Hybrid channel occupancy time

Abstract

Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communications. In some aspects, a wireless communication device (WCD) can receive, from one or more additional WCDs, one or more indications of a set of available resource blocks and an associated cyclic prefix extension (CPE) configuration, the set of available resource blocks being associated with a mixed channel occupancy time (COT). The WCD can modify at least one of the CPE configurations to time align the set of available resource blocks to transmit one or more communications. The WCD can transmit the one or more communications via the set of available resource blocks. Numerous other aspects are described.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to wireless communications, and to techniques and apparatus for mixing channel occupancy time. Background Art

[0002] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide a variety of telecommunication services, such as telephony, video, data, messaging, and broadcasting. Typical wireless communication systems may employ multiple access technologies that can support communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., bandwidth, transmit power, etc.). Examples of such multiple access technologies include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) systems, time division synchronous code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA) systems, and long term evolution (LTE). LTE / LTE-Advanced is a set of enhancements to the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) mobile standard promulgated by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).

[0003] A wireless network may include one or more network nodes that support communications for wireless communication devices, such as user equipment (UE) or multiple UEs. A UE may communicate with a network node via downlink communications and uplink communications. A "downlink" (or "DL") refers to a communication link from a network node to a UE, and an "uplink" (or "UL") refers to a communication link from a UE to a network node. Some wireless networks may support device-to-device communications, such as via a local link (e.g., a side link (SL), a wireless local area network (WLAN) link, and / or a wireless personal area network (WPAN) link, among other examples).

[0004] The above-mentioned multiple access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunication standards to provide a common protocol that enables different UEs to communicate at a city, country, region and / or global level. New Radio (NR), which may be referred to as 5G, is a set of enhancements to the LTE mobile standard promulgated by 3GPP. NR is designed to better support mobile broadband Internet access by improving spectrum efficiency, reducing costs, improving services, utilizing new spectrum, and using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) with cyclic prefix (CP) (CP-OFDM) on the downlink, using CP-OFDM and / or single carrier frequency division multiplexing (SC-FDM) (also known as discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM)) on the uplink to better integrate with other open standards, as well as supporting beamforming, multiple input multiple output (MIMO) antenna technology and carrier aggregation. As the demand for mobile broadband access continues to increase, further improvements in LTE, NR and other radio access technologies remain useful. Summary of the invention

[0005] Some aspects described herein relate to a method of wireless communication performed by a wireless communication device (WCD). The method may include receiving one or more indications of an available resource block (RB) set and an associated cyclic prefix extension (CPE) configuration from one or more additional WCDs, the available RB set being associated with a hybrid channel occupancy time (COT). The method may include modifying at least one of the CPE configurations to time-align the available RB set for sending one or more communications. The method may include sending the one or more communications via the available RB set.

[0006] Some aspects described herein relate to a WCD for wireless communication. The wireless communication device may include a memory and one or more processors coupled to the memory. The one or more processors may be configured to receive one or more indications of an available RB set and an associated CPE configuration from one or more additional WCDs, the available RB set being associated with a hybrid COT. The one or more processors may be configured to modify at least one of the CPE configurations to time align the available RB set for sending one or more communications. The one or more processors may be configured to send the one or more communications via the available RB set.

[0007] Some aspects described herein relate to a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing an instruction set for wireless communication by a WCD. The instruction set, when executed by one or more processors of the WCD, may cause the WCD to receive one or more indications of an available RB set and associated CPE configurations from one or more additional WCDs, the available RB set being associated with a hybrid COT. The instruction set, when executed by one or more processors of the WCD, may cause the WCD to modify at least one of the CPE configurations to time-align the available RB set in order to send one or more communications. The instruction set, when executed by one or more processors of the WCD, may cause the WCD to send the one or more communications via the available RB set.

[0008] Some aspects described herein relate to an apparatus for wireless communication. The apparatus may include means for receiving one or more indications of an available RB set and associated CPE configurations from one or more additional WCDs, the available RB set associated with a hybrid COT. The apparatus may include means for modifying at least one of the CPE configurations to time-align the available RB set for sending one or more communications. The apparatus may include means for sending the one or more communications via the available RB set.

[0009] The various aspects generally include methods, apparatus, systems, computer program products, non-transitory computer-readable media, user equipment, base stations, network entities, network nodes, wireless communication devices and / or processing systems as fully described herein with reference to the drawings and description and as illustrated in the drawings and description.

[0010] The features and technical advantages of examples according to the present disclosure have been outlined quite broadly above so that the following specific embodiments may be better understood. Additional features and advantages will be described below. The disclosed concepts and specific examples may be easily used as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for achieving the same purpose of the present disclosure. Such equivalent constructions do not depart from the scope of the appended claims. The characteristics of the concepts disclosed herein, both in terms of their organization and method of operation, and the associated advantages will be better understood by considering the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Each of the figures in the accompanying drawings is provided for the purpose of illustration and description, and not as a definition of the limitations of the claims.

[0011] Although various aspects are described in the present disclosure by illustrating some examples, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that such aspects can be implemented in many different arrangements and scenarios. The technology described herein can be implemented using different platform types, devices, systems, shapes, sizes and / or packaging arrangements. For example, some aspects can be implemented via integrated chip implementations or other devices based on non-module components (e.g., end-user devices, vehicles, communication equipment, computing equipment, industrial equipment, retail / shopping equipment, medical equipment and / or artificial intelligence devices). Various aspects can be implemented in chip-level components, modular components, non-modular components, non-chip-level components, device-level components and / or system-level components. The equipment incorporating the various aspects and features described may include additional components and features for implementing and practicing the various aspects claimed and described. For example, the transmission and reception of wireless signals may include one or more components for analog and digital purposes (e.g., hardware components, including antennas, radio frequency (RF) chains, power amplifiers, modulators, buffers, processors, interleavers, adders and / or summers). The various aspects described herein are intended to be practiced in various devices, components, systems, distributed arrangements and / or end-user devices of various sizes, shapes and configurations. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] In order to fully understand the above-mentioned features of the present disclosure, a more specific description of the invention briefly summarized above can be obtained by referring to various aspects (some of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings). However, it should be noted that the accompanying drawings only illustrate certain typical aspects of the present disclosure and are therefore not to be considered as limiting the scope thereof, as the specification may admit other equally effective aspects. The same reference numerals in different drawings may identify the same or similar elements.

[0013] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless network according to the present disclosure.

[0014] Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of communication between a network node and a user equipment (UE) in a wireless network according to the present disclosure.

[0015] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating an example decomposed base station architecture according to the present disclosure.

[0016] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of side link communication according to the present disclosure.

[0017] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of side link communication and access link communication according to the present disclosure.

[0018] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of communicating via a resource block (RB) set in a listen-before-talk (LBT) based network according to the present disclosure.

[0019] Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of channel occupation time (COT) sharing according to the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 8 is a diagram of an example associated with a hybrid COT according to the present disclosure.

[0021] Fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of communication via RB sets in an LBT-based network according to the present disclosure.

[0022] Fig.10 is a diagram illustrating an example of communication via RB sets in an LBT-based network according to the present disclosure.

[0023] Fig.11 is a diagram illustrating an example of communication via RB sets in an LBT-based network according to the present disclosure.

[0024] Fig.12 is a diagram illustrating an example process performed, for example, by a wireless communication device (WCD) according to the present disclosure.

[0025] Fig.13 is a diagram of an example apparatus for wireless communications according to the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The various aspects of the present disclosure are described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present disclosure can be embodied in many different forms, and should not be construed as being limited to any specific structure or function presented throughout the present disclosure. Instead, these aspects are provided so that the present disclosure will be thorough and complete, and the protection scope of the present disclosure will be fully conveyed to those skilled in the art. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the scope of the present disclosure is intended to cover any aspect of the present disclosure disclosed herein, whether it is implemented independently or in combination with any other aspect of the present disclosure. For example, any number of aspects set forth herein may be used to implement a device or practice method. In addition, the scope of the present disclosure is intended to cover such devices or methods implemented using other structures, functionality, or structures and functionality in addition to or different from the various aspects of the disclosure set forth herein. It should be understood that any aspect of the disclosure disclosed herein may be embodied by one or more elements of the present invention.

[0027] Several aspects of telecommunication systems will now be presented with reference to various devices and techniques. These devices and techniques will be described in the following detailed description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings by various blocks, modules, components, circuits, steps, processes, algorithms, etc. (collectively referred to as "elements"). These elements can be implemented using hardware, software, or a combination thereof. Whether these elements are implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0028] Although various aspects may be described herein using terms generally associated with 5G or new radio (NR) radio access technology (RAT), various aspects of the present disclosure may be applicable to other RATs, such as 3G RAT, 4G RAT and / or RATs beyond 5G (e.g., 6G).

[0029] Figure 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless network 100 according to the present disclosure. The wireless network 100 may be a 5G (e.g., NR) network and / or a 4G (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE)) network, or may include elements of a 5G (e.g., NR) network and / or elements of a 4G (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE)) network, etc. The wireless network 100 may include one or more network nodes 110 (shown as network node 110a, network node 110b, network node 110c, and network node 110d), user equipment (UE) 120 or multiple UEs 120 (shown as UE 120a, UE 120b, UE 120c, UE 120d, and UE 120e), and / or other entities. The network node 110 is a network node that communicates with the UE 120. As shown in the figure, the network node 110 may include one or more network nodes. For example, the network node 110 may be a converged network node, which means that the converged network node is configured to utilize a radio protocol stack that is physically or logically integrated within a single radio access network (RAN) node (e.g., within a single device or unit). As another example, the network node 110 may be a decomposed network node (sometimes referred to as a decomposed base station), which means that the network node 110 is configured to utilize a protocol stack that is physically or logically distributed between two or more nodes (such as one or more central units (CUs), one or more distributed units (DUs), or one or more radio units (RUs)).

[0030] In some examples, the network node 110 is or includes a network node that communicates with the UE 120 via a radio access link, such as an RU. In some examples, the network node 110 is or includes a network node that communicates with other network nodes 110 via a fronthaul link or a midhaul link, such as a DU. In some examples, the network node 110 is or includes a network node that communicates with other network nodes 110 via a midhaul link or communicates with the core network via a backhaul link, such as a CU. In some examples, the network node 110 (such as an aggregated network node 110 or a decomposed network node 110) may include multiple network nodes, such as one or more RUs, one or more CUs, and / or one or more DUs. The network node 110 may include, for example, an NR base station, an LTE base station, a Node B, an eNB (e.g., in 4G), a gNB (e.g., in 5G), an access point, a transmit receive point (TRP), a DU, a RU, a CU, a mobility element of a network, a core network node, a network element, a network equipment, a RAN node, or a combination thereof. In some examples, network nodes 110 may be interconnected to each other or to one or more other network nodes 110 in wireless network 100 via various types of fronthaul, midhaul, and / or backhaul interfaces, such as direct physical connections, air interfaces, or virtual networks, using any suitable transport network.

[0031] In some examples, the network node 110 may provide communication coverage for a particular geographic area. In the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), the term "cell" may refer to the coverage area of ​​the network node 110 and / or the network node subsystem serving the coverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used. The network node 110 may provide communication coverage for a macro cell, a pico cell, a femto cell, and / or another type of cell. A macro cell may cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., a radius of several kilometers) and may allow unrestricted access by a UE 120 with a service subscription. A pico cell may cover a relatively small geographic area and may allow unrestricted access by a UE 120 with a service subscription. A femto cell may cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a home) and may allow restricted access by a UE 120 associated with the femto cell (e.g., a UE 120 in a closed subscriber group (CSG)). A network node 110 for a macro cell may be referred to as a macro network node. A network node 110 for a pico cell may be referred to as a pico network node. The network node 110 for a femto cell may be referred to as a femto network node or a home network node. Figure 1 In the example shown in , network node 110a may be a macro network node for macro cell 102a, network node 110b may be a pico network node for pico cell 102b, and network node 110c may be a femto network node for femto cell 102c. A network node may support one or more (e.g., three) cells. In some examples, a cell may not necessarily be stationary, and the geographic area of ​​a cell may move depending on the location of a mobile network node 110 (e.g., a mobile network node).

[0032] In some aspects, the term "base station" or "network node" may refer to an aggregated base station, a decomposed base station, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a relay node, or one or more components thereof. For example, in some aspects, a "base station" or "network node" may refer to a CU, a DU, a RU, a near real-time (near RT) RAN intelligent controller (RIC), or a non-real-time (non-RT) RIC, or a combination thereof. In some aspects, the term "base station" or "network node" may refer to a device configured to perform one or more functions (such as those described herein in conjunction with network node 110). In some aspects, the term "base station" or "network node" may refer to a plurality of devices configured to perform one or more functions. For example, in some distributed systems, each of a certain number of different devices (which may be located in the same geographic location or in different geographic locations) may be configured to perform at least a portion of a function, or to repeat the execution of at least a portion of the function, and the term "base station" or "network node" may refer to any one or more of these different devices. In some aspects, the term "base station" or "network node" may refer to one or more virtual base stations or one or more virtual base station functions. For example, in some aspects, two or more base station functions may be instantiated on a single device. In some aspects, the term "base station" or "network node" may refer to one of the base station functions but not the other. In this way, a single device may include more than one base station.

[0033] The wireless network 100 may include one or more relay stations. A relay station is a network node that can receive transmissions of data from an upstream node (e.g., a network node 110 or a UE 120) and transmit transmissions of data to a downstream node (e.g., a UE 120 or a network node 110). A relay station may be a UE 120 that is capable of relaying transmissions for other UEs 120. Figure 1 In the example shown in , a network node 110d (e.g., a relay network node) may communicate with a network node 110a (e.g., a macro network node) and a UE 120d to facilitate communication between the network node 110a and the UE 120d. A network node 110 that relays communications may be referred to as a relay station, a relay base station, a relay network node, a relay node, a relay, etc.

[0034] The wireless network 100 may be a heterogeneous network that includes different types of network nodes 110, such as macro network nodes, pico network nodes, femto network nodes, relay network nodes, etc. These different types of network nodes 110 may have different transmit power levels, different coverage areas, and / or different impacts on interference in the wireless network 100. For example, a macro network node may have a high transmit power level (e.g., 5 watts to 40 watts), while a pico network node, a femto network node, and a relay network node may have a lower transmit power level (e.g., 0.1 watt to 2 watts).

[0035] The network controller 130 may be coupled to or in communication with a set of network nodes 110 and may provide coordination and control for the network nodes 110. The network controller 130 may communicate with the network nodes 110 via a backhaul communication link or a midhaul communication link. The network nodes 110 may also communicate directly with each other or indirectly via a wireless backhaul communication link or a wired backhaul communication link. In some aspects, the network controller 130 may be or may include a CU or a core network device.

[0036] UE 120 may be dispersed throughout the wireless network 100, and each UE 120 may be stationary or mobile. UE 120 may include, for example, an access terminal, a terminal, a mobile station, and / or a subscriber unit. UE 120 may be a cellular phone (e.g., a smart phone), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, a wireless communication device, a handheld device, a laptop computer, a cordless phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a tablet computer, a camera, a gaming device, a netbook, a smartbook, an ultrabook, a medical device, a biometric device, a wearable device (e.g., a smart watch, smart clothing, smart glasses, a smart wristband, smart jewelry (e.g., a smart ring or a smart bracelet)), an entertainment device (e.g., a music device, a video device, and / or a satellite radio), a vehicle component or sensor, a smart meter / sensor, an industrial manufacturing equipment, a global positioning system device, a UE function of a network node, and / or any other suitable device configured to communicate via a wireless or wired medium.

[0037] Some UEs 120 may be considered as machine type communication (MTC) or evolved or enhanced machine type communication (eMTC) UEs. MTC UEs and / or eMTC UEs may include, for example, robots, drones, remote devices, sensors, meters, monitors and / or location tags, which may communicate with a network node, another device (e.g., a remote device), or some other entity. Some UEs 120 may be considered as Internet of Things (IoT) devices and / or may be implemented as NB-IoT (narrowband IoT) devices. Some UEs 120 may be considered as customer premises equipment. UE 120 may be included in a housing that houses components of UE 120, such as a processor component and / or a memory component. In some examples, the processor component and the memory component may be coupled together. For example, a processor component (e.g., one or more processors) and a memory component (e.g., a memory) may be operably coupled, communicatively coupled, electronically coupled, and / or electrically coupled.

[0038] Generally speaking, any number of wireless networks 100 may be deployed in a given geographic area. Each wireless network 100 may support a specific RAT and may operate on one or more frequencies. RAT may be referred to as a radio technology, air interface, etc. Frequency may be referred to as a carrier, frequency channel, etc. Each frequency may support a single RAT in a given geographic area to avoid interference between wireless networks of different RATs. In some cases, NR or 5G RAT networks may be deployed.

[0039] In some examples, two or more UEs 120 (e.g., shown as UE 120a and UE 120e) may communicate directly (e.g., without using network node 110 as an intermediary to communicate with each other) using one or more side link channels. For example, UE 120 may communicate using peer-to-peer (P2P) communication, device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) protocols (e.g., which may include vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) protocols, vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) protocols, or vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) protocols) and / or mesh networks. In such examples, UE 120 may perform scheduling operations, resource selection operations, and / or other operations described elsewhere herein as being performed by network node 110.

[0040] The devices of the wireless network 100 may communicate using an electromagnetic spectrum, which may be subdivided into various categories, bands, channels, etc., according to frequency or wavelength. For example, the devices of the wireless network 100 may communicate using one or more operating bands. In 5G NR, two initial operating bands have been identified as frequency range designations FR1 (410 MHz to 7.125 GHz) and FR2 (24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz). It should be understood that, although a portion of FR1 is greater than 6 GHz, FR1 is often (interchangeably) referred to as the "below 6 GHz" band in various documents and articles. A similar naming problem sometimes occurs with respect to FR2, which is often (interchangeably) referred to as the "millimeter wave" band in documents and articles, although it is different from the extremely high frequency (EHF) band (30 GHz to 300 GHz) identified as the "millimeter wave" band by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

[0041] Frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are generally referred to as mid-band frequencies. Recent 5G NR research has identified the operating bands for these mid-band frequencies as frequency range designation FR3 (7.125 GHz to 24.25 GHz). The bands falling within FR3 can inherit FR1 characteristics and / or FR2 characteristics, and therefore the features of FR1 and / or FR2 can be effectively extended to mid-band frequencies. In addition, higher frequency bands are currently being explored to extend 5G NR operations to more than 52.6 GHz. For example, three higher operating bands have been identified as frequency range designations FR4a or FR4-1 (52.6 GHz to 71 GHz), FR4 (52.6 GHz to 114.25 GHz) and FR5 (114.25 GHz to 300 GHz). Each of these higher frequency bands falls within the EHF band.

[0042] Considering the above examples, unless otherwise explicitly stated, it should be understood that if the term "below 6 GHz" or the like is used herein, the term may broadly refer to frequencies that may be lower than 6 GHz, may be within FR1, or may include mid-band frequencies. In addition, unless otherwise explicitly stated, it should be understood that if the term "millimeter wave" or the like is used herein, the term may broadly refer to frequencies that may include mid-band frequencies, may be within FR2, FR4, FR4-a or FR4-1, and / or FR5, or may be within the EHF band. It is contemplated that the frequencies included in these operating bands (e.g., FR1, FR2, FR3, FR4, FR4-a, FR4-1, and / or FR5) may be modified, and the techniques described herein are applicable to those modified frequency ranges.

[0043] In some aspects, a wireless communication device (WCD) (e.g., network node 110 or UE 120) may include a communication manager 140 or 150. As described in more detail elsewhere herein, the communication manager 140 or 150 may receive one or more indications of a set of available resource blocks (RBs) and associated cyclic prefix extension (CPE) configurations from one or more additional WCDs, the set of available RBs associated with a hybrid channel occupancy time (COT); modify at least one of the CPE configurations to time-align the set of available RBs for sending one or more communications; and send the one or more communications via the set of available RBs. Additionally or alternatively, the communication manager 140 or 150 may perform one or more other operations described herein.

[0044] As indicated above, Figure 1 are provided as examples. Other examples can be found in the Figure 1 The examples described are different.

[0045] Figure 22 is a diagram illustrating an example 200 of a network node 110 communicating with a UE 120 in a wireless network 100 according to the present disclosure. The network node 110 may be equipped with a set of antennas 234a to 234t, such as T antennas (T≥1). The UE 120 may be equipped with a set of antennas 252a to 252r, such as R antennas (R≥1). The network node 110 of example 200 includes one or more radio frequency components, such as an antenna 234 and a modem 254. In some examples, the network node 110 may include an interface, a communication component, or another component that facilitates communication with the UE 120 or another network node. Some network nodes 110 may not include a radio frequency component that facilitates direct communication with the UE 120, such as one or more CUs or one or more DUs.

[0046] At the network node 110, a transmit processor 220 may receive data intended for a UE 120 (or a set of UEs 120) from a data source 212. The transmit processor 220 may select one or more modulation and coding schemes (MCS) for the UE 120 based at least in part on one or more channel quality indicators (CQIs) received from the UE 120. The network node 110 may process (e.g., encode and modulate) the data for the UE 120 based at least in part on the MCS selected for the UE 120, and may provide data symbols for the UE 120. The transmit processor 220 may process system information (e.g., for semi-static resource partitioning information (SRPI)) and control information (e.g., CQI requests, grants, and / or upper layer signaling), and provide overhead symbols and control symbols. The transmit processor 220 may generate reference symbols for reference signals (e.g., cell-specific reference signals (CRS) or demodulation reference signals (DMRS)) and synchronization signals (e.g., primary synchronization signals (PSS) or secondary synchronization signals (SSS)). The transmit (TX) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) processor 230 may perform spatial processing (e.g., precoding) on ​​data symbols, control symbols, overhead symbols, and / or reference symbols, where applicable, and may provide a set of output symbol streams (e.g., T output symbol streams) to a corresponding set of modems 232 (e.g., T modems) (shown as modems 232a to 232t). For example, each output symbol stream may be provided to a modulator component (shown as MOD) of the modem 232. Each modem 232 may process a corresponding output symbol stream (e.g., for OFDM) using a corresponding modulator component to obtain an output sample stream. Each modem 232 may further process (e.g., convert to analog, amplify, filter, and / or upconvert) the output sample stream using a corresponding modulator component to obtain a downlink signal. The modems 232a through 232t may transmit a set of downlink signals (eg, T downlink signals) via a corresponding set of antennas 234 (eg, T antennas) (shown as antennas 234a through 234t).

[0047] At the UE 120, a set of antennas 252 (shown as antennas 252a to 252r) may receive downlink signals from the network node 110 and / or other network nodes 110 and may provide a set of received signals (e.g., R received signals) to a set of modems 254 (e.g., R modems) (shown as modems 254a to 254r). For example, each received signal may be provided to a demodulator component (shown as DEMOD) of the modem 254. Each modem 254 may use a corresponding demodulator component to condition (e.g., filter, amplify, downconvert, and / or digitize) the received signal to obtain input samples. Each modem 254 may use a demodulator component to further process the input samples (e.g., for OFDM) to obtain received symbols. A MIMO detector 256 may obtain received symbols from the modem 254, may perform MIMO detection on the received symbols where applicable, and may provide detected symbols. The receive processor 258 may process (e.g., demodulate and decode) the detected symbols, may provide decoded data for the UE 120 to the data sink 260, and may provide decoded control information and system information to the controller / processor 280. The term "controller / processor" may refer to one or more controllers, one or more processors, or a combination thereof. The channel processor may determine a reference signal received power (RSRP) parameter, a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) parameter, a reference signal received quality (RSRQ) parameter, and / or a CQI parameter, among other things. In some examples, one or more components of the UE 120 may be included in the housing 284.

[0048] The network controller 130 may include a communication unit 294, a controller / processor 290, and a memory 292. The network controller 130 may include, for example, one or more devices in a core network. The network controller 130 may communicate with the network node 110 via the communication unit 294.

[0049] One or more antennas (e.g., antennas 234a to 234t and / or antennas 252a to 252r) may include or be included within one or more antenna panels, one or more antenna groups, one or more sets of antenna elements, and / or one or more antenna arrays, etc. Antenna panels, antenna groups, sets of antenna elements, and / or antenna arrays may include one or more antenna elements (in a single housing or multiple housings), sets of coplanar antenna elements, sets of non-coplanar antenna elements, and / or coupled to one or more transmit and / or receive components (such as, Figure 2 One or more antenna elements of one or more components in.

[0050] On the uplink, at the UE 120, the transmit processor 264 may receive and process data from the data source 262 and control information from the controller / processor 280 (e.g., for reports including RSRP, RSSI, RSRQ, and / or CQI). The transmit processor 264 may generate reference symbols for one or more reference signals. The symbols from the transmit processor 264 may be pre-decoded by the TX MIMO processor 266, where applicable, further processed by the modem 254 (e.g., for DFT-s-OFDM or CP-OFDM), and sent to the network node 110. In some examples, the modem 254 of the UE 120 may include a modulator and a demodulator. In some examples, the UE 120 includes a transceiver. The transceiver may include any combination of an antenna 252, a modem 254, a MIMO detector 256, a receive processor 258, a transmit processor 264, and / or a TX MIMO processor 266. The transceiver may be used by a processor (eg, controller / processor 280) and memory 282 to perform the functions described herein (eg, with reference to Figures 8 to 13 ) or any aspect of any of the methods described herein.

[0051] At the network node 110, uplink signals from the UE 120 and / or other UEs may be received by the antenna 234, processed by the modem 232 (e.g., a demodulator component (shown as DEMOD) of the modem 232), detected by the MIMO detector 236 (where applicable), and further processed by the receive processor 238 to obtain decoded data and control information transmitted by the UE 120. The receive processor 238 may provide the decoded data to the data sink 239 and the decoded control information to the controller / processor 240. The network node 110 may include a communication unit 244 and may communicate with the network controller 130 via the communication unit 244. The network node 110 may include a scheduler 246 to schedule one or more UEs 120 for downlink communication and / or uplink communication. In some examples, the modem 232 of the network node 110 may include a modulator and a demodulator. In some examples, the network node 110 includes a transceiver. The transceiver may include any combination of antenna 234, modem 232, MIMO detector 236, receive processor 238, transmit processor 220, and / or TX MIMO processor 230. The transceiver may be used by a processor (e.g., controller / processor 240) and memory 242 to execute the instructions described herein (e.g., reference 20). Figures 8 to 13 ) or any aspect of any of the methods described herein.

[0052] The controller / processor 240 of the network node 110, the controller / processor 280 of the UE 120, and / or Figure 2Any other components of the network node 110 may perform one or more techniques associated with hybrid COT, as described in more detail elsewhere herein. For example, the controller / processor 240 of the network node 110, the controller / processor 280 of the UE 120, and / or Figure 2 Any other component of the Fig.12 1200 and / or operations of other processes as described herein. Memory 242 and memory 282 may store data and program codes for network node 110 and UE 120, respectively. In some examples, memory 242 and / or memory 282 may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores one or more instructions (e.g., code and / or program code) for wireless communication. For example, the one or more instructions, when executed (e.g., directly or after compilation, conversion, and / or interpretation) by one or more processors of network node 110 and / or UE 120, may cause the one or more processors, UE 120, and / or network node 110 to perform or direct, for example, Fig.12 The process 1200 and / or operations of other processes as described herein. In some examples, executing instructions may include running instructions, converting instructions, compiling instructions, and / or interpreting instructions, etc.

[0053] In some aspects, the WCD (e.g., UE 120 or network node 110) includes: means for receiving one or more indications of an available RB set and associated CPE configurations from one or more additional WCDs, the available RB set associated with the hybrid COT; means for modifying at least one of the CPE configurations to time-align the available RB set for sending one or more communications; and / or means for sending the one or more communications via the available RB set. In some aspects, means for the WCD to perform operations described herein may include, for example, one or more of the communication manager 150, the transmit processor 220, the TX MIMO processor 230, the modem 232, the antenna 234, the MIMO detector 236, the receive processor 238, the controller / processor 240, the memory 242, or the scheduler 246. In some aspects, means for the WCD to perform operations described herein may include, for example, one or more of the communications manager 140, antenna 252, modem 254, MIMO detector 256, receive processor 258, transmit processor 264, TX MIMO processor 266, controller / processor 280, or memory 282.

[0054] Although Figure 2The blocks in the 200 and 210 are illustrated as distinct components, but the functionality described above for these blocks may be implemented in a single hardware, software, or combined component or in various combinations of components. For example, the functionality described for the transmit processor 264, the receive processor 258, and / or the TX MIMO processor 266 may be performed by or under the control of the controller / processor 280.

[0055] As indicated above, Figure 2 are provided as examples. Other examples can be found in the Figure 2 The examples described are different.

[0056] The deployment of a communication system (such as a 5G NR system) can be arranged in a variety of ways with various components or components. In a 5G NR system or network, a network node, a network entity, a mobility element of a network, a RAN node, a core network node, a network element, a base station or network equipment can be implemented in an aggregated or decomposed architecture. For example, a base station (such as a node B (NB), an evolved NB (eNB), an NR BS, a 5G NB, an access point (AP), a TRP or a cell, etc.) or one or more units (or one or more components) performing base station functionality can be implemented as an aggregated base station (also referred to as an independent base station or a monolithic base station) or a decomposed base station. "Network entity" or "network node" may refer to a decomposed base station or one or more units of a decomposed base station (such as one or more CUs, one or more DUs, one or more RUs, or a combination thereof).

[0057] An aggregated base station (e.g., an aggregated network node) may be configured to utilize a radio protocol stack that is physically or logically integrated within a single RAN node (e.g., within a single device or unit). A decomposed base station (e.g., a decomposed network node) may be configured to utilize a protocol stack that is physically or logically distributed between two or more units (such as one or more CUs, one or more DUs, or one or more RUs). In some examples, a CU may be implemented within a network node, and one or more DUs may be co-located with the CU, or alternatively, may be geographically or virtually distributed across one or more other network nodes. A DU may be implemented to communicate with one or more RUs. Each of a CU, a DU, and a RU may also be implemented as a virtual unit, such as a virtual central unit (VCU), a virtual distributed unit (VDU), or a virtual radio unit (VRU), and the like.

[0058] Base station type operations or network designs may take into account the aggregated nature of base station functionality. For example, a decomposed base station may be utilized in an IAB network, an open radio access network (O-RAN (such as a network configuration initiated by the O-RAN Alliance)), or a virtualized radio access network (vRAN, also known as a cloud radio access network (C-RAN)) to facilitate the scaling of a communication system by separating base station functionality into one or more units that can be deployed separately. A decomposed base station may include functionality implemented across two or more units at various physical locations, as well as functionality implemented virtually for at least one unit, which may enable flexibility in network design. Individual units of a decomposed base station may be configured for wired or wireless communication with at least one other unit of the decomposed base station.

[0059] Figure 3 3 is a diagram illustrating an example decomposed base station architecture 300 according to the present disclosure. The decomposed base station architecture 300 may include a CU 310, which may communicate directly with a core network 320 via a backhaul link, or indirectly with the core network 320 through one or more decomposed control units (such as a near-RT RIC 325 via an E2 link, or a non-RT RIC 315 associated with a service management and orchestration (SMO) framework 305, or both). The CU 310 may communicate with one or more DUs 330 via respective midhaul links, such as via an F1 interface. Each of the DUs 330 may communicate with one or more RUs 340 via respective fronthaul links. Each of the RUs 340 may communicate with one or more UEs 120 via respective radio frequency (RF) access links. In some implementations, a UE 120 may be served simultaneously by multiple RUs 340.

[0060] Each of the units (including CU 310, DU 330, RU 340) and the near-RT RIC 325, non-RT RIC 315, and SMO framework 305 may include or be coupled to one or more interfaces configured to receive or send signals, data, or information (collectively referred to as signals) via a wired or wireless transmission medium. Each of the units or an associated processor or controller that provides instructions to one or more communication interfaces of the corresponding unit may be configured to communicate with one or more of the other units via a transmission medium. In some examples, each of the units may include a wired interface and a wireless interface, the wired interface being configured to receive signals or send signals to one or more of the other units via a wired transmission medium, and the wireless interface may include a receiver, a transmitter, or a transceiver (such as an RF transceiver), which is configured to receive signals or send signals to one or more of the other units via a wireless transmission medium, or both.

[0061] In some aspects, CU 310 may host one or more higher layer control functions. Such control functions may include radio resource control (RRC) functions, packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) functions, or service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) functions, etc. Each control function may be implemented using an interface that is configured to communicate signals with other control functions hosted by CU 310. CU 310 may be configured to handle user plane functionality (e.g., central unit-user plane (CU-UP) functionality), control plane functionality (e.g., central unit-control plane (CU-CP) functionality), or a combination thereof. In some specific implementations, CU 310 may be logically split into one or more CU-UP units and one or more CU-CP units. When implemented in an O-RAN configuration, the CU-UP unit may communicate bidirectionally with the CU-CP unit via an interface such as an E1 interface. As needed, CU 310 may be implemented to communicate with DU 330 for network control and signaling.

[0062] Each DU 330 may correspond to a logical unit that includes one or more base station functions for controlling the operation of one or more RUs 340. In some aspects, the DU 330 may host one or more of a radio link control (RLC) layer, a MAC layer, and one or more high physical (PHY) layers, at least in part, according to a functional partition such as that defined by 3GPP. In some aspects, one or more high PHY layers may be implemented by one or more modules for forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, modulation and demodulation, etc. In some aspects, the DU 330 may also host one or more low PHY layers, such as one or more modules for fast Fourier transform (FFT), inverse FFT (iFFT), digital beamforming or physical random access channel (PRACH) extraction and filtering, etc. Each layer (which may also be referred to as a module) may be implemented using an interface that is configured to communicate signals with other layers (and modules) hosted by the DU 330 or with control functions hosted by the CU 310.

[0063] Each RU 340 may implement lower layer functionality. In some deployments, the RU 340 controlled by the DU 330 may correspond to a logical node that hosts RF processing functions based on functional splits (e.g., functional splits defined by 3GPP) such as lower layer functional splits, or low PHY layer functions such as performing FFT, performing iFFT, digital beamforming, or PRACH extraction and filtering, etc. In this architecture, each RU 340 may be operated to handle over-the-air (OTA) communications with one or more UEs 120. In some specific implementations, real-time and non-real-time aspects of control plane and user plane communications with the RU 340 may be controlled by the corresponding DU 330. In some scenarios, this configuration may enable each DU 330 and CU 310 to be implemented in a cloud-based RAN architecture such as a vRAN architecture.

[0064] The SMO framework 305 may be configured to support RAN deployment and provisioning of non-virtualized network elements and virtualized network elements. For non-virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 305 may be configured to support the deployment of dedicated physical resources for RAN coverage requirements, which may be managed via an operation and maintenance interface (such as an O1 interface). For virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 305 may be configured to interact with a cloud computing platform (such as an open cloud (O-Cloud) platform 390) to perform network element lifecycle management (such as instantiating virtualized network elements) via a cloud computing platform interface (such as an O2 interface). Such virtualized network elements may include, but are not limited to, CU 310, DU 330, RU 340, non-RT RIC 315, and near-RT RIC 325. In some specific implementations, the SMO framework 305 may communicate with hardware aspects of the 4G RAN (such as an open eNB (O-eNB) 311) via the O1 interface. Additionally, in some implementations, the SMO framework 305 can communicate directly with each of the one or more RUs 340 via a corresponding O1 interface. The SMO framework 305 can also include a non-RTRIC 315 configured to support the functionality of the SMO framework 305.

[0065] The non-RT RIC 315 may be configured to include logic functions that enable non-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources, artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) workflows including model training and updating, or policy-based guidance of applications / features in the near-RT RIC 325. The non-RT RIC 315 may be coupled to or communicate with the near-RT RIC 325 (such as via an A1 interface). The near-RT RIC 325 may be configured to include logic functions that enable near-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources via data collection and actions through an interface (such as via an E2 interface) that connects one or more CUs 310, one or more DUs 330, or both, and the O-eNB with the near-RT RIC 325.

[0066] In some implementations, in order to generate an AI / ML model to be deployed in the near-RT RIC 325, the non-RT RIC 315 may receive parameters or external enrichment information from an external server. Such information may be utilized by the near-RT RIC 325 and may be received from a non-network data source or from a network function at the SMO framework 305 or the non-RT RIC 315. In some examples, the non-RT RIC 315 or the near-RT RIC 325 may be configured to tune RAN behavior or performance. For example, the non-RT RIC 315 may monitor long-term trends and patterns of performance and employ AI / ML models to perform corrective actions through the SMO framework 305 (such as via reconfiguration of the O1 interface) or via the creation of RAN management policies (such as A1 interface policies).

[0067] As indicated above, Figure 3 are provided as examples. Other examples can be found in the Figure 3 The examples described are different.

[0068] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating an example 400 of sidelink communications according to the present disclosure.

[0069] like Figure 4As shown, the first UE 405-1 can communicate with the second UE 405-2 (and one or more other UEs 405) via one or more side link channels 410. UEs 405-1 and 405-2 can communicate using one or more side link channels 410 for P2P communication, D2D communication, V2X communication (e.g., which may include V2V communication, V2I communication and / or V2P communication) and / or mesh networks. In some aspects, UE 405 (e.g., UE 405-1 and / or UE 405-2) may correspond to one or more other UEs described elsewhere herein, such as UE 120. In some aspects, one or more side link channels 410 may use a PC5 interface and / or may operate in a high frequency band (e.g., a 5.9 GHz band). Additionally or alternatively, UE 405 may use global navigation satellite system (GNSS) timing to synchronize the timing of a transmit time interval (TTI) (e.g., a frame, subframe, time slot, or symbol).

[0070] like Figure 4 As further shown, the one or more sidelink channels 410 may include a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) 415, a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) 420, and / or a physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) 425. The PSCCH 415 may be used to communicate control information, similar to a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and / or a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) used for cellular communication with the network node 110 via an access link or access channel. The PSSCH 420 may be used to communicate data, similar to a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) and / or a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) used for cellular communication with the network node 110 via an access link or access channel. For example, the PSCCH 415 may carry sidelink control information (SCI) 430, which may indicate various control information for sidelink communication, such as one or more resources (e.g., time resources, frequency resources, and / or space resources), wherein a transport block (TB) 435 may be carried on the PSSCH 420. The TB 435 may include data. The PSFCH 425 may be used to communicate sidelink feedback 440, such as hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback (eg, acknowledgement or negative acknowledgement (ACK / NACK) information), transmit power control (TPC), and / or scheduling request (SR).

[0071] Although shown on PSCCH 415, in some aspects, SCI 430 may include multiple communications in different levels, such as a first level SCI (SCI-1) and a second level SCI (SCI-2). SCI-1 may be sent on PSCCH 415. SCI-2 may be sent on PSSCH 420. SCI-1 may include, for example, an indication of one or more resources (e.g., time resources, frequency resources, and / or space resources) on PSSCH 420, information for decoding sidelink communications on PSSCH, quality of service (QoS) priority value, resource reservation period, PSSCH DMRS mode, SCI format for SCI-2, beta offset for SCI-2, number of PSSCH DMRS ports, and / or MCS. SCI-2 may include information associated with data transmission on PSSCH 420, such as a HARQ process ID, a new data indicator (NDI), a source identifier, a destination identifier, and / or a channel state information (CSI) report trigger.

[0072] In some aspects, one or more sidelink channels 410 may use a resource pool. For example, a scheduling assignment (e.g., included in SCI 430) may be sent in a subchannel across time using specific RBs. In some aspects, data transmissions associated with a scheduling assignment (e.g., on PSSCH 420) may occupy adjacent RBs in the same subframe as the scheduling assignment (e.g., using frequency division multiplexing). In some aspects, the scheduling assignment and the associated data transmission are not sent on adjacent RBs.

[0073] In some aspects, the UE 405 may operate using a sidelink transmission mode (e.g., Mode 1) in which resource selection and / or scheduling is performed by the network node 110 (e.g., a base station, CU, or DU). For example, the UE 405 may receive a grant (e.g., in downlink control information (DCI) or in an RRC message, such as for a configuration grant) from the network node 110 (e.g., directly or via one or more network nodes) for sidelink channel access and / or scheduling. In some aspects, the UE 405 may operate using a transmission mode (e.g., Mode 2) in which resource selection and / or scheduling is performed by the UE 405 (e.g., instead of the network node 110). In some aspects, the UE 405 may perform resource selection and / or scheduling by sensing channel availability for transmission. For example, UE 405 may measure RSSI parameters associated with various side link channels (e.g., sidelink-RSSI (S-RSSI) parameters), may measure RSRP parameters associated with various side link channels (e.g., PSSCH-RSRP parameters), and / or may measure RSRQ parameters associated with various side link channels (e.g., PSSCH-RSRQ parameters), and may select a channel for sending side link communications based at least in part on the measurements.

[0074] Additionally or alternatively, the UE 405 may perform resource selection and / or scheduling using the SCI 430 received in the PSCCH 415, which may indicate occupied resources and / or channel parameters. Additionally or alternatively, the UE 405 may perform resource selection and / or scheduling by determining a channel busy rate (CBR) associated with various sidelink channels, which may be used for rate control (e.g., by indicating a maximum number of RBs that the UE 405 may use for a particular set of subframes).

[0075] In a transmission mode in which resource selection and / or scheduling is performed by the UE 405, the UE 405 may generate a sidelink grant and may transmit the grant in the SCI 430. The sidelink grant may indicate, for example, one or more parameters (e.g., transmission parameters) to be used for an upcoming sidelink transmission, such as one or more RBs (e.g., for TB 435) to be used for an upcoming sidelink transmission on the PSSCH 420, one or more subframes to be used for an upcoming sidelink transmission, and / or an MCS to be used for an upcoming sidelink transmission. In some aspects, the UE 405 may generate a sidelink grant indicating one or more parameters (such as the periodicity of the sidelink transmission) for semi-persistent scheduling (SPS). Additionally or alternatively, the UE 405 may generate a sidelink grant for event-driven scheduling (such as for an on-demand sidelink message).

[0076] As indicated above, Figure 4 are provided as examples. Other examples can be found in the Figure 4 The examples described are different.

[0077] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating an example 500 of side link communications and access link communications according to the present disclosure.

[0078] like Figure 5 As shown, the transmitter (Tx) / receiver (Rx) UE 505 and the Rx / Tx UE 510 can communicate with each other via a side link, as described above in conjunction with Figure 4 As further shown in the figure, in some sidelink modes, the network node 110 may communicate with the Tx / Rx UE 505 (e.g., directly or via one or more network nodes), such as via a first access link. Additionally or alternatively, in some sidelink modes, the network node 110 may communicate with the Rx / Tx UE 510 (e.g., directly or via one or more network nodes), such as via a first access link. The Tx / Rx UE 505 and / or the Rx / Tx UE 510 may correspond to one or more UEs described elsewhere herein, such as Figure 1 120. Thus, a direct link between UEs 120 (e.g., via a PC5 interface) may be referred to as a side link, and a direct link between network 110 and UE 120 (e.g., via a Uu interface) may be referred to as an access link. Side link communications may be sent via a side link, and access link communications may be sent via an access link. Access link communications may be downlink communications (from network node 110 to UE 120) or uplink communications (from UE 120 to network node 110).

[0079] As indicated above, Figure 5 are provided as examples. Other examples can be found in the Figure 5 The examples described are different.

[0080] In a shared or unlicensed band, a transmitting device may contend for channel access with other devices before transmitting on a shared or unlicensed channel to reduce and / or prevent conflicts on the shared or unlicensed channel. In order to contend for channel access, the transmitting device may perform a channel access procedure for shared or unlicensed band channel access, such as a listen-before-talk (or listen-before-transmit) (LBT) operation or another type of channel access procedure. A channel access procedure may be performed to determine whether a physical channel (e.g., a radio resource of a channel) is available or busy (e.g., being used by another wireless communication device (e.g., a UE, an IoT device, or a WLAN device, etc.)). The channel access procedure may include: sensing or measuring a physical channel (e.g., performing RSRP measurements, detecting energy levels, or performing another type of measurement) during a channel access gap (which may also be referred to as a contention window (CW)), and determining whether a shared or unlicensed channel is available or busy based at least in part on a signal sensed or measured on the physical channel (e.g., based at least in part on whether the measurement meets a threshold). If the transmitting device determines that the channel access procedure is successful (eg, a shared or unlicensed channel is available), the transmitting device may perform one or more transmissions on the shared or unlicensed channel during a transmit opportunity (TXOP) that may extend the COT.

[0081] In some networks, the first WCD may perform a channel access procedure and may indicate to the second WCD whether the channel is available or busy. For example, the first UE may sense the channel to determine the availability of one or more sets of RB sets and may send an indication to the second UE that the one or more sets of RB sets are available for use by the second UE. Prior to sending the indication to the second WCD, the first WCD may transmit using the channel.

[0082] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating an example 600 of communicating via RB sets in an LBT-based network according to the present disclosure.

[0083] like Figure 6 As shown, a collection of RB sets (e.g., a portion of a shared or unlicensed channel in the frequency domain) may include RB set 605A, RB set 605B, and RB set 605C. To gain access to the RB sets, the WCD may perform LBT operations associated with the RB sets. For example, the WCD may perform LBT operation 610A to gain access to RB set 605A, perform LBT operation 610B to gain access to RB set 605B, and perform LBT operation 610C to gain access to RB set 605C.

[0084] As described herein, LBT operation may refer to any channel access procedure. For example, the channel access procedure may include a Type A channel access procedure, in which the WCD (e.g., a sensing WCD and / or a WCD initiating a COT) performs parallel independent backoff procedures on each channel, and each channel requires a Type 1 LBT to be completed separately before the UE can perform simultaneous transmissions on each channel. Additionally or alternatively, the channel access procedure may include a Type B channel access procedure, in which the WCD performs a single random backoff procedure (Type 1 LBT) on one of the channels, and a clear channel assessment (CCA) check is required on the other channels just before transmitting on each of the channels.

[0085] For load-based equipment (LBE) channels, the WCD may use Type 1 LBT for COT channel access. Type 1 LBT may include Cat 4 LBT, which is LBT with random backoff. The backoff (e.g., the amount of time the channel is available before the WCD can start COT) may have a duration that includes a deferral period and one or more additional sensing slots.

[0086] Type 2 LBT may include configurations such as type 2A LBT, type 2B LBT, or type 2C LBT. In type 2A LBT, the network node may send a downlink transmission after (e.g., immediately after) sensing that the channel is idle for at least a sensing interval that satisfies a first threshold (e.g., at least as long as the first threshold). For example, the threshold may be 25 microseconds (us), where the channel access gap is greater than or equal to 25us. In type 2B LBT, the network node may send a downlink transmission immediately after sensing that the channel is idle for a duration window. For example, the duration window may be between 16us and 25us, where the channel gap is between 16us and 25us. In type 2C LBT, the network node may not sense the channel before sending the downlink transmission. In this case, the gap may satisfy a second threshold (e.g., may be less than or equal to the second threshold).

[0087] After performing LBT operations associated with RB sets, the WCD may have associated COTs on the RB sets. For example, the WCD may have COT 615A on RB set 605A, COT 615B on RB set 605B, and COT 615C on RB set 605C. In some networks, the WCD may send communications to a single additional WCD or to multiple WCDs. In some networks, the WCD may send the same communication or different communications during a COT.

[0088] As indicated above, Figure 6 are provided as examples. Other examples can be found in the Figure 6 The examples described are different.

[0089] Figure 7 are diagrams illustrating examples 700 and 720 of COT sharing according to the present disclosure. Figure 7 is shown as a UE, but Figure 7 The WCD may be a WCD at any time, such as a network node, a UE, and / or a relay, etc.

[0090] As shown by reference numeral 705 in example 700, a WCD sharing a COT (e.g., a WCD receiving resources of a channel from another WCD) may receive a COT structure indication (COT-SI) for a first set of RBs from a first WCD initiating a COT. For example, the first WCD initiating a COT may perform a channel access procedure for a first set of RB sets and may indicate that the first set of RB sets are available to the WCD sharing the COT. As shown by reference numeral 710, the WCD sharing the COT may receive a COT-SI for a second set of RB sets from a second WCD initiating a COT. As shown by reference numeral 715, the WCD sharing the COT may send one or more communications using the first set of RB sets and the second set of RB sets. Example 700 may be referred to as hybrid COT sharing, which is based at least in part on the WCD sharing the COT receiving COT-SIs from multiple WCDs initiating COTs.

[0091] As shown by reference numeral 725 in example 720, the WCD sharing the COT may receive a COT-SI for a third set of RB sets from the WCD that first initiated the COT. For example, the WCD that first initiated the COT may perform a channel access procedure for the third set of RB sets and may indicate that the third set of RB sets are available to the WCD sharing the COT. As shown by reference numeral 730, the WCD sharing the COT may initiate a COT (e.g., perform a channel access procedure) for a fourth set of RB sets. As shown by reference numeral 735, the WCD sharing the COT may send one or more communications using the third set of RB sets and the fourth set of RB sets. Example 720 may be referred to as partial COT sharing (a type of hybrid COT sharing), which is based at least in part on the WCD sharing the COT receiving a COT-SI for a first subset of RB sets and performing a COT channel access procedure for a second subset of RB sets.

[0092] In some networks, a network node (e.g., a WCD initiating a COT) may contend for a channel in frequency units (e.g., 20 megahertz (MHz) units), and may provide information about the time domain and frequency domain spans of the current channel occupancy to a WCD (e.g., a UE) sharing a COT. For example, in a frequency domain COT, a network node may introduce a bitmap to indicate the available LBT bandwidth. The indication of the available LBT bandwidth may be valid until the determined channel occupancy ends. In a time domain COT, a network node may introduce a COT duration bit field for each serving cell, and / or may indicate the remaining length from the start of the timeslot when the information is received.

[0093] In some networks (e.g., NR networks), a wider carrier may be used (e.g., up to 100 MHz with 30 kilohertz (kHz) subcarrier spacing), and the sidelink user configuration may specify wideband operation where the carrier consists of multiple LBT bandwidths of 20 MHz in the 5 GHz and / or 6 GHz unlicensed bands.

[0094] As indicated above, Figure 7 are provided as examples. Other examples can be found in the Figure 7 The examples described are different.

[0095] In some networks, wideband transmission can be used to increase throughput. For example, if multiple LBT bandwidths (e.g., multiple RB sets) are allowed to be used, WCDs (e.g., WCDs sharing a COT) can communicate efficiently. However, if the WCD receives COT-SI (and / or an indication of available RB sets) from different additional WCDs (e.g., the WCD initiating the COT), the CPEs of the RB sets may not be aligned. For example, if the RB sets are associated with channel access procedures with different LBT types and different gap durations, the CPEs of the RB sets will start at different times at the same time, which may consume power and / or communication resources of the WCD and / or may cause the WCD to lose access to the RB sets.

[0096] In some aspects described herein, a WCD (e.g., a UE) may be configured with CPE configuration controls (e.g., indicated in a communication protocol and / or indicated via configuration information from an associated network) for hybrid COT source transmission and / or partial COT shared transmission. For example, the WCD may receive one or more indications of available RB sets and associated CPE configurations from one or more additional WCDs (e.g., a WCD initiating a COT). The available RB set may be associated with a hybrid COT. The WCD may modify (e.g., based at least in part on the CPE configuration control information) at least one of the CPE configurations to time-align the available RB set for sending one or more communications. After time-aligning the available RB set, the WCD may send one or more communications via the available RB set.

[0097] Based at least in part on time aligning available RB sets, the WCD may improve throughput based at least in part on maintaining access to available RB sets and may improve power efficiency based at least in part on using CPE and concurrent transmission of communications via multiple ones of the available RB sets.

[0098] In some aspects, if all LBT bandwidths start at the same time and / or the CPE lengths are the same length, the WCD may maintain (e.g., suppress modification) the indicated LBT type (e.g., CPE length). In some aspects, if the LBT bandwidths (e.g., RB sets) are not aligned (e.g., at the starting point), the WCD may select the last start time and / or upgrade the LBT type to type 2A. In some aspects, if the LBT bandwidths are not aligned, the WCD may select the earliest start time and maintain the LBT type for the LBT bandwidth. For type 2A, the WCD may select the earliest start time only if the gap (e.g., channel access gap) between the last transmit time slot in the associated COT and the earliest starting point is still greater than or equal to a threshold amount of time (e.g., 25us). In some aspects, for self-initiated RB sets, the WCD may use the same starting point as other LBT bandwidths (e.g., using the starting point indicated in another LBT bandwidth) to align the starting points between different RB sets. Type 1 LBT for self-initiation may be completed before the starting point.

[0099] In some aspects, the WCD may modify at least one of the CPE configurations based at least in part on the type of LBT operation used to obtain the COT for the RB set. For example, if a first RB set uses type 2A and a second RB set uses type 2A, the start time of the CPE may be maintained as the start time indicated for both RB sets if the start times match (e.g., are aligned in time within a threshold amount of time), or the WCD may select the latest of the start times indicated for the first RB set or the second RB set.

[0100] If the first RB set uses type 2B and the second RB set uses type 2B, the start time of the CPE may be maintained as the start time indicated for both RB sets if the start times match, or the WCD may select the latest of the start times indicated for the first RB set or the second RB set and / or the RB set associated with the earlier start point may be upgraded to type 2A.

[0101] If the first RB set uses type 2C and the second RB set uses type 2C, the start time of the CPE may be maintained as the start time indicated for both RB sets if the start times match. If the start times do not match, the WCD may select the earliest start time indicated for the first RB set or the second RB set and / or may maintain the use of type 2C for both RBs. Alternatively, if the start times do not match, the WCD may select the latest start time indicated for the first RB set or the second RB set and / or may upgrade the RB set associated with the earlier start point to type 2A.

[0102] If the first RB set uses type 2A and the second RB set uses type 2B, the start time of the CPE may be maintained as the start time indicated for both RB sets if the start times match. If the start times do not match, the WCD may select the earliest start time indicated for the first RB set or the second RB set if the gap after selecting the earliest start point meets a threshold (e.g., for the first RB set, the gap is at least 25us). Alternatively, if the start times do not match, the WCD may select the latest start time indicated for the first RB set or the second RB set and / or may upgrade the second RB set to type 2A.

[0103] If the first RB set uses type 2A and the second RB set uses type 2C, the start time of the CPE may be maintained as the start time indicated for both RB sets if the start times match. If the start times do not match, the WCD may select the earliest start time indicated for the first RB set or the second RB set if the gap after selecting the earliest start point meets a threshold (e.g., for the first RB set, the gap is at least 25us). Alternatively, if the start times do not match, the WCD may select the latest start time indicated for the first RB set or the second RB set and / or may upgrade the second RB set to type 2A.

[0104] If the first RB set uses type 2B and the second RB set uses type 2C, the start time of the CPE may be maintained as the start time indicated for both RB sets if the start times match. If the start times do not match, the WCD may select the latest start time indicated for the first RB set or the second RB set and / or may upgrade the RB set with the earliest indicated start point to type 2A.

[0105] If the first RB set uses type 2A, the second RB set uses type 2B, and the third RB set uses type 2C, the start time of the CPE may be maintained as the start time indicated for all three RB sets if the start times match. If the start times do not match, the WCD may select the earliest start time indicated for the first RB set, the second RB set, or the third RB set if the gap after selecting the earliest start point meets the threshold for the first RB set (e.g., for the first RB set, the gap is at least 25us). Alternatively, if the start times do not match, the WCD may select the latest start time indicated for the first RB set, the second RB set, or the third RB set and / or may upgrade the second RB set and the third RB set to type 2A.

[0106] If the first RB set uses type 1 and the second RB set uses type 2 (e.g., in a partial COT shared transmission), the start time of the CPE can be maintained as the start time indicated for both RB sets if the start times match. If the start times do not match, the WCD can modify the start time of the first RB set to the start time of the second RB set.

[0107] In some aspects where the WCD upgrades the LBT type used for an RB set, the WCD initiating the COT may use the RB set if the WCD initiating the COT is unaware of the upgrade. For example, the WCD initiating the COT may determine that the WCD is not using the RB set based at least in part on a failure to start transmitting an associated CPE.

[0108] To make the WCD initiating the COT aware of the upgrade or potential upgrade, the WCD initiating the COT may indicate whether the LBT type for the RB set may be upgraded. For example, if the WCD initiating the COT intends to use the RB set to send data to additional WCDs using the COT associated with the RB set, the WCD initiating the COT may indicate that the LBT type cannot be upgraded. In this way, if the starting points are not aligned, the WCD (e.g., a WCD sharing a COT) may not be able to use the RB set as a hybrid COT source. Alternatively, the WCD initiating the COT may indicate that the LBT type may be upgraded (e.g., based at least in part on the fact that the WCD initiating the COT does not intend to use the RB set to send data).

[0109] Additionally or alternatively, in order to make the WCD initiating the COT aware of the upgrade, the WCD may send an indication of whether the WCD initiating the COT can use the RB set to send data to additional WCDs using the COT associated with the RB set. If the LBT type has been upgraded to type 2A and the gap between the last transmit slot in the COT and the starting point meets the threshold (e.g., greater than 25us), the COT may not be used to send to other WCDs. In the SCI, the indication may indicate whether the COT can be further used to send to other UEs (e.g., using 1 bit), and may also indicate which LBT bandwidths cannot be used to send to other UEs by using a bitmap (e.g., to indicate unavailable LBT bandwidths starting from the associated SCI-1 receive LBT bandwidth). In this way, the UE initiating the COT knows whether the COT is available for the UE initiating the COT to send. If the LBT type has been upgraded to type 2A LBT and the gap meets the threshold, the WCD should use type 1 LBT to initiate a new COT to send data to another WCD.

[0110] In some aspects, traffic may be restricted based at least in part on a WCD performing a channel access operation for an associated set of RB sets.

[0111] In some aspects, the WCD may send communications using only the RB set to the WCD that performs channel access operations on the RB set. For example, if a first WCD performs channel access operations for a first RB set and a second RB set, and a second WCD performs channel access operations for a third RB set, the WCD may be configured to send communications only to the first WCD using the first RB set and the second RB set, and to send communications only to the second WCD using the third RB set.

[0112] In some aspects, the WCD may send communications to an additional WCD using the set of RB sets if only the WCD performs a channel access operation (e.g., initiates COT) on at least one RB set included in the set of RB sets, or only the additional WCD performs a channel access operation (e.g., initiates COT) on at least one RB set included in the set of RB sets. In some aspects, the WCD may send communications to an additional WCD using the set of RB sets if only the WCD performs a channel access operation (e.g., initiates COT) on a threshold number or a threshold proportion of RB sets included in the set of RB sets, or only the additional WCD performs a channel access operation (e.g., initiates COT) on a threshold number or a threshold proportion of RB sets included in the set of RB sets. In some aspects, the threshold number or threshold proportion of RB sets may be based at least in part on a ratio indicated by a network and / or indicated in a communication protocol. In some aspects, the threshold number or threshold proportion of RB sets may be based at least in part on a pairing of the number of RB sets in the set of RB sets with an indication of the number of RB sets with channel access operations performed by the WCD or the additional WCD.

[0113] For example, in a partial COT sharing scenario, RB set 1 is shared from WCD 1, and RB sets 2 and 3 are initiated by WCD. If the threshold is 0.6, the WCD may use RB sets 1, 2, and / or 3 for any UE (eg, because 2 / 3>0.6).

[0114] In the example of hybrid COT sharing, RB set 1 is shared from WCD 1, RB set 2 and RB set 3 are shared from WCD 2, and the threshold is 0.6. If the WCD wants to transmit to WCD 2 by using RB sets 1, 2, and / or 3, the WCD may use the shared COT (e.g., because 2 / 3>0.6). If the WCD wants to transmit to WCD 1 by using RB sets 1, 2, and / or 3, the WCD may not use the shared COT (e.g., because 1 / 3<0.6).

[0115] In some networks, a Type B multi-channel access procedure is defined in which a primary channel is selected among the channels that a WCD (e.g., a network node or UE) intends to use to send communications. For a mixed COT source, a WCD may upgrade a Cat4 LBT to a Cat2 LBT if the primary channel falls into a channel in a shared COT. This may unfairly give an advantage to a WCD occupying a channel compared to other WCDs attempting to gain access. In some aspects, a WCD may be configured to randomly select a channel as the primary channel among all LBT bandwidths that have not yet been initiated (e.g., based at least in part on the COT-SI at the time).

[0116] Figure 8 is a diagram of an example 800 associated with a hybrid COT according to the present disclosure. Figure 8 As shown, a WCD (e.g., UE 120, network node 110, CU, DU, and / or RU) may communicate with a first set of one or more additional WCDs (e.g., UE 120, network node 110, CU, DU, and / or RU) and / or a second set of one or more additional WCDs (e.g., UE 120, network node 110, CU, DU, and / or RU). In some aspects, the WCD and the additional WCDs may be part of a wireless network (e.g., wireless network 100). The wireless network may communicate using a shared frequency band or an unlicensed frequency band. The wireless network may use one or more channel access operations, such as one or more LBT procedures.

[0117] As shown by reference numeral 805, one or more WCDs in the first set of one or more additional WCDs may perform an LBT operation to initiate a COT on one or more sets of RB sets. An RB set may include a frequency range that includes a plurality of RBs. In some aspects, the additional WCDs may perform an LBT operation on one or more sets of RBs, which may be referred to as a set of RB sets. Additionally or alternatively, as shown by reference numeral 810, the WCDs may perform an LBT operation to initiate a COT on one or more sets of RB sets.

[0118] In some aspects, one or more WCDs and / or WCDs in the first set of one or more additional WCDs may be configured to perform LBT operations on a randomly selected primary channel within a subset of the available RB set that has not been initiated prior to performing the LBT operation.

[0119] As indicated by reference numeral 815, a WCD may receive one or more indications of available RB sets and associated CPE configurations, and a first set of one or more additional WCDs may send the one or more indications. For example, a first WCD in the set of one or more additional WCDs may send an indication of a first available RB set, and a second WCD in the set of one or more additional WCDs may send an indication of a second available RB set. The first WCD and the second WCD may use different LBT types to acquire channels associated with the first available RB set and the second available RB set. The available RB sets may be associated with a hybrid COT (e.g., a hybrid COT and / or a partial COT sharing configuration).

[0120] In some aspects, the indication of the associated CPE configuration may indicate whether the LBT type associated with the available RB set supports modification to a different LBT type. For example, whether the WCD can upgrade the LBT type to time align the CPE start time. In some aspects, the indication may indicate whether a WCD in the one or more additional WCDs can attempt to reclaim available RBs based at least in part on the amount of time that elapsed between sending one or more indications of the available RB set and the WCD sending the CPE using the available RB set.

[0121] The WCD may modify one or more CPE configurations to time align available RB sets and associated CPE configurations, as indicated by reference numeral 820. In some aspects, the WCD may time align available RB sets and associated CPE configurations for sending one or more communications.

[0122] In some aspects, the WCD may modify one or more CPE configurations by modifying the earliest CPE start time to match the latest CPE start time or modifying the latest CPE start time to match the earliest CPE start time (e.g., as described herein). In some aspects, the WCD may modify the type of LBT applied to one or more of the CPE configurations (e.g., as described herein as upgrading the LBT type). In some aspects, the WCD may modify the CPE start time associated with a self-initiated COT operation to match the CPE start time of a shared COT operation (e.g., in a partial COT sharing configuration).

[0123] In some aspects, the WCD may modify at least one of the CPE configurations based at least in part on one or more LBT types associated with the CPE configurations and / or a gap between a latest CPE start time and the end of a latest transmit timestamp in a COT operation preceding the CPE start time (e.g., as described herein).

[0124] As indicated by reference numeral 825, the WCD may send an indication of whether resources of the set of available RBs are available for transmission to the one or more additional WCDs. For example, the WCD may send an indication of whether a first set of available RBs (indicated as available by a first WCD of the one or more additional WCDs) is available for the first WCD to use for transmission by the one or more additional WCDs (e.g., not in or outside the first set of one or more WCDs or the second set of one or more WCDs).

[0125] In some aspects, the WCD may send an indication of LBT bandwidths (e.g., RB sets) of available RB sets that are available to a first WCD (e.g., a WCD initiating a COT) for transmitting to an additional WCD. In some aspects, the WCD may send an indication of LBT bandwidths of available RB sets that are not available to the WCD initiating a COT for transmitting to the additional WCD using the available RB sets. In some aspects, the WCD may indicate available or unavailable LBT bandwidths based at least in part on a bitmap associated with different LBT bandwidths.

[0126] As shown by reference numeral 830, the WCD may send one or more communications to additional WCDs in the first set of one or more additional WCDs via the set of available RBs. In some aspects, the WCD may send communications of the one or more communications to the additional WCDs using a subset of the set of available RBs. In some aspects, the WCD may send communications to the additional WCDs using a subset of the available RBs based at least in part on the additional WCDs and / or the WCD performing an LBT operation on the subset prior to sending the communication.

[0127] In some aspects, the WCD may send communications to an additional WCD using the set of available RB sets (e.g., all or a subset of the set of available RBs) based at least in part on the additional WCD and / or the WCD performing an LBT operation on at least one of the set of available RBs or on a portion of the set of available RBs that satisfies a threshold (e.g., the portion on which the WCD performs the LBT operation, the portion on which the additional WCD performs the LBT operation, or the total portion on which the WCD or the additional WCD performs the LBT operation).

[0128] The WCD may send one or more communications to additional WCDs in the second set of one or more additional WCDs via the set of available RBs, as indicated by reference numeral 835. In some aspects, the WCD may send communications to the additional WCDs using a subset of the available RBs based at least in part on the WCD performing an LBT operation on the subset prior to sending the communications.

[0129] In some aspects, the WCD may send communications to an additional WCD using a set of available RB sets (e.g., all or a subset of the available RB sets) based at least in part on the WCD performing an LBT operation on at least one of the available RB sets or on a portion of the set of available RB sets that satisfies a threshold.

[0130] Based at least in part on time aligning available RB sets, the WCD may improve throughput based at least in part on maintaining access to available RB sets and may improve power efficiency based at least in part on using CPE and concurrent transmission of communications via multiple ones of the available RB sets.

[0131] As indicated above, Figure 8are provided as examples. Other examples can be found in the Figure 8 The examples described are different.

[0132] Fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example 900 of communicating via RB sets in an LBT-based network according to the present disclosure.

[0133] like Fig. 9 As shown, a collection of RB sets (e.g., a portion of a shared or unlicensed channel in the frequency domain) may include a shared COT 905 and a self-initiated COT 910. The shared COT 905 may be associated with a CPE having a first LBT type 915C (e.g., having a first duration). The self-initiated COT 910 may be associated with a CPE having a second LBT type 915B and a CPE having a second LBT type 915A. The CPE having the first LBT type 915C may be associated with COT 920C, the CPE having the second LBT type 915B may be associated with COT 920B, and the CPE having the second LBT type 915A may be associated with COT 920A. The shared COT 905 may be associated with RB set 925C, and the self-initiated COT 910 may be associated with RB set 925B and RB set 925A.

[0134] like Fig. 9 As shown, the initial configuration of CPE 915 results in a misaligned start time. Based at least in part on the communication protocol and / or configuration, the WCD may modify the CPE configuration associated with the CPEs having the second LBT type 915B and 915A to align with the CPE configuration associated with the CPE having the first LBT type 915C. This may be based at least in part on modifying the CPE configuration associated with the self-initiated COT 910 to match the CPE configuration associated with the shared COT 905.

[0135] As indicated above, Fig. 9 are provided as examples. Other examples can be found in the Fig. 9 The examples described are different.

[0136] Fig.10 is a diagram illustrating an example 1000 of communicating via RB sets in an LBT-based network according to the present disclosure.

[0137] like Fig.10As shown, a collection of RB sets (e.g., a portion of a shared or unlicensed channel in the frequency domain) may include COT 1005 and COT 1010. COT 1005 may be associated with a CPE having a first LBT type 1015C (e.g., having a first duration). COT 1010 may be associated with a CPE having a second LBT type 1015B and a CPE having a second LBT type 1015A. A CPE having the first LBT type 1015C may be associated with COT 1020C, a CPE having the second LBT type 1015B may be associated with COT 1020B, and a CPE having the first LBT type 1015A may be associated with COT 1020A. COT 1005 may be associated with RB set 1025C, and COT 1010 may be associated with RB set 1025B and RB set 1025A.

[0138] like Fig.10 As shown, the initial configuration of CPE 1015 results in a misaligned start time. Based at least in part on the communication protocol and / or configuration, the WCD may modify the CPE configuration associated with the CPEs having the second LBT type 1015B and 1015A to align with the CPE configuration associated with the CPE having the first LBT type 1015C. This may be based at least in part on modifying the CPE configuration associated with the earliest start time to match the CPE configuration associated with the latest start time. In some aspects, the CPE configuration associated with the earliest start time may be upgraded to type 2A LBT.

[0139] As indicated above, Fig.10 are provided as examples. Other examples can be found in the Fig.10 The examples described are different.

[0140] Fig.11 is a diagram illustrating an example 1100 of communicating via RB sets in an LBT-based network according to the present disclosure.

[0141] like Fig.11As shown, a collection of RB sets (e.g., a portion of a shared or unlicensed channel in the frequency domain) may include COT 1105 and COT 1110. COT 1105 may be associated with a CPE having a first LBT type 1115C (e.g., having a first duration). COT 1110 may be associated with a CPE having a second LBT type 1115B and a CPE having a second LBT type 1115A. The CPE having the first LBT type 1115C may be associated with COT 1120C, the CPE having the second LBT type 1115B may be associated with COT 1120B, and the CPE having the second LBT type 1115A may be associated with COT 1120A. COT 1105 may be associated with RB set 1125C, and COT 1110 may be associated with RB set 1125B and RB set 1125A.

[0142] like Fig.11 As shown, the initial configuration of CPE 1115 results in a misaligned start time. Based at least in part on the communication protocol and / or configuration, the WCD may modify the CPE configuration associated with the CPE having the first LBT type 1115C to align with the CPE configuration associated with the CPE having the second LBT type 1115B and 1115A. This may be based at least in part on modifying the CPE configuration associated with the latest start time to match the CPE configuration associated with the earliest start time. In some aspects, the CPE configuration associated with the earliest start time may be used based at least in part on the gap after picking the earliest start time being greater than or equal to a threshold time (e.g., 25us).

[0143] As indicated above, Fig.11 are provided as examples. Other examples can be found in the Fig.11 The examples described are different.

[0144] Fig.12 is a diagram illustrating an example process 1200 performed, for example, by a WCD, according to the present disclosure. The example process 1200 is an example in which a WCD (eg, UE 120 or network node 110) performs operations associated with a hybrid COT.

[0145] like Fig.12 As shown, in some aspects, process 1200 may include receiving one or more indications of available RB sets and associated CPE configurations from one or more additional WCDs, the available RB sets associated with the hybrid COT (block 1210). For example, a WCD (e.g., using Fig.13The communications manager 150 or 140 and / or receiving component 1302 depicted in FIG. 1 may receive one or more indications of available RB sets and associated CPE configurations from one or more additional WCDs, the available RB sets being associated with a hybrid COT, as described above.

[0146] like Fig.12 As further shown, in some aspects, process 1200 may include modifying at least one of the CPE configurations to time align the available RB sets for transmitting one or more communications (block 1220). Fig.13 The communication manager 150 or 140 and / or the communication manager 1308) depicted in FIG. 1 may modify at least one of the CPE configurations to time align available RB sets for sending one or more communications, as described above.

[0147] like Fig.12 As further shown, in some aspects, process 1200 may include sending one or more communications via the available RB set (block 1230). For example, a WCD (e.g., using Fig.13 The communication manager 150 or 150 and / or the sending component 1304 depicted in can send one or more communications via the available RB set, as described above.

[0148] Process 1200 may include additional aspects, such as any single aspect or any combination of aspects described below and / or in conjunction with one or more other processes described elsewhere herein.

[0149] In a first aspect, modifying at least one of the CPE configurations includes modifying an earliest CPE start time to match a latest CPE start time, or modifying a latest CPE start time to match an earliest CPE start time.

[0150] In a second aspect, alone or in combination with the first aspect, modifying at least one of the CPE configurations includes modifying a type of LBT applied to one or more of the CPE configurations.

[0151] In a third aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first and second aspects, modifying at least one of the CPE configurations includes modifying a CPE start time associated with a self-initiated COT operation to match a CPE start time of a shared COT operation.

[0152] In a fourth aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of aspects 1 to 3, modifying at least one of the CPE configurations is based at least in part on one or more of: one or more LBT types associated with the CPE configuration, or a gap between a latest CPE start time and the end of a latest transmit timestamp in a COT operation preceding the CPE start time.

[0153] In a fifth aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of aspects one to four, receiving one or more indications of available RB sets and associated CPE configurations includes one or more of: receiving an indication of whether an LBT type associated with the available RB set supports modification to a different LBT type.

[0154] In a sixth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to fifth aspects, process 1200 includes sending an indication of whether resources of the available RB set are available for use by the WCD initiating the COT to transmit to the additional WCD.

[0155] In a seventh aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to sixth aspects, the indication of whether an available RB set is available for use by a WCD initiating a COT to transmit to an additional WCD using the available RB set comprises an indication of an LBT bandwidth of the available RB set that is available for use by the WCD initiating a COT to transmit to the additional WCD, and an indication of an LBT bandwidth of the available RB set that is not available for use by the WCD initiating a COT to transmit to the additional WCD using the available RB set.

[0156] In an eighth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to seventh aspects, sending one or more communications via the set of available RBs comprises sending communications to an additional WCD using a subset of the set of available RBs, wherein the subset is associated with an LBT operation performed by the additional WCD or WCDs.

[0157] In a ninth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to eighth aspects, sending one or more communications via the available RB set comprises sending communications to an additional WCD using the available RB set based at least in part on one or more of: the WCD performing an LBT operation on a first portion of the available RB set, or the additional WCD performing an LBT operation on a second portion of the available RB set.

[0158] In the tenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to ninth aspects, the first part satisfies the threshold portion of the available RB set, the second part satisfies the threshold portion of the available RB set, or the combination of the first part and the second part satisfies the threshold portion of the available RB set.

[0159] In the eleventh aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to tenth aspects, an available RB set is associated with one or more LBT operations performed on a randomly selected primary channel within a subset of the available RB set, wherein the subset of the available RB set is not initiated before performing the one or more LBT operations.

[0160] although Fig.12 An example block diagram of process 1200 is shown, but in some aspects, process 1200 may include Fig.12 Additional blocks, fewer blocks, different blocks, or blocks arranged in a different manner than those depicted in the process 1200. Additionally or alternatively, two or more of the blocks in the process 1200 may be performed in parallel.

[0161] Fig.13 1 is a diagram of an example apparatus 1300 for wireless communication according to the present disclosure. Apparatus 1300 may be a WCD, or a WCD may include apparatus 1300. In some aspects, apparatus 1300 includes a receiving component 1302 and a transmitting component 1304 that may communicate with each other (e.g., via one or more buses and / or one or more other components). As shown, apparatus 1300 may communicate with another apparatus 1306 (such as a UE, a base station, or another wireless communication device) using receiving component 1302 and transmitting component 1304. As further shown, apparatus 1300 may include a communication manager 1308 (e.g., communication manager 150 or 140).

[0162] In some aspects, the apparatus 1300 may be configured to perform Figures 8 to 11 Additionally or alternatively, the apparatus 1300 may be configured to perform one or more processes described herein, such as Fig.12 The process 1200. In some aspects, Fig.13 The device 1300 and / or one or more components shown may include a combination of Figure 2 Additionally or alternatively, Fig.13 One or more of the components shown may be combined with Figure 2 Additionally or alternatively, one or more components in the set of components may be implemented at least in part as software stored in a memory. For example, a component (or a portion of a component) may be implemented as instructions or codes that are stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium and can be executed by a controller or processor to perform the function or operation of the component.

[0163] The receiving component 1302 may receive communications, such as reference signals, control information, data communications, or combinations thereof, from the device 1306. The receiving component 1302 may provide the received communications to one or more other components of the device 1300. In some aspects, the receiving component 1302 may perform signal processing (such as filtering, amplification, demodulation, analog-to-digital conversion, demultiplexing, deinterleaving, demapping, equalization, interference cancellation, or decoding, etc.) on the received communications and may provide the processed signals to one or more other components of the device 1300. In some aspects, the receiving component 1302 may include combining Figure 2 One or more antennas, modems, demodulators, MIMO detectors, receive processors, controllers / processors, memories, or combinations thereof of the described WCDs.

[0164] Transmit component 1304 may transmit communications, such as reference signals, control information, data communications, or combinations thereof, to device 1306. In some aspects, one or more other components of device 1300 may generate communications and may provide the generated communications to transmit component 1304 for transmission to device 1306. In some aspects, transmit component 1304 may perform signal processing (such as filtering, amplification, modulation, digital-to-analog conversion, multiplexing, interleaving, mapping, or encoding, etc.) on the generated communications and may transmit the processed signals to device 1306. In some aspects, transmit component 1304 may include combining Figure 2 One or more antennas, modems, modulators, transmit MIMO processors, transmit processors, controllers / processors, memories, or combinations thereof of the described WCD. In some aspects, the transmit component 1304 can be co-located with the receive component 1302 in a transceiver.

[0165] The receiving component 1302 can receive one or more indications of available RB sets and associated CPE configurations from one or more additional WCDs, the available RB sets associated with the hybrid COT. The communication manager 1308 can modify at least one of the CPE configurations to time align the available RB sets for sending one or more communications. The sending component 1304 can send one or more communications via the available RB sets.

[0166] Transmitting component 1304 can transmit an indication of whether resources of the available RB set are available for use by the WCD initiating the COT to transmit to the additional WCD.

[0167] Fig.13 The number and arrangement of components shown are provided as examples. In practice, there may be Fig.13 The components shown may include additional components, fewer components, different components, or components arranged in a different manner. Fig.13 Two or more components shown may be implemented in a single component, or Fig.13 The single component shown may be implemented as multiple distributed components. Additionally or alternatively, Fig.13 The illustrated set of component(s) may be described as being executable by Fig.13 Another collection of components shown performs one or more functions.

[0168] The following provides an overview of some aspects of the disclosure:

[0169] Aspect 1: A method of wireless communication performed by a wireless communication device (WCD), comprising: receiving one or more indications of a set of available resource blocks and associated cyclic prefix extension (CPE) configurations from one or more additional WCDs, wherein the set of available resource blocks is associated with a hybrid channel occupancy time (COT); modifying at least one of the CPE configurations to time-align the set of available resource blocks for sending one or more communications; and sending the one or more communications via the set of available resource blocks.

[0170] Aspect 2: A method according to Aspect 1, wherein modifying at least one of the CPE configurations comprises: modifying the earliest CPE start time to match the latest CPE start time, or modifying the latest CPE start time to match the earliest CPE start time.

[0171] Aspect 3: A method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 2, wherein modifying the at least one of the CPE configurations comprises: modifying a type of listen-before-talk (LBT) applied to one or more of the CPE configurations.

[0172] Aspect 4: A method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 3, wherein modifying at least one of the CPE configurations includes: modifying a CPE start time associated with a self-initiated COT operation to match a CPE start time of a shared COT operation.

[0173] Aspect 5: A method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 4, wherein modifying at least one of the CPE configurations is based at least in part on one or more of: one or more listen-before-talk (LBT) types associated with the CPE configuration, or a gap between a latest CPE start time and the end of a latest transmit timeslot in a COT operation preceding the CPE start time.

[0174] Aspect 6: A method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 5, wherein receiving the one or more indications of the set of available resource blocks and the associated CPE configuration includes one or more of the following: receiving an indication of whether a listen-before-talk (LBT) type associated with the set of available resource blocks supports modification to different LBT types.

[0175] Aspect 7: The method according to any one of aspects 1 to 6, further comprising: sending an indication of whether resources of the set of available resource blocks are available for use by the WCD initiating the COT to transmit to an additional WCD.

[0176] Aspect 8: The method according to Aspect 7, wherein the indication of whether the available resource block set can be used by the WCD initiating the COT to send to the additional WCD using the available resource block set includes: an indication of the LBT bandwidth of the available resource block set that can be used by the WCD initiating the COT to send to the additional WCD, and an indication of the LBT bandwidth of the available resource block set that cannot be used by the WCD initiating the COT to send to the additional WCD using the available resource block set.

[0177] Aspect 9: A method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 8, wherein sending the one or more communications via the set of available resource blocks includes: sending communications to an additional WCD using a subset of the set of available resource blocks, wherein the subset is associated with a listen-before-talk (LBT) operation performed by the additional WCD or the WCD.

[0178] Aspect 10: A method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 9, wherein sending the one or more communications via the set of available resource blocks includes: using the set of available resource blocks to send communications to an additional WCD based at least in part on one or more of the following: the WCD performs a listen-before-talk (LBT) operation on a first portion of the set of available resource blocks, or the additional WCD performs an LBT operation on a second portion of the set of available resource blocks.

[0179] Aspect 11: A method according to Aspect 10, wherein the first part satisfies a threshold part of the set of available resource blocks, wherein the second part satisfies the threshold part of the set of available resource blocks, or wherein a combination of the first part and the second part satisfies the threshold part of the set of available resource blocks.

[0180] Aspect 12: A method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 11, wherein the set of available resource blocks is associated with one or more listen-before-talk (LBT) operations performed on a randomly selected primary channel within a subset of the set of available resource blocks, wherein the subset of the set of available resource blocks is not initiated before performing the one or more LBT operations.

[0181] Aspect 13: An apparatus for performing wireless communications at a device, comprising: a processor; a memory coupled to the processor; and instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to perform one or more of the methods described in Aspects 1 to 12.

[0182] Aspect 14: A device for wireless communication, comprising: a memory; and one or more processors, the one or more processors coupled to the memory, the one or more processors configured to execute the method according to one or more of aspects 1 to 12.

[0183] Aspect 15: An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: at least one component for performing the method according to one or more of aspects 1 to 12.

[0184] Aspect 16: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication, the code comprising instructions executable by a processor to perform the method according to one or more of aspects 1 to 12.

[0185] Aspect 17: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing an instruction set for wireless communication, the instruction set comprising one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a device, cause the device to perform one or more of the methods described in aspects 1 to 12.

[0186] While the foregoing disclosure provides illustration and description, it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the aspects to the precise forms disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above disclosure or may be acquired from practice of these aspects.

[0187] As used herein, the term "component" is intended to be broadly interpreted as a combination of hardware and / or hardware and software. Whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language or other names, "software" should be broadly interpreted as meaning instructions, instruction sets, codes, code segments, program codes, programs, subroutines, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, threads, processes and / or functions implemented, etc. As used herein, a "processor" is implemented in a combination of hardware and / or hardware and software. It will be clear that the systems and / or methods described herein can be implemented by different forms of hardware and / or a combination of hardware and software. The actual dedicated control hardware or software code used to implement these systems and / or methods does not limit various aspects. Therefore, the operation and behavior of the system and / or method are not described herein with reference to specific software codes, because those skilled in the art will understand that software and hardware can be designed to implement the system and / or method based at least in part on the description herein.

[0188] As used herein, "satisfying a threshold" may refer to a value being greater than a threshold, greater than or equal to a threshold, less than a threshold, less than or equal to a threshold, equal to a threshold, not equal to a threshold, etc., depending on the context.

[0189] Although specific combinations of features are set forth in the claims and / or disclosed in the specification, these combinations are not intended to limit the disclosure of various aspects. Many of these features can be combined in a manner that is not specifically described in the claims and / or is not disclosed in the specification. The disclosure of various aspects includes each dependent claim combined with each other claim in the claim set. As used herein, the phrase "at least one of" the list of items refers to any combination of these items (which includes a single member). As an example, "at least one of a, b or c" is intended to cover a, b, c, a+b, a+c, b+c and a+b+c, and any combination with multiple identical elements (e.g., a+a, a+a+a, a+a+b, a+a+c, a+b+b, a+c+c, b+b, b+b+b, b+b+c, c+c and c+c+c, or any other ordering of a, b and c).

[0190] Any element, action or instruction used herein should not be interpreted as key or necessary unless clearly stated. In addition, as used herein, the articles "one" and "a kind of" are intended to include one or more items, and can be used interchangeably with "one or more". In addition, as used herein, the article "said" is intended to include one or more items connected to the article "said", and can be used interchangeably with "one or more". In addition, as used herein, the terms "set" and "group" are intended to include one or more items, and can be used interchangeably with "one or more". If only one item is intended to be referred to, the phrase "only one" or similar terms are used. Moreover, as used herein, the term "having" etc. is intended to be an open term, which does not limit the elements they modify (for example, "having" A elements can also have B). In addition, the phrase "based on" is intended to mean "based at least in part on", unless otherwise explicitly stated. Furthermore, as used herein, the term "or" when used in a series is intended to be open-ended and used interchangeably with "and / or" unless expressly stated otherwise (eg, if used in conjunction with "either" or "only one of").

Claims

1. A wireless communication device (WCD) for wireless communication, comprising: Memory; and one or more processors coupled to the memory and configured to: receiving, from one or more additional WCDs, one or more indications of a set of available resource blocks and an associated cyclic prefix extension (CPE) configuration, the set of available resource blocks being associated with a hybrid channel occupancy time (COT); modifying at least one of the CPE configurations to time align the set of available resource blocks for transmitting one or more communications; as well as The one or more communications are transmitted via the set of available resource blocks.

2. The WCD of claim 1 , wherein to modify the at least one of the CPE configurations, the one or more processors are configured to: Modify the Earliest CPE Start Time to match the Latest CPE Start Time, or The latest CPE start time is modified to match the earliest CPE start time.

3. The WCD of claim 1 , wherein to modify the at least one of the CPE configurations, the one or more processors are configured to: Modify a type of listen-before-talk (LBT) applied to one or more of the CPE configurations.

4. The WCD of claim 1 , wherein to modify the at least one of the CPE configurations, the one or more processors are configured to: The CPE start time associated with the self-initiated COT operation is modified to match the CPE start time of the shared COT operation.

5. The WCD of claim 1 , wherein modifying the at least one of the CPE configurations is based at least in part on one or more of: one or more Listen Before Talk (LBT) types associated with the CPE configuration, or The gap between the latest CPE start time and the end of the latest transmit timeslot in the COT operation preceding the CPE start time.

6. The WCD of claim 1 , wherein to receive the one or more indications of the set of available resource blocks and associated CPE configurations, the one or more processors are configured to: An indication is received of whether a listen-before-talk (LBT) type associated with the set of available resource blocks supports modification to a different LBT type.

7. The WCD of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: An indication is sent of whether resources of the set of available resource blocks are available for use by the WCD initiating the COT to transmit to an additional WCD.

8. The WCD of claim 7, wherein the indication of whether the set of available resource blocks is available for use by the COT-initiating WCD to transmit to an additional WCD using the set of available resource blocks comprises: an indication of LBT bandwidth of the set of available resource blocks that can be used by the COT-initiating WCD to transmit to additional WCDs, and An indication of LBT bandwidth of the available set of resource blocks that is unavailable to the COT-initiating WCD for transmitting to additional WCDs using the available set of resource blocks.

9. The WCD of claim 1 , wherein to transmit the one or more communications via the set of available resource blocks, the one or more processors are configured to: Communications are sent to an additional WCD using a subset of the set of available resource blocks, wherein the subset is associated with a listen-before-talk (LBT) operation performed by the additional WCD or the WCD.

10. The WCD of claim 1 , wherein to transmit the one or more communications via the set of available resource blocks, the one or more processors are configured to: and sending communications to additional WCDs using the set of available resource blocks based at least in part on one or more of: The WCD performs a listen-before-talk (LBT) operation on a first portion of the set of available resource blocks, or The additional WCD performs an LBT operation on a second portion of the set of available resource blocks.

11. The WCD of claim 10, wherein the first portion satisfies a threshold portion of the set of available resource blocks, wherein the second portion satisfies the threshold portion of the set of available resource blocks, or Wherein a combination of the first portion and the second portion satisfies the threshold portion of the set of available resource blocks.

12. The WCD of claim 1 , wherein the set of available resource blocks is associated with one or more listen-before-talk (LBT) operations performed on a randomly selected primary channel within a subset of the set of available resource blocks, Wherein the subset of the set of available resource blocks is not initiated prior to performing the one or more LBT operations.

13. A method of wireless communication performed by a wireless communication device (WCD), comprising: receiving, from one or more additional WCDs, one or more indications of a set of available resource blocks and an associated cyclic prefix extension (CPE) configuration, the set of available resource blocks being associated with a hybrid channel occupancy time (COT); modifying at least one of the CPE configurations to time align the set of available resource blocks for transmitting one or more communications; as well as The one or more communications are transmitted via the set of available resource blocks.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein modifying the at least one of the CPE configurations comprises: Modify the Earliest CPE Start Time to match the Latest CPE Start Time, or The latest CPE start time is modified to match the earliest CPE start time.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein modifying the at least one of the CPE configurations comprises: Modify a type of listen-before-talk (LBT) applied to one or more of the CPE configurations.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein modifying the at least one of the CPE configurations comprises: The CPE start time associated with the self-initiated COT operation is modified to match the CPE start time of the shared COT operation.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein modifying the at least one of the CPE configurations is based at least in part on one or more of: one or more Listen Before Talk (LBT) types associated with the CPE configuration, or The gap between the latest CPE start time and the end of the latest transmit timeslot in the COT operation preceding the CPE start time.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein receiving the one or more indications of the set of available resource blocks and associated CPE configurations comprises one or more of: An indication is received of whether a listen-before-talk (LBT) type associated with the set of available resource blocks supports modification to a different LBT type.

19. The method according to claim 13, further comprising: An indication is sent of whether resources of the set of available resource blocks are available for use by the WCD initiating the COT to transmit to an additional WCD.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the indication of whether the set of available resource blocks is available for use by the COT-initiating WCD to transmit to an additional WCD using the set of available resource blocks comprises: an indication of LBT bandwidth of the available resource block set that can be used by the COT-initiating WCD to transmit to additional WCDs, and An indication of LBT bandwidth of the available set of resource blocks that is unavailable to the COT-initiating WCD for transmitting to additional WCDs using the available set of resource blocks.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein sending the one or more communications via the set of available resource blocks comprises: Communications are sent to an additional WCD using a subset of the set of available resource blocks, wherein the subset is associated with a listen-before-talk (LBT) operation performed by the additional WCD or the WCD.

22. The method of claim 13, wherein sending the one or more communications via the set of available resource blocks comprises: and sending communications to additional WCDs using the set of available resource blocks based at least in part on one or more of: The WCD performs a listen-before-talk (LBT) operation on a first portion of the set of available resource blocks, or The additional WCD performs an LBT operation on a second portion of the set of available resource blocks.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the first portion satisfies a threshold portion of the set of available resource blocks, wherein the second portion satisfies the threshold portion of the set of available resource blocks, or Wherein a combination of the first portion and the second portion satisfies the threshold portion of the set of available resource blocks.

24. The method of claim 13, wherein the set of available resource blocks is associated with one or more listen-before-talk (LBT) operations performed on a randomly selected primary channel within a subset of the set of available resource blocks, Wherein the subset of the set of available resource blocks is not initiated prior to performing the one or more LBT operations.

25. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing an instruction set for wireless communication, the instruction set comprising: One or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a wireless communication device (WCD), cause the WCD to: receiving, from one or more additional WCDs, one or more indications of a set of available resource blocks and an associated cyclic prefix extension (CPE) configuration, the set of available resource blocks being associated with a hybrid channel occupancy time (COT); modifying at least one of the CPE configurations to time align the set of available resource blocks for transmitting one or more communications; as well as The one or more communications are transmitted via the set of available resource blocks.

26. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 25, wherein the one or more instructions that cause the WCD to modify the at least one of the CPE configurations cause the WCD to: Modify the earliest CPE start time to match the latest CPE start time, modifying the latest CPE start time to match the earliest CPE start time, or The CPE start time associated with the self-initiated COT operation is modified to match the CPE start time of the shared COT operation.

27. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 25, wherein the one or more instructions that cause the WCD to modify the at least one of the CPE configurations cause the WCD to: Modify a type of listen-before-talk (LBT) applied to one or more of the CPE configurations.

28. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: means for receiving, from one or more wireless communication devices (WCDs), one or more indications of a set of available resource blocks and an associated cyclic prefix extension (CPE) configuration, the set of available resource blocks being associated with a hybrid channel occupation time (COT); means for modifying at least one of the CPE configurations to time align the set of available resource blocks for transmitting one or more communications; and Means for transmitting the one or more communications via the set of available resource blocks.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the means for modifying the at least one of the CPE configurations comprises: A component for modifying the earliest CPE start time to match the latest CPE start time, means for modifying said latest CPE start time to match said earliest CPE start time, or Means for modifying a CPE start time associated with a self-initiated COT operation to match a CPE start time of a shared COT operation.

30. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the means for modifying the at least one of the CPE configurations comprises: Means for modifying a type of listen-before-talk (LBT) applied to one or more of the CPE configurations.

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