channel access. In some regions, such as the EU and Japan, spectrum regulators may enforce LBT rules to reduce interference risks and provide a fair coexistence mechanism. The LBT mechanism requires transmitters to detect if the channel is occupied before transmission; if so, transmission is postponed.

[0005] In shared spectrum access above 52.6 GHz, more antenna elements can be packed into the same form factor because the carrier frequency (and therefore the smaller wavelength) is higher than the maximum frequency in the frequency range (FR)². This allows for finer (narrower) beams. Improved beamforming gain can help mitigate more unfavorable path losses at these higher frequencies. Therefore, directional LBT technology is needed for beamforming transmissions. Summary of the Invention

[0006] According to various embodiments, a wireless communication device divides a plurality of transmit beams into one or more transmit beam groups, including at least a first transmit beam group. The wireless communication device determines a first sensing beam requirement for the first transmit beam group. The wireless communication device determines a first sensing beam and a first scaling factor such that the first sensing beam satisfies the first sensing beam requirement scaled by the first scaling factor. The first sensing beam is selected from a set of candidate sensing beams. The wireless communication device performs a first Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) using the first sensing beam and a first energy detection threshold (EDT), wherein the first EDT is determined based on the first scaling factor.

[0007] In some embodiments, the first sensing beam requirement may be that the X dB beamwidth of the first sensing beam includes the Y dB beamwidth belonging to the first transmit beam group in each direction, wherein X and Y are configurable parameters. In some embodiments, the first sensing beam requirement may be that the gain of the first sensing beam measured in one direction is greater than a threshold, wherein the direction is determined based on the first transmit beam group, and the threshold is determined based on the first sensing beam and the first transmit beam group. In some embodiments, the wireless communication device may determine a maximum sustained effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP), the maximum sustained EIRP being a pointwise maximum value of the EIRP of the first transmit beam group. In some embodiments, the direction may be the peak direction of the maximum sustained EIRP, and the threshold may be X dB of the peak value of the maximum sustained EIRP, wherein X is a configurable parameter. In some embodiments, the direction may be determined such that the maximum sustained EIRP measured in the direction is greater than X dB of the peak value of the maximum sustained EIRP, and the threshold is Y dB of the maximum sustained EIRP measured in the direction, wherein X and Y are configurable parameters. In some embodiments, the direction may be determined such that the maximum sustained EIRP measured in the direction is greater than the peak value of the maximum sustained EIRP by X dB, and the threshold is the peak gain of the first sensing beam by Y dB, wherein X and Y are configurable parameters. In some embodiments, the wireless communication device may determine a composite transmit angular power profile (APP, also known as angular power distribution), the composite transmit APP being the envelope of the APP of the first transmit beam group, wherein the direction is determined such that the composite transmit APP measured in the direction is greater than the peak value of the composite transmit APP by X dB, and the threshold is the Y dB of the composite transmit APP measured in the direction divided by the peak value of the composite transmit APP, wherein X and Y are configurable parameters. In some embodiments, in response to no sensing beam in the candidate sensing beam set satisfying the first sensing beam requirement, the first sensing beam requirement scaled by the first scaling factor is that the gain of the first sensing beam measured in the direction is greater than the threshold multiplied by the first scaling factor. In some embodiments, the first scaling factor may be a maximum positive value such that at least one sensing beam in the candidate sensing beam set satisfies the first sensing beam requirement scaled by the first scaling factor, wherein the first sensing beam is selected from the at least one sensing beam.In some embodiments, in response to at least one sensing beam in the candidate sensing beam set satisfying the first sensing beam requirement, the first sensing beam requirement scaled by the first scaling factor can be the same as the first sensing beam requirement, wherein the first scaling factor is 1, and the first sensing beam is selected from the at least one sensing beam. In some embodiments, the one or more transmit beam groups may further include a second transmit beam group. The wireless communication device can determine a second sensing beam requirement for the second transmit beam group. The wireless communication device can determine a second sensing beam and a second scaling factor such that the second sensing beam satisfies the second sensing beam requirement scaled by the second scaling factor, wherein the second sensing beam is selected from the candidate sensing beam set. The wireless communication device can perform a second CCA using the second sensing beam and a second EDT, wherein the second EDT is determined according to the second scaling factor. Attached Figure Description

[0008] To gain a more complete understanding of this disclosure and its advantages, reference is now made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0009] Figure 1 An exemplary wireless communication system is shown;

[0010] Figure 2 An exemplary communication system is shown;

[0011] Figures 3A to 3B A block diagram of an embodiment of a system for analog beam control and digital beamforming;

[0012] Figure 4 A timing example of a frame-based equipment is shown;

[0013] Figure 5 An example flowchart of an embodiment method for carrier sensing is shown;

[0014] Figure 6 A flowchart illustrating an embodiment of the general listen-before-talk mechanism is shown.

[0015] Figure 7 An embodiment of the channel access process is shown;

[0016] Figures 8A to 8B Exemplary wide beam patterns and exemplary narrow beam patterns are shown;

[0017] Figure 9A comparison between quasi-omni-sensing beams and directional sensing beams is shown in channel sensing.

[0018] Figure 10 An exemplary composite angular power profile (APP) is shown.

[0019] Figure 11 An embodiment of an energy sensing stage including multiple observation time slots is shown;

[0020] Figure 12 An example is shown where a sensing beam is defined for each of multiple beam sets;

[0021] Figure 13 An embodiment process flow is shown for determining the sensing beam of multiple transmit beam groups and performing the Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) process;

[0022] Figure 14 An embodiment process flow is shown for determining a transmit beam group of multiple given sensing beams and executing a CCA procedure;

[0023] Figures 15A to 15B An embodiment method and additional steps for directional channel sensing are shown;

[0024] Figure 16 An example of a directional sensing beam that cannot detect an ongoing transmission due to a blind spot is shown;

[0025] Figure 17 An embodiment for enhancing the sensing beam is shown;

[0026] Figure 18 An exemplary communication system is shown;

[0027] Figures 19A to 19B Embodiments of apparatus that can implement the methods and teachings provided in this disclosure are shown; and

[0028] Figure 20 A block diagram of the computing system of an embodiment is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0029] In LBT channel access, the transmitter or initiating node can use Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) to determine if the channel is available for transmission. During CCA, the transmitter or initiating node can use a sensing beam to measure whether the energy received on the channel exceeds a threshold. If the detected energy exceeds the energy detection threshold (EDT), the channel is considered to be in use (busy); otherwise, it is considered idle. If the channel is idle, the transmitter can transmit using a transmit beam for the duration of the channel occupancy time (COT). The transmit beam can be directional or narrow. Using a wider beam pattern or a quasi-omnidirectional beam pattern as the sensing beam may lead to overprotection issues. In this problem, because the transmit beam is directional, ongoing transmissions may not interfere with the intended transmit beam. However, the transmitter can still use a quasi-omnidirectional sensing beam to detect ongoing transmissions, thus assuming the channel is busy.

[0030] A directional sensing beam aligned with the intended transmit beam solves the overprotection problem. In other words, the initiating node or transmitter can perform channel sensing in the direction it intends to transmit. However, multiple transmit beams are typically used in beamforming transmissions. Due to transmitter capacity limitations, the transmitter may not have a sensing beam that perfectly matches the pattern of each transmit beam. Therefore, a technique is needed to select appropriate sensing beams to force sufficient sensing gain along the directions of multiple transmit beams.

[0031] This disclosure provides embodiments of techniques for dividing a set of intended transmit beams into multiple beam groups or beam clusters. Channel sensing is performed group by group. Various embodiments provide different feasibility requirements that allow the sensed beams to cover the transmit beams within a group. If the sensed beam has insufficient sensing gain in some directions, the feasibility requirements can be scaled by a scaling factor to compensate for the shortcomings of the sensed beam. For each transmit beam group, the sensed beam can be determined according to one of these requirements. Furthermore, aspects of this disclosure also allow the transmitter to perform channel sensing using a separate EDT for each group. The individual EDTs can be adjusted by a scaling factor. The foregoing aspects and other disclosed aspects are discussed in more detail below.

[0032] Unlicensed spectrum, also known as unlicensed spectrum, has attracted significant interest from cellular operators in recent years. Long-Term Evolution (LTE) Licensed-Assisted Access (LAA) is specified in 3GPP LTE Releases 13 and 14. More recently, in 5G New Radio Unlicensed (NR-U), operation in unlicensed spectrum (shared spectrum) is specified in Release 16 (TS38.213, the full text of which is incorporated herein by reference). In shared spectrum access above 52.6 GHz, more antenna elements can be packed into the same form factor because the carrier frequency is higher than the maximum frequency in FR2 (and therefore the wavelength is smaller). This allows for finer (narrower) beams. Improved beamforming gain can be crucial for mitigating more unfavorable path losses at these higher frequencies.

[0033] 3GPP and IEEE technologies operating in unlicensed spectrum use Listen Before Talk (LBT) channel access. In some regions, such as the EU and Japan, spectrum regulators may enforce LBT rules to reduce interference risks and provide a fair coexistence mechanism. The LBT mechanism requires transmitters to detect if the channel is occupied before transmission; if so, transmission is postponed.

[0034] Specifically, the EU LBT rules for the 5GHz band in ETSI EN 301893 use Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) to determine whether a channel is available for transmission. CCA checks if the received energy exceeds a threshold. If the detected energy exceeds the CCA threshold, the channel is considered to be in use (busy); otherwise, it is considered idle. If the channel is idle, the transmitter can transmit the duration of the channel occupancy time (COT) with a certain bandwidth (e.g., at least 80% of the total channel bandwidth). The maximum COT duration for transmission bursts is also specified in ETSI EN 301893. The maximum COT (MCOT) duration adopted in 3GPP NR-U Rel 16 [TS 37.213] is a function of the channel access priority class (CAPC). As defined in TS 37.213, to determine channel occupancy time, if the transmission gap is less than or equal to 25 μs, the gap duration is included in the channel occupancy time. A transmission burst is defined as a group of transmissions with a gap of no more than 16 μs; if the gap is greater than 16 μs, the transmission is considered a single transmission.

[0035] 3GPP Rel-16 [TS 37.213] defines several channel access types for downlink (DL) and uplink (UL).

[0036] In Type 1DL channel access, the gNB can be used for delay duration T. d The first sensing is performed after the sensing channel is idle during the sensing slot duration, and after the decrementing random initiation counter N reaches zero in each idle sensing slot. The sensing slot duration is 9 μs. Access is made using a Type 1DL channel before initiating a new COT, where the COT duration can be up to 10 ms, depending on traffic priority.

[0037] Type 2DL channel access includes a deterministic duration of channel sensing, where the channel needs to be sensed as idle.

[0038] If the channel is sensed to be idle within a minimum sensing interval of 25 μs before transmission, then Type 2A channel access is permitted for transmission.

[0039] If the channel is sensed to be idle within a minimum sensing interval of 16 μs before transmission, then Type 2B channel access is permitted for transmission.

[0040] Without sensing the channel before transmission, Type 2C channel access allows a transmission duration of no more than 584 μs.

[0041] Type 2A DL channel access procedure applies to shared COT after UE transmission, as well as transmissions consisting of discovery bursts with a duration of up to 1 ms and a duty cycle of up to 1 / 20.

[0042] Type 2B or Type 2C DL channel access procedures are applicable to UEs transmitting after a 16μs or 16μs interval, respectively, during shared channel occupancy.

[0043] Similar to the DL access channel type, TS 37.213 defines the UL channel access procedure, where Type 1 UL access is based on the duration of the channel idle delay Td and the random backoff counter N, such as Type 1A DL. Type 2 UL includes a deterministic duration of idle channel before transmission, with Type 2A UL having at least 25 μs of idle channel, Type 2B UL having at least 16 μs of idle channel, and Type 2C not detecting transmissions for a maximum of 584 μs.

[0044] The structure and uses of the disclosed embodiments are described in detail below. However, it should be understood that this disclosure provides many applicable concepts that can be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The specific embodiments discussed are merely illustrative of the specific structure and use of the embodiments and do not limit the scope of this disclosure.

[0045] Figure 1 An exemplary wireless communication system 100 is illustrated. The communication system 100 includes an access node 110 having a coverage area 111. Access node 110 serves multiple user equipment (UEs), including UE 120 and UE 122. Transmissions from access node 110 to the UEs are referred to as downlink (DL) transmissions and occur on the downlink channel. Figure 1 (Seen as a solid arrow line in the image), and the transmission from the UE to the access node 110 is called uplink (UL) transmission, which occurs on the uplink channel (…). Figure 1 (Dash lines are shown in the image). Services can be provided to multiple UEs by a service provider connected to access node 110 via backhaul network 130 (e.g., the Internet). Wireless communication system 100 may include multiple distributed access nodes 110.

[0046] In typical communication systems, there are several operating modes. In cellular mode, multiple UEs communicate through the access node 110. In device-to-device communication modes, such as proximity service (ProSe) mode, UEs can communicate directly with each other. Access nodes are also commonly referred to as NodeBs, evolved NodeBs (eNBs), next-generation (NG) NodeBs (gNBs), master eNBs (MeNBs), secondary eNBs (SeNBs), master gNBs (MgNBs), secondary gNBs (SgNBs), network controllers, control nodes, base stations, access points, transmission points (TPs), transmission-reception points (TRPs), cells, carriers, macro cells, femtocells, picocells, relay stations, customer premises equipment (CPEs), etc. UE can also be commonly referred to as mobile station, mobile phone, terminal, user, subscriber, site, communication equipment, CPE, relay station, Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) relay station, etc. It should be noted that when using relays (based on relay stations, picocells, CPEs, etc.), especially in multi-hop relays, the boundaries between the controller and the nodes controlled by the controller may become blurred. Furthermore, in a dual-node deployment (the controller or a node controlled by the controller), the first node providing configuration or control information to the second node is considered the controller. Similarly, the concepts of uplink and downlink transmission can also be extended.

[0047] A cell may include one or more bandwidth parts (BWPs) of the UL or DL ​​allocated to the UE. Each BWP may have its own BWP-specific system parameters and configuration. It should be noted that not all BWPs need to be activated for the UE simultaneously. A cell may correspond to one or more carriers. Typically, a cell (e.g., a primary cell (PCell) or a secondary cell (SCell)) is a component carrier (e.g., a primary component carrier (PCC) or a secondary CC (SCC)). For some cells, each cell may include multiple carriers in the UL, one of which is referred to as a UL carrier with an associated DL or a non-supplementary UL (non-SUL) UL carrier, and the other carriers are referred to as supplementary UL (SUL) carriers without an associated DL. A cell or carrier may be configured with a time slot or subframe format consisting of DL and UL symbols, and the cell or carrier is considered to operate in time division duplex (TDD) mode. Typically, for unpaired spectrum, the cell or carrier operates in TDD mode, while for paired spectrum, the cell or carrier operates in frequency division duplex (FDD) mode. Access nodes can provide wireless access according to one or more wireless communication protocols, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-A, 5G, 5G LTE, 5G NR, High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Wi-Fi 802.11a / b / g / n / ac, etc. While it is understood that a communication system could employ multiple access nodes capable of communicating with multiple UEs, for simplicity, only one access node and two UEs are shown.

[0048] Figure 2 An exemplary communication system 200 is illustrated, and mathematical expressions for signals transmitted in the communication system are provided. The communication system 200 includes an access node 205 that communicates with a UE 210. Figure 2 As shown, access node 205 uses transmit filter v, and UE 210 uses receive filter w. Both access node 205 and UE 210 use linear precoding or combining. Assume H is the N of a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system. rx ×N tx A matrix, i.e., N txTransmitting antenna and N rx Receiving antenna. Dimension N tx A transmit filter v of dimension ×Ns enables the transmitter to precode or beamform the transmitted signal, where Ns is the number of layers, ports, streams, symbols, pilots, messages, data, or known sequences being transmitted. The receive filter w of a multi-antenna system has a dimension of N. rx ×Ns represents the merged matrix, usually based on w H y is applied to the received signal y. The above description refers to the transmission from access node 205 to UE 210, i.e., DL transmission. Transmission can also occur in the reverse direction (UL transmission), in the case of TDD, the channel matrix becomes H. H (where H) H (This is the Hermitian of the channel model H), where w can be considered as a transmit filter and v as a receive filter. The w used for transmission and the w used for reception can be the same or different, and the same applies to v.

[0049] The DL (or forward) channel 215 between access node 205 and UE 210 has a channel model or response H, while the UL (or backward, or reverse) channel 220 between UE 210 and access node 205 has a channel model or response H. H (Another convention is that the UL channel is represented as H) T This is the transpose of the channel model H). Although Figure 2 Only one access node and one UE are depicted, but the communication system 200 is not limited to this. Multiple UEs can be generated by the access node on different time-frequency resources (e.g., in a frequency division multiplexed-time division multiplexed (FDM-TDM) communication system, as in a typical cellular system) or on the same time-frequency resources (e.g., in a multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO) communication system, where multiple UEs are paired together and transmissions to each UE are precoded individually). In paired UEs, intra-cell interference exists.

[0050] Furthermore, multiple access nodes can exist in the network. Some of these access nodes can cooperate to serve UE 210 using methods such as joint transmission (e.g., coherent joint transmission, non-coherent joint transmission, cooperative multipoint transmission, etc.) and dynamic point switching. Other access nodes may not serve UE 210, and their transmissions to their own UEs can cause inter-cell interference to UE 210. In scenarios with multiple access nodes and multiple UEs, where access nodes cooperate to serve the UEs and MU-MIMO is used, this paper considers the following scenario.

[0051] One way to increase network resources is to utilize the growing availability of spectrum resources. These include not only licensed spectrum resources of the same type as macro cells, but also licensed spectrum resources of different types (e.g., macro cells are FDD cells, but small cells can use both FDD and TDD carriers), as well as unlicensed spectrum resources and shared licensed spectrum, some of which are located in high-frequency bands, such as 6 GHz to 60 GHz. Unlicensed spectrum is generally available to any user, but is subject to regulatory requirements. Shared licensed spectrum is also not exclusive spectrum used by operators. Because it is often difficult to ensure quality of service (QoS) requirements, cellular networks traditionally do not use unlicensed spectrum. The main applications of unlicensed spectrum include wireless local area networks (WLANs), such as Wi-Fi networks. Since licensed spectrum is typically scarce and expensive, cellular operators may consider utilizing unlicensed spectrum. It should be noted that TDD is typically used in high-frequency bands and unlicensed / shared licensed bands, thus allowing communication to take advantage of channel reciprocity.

[0052] On unlicensed spectrum, there is typically no pre-coordination among multiple nodes operating on the same frequency resources. Therefore, a contention-based protocol (CBP) can be used. According to Section 90.7 (paragraph 58) of Part 90 of the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC), CBP is defined as: "A protocol that allows multiple users to share the same spectrum by defining the events that must occur when two or more transmitters attempt to access the same channel simultaneously and establishing rules to provide reasonable operational opportunities for other transmitters. Such a protocol may include procedures for initiating new transmissions, procedures for determining the channel state (available or unavailable), and procedures for managing retransmissions when the channel is busy." A busy channel state can also be referred to as a busy channel, a not idle channel, or a occupied channel, while an idle channel state can be referred to as a available channel, a free channel, or an unoccupied channel.

[0053] One of the most commonly used CBP protocols is the "listen before talk" (LBT) procedure in IEEE 802.11 or Wi-Fi (found in, for example, the "Wireless LAN Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) Specifications," IEEE Std 802.11-2007 (IEEE Std 802.11-1999 Revision)," which is incorporated herein by reference. It is also known as carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA / CA) protocol. Carrier sense is performed before any transmission attempt, and transmission is only performed if the carrier is sensed to be idle; otherwise, a random backoff time is applied for the next sense. Sensing is typically performed using a clear channel assessment (CCA) procedure to determine if the power in the channel is below a given threshold.

[0054] In ETSI EN 301 893 V1.7.1, which is incorporated herein by reference, section 4.9.2 describes two types of adaptive equipment: frame-based equipment and load-based equipment. The specific reference specification is as follows:

[0055] "Frame-based devices should meet the following requirements:"

[0056] 1) Before commencing transmission on the operating channel, the device should perform a Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) check using "Energy Detection". The device should observe the operating channel for the duration of the CCA observation time, which should be no less than 20 μs. The CCA observation time used by the device should be stated by the manufacturer. If the energy level in the channel exceeds the threshold corresponding to the power level given in point 5 below, the operating channel should be considered occupied. If the device finds the operating channel to be idle, it can transmit immediately (see point 3 below).

[0057] 2) If the device detects that the working channel is occupied, it shall not transmit on that channel in the next fixed frame period.

[0058] Note 1: If the device meets the requirements of section 4.9.2.3, the device is allowed to continue short control signaling transmission on this channel.

[0059] Note 2: For devices that transmit simultaneously on multiple (adjacent or non-adjacent) working channels, if the CCA check does not detect any signal on these channels, the device is allowed to continue transmitting on other working channels.

[0060] 3) The total time a device transmits on a given channel without reassessing the channel availability is defined as the channel occupancy time. The channel occupancy time should be in the range of 1 ms to 10 ms, and the minimum idle period should be at least 5% of the channel occupancy time used by the device in the current fixed frame period. At the end of the idle period, the device should perform the new CCA described in point 1 above.

[0061] 4) Upon correctly receiving a data packet for its own use, the device may skip a CCA and immediately (see Note 3) continue transmitting management and control frames (e.g., ACK and block ACK frames). Without initiating a new CCA, consecutive sequences of such transmissions must not exceed the maximum channel occupancy time defined in point 3 above.

[0062] Note 3: For multicast, sequential ACK transmissions from a single device (associated with the same data packet) are allowed.

[0063] 5) The CCA power detection threshold should be proportional to the transmitter's maximum transmit power (PH): For a 23 dBm.irp transmitter, the CCA threshold level (TL) should be equal to or lower than -73 dBm / MHz at the receiver input (assuming the receiving antenna is 0 dBi). For other transmit power levels, the CCA threshold level TL should be calculated using the formula: TL = -73 dBm / MHz + 23 - PH (assuming the receiving antenna is 0 dBi, and PH is specified as dBm irp).

[0064] Load-based devices can use "energy detection" to implement LBT-based spectrum sharing mechanisms, based on Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) modes, such as IEEE 802.11. TM -2007[9] Articles 9 and 17, IEEE 802.11n TM -2009

[10] Articles 9, 11 and 20, provided that it complies with the consistency requirements mentioned in section 4.9.3 (see note 1) (all of which are incorporated herein by reference).

[0065] Note 1: It also aims to allow mechanisms based on Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) mode, using IEEE 802.11ac TM[i.2] “Energy detection” as described in Sections 8, 9, 10 and 22 (which are incorporated herein by reference).

[0066] Load-based devices that do not use any of the above mechanisms should meet the following minimum requirements:

[0067] 1) Before any transmission or transmission burst on the operating channel, the device should perform a Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) check using "Energy Detection". The device should observe the operating channel for the duration of the CCA observation time, which should be no less than 20 μs. The CCA observation time used by the device should be stated by the manufacturer. If the energy level in the channel exceeds the threshold corresponding to the power level given in point 5 below, the operating channel should be considered occupied. If the device finds the channel to be idle, it can transmit immediately (see point 3 below).

[0068] 2) If the device detects that the working channel is occupied, it must not transmit on that channel. The device shall perform an extended CCA check, in which the working channel is observed for a duration of a random coefficient N multiplied by the CCA observation time. N defines the number of net idle time slots that need to be observed before transmission begins, resulting in a total idle period. Each time an extended CCA is required, the value of N shall be randomly selected from the range 1…q and stored in a counter. The value of q shall be selected by the manufacturer from the range 4…32. The selected value shall be declared by the manufacturer (see Clause 5.3.1q). The counter is decremented whenever a CCA time slot is considered “unoccupied.” When the counter reaches zero, the device may transmit.

[0069] Note 2: If the device meets the requirements of section 4.9.2.3, the device is allowed to continue short control signaling transmission on this channel.

[0070] Note 3: For devices that transmit simultaneously on multiple (adjacent or non-adjacent) working channels, if the CCA check does not detect any signals on these channels, the device is allowed to continue transmitting on other working channels.

[0071] 3) The total time the device uses the working channel is the maximum channel occupancy time, which should be less than (13 / 32)×qms, where q is defined as in point 2 above. After that, the device should execute the extended CCA described in point 2 above.

[0072] 4) Upon correctly receiving a data packet intended for this device, the device may skip the CCA and immediately (see Note 4) continue transmitting management and control frames (e.g., ACK and block ACK frames). Without executing a new CCA, the device's consecutive transmission sequences must not exceed the maximum channel occupancy time defined in point 3 above.

[0073] Note 4: For multicast, sequential ACK transmissions from a single device (associated with the same data packet) are allowed.

[0074] 5) The energy detection threshold of the CCA should be equal to the transmitter's maximum transmit power (P). H Proportional to: For a 23dBme.irp transmitter, the CCA threshold level (TL) should be equal to or lower than -73dBm / MHz at the receiver input (assuming the receiver antenna is 0dBi). For other transmit power levels, the CCA threshold level TL should be calculated using the formula: TL = -73dBm / MHz + 23 - P H (Assuming the receiving antenna is 0 dBi, P) H The specification is dBm eirp.

[0075] Figure 3A and Figure 3B Block diagrams of embodiments of systems 300 and 350 for analog beam control and digital beamforming. Figure 3A The system 300 includes a baseband assembly 302 for digital processing, multiple RF chain assemblies 304, multiple phase shifters 306, multiple combiners (also called combiners) 308, and multiple antennas 310. This diagram can be used for transmission or reception. For simplicity, this disclosure describes a diagram assuming it is for transmission; reception can be understood similarly. Each RF chain 304 receives weighting coefficients (or weights p1…p) from the baseband assembly 302. m (As shown in the figure). The set of weighting coefficients forms the digital precoding vector, precoding matrix, beamforming vector, or beamforming matrix used for transmission. For example, the precoding vector can be [p1……p mWhen transmitting multiple layers / streams, the baseband unit can use a precoding matrix to generate weighting coefficients, with each column (or row) of the matrix applied to the transmitted layer / stream. Each RF chain 304 is coupled to multiple phase shifters 306. Theoretically, any phase shift value can be applied to the phase shifters, but typically in practice, only a few possible phase shift values ​​are applied, such as 16 or 32 values. Each RF chain 304 produces a narrow beam 312 oriented in a direction determined by settings on the phase shifters 306 and combiner 308. If the phase shifter can apply any phase shift value, the beam can be pointed in any direction. However, if only a few phase shift values ​​are available, the beam can be one of a few possibilities (e.g., in the figure, a solid narrow beam is selected by setting a specific phase shift value in the RF chain, and the beam is one of all possible narrow beams, shown as a solid beam and a dashed beam corresponding to all possible phase shift values). Each RF chain selects such a narrow beam, and all such narrow beams selected by all RF chains are further superimposed. The superposition is based on digital weighting coefficients. These coefficients can make the beam from the RF chain stronger or weaker, so different sets of coefficients can produce different superpositions in the spatial domain; in the figure, a specific beam 314 is shown. In other words, different beams 314 can be generated by selecting different digital weighting coefficients. Digital operation can generally be called (digital) beamforming or precoding, and analog operation can be called (analog) beam control or phase shifting, but sometimes there is no clear distinction.

[0076] Figure 3B The system 350 in the middle is similar to Figure 3A The difference in system 300 is that the corresponding combiners 308 in each RF chain 302 are connected to each other.

[0077] Figure 4 An example of timing 400 for a frame-based device is shown.

[0078] Figure 5 An example flowchart of an embodiment method 500 for carrier sensing is shown. Figure 5As shown, method 500 begins in block 502, where the communication controller receives waveform signals from the UE. In block 504, the communication controller processes the signal and generates a decision variable X. This signal processing is typically performed in the digital domain, usually in baseband, and may include sampling, A / D conversion, signal combining with precoded weights at the receiver, etc. The decision variable X is used to determine whether the channel is idle or busy. In block 506, the communication controller determines whether the decision variable is less than a threshold T. The threshold can be a standardized value or derived from standards or regulations, and can be device-type specific, space-specific, etc. The threshold can also be allowed to change within a specified range based on traffic load, interference conditions, etc. If, in block 506, the communication controller determines that the value of the decision variable X is less than the threshold T, method 500 proceeds to block 508, where the communication controller determines that the carrier channel is idle, after which method 500 ends. If, in block 506, the communication controller determines that the value of decision variable X is not less than threshold T, then method 500 proceeds to block 510, where the communication controller determines that the carrier channel is busy, after which method 500 ends.

[0079] Figure 6 A flowchart of an embodiment method 600 of a general listen-before-speak mechanism is shown. Figure 6 As shown, method 600 begins at block 602, where the communication controller assembles frames. In block 604, the communication controller performs carrier sensing, for example, as referenced above. Figure 5 The method described above determines whether the channel is idle. If, in block 604, the communication controller determines that the channel is not idle but busy, then method 600 proceeds to block 606, where the communication controller does not transmit a frame and waits for the random backoff timer to expire, after which the method returns to block 604. If, in block 604, the communication controller determines that the channel is idle, then method 600 proceeds to block 608, where the communication controller transmits a frame, after which the method terminates.

[0080] Wi-Fi is perhaps a prime example of a listen-before-speak mechanism. Wi-Fi uses 802.11 standard technologies, such as the air interface (comprising the physical and MAC layers). In 802.11, communication channels are shared by stations under a mechanism called Distributed Channel Access (CCA), which features a function called Distributed Coordination Function (DCF) using CSMA / CA. DCF uses physical and virtual carrier sense (PCS) to determine the state of the medium. PCS resides in the PHY and uses power detection and preamble detection with frame length delay to determine when the medium is busy. PCS resides in the MAC and uses reservation information carried in the duration field of the MAC header to declare the unavailability of the wireless channel. The PCS mechanism is called the network allocation vector (NAV). A wireless channel is determined to be idle only when both the physical and virtual PCS mechanisms indicate that the channel is idle. A station with a data frame to transmit first performs CCA by sensing the wireless channel for a fixed duration, known as the DCF inter-frame space (DIFS). If the wireless channel is busy, the station waits for the channel to become idle, delays DIFS, and then waits for a further random backoff period (by setting a backoff timer using an integer number of time slots). The backoff timer decrements by 1 for each idle time slot, and freezes when the channel is detected to be busy. When the backoff timer reaches zero, the station begins data transmission. Channel access procedure 700... Figure 7 As shown.

[0081] To meet regulatory requirements for operating on unlicensed spectrum and to coexist with other radio access technologies (RATs) such as Wi-Fi, transmissions on unlicensed spectrum cannot be continuous or persistent. Instead, on / off or opportunistic transmissions and on-demand measurements can be employed.

[0082] Furthermore, high-frequency operation, particularly in the 28 GHz to 60 GHz band, typically operates in mmWave mode, which exhibits propagation characteristics drastically different from microwaves (usually below 6 GHz). For example, transmission in mmWave mode experiences higher path loss over distance compared to microwave transmission. Therefore, high-frequency bands are better suited for small-cell operation than macrocell operation, and they generally rely on beamforming with a large number of antennas (e.g., >16, sometimes even hundreds) for efficient transmission. It's important to note that at high frequencies, wavelength, antenna size, and antenna spacing can be smaller than at low frequencies, making it feasible to equip nodes with a large number of antennas. Consequently, the beam formed by a large number of antennas can be very narrow, for example, with a beamwidth of 10 degrees or even less. This contrasts sharply with traditional wireless communication, where beamwidths are typically much wider, such as tens of degrees. Figure 8A This is a diagram of a wide beam pattern 802 with a small number of low-frequency antennas. Figure 8B This is an illustration of a narrow beam pattern 804 with a large number of high-frequency antennas. Generally, narrow beamforming is considered a major new feature of the mmWave band. As a general rule of thumb, the beamforming gain of massive MIMO can be roughly estimated as N×K, where N is the number of transmit antennas and K is the number of receive antennas. This is because the 2-norm of the channel matrix H approximately follows (N×K). 1 / 2 Scaling is used, therefore, if the precoding vector of the transmitting node is p and the combining vector of the receiving node is w, then the composite channel is w′Hp. By correctly choosing w and p, the energy gain of the composite channel can reach N×K, which is much higher than the case with fewer antennas.

[0083] In shared spectrum access in the high-frequency range, such as FR2 or higher in 3GPP, more antenna elements can be packed into the same form factor because the carrier frequency is higher than FR2 (and therefore the wavelength is smaller). This allows for finer (narrower) beamforming. Improved beamforming gain is crucial for mitigating more unfavorable path losses at higher frequencies. Unlike licensed spectrum, sharing of unlicensed bands is achieved through a listen-before-talk (LBT) protocol. A key benefit of directional LBT is that it avoids... Figure 9 The diagram illustrates the impact of exposed nodes on omnidirectional sensing to improve spectrum access (spatial reuse), where the initiating node uses a directional sensing beam to sense the presence of an ongoing transmission over a certain duration. Figure 9In this scenario, when TX-B uses the quasi-omnidirectional sensing beam 902, the node performing LBT (TX-B) senses the ongoing transmission between two wireless communication devices TX-A and RX-A. During the ongoing transmission, TX-A can use the transmit beam 904, and RX-A can use the receive beam 906. Quasi-omnidirectional sensing exposes the TX-A to RX-A link as an ongoing transmission that should be protected. Therefore, TX-B will back off (dashed block arrows and crossed Xs indicate CCA check failure or busy channel detection). Because the intended beamforming transmission using the transmit beam 908 from TX-B to RX-B will not interfere with the ongoing transmission using the transmit beam 904 and receive beam 906 (assuming here that the main lobe and any significant side lobes of the transmit beam intended to be used by TX-B are not directed towards the ongoing transmission), this is overprotection. In this case, TX-A is also not a hidden node interfering with the intended receiver RX-B. However, this problem is solved if the TX-B employs directional sensing using the sensing beam 910.

[0084] One issue in directional LBT is the relationship between the sensed beam and the intended transmit beam, i.e., the beam expected to be used by the initiating node during the channel occupancy time (COT) at acquisition. Alternatively, after using beam sensing of the channel, the beam available for transmission by the initiating node during the COT after channel acquisition should meet certain conditions based on the sensed beam and the energy detection threshold of the channel sensing. Here, non-ideals in the implemented transmit beam (in terms of sidelobes) can also be considered. For example, the beam sidelobes of the intended transmit beam may also interfere with ongoing transmissions. The basic objective in developing this formal relationship is: (i) to at least protect ongoing transmissions that may be interfered with by the intended transmission, and (ii) to some extent, to sense interference from the ongoing transmission to the intended receiver.

[0085] It should be noted that the latest LBT techniques in EN 302 567 considering the unlicensed 60 GHz frequency range do not address the scenario of interest to us, where the initiating node seeks to acquire a channel for multiple transmission bursts using potentially multiple different transmit beams. In fact, the high-level description provided in the ETSI BRAN document for calculating the energy detection threshold and subsequent testing implicitly assumes that the initiating node seeks to acquire a channel for a single transmission burst using a single transmit beam. Furthermore, the test procedures described therein do not exclude invalid implementations (e.g., using one beam to pass the test, but also using multiple other beams during COT). Therefore, directly applying the methods of EN 302 567 to the setup in this disclosure may lead to coexistence problems and a significant performance degradation.

[0086] This disclosure outlines one approach to achieving these objectives. For any intended transmission beam (e.g., B...) i ), let T i (Θ,ф) represents the angular power profile (APP) of the i-th expected beam, where (Θ,ф) represents the angular (elevation and azimuth) coordinates. The APP of a beam can be defined as its far-field EIRP curve or pattern. It should be noted that the EIRP profile of a beam at any angular coordinate is given as input the transmit power required for an ideal isotropic radiator, so that the power measured from the radiator at any reference point along that angular coordinate in the far field matches the power measured at the same reference point, but matches the power measured from the transmission of the initiating node beam using beamforming of interest. Therefore, the EIRP curve (in dBm) is equal to the gain curve (dBi) plus the power supplied to the radiating element (dBm).

[0087] In the first embodiment, it can be assumed that the canonical set of the intended transmit beam C is identified by the LBT initiating node (for convenience, it is assumed to be the gNB, but in at least some cases it could be the UE (mobile phone, device, etc.)). Each transmission during the acquisition of COT by the gNB will be performed using one of these beams or any subset of these beams (used in SDM mode). Let {T} i (Θ,ф)}, where i∈C represents the transmit APP of the beam in this specification set. It should be noted that since the COT duration can be relatively long (5ms), determining and fixing all possible user groups in advance to determine the precise SDM beam grouping can be quite stringent. Therefore, using a single transmit beam from a specification set, rather than a group of transmit beams, to derive the requirements for the sensing beams provides greater scheduling flexibility while still meeting LBT requirements. This provides scheduling flexibility because the precise usage order of these beams or their SDM grouping during the COT may be unknown. Furthermore, some of these beams may not be used during the COT.

[0088] Alternatively, during COT (Content Over Time) acquisition using the sensing beam, a relationship between the sensing beam (with an associated sensing threshold) and allowed transmit beams can be defined. After the channel is sensed and acquired using the sensing beam, any beam (and its associated sensing threshold) that satisfies the relationship with the sensing beam can be used for transmission during COT.

[0089] Given a canonical set, one or more sensing beams are designed to be used during LBT. Several design guidelines may exist. It's important to note that considering only one sensing beam for the entire set can be limiting, as it might lead to requirements that can only be met using omnidirectional or quasi-omnidirectional modes. This defeats the purpose of direction sensing. Furthermore, using a single beam covering the entire canonical set for sensing does not provide sufficient granularity; that is, if the sensed energy is sufficient to declare the channel busy, it may be unclear whether a subset of beams in the canonical set can still be used. On the other hand, defining a sensing beam for each expected transmit beam (i.e., a one-to-one relationship or mapping between sensing and transmit beams) is a viable option, but its disadvantage is that the LBT duration overhead may be adversely affected.

[0090] Then, assuming the canonical set C is divided into L clusters or beam groups (beam index sets), C = C (1) ∪C (2) ......∪C (L) .

[0091] In one embodiment, each such beam cluster or index set can be restricted to include beams whose peaks have angular coordinates within mutually configurable angular distances.

[0092] In another embodiment, such a partitioning can be obtained by solving an optimization problem using an algorithm that takes L and all expected beams in the canonical set as input, and clusters the beams in the canonical set into L groups based on a distance criterion or similarity measure. The latter distance between two beams can be based on the angular coordinates of the peak values ​​of the two beams and the beamwidths of the two beams.

[0093] In yet another embodiment, the number of clusters can also be the output of the clustering algorithm.

[0094] In another embodiment, two or more canonical beam sets can be defined, wherein a first set is used to sense the channel of a first transmit beam group, a second canonical sensing beam set is used for a second transmit beam group, and so on. COT can be initiated by LBT (CCA check) using the first canonical sensing beam set. Later during the COT, the second canonical sensing beam set can be used before transmissions using the second transmit beam group, and so on, wherein the type (duration) of LBT during the COT can be related to the time gap between transmissions using the first beam group and the second beam group, or the time difference between the last LBT and the current LBT process.

[0095] The composite emission APP for each of the L index sets is defined as follows:

[0096]

[0097] It should be noted that each composite transmission APP defined in (1) is the envelope or "maximum hold" mode on the beamforming APP (beamforming EIRP mode). The maximum hold mode of a set of input EIRP modes is simply the point maximum value (envelope) on these modes.

[0098] Figure 10 An exemplary composite launch application is shown. Figure 10 As shown, for five different beams, each beam has a different APP mode and a different peak direction (-30°, -15°, 0°, 15°, 30°). The composite transmission APP or maximum hold mode of these five beams is the point maximum value or envelope of the five different APP modes.

[0099] Using the envelope of a single-beam EIRP ensures that SDM packets using these beams, or any transmission along any TDM transmission sequence using these beams, will not cause the EIRP to exceed the envelope in any angular direction. In the case of TDM, the envelope can be tight, or otherwise a fairly good upper bound.

[0100] In another embodiment, the initiating node may execute a first energy sensing phase including multiple observation time slots, such as Figure 11 As shown. In each such observation time slot, one or more sensing beams are used to perform energy sensing, each sensing beam completing its task within a relatively short duration. One principle for scheduling the energy sensing durations of different sensing beams is to use a cyclic approach, but considering the beam switching gap (the minimum time gap required for the initiating node to switch its beam) and maxNumberRxTxBeamSwitchDL, which is the maximum number of beam switches a node can make within an NR time slot (which may differ from the observation or contention time slots). For example, in observation time slot 1102, the first sensing beam is used for duration 1104. After switching gap 1106, the second sensing beam is used for duration 1108. After switching gap 1110, the third sensing beam is used for duration 1112, which is followed by sensing gap 1114. Because not all sensing beams must be accommodated in every observation time slot due to the aforementioned limitations, this scheduling can be referred to as cyclic with carryover when carryover exists. Therefore, the misfit sensing beams are combined in the following time slots, and so on. After the energy sensing phase, the initiating node performs a backoff phase before acquiring the COT.

[0101] The next sensing beam requirement is derived under the understanding that a sensing beam is defined for each beam index in the L-beam index set. Figure 12A graphical example is shown where a sensing beam is defined for each of multiple beam sets. For example... Figure 12 As shown, the wireless communication device TX has three transmit beams 1202, 1204, and 1206. TX may intend to use these transmit beams to transmit data to wireless communication devices RX-A, RX-B, and RX-C. TX may also have only two sensing beams 1208 and 1210. In this case, TX divides its transmit beams into two sets or two groups (L=2). The first group includes transmit beams 1202 and 1204, and the second group includes transmit beam 1206. Sensing beam 1208 covers the first group, and sensing beam 1210 covers the second group.

[0102] Although Figure 12 It can convey intent, but may require a more formal mathematical relationship between the sensing beams defined for the beam set and the transmit beams in that set.

[0103] (i) Without loss of generality, this disclosure may focus on the j-th beam index set C (j) Above, and defined as the j-th set C (j) The requirements that any defined sensing beam can satisfy. Let Ω (j) Let be a set of angular coordinates representing the angle pairs of interest (elevation and azimuth). This disclosure now describes some suitable embodiments corresponding to different choices of this set of angular coordinates for a composite emission APP: one possible choice is to include all angular coordinates {(Θ,ф)} such that the composite emission APPT evaluated at (Θ,ф) is... (j) (Θ,ф) is at least part of the peak value, that is, Where σ is a configurable coefficient. This choice can also be specified on a dB scale, meaning that the composite emission application is included in the set Ω in all directions within the peak X-dB range. (j) middle.

[0104] (ii) Another option is to first use Ω (j) Select to launch APPT (j) The angular coordinates of the first n highest peaks (corresponding to the n transmitted beams in the cluster) of (Θ,ф) are used to essentially preserve Ω. (j) The main lobe of the composite transmit APP is used for certain configurable scalar n (which is no greater than the number of beams in the cluster), and then all angular coordinates of the X-dB beamwidth of each of these n transmit beams are included in Ω. (j) .

[0105] (iii) Another alternative is that the set of angular coordinates of interest includes the X-dB beamwidth of any expected transmitted beam, including the main lobe and the actual side lobes.

[0106] In (i) and (ii), σ and X are configurable coefficients. It should be noted that by using (i) and appropriate configurable coefficient σ, the prominent sidelobes that constitute the beam in the beam set Ω can be easily included in the beam set. (j) In this case, it may be important to include important sidelobes in the direction of interest, as these sidelobes can interfere with and interrupt ongoing transmissions.

[0107] In the first embodiment, let S (j) (Θ,ф) represents the AGP (Angle Gain Profile) of the j-th sensing beam (this AGP may include, for example, the sensing beamforming gain and the gain / loss of the sensing components). It is important to note that, unlike the EIRP of any beam, it is independent of any transmit power S. (j) (Θ,ф). An ideal omnidirectional beam sensing mode will have AGPS for all angular coordinates (or directions) and some constant A. (j) (Θ,ф)=A. On the other hand, directional sensing will favor some directions but not others. The requirements for the sensing beam are then given by the following formula:

[0108]

[0109] Where, α (j) >0 is the scaling factor. It is a peak composite transmission APP. In other words, (2a) requires the AGP of the sensing beam to be in the angular coordinate set Ω. (j) The dominant normalized composite launch APP achieves a coefficient α. (j) The normalization of the composite transmit APP eliminates its dependence on power, thus allowing it to be compared with a sensing AGP that has no dependence on transmit power.

[0110] In other words, to cover the transmit beam group, the sensed beam gain curve should dominate the scaled-normalized envelope of the EIRP curves that make up the beams in that group over a set of directions (i.e., it should extend beyond each direction in that set). Furthermore, this scaling factor is applied to calculate the EDT.

[0111] In various embodiments, if at least one sensing beam satisfies the unscaling requirement (i.e., α... (j) =1 applied to equation (2a), then the scaling factor α (j)The value is set to 1. In other words, if the sensing beam meets the unscaling requirement, no scaling (or compensation for the sensing beam) is needed. If only one sensing beam meets the unscaling requirement, that sensing beam will be selected as the sensing beam of the j-th beam set. If multiple sensing beams meet the unscaling requirement, the sensing beam of the j-th beam set is selected from the multiple sensing beams. In one embodiment, any sensing beam can be selected from the multiple sensing beams. In another embodiment, the sensing beam with the lowest gain among the multiple sensing beams can be selected. In yet another embodiment, the sensing beam with the narrowest beamwidth among the multiple sensing beams can be selected. Different criteria can also be used to select the sensing beam of the j-th beam set.

[0112] In various embodiments, if no sensing beam (from a set of candidate sensing beams or a predetermined sensing beam) satisfies the unscaling requirement, a scaling factor α other than 1 needs to be determined. (j) In other words, scaling is required to compensate for the shortcomings of the sensing beam. The scaling factor and sensing beam of the j-th beam set can be determined as follows. First, a corresponding scaling factor is determined for each sensing beam in the candidate sensing beam set, such that each sensing beam satisfies the scaling requirement (Equation (2a)). Then, the largest scaling factor and the corresponding sensing beam are selected as the scaling factor and sensing beam of the j-th beam set. Therefore, among the candidate sensing beams, the sensing beam that satisfies the sensing beam requirement with the minimum compensation will be selected. As described above, the method for determining the scaling factor and sensing beam given the sensing beam requirement can also be applied to other scenarios in this disclosure.

[0113] One observation regarding (2a) is that the sensing beam pattern is at least in at least one of the expected TX beams in the direction in which a large portion of the input energy will radiate, i.e., T (j) (Θ,ф) has sufficient sensing gain in a relatively large direction. Conversely, all directions where the expected transmitted beam has less gain can be sensed with relatively small gain. This differs from traditional (quasi) omnidirectional sensing, in which all directions are sensed with (near) the same gain.

[0114] scaling factor α (j) (Hereinafter referred to as the adjustment factor) can be incorporated into the energy detection threshold (EDT) calculation using the following formula, a simple modification of the formula in EN 302 567 v2.1.20. In fact, the EDT can be calculated as...

[0115]

[0116] Among them, P out It is the maximum EIRP in beam clustering during COT, i.e. function f(Pout, α) (j) An example is f(Pout, α) (j) = APout / α (j) Where A>0 is a constant whose default value represents the gain of the reference omnidirectional mode. In particular, when applying the original formula for EDT calculation proposed in EN 302 567v2.1.20, A is the implicitly assumed gain of the omnidirectional mode used for sensing (i.e., (2b), f(Pout,α)). (j) ) = Pout, but where Pout represents the peak EIRP of a single burst transmitted during COT using a single beam. (2b) The design principle behind this is as follows. Along each angular direction (Θ,ф), the LBT initiating node can be considered as a virtual isotropic radiating node that will acquire the channel with power T (j) (Θ,ф) transmission. Then, further assuming that the virtual node uses reference omnidirectional sensing, the appropriate EDT to use is (2b), where f(Pout,α) (j) ) = T (j) (Θ,ф). Given a sensing mode that satisfies (2a), it is possible to use The EDT in (2b). The latter will ensure that any ongoing transmissions that are marked as busy (i.e., when using reference omnidirectional sensing, the virtual node detects that the channel is marked as busy with sufficient signal strength) will also be marked when the latter uses an available sensing mode that satisfies (2a). It should be noted that 1 / min(α) (j) ,1) can be viewed as a direction set Ω (j) Insufficient sensing gain. This means that if a given sensing beam is narrow, it will lack sufficient gain in at least some prominent directions (i.e., in Ω). (j) In the sparse direction of the sensor (in the indirection), it will have a greater deficiency, which (intuitively) thus produces a smaller EDT according to (2b). Using this deficiency-compensating EDT ensures an appropriate EDT so that the lower sensing energy (due to insufficient sensing gain) is not compared with the original higher EDT, thus complying with the LBT requirement. In other words, the EDT uses α (j) Scaling. Smaller value α (j) This means that the selection of sensing beams is slightly easier, but the sensing process must become more sensitive in terms of energy detection (by lowering the energy detection threshold) to achieve fair spectrum sharing, and vice versa. Since the EDT for each beam set or group can be determined by a corresponding scaling factor, different beam sets or groups can use separate EDTs, and these separate EDTs can be different.

[0117] Based on the scaling factor α mentioned above (j)The method for determining the EDT can also be applied to other scenarios in this disclosure.

[0118] It should be noted that the requirement in (2a) is a beam correspondence requirement. In other words, (2a) also defines the spatial relationship between the sensing (receiving) and transmitting beams.

[0119] In another embodiment, the envelope of the transmit beamforming gain is first defined as...

[0120]

[0121] Each of them This represents the beamforming gain curve of the i-th transmitted beam, which is defined as its EIRP divided by its net transmitted power. The constraints on the sensing gain curve can be specified as follows:

[0122]

[0123] In other words, for a sensing beam to cover a group of transmit beams, the sensing beam gain curve should dominate the scaling envelope of the beamforming gain curves that make up the transmit beams in that group over a set of directions (i.e., over each direction in that set). Furthermore, this scaling factor is used to calculate the EDT.

[0124] In an alternative embodiment, P out This can be defined as the weighted sum of the peak values ​​that make up the transmit APP of each beam, i.e., the weighted sum of the peak EIRP of each beam: Instead of defining it as

[0125] In one embodiment, the weight {w} i} can be the same as the reciprocal of the number of beams in the cluster, thus P out It becomes the average value of the peak EIRP for each beam.

[0126] In another embodiment, the weight assigned to each beam can be its expected duty cycle, i.e., the expected time fraction that the initiating node expects to use the beam for transmission during the COT duration.

[0127] In all these embodiments, the result P is obtained. out It can be used to define settings in (2a) The beam requirements are then used to calculate the EDT in (2b).

[0128] In another embodiment, if any sensing mode is satisfied, its effectiveness can be asserted.

[0129]

[0130] For some constant A, it is the reference omnidirectional mode gain. In other words, the requirement in (3) requires that the sensing mode dominates the reference gain omnidirectional mode on the set of angular coordinates of interest. Alternatively, (3) can be viewed as insisting that the sensing mode matches the reference omnidirectional mode within the direction of interest. Then, in this embodiment, if (3) is satisfied, the EDT can be determined as follows:

[0131] Operating channel bandwidth (MHz).

[0132] With A=1, the threshold is determined using the original EDT formula without any adjustments.

[0133] In yet another, more general embodiment, given any sensing mode S (j) (Θ,ф), the scaling factor can be determined as

[0134]

[0135] In other words, the scaling (or adjustment) factor is determined as the worst-case sensing mode value on the set of coordinates of the angle of interest. This scaling factor in this embodiment can be used to calculate f(Pout,α) before calculating the EDT using (2b). (j) )=(1 / α (j) )P out It should be noted that in (4), the worst-case sensing gain of any given sensing mode in the direction of interest can be determined, while in (3), the feasible set of sensing modes includes those modes whose sensing gains satisfy the constraints. Any sensing mode is feasible for (4) as long as it is within the set of angular coordinates of interest Ω. (j) There are no null values ​​in any direction.

[0136] The conditions in (3) and (4) may depend on the angular coordinate set Ω. (j) The composite emission APP. In fact, the condition in (3) may require the sensing gain to exceed the reference gain Ω at all the angular coordinates (directions) of interest. (j) Similarly, (4) determine the worst-case sensing gain in the direction of interest, and then adjust the peak EIRP using the worst-case gain before calculating EDT.

[0137] The sensing requirement in one embodiment using (i) (where σ = 1 / 2) and (3) (where A = 1 / 2) would mean that the EIRP is covered by a sensing beam with a gain coefficient of at least 1 / 2 in all directions within 1 / 2 of the peak.

[0138] In another embodiment, the sensing requirements can be derived by considering the sensing angle power curve (sensing APP). The transmitting application is defined as a virtual setup where the initiating node uses a sensing beam as a transmit beamformer and sensing array assembly for transmission (with the same transmit power as before). In this case, the requirement for the sensing application to dominate the transmitting application can be stated as:

[0139]

[0140] Where, α (j) It is the scaling factor. In this embodiment, EDT is modified to...

[0141] Operating channel bandwidth (MHz).

[0142] In yet another embodiment, given a sensing beam pattern The transmit beam APPT(Θ,ф) used to transmit data channels or signals during COT acquired by the sensing beam needs to meet the following requirements:

[0143]

[0144] Here, α (j) It is a scaling factor, angular coordinate set Ω (j) It is the X-dB beamwidth of the transmitted beam, including the main lobe and the actual side lobes, where APPT(Θ,ф) is within the X-dB range of its peak value. α is considered when determining EDT. (j) The value of X-dB is used for appropriate scaling. The value of X-dB can also be considered in the EDT determination. It should be noted that if all transmitted beams satisfy (6), it is very similar to (5). In this alternative, it is not necessary to determine the set (or subset) of the expected transmitted beams used for beam selection.

[0145] In yet another embodiment, given the sensing beam pattern AGP The transmit beam EIRPT(Θ,ф) used for transmitting data channels or signals during COT acquired by the sensing beam needs to meet the following requirements:

[0146]

[0147] Here, α (j) It is a scaling factor, angular coordinate set Ω (j) It is the X-dB beamwidth of the transmitted beam, including the main lobe and the actual side lobes, where EIRPT(Θ,ф) is within the X-dB range of its peak value. α is considered when determining EDT. (j) The value of X-dB is used for appropriate scaling. The value of X-dB can also be considered in EDT determination.

[0148] In yet another embodiment, given the sensing beam pattern AGP The transmit beam EIRPT(Θ,ф) used for transmitting data channels or signals during COT acquired by the sensing beam needs to meet the following requirements:

[0149]

[0150] here, It is the sensing beam gain The peak value of α. (j) It is a scaling factor, angular coordinate set Ω (j) It is the X-dB beamwidth of the transmitted beam, including the main lobe and the actual side lobes, where EIRPT(Θ,ф) is at its peak. Within the X-dB range. α is considered when determining EDT. (j) The value of X-dB is used for appropriate scaling. The value of X-dB can also be considered in EDT determination.

[0151] Now consider a practically relevant scenario where the transmitted beam set may not be precisely known. This disclosure outlines different embodiments corresponding to different modeling choices.

[0152] In the first embodiment, only the peak gain and the tolerance of the direction of that peak for each transmitted beam, as well as the estimated beamwidth, are known. Specifically, in this case, for some X (an example value of X could be X = 3), the beamwidth for the i-th beam T can be obtained. i Estimates of the peak value (i.e., peak EIRP), peak direction, and X-dB beamwidth of (Θ,ф), but the APP of the i-th beam in the cluster is unknown. Requirements for the sensing beam can be specified, where the set of angular coordinates of interest Ω... (j) Including each beam i∈C (j) The peak value and the position of each beam i∈C (j) All angle pairs (Θ,ф) within the X-dB beamwidth of the i-th beam. Equations (3) or (4) can be used to define the sensing mode requirements and their respective EDT calculations.

[0153] In other words, in this case, the requirement in (3) requires that for the sensing beam covering the transmit beam set, the sensing gain of the sensing beam should be higher than the reference value of all directions (or angle pairs) in the X-dB beamwidth of each transmit beam in the beam set located in the sensing beam covering.

[0154] Alternatively, in this case, the requirement in (4) requires that for a sensing beam covering a set of transmitted beams, the sensing gain of the sensing beam should be higher than a specific gain value for all directions (or angle pairs) in the X-dB beamwidth of each transmitted beam in the set of transmitted beams covered by the sensing beam, and further, the gain value will be used to adjust the EDT.

[0155] In another embodiment, if the Y dB beamwidth of the sensing beam includes all directions (or angle pairs) within the X dB beamwidth of each transmitted beam in the beamset covered by the sensing beam, then the value Y will be used to adjust the EDT. In another embodiment, the EDT can be adjusted based on the value Y and the peak sensing beam gain.

[0156] In another embodiment, if the sensed beam gain measured along the peak direction of each transmitted beam is at least X-dB of the peak gain of the corresponding transmitted beam, then the sensed beam covers the transmitted beam set. The value X will be used to adjust the EDT. In another embodiment, the EDT can be adjusted based on the value X and the peak transmitted beam gain.

[0157] In yet another embodiment, estimates of the peak EIRP and peak EIRP direction for each beam are available. Here, beamwidth can be defined as the range pair. This imposes specified limits on its elevation (Θ) and azimuth (ф) in the peak direction. All angular coordinates (directions) within the set of angular coordinates of interest Ω are included. (j) Equations (3) or (4) can be used to define the sensing mode requirements and their respective EDT calculations.

[0158] In another embodiment, if an angle or direction included in the X dB beamwidth of the transmit beam set is included in the Y dB beamwidth of the sense beam, then the sense beam is said to cover the transmit beam set. X and Y are both configurable parameters. The X dB beamwidth of the transmit beam set can be determined based on the composite transmit APP of the transmit beam set or the maximum hold-in-place EIRP of the transmit beam. In one example, X = 3.

[0159] In another embodiment, the sense beam is said to cover the transmit beam set if the gain of the sense beam measured along the peak direction of the transmit beam set is at least X dB greater than the gain of the transmit beam set measured along the same direction. X is a configurable parameter. The gain and peak direction of the transmit beam set can be determined based on the composite transmit APP of the transmit beam set or the maximum hold EIRP of the transmit beam set.

[0160] In another embodiment, the sensed beam is said to cover the transmit beam set if the gain of the sensed beam measured in one or more directions is at least X dB greater than the gain of the transmit beam set measured in the same direction. The gain of the transmit beam set is determined based on the composite transmit APP of the transmit beam set or the maximum hold EIRP of the transmit beam. The one or more directions include each direction in which the composite transmit APP (or maximum hold EIRP) of the transmit beam set is within (i.e., greater than) Y dB of the peak value of the composite transmit APP (or maximum hold EIRP). X and Y are both configurable parameters.

[0161] In another embodiment, a sense beam is said to cover a transmit beam set if the gain of the sense beam measured in one or more directions is at least X dB of the peak gain of the sense beam. The one or more directions include each direction in which the composite transmit APP (or maximum hold EIRP) of the transmit beam set is within (i.e., greater than) Y dB of the peak value of the composite transmit APP (or maximum hold EIRP). X and Y are both configurable parameters.

[0162] The present disclosure now considers an embodiment in which sensing can be performed simultaneously using multiple sensing beams. For example, this corresponds to a case where the initiating node is able to sense simultaneously using multiple sensing beams, each connected to a different receiving RF chain.

[0163] In one embodiment of this scenario, multiple sensing beams (each associated with a transmit beam cluster) can be used to sense multiple clusters simultaneously. The relationship between each sensing beam and its associated transmit beam cluster can be one of the several relationships outlined above.

[0164] In another embodiment, the initiating node senses across multiple carriers. In this document, the relationship between the sensing beams can be defined on a per-carrier basis.

[0165] This disclosure will now describe a sensing process that can be performed as follows. In one embodiment, the initiating node may sequentially perform LBT on each of the L beam sets.

[0166] Figure 13 The process flow for determining the sensing beam of multiple transmit beam groups and performing a CCA (Complete Channel Assessment) procedure is illustrated. In this scenario, the wireless communication device has multiple transmit beams and a set of candidate sensing beams. The wireless communication device seeks to find the sensing beam from the set of candidate sensing beams available for the CCA procedure to obtain a channel for the multiple transmit beams. The wireless communication device can perform the following procedure.

[0167] Flowchart 1300 begins at step 1302, where the wireless communication device divides multiple transmit beams into one or more transmit beam groups. This step may also be referred to as clustering or partitioning. Clustering or partitioning can be performed according to the clustering algorithm described in this disclosure. Next, for each of the one or more groups, the wireless communication device seeks to find a corresponding sensing beam from the set of candidate sensing beams such that the sensing beam covers the corresponding group.

[0168] In step 1304, a transmit beam group is considered. The wireless communication device can determine the maximum sustained EIRP of the group. In various embodiments, the wireless communication device can determine the composite transmit APP of the group.

[0169] In step 1306, the wireless communication device checks whether any sensing beam in the candidate sensing beam set covers the transmit beam group. The wireless communication device can determine the sensing beam requirements for that group. If a sensing beam meets the sensing beam requirements without scaling ( Figure 13 If "Yes" is used to indicate that the signal is true, then flowchart 1300 proceeds to step 1308, where the sensing beam is selected as the sensing beam of the group, and the scaling factor = 1. If no sensing beam meets the sensing beam requirements (…), then… Figure 13 If "No" is used (indicated in the text), then flowchart 1300 proceeds to step 1310, where the wireless communication device determines the scaling factor and the sensing beam, such that the sensing beam meets the requirements of the sensing beam scaled by the scaling factor. In steps 1308 and 1310, the EDT is determined according to the scaling factor.

[0170] In step 1312, if the wireless communication device has considered all or one group, then flowchart 1300 proceeds to step 1314. Otherwise, the wireless communication device selects an unconsidered group and returns to step 1304.

[0171] After the wireless communication device determines the sensing beam, scaling factor, and EDT for each group, the wireless communication device will perform a separate CCA procedure for each group.

[0172] In step 1314, the wireless communication device selects a group that has not yet undergone CCA. The wireless communication device will then use the sensing beam and the corresponding EDT for that group to perform CCA. In other words, the wireless communication device uses the sensing beam to detect energy and compares the detected energy level with the corresponding EDT to determine whether the channel is idle or busy.

[0173] In step 1316, if the channel is idle, it is suitable for the wireless communication device to use this transmit beam group for transmission. Flowchart 1300 proceeds to step 1318, where the wireless communication device marks the group as "idle" or "transmit on". If the channel is not idle, it is not suitable for the wireless communication device to use this transmit beam group for transmission. In this case, the flowchart proceeds to step 1320.

[0174] In step 1320, if the wireless communication device has already performed the CCA procedure for all groups, then flowchart 1300 proceeds to step 1322. Otherwise, the wireless communication device will select another group for which CCA has not yet been performed, and the flowchart returns to step 1314.

[0175] In step 1322, the wireless communication device will initiate a transmission within the COT using each transmit beam group marked "Transmission On".

[0176] Figure 14 An alternative process flow for determining the transmit beam group of multiple given sensing beams and performing CCA procedures is described. In this case, a dual problem is considered. Figure 13 Similar to the scenario illustrated, the wireless communication device also has multiple transmit beams and a set of candidate sensing beams. It is pre-determined that each sensing beam in this set of candidate sensing beams will be used for sensing during the CCA process. In this case, the wireless communication device seeks to find a set of transmit beams from the multiple transmit beams covered by each sensing beam. The wireless communication device can perform the following process.

[0177] Flowchart 1400 begins at step 1402, in which the wireless communication device divides multiple transmit beams into multiple transmit beam groups.

[0178] In step 1404, the wireless communication device considers a sensing beam selected from a set of candidate sensing beams that have not yet been considered.

[0179] In step 1406, the wireless communication device performs the sensing (energy detection) portion of the CCA process using the selected sensing beam. The wireless communication device can observe the operating channel for a period of time using the selected sensing beam. Because the detected energy will be compared with the EDT, and the EDT may not yet be determined by the wireless communication device, the result of the CCA process (whether the operating channel is idle or busy) is not yet determined.

[0180] In step 1408, the wireless communication device considers a group to be selected from a plurality of groups that have not yet been considered.

[0181] In step 1410, the wireless communication device checks whether the sensing beam covers the transmit beam group. The wireless communication device can determine the sensing beam requirements for that group. If the sensing beam meets the sensing beam requirements without scaling, the sensing beam is considered valid for the group. Figure 14 (Indicated by "Yes" in the text) (i.e., the validity check is successful). Flowchart 1400 proceeds to step 1412, where the sensing beam is selected as the sensing beam of the group, and the scaling factor = 1. If the sensing beam does not meet the sensing beam requirements, flowchart 1400 proceeds to step 1414, where the wireless communication device determines a scaling factor such that the sensing beam meets the sensing beam requirements scaled by the scaling factor.

[0182] In steps 1412 and 1414, the wireless communication device determines the EDT based on the scaling factor.

[0183] In step 1416, the wireless communication device uses the EDT to determine the result of the CCA process for the transmit beamgroup. The wireless communication device can compare the energy detected in step 1406 with the EDT determined in step 1412 or 1414. If the detected energy is less than the EDT, the wireless communication device determines the working channel as idle; otherwise, it determines the working channel as busy.

[0184] In step 1418, if the CCA process is successful (sensing channel or working channel is idle), flowchart 1400 proceeds to step 1422. If the CCA process is unsuccessful (sensing channel or working channel is busy), flowchart 1400 proceeds to step 1420.

[0185] In step 1420, if the wireless communication device has considered all the multiple groups, the flowchart proceeds to step 1426. Otherwise, the wireless communication device selects another group from the multiple groups that has not yet been considered, and the flowchart returns to step 1408.

[0186] In step 1422, the wireless communication device marks the group as "idle" or "transmission on". Then, in step 1424, the wireless communication device removes the group from the multiple groups.

[0187] In step 1426, if the wireless communication device has considered all candidate sensing beam sets, the flowchart proceeds to step 1428. Otherwise, the wireless communication device selects another sensing beam from the candidate sensing beam set that has not yet been considered, and the flowchart returns to step 1404.

[0188] In step 1428, the wireless communication device initiates a transmission within the COT using each transmit beam group that has been marked as "idle".

[0189] Figure 15AAn embodiment method 1500 for directional channel sensing is illustrated. Method 1500 begins at step 1502, where a wireless communication device divides a plurality of transmit beams into one or more transmit beam groups. The one or more transmit beam groups include at least one first transmit beam group. Method 1500 proceeds to step 1504, where the wireless communication device determines a first sensing beam requirement for the first transmit beam group. Method 1500 proceeds to step 1506, where the wireless communication device determines a first sensing beam and a first scaling factor such that the first sensing beam satisfies the first sensing beam requirement scaled by the first scaling factor. The first sensing beam is selected from a set of candidate sensing beams. In step 1508, the wireless communication device performs a first CCA using the first sensing beam and a first EDT. The first EDT is determined based on the first scaling factor.

[0190] Figure 15B Optional steps for directional channel sensing are shown. Figure 15A One or more transmit beam groups may further include a second transmit beam group. In this case, method 1500 may include additional steps. Method 1500 may proceed to step 1510, wherein the wireless communication device determines a second sensing beam requirement for the second transmit beam group. Method 1500 may proceed to step 1512, wherein the wireless communication device determines a second sensing beam and a second scaling factor such that the second sensing beam satisfies the second sensing beam requirement scaled by the second scaling factor. The second sensing beam is also selected from a set of candidate sensing beams. In step 1514, the wireless communication device performs a second CCA using the second sensing beam and the second EDT. The second EDT is determined according to the second scaling factor.

[0191] In directional LBT, sensitivity to blind spots can be increased compared to omnidirectional or quasi-omnidirectional sensing modes. Figure 16 An example is described below. Here, there is an ongoing transmission between wireless communication devices TX-A (using transmit beam 1602) and RX-A (using receive beam 1604). The LBT process is initiated by wireless communication device TX-B to establish a new transmission between TX-B and RX-B. However, the LBT performed at TX-B using sensing beam 1606 aligned with the intended transmit beam 1608 cannot sense the ongoing transmission. On the other hand, an enhanced sensing beam 1702 is used, where a back lobe or mirror lobe is added to the original sensing beam, such as... Figure 17 As shown, ongoing transmissions can be sensed. Using the enhanced sensing beam 1702, TX-B will correctly declare channel busy and backoff. It should be noted that using backlobe or mirror lobe enhancement will not revert to omnidirectional or quasi-omnidirectional sensing mode, nor will it result in excessive exposed nodes.

[0192] In one embodiment, the previously defined angular coordinate set Ω (j) It can be expanded. It's important to remember the previously outlined Ω designation used to construct Ω that only considers the orientation of the launch application with a relatively large launch size. (j) , to include in Ω (j) The options are as follows. These options obviously do not include the highlights shown above. As a remedy, Ω (j) It can be included by including the one that originally existed in Ω (j) The enhancement is then performed by mirroring (or reversing) the direction of each direction. Then, in the obtained enhancement set, the sensing mode requirement in (3) can be applied, and the relevant EDT formula can also be used.

[0193] In another embodiment, equation (4) can be used to define the sensing mode requirement and to calculate the EDT using the modified formula previously proposed after (4).

[0194] In another embodiment, it can be determined that the initial presence of Ω (j) Another set of directions, including all or a subset of directions, including mirror (or opposite) directions. Without increasing Ω (j) For a direction defined by (elevation, azimuth) on (Θ, ф), the opposite direction is defined by (elevation, azimuth) on (Θ, ф + π).

[0195] Ω can be defined (j) and The requirement for a separate sensing beam. The sensing beam requirement can be defined using (3), and the EDT can be determined using the associated EDT formula. Alternatively, equation (4) can be used to define... The sensing mode requirements are used, and the modified formula previously proposed after (4) is used to calculate EDT. On the other hand, Ω (j) The sensing beam requirements for the center direction set and the associated EDT calculations can be performed using any of the methods highlighted above. The scaling factors for the two sensing beams can be different, i.e., different α values. (j) and It can be used in (4) and the corresponding EDT formula. In this embodiment, two separate sensing beams are used for two rounds of LBT.

[0196] In another embodiment, it is used as a set LBT performed using a defined sensing pattern can be a CAT 2LBT that does not require random backoff.

[0197] In another embodiment, the two requirements for sensing can be specified as follows. First, if the Y dB beamwidth of the sensing beam includes all directions (or angle pairs) located in the X dB beamwidth of each transmit beam in the beam set covered by the sensing beam, then the sensing beam is said to cover the transmit beam set (in the positive direction, i.e., towards the expected transmission direction). Furthermore, the value Y and the possible peak sensing gain will be used to adjust the EDT. Additionally, if the gain of the sensing beam is greater than a threshold λ for all directions opposite to those in the Z-dB beamwidth of each transmit beam in the beam set covered by the sensing beam, then the beam is said to provide coverage in the opposite direction (opposite to the expected transmission direction).

[0198] In another embodiment, there may be two sensing beams, one defined by X and Y in the positive direction and the other defined by Z and λ in the opposite direction.

[0199] It is important to note that the primary objective of enhanced sensing is to minimize disruptions to ongoing transmissions (which cannot be sensed by considering only the forward direction). Therefore, while the forward sensing requirement can be defined, for example, using (2a), which allows sensing of normalized transmit applications with gain matching (up to a constant) variations, for the opposite direction, an omnidirectional pattern on the angular coordinates or direction set of interest may be necessary. The latter aims to sense ongoing transmissions from other transmitters of the serving user (client) within the interference footprint of the transmission expected by the initiating node, without making further assumptions about the beamforming employed by these transmitters.

[0200] The new link TX-B-RX-B interferes with the existing link, but is incorrectly allowed. The red checkmark indicates a false positive (CCA) pass.

[0201] Then, TX-B will correctly back off. The green cross indicates a correct failure of the CCA check (true negative).

[0202] One embodiment includes: clustering the expected transmit beam set into multiple beam groups (beam clusters); the number of clusters can be an explicit input or determined by a clustering algorithm; for each cluster, determining a composite transmit angular power profile (APP) or maximum hold EIRP; the maximum hold EIRP in each direction is the maximum value of the EIRPs of all beams in the cluster in that direction; identifying a set of angular coordinates (directions); in one embodiment, this set can be all directions within a peak value of X dB; using the composite transmit APP determined therein and defining sensing beam requirements for each group on the identified set. A scaling factor for modifying the energy detection threshold (EDT) is also determined.

[0203] Figure 18 An exemplary communication system 1800 is illustrated. Typically, system 1800 enables multiple wireless or wired users to send and receive data and other content. System 1800 may implement one or more channel access methods, such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), or non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA).

[0204] In this example, the communication system 1800 includes electronic devices (EDs) 1810a to 1810c, radio access networks (RANs) 1820a to 1820b, a core network 1830, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 1840, the Internet 1850, and other networks 1860. Although Figure 18 A certain number of these components or elements are shown, but the system 1800 may include any number of these components or elements.

[0205] EDs 1810a to 1810c are used for operation and / or communication within system 1800. For example, EDs 1810a to 1810c are used to transmit or receive signals via a wireless or wired communication channel. Each ED 1810a to 1810c represents any suitable end-user equipment and may include (or be referred to as) devices such as: user equipment (UE), wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU), mobile station, fixed or mobile subscriber unit, cellular phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), smartphone, laptop computer, computer, touchpad, wireless sensor, or consumer electronic device.

[0206] RAN 1820a and 1820b here include base stations 1870a and 1870b, respectively. Each base station 1870a and 1870b is used for radio connection with one or more of ED 1810a to 1810c to enable access to the core network 1830, PSTN 1840, Internet 1850, and / or other networks 1860. For example, base stations 1870a and 1870b may include one or more of several well-known devices, such as a base transceiver station (BTS), Node-B (NodeB), evolved NodeB (eNodeB), next-generation (NG) NodeB (gNB), home NodeB, home eNodeB, site controller, access point (AP), or wireless router. ED 1810a to 1810c are used for connection and communication with Internet 1850 and can access the core network 1830, PSTN 1840, or other networks 1860.

[0207] exist Figure 18 In the illustrated embodiment, base station 1870a constitutes part of RAN 1820a, which may include other base stations, components, and / or equipment. Furthermore, base station 1870b constitutes part of RAN 1820b, which may include other base stations, components, or equipment. Base stations 1870a and 1870b operate separately, transmitting or receiving radio signals within a specific geographical area (sometimes referred to as a "cell"). In some embodiments, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology may be employed, with each cell having multiple transceivers.

[0208] Base stations 1870a and 1870b communicate with one or more of ED 1810a to 1810c via one or more air interfaces 1890 using a wireless communication link. The air interface 1890 can utilize any suitable wireless access technology.

[0209] System 1800 is envisioned to utilize multi-channel access capabilities, including the schemes described above. In specific embodiments, the base station and ED implement 5G New Radio (NR), LTE, LTE-A, or LTE-B. Of course, other multiple access schemes and radio protocols can also be used.

[0210] RANs 1820a and 1820b communicate with the core network 1830 to provide voice, data, application, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), or other services to EDs 1810a through 1810c. It should be understood that RANs 1820a and 1820b and / or the core network 1830 can communicate directly or indirectly with one or more other RANs (not shown). The core network 1830 can also serve as a gateway access for other networks (such as PSTN 1840, Internet 1850, and other networks 1860). Furthermore, some or all of EDs 1810a through 1810c may include the ability to communicate with different wireless networks via different wireless links using different wireless technologies and / or protocols. EDs may communicate with service providers or switches (not shown) and Internet 1850 via wired communication channels, rather than wirelessly (or otherwise).

[0211] Although Figure 18 An example of a communication system is shown, but it is possible to... Figure 18 Various modifications can be made. For example, the communication system 1800 can include any number of EDs, base stations, networks, or other components in any suitable configuration.

[0212] Figure 19A and Figure 19B Exemplary devices are shown that can implement the methods and teachings provided in this disclosure. In particular, Figure 19A An exemplary ED 1910 is shown. Figure 19B An exemplary base station 1970 is shown. These components can be used in system 1800 or any other suitable system.

[0213] like Figure 19A As shown, ED 1910 includes at least one processing unit 1900. The processing unit 1900 implements various processing operations of ED 1910. For example, the processing unit 1900 may perform signal encoding, data processing, power control, input / output processing, or any other function that enables ED 1910 to operate within system 1800. The processing unit 1900 also supports the methods and teachings described in more detail above. Each processing unit 1900 includes any suitable processing or computing device for performing one or more operations. For example, each processing unit 1900 may include a microprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor, field-programmable gate array, or application-specific integrated circuit, etc.

[0214] ED 1910 also includes at least one transceiver 1902. Transceiver 1902 is used to modulate data or other content for transmission via at least one antenna or Network Interface Controller (NIC) 1904. Transceiver 1902 is also used to demodulate data or other content received by at least one antenna 1904. Each transceiver 1902 includes any suitable structure for generating signals for wireless or wired transmission or for processing signals received wirelessly or via a wire. Each antenna 1904 includes any suitable structure for transmitting or receiving wireless or wired signals. One or more transceivers 1902 and one or more antennas 1904 may be used in ED 1910. Although transceiver 1902 is shown as a single functional unit, it may also be implemented using at least one transmitter and at least one separate receiver.

[0215] ED 1910 also includes one or more input / output devices 1906 or interfaces (e.g., a wired interface to the Internet 1850). Input / output devices 1906 facilitate interaction with users or other devices on the network (network communications). Each input / output device 1906 includes any suitable structure for providing or receiving information from a user, such as a speaker, microphone, keypad, keyboard, display, or touchscreen, including network interface communications.

[0216] In addition, ED 1910 includes at least one memory 1908. Memory 1908 stores instructions and data used, generated, or collected by ED 1910. For example, memory 1908 may store software instructions or firmware instructions executed by processing unit 1900, as well as data for reducing or eliminating interference in incoming signals. Each memory 1908 includes any suitable volatile or non-volatile storage and retrieval device. Any suitable type of memory can be used, such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), hard disk, optical disk, subscriber identity module (SIM) card, memory stick, secure digital (SD) memory card, etc.

[0217] like Figure 19BAs shown, base station 1970 includes at least one processing unit 1950, at least one transceiver 1952 (including transmitter and receiver functions), one or more antennas 1956, at least one memory 1958, and one or more input / output devices or interfaces 1966. A scheduler, as understood by those skilled in the art, is coupled to processing unit 1950. The scheduler may be included within base station 1970 or operate independently of base station 1970. Processing unit 1950 implements various processing operations of base station 1970, such as signal encoding, data processing, power control, input / output processing, or any other functions. Processing unit 1950 may also support the methods and teachings described in more detail above. Each processing unit 1950 includes any suitable processing or computing device for performing one or more operations. For example, each processing unit 1950 may include a microprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor, field-programmable gate array, or application-specific integrated circuit, etc.

[0218] Each transceiver 1952 includes any suitable structure for generating signals for wireless or wired transmission to one or more EDs or other devices. Each transceiver 1952 also includes any suitable structure for processing signals received wirelessly or wiredly from one or more EDs or other devices. Although the transmitter and receiver are shown as a combined transceiver 1952, the transmitter and receiver can be separate components. Each antenna 1956 includes any suitable structure for transmitting or receiving wireless or wired signals. Although the common antenna 1956 shown herein is coupled to the transceiver 1952, one or more antennas 1956 can be coupled to the transceiver 1952 if configured as separate components, allowing individual antennas 1956 to be coupled to both the transmitter and receiver. Each memory 1958 includes any suitable volatile or non-volatile storage and retrieval device. Each input / output device 1966 facilitates interaction with users or other devices in the network (network communication). Each input / output device 1966 includes any suitable structure for providing information to or receiving / from a user, including network interface communication.

[0219] Figure 20This is a block diagram of a computing system 2000 that can be used to implement the devices and methods disclosed herein. For example, the computing system can be any entity in a UE, access network (AN), mobility management (MM), session management (SM), user plane gateway (UPGW), or access stratum (AS). A particular device may utilize all of the components shown or only a subset of these components, and the degree of integration between devices may vary. Furthermore, the device may include multiple component instances, such as multiple processing units, processors, memories, transmitters, and receivers. The computing system 2000 includes a processing unit 2002. The processing unit includes a central processing unit (CPU) 2014, a memory 2008, and may also include a mass storage device 2004 connected to a bus 2020, a video adapter 2010, and an I / O interface 2012.

[0220] Bus 2020 can be one or more of several bus architectures of any type, including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, or a video bus. CPU 2014 can include any type of electronic data processor. Memory 2008 can include any type of non-transitory system memory, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), read-only memory (ROM), or combinations thereof. In embodiments, memory 2008 may include ROM used at power-on and DRAM storing programs and data used during program execution.

[0221] Mass storage device 2004 may include any type of non-transitory storage device for storing data, programs, and other information, and making such data, programs, and other information accessible via bus 2020. Mass storage device 2004 may include one or more of solid-state drives, hard disk drives, disk drives, or optical disk drives.

[0222] Video adapter 2010 and I / O interface 2012 provide interfaces to couple external input and output devices to processing unit 2002. Examples of input and output devices, as shown, include a display 2018 coupled to video adapter 2010 and a mouse, keyboard, and printer 2016 coupled to I / O interface 2012. Other devices may be coupled to processing unit 2002, and additional or fewer interface cards may be used. For example, a serial interface such as Universal Serial Bus (USB) (not shown) may be used to provide interfaces to external devices.

[0223] The processing unit 2002 also includes one or more network interfaces 2006, which may include wired links such as Ethernet cables and / or wireless links for accessing nodes or different networks. The network interface 2006 allows the processing unit 2002 to communicate with remote units via a network. For example, the network interface 2006 may provide wireless communication via one or more transmitters / transmit antennas and one or more receivers / receive antennas. In one embodiment, the processing unit 2002 is coupled to a local area network 2022 or a wide area network for processing data and communicating with other processing units, the Internet, or remote devices such as remote storage facilities.

[0224] Despite the detailed description, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure as defined by the appended claims. Furthermore, the scope of this disclosure is not intended to be limited to the specific embodiments described herein, and those skilled in the art will readily understand from this disclosure that processes, machines, manufacturing techniques, material compositions, components, methods, or steps (including those currently existing or to be developed hereafter) can perform substantially the same functions or achieve substantially the same effects as the corresponding embodiments described herein. Moreover, any aspects of the different embodiments in this disclosure can be combined. Accordingly, the scope of the appended claims includes these processes, machines, products, synthetic substances, methods, and steps.

Claims

1. A method for directional channel sensing, characterized in that, The method includes: Wireless communication devices divide multiple transmit beams into one or more transmit beam groups, including at least a first transmit beam group; The wireless communication device determines a first sensing beam requirement for the first transmit beam group, the first sensing beam requirement being that the gain of the first sensing beam, measured in one direction, is greater than a sensing threshold, wherein the direction is determined based on the first transmit beam group, and the sensing threshold is determined based on the first sensing beam and the first transmit beam group. The wireless communication device determines a first sensing beam and a first scaling factor such that the first sensing beam meets the requirements of the first sensing beam scaled by the first scaling factor, wherein the first sensing beam is selected from a set of candidate sensing beams; and The wireless communication device performs a first free channel assessment (CCA) using the first sensing beam and a first energy detection threshold (EDT), wherein the first EDT is determined based on the first scaling factor.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first sensing beam requirement is that the X dB beamwidth of the first sensing beam includes the Y dB beamwidth of the first transmit beam group in each direction, where X and Y are configurable parameters.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: The maximum sustained equivalent isotropic radiated power (EIRP) is determined, wherein the maximum sustained EIRP is the point-by-point maximum value of the EIRP of the first transmit beam group.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The direction is the peak direction of the maximum hold EIRP, and the sensing threshold is X dB of the peak value of the maximum hold EIRP, where X is a configurable parameter.

5. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The direction is determined such that the maximum hold EIRP measured in the direction is greater than the peak value of the maximum hold EIRP by X dB, and the sensing threshold is the maximum hold EIRP measured in the direction by Y dB, where X and Y are configurable parameters.

6. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The direction is determined such that the maximum hold EIRP measured in the direction is greater than the peak value of the maximum hold EIRP by X dB, and the sensing threshold is the peak gain of the first sensing beam by Y dB, where X and Y are configurable parameters.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes determining the composite transmit angular power curve (APP), wherein the composite transmit APP is the envelope of the APP of the first transmit beam group. Wherein, the direction is determined such that the composite emission APP measured in the direction is greater than X dB of the peak value of the composite emission APP. Furthermore, the sensing threshold is the Y dB of the composite emission APP measured in the direction divided by the peak value of the composite emission APP, where X and Y are configurable parameters.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, In response to the absence of a sensing beam in the candidate sensing beam set that satisfies the first sensing beam requirement, the first sensing beam requirement scaled by the first scaling factor is that the gain of the first sensing beam measured in the direction is greater than the sensing threshold multiplied by the first scaling factor.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The method includes: determining a corresponding scaling factor for each sensing beam in the candidate sensing beam set, such that each sensing beam satisfies the first sensing beam requirement; the first scaling factor is the largest scaling factor selected from the scaling factors corresponding to each sensing beam in the candidate sensing beam set, such that at least one sensing beam in the candidate sensing beam set satisfies the first sensing beam requirement scaled by the first scaling factor, wherein the first sensing beam is selected from the at least one sensing beam.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, In response to the fact that at least one sensing beam in the candidate sensing beam set satisfies the first sensing beam requirement, the first sensing beam requirement scaled by the first scaling factor is the same as the first sensing beam requirement, wherein the first scaling factor is 1, and the first sensing beam is selected from the at least one sensing beam.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The one or more transmit beam groups further include a second transmit beam group, and the method further includes: Determine the second sensing beam requirements for the second transmit beam group; A second sensing beam and a second scaling factor are determined such that the second sensing beam satisfies the second sensing beam requirement scaled by the second scaling factor, wherein the second sensing beam is selected from the set of candidate sensing beams; and A second CCA is performed using the second sensing beam and the second EDT, wherein the second EDT is determined according to the second scaling factor.

12. A wireless communication device, characterized in that, include: Non-transitory memory, including instructions; and One or more processors communicate with the non-transient memory, wherein the one or more processors execute the instructions to perform the following operations: Divide multiple transmit beams into one or more transmit beam groups, including at least a first transmit beam group; A first sensing beam requirement is determined for the first transmit beam group, wherein the gain of the first sensing beam measured in one direction is greater than a sensing threshold, wherein the direction is determined based on the first transmit beam group, and the sensing threshold is determined based on the first sensing beam and the first transmit beam group. A first sensing beam and a first scaling factor are determined such that the first sensing beam satisfies the requirements of the first sensing beam scaled by the first scaling factor, wherein the first sensing beam is selected from a set of candidate sensing beams; and A first free channel assessment (CCA) is performed using the first sensing beam and a first energy detection threshold (EDT), wherein the first EDT is determined based on the first scaling factor.

13. The wireless communication device according to claim 12, characterized in that, The first sensing beam requirement is that the X dB beamwidth of the first sensing beam includes the Y dB beamwidth of the first transmit beam group in each direction, where X and Y are configurable parameters.

14. The wireless communication device according to claim 12, characterized in that, The one or more processors also execute the instructions to perform the following operations: The maximum sustained equivalent isotropic radiated power (EIRP) is determined, wherein the maximum sustained EIRP is the point-by-point maximum value of the EIRP of the first transmit beam group.

15. The wireless communication device according to claim 14, characterized in that, The direction is the peak direction of the maximum hold EIRP, and the sensing threshold is X dB of the peak value of the maximum hold EIRP, where X is a configurable parameter.

16. The wireless communication device according to claim 14, characterized in that, The direction is determined such that the maximum hold EIRP measured in the direction is greater than the peak value of the maximum hold EIRP by X dB, and the sensing threshold is the maximum hold EIRP measured in the direction by Y dB, where X and Y are configurable parameters.

17. The wireless communication device according to claim 14, characterized in that, The direction is determined such that the maximum hold EIRP measured in the direction is greater than the peak value of the maximum hold EIRP by X dB, and the sensing threshold is the peak gain of the first sensing beam by Y dB, where X and Y are configurable parameters.

18. The wireless communication device according to claim 12, characterized in that, The one or more processors also execute the instructions to: determine a composite transmit angular power profile (APP), wherein the composite transmit APP is the envelope of the APP of the first transmit beam group. Wherein, the direction is determined such that the composite emission APP measured in the direction is greater than X dB of the peak value of the composite emission APP. Furthermore, the sensing threshold is the Y dB of the composite emission APP measured in the direction divided by the peak value of the composite emission APP, where X and Y are configurable parameters.

19. The wireless communication device according to any one of claims 12 to 18, characterized in that, In response to the absence of a sensing beam in the candidate sensing beam set that satisfies the first sensing beam requirement, the first sensing beam requirement scaled by the first scaling factor is that the gain of the first sensing beam measured in the direction is greater than the sensing threshold multiplied by the first scaling factor.

20. The wireless communication device according to claim 19, characterized in that, The one or more processors execute the instructions to perform the following operations: determine a corresponding scaling factor for each sensing beam in the candidate sensing beam set, such that each sensing beam meets the first sensing beam requirement; The first scaling factor is the largest scaling factor selected from the scaling factors corresponding to each sensing beam in the candidate sensing beam set, such that at least one sensing beam in the candidate sensing beam set satisfies the first sensing beam requirement scaled by the first scaling factor, wherein the first sensing beam is selected from the at least one sensing beam.

21. The wireless communication device according to any one of claims 12 to 18, characterized in that, In response to the fact that at least one sensing beam in the candidate sensing beam set satisfies the first sensing beam requirement, the first sensing beam requirement scaled by the first scaling factor is the same as the first sensing beam requirement, wherein the first scaling factor is 1, and the first sensing beam is selected from the at least one sensing beam.

22. The wireless communication device according to any one of claims 12 to 18, characterized in that, The one or more transmit beam groups further include a second transmit beam group, and the one or more processors further execute the instructions to perform the following operations: Determine the second sensing beam requirements for the second transmit beam group; A second sensing beam and a second scaling factor are determined such that the second sensing beam satisfies the second sensing beam requirement scaled by the second scaling factor, wherein the second sensing beam is selected from the set of candidate sensing beams; and A second CCA is performed using the second sensing beam and the second EDT, wherein the second EDT is determined according to the second scaling factor.

23. A non-transitory computer-readable medium, characterized in that, The non-transient computer-readable medium stores instructions that, when executed by the device, cause the device to perform operations for directional channel sensing, including the method as described in any one of claims 1-11.

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