Systems, methods, and devices for sidelink unlicensed channel occupancy time sharing

Abstract

Techniques described herein include solutions for signal timing and gaps for sidelink (SL) communications in unlicensed spectrum (SL-U) within a channel occupancy time (COT) sharing scenario. Cyclic prefix (CP) extensions may be used to achieve appropriate signal timing and gaps. Also described herein are solutions for signal types (e.g., unicast, broadcast, multicast, and multicast) and channel types (e.g., physical SL shared channel (PSSCH), physical SL control channel (PSCCH), and physical SL feedback channel) that may be used in SL-U COT sharing scenarios, as well as transmission power thresholds for SL-U COT sharing scenarios.

Description

[0001] Citation of Related Applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 397,472, filed on August 12, 2022, entitled “SYSTEMS, METHODS, AND DEVICES FOR SIDELINK UNLICENSED CHANNEL OCCUPATION TIME SHARING,” the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to wireless communication networks and mobile device capabilities. Background Art

[0004] Wireless communication networks and wireless communication services are becoming increasingly dynamic, complex, and ubiquitous. For example, some wireless communication networks may be developed to implement fifth generation (5G) or new radio (NR) technology, sixth generation (6G) technology, etc. Such technologies may include solutions for enabling user equipment (UE) to communicate directly with each other. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] The present disclosure will be easily understood and implemented through the specific embodiments and the accompanying drawings. The same figure numerals may designate the same features and structural elements. The accompanying drawings and corresponding descriptions are provided as non-limiting examples of aspects, specific implementations, etc. of the present disclosure, and reference to "one" or "an" aspect, specific implementation, etc. may not necessarily refer to the same aspect, specific implementation, etc., and may mean at least one, one or more, etc.

[0006] Figure 1 is a diagram of an example overview according to one or more implementations described herein.

[0007] Figure 2 is a diagram of an example network according to one or more implementations described herein.

[0008] Figures 3 to 5 is a diagram of examples of gap lengths for sidelink (SL) unlicensed (SL-U) channel occupation time (COT) sharing according to one or more implementations described herein.

[0009] Figures 6 to 11 is a diagram of an example of transmission signals for SL-U COT sharing according to one or more specific implementations described herein.

[0010] Figure 12 to Figure 14 is a diagram of an example of configuring transmission power thresholds for SL-UCOT sharing according to one or more implementations described herein.

[0011] Fig.15 is a diagram of an example process for SL-U COT sharing according to one or more implementations described herein.

[0012] Fig.16 is a diagram of an example process for configuring a transmission power threshold for SL-UCOT sharing according to one or more implementations described herein.

[0013] Fig.17 is a diagram of an example interface of a baseband circuit according to one or more implementations described herein.

[0014] Fig.18 is a block diagram illustrating components capable of reading instructions from a machine-readable medium or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium) and performing any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein in accordance with one or more specific implementations described herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. The same figure numbers in different drawings can identify the same or similar features, elements, operations, etc. In addition, the present disclosure is not limited to the following description, because other specific implementations can be utilized and structural changes or logical changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0016] A wireless network may include user equipment (UE) capable of communicating with base stations, wireless routers, satellites, and other network nodes. Such devices may operate according to one or more communication standards, such as the 2nd generation (2G) communication standard of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), the 3rd generation (3G) communication standard, the 4th generation (4G) communication standard (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE)), and / or the 5th generation (5G) communication standard (e.g., New Radio (NR)). An Internet of Things (IoT) device (or IoT UE) may utilize one or more types of communication technologies, such as proximity-based services (ProSe) or device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, sidelink (SL) communication, etc.

[0017] As described herein, SL communications may include scenarios in which a UE operates to discover one or more other UEs, establish connections with one or more other UEs, and communicate (e.g., D2D communications) with one or more other UEs via a SL. Examples of such devices may include a smartphone, a vehicle with V2X capabilities, and / or another type of UE or IoT device. As described herein, a UE may refer to a smartphone, a tablet device, a wearable wireless device, a vehicle capable of V2X communications, a portion of a vehicle capable of V2X communications, and / or another type of device with wireless capabilities. SL communications using unlicensed wireless spectrum may be referred to as SL-U communications.

[0018] SL-U communication may include one or more channels. The channels used in SL communication may be based on a dynamic grant (DG) or a configuration grant (CG) provided by the network to the UE. The channel may also be based on channel selection by the UE itself (e.g., based on resources and preconfiguration selected by the UE). The DG or CG may include or may also be provided with SL or radio resource configuration information, such as one or more channels and a channel occupancy time (COT). The COT may refer to the amount of time that the UE can use the channel for SL communication. The COT may include the amount of time that the UE can use the channel for SL communication. In some specific implementations, a UE with the grant may contact another UE, and these UEs may use the same channel to communicate with each other. In such scenarios, it can be said that the UE has a shared COT. In some specific implementations, the COT may expire in response to one or more events, such as the UE receiving a SL signal but failing to respond according to a timing schedule (e.g., before the expiration of a gap duration measured from the receipt of the signal). The base station may also or alternatively provide the UE with a maximum COT (MCOT), which may indicate the maximum amount of time that the UE can use the channel for SL communication. MCOT may also be determined by the UE's selection of a channel access priority category (CAPC) for the channel access process. DG or CG may end if / when COT or MCOT expires. Some current SL technologies may fail to provide sufficient communication standards for enabling direct communication between UEs in SL-U COT sharing scenarios. For example, currently available SL technologies fail to establish clear signal timing standards for SL-U COT sharing, types of signaling and channels for SL-U COT sharing scenarios, transmission power thresholds for SL-U COT sharing scenarios, etc.

[0019] The technology described herein provides a solution for enabling direct SL communication between UEs by overcoming the deficiencies of currently available technologies. For example, the technology described herein includes a solution for signal timing and spacing for SL-U COT sharing for different clear channel assessment (CCA) types. In some specific implementations, a cyclic prefix (CP) extension may be used to achieve appropriate signal timing and spacing. This document also describes the signal types (e.g., unicast, broadcast, multicast, and groupcast) and channel types (e.g., physical SL shared channel (PSSCH), physical SL control channel (PSCCH), and physical SL feedback channel (PSFCH)) that can be used in SL-U COT sharing scenarios, as well as a solution for transmission power thresholds for SL-U COT sharing scenarios.

[0020] Figure 1 1 is a diagram of an example overview 100 according to one or more implementations described herein. As shown, overview 100 may include UE 110-1, UE 110-2, and base station 120. Base station 120 may provide SL authorization to UE 110-1 to enable UE 110-1 to establish a SL connection with one or more UEs (e.g., UE 110-2) (at 1.1). SL authorization and / or other types of configuration information may include SL-U COT sharing configuration.

[0021] The SL-U COT sharing configuration may indicate the type of communication gaps permitted between SL communications, the type of signals permitted for permitted SL communications (e.g., unicast, broadcast, multicast, and groupcast), the permitted maximum power transmission threshold, etc. UE 110-1 may initiate a SL connection with UE 110-2, which may include UE 110-1 sharing some or all of the SL-U COT sharing information with UE 110-2, and UE 110-2 responding in the same manner (at 1.2). In some specific implementations, SL-U COT sharing and gap information may also or alternatively be received via sidelink control information (SCI) (stage 1) and may not involve a grant from base station 120. For example, UE 110-1 may send SL-U COT sharing information to UE 110-2 via PSCCH. In some implementations, providing or enabling SL-U COT sharing configuration in this manner can be beneficial in Mode 1 and 2CG scenarios where downlink (DL) control information (DCI) is not used before each transmission.

[0022] like Figure 1As shown, communication between UE 110-1 and UE 110-2 may be configured according to the gap indicated by the SL-U COT sharing configuration (at 1.3). UE 110-1 and UE 110-2 may continue or conduct communication via SL communication to establish a SL connection and thereafter communicate according to the SL-U COT sharing configuration. Additional features and details of these techniques are described below with reference to the following figures.

[0023] Figure 2 2 is an example network 200 according to one or more implementations described herein. The example network 200 may include UE 210-1, UE 210-2, etc. (collectively, "UE 210", and individually, "UE 210"), a radio access network (RAN) 220, a core network (CN) 230, an application server 240, an external network 250, and satellites 260-1, 260-2, etc. (collectively, "satellite 260", and individually, "satellite 260"). As shown, the network 200 may include a non-terrestrial network (NTN) including one or more satellites 260 (e.g., of a global navigation satellite system (GNSS)) in communication with the UE 210 and the RAN 220.

[0024] The systems and devices of the example network 200 may operate in accordance with one or more communication standards, such as the 2nd generation (2G), 3rd generation (3G), 4th generation (4G) (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE)), and / or 5th generation (5G) (e.g., New Radio (NR)) communication standards of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Additionally or alternatively, one or more of the systems and devices of the example network 200 may operate in accordance with other communication standards and protocols discussed herein, including future versions or generations of 3GPP standards (e.g., sixth generation (6G) standards, seventh generation (7G) standards, etc.), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standards (e.g., wireless metropolitan area networks (WMANs), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)), etc.), and the like.

[0025] As shown, UE 210 may include a smart phone (e.g., a handheld touch screen mobile computing device capable of connecting to one or more wireless communication networks). Additionally or alternatively, UE 210 may include other types of mobile or non-mobile computing devices capable of wireless communication, such as a personal data assistant (PDA), a pager, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a wireless handheld phone, etc. In some specific implementations, UE 210 may include an Internet of Things (IoT) device (or IoT UE), which may include a network access layer designed for low-power IoT applications that utilize short-term UE connections. Additionally or alternatively, IoT UEs may utilize one or more types of technologies such as machine-to-machine (M2M) communication or machine-type communication (MTC) (e.g., to exchange data with an MTC server or other device via a public land mobile network (PLMN)), proximity services (ProSe) or device-to-device (D2D) communication, sensor networks, IoT networks, and more. Depending on the scenario, the M2M or MTC exchange of data may be a machine-initiated exchange, and the IoT network may include IoT UEs interconnected with short-lived connections (which may include uniquely identifiable embedded computing devices within the Internet infrastructure). In some scenarios, the IoT UE may execute background applications (eg, keep-alive messages, status updates, etc.) to facilitate connectivity to the IoT network.

[0026] UE 210 may communicate and establish connections with one or more other UEs 210 via one or more radio channels 212, each of which may include a physical communication interface / layer. The connection may include an M2M connection, an MTC connection, a D2D connection, etc. In some implementations, UE 210 may be configured to discover each other, negotiate radio resources between each other, and establish connections between each other without intervention or communication involving a RAN node 222 or another type of network node. In some implementations, discovery, authentication, resource negotiation, registration, etc. may involve communication with a RAN node 222 or another type of network node.

[0027] UE 210 may communicate with each other using one or more wireless channels 212. As described herein, UE 210-1 may communicate with RAN node 222 to request SL resources. RAN node 222 may respond to the request by providing a dynamic grant (DG) or a configuration grant (CG) about SL resources to UE 210. UE 210 may perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) procedure based on the DG or CG, select SL resources based on the CCA procedure and the DG or CG; and communicate with another UE 210 based on the SL resources. UE 210 may communicate with RAN node 222 using a licensed band and communicate with another UE 210 using an unlicensed band.

[0028] UE 210 may communicate with and establish a connection (e.g., communicatively coupled) with RAN 220, which may involve one or more radio channels 214-1 and 214-2, each of which may include a physical communication interface / layer. In some implementations, the UE may be configured with dual connectivity (DC) as a multi-radio access technology (multi-RAT) or multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), where a UE capable of multiple reception and transmission (Rx / Tx) may use resources provided by different network nodes (e.g., 222-1 and 222-2), which may be connected via non-ideal backhaul (e.g., where one of the network nodes provides NR access and the other network node provides E-UTRA for LTE or NR access for 5G). In such a scenario, one network node may act as a master node (MN) and the other node may act as a secondary node (SN). The MN and the SN may be connected via a network interface, and at least the MN may be connected to CN 230. Additionally, at least one of the MN or the SN may operate via a shared spectrum channel access, and the functionality specified for the UE 210 may be used for an integrated access and backhaul mobile terminal (IAB-MT). Similar to the UE 210, the IAB-MT may access the network using one network node or using two different nodes with an enhanced dual connectivity (EN-DC) architecture, a new radio dual connectivity (NR-DC) architecture, etc. In some implementations, a base station (as described herein) may be an example of a network node 222.

[0029] As described herein, UE 210 may receive a SL grant from RAN node 222. The SL grant and / or other configuration information received from RAN node 222 may specify SL signal timing and spacing for SL-U COT sharing with one or more other UEs 210. RAN node 222 may also provide information and instructions to UE 210 regarding signal types (e.g., unicast, broadcast, and multicast signals) and channel types (e.g., PSFCH, PSSCH, and PSCCH) that may be used in SL-U COT sharing scenarios. UE 210 may also receive configuration information regarding a maximum transmit power threshold that UE 210 may use for SL-U COT sharing scenarios.

[0030] As shown, UE 210 may additionally or alternatively connect to access point (AP) 216 via connection interface 218, which may include an air interface that enables UE 210 to communicatively couple with AP 216. AP 216 may include a wireless local area network (WLAN), a WLAN node, a WLAN termination point, etc. Connection 216 may include a local wireless connection, such as a connection consistent with any IEEE 702.11 protocol, and AP 216 may include a wireless fidelity router or other AP. Figure 2 218. Although not explicitly depicted in the drawings, AP 216 may be connected to another network (e.g., the Internet) without being connected to RAN 220 or CN 230. In some scenarios, UE 210, RAN 220, and AP 216 may be configured to utilize LTE-WLAN aggregation (LWA) technology or LTE / WLAN radio level technology integrated with IPsec tunneling (LWIP). LWA may involve UE 210 in RRC_CONNECTED state being configured by RAN 220 to utilize radio resources of LTE and WLAN. LWIP may involve UE 210 using WLAN radio resources (e.g., connection interface 218) to authenticate and encrypt packets (e.g., Internet Protocol (IP) packets) communicated via connection interface 218 via IPsec protocol tunneling. IPsec tunneling may include encapsulating the entire original IP packet and adding a new packet header, thereby protecting the original header of the IP packet.

[0031] The RAN 220 may include one or more RAN nodes 222-1 and 222-2 (collectively referred to as RAN nodes 222 and individually referred to as RAN nodes 222) that enable the establishment of the channel 214-1 and the channel 214-2 between the UE 210 and the RAN 220. The RAN node 222 may include a network access point configured to provide a radio baseband function for data and / or voice connections between a user and a network based on one or more of the communication technologies described herein (e.g., 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, WiFi, etc.). Thus, as an example, the RAN node may be an E-UTRAN node B (e.g., an enhanced node B, eNodeB, eNB, 4G base station, etc.), a next generation base station (e.g., a 5G base station, an NR base station, a next generation eNB (gNB), etc.). The RAN node 222 may include a road side unit (RSU), a transmit receive point (TRxP or TRP), and one or more other types of ground stations (e.g., a ground access point). In some scenarios, the RAN node 222 may be a dedicated physical device such as a macrocell base station and / or a low power (LP) base station for providing a femtocell, picocell, etc. having a smaller coverage area, smaller user capacity, or higher bandwidth than a macrocell. As described below, in some implementations, the satellite 260 may be used as a base station (e.g., the RAN node 222) relative to the UE 210. Therefore, references herein to a base station, a RAN node 222, etc. may relate to implementations in which the base station, the RAN node 222, etc. is a terrestrial network node, as well as implementations in which the base station, the RAN node 222, etc. is a non-terrestrial network node (e.g., a satellite 260).

[0032] Some or all or portions of the RAN nodes 222 may be implemented as one or more software entities running on a server computer as part of a virtual network that may be referred to as a centralized RAN (CRAN) and / or a virtual baseband unit pool (vBBUP). In these implementations, the CRAN or vBBUP may implement a RAN functional split, such as a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) split, where the radio resource control (RRC) and PDCP layers may be operated by the CRAN / vBBUP, and other layer 2 (L2) protocol entities may be operated by a separate RAN node 222; a medium access control (MAC) / physical (PHY) layer split, where the RRC, PDCP, radio link control (RLC), and MAC layers may be operated by the CRAN / vBBUP, and the PHY layer may be operated by a separate RAN node 222; or a "lower PHY" split, where the RRC, PDCP, RLC, MAC layer, and upper portions of the PHY layer may be operated by the CRAN / vBBUP, and the lower portions of the PHY layer may be operated by a separate RAN node 222. The virtualization framework may allow idle processor cores of the RAN node 222 to perform or execute other virtualized applications.

[0033] In some implementations, the separate RAN nodes 222 may represent separate gNB distributed units (DUs) connected to a gNB control unit (CU) via separate F1 or other interfaces. In such implementations, the gNB-DU may include one or more remote radio heads or radio frequency (RF) front end modules (RFEMs), and the gNB-CU may be operated by a server (not shown) located in the RAN 220 or by a server pool (e.g., a group of servers configured to share resources) in a manner similar to CRAN / vBBUP. Additionally or alternatively, one or more of the RAN nodes 222 may be next generation eNBs (i.e., gNBs) that may provide Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) user plane and control plane protocol terminations to the UE 210 and may be connected to the 5G core network (5GC) 230 via an NG interface.

[0034] Any of the RAN nodes 222 may serve as an endpoint for an air interface protocol and may be the first point of contact for the UE 210. In some implementations, any of the RAN nodes 222 may perform various logical functions of the RAN 220, including but not limited to functions of a radio network controller (RNC), such as radio bearer management, uplink and downlink dynamic radio resource management, and data packet scheduling and mobility management. The UE 210 may be configured to communicate with each other or with any of the RAN nodes 222 on a multi-carrier communication channel using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) communication signals according to various communication techniques, such as but not limited to OFDMA communication techniques (e.g., for downlink communications) or single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) communication techniques (e.g., for uplink and ProSe or sidelink (SL) communications), but the scope of such implementations is not limited in this respect. The OFDM signal may include multiple orthogonal subcarriers.

[0035] In some implementations, a downlink resource grid may be used for downlink transmissions from any of the RAN nodes 222 to the UE 210, and similar techniques may be used for uplink transmissions. The grid may be a time-frequency grid (e.g., a resource grid or a time-frequency resource grid) that represents the physical resources for the downlink in each time slot. Such a time-frequency plane representation is common for OFDM systems, which makes radio resource allocation intuitive. Each column and each row of the resource grid corresponds to an OFDM symbol and an OFDM subcarrier, respectively. The duration of the resource grid in the time domain corresponds to a time slot in a radio frame. The smallest time-frequency unit in the resource grid is represented as a resource element. Each resource grid includes resource blocks, which describe the mapping of certain physical channels to resource elements. Each resource block may include a set of resource elements (REs); in the frequency domain, this may represent the minimum amount of resources that can currently be allocated. Such resource blocks are used to transport several different physical downlink channels.

[0036] Further, the RAN node 222 may be configured to wirelessly communicate with the UE 210 and / or with each other via a licensed medium (also referred to as a "licensed spectrum" and / or a "licensed band"), an unlicensed shared medium (also referred to as an "unlicensed spectrum" and / or an "unlicensed band"), or a combination thereof. For example, the licensed spectrum may include channels operating in a frequency range of approximately 400 MHz to approximately 3.8 GHz, and the unlicensed spectrum may include a 5 GHz band. The licensed spectrum may correspond to channels or frequency bands that are selected, reserved, regulated, etc. for certain types of wireless activities (e.g., wireless telecommunications network activities), and the unlicensed spectrum may correspond to one or more frequency bands that are not restricted for certain types of wireless activities. Whether a particular frequency band corresponds to a licensed medium or an unlicensed medium may depend on one or more factors, such as frequency allocations determined by a public sector organization (e.g., a government agency, a regulatory agency, etc.) or by a private sector organization involved in developing wireless communication standards and protocols.

[0037] To operate in the unlicensed spectrum, the UE 210 and the RAN node 222 may operate using license assisted access (LAA), eLAA, and / or feLAA mechanisms. In these implementations, the UE 210 and the RAN node 222 may perform one or more known medium sensing operations or carrier sensing operations to determine whether one or more channels in the unlicensed spectrum are unavailable or otherwise occupied before transmitting in the unlicensed spectrum. The medium / carrier sensing operations may be performed in accordance with a listen-before-talk (LBT) protocol.

[0038] The LAA mechanism can be built on the carrier aggregation (CA) technology of the LTE-Advanced system. In CA, each aggregated carrier is called a component carrier (CC). In some cases, each CC may have a different bandwidth from other CCs. In a time division duplex (TDD) system, the number of CCs and the bandwidth of each CC may be the same for DL ​​and UL. CA also includes individual service cells to provide individual CCs. The coverage of the service cells may be different, for example, because CCs on different frequency bands will experience different path losses. The primary service cell or PCell can provide a primary component carrier (PCC) for both UL and DL, and can handle RRC and non-access stratum (NAS) related activities. Other service cells are called SCells, and each SCell can provide a single secondary component carrier (SCC) for both UL and DL. SCCs can be added and removed as needed, and changing PCCs may require UE 210 to undergo handover. In LAA, eLAA, and feLAA, some or all of the SCells may operate in an unlicensed spectrum (referred to as "LAA SCell"), and the LAA SCell is assisted by the PCell operating in the licensed spectrum. When the UE is configured with more than one LAA SCell, the UE may receive an UL grant on the configured LAA SCell indicating a different physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) start position within the same subframe. To operate in unlicensed spectrum, the UE 210 and the RAN node 222 may also operate using independent unlicensed operation, where the UE may be configured with a PCell in addition to any SCell in the unlicensed spectrum.

[0039] The PDSCH may carry user data and higher layer signaling to the UE 210. The physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) may carry information about, among other things, transport formats and resource allocations associated with the PDSCH channel. The PDCCH may also inform the UE 210 about transport formats, resource allocations, and hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) information associated with uplink shared channels. Typically, downlink scheduling (assignment of control and shared channel resource blocks to the UE 210-2 within the cell) may be performed on any of the RAN nodes 222 based on channel quality information fed back from any of the UEs 210. Downlink resource allocation information may be sent on the PDCCH for (e.g., assigned to) each of the UEs 210.

[0040] PDCCH uses control channel elements (CCEs) to convey control information, where several CCEs (e.g., 6, etc.) may be composed of resource element groups (REGs), where REGs are defined as physical resource blocks (PRBs) in OFDM symbols. Before being mapped to resource elements, PDCCH complex-valued symbols may first be organized into quaternions, which may then be arranged, for example, using a sub-block interleaver for rate matching. One or more of these CCEs may be used to transmit each PDCCH, where each CCE may correspond to nine sets of four physical resource elements, referred to as REGs. Four quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) symbols may be mapped to each REG. Depending on the size of the DCI and channel conditions, one or more CCEs may be used to transmit the PDCCH. Four or more different PDCCH formats may be defined in LTE with different numbers of CCEs (e.g., aggregation levels, L=1, 2, 4, 8, or 16).

[0041] Some implementations may use the concept of resource allocation for control channel information, which is an extension of the above concept. For example, some implementations may utilize an extended (E)-PDCCH that uses PDSCH resources for control information transmission. One or more ECCEs may be used to transmit EPDCCH. Similar to the above, each ECCE may correspond to nine sets of four physical resource elements, referred to as EREGs. In some cases, an ECCE may have other numbers of EREGs.

[0042] The RAN nodes 222 may be configured to communicate with each other via an interface 223. In a specific implementation where the system is an LTE system, the interface 223 may be an X2 interface. In an NR system, the interface 223 may be an Xn interface. The X2 interface may be defined between two or more RAN nodes 222 (e.g., two or more eNBs / gNBs or a combination thereof) connected to an evolved packet core (EPC) or CN 230, or between two eNBs connected to the EPC. In some specific implementations, the X2 interface may include an X2 user plane interface (X2-U) and an X2 control plane interface (X2-C). The X2-U may provide a flow control mechanism for user data packets transmitted over the X2 interface, and may be used to convey information about the delivery of user data between eNBs or gNBs. For example, X2-U may provide specific sequence number information about user data transmitted from a master eNB (MeNB) to a secondary eNB (SeNB); information about successful in-sequence delivery of PDCP packet data units (PDUs) from the SeNB to the UE 210 for user data; information about PDCP PDUs that are not delivered to the UE 210; information about the current minimum expected buffer size at the SeNB for transmitting user data to the UE; etc. X2-C may provide intra-LTE access mobility functions (e.g., including context transfer from a source eNB to a target eNB, user plane transmission control, etc.), load management functions, and inter-cell interference coordination functions.

[0043] As shown, RAN 220 may be connected (e.g., communicatively coupled) to CN 230. CN 230 may include a plurality of network elements 232 configured to provide various data and telecommunication services to customers / subscribers (e.g., users of UE 210) connected to CN 230 via RAN 220. In some implementations, CN 230 may include an evolved packet core (EPC), a 5GCN, and / or one or more additional or alternative types of CNs. The components of CN 230 may be implemented in one physical node or in separate physical nodes, including components for reading and executing instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium). In some implementations, network function virtualization (NFV) may be used to virtualize any or all of the above-mentioned network node roles or functions via executable instructions stored in one or more computer-readable storage media (described in further detail below). A logical instance of CN 230 may be referred to as a network slice, and a logical instance of a portion of CN 230 may be referred to as a network sub-slice. Network Function Virtualization (NFV) architecture and infrastructure can be used to virtualize one or more network functions onto physical resources including a combination of industry-standard server hardware, storage hardware, or switches (alternatively performed by proprietary hardware). In other words, the NFV system can be used to perform a virtual or reconfigurable implementation of one or more EPC components / functions.

[0044] As shown, CN 230, application server 240 and external network 250 can be connected to each other via interfaces 234, 236 and 238, which may include IP network interfaces. Application server 240 may include one or more server devices or network elements (e.g., virtual network functions (VNFs)) that provide applications (e.g., universal mobile telecommunications system packet service (UMTS PS) domain, LTE-PS data services, etc.) that use IP bearer resources with CM 230. Application server 240 may be additionally or alternatively configured to support one or more communication services (e.g., IP voice (VoIP sessions, push-to-talk (PTT) sessions, group communication sessions, social networking services, etc.) of UE 210 via CN 230. Similarly, external network 250 may include one or more networks (including the Internet) in a variety of networks, thereby providing network access to a variety of additional services, information, interconnection and other network features for mobile communication networks and UE 210.

[0045] As shown, the example network 200 may include an NTN that may include one or more satellites 260-1 and 260-2 (collectively, "satellites 260"). The satellites 260 may communicate with the UE 210 via a serving link or wireless interface 262 and / or communicate with the RAN 220 via a feeder link or wireless interface 264 (depicted individually as 264-1 and 264-2). In some implementations, the satellites 260 may function as a passive network relay node or a transparent network relay node with respect to communications between the UE 210 and a terrestrial network (e.g., the RAN 220). In some implementations, the satellites 260 may function as an active network node or a regenerated network node such that the satellites 260 may function as a base station to the UE 210 with respect to communications between the UE 210 and the RAN 220 (e.g., functioning as a gNB for the RAN 220). In some implementations, the satellites 260 can communicate with each other via a direct wireless interface (eg, 266) or an indirect wireless interface (eg, via the RAN 220 using interface 264-1 and interface 264-2).

[0046] Additionally or alternatively, the satellite 260 may include a GEO satellite, a LEO satellite, or another type of satellite. The satellite 260 may additionally or alternatively relate to one or more satellite systems or architectures, such as a global navigation satellite system (GNSS), a global positioning system (GPS), a global navigation satellite system (GLONASS), a Beidou navigation satellite system (BDS), etc. In some specific implementations, the satellite 260 may be used as a base station (e.g., a RAN node 222) relative to the UE 210. Therefore, references to base stations, RAN nodes 222, etc. herein may relate to specific implementations in which the base stations, RAN nodes 222, etc. are ground network nodes, and specific implementations in which the base stations, RAN nodes 222, etc. are non-ground network nodes (e.g., satellites 260). As described herein, the UE 210 and the base station 222 may communicate with each other via the interface 214 to implement enhanced power saving techniques.

[0047] Figures 3 to 5 300, 400, and 500 (hereinafter referred to as examples 300 to 500) of gap lengths for SL-U COT sharing according to one or more specific implementations described herein. As shown, examples 300 to 500 each include a representation of an MCOT of resources allocated for SL-U communication between UE1 and UE2. In addition, examples 300 to 500 each include transmissions back and forth between UE1 and UE2 during the MCOT.

[0048] refer to Figure 3, each gap may include: 1) a gap less than 16 microseconds (μs), equal to 16 μs, or equal to 25 μs. In some implementations, other gaps are not allowed. For example, if a signal is received before 16 μs, at 16 μs, or at any other time other than 25 μs. If not, the signal may be ignored and / or the SL-U COT may be ended so that further SL-U COT sharing is not allowed, and a Type 1 CCA process may be required to resume SL communications using the channel. The Type 1 CCA process may include a DL channel access process, a UL channel access process, or a combination of DL and UL channel access processes.

[0049] refer to Figure 4 , each gap may include: 1) a gap less than 25μs; or a gap equal to 25μs. For any gap less than 16μs, a listen-before-talk (LBT) process may not be involved or required to ensure that the channel is idle for SL communication. For gaps greater than or equal to 16μs and less than or equal to 25μs, a one shot LBT process may be used to ensure that the channel is idle before resuming SL communication between UE1 and UE2. A one shot LBT process may include a process in which channel availability is determined one process at a time. Gap lengths greater than 25μs may cause SL-U COT sharing to end unless a type 1 CCA process is to resume SL communication using the channel.

[0050] refer to Figure 5 , any length of gap can be allowed. However, the gap length is counted into MCOT, and when MCOT expires, COT and SL-U COT sharing can end. For gap lengths less than 16 μs, LBT may not be performed to continue using the channel. For gap lengths greater than or equal to 16 μs, a successful LBT may be performed to continue using the channel.

[0051] Figures 6 to 11600, 700, 800, 900, 1000 and 1100 (collectively, Examples 600 to 1100) of transmission signals and channels for SL-U COT sharing according to one or more specific implementations described herein. As shown, Examples 600 to 1100 include SL communications between UEs 210-1, 210-2 and / or 210-3. SL communications may include unicast signals, broadcast signals and / or multicast signals. Unicast SL communications may be represented by solid arrows; broadcast and / or multicast signals may be represented by dashed arrows. Each of Examples 600 to 1100 may be a non-limiting solution to the standards and procedures for SL-U COT sharing between UEs 210. In Examples 600 to 1100, authorization may be optional and / or may be used only for Mode 1 SL resource selection. For example, for Mode 1DG, authorization may be used before each transmission. In contrast, for Mode 1 CG, RRC configuration of resources or RRC configuration of resources with DCI activation may be used. After configuration / activation, no authorization may be required prior to SL transmission, and transmission may be until UE 210. For Mode 2 SL resource selection, no authorization may be required.

[0052] refer to Figure 6 , UE 210-1 may receive a SL authorization (e.g., DG or CG) from a base station 222 (not shown). UE 210-1 may initiate SL-U COT sharing to UE 210-2 via a unicast signal (at 6.1). This may include a mode 1 SL resource selection process. In some specific implementations, UE 210-1 may perform a mode 2 SL resource selection process, which may include selecting the SL resource itself (e.g., without requiring an authorization from the base station 222). Initiating SL-U COT sharing may include providing information to another UE 210 that enables UE 210 to participate in SL-U sharing. Examples of such information may include SCI phase 1 information, such as CP extension information, CCA type information, remaining COT length, transmission power, transmission power threshold, etc. UE 210-1 may provide SCI (e.g., phase 1 SCI) to UE 210-2, which may include CP extension and CCA type for COT sharing. CP extension may be used to create appropriate signaling gaps between UE 210-1 and UE 210-2. In some implementations, only the receiving device of the paired unicast transmission (e.g., UE 210-2) may share the SL-U COT. Thus, UE 210-2 may respond to UE 210-1 via unicast using the shared SL-U COT (at 6.2). The unicast signal may include PSCCH, PSSCH, and / or PSFCH.

[0053] UE 210-2 may also or alternatively send a control, broadcast or multicast signal to UE 210-1 and UE 210-3 (at 6.3), which may be received by both UE 210-1 and UE 210-3 (at 6.4 and 6.5). In some implementations, this is permitted as long as the broadcast or multicast signal includes information of the UE (e.g., 210-1) that initiated SL-UCOT sharing and / or only control / broadcast signals / channels are transmitted up to 2 / 4 / 8 OFDM symbols within the duration of 15kHz, 30kHz, or 60kHz subcarrier spacing.

[0054] refer to Figure 7 , UE 210-1 may receive a SL grant (e.g., DG or CG) from base station 222 (not shown). UE 210-1 may initiate SL-U COT sharing to UE 210-2n via a unicast signal (at 7.1). In some implementations, only paired unicast transmission receiving devices (e.g., UE 210-2) may share the SL-U COT. Thus, UE 210-2 may respond to UE 210-1 via unicast using the shared SL-U COT (at 7.2). The unicast signal may include PSCCH, PSSCH, and / or PSFCH. Figure 6 Compared to example 600, in example 700, UE 210-2 may not send a broadcast or multicast message to other UEs 210.

[0055] 8, UE 210-1 may receive a SL grant (e.g., DG or CG) from base station 222 (not shown). UE 210-1 may initiate SL-U COT sharing to UE 210-2 via a unicast signal (at 8.1). UE 210-2 may respond to UE 210-1 via unicast using the shared SL-U COT (at 8.2). The unicast signal may include PSCCH, PSSCH, and / or PSFCH.

[0056] UE 210-2 may send a control, broadcast or multicast signal to UE 210-1 and UE 210-3 (at 8.3), which may be received by both UE 210-1 and UE 210-3 (at 6.4 and 6.5). In some implementations, this may be permitted as long as the broadcast or multicast signal includes information of the UE (e.g., 210-1) that is initiating SL-U COT sharing, and / or only control / broadcast signals / channels are transmitted up to 2 / 4 / 8 OFDM symbols within the duration of 15kHz, 30kHz, or 60kHz subcarrier spacing.

[0057] In some implementations, a UE (e.g., UE 210-2) may decode control information (e.g., Phase 1 SL control information (SCI) with a CCA type for COT) included in the COT shared information to obtain and share the COT shared information for SL transmission (at 8.6). Thus, UE 210-2 may use the SCI to send a unicast signal to UE 210-3 based on the shared SL-U COT (at 8.7). The unicast signal may include a PSCCH, a PSSCH, and / or a PSFCH. In some implementations, this may enable UE 210-3 to respond to UE 210-2 via a unicast signal, for example, based on the shared SL-U COT (not shown).

[0058] refer to Fig. 9 , UE 210-1 may receive a SL grant (e.g., DG or CG) from base station 222 (not shown). UE 210-1 may broadcast or multicast one or more signals to UEs 210-2 and 210-3 (9.1). UEs 210-2 and 210-3 may receive the broadcast or multicast signals (at 9.2 and 9.3), and these signals may be used to initiate SL communication between UEs 210. However, the broadcast or multicast signals may not initiate SL-U COT sharing between UEs 210. Instead, UEs 210-2 and 210-3 may respond by performing a Type 1 CCA and obtaining the COT itself.

[0059] refer to Fig.10 , UE 210-1 may receive a SL grant (e.g., DG or CG) from base station 222 (not shown). UE 210-1 may initiate SL communication with SL-U COT sharing to UEs 210-2 and 210-3 via a broadcast or multicast signal (at 10.1). UEs 210-2 and 210-3 may receive the broadcast or multicast signal (at 10.2 and 10.3) and may respond with a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) acknowledgement or negative acknowledgement (ACK / NACK) message via broadcast or multicast signaling using SL-U COT sharing. In some specific implementations, only PSFCH transmissions with HARQ mode 1 and HARQ mode 2 may be transmitted via SL-U COT sharing, because the ACK / NACK message may be relayed to base station 222 via UE 210-1. In addition, SL-U COT sharing may involve type 2 CCA and / or primary LBT. The type 2 CCA process may include a carrier sensing based detection process as opposed to, for example, an energy detection (ED) based process of type 1 CCA. In some implementations, the SL-U COT sharing initiated by UE 210-1 may be used by any UE 210 of the same group to groupcast PSFCH, PSCCH, and PSSCH signals.

[0060] refer to Fig.11 , UE 210-1 may receive a SL grant (e.g., DG or CG) from base station 222 (not shown). UE 210-1 may initiate SL communication with SL-U COT sharing to UE 210-2 and 210-3 via a broadcast or multicast signal (at 11.1). UE 210-2 and 210-3 may receive the broadcast or multicast signal (at 11.2 and 11.3) and may use SL-U COT sharing to respond with a HARQ ACK / NACK message via broadcast or multicast signaling. In some implementations, only PSFCH with hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) mode 1 and HARQ mode 2 may be transmitted. In addition, SL-U COT sharing may involve type 2 CCA and / or primary LBT. In some implementations, SL-U COT sharing initiated by UE 210-1 may be used by any UE 210 of the same group to groupcast PSFCH, PSCCH, and PSSCH signals. Additionally or alternatively, SL-U COT sharing initiated by UE 210-1 may enable UEs 210-2 and 210-3 to unicast PSFCH, PSCCH, and PSSCH message transmissions to UE 210-1. For example, SL-U COT sharing initiated by UE 210-1 may be used by UEs 210-2 and 210-3 to multicast ACK / NACK messages via PSFCH and unicast other messages via PSCCH and PSSCH. Figures 6 to 11 Several examples of SL-U COT sharing via unicast, broadcast, and multicast signaling are included, but the techniques described herein also include Figures 6 to 11 Any combination or variation of the examples.

[0061] Figure 12 to Figure 14 1 is a diagram of examples 1200, 1300, and 1400 (collectively, examples 1200 to 1400) for configuring a transmission power threshold for SL-U COT sharing according to one or more specific implementations described herein. As shown, examples 1200 to 1400 may include UE 210 and base station 222. Communications between UE 210 and base station 222 may involve licensed bands. Communications between UE 210 may involve SL-U communications to implement COT sharing. The SL-U COT sharing threshold (or simply "transmission power threshold") as described herein may include a maximum transmission power threshold that UE 210 may use to transmit SL signals.

[0062] Examples 1200 to 1400 may involve resource selection mode 1 scenarios and / or resource selection mode 2 scenarios. In the resource selection mode 1 scenario, the base station 222 may be involved in SL resource selection, allocation, and management because, for example, the UE 210 may be within the coverage area of ​​the base station 222. In the resource selection mode 2 scenario, the UE 210 may autonomously (e.g., without direct input from the base station 222) select and manage SL resources because, for example, one or more of the UEs 210 may be outside the coverage area of ​​the base station 222. In some specific implementations, the base station 222 may determine the SL-U COT sharing threshold for the UE 210 (e.g., in the mode 1 scenario), and may provide the SL-U COT sharing threshold to the UE 210 as part of the DG or CG transmission. A UE 210 that has received a transmission power threshold from the base station 222 may provide the SL-U COT sharing threshold to another UE 210 via an SCI (e.g., in the mode 2 scenario). Therefore, SL communication between UEs 210 may comply with the SL-U COT sharing threshold.

[0063] refer to Fig.12 In some implementations, the base station 222 may provide a cell-specific SL-U COT sharing threshold value, so that each UE 210 receives the same SL-U COT sharing threshold value (at 12.1) from the base station 222. In such a scenario, the UE 210 may participate in SL communication (at 12.2 and 12.3) using the cell-specific SL-U COT sharing threshold value.

[0064] refer to Fig.13 In some implementations, the base station 222 may also or alternatively provide a UE-specific SL-U COT sharing threshold value so that different UEs 210 may receive different SL-U COT sharing threshold values. In such a scenario, each UE 210 may participate in SL communications (at 13.2 and 13.3) using a cell-specific (e.g., different) SL-U COT sharing threshold value. In some implementations, the base station 222 may be configured to provide a cell-specific SL-U COT sharing threshold value to certain UEs 210 and to provide a UE-specific SL-U COT sharing threshold value to other UEs 210. In such an implementation, the base station 222 may be configured to determine which type of SL-U COT sharing threshold value is applicable to a particular UE 210 based on one or more factors (such as the location of the UE, the signal strength measured by the UE, the declared function or purpose of the requested SL resources, etc.).

[0065] refer to Fig.14In some implementations, the base station 222 may also or alternatively provide a group-specific SL-U COT sharing threshold value, so that a particular group of UEs 210 may receive a SL-U COT sharing threshold value that may be different from the SL-U COT sharing threshold value of other UE groups, a UE-specific threshold value, or a cell-specific threshold value. For example, as shown, UE 210-1 may be part of group 1, UE 210-3 may be part of group 2, and UE 210-3 may be part of both group 1 and group 2. In such a scenario, the base station 222 may provide the SL-U COT sharing threshold value to the UE 210 based on the group of the UE. As shown, UE 210-1 may communicate with UE 210-2 based on the SL-U COT sharing threshold value of group 1; UE 210-3 may communicate with UE 210-2 based on the SL-U COT sharing threshold value of group 2; and UE 210-2 may communicate with these UEs based on the respective group-specific SL-U COT sharing threshold values ​​of UE 210-1 and UE 210-3. In some implementations, the base station 222 may configure the group-specific SL-U COT sharing threshold via RRC messaging. Additionally or alternatively, the group-specific SL-U COT sharing threshold may be used for multicast signals and / or unicast signals within the corresponding group.

[0066] In some implementations, when the SL-U COT sharing threshold is not configured (e.g., received from the base station 222 or from the UE 210 via SL signaling), the UE 210 may determine an energy detection threshold (EDT) used in the channel access process for initiating SL-U COT sharing, and signal the other UE 210 via the SCI. The transmission power used for sharing the COT may be limited by the power used to determine the EDT, which may be provided to the other UE via the SCI. In some implementations, the higher the Tx power, the stricter the Tx threshold may be, which may make accessing the channel more difficult or more competitive.

[0067] In such a scenario, each UE 210 may use a cell-specific (e.g., different) SL-U COT sharing threshold to participate in SL communications (at 13.2 and 13.3). In some implementations, the base station 222 may be configured to provide cell-specific SL-U COT sharing thresholds to certain UEs 210 and to provide UE-specific SL-U COT sharing thresholds to other UEs 210. In such implementations, the base station 222 may be configured to determine which type of SL-U COT sharing threshold is applicable to a particular UE 210 based on one or more factors (such as the location of the UE, the signal strength measured by the UE, the declared function or purpose for the requested SL resources, etc.).

[0068] Fig.151500 is a diagram of an example process for SL-U COT sharing according to one or more implementations described herein. Process 1500 may be implemented by UE 210-1, UE 210-2, and base station 222. In some implementations, some or all of process 1500 may be performed by one or more other systems or devices, including Figure 2 In addition, process 1500 may include Fig.15 The operations shown may be fewer, additional, differently ordered, and / or arranged than those shown. In some implementations, some or all of the operations of process 1500 may be performed independently, sequentially, simultaneously, etc., relative to one or more of the other operations of process 1500. Thus, the techniques described herein are not limited to Fig.15 The number, sequence, arrangement, timing, etc. of the operations or processes depicted in the .

[0069] As shown, process 1500 may include determining a COT sharing configuration for SL-U communication (block 1510). For example, UE 210 may determine a COT sharing configuration for SL-U communication with another UE 210. In some implementations, UE 210 may receive and store a SL authorization from RAN node 222. The SL authorization and / or other configuration information received from RAN node 222 may specify SL signal timing and gaps for SL-U COT sharing. RAN node 222 may also provide UE 210 with information and instructions on signal types (e.g., unicast, broadcast, and multicast signals) and channel types (e.g., PSFCH, PSSCH, and PSCCH) that can be used in SL-U COT sharing scenarios. UE 210 may also receive configuration information about the maximum transmission power threshold that UE 210 can use for SL-U COT sharing scenarios. In some implementations, UE 120 may alternatively determine COT sharing configuration information without a SL authorization from RAN node 222. In such implementations, UE 110 may independently determine appropriate SL communication resources (e.g., SL-U frequency resources, SL-U timing resources, SL-U gap information, MCOT, PSFCH, PSSCH, PSCCH, etc.) In some implementations, this may include a CCA process and / or an LBT process.

[0070] Process 1500 may also include providing a COT sharing configuration via SL-U communication (block 1520). For example, UE 210 may transmit or transfer the COT sharing configuration to one or more other UEs 210 via SL-U resources. In some implementations, this may include unicast transmission, multicast transmission, and / or broadcast transmission. The COT sharing configuration may be transmitted along with an invitation to participate in SL communication using the COT sharing configuration.

[0071] The process 1500 may include communicating with another UE 210 using the COT sharing configuration (block 1530). For example, in response to providing the COT sharing configuration, the Tx UE 210 may receive a corresponding response from one or more Rx UEs 210. Then, the Tx UE 210 and the Rx UE 110 may participate in SL communication using the COT sharing configuration. In some implementations, SL communication using the COT sharing configuration may continue until the UE 110 terminates the SL communication, the MCOT expires, etc.

[0072] Fig.16 1600 is a diagram of an example process for configuring a transmission power threshold for SL-U COT sharing according to one or more implementations described herein. Process 1600 may be implemented by UE 210-1, UE 210-2, and base station 222. In some implementations, some or all of process 1600 may be performed by one or more other systems or devices, including Figure 2 In addition, process 1600 may include Fig.16 One or more operations may be fewer, additional, differently ordered, and / or arranged than those shown. In some implementations, some or all of the operations of process 1600 may be performed independently, sequentially, simultaneously, etc., relative to one or more of the other operations of process 1600. Thus, the techniques described herein are not limited to Fig.16 The number, sequence, arrangement, timing, etc. of the operations or processes depicted in the .

[0073] As shown, process 1600 may include receiving a request for SL-U communication (block 1610). For example, base station 222 may receive a request for SL-U resources from UE 210. In some implementations, the request may be a request for a DG request for SL-U resources. In some implementations, base station 222 may perform one or more of the operations of process 1600 (e.g., blocks 1620 and 1630) without receiving a request for SL-U resources. In such implementations, base station 222 may provide UE 210 with a CG that may include a COT sharing configuration for SL-U communication.

[0074] Process 1600 may include determining a COT sharing configuration for SL-U communication. For example, base station 222 may determine a COT sharing configuration to enable UE 210 to communicate with each other via SL-U. The COT sharing configuration may include one or more communication gaps, MCOT, SL signaling and channel information, etc. In some implementations, the COT sharing configuration may be UE-specific, cell-specific, specific to a group of UEs 210. In some implementations, the COT sharing configuration may be determined together with one or more other types of SL resources (such as SL-U frequency resources, SL-U timing resources, PSFCH, PSSCH, PSCCH, CCA process, CP extension information, etc.).

[0075] Process 1600 may include providing a COT sharing configuration to one or more UEs 210. For example, base station 222 may transmit the COT sharing configuration to one or more UEs 210. The COT sharing configuration may be transmitted along with other types of information (e.g., SL resource grants). In some implementations, base station 222 may provide the COT sharing configuration via a PDCCH.

[0076] Fig.17 1700 is a diagram of an example of components of a device according to one or more implementations described herein. In some implementations, the device 1700 may include at least an application circuit 1702, a baseband circuit 1704, an RF circuit 1706, a front end module (FEM) circuit 1708, one or more antennas 1710, and a power management circuit (PMC) 1712 coupled together as shown. The components of the example device 1700 may be included in a UE or a RAN node. In some implementations, the device 1700 may include fewer elements (e.g., the RAN node may not utilize the application circuit 1702, but may include a processor / controller to process IP data received from the CN or the Evolved Packet Core (EPC)). In some implementations, the device 1700 may include additional elements, such as, for example, a memory / storage device, a display, a camera, a sensor (including one or more temperature sensors, such as a single temperature sensor, multiple temperature sensors at different locations in the device 1700, etc.) or an input / output (I / O) interface. In other implementations, the components described below may be included in more than one device (eg, these circuits may be separately included in more than one device for a Cloud-RAN (C-RAN) implementation).

[0077] The application circuit 1702 may include one or more application processors. For example, the application circuit 1702 may include circuits such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The processor may include any combination of general-purpose processors and special-purpose processors (e.g., graphics processors, application processors, etc.). The processor may be coupled to or may include a memory / storage device, and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory / storage device to enable various applications or operating systems to run on the device 1700. In some specific implementations, the processor of the application circuit 1702 may process IP data packets received from the EPC.

[0078] The baseband circuit 1704 may include circuits such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The baseband circuit 1704 may include one or more baseband processors or control logic components to process baseband signals received from the receive signal path of the RF circuit 1706 and generate baseband signals for the transmit signal path of the RF circuit 1706. The baseband circuit 1704 may interact with the application circuit 1702 to generate and process baseband signals and control the operation of the RF circuit 1706. For example, in some specific implementations, the baseband circuit 1704 may include a 3G baseband processor 1704A, a 4G baseband processor 1704B, a 5G baseband processor 1704C, or other baseband processors 1704D of other existing generations, generations under development, or generations to be developed in the future (e.g., 5G, 6G, etc.). The baseband circuit 1704 (e.g., one or more baseband processors of the baseband processors 1704A to 1704D) may handle various radio control functions that enable communication with one or more radio networks via the RF circuit 1706. In other implementations, some or all of the functions of the baseband processors 1704A to 1704D may be included in a module stored in the memory 1704G and executed via the central processing unit (CPU) 1704E. The radio control functions may include, but are not limited to, signal modulation / demodulation, encoding / decoding, radio frequency shifting, etc. In some implementations, the modulation / demodulation circuitry of the baseband circuitry 1704 may include fast Fourier transform (FFT), precoding, or cluster mapping / demapping functions. In some implementations, the encoding / decoding circuitry of the baseband circuitry 1704 may include convolution, tail-biting convolution, turbo, Viterbi, or low-density parity check (LDPC) encoder / decoder functions. The implementation of the modulation / demodulation and encoder / decoder functions is not limited to these examples and may include other suitable functions in other aspects.

[0079] In some specific implementations, the memory 1704G can receive and store a SL grant from the RAN node 222. The SL grant and / or other configuration information received from the RAN node 222 can specify the SL signal timing and gap for SL-U COT sharing with one or more other UEs 210. The RAN node 222 can also provide the UE 210 with information and instructions about the signal types (e.g., unicast, broadcast, and multicast signals) and channel types (e.g., PSFCH, PSSCH, and PSCCH) that can be used in the SL-U COT sharing scenario. The UE 210 can also receive configuration information about the maximum transmission power threshold that the UE 210 can use for the SL-U COT sharing scenario.

[0080] In some implementations, the baseband circuit 1704 may include one or more audio digital signal processors (DSPs) 1704F. The audio DSP 1704F may include elements for compression / decompression and echo cancellation, and may include other suitable processing elements in other implementations. In some implementations, the components of the baseband circuit may be appropriately combined in a single chip, a single chipset, or disposed on the same circuit board. In some implementations, some or all of the components of the baseband circuit 1704 and the application circuit 1702 may be implemented together, such as, for example, on a system on a chip (SOC).

[0081] In some implementations, the baseband circuit 1704 may provide communications compatible with one or more radio technologies. For example, in some implementations, the baseband circuit 1704 may support communications with NG-RAN, Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (EUTRAN) or other wireless metropolitan area network (WMAN), wireless local area network (WLAN), wireless personal area network (WPAN), etc. Implementations in which the baseband circuit 1704 is configured to support radio communications of more than one wireless protocol may be referred to as multi-mode baseband circuits.

[0082] RF circuit 1706 may enable communication with a wireless network using modulated electromagnetic radiation through a non-solid medium. In various specific implementations, RF circuit 1706 may include switches, filters, amplifiers, etc. to facilitate communication with a wireless network. RF circuit 1706 may include a receive signal path, which may include circuitry that down-converts an RF signal received from FEM circuit 1708 and provides a baseband signal to baseband circuit 1704. RF circuit 1706 may also include a transmit signal path, which may include circuitry that up-converts a baseband signal provided by baseband circuit 1704 and provides an RF output signal to FEM circuit 1708 for transmission.

[0083] In some implementations, the receive signal path of the RF circuit 1706 may include a mixer circuit 1706A, an amplifier circuit 1706B, and a filter circuit 1706C. In some implementations, the transmit signal path of the RF circuit 1706 may include a filter circuit 1706C and a mixer circuit 1706A. The RF circuit 1706 may also include a synthesizer circuit 1706D for synthesizing frequencies used by the mixer circuit 1706A of the receive signal path and the transmit signal path. In some implementations, the mixer circuit 1706A of the receive signal path may be configured to down-convert the RF signal received from the FEM circuit 1708 based on the synthesized frequency provided by the synthesizer circuit 1706D. The amplifier circuit 1706B may be configured to amplify the down-converted signal, and the filter circuit 1706C may be a low pass filter (LPF) or a band pass filter (BPF) configured to remove unwanted signals from the down-converted signal to generate an output baseband signal. The output baseband signal may be provided to the baseband circuit 1704 for further processing. In some implementations, the output baseband signal may be a zero frequency baseband signal, but this is not required. In some implementations, the mixer circuit 1706A of the receive signal path may include a passive mixer, but the scope of the implementation is not limited in this respect.

[0084] In some implementations, the mixer circuit 1706A of the transmit signal path can be configured to up-convert an input baseband signal based on a synthesized frequency provided by the synthesizer circuit 1706D to generate an RF output signal for the FEM circuit 1708. The baseband signal can be provided by the baseband circuit 1704 and can be filtered by the filter circuit 1706C.

[0085] In some implementations, the mixer circuit 1706A of the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 1706A of the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for quadrature down-conversion and up-conversion, respectively. In some implementations, the mixer circuit 1706A of the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 1706A of the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for image rejection (e.g., Hartley image rejection). In some implementations, the mixer circuit 1706A of the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 1706A of the transmit signal path may be arranged for direct down-conversion and direct up-conversion, respectively. In some implementations, the mixer circuit 1706A of the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 1706A of the transmit signal path may be configured for superheterodyne operation.

[0086] In some implementations, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be analog baseband signals, although the scope of the implementation is not limited in this respect. In some alternative implementations, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be digital baseband signals. In these alternative implementations, the RF circuit 1706 may include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuits, and the baseband circuit 1704 may include a digital baseband interface to communicate with the RF circuit 1706.

[0087] In some dual-mode implementations, separate radio IC circuits may be provided to process signals for each spectrum, although the scope of the implementations is not limited in this respect.

[0088] In some implementations, synthesizer circuit 1706D can be a fractional-N synthesizer or a fractional N / N+1 synthesizer, but the scope of the implementation is not limited in this respect, as other types of frequency synthesizers may also be suitable. For example, synthesizer circuit 1706D can be a delta-sigma synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer including a phase-locked loop with a frequency divider.

[0089] The synthesizer circuit 1706D can be configured to synthesize an output frequency based on the frequency input and the divider control input for use by the mixer circuit 1706A of the RF circuit 1706. In some implementations, the synthesizer circuit 1706D can be a fractional-N / N+1 synthesizer.

[0090] In some implementations, the frequency input may be provided by a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), although this is not required. The divider control input may be provided by the baseband circuit 1704 or the application circuit 1702 according to the desired output frequency. In some implementations, the divider control input (e.g., N) may be determined from a lookup table based on the channel indicated by the application circuit 1702.

[0091] The synthesizer circuit 1706D of the RF circuit 1706 may include a frequency divider, a delay locked loop (DLL), a multiplexer, and a phase accumulator. In some implementations, the frequency divider may be a dual-mode frequency divider (DMD), and the phase accumulator may be a digital phase accumulator (DPA). In some implementations, the DMD may be configured to divide the input signal by N or N+1 (e.g., based on a carry output) to provide a fractional frequency division ratio. In some example implementations, the DLL may include a cascaded, tunable, delay element, a phase detector, a charge pump, and a set of D-type flip-flops. In these implementations, the delay element may be configured to divide the VCO cycle into Nd equal phase groups, where Nd is the number of delay elements in the delay line. In this way, the DLL provides negative feedback to help ensure that the total delay through the delay line is one VCO cycle.

[0092] In some implementations, the synthesizer circuit 1706D can be configured to generate a carrier frequency as an output frequency, while in other implementations, the output frequency can be a multiple of the carrier frequency (e.g., twice the carrier frequency, four times the carrier frequency), and can be used with a quadrature generator and divider circuit to generate multiple signals with multiple different phases relative to each other at the carrier frequency. In some implementations, the output frequency can be an LO frequency (fLO). In some implementations, the RF circuit 1706 can include an IQ / polarity converter.

[0093] The FEM circuitry 1708 may include a receive signal path that may include circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from one or more antennas 1710, amplify the received signals, and provide an amplified version of the received signals to the RF circuitry 1706 for further processing. The FEM circuitry 1708 may also include a transmit signal path that may include circuitry configured to amplify transmit signals provided by the RF circuitry 1706 for transmission through one or more of the one or more antennas 1710. In various implementations, amplification by the transmit or receive signal path may be accomplished only in the RF circuitry 1706, only in the FEM circuitry 1708, or in both the RF circuitry 1706 and the FEM circuitry 1708.

[0094] In some implementations, the FEM circuit 1708 may include a TX / RX switch to switch between transmit mode and receive mode operation. The FEM circuit may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the FEM circuit may include an LNA to amplify the received RF signal and provide the amplified received RF signal as an output (e.g., provided to the RF circuit 1706). The transmit signal path of the FEM circuit 1708 may include a power amplifier (PA) for amplifying an input RF signal (e.g., provided by the RF circuit 1706); and one or more filters for generating an RF signal for subsequent transmission (e.g., through one or more of the one or more antennas 1710).

[0095] In some implementations, the PMC 1712 can manage the power provided to the baseband circuit 1704. Specifically, the PMC 1712 can control power selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-DC conversion. When the device 1700 is capable of being powered by a battery, for example, when the device is included in a UE, the PMC 1712 can generally be included. The PMC 1712 can improve power conversion efficiency while providing the desired implementation size and heat dissipation characteristics.

[0096] Although Fig.17 The PMC 1712 is shown coupled only to the baseband circuit 1704. However, in other implementations, the PMC 1712 may additionally or alternatively be coupled to other components (such as, but not limited to, the application circuit 1702, the RF circuit 1706, or the FEM circuit 1708) and perform similar power management operations for the other components.

[0097] In some implementations, the PMC 1712 can control or otherwise be part of various power saving mechanisms of the device 1700. For example, if the device 1700 is in the RRC_Connected state, in which the device is still connected to the RAN node because it expects to receive traffic soon, then after a period of inactivity, the device can enter a state known as discontinuous reception mode (DRX). During this state, the device 1700 can be powered off for short time intervals to save power.

[0098] If there is no data traffic activity for an extended period of time, the device 1700 may transition to the RRC_Idle state, in which the device is disconnected from the network and does not perform operations such as channel quality feedback, handover, etc. The device 1700 enters a very low power state, and the device performs paging, in which the device wakes up periodically again to listen to the network, and then powers down again. The device 1700 may not receive data in this state; in order to receive data, the device may transition back to the RRC_Connected state.

[0099] An additional power saving mode can keep a device from using the network for a period longer than the paging interval (which can range from a few seconds to several hours). During this period, the device cannot connect to the network and can be completely powered down. Any data transmitted during this period will be significantly delayed, assuming that the delay is acceptable.

[0100] The processor of the application circuit 1702 and the processor of the baseband circuit 1704 can be used to execute elements of one or more instances of the protocol stack. For example, the processor of the baseband circuit 1704 can be used alone or in combination to perform the functions of Layer 3, Layer 2, or Layer 1, and the processor of the baseband circuit 1704 can utilize the data received from these layers (e.g., packet data) and further perform the functions of Layer 4 (e.g., Transport Communication Protocol (TCP) and User Datagram Protocol (UDP) layers). As mentioned herein, Layer 3 may include an RRC layer, which will be described in further detail below. As mentioned herein, Layer 2 may include a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer, a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, which will be described in further detail below. As mentioned herein, Layer 1 may include a physical (PHY) layer of a UE / RAN node, which will be described in further detail below.

[0101] Fig.18 is a block diagram illustrating components that can read instructions from a machine-readable medium or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium) and perform any one or more of the methods discussed herein, according to some example implementations. Specifically, Fig.18 A schematic diagram of hardware resources 1800 is shown, including one or more processors (or processor cores) 1810, one or more memory / storage devices 1820, and one or more communication resources 1830, each of which may be communicatively coupled via a bus 1840. For specific implementations in which node virtualization (e.g., NFV) is utilized, a hypervisor may be executed to provide an execution environment for one or more network slices / sub-slices to utilize the hardware resources 1800.

[0102] Processor 1810 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processor, a complex instruction set computing (CISC) processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a digital signal processor (DSP) (such as a baseband processor), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), another processor, or any suitable combination thereof) may include, for example, processor 1812 and processor 1814.

[0103] The memory / storage device 1820 may include main memory, disk storage, or any suitable combination thereof. The memory / storage device 1820 may include, but is not limited to, any type of volatile or non-volatile memory, such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, solid-state storage, etc.

[0104] In some specific implementations, the memory / storage device 1820 may receive and store a SL grant from the RAN node 222. The SL grant and / or other configuration information received from the RAN node 222 may specify the SL signal timing and gap for SL-U COT sharing with one or more other UEs 210. The RAN node 222 may also provide the UE 210 with information and instructions about the signal types (e.g., unicast, broadcast, and multicast signals) and channel types (e.g., PSFCH, PSSCH, and PSCCH) that can be used in the SL-U COT sharing scenario. The UE 210 may also receive configuration information about the maximum transmission power threshold that the UE 210 can use for the SL-U COT sharing scenario.

[0105] The communication resources 1830 may include an interconnect or network interface component or other suitable device to communicate with one or more peripheral devices 1804 or one or more databases 1806 via the network 1808. For example, the communication resources 1830 may include a wired communication component (e.g., for coupling via a universal serial bus (USB)), a cellular communication component, an NFC component, Components (e.g. Low power consumption), components and other communication components.

[0106] The instructions 1850 may include software, programs, applications, applet, applications, or other executable code for causing at least any one of the processors 1810 to perform any one or more of the methods discussed herein. The instructions 1850 may reside in whole or in part in at least one of the processors 1810 (e.g., in a cache memory of the processor), the memory / storage device 1820, or any suitable combination thereof. In addition, any portion of the instructions 1850 may be passed to the hardware resources 1800 from any combination of the peripheral device 1804 or the database 1806. Therefore, the memory of the processor 1810, the memory / storage device 1820, the peripheral device 1804, and the database 1806 are examples of computer-readable and machine-readable media.

[0107] Embodiments herein may include subject matter, such as a method, components for performing actions or blocks of the method, and at least one machine-readable medium including executable instructions that, when executed by a machine (e.g., a processor with memory, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), etc.), cause the machine to perform actions of a method or apparatus or system for concurrent communication using multiple communication technologies according to the described specific implementations and embodiments.

[0108] In embodiment 1, which may also include one or more of the embodiments described herein, a user equipment (UE) may include: a memory; and one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors are configured to cause the UE, when executing instructions stored in the memory, to: transmit a SL unlicensed spectrum (SL-U) channel occupancy time (COT) sharing configuration to one or more other UEs to initiate sidelink (SL) communication with the one or more other UEs; receive a response from the one or more other UEs based on the SL-UCOT sharing configuration; and communicate with the one or more other UEs based on the SL-UCOT sharing configuration.

[0109] In embodiment 2, which may also include one or more of the embodiments described herein, the SL-U COT sharing configuration includes gaps between UE transmissions of less than 16 microseconds (μs), 16 μs, or 25 μs.

[0110] In embodiment 3, which may also include one or more of the embodiments described herein, the SL-U COT sharing configuration includes gaps between UE transmissions of less than 25 μs.

[0111] In embodiment 4, which may also include one or more of the embodiments described herein, the SL-U COT sharing configuration includes gaps between UE transmissions of any length less than a maximum COT (MCOT).

[0112] In embodiment 5, which may also include one or more of the embodiments described herein, the one or more other UEs are limited to UEs that receive directly from the UE via unicast and respond to the SL-U COT sharing configuration.

[0113] In embodiment 6, which may also include one or more of the embodiments described herein, the one or more other UEs are limited to UEs that receive and respond to the SL-U COT sharing configuration directly from the UE via broadcast.

[0114] In embodiment 7, which may also include one or more of the embodiments described herein, the one or more other UEs are limited to UEs that receive and respond to the SL-U COT sharing configuration directly from the UE via multicast.

[0115] In embodiment 8, which may also include one or more of the embodiments described herein, the one or more other UEs include a UE that receives the SL-U COT sharing configuration originating from the UE directly or indirectly through another UE.

[0116] In embodiment 9, which may also include one or more of the embodiments described herein, the SL-U COT sharing configuration is provided via broadcast or multicast.

[0117] In embodiment 10, which may also include one or more of the embodiments described herein, the SL-U COT sharing configuration includes a transmission power threshold for SL-U COT sharing communication.

[0118] In embodiment 11, which may also include one or more of the embodiments described herein, the transmission power threshold is at least one of: cell-specific, UE-specific, UE group-specific, or determined autonomously by the UE.

[0119] In embodiment 12, which may also include one or more of the embodiments described herein, a method performed by a user equipment (UE) may include: transmitting a sidelink (SL) unlicensed spectrum (SL-U) channel occupancy time (COT) sharing configuration to one or more other UEs to initiate SL communication with the one or more other UEs; receiving a response from the one or more other UEs based on the SL-U COT sharing configuration; and communicating with the one or more other UEs based on the SL-U COT sharing configuration.

[0120] In embodiment 13, which may also include one or more of the embodiments described herein, a computer-readable medium may include: instructions, which when executed by one or more processors cause the one or more processors to: transmit a SL unlicensed spectrum (SL-U) channel occupancy time (COT) sharing configuration to one or more other UEs to initiate sidelink (SL) communication with the one or more other UEs; receive a response from the one or more other UEs based on the SL-U COT sharing configuration; and communicate with the one or more other UEs based on the SL-U COT sharing configuration.

[0121] The above description of illustrative examples, implementations, aspects, etc. of the disclosed subject matter, including what is described in the abstract, is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosed aspects to the precise forms disclosed. Although specific examples, implementations, aspects, etc. are described herein for illustrative purposes, various modifications can be considered within the scope of such examples, implementations, aspects, etc., as can be appreciated by those skilled in the relevant art.

[0122] In this regard, while the subject matter of the present disclosure has been described in conjunction with various examples, implementations, aspects, etc. and corresponding figures, it should be understood that other similar aspects may be used or modifications and additions may be made to the disclosed subject matter, where applicable, for performing the same, similar, alternative or alternative functions of the subject matter without departing from the disclosed subject matter. Therefore, the disclosed subject matter should not be limited to any single example, implementation, or aspect described herein, but should be interpreted in accordance with the breadth and scope of the following claims.

[0123] In particular, with respect to the various functions performed by the above-described components or structures (assemblies, devices, circuits, systems, etc.), unless otherwise specified, the terms used to describe such components (including references to "components") are intended to correspond to any component or structure that performs the specified function of the component (e.g., functionally equivalent), even if not structurally equivalent to the disclosed structures that perform the functions in the exemplary implementations illustrated herein. In addition, although particular features have been disclosed with respect to only one of several implementations, for any given application, such features may be combined with one or more other features of other implementations, which may be desirable and advantageous.

[0124] As used herein, the term "or" is intended to mean an inclusive "or" rather than an exclusive "or". That is, unless otherwise specified or clear from the context, "X employs A or B" is intended to mean any of the natural inclusive arrangements. That is, if X employs A; X employs B; or X employs both A and B, then "X employs A or B" is satisfied in any of the foregoing cases. In addition, the articles "a" and "an" used in this application and the appended claims should generally be interpreted as meaning "one or more" unless otherwise specified or clear from the context to be directed to the singular form. In addition, to the extent that the terms "including", "comprising", "having", "having", "with", or variations thereof are used in the detailed description or claims, such terms are intended to be included in a manner similar to the term "comprising". In addition, where one or more numbered items (e.g., "first X", "second X", etc.) are discussed, generally, the one or more numbered items may be different or they may be the same, but in some cases, the context may indicate that they are different or that they are the same.

[0125] It is understood that the use of personally identifiable information should be subject to privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized to meet or exceed industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and disposed of to minimize the risk of inadvertent or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly indicated to users.

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE), comprising: Memory; and one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors are configured to, when executing instructions stored in the memory, cause the UE to: transmitting a sidelink (SL) unlicensed spectrum (SL-U) channel occupancy time (COT) sharing configuration to one or more other UEs to initiate SL communication with the one or more other UEs; receiving a response from the one or more other UEs according to the SL-U COT sharing configuration; as well as Communicate with the one or more other UEs based on the SL-U COT sharing configuration.

2. The UE of claim 1, wherein the SL-U COT sharing configuration includes a gap between UE transmissions of less than 16 microseconds (μs), 16 μs, or 25 μs.

3. The UE of claim 1, wherein the SL-U COT sharing configuration includes gaps between UE transmissions of less than 25 μs.

4. The UE of claim 1 , wherein the SL-U COT sharing configuration includes gaps between UE transmissions of any length less than a maximum COT (MCOT).

5. The UE according to claim 1, wherein the one or more other UEs are limited to UEs that have received the SL-U COT sharing configuration directly from the UE via unicast and responded to the SL-U COT sharing configuration.

6. The UE according to claim 1, wherein the one or more other UEs are limited to UEs that have received the SL-U COT sharing configuration directly from the UE via broadcast and responded to the SL-U COT sharing configuration.

7. The UE according to claim 1, wherein the one or more other UEs are limited to UEs that have received the SL-U COT sharing configuration directly from the UE via multicast and responded to the SL-U COT sharing configuration.

8. The UE of claim 1, wherein the one or more other UEs include a UE that receives the SL-U COT sharing configuration originating from the UE directly or indirectly through another UE.

9. The UE of claim 8, wherein the SL-U COT sharing configuration is provided via broadcast or multicast.

10. The UE of claim 1, wherein the SL-U COT sharing configuration comprises a transmission power threshold for SL-U COT sharing communication.

11. The UE according to claim 10, wherein the transmission power threshold is at least one of: Community specific, UE-specific, UE group specific, or Determined autonomously by the UE.

12. A method performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: transmitting a sidelink (SL) unlicensed spectrum (SL-U) channel occupancy time (COT) sharing configuration to one or more other UEs to initiate SL communication with the one or more other UEs; receiving a response from the one or more other UEs according to the SL-U COT sharing configuration; as well as Communicate with the one or more other UEs based on the SL-U COT sharing configuration.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the SL-U COT sharing configuration includes gaps between UE transmissions of less than 16 microseconds (μs), 16 μs, or 25 μs.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the SL-U COT sharing configuration includes gaps between UE transmissions of less than 25 μs.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the SL-U COT sharing configuration includes gaps between UE transmissions of any length less than a maximum COT (MCOT).

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the one or more other UEs are limited to UEs that have received the SL-U COT sharing configuration directly from the UE via unicast and responded to the SL-U COT sharing configuration.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the one or more other UEs are limited to UEs that have received the SL-U COT sharing configuration directly from the UE via broadcast and responded to the SL-U COT sharing configuration.

18. A baseband processor of a user equipment (UE), the baseband processor comprising one or more processors, the one or more processors being configured to: transmitting a sidelink (SL) unlicensed spectrum (SL-U) channel occupancy time (COT) sharing configuration to one or more other UEs to initiate SL communication with the one or more other UEs; receiving a response from the one or more other UEs according to the SL-U COT sharing configuration; and Communicate with the one or more other UEs based on the SL-U COT sharing configuration.

19. The baseband processor of claim 18, wherein the SL-U COT sharing configuration includes gaps between UE transmissions of less than 16 microseconds (μs), 16 μs, or 25 μs.

20. The baseband processor of claim 18, wherein the SL-U COT sharing configuration includes gaps between UE transmissions of less than 25 μs.

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