Qualification for sidelink communication during shared channel occupancy time

Abstract

Wireless communication systems, apparatuses, and methods are provided. According to one aspect, a method of wireless communication performed by a first user equipment (UE) includes receiving, from a second UE, an indication of a channel occupancy time (COT) associated with the second UE; and transmitting a sidelink (SL) communication to the third UE in the shared portion of the COT. In some aspects, transmitting the SL communication is based on at least one of: a distance between the second UE and the third UE; or the channel condition between the second UE and the third UE.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to wireless communication systems, and more particularly to channel occupancy time sharing for sidelink communications. Background Art

[0002] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content, such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, etc. These systems may be capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). A wireless multiple-access communication system may include multiple base stations (BSs), each of which simultaneously supports communication for multiple communication devices, which may also be referred to as user equipment (UE).

[0003] In order to meet the growing demand for extended mobile broadband connectivity, wireless communication technology is evolving from LTE technology to next-generation new radio (NR) technology. For example, compared to LTE, NR is designed to provide lower latency, higher bandwidth or throughput, and higher reliability. NR is designed to operate on a wide spectrum band array, for example, from low bands below about 1 gigahertz (GHz) and mid-bands from about 1 GHz to about 6 GHz to high bands such as millimeter wave (mmWave) bands. NR is also designed to operate across different spectrum types, from licensed spectrum to unlicensed spectrum and shared spectrum. Spectrum sharing enables operators to have the opportunity to aggregate spectrum to dynamically support high-bandwidth services. Spectrum sharing can extend the benefits of NR technology to operating entities that may not have access to licensed spectrum.

[0004] NR can support various deployment scenarios to benefit from various spectrums in different frequency ranges, licensed and / or unlicensed, and / or coexistence of LTE and NR technologies. For example, NR can be deployed in standalone NR mode on licensed and / or unlicensed bands, or in dual connectivity mode with various combinations of NR and LTE on licensed and / or unlicensed bands.

[0005] In a wireless communication network, a BS can communicate with a UE in both the uplink and downlink directions. Sidelinks were introduced in LTE to allow a UE to transmit data to another UE (e.g., from one vehicle to another vehicle) without tunneling through the BS and / or associated core network. LTE sidelink technology has been extended to provide device-to-device (D2D) communications, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications, and / or cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) communications. Similarly, NR can be extended to support sidelink communications, D2D communications, V2X communications, and / or C-V2X on licensed and / or unlicensed bands (e.g., shared bands). Summary of the invention

[0006] The following summarizes some aspects of the disclosure to provide a basic understanding of the technology discussed. This summary is not an exhaustive overview of all contemplated features of the disclosure, and is neither intended to identify key or important elements of all aspects of the disclosure, nor to delineate the scope of any or all aspects of the disclosure. The sole purpose of this summary is to present some concepts of one or more aspects of the disclosure in a summarized form as a prelude to more specific embodiments presented later.

[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method for SL communication in an unlicensed band may include or involve: a UE sends SL communication to a non-COT initiating UE during a shared portion of a COT based on at least one of the distance between the COT initiating UE and the receiving UE or the channel condition between the COT initiating UE and the receiving UE. For example, if the UE sharing the COT determines that the distance between the COT initiating UE and the receiving UE exceeds a configured distance threshold, the UE sharing the COT may avoid transmitting to the receiving UE during the shared portion of the COT. In this regard, a relatively large distance may reduce the reliability of an idle channel assessment of a COT initiating UE or a COT sharing UE in estimating or predicting the interference experienced by the receiving UE. Similarly, a poor channel condition (e.g., high path loss, low received signal power) between the COT initiating UE and the receiving UE may also reduce the confidence of the idle channel assessment in predicting the interference experienced by the receiving UE.

[0008] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method of wireless communication performed by a first user equipment (UE) includes: receiving an indication of a channel occupancy time (COT) associated with the second UE from a second UE; and sending a side link (SL) communication to a third UE in a shared portion of the COT, wherein sending the SL communication is based on at least one of: the distance between the second UE and the third UE; or the channel condition between the second UE and the third UE.

[0009] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method of wireless communication performed by a first user equipment (UE) includes: sending an indication of a channel occupancy time (COT) initiated by the first UE to a second UE; and sending a list of one or more UEs eligible to receive side link (SL) communications from the second UE in a shared portion of the COT to the second UE, wherein the one or more UEs are different from the first UE and the second UE, and wherein the list is based on at least one of: a distance between the first UE and each of the one or more UEs; or a channel condition between the first UE and each of the one or more UEs.

[0010] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a first user equipment (UE) includes: a memory device; a transceiver; and a processor that communicates with the memory device and the transceiver, wherein the UE is configured to: receive an indication of a channel occupancy time (COT) associated with the second UE from a second UE; and send a side link (SL) communication to a third UE in a shared portion of the COT, wherein the sending of the SL communication is based on at least one of: the distance between the second UE and the third UE; or the channel condition between the second UE and the third UE.

[0011] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a first user equipment (UE) includes: a memory device; a transceiver; and a processor that communicates with the memory device and the transceiver, wherein the UE is configured to: send an indication of a channel occupancy time (COT) initiated by the first UE to a second UE; and send a list of one or more UEs eligible to receive side link (SL) communications from the second UE in a shared portion of the COT to the second UE, wherein the one or more UEs are different from the first UE and the second UE, and wherein the list is based on at least one of: a distance between the first UE and each of the one or more UEs; or a channel condition between the first UE and each of the one or more UEs.

[0012] When reading the following description of specific exemplary embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, other aspects, features and examples of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. Although the features of the present invention may be discussed below with respect to certain aspects and the accompanying drawings, all examples of the present invention may include one or more of the advantageous features discussed herein. In other words, although one or more examples may be discussed as having certain advantageous features, one or more of such features may also be used according to the various examples of the present invention discussed herein. In a similar manner, although exemplary aspects may be discussed below as device, system or method examples, it should be understood that such exemplary examples may be implemented in various devices, systems and methods. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 A wireless communication network according to some aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0014] Figure 2 An example of a wireless communication network providing sidelink communications according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0015] Figure 3 An example of COT shared resources according to some aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0016] Figure 4An example of frequency division multiplexing of COT shared resources according to some aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0017] Figure 5 An example of time division multiplexing of COT shared resources according to some aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0018] Figure 6 is a signaling diagram of a wireless communication method according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0019] Figure 7 is a block diagram of an exemplary user equipment (UE) according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 8 is a block diagram of an exemplary network element according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0021] Fig. 9 is a flow chart of a communication method according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0022] Fig.10 is a flow chart of a communication method according to some aspects of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The detailed description set forth below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings is intended as a description of various configurations and is not intended to represent the only configurations in which the concepts described herein may be practiced. In order to provide a thorough understanding of the various concepts, the detailed description includes specific details. However, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, in order to avoid obscuring such concepts, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form.

[0024] The present disclosure as a whole relates to wireless communication systems, which are also referred to as wireless communication networks. In various instances, techniques and devices can be used for wireless communication networks, such as code division multiple access (CDMA) networks, time division multiple access (TDMA) networks, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) networks, orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) networks, single carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) networks, LTE networks, GSM networks, 5th generation (5G) or new radio (NR) networks, and other communication networks. As described herein, the terms "network" and "system" can be used interchangeably.

[0025] OFDMA network can realize radio technology such as Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, IEEE 802.16, IEEE 802.20, flash-OFDM, etc. UTRA, E-UTRA and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) are parts of Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). Specifically, Long Term Evolution (LTE) is a version of UMTS using E-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, GSM, UMTS and LTE are described in documents provided by an organization named "3rd Generation Partnership Project" (3GPP), and cdma2000 is described in documents from an organization named "3rd Generation Partnership Project 2" (3GPP2). These radio technologies and standards are known or under development. For example, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is a collaboration between telecommunication association groups with the goal of defining a globally applicable third generation (3G) mobile phone specification. 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) is a 3GPP plan to improve the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) mobile phone standard. 3GPP may define specifications for next generation mobile networks, mobile systems, and mobile devices. The present disclosure relates to the evolution from LTE, 4G, 5G, NR and beyond wireless technologies, where access to the wireless spectrum is shared between networks using a range of new and different radio access technologies or radio air interfaces.

[0026] Specifically, 5G networks consider various deployments, various spectrums, and various services and devices that can be implemented using a unified air interface based on OFDM. To achieve these goals, in addition to developing new radio technologies for 5G NR networks, further enhancements to LTE and LTE-A are also considered. 5G NR will be able to scale to (1) ultra-high density (e.g., about 1M nodes / km) 2 (1) provide coverage for the massive Internet of Things (IoT) with ultra-low complexity (e.g., on the order of tens of bits / second), ultra-low energy (e.g., on the order of 10+ years of battery life), and deep coverage with the ability to reach challenging locations; (2) provide coverage including mission-critical control with strong security to protect sensitive personal, financial, or classified information, ultra-high reliability (e.g., on the order of 99.9999% reliability), ultra-low latency (e.g., on the order of 1 millisecond), and for users with extensive mobility or lack of mobility; and (3) provide coverage with enhanced mobile broadband (including extremely high capacity (e.g., on the order of 10 Tbps / km 2 ), extremely high data rates (e.g., multi-Gbps rates, 100+Mbps user experience rates), and deep awareness coverage with advanced discovery and optimization.

[0027] 5G NR can be implemented using an optimized OFDM-based waveform with scalable parameter sets and transmission time intervals (TTIs); with a common, flexible framework to efficiently multiplex services and features using dynamic low-latency time division duplex (TDD) / frequency division duplex (FDD) designs; and with advanced wireless technologies such as massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), robust millimeter wave (mmWave) transmission, advanced channel decoding, and device-centric mobility. The scalability of parameter sets in 5G NR and the scaling of subcarrier spacing can efficiently address various services operating across different spectrums and different deployments. For example, in various outdoor and macro coverage deployments of less than 3GHz FDD / TDD implementations, the subcarrier spacing may appear at 15kHz on bandwidths (BW) such as 5MHz, 10MHz, 20MHz, etc. For other various outdoor and small cell coverage deployments of TDD greater than 3GHz, the subcarrier spacing may appear at 30kHz on 80MHz / 100MHz BW. For various other indoor broadband implementations, using TDD on the unlicensed portion of the 5 GHz band, subcarrier spacing may occur at 60 kHz over 160 MHz BW. Finally, for various deployments transmitting with the mmWave component at 28 GHz TDD, subcarrier spacing may occur at 120 kHz over 500 MHz BW.

[0028] 5G NR's scalable parameter sets facilitate scalable TTIs for different latency and quality of service (QoS) requirements. For example, shorter TTIs can be used for low latency and high reliability, while longer TTIs can be used for higher spectral efficiency. Efficient multiplexing of long and short TTIs allows transmission to start on symbol boundaries. 5G NR also envisions a self-contained integrated subframe design with uplink / downlink scheduling information, data, and acknowledgment in the same subframe. The self-contained integrated subframe supports communications in unlicensed spectrum or contention-based shared spectrum, adaptive uplink / downlink, which can be flexibly configured on a per-cell basis to dynamically switch between uplink and downlink to meet current business needs.

[0029] The various other aspects and features of the present disclosure are further described below. It should be apparent that the teachings herein can be embodied in various forms, and any specific structure, function, or both disclosed herein are merely representative and not restrictive. Based on the teachings herein, it should be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented independently of any other aspects, and two or more of these aspects can be combined in various ways. For example, any number of aspects set forth herein can be used to implement a device or practice a method. In addition, such a device can be implemented or such a method can be practiced using other structures, functionality, or structures and functionality other than or different from one or more of the aspects set forth herein. For example, the method can be implemented as a part of a system, device, device, and / or implemented as instructions stored on a computer-readable medium for execution on a processor or computer. In addition, an aspect can include at least one element of a claim.

[0030] Deploying NR on unlicensed spectrum is called NR unlicensed (NR-U). The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) are working to regulate 6 GHz as a new unlicensed band for wireless communications. The addition of the 6 GHz band allows hundreds of megahertz (MHz) of bandwidth (BW) to be used for unlicensed band communications. Additionally, NR-U can also be deployed on the 2.4 GHz unlicensed band, which is currently shared by various radio access technologies (RATs) such as IEEE 802.11 wireless local area networks (WLANs) or WiFi and / or license assisted access (LAA). Sidelink communications can benefit from utilizing the additional bandwidth available in unlicensed spectrum. However, channel access in a specific unlicensed spectrum can be managed by official agencies. For example, some unlicensed bands may impose restrictions on the power spectral density (PSD) and / or minimum occupied channel bandwidth (OCB) of transmissions in unlicensed bands. For example, the unlicensed national information infrastructure (UNII) radio band has a minimum OCB requirement of about at least 70%.

[0031] Some sidelink systems may operate on a 20 MHz bandwidth in an unlicensed band, e.g., for listen-before-talk (LBT) based channel access. The BS may configure a sidelink resource pool for sidelink communications on one or more 20 MHz LBT sub-bands. The sidelink resource pool is typically allocated with a plurality of frequency subchannels within a sidelink bandwidth part (SL-BWP), and the sidelink UE may select a sidelink resource (e.g., one or more subchannels in frequency and one or more time slots in time) for sidelink communications from the sidelink resource pool.

[0032] The deployment of a communication system such as a 5G New Radio (NR) system may be arranged with various components or constituent parts in a variety of ways. In a 5G NR system or network, a network node, a network entity, a mobility element of a network, a radio access network (RAN) node, a core network node, a network element or network equipment such as a base station (BS) or one or more units (or one or more components) performing base station functions may be implemented in an aggregated or decomposed architecture. For example, a BS such as a Node B (NB), an evolved NB (eNB), an NR BS, a 5G NB, an access point (AP), a transmit receive point (TRP) or a cell, etc. may be implemented as an aggregated base station (also referred to as an independent BS or a monolithic BS) or a decomposed base station.

[0033] A converged base station may be configured to utilize a radio protocol stack physically or logically integrated within a single RAN node. A decomposed base station may be configured to utilize a protocol stack physically or logically distributed between two or more units, such as one or more central or centralized units (CUs), one or more distributed units (DUs), or one or more radio units (RUs). In some aspects, a CU may be implemented within a RAN node, and one or more DUs may be co-located with the CU, or alternatively, may be geographically or virtually distributed in one or more other RAN nodes. A DU may be implemented to communicate with one or more RUs. Each of a CU, a DU, and a RU may also be implemented as a virtual unit, i.e., a virtual central unit (VCU), a virtual distributed unit (VDU), or a virtual radio unit (VRU).

[0034] Base station type operations or network designs may take into account the aggregated nature of base station functionality. For example, a disaggregated base station may be used in an integrated access backhaul (IAB) network, an open radio access network (O-RAN (network configurations such as those initiated by the O-RAN Alliance)), or a virtualized radio access network (vRAN, also known as a cloud radio access network (C-RAN)). Decomposition may include distributing functions across two or more units at various physical locations, as well as virtually distributing the functions of at least one unit, which may enable flexibility in network design. Various units of a disaggregated base station or disaggregated RAN architecture may be configured for wired or wireless communication with at least one other unit.

[0035] In some aspects, one or more UEs in a network may communicate with each other using an unlicensed band or a shared band. Due to the nature of an unlicensed band or channel, a UE may perform a channel access procedure to evaluate interference on one or more bands before transmitting. If the total interference detected during a configured sensing window is below a threshold, the UE may acquire a time window, which may be a channel occupancy time (COT), during which the UE may communicate with one or more other UEs. In some aspects, a UE may expect to share at least a portion of a COT with one or more other UEs. For example, a UE that performs a channel access procedure and acquires or initiates a COT may share a portion of the COT with a second UE so that the second UE may communicate back to the COT initiating UE. UEs sharing a COT may perform additional channel access procedures before communicating in a shared portion of the COT. In some scenarios, it may be desirable to allow a UE sharing a COT to transmit to one or more UEs other than a COT initiating UE. For example, a first UE may initiate a COT and share a portion of the COT with a second UE. The second UE may have SL communications scheduled for a third UE. For example, the second UE may have SL feedback information to communicate to the third UE during the shared portion of the COT. Although the second UE may also perform a channel access procedure before communicating in the shared portion of the COT, neither the first channel access procedure performed by the first UE nor the second channel access procedure performed by the second UE may adequately represent the interference or channel conditions experienced by the third UE that will receive SL communications from the second UE. For example, the distance between the first UE and the third UE may be considerable, or the environment may cause significant path loss to communications to the third UE.

[0036] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method for SL communication in an unlicensed band may include or involve: a UE sends SL communication to a non-COT initiating UE during a shared portion of a COT based on at least one of the distance between the COT initiating UE and the receiving UE or the channel condition between the COT initiating UE and the receiving UE. For example, if the UE sharing the COT determines that the distance between the COT initiating UE and the receiving UE exceeds a configured distance threshold, the UE sharing the COT may avoid transmitting to the receiving UE during the shared portion of the COT. In this regard, a relatively large distance may reduce the reliability of an idle channel assessment of a COT initiating UE or a COT sharing UE in estimating or predicting the interference experienced by the receiving UE. Similarly, a poor channel condition (e.g., high path loss, low received signal power) between the COT initiating UE and the receiving UE may also reduce the confidence of the idle channel assessment in predicting the interference experienced by the receiving UE.

[0037] In some aspects, the schemes and mechanisms described herein may include: the COT initiating UE sends a list to the COT sharing UE, the list indicating one or more UEs eligible to receive communications during the shared portion of the COT. The list may be generated, determined, or otherwise created based on a comparison of an estimated distance between the COT initiating UE and one or more other UEs and a configured distance threshold. On the other hand, the list may be generated, determined, or otherwise created based on a comparison of an estimated channel condition (e.g., path loss, received signal power) between the COT initiating UE and one or more other UEs and a configured channel condition threshold.

[0038] The scheme, mechanism and associated aspects of the present disclosure provide several advantages. For example, although the UE receiving the COT sharing indication may not have data and / or signaling to send to the COT initiating UE, the COT sharing UE can still utilize the resources in the shared frequency band by sending scheduled data and / or signaling with another UE. In addition, communicating in a shared COT based on the distance and / or channel conditions between the COT initiating UE and the receiving UE can reduce the probability of conflicts in the shared frequency band, thereby more efficiently using network resources, reducing overhead and power waste, and improving user experience.

[0039] Figure 1 A wireless communication network 100 according to some aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The network 100 includes several base stations (BSs) 105 and other network entities. The BSs 105 may be stations that communicate with the UEs 115 and may also be referred to as evolved Node Bs (eNBs), next generation eNBs (gNBs), access points, etc. Each BS 105 may provide communication coverage for a particular geographic area. In 3GPP, the term "cell" may refer to that particular geographic coverage area of ​​the BS 105 and / or a BS subsystem serving that coverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used.

[0040] BS105 may provide communication coverage for macro cells or small cells (such as pico cells or femto cells) and / or other types of cells. Macro cells generally cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., several kilometers in radius) and may allow unrestricted access by UEs with service subscriptions with a network provider. Small cells (such as pico cells) will generally cover a relatively small geographic area and may allow unrestricted access by UEs with service subscriptions with a network provider. Small cells (such as femto cells) will generally also cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a home) and, in addition to unrestricted access, may also provide restricted access by UEs associated with the femto cells (e.g., UEs in a closed subscriber group (CSG), UEs of users in a home, etc.). A BS for a macro cell may be referred to as a macro BS. A BS for a small cell may be referred to as a small cell BS, a pico BS, a femto BS, or a home BS. In Figure 1 In the example shown, BS105d and 105e may be conventional macro BSs, while BS105a to 105c may be macro BSs with one of three-dimensional (3D), full-dimensional (FD) or massive MIMO capabilities. BS105a to 105c may utilize their higher-dimensional MIMO capabilities to employ 3D beamforming in both elevation and azimuth beamforming to increase coverage and capacity. BS105f may be a small cell BS, which may be a home node or a portable access point. BS105 may support one or more (e.g., two, three, four, etc.) cells.

[0041] Network 100 may support synchronous operation or asynchronous operation. For synchronous operation, the BSs may have similar frame timing, and transmissions from different BSs may be approximately aligned in time. For asynchronous operation, the BSs may have different frame timing, and transmissions from different BSs may not be aligned in time.

[0042] UE 115 is dispersed throughout the wireless network 100, and each UE 115 can be stationary or mobile. UE 115 may also be referred to as a terminal, a mobile station, a subscriber unit, a station, etc. UE 115 may be a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, a wireless communication device, a handheld device, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a cordless phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, etc. In one aspect, UE 115 may be a device including a universal integrated circuit card (UICC). On the other hand, UE may be a device that does not include a UICC. In some aspects, UE 115 that does not include a UICC may also be referred to as an IoT device or an Internet of Everything (IoE) device. UE 115a-115d is an example of a mobile smart phone type device that accesses the network 100. UE 115 may also be a machine that is specifically configured for connected communications (including machine type communications (MTC), enhanced MTC (eMTC), narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), etc.). UE 115e-115h are examples of various machines configured for communication to access network 100. UE 115i-115k are examples of vehicles equipped with wireless communication devices configured for communication to access network 100. UE 115 may be able to communicate with any type of BS, whether macro BS, small cell, etc. Figure 1 , a lightning symbol (e.g., a communication link) indicates wireless transmission between UE 115 and a serving BS 105 (which is a BS designated to serve UE 115 on a downlink (DL) and / or uplink (UL)), desired transmission between BSs 105, backhaul transmission between BSs, or sidelink transmission between UE 115.

[0043] In operation, BSs 105a-105c use 3D beamforming and cooperative spatial techniques such as coordinated multipoint (CoMP) or multiple connections to serve UEs 115a and 115b. Macro BS 105d may perform backhaul communications with BSs 105a to 105c and small cell BS 105f. Macro BS 105d may also transmit multicast services that UEs 115c and 115d subscribe to and receive. Such multicast services may include mobile TV or streaming video, or may include other services for providing community information, such as weather emergencies or alerts, such as Amber alerts or gray alerts.

[0044] BS 105 may also communicate with a core network. The core network may provide user authentication, access authorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connections, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. At least some of BSs 105 (e.g., which may be examples of evolved Node Bs (eNBs) or access node controllers (ANCs)) may interface with the core network 130 via a backhaul link (e.g., S1, S2, etc.), and may perform radio configuration and scheduling to communicate with UE 115. In various examples, BSs 105 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via a core network) via a backhaul link (e.g., X1, X2, etc.), which may be a wired communication link or a wireless communication link.

[0045] The network 100 may also support mission-critical communications with ultra-reliable and redundant links for mission-critical devices such as UE 115e, which may be a vehicle (e.g., a car, truck, bus, autonomous vehicle, airplane, ship, etc.). The redundant communication links with UE 115e may include links from macro BSs 105d and 105e, and a link from a small cell BS 105f. Other machine-type devices such as UE 115f (e.g., a thermometer), UE 115g (e.g., a smart meter), and UE 115h (e.g., a wearable device) may communicate directly with a BS such as small cell BS 105f and macro BS 105e through the network 100, or in a multi-hop configuration by communicating with another user device that relays its information to the network, such as UE 115f communicating temperature measurement information to smart meter UE 115g, which is then reported to the network through the small cell BS 105f. In some aspects, the UE 115h may harvest energy from the surrounding environment associated with the UE 115h. The network 100 may also provide additional network efficiency through dynamic, low-latency TDD / FDD communications such as vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications between the UE 115i, 115j, or 115k and other UEs 115, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications, cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) communications, and / or vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications between the UE 115i, 115j, or 115k and the BS 105.

[0046] In some implementations, the network 100 utilizes an OFDM-based waveform for communication. An OFDM-based system may divide the system BW into multiple (K) orthogonal subcarriers, which are also commonly referred to as subcarriers, tones, frequency bins, etc. Each subcarrier may be modulated with data. In some instances, the subcarrier spacing between adjacent subcarriers may be fixed, and the total number of subcarriers (K) may depend on the system BW. The system BW may also be divided into subbands. In other instances, the subcarrier spacing and / or the duration of the TTI may be scalable.

[0047] In some instances, BS 105 may assign or schedule transmission resources (e.g., in the form of time-frequency resource blocks (RBs)) for downlink (DL) transmission and uplink (UL) transmission in network 100. DL refers to the transmission direction from BS 105 to UE 115, and UL refers to the transmission direction from UE 115 to BS 105. The communication may be in the form of a radio frame. A radio frame may be divided into a plurality of subframes, e.g., about 10. Each subframe may be divided into time slots, e.g., about 2. Each time slot may also be divided into micro-time slots. In FDD mode, simultaneous UL transmission and DL transmission may occur in different frequency bands. For example, each subframe includes a UL subframe in a UL frequency band and a DL subframe in a DL frequency band. In TDD mode, UL transmission and DL transmission occur in different time periods using the same frequency band. For example, a subframe subset (e.g., a DL subframe) in a radio frame may be used for DL ​​transmission, and another subframe subset (e.g., a UL subframe) in a radio frame may be used for UL transmission.

[0048] DL subframes and UL subframes may also be divided into several zones. For example, each DL subframe or UL subframe may have a predefined zone for the transmission of reference signals, control information, and data. Reference signals are predetermined signals that facilitate communication between BS105 and UE 115. For example, reference signals may have a specific pilot pattern or structure, wherein pilot tones may span an operational BW or frequency band, and each pilot tone is located at a predefined time and a predefined frequency. For example, BS105 may send a cell-specific reference signal (CRS) and / or a channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS) to enable UE 115 to estimate a DL channel. Similarly, UE 115 may send a sounding reference signal (SRS) to enable BS105 to estimate an UL channel. Control information may include resource assignments and protocol control. Data may include protocol data and / or operational data. In some instances, BS105 and UE 115 may communicate using self-contained subframes. Self-contained subframes may include a portion for DL ​​communication and a portion for UL communication. A self-contained subframe may be DL-centric or UL-centric. A DL-centric subframe may include a DL communication duration that is longer than a UL communication duration. A UL-centric subframe may include a UL communication duration that is longer than a UL communication duration.

[0049] In some instances, network 100 may be an NR network deployed on a licensed spectrum. BS 105 may send synchronization signals (e.g., including a primary synchronization signal (PSS) and a secondary synchronization signal (SSS)) in network 100 to facilitate synchronization. BS 105 may broadcast system information associated with network 100 (e.g., including a master information block (MIB), remaining minimum system information (RMSI), and other system information (OSI)) to facilitate initial network access. In some instances, BS 105 may broadcast PSS, SSS, and / or MIB in the form of a synchronization signal block (SSB) on a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), and may broadcast RMSI and / or OSI on a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

[0050] In some examples, a UE 115 attempting to access the network 100 may perform an initial cell search by detecting the PSS from the BS 105. The PSS may enable synchronization of period timing and may indicate a physical layer identification value. The UE 115 may then receive the SSS. The SSS may enable radio frame synchronization and may provide a cell identification value that may be combined with the physical layer identification value to identify the cell. The SSS may also enable detection of duplex mode and cyclic prefix length. The PSS and SSS may be located in the center portion of the carrier or at any suitable frequency within the carrier.

[0051] After receiving the PSS and SSS, the UE 115 may receive the MIB. The MIB may include system information for initial network access and scheduling information for RMSI and / or OSI. After decoding the MIB, the UE 115 may receive the RMSI and / or OSI. The RMSI and / or OSI may include radio resource control (RRC) information related to random access channel (RACH) procedures, paging, control resource sets (CORESET) for physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitoring, physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), power control, SRS, and cell barring.

[0052] After obtaining the MIB, RMSI, and / or OSI, the UE 115 may perform a random access procedure to establish a connection with the BS 105. For the random access procedure, the UE 115 may send a random access preamble, and the BS 105 may respond with a random access response. Upon receiving the random access response, the UE 115 may send a connection request to the BS 105, and the BS 105 may respond with a connection response (e.g., a contention resolution message).

[0053] After the connection is established, the UE 115 and the BS 105 may enter a normal operation phase in which operational data may be exchanged. For example, the BS 105 may schedule the UE 115 for UL communication and / or DL ​​communication. The BS 105 may send an UL scheduling grant and / or a DL scheduling grant to the UE 115 via the PDCCH. The BS 105 may send a DL communication signal to the UE 115 via the PDSCH according to the DL scheduling grant. The UE 115 may send an UL communication signal to the BS 105 via the PUSCH and / or the PUCCH according to the UL scheduling grant.

[0054] The network 100 may be designed to implement a wide range of use cases. Although in some examples, the network 100 may utilize a monolithic base station, there are several other architectures that can be used to perform various aspects of the present disclosure. For example, the BS 105 may be separated into a remote radio head (RRH) and a baseband unit (BBU). The BBU may be concentrated in a BBU pool and connected to the RRH via a low latency and high bandwidth transmission link (such as an optical transmission link). The BBU pool may be a cloud-based resource. In some aspects, baseband processing is performed on a virtualized server running in a data center rather than co-located with the BS 105. In another example, the base station functionality may be split between a remote unit (RU), a distributed unit (DU), and a central unit (CU). The RU typically performs low physical layer functions, while the DU performs higher layer functions, which may include higher physical layer functions. The CU performs higher RAN functions, such as radio resource control (RRC).

[0055] For simplicity of discussion, the present disclosure refers to the methods of the present disclosure being performed by a base station or more generally by a network entity, while the functionality may be performed by various architectures other than a monolithic base station. In addition to a disaggregated base station, various aspects of the present disclosure may also be performed by a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a radio unit (RU), a near real-time (near RT) RAN intelligent controller (RIC), a non-real-time (non-RT) RIC, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a relay node, a sidelink node, etc.

[0056] In some aspects, UE 115i may perform a listen-before-talk (LBT) procedure. UE 115i may obtain a channel occupancy time (COT) based on the success of the LBT procedure. UE 115i may send COT sharing information to UE 115j during the COT for sharing the COT with UE 115j.

[0057] Figure 2 1 illustrates an example of a wireless communication network 200 that provides side link communications according to aspects of the present disclosure. The network 200 may correspond to a portion of the network 100. For the purpose of simplifying the discussion, Figure 2 Two BSs 205 (shown as 205a and 205b) and six UEs 215 (shown as 215a1, 215a2, 215a3, 215a4, 215b1, and 215b2) are illustrated, but it will be appreciated that aspects of the present disclosure may be scaled to any suitable number of UEs 215 (e.g., about 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, or more) and / or BSs 205 (e.g., about 1, 3, or more). BSs 205 and UEs 215 may be similar to BSs 105 and UEs 115, respectively. BSs 205 and UEs 215 may share the same radio band for communication. In some instances, the radio band may be a 2.4 GHz unlicensed band, a 5 GHz unlicensed band, or a 6 GHz unlicensed band. Generally, the shared radio band may be at any suitable frequency.

[0058] BS205a and UE 215a1-215a4 may be operated by a first network operating entity. BS205b and UE 215b1-215b2 may be operated by a second network operating entity. In some aspects, the first network operating entity may use the same RAT as the second network operating entity. For example, BS205a and UE 215a1-215a4 of the first network operating entity and BS205b and UE 215b1-215b2 of the second network operating entity are NR-U devices. In some other aspects, the first network operating entity may use a different RAT from the second network operating entity. For example, BS205a and UE 215a1-215a4 of the first network operating entity may utilize NR-U technology, while BS205b and UE 215b1-215b2 of the second network operating entity may utilize WiFi or LAA technology.

[0059] In network 200, some UEs in UE 215a1-215a4 can communicate with each other in peer-to-peer communication. For example, UE 215a1 can communicate with UE 215a2 through side link 252, UE 215a3 can communicate with UE 215a4 through another side link 251, and UE 215b1 can communicate with UE 215b2 through another side link 254. Side links 251, 252 and 254 are unicast bidirectional links. Some UEs in UE 215 can also communicate with BS 205a or BS 205b in UL direction and / or DL ​​direction via communication link 253. For example, UE 215a1, 215a3 and 215a4 are in the coverage area 210 of BS 205a, and therefore can communicate with BS 205a. UE 215a2 is outside the coverage area 210, and therefore can not communicate directly with BS 205a. In some instances, UE 215a1 may operate as a repeater for UE 215a2 to reach BS 205a. Similarly, UE 215b1 is within the coverage area 212 of BS 205b, and therefore may communicate with BS 205b, and may operate as a repeater for UE 215b2 to reach BS 205b. In some aspects, some of UEs 215 are associated with vehicles (e.g., similar to UE 115i-k), and the communications conducted through side links 251, 252, and 254 may be C-V2X communications. C-V2X communications may refer to communications between a vehicle and any other wireless communication device in a cellular network.

[0060] In some aspects, UE 215 may communicate with each other based on the distance between them. For example, UE 215a1 and 215a2 may be separated by distance 262. In some aspects, one or both UEs in UE 215a1, 215a2 may be configured to determine distance 262 based on one or more indications from another UE. For example, one or both UEs in UE 215a1, 215a2 may be configured to send a signal indicating a regional identifier (ID), which indicates the global position or region of the UE. Therefore, the regional ID may be used as a representation of the global positioning of the UE to estimate or determine distance 262. In some aspects, distance 262 may be large enough to affect one or more aspects of the communication between UE 215a1, 215a2. For example, distance 262 may be large enough to cause communication difficulties due to the path loss between UE 215a1, 215a2. On the other hand, if the distance 262 is large, the interference experienced by each of the UEs 215a1, 215a2 may be significantly different, so that the interference experienced by one of the UEs 215a1, 215a2 may be a poor representation of the interference experienced by another of the UEs 215a1, 215a2. Therefore, the channel assessment (e.g., idle channel assessment, LBT, etc.) performed by the UE 215a1 to initiate the channel occupation time (COT) may not take into account the degree of interference experienced by the UE 215a2 during the COT. However, on the other hand, the distance 264 between the UE 215a1 and the UE 215a3 may be small enough so that the CCA performed by the UE 215a1 may adequately estimate the channel conditions experienced by the UE 215a3. In addition, the path loss experienced for the communication between the UE 215a1 and the UE 215a3 may be less than the path loss for the communication between the UE 215a1 and the UE 215a2.

[0061] Figure 3 An example of COT shared resources according to some aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. Figure 3, the x-axis represents some arbitrary unit of time, and the y-axis represents some arbitrary unit of frequency. In some aspects, a first side link UE (e.g., UE 115 or UE 700) may perform a listen-before-talk (LBT) procedure to obtain access to COT 320. The first side link UE may perform an LBT procedure or other clear channel assessment (CCA) on one or more side link communication channels. In some instances, the first side link UE may perform an LBT procedure or other CCA to obtain access to COT 320 in an unlicensed (e.g., shared) spectrum. For example, the first side link UE may perform a category 1 LBT, a category 2 LBT, a category 3 LBT, and / or a category 4 LBT to obtain access to COT 320 in an unlicensed spectrum. In some aspects, the first side link UE may perform LBT in one or more time resources, space resources, and / or frequency resources. These frequency resources may include spectrum, frequency band, frequency subband, frequency subchannel, resource element, resource block, and / or frequency interleaving. These time resources may include time slots, sub-time slots, symbols, subframes, or any other suitable time resources. In some aspects, the first sidelink UE may perform LBT for one or more directional beams (e.g., beams in the direction of a UE to which the first sidelink UE intends to send communications and / or from which it intends to receive communications).

[0062] The first sidelink UE may acquire COT 320 based on the success of LBT procedure 322. The first sidelink UE may acquire COT 320 to send communications to another sidelink UE. Additionally or alternatively, the first sidelink UE may share COT with other sidelink UEs.

[0063] The first sidelink UE may send COT sharing information for sharing COT 320 with the second sidelink UE to a second sidelink UE (e.g., UE 115, UE 215, or UE 700). The first sidelink UE may send COT sharing information to the second sidelink UE during COT 320, as indicated by arrow 324. The COT sharing information may include a COT resource allocation indicating resources that the second sidelink UE can use to share COT 320. In some aspects, the first sidelink UE may send COT sharing information to the second sidelink UE and other sidelink UEs (e.g., a sidelink UE group, a sidelink UE set). The first sidelink UE may send COT sharing information including resource allocation to the sidelink UE set to share the COT with the sidelink UE set. For example, the first sidelink UE may send COT sharing information to a third sidelink UE, as indicated by arrow 326.

[0064] In some aspects, the first sidelink UE may send the COT sharing information via sidelink control information (SCI) 314 (e.g., SCI-1, SCI-2), an RRC message, a PSCCH message, a PSSCH 312 message, or other suitable communication. For example, the first sidelink UE may send the COT sharing information in the SL_COT_SharingInformation field via sidelink control information 2 (SCI-2).

[0065] In some aspects, the COT sharing information may include information (e.g., parameters, resources, settings, commands, etc.) for enabling the first sidelink UE to share the COT 320 with other sidelink UEs (e.g., second sidelink UEs). Sharing the COT 320 with other sidelink UEs may enable the other sidelink UEs to send and / or receive communications during the COT 320 in an efficient and coordinated manner. In some aspects, the COT sharing information may include an identifier associated with the set of sidelink UEs that share the COT 320. The sidelink UE identifier may include a layer one identifier that is unique to each sidelink UE that shares the COT.

[0066] In some aspects, the COT sharing information may include a time resource allocation associated with the COT sharing. For example, the time resource allocation may include a COT start time, a COT end time, and / or a COT duration. The time resource allocation may include time resources (e.g., time slots, sub-time slots, symbols, frames, etc.) allocated to the sidelink UE set sharing the COT 320. For example, the time resource allocation may indicate an index indicating the starting time slot and / or sub-time slot allocated to the sidelink UE set. The time resource allocation may indicate the number of time resources (e.g., the number of time slots, sub-time slots, and / or symbols) allocated to the sidelink UE set. For example, the time resource allocation may indicate that time slot 1 is allocated to the first sidelink UE, time slot 2 is allocated to the second sidelink UE, and time slot 3 is allocated to the third sidelink UE. The first sidelink UE may indicate the time resource allocation to the sidelink UE sharing the COT in the time domain resource allocation (TDRA) via SCI-1.

[0067] In some aspects, the time resource allocation included in the COT sharing information may indicate time resources associated with the shared COT relative to when the LBT procedure 322 was successful. For example, if the first sidelink UE performs a successful LBT 322 at time slot i, the time resource allocation may indicate resources associated with COT sharing relative to time slot i. In some instances, the time resource allocation may indicate resources associated with COT sharing as a number (e.g., an integer number) of time slots, a number of sub-time slots, or a number of symbols from time slot i (e.g., the end of time slot i and / or the beginning of time slot i). In some aspects, the time resource allocation may indicate resources associated with COT sharing as a time value (e.g., a number of milliseconds) relative to time slot i.

[0068] In some aspects, the COT sharing information may indicate a COT duration. The COT duration may indicate a time period during which the side link UE shares the COT 320, during which the first side link UE and the COT sharing UE may communicate. The COT duration may start from a successful LBT 322 performed by the first side link UE. In some aspects, the COT duration may be based on the amount of data (e.g., transport blocks) that the first side link UE and the COT sharing UE need to send. A larger amount of data may require a longer COT duration than a smaller amount of data. The COT duration may be indicated to the COT sharing UE as a number of time slots, a number of sub-time slots, a number of symbols, a number of milliseconds, or a combination thereof. In some aspects, the COT duration may be indicated as the remaining COT duration. For example, the COT duration may be the duration of x time slots. The first side link UE may use y time slots in the x time slots to send side link communications. The remaining COT duration may be indicated to the second side link UE and / or other COT sharing side link UEs as xy time slots.

[0069] In some aspects, the COT sharing information may include frequency resource allocations (e.g., frequency ranges) associated with the COT sharing. For example, the frequency resource allocations may include a starting frequency (e.g., a starting frequency subchannel index, a starting frequency band, a starting frequency interlace). The frequency resource allocations may include an ending frequency (e.g., an ending subchannel, an ending frequency band). The frequency resource allocations may include a frequency interlace (e.g., a frequency interlace index, an index of a subchannel). The frequency resource allocations may indicate frequency resources allocated to a set of sidelink UEs that share the COT 320 with the first sidelink UE. The first sidelink UE may indicate the frequency resource allocations to the sidelink UEs that share the COT 320 in a frequency domain resource allocation (FDRA) via SCI-1.

[0070] In some aspects, the first sidelink UE may send a flag indicating that the first sidelink UE is sharing the COT 320. In this regard, the first sidelink UE may send a flag via the SCI 314 (e.g., SCI-1, SCI-2) indicating that the first sidelink UE is sharing the COT 320. The flag may include a single bit (e.g., 0 or 1) indicator, a multi-bit indicator, a code point, or other indicator for indicating that other sidelink UEs (e.g., the sidelink UE receiving the flag) may share the COT 320.

[0071] In some aspects, the first sidelink UE may transmit the flag in the SCI-2 via the PSSCH 312. The SCI-2 may include a destination identifier associated with the second sidelink UE and the other sidelink UEs, indicating that the first sidelink UE shares the COT 320 with the second sidelink UE and the other sidelink UEs. A sidelink UE proximate to the first sidelink UE for receiving and decoding the SCI-2 may share the COT 320 with the first sidelink UE if the SCI-2 includes an identifier that matches an identifier associated with the receiving sidelink UE.

[0072] Figure 4 An example of COT sharing using frequency division multiplexing resources according to some aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. Figure 4 , the x-axis represents time in some arbitrary unit, and the y-axis represents frequency in some arbitrary unit. In some aspects, a first side link UE (e.g., UE 115, UE 215, or UE 700) may perform a listen-before-talk (LBT) procedure 322 to gain access to COT 320. The first side link UE may perform an LBT procedure 322 or other clear channel assessment (CCA) on one or more side link communication channels. In some instances, the first side link UE may perform an LBT procedure 322 or other CCA to gain access to COT 320 in an unlicensed (e.g., shared) spectrum. For example, the first side link UE may perform Category 1 LBT, Category 2 LBT, Category 3 LBT, and / or Category 4 LBT to gain access to COT 320 in an unlicensed spectrum.

[0073] The first sidelink UE may acquire COT 320 based on the success of LBT procedure 322. The first sidelink UE may acquire COT 320 to send communications to another sidelink UE. Additionally or alternatively, the first sidelink UE may share COT with other sidelink UEs.

[0074] The first sidelink UE may send COT sharing information for sharing COT 320 with the second sidelink UE to the second sidelink UE (e.g., UE 115, UE 215, or UE 700). The first sidelink UE may send COT sharing information to the second sidelink UE in time slot 1, as indicated by arrow 324. The COT sharing information may include a COT resource allocation indicating resources that the second sidelink UE can use to share COT 320. In some aspects, the first sidelink UE may send COT sharing information to the second sidelink UE and other sidelink UEs (e.g., a sidelink UE group, a sidelink UE set). The first sidelink UE may send COT sharing information including resource allocation to the sidelink UE set to share the COT with the sidelink UE set. For example, the first sidelink UE may send COT sharing information to the third sidelink UE, as indicated by arrow 326.

[0075] In some aspects, the COT sharing information may include a time resource allocation associated with the COT sharing. For example, the time resource allocation may include a COT start time, a COT end time, and / or a COT duration. The time resource allocation may include time resources (e.g., time slots, sub-time slots, symbols, frames, etc.) allocated to the sidelink UE set sharing the COT. For example, the time resource allocation may indicate an index indicating the starting time slot and / or sub-time slot allocated to the sidelink UE set. The time resource allocation may indicate the number of time resources (e.g., the number of time slots, sub-time slots, and / or symbols) allocated to the sidelink UE set. For example, the time resource allocation 414 may indicate that time slots 1 and 2 are allocated to the first sidelink UE, and time slot 3 is allocated to the second sidelink UE and the third sidelink UE. The first sidelink UE may indicate the time resource allocation to the sidelink UE sharing the COT in the time domain resource allocation (TDRA) via SCI-1.

[0076] In some aspects, the first sidelink UE may send COT sharing information for sharing COT 320 to the second sidelink UE and the third sidelink UE. The COT sharing information may indicate a frequency resource 416 allocated to the second sidelink UE that is frequency-division multiplexed with a frequency resource 418 allocated to the third sidelink UE. In some aspects, the COT sharing information may indicate the same cyclic prefix extension (CPE) length 412 allocated to the second sidelink UE and the third sidelink UE. By having the same CPE length 412, the second sidelink UE and the third sidelink UE may each simultaneously transmit sidelink communications in time slot 3, and since the second sidelink UE and the third sidelink UE transmit in different frequency ranges 416 and 418, the sidelink transmissions may not interfere with each other. In some aspects, the second sidelink UE and the third sidelink UE may perform LBT (e.g., CAT 1 LBT, CAT 2 LBT) before transmitting in time slot 3 based on a time gap between the end of the transmission of the first sidelink UE in time slot 2 and the CPE length 412 indicated by the COT sharing information.

[0077] Figure 5 An example of COT sharing using time-division multiplexed resources according to some aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. Figure 5 , the x-axis represents time in some arbitrary unit, and the y-axis represents frequency in some arbitrary unit. In some aspects, a first side link UE (e.g., UE 115, UE 215, or UE 700) may perform a listen-before-talk (LBT) procedure to gain access to COT 320. The first side link UE may perform an LBT procedure or other clear channel assessment (CCA) on one or more side link communication channels. In some instances, the first side link UE may perform an LBT procedure or other CCA to gain access to COT 320 in an unlicensed (e.g., shared) spectrum. For example, the first side link UE may perform Category 1 LBT, Category 2 LBT, Category 3 LBT, and / or Category 4 LBT to gain access to COT 320 in an unlicensed spectrum.

[0078] The first sidelink UE may acquire COT 320 based on the success of LBT procedure 322. The first sidelink UE may acquire COT 320 to send communications to another sidelink UE. Additionally or alternatively, the first sidelink UE may share COT with other sidelink UEs.

[0079] The first sidelink UE may send COT sharing information for sharing COT 320 with the second sidelink UE to a second sidelink UE (e.g., UE 115, UE 215, or UE 700). The first sidelink UE may send the COT sharing information to the second sidelink UE in time slot 1, as indicated by arrow 324. The first sidelink UE may send the COT sharing information to the third sidelink UE, as indicated by arrow 326.

[0080] In some aspects, the COT sharing information may include a time resource allocation associated with the COT sharing. For example, the time resource allocation may include a COT start time, a COT end time, and / or a COT duration. The time resource allocation may indicate that time slot 1 is allocated to a first side link UE, time slot 2 is allocated to a second side link UE, and time slot 3 is allocated to a third side link UE. The first side link UE may indicate the time resource allocation in a time domain resource allocation (TDRA) to the side link UE sharing the COT via SCI-1.

[0081] The COT sharing information may indicate time resources allocated to the second side link UE that are time-division multiplexed with time resources allocated to the third side link UE. For example, the first side link UE may transmit in time slot 1, the second side link UE may transmit in time slot 2, and the third side link UE may transmit in time slot 3. Time slots 1, 2, and 3 may be continuous or non-contiguous. The first side link UE, the second side link UE, and the third side link UE may transmit in the same frequency range or in different frequency ranges. In some aspects, the COT sharing information may indicate the same CPE length 412, 413 allocated to the second side link UE and the third side link UE, respectively. In some aspects, the COT sharing information may indicate different CPE lengths 412, 413 allocated to the second side link UE and the third side link UE. The second side link UE and the third side link UE may each transmit side link communications in their respective time allocations and do not interfere with each other due to transmitting at different times. In some aspects, the second side link UE and the third side link UE may perform LBT (e.g., CAT 1 LBT, CAT 2 LBT) based on the time gap between the end of the transmission by the first side link UE and the CPE lengths 412, 413 indicated for the second side link UE and the third side link UE, respectively.

[0082] As explained above, it may be desirable to allow UEs sharing a COT to send SL communications to one or more UEs other than the COT initiating UE. For example, a first UE may initiate a COT and share a portion of the COT with a second UE. The second UE may have SL communications scheduled for a third UE. For example, the second UE may have SL feedback information to be communicated to the third UE during the shared portion of the COT. Although the second UE may also perform a channel access procedure before communicating in the shared portion of the COT, neither the first channel access procedure performed by the first UE nor the second channel access procedure performed by the second UE may fully represent the interference or channel conditions experienced by the third UE that will receive SL communications from the second UE. For example, the distance between the first UE and the third UE may be quite large, or the environment may cause a large path loss to the communication to the third UE. The present disclosure describes schemes and mechanisms for communicating during the shared portion of the COT based on one or more COT sharing qualification parameters. In some aspects, the COT sharing qualification parameters may include the distance between the COT initiating UE and the receiving UE. On the other hand, the COT sharing qualification parameters may include one or more channel conditions between the COT initiating UE and the receiving UE. Further aspects will become apparent from the following description and corresponding drawings.

[0083] Figure 6 6 is a signaling diagram of a wireless communication method 600 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The actions of the communication method 600 may be performed by a computing device (e.g., a processor, a processing circuit, and / or other suitable components) of a communication device or other suitable means for performing the actions. For example, a wireless communication device (such as UE 115, UE 215, or UE 700) may utilize one or more components (such as a processor 702, a memory 704, a COT sharing module 708, a transceiver 710, a modem 712, and one or more antennas 716) to perform various aspects of the method 600.

[0084] At action 602, one or more UEs of UE 115j, 115k and / or 115m send SL communications to UE 115i. In some aspects, UE 115i may be referred to as a COT initiating UE, as will become clear below. In some aspects, SL communications may include one or more of PSCCH, PSSCH, PSFCH and / or SL reference signals (e.g., S-SRS). In some aspects, SL communications may include or carry one or more demodulation reference signals (DMRS). For example, SL communications may include PSSCH communications containing DMRS. In another example, SL communications may include an SCI indicating an area id or other location-based information associated with the corresponding UE. For example, UE 115j may send a first SL communication including PSCCH and PSSCH. PSSCH may include or carry an SCI-2 indicating an area ID of UE115j. The area ID may be based on a global coordinate system. On the other hand, SCI-2 may include or indicate other location-based information of UE115j, such as a relative position of UE 115j relative to UE 115i.

[0085] At action 604, the UE 115i may perform a successful LBT. The UE 115i may perform a Category 1 LBT, a Category 2 LBT, a Category 3 LBT, and / or a Category 4 LBT to gain access to the COT in the unlicensed spectrum. In some aspects, the UE 115i may perform the LBT based on a configured energy detection threshold. In another aspect, performing the LBT may include determining or measuring a quantized interference energy, as further explained below.

[0086] At action 606, UE 115k may send a SL communication to UE 115j. In some aspects, the SL communication includes at least one of a PSCCH communication and / or a PSSCH communication. In some aspects, UE 115j may be configured with SL feedback resources, such as a physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) resource for providing ACK / NACK to the UE. Thus, receiving the SL communication at action 606 may trigger or cause UE 115j to send a PSFCH signal in a subsequent PSFCH opportunity.

[0087] At action 608, UE 115i determines whether each UE in UE 115j, 115k, and / or 115m is eligible to receive communications during the shared portion of the COT based on the SL communication received at action 602. In some aspects, the determination may be based on the location of each UE in UE 115j, 115k, and / or 115m. For example, the determination may be based on the distance between UE 115i and each UE in UE 115j, 115k, and / or 115m. In some aspects, UE 115i may determine the distance between UE 115i and each UE in other UEs 115j, 115k, and / or 115m based on the location information provided by each UE in UE 115j, 115k, and / or 115m at action 602. For example, UE 115i may determine the distance based on a comparison of its own area ID with the area ID of each UE in UE 115j, 115k, and / or 115m.

[0088] In some aspects, action 608 may include: UE 115i compares each distance to a distance threshold. In some aspects, UE 115i may be configured with one or more distance thresholds for determining whether one or more UEs are eligible to receive communications from different UEs during the shared portion of the COT initiated by UE 115i. In some aspects, UE 115i may be configured with multiple distance thresholds for determination at action 608. In this regard, the threshold used by UE 115i to identify eligible UEs may be based on one or more configurations, parameters, or measurements associated with the LBT performed at action 604. For example, each distance threshold may correspond to one of two or more configured energy detection thresholds associated with the LBT performed at action 604. In this regard, each UE in UE 115 may be configured with at least one energy detection threshold of a plurality of possible energy detection thresholds. If a first energy detection threshold is configured at UE 115i for LBT performed at action 604, UE 115i may apply a first distance threshold, and if a different second energy detection threshold is configured, a different second distance threshold may be applied. Distance thresholds for a plurality of different energy detection thresholds are shown below in Table 1.

[0089]

[0090] Table 1

[0091] On the other hand, the distance threshold applied by UE 115i may be based on or associated with the quantized interference energy of the LBT performed at action 604. For example, UE 115i may select one of a plurality of distance thresholds based on the amount of quantized interference energy detected during the LBT. For example, UE 115i may use a first distance threshold for a first quantized interference energy to determine whether UE 115j, 115k, and / or 115m is eligible for COT sharing. UE 115i may use a second distance threshold for a second quantized interference energy to determine whether UE 115j, 115k, and / or 115m is eligible for COT sharing. UE 115i may use a third distance threshold for a third quantized interference energy to determine whether UE 115j, 115k, and / or 115m is eligible for COT sharing. Distance thresholds for a plurality of different quantized interference energy levels are shown below in Table 2.

[0092]

[0093] Table 2

[0094] In some aspects, the determination may be based on channel conditions between UE 115i and each of UEs 115j, 115k, and / or 115m. For example, the determination may be based on reference signal received power (RSRP) and / or path loss between UE 115i and each of UEs 115j, 115k, and / or 115m. In some aspects, UE 115i may determine the RSRP between UE 115i and each of other UEs 115j, 115k, and / or 115m based on the DMRS in the PSSCH transmitted by each of UEs 115j, 115k, and / or 115m at action 602. On the other hand, UE 115i may perform one or more PSSCH transmissions to each of UEs 115j, 115k, and / or 115m. Each of UEs 115j, 115k, 115m may measure RSRP based on the transmitted PSSCH DMRS and indicate the RSRP to UE 115i using higher layer signaling. UE 115i may determine a path loss between UE 115i and each of the other UEs 115j, 115k, and / or 115m based on the transmit power used to transmit each PSSCH DMRS and the indicated RSRP indication provided by UE 115j, 115k, and / or 115m.

[0095] In some aspects, action 608 may include: UE 115i compares each RSRP and / or path loss to an RSRP threshold and / or a path loss threshold. In some aspects, UE 115i may be configured with one or more RSRP thresholds for determining whether one or more UEs are eligible to receive communications from different UEs during the shared portion of the COT initiated by UE 115i. In some aspects, UE 115i may be configured with multiple RSRP thresholds for the determination at action 604. For example, each RSRP threshold may correspond to one of two or more configured energy detection thresholds. In this regard, each UE in UE115 may be configured with at least one energy detection threshold of multiple possible energy detection thresholds. If a first energy detection threshold is configured at UE 115i for the LBT performed at action 604, UE 115i may apply a first RSRP threshold, and if a different second energy detection threshold is configured, a different second RSRP threshold may be applied. RSRP thresholds for multiple different energy detection thresholds are shown above in Table 1.

[0096] On the other hand, the RSRP threshold applied by UE 115i may be based on or associated with the quantized interference energy for which LBT is performed at action 604. For example, UE 115i may select one of a plurality of RSRP thresholds based on the amount of quantized interference energy detected during LBT. For example, UE 115i may use a first RSRP threshold for a first quantized interference energy to determine whether UE 115j, 115k, and / or 115m is eligible for COT sharing. UE 115i may use a second RSRP threshold for a second quantized interference energy to determine whether UE 115j, 115k, and / or 115m is eligible for COT sharing. UE 115i may use a third RSRP threshold for a third quantized interference energy to determine whether UE 115j, 115k, and / or 115m is eligible for COT sharing. The distance thresholds for a plurality of different quantized interference energy levels are shown above in Table 2.

[0097] In some aspects, UE 115i may be configured with one or more path loss thresholds for determining whether one or more UEs are eligible to receive communications from different UEs during the shared portion of the COT initiated by UE 115i. In some aspects, UE 115i may be configured with multiple path loss thresholds for determination at action 608. For example, each path loss threshold may correspond to one of two or more configured energy detection thresholds. In this regard, each UE in UE115 may be configured with at least one of a plurality of possible energy detection thresholds. If a first energy detection threshold is configured at UE 115i for the LBT performed at action 604, UE 115i may apply the first path loss threshold, and if a different second energy detection threshold is configured, a different second path loss threshold may be applied. Path loss thresholds for a plurality of different energy detection thresholds are shown above in Table 1.

[0098] On the other hand, the path loss threshold applied by UE 115i may be based on or associated with the quantized interference energy of the LBT. For example, UE 115i may select one of the multiple path loss thresholds based on the amount of quantized interference energy detected during the LBT. For example, UE 115i may use a first path loss threshold for a first quantized interference energy to determine whether UE 115j, 115k, and / or 115m is eligible for COT sharing to receive from a non-COT initiating UE. UE 115i may use a second path loss threshold for a second quantized interference energy to determine whether UE 115j, 115k, and / or 115m is eligible for COT sharing to receive from a non-COT initiating UE. UE 115i may use a third path loss threshold for a third quantized interference energy to determine whether UE 115j, 115k, and / or 115m is eligible for COT sharing to receive from a non-COT initiating UE. The distance thresholds for a number of different quantized interference energy levels are shown above in Table 2.

[0099] In another aspect, UE 115i may use a multi-level threshold to determine a duration or amount of time during the shared portion of the COT during which each of UEs 115j, 115k, and / or 115m may perform transmissions during the shared portion of the COT. The multi-level threshold may be a multi-level distance threshold and / or a multi-level channel condition threshold (e.g., an RSRP threshold, a path loss threshold, etc.). In one example, UE 115i compares the distance between UE 115k and UE 115i to each of a first distance threshold, a second distance threshold, and a third distance threshold. Depending on which of the multi-level distance thresholds are met or not met, UE 115i may determine a duration within the shared portion of the COT during which UE 115k may perform transmissions to a non-COT initiating UE (e.g., UE 115j). In one example, if the distance between UE 115i and UE 115k satisfies all three thresholds (i.e., UE 115k is determined to be closer to UE 115i than each of the multi-level distance thresholds), UE 115i may determine that UE 115k may perform transmissions during the entire shared portion of the COT. If the distance satisfies two of the three thresholds, UE 115i may determine that UE 115k may perform transmissions during only a portion of the shared portion of the COT (i.e., less than the entire shared portion of the COT). If UE 115i determines that the distance does not satisfy any of the multi-level distance thresholds, UE 115i may determine that UE 115k may not perform any transmissions during the shared portion of the COT. An example threshold scheme is illustrated below in Table 3.

[0100]

[0101] Table 3

[0102] As shown in Table 3, multiple multi-level candidate thresholds can be configured. The multi-level candidate thresholds 0 - 5 can be distance thresholds and / or thresholds based on channel conditions. Based on the energy detection threshold, the multi-level thresholds are first divided into a first threshold set A1 and a second threshold set A2, as explained above. On the other hand, based on the quantified interference energy which is an alternative or supplement to the energy detection threshold, the multi-level thresholds can be divided into threshold sets A1 and A2. For each energy detection threshold, multiple multi-level thresholds are configured or indicated. For threshold A1, multi-level thresholds with indices 0 - 2 are configured, where threshold 2 is the highest or most permissive threshold, and threshold 0 is the most stringent threshold. For example, if the multi-level threshold is a distance threshold, threshold 0 can correspond to a smaller distance compared to thresholds 1 and 2, and threshold 2 can correspond to a larger distance compared to thresholds 0 and 1. Referring to Tables 1 to 3, it will be understood that the energy detection threshold and the quantified interference energy values are exemplary, and any suitable values can be used to determine or select the distance threshold and / or the channel condition threshold. Additionally, regarding Tables 1 to 2, it will be understood that more than two energy detection thresholds can be configured and fewer than or more than three quantified interference energy thresholds or levels can be configured for selecting the distance threshold and / or the channel condition threshold.

[0103] The multi-level thresholds described above can allow UE 115i to determine the duration or portion during which UE 115j, 115k, and / or 115m can perform a transmission to the non-COT initiating UE in the shared portion of the COT. For example, referring to Table 3, if an energy detection threshold of -72 dBm is configured and if the distance between UE 115i and UE 115k satisfies thresholds 2 and 1 but not threshold 0, then UE115i can determine that UE 115k can transmit in the first M μs of the shared portion of the COT but not during the remaining portion. If UE115i determines that the distance between UE 115i and UE 115k satisfies threshold 2 but not threshold 0 or 1, then UE 115i can determine and indicate to UE 115k that UE 115k cannot perform any unicast transmission with user plane data during the shared portion of the COT, and UE 115k can only transmit in the first N μs of the shared portion of the COT but not during the remaining portion, where N < M. If UE115i determines that the distance between UE 115i and UE 115k does not satisfy any of the thresholds 0 - 2, then UE 115i can determine that UE 115k is not eligible to transmit to the non-COT initiating UE during the shared portion of the COT.

[0104] At action 610, based on the determination at action 608, UE 115i sends a SL communication and UE 115j receives the SL communication. In some aspects, the SL communication includes at least one of the PSCCH and / or the PSSCH. In some aspects, the SL communication includes an SCI. The SL communication may indicate to UE 115j that UE 115i has initiated or acquired a COT. On the other hand, the SL communication may indicate to UE 115j that a portion 614 of the COT may be shared with UE 115j and used by the UE 115j to send one or more SL communications to UE 115i and / or to one or more other UEs (such as UE 115k, 115m). In some aspects, an indication of the COT and / or an indication of the sharing of the COT may be carried in the same SCI or in a separate SCI. In some aspects, action 610 may include sending one or more SCI-2s indicating the COT and / or the sharing of the COT. For example, UE 115i may send COT sharing information in the SL_COT_SharingInformation field via SCI-2. In some aspects, the COT sharing information may include information (e.g., parameters, resources, settings, commands, etc.) for enabling UE 115i to share the COT with UEs 115j, 115k, and 115m. In some aspects, the COT sharing information may include an identifier associated with the set of sidelink UEs that share the COT. The sidelink UE identifier may include a layer one identifier unique to each sidelink UE that shares the COT.

[0105] At action 612, UE 115i sends a list of eligible UEs and UE 115j receives the list of eligible UEs. In some aspects, action 612 includes: UE 115i sends a PSCCH and / or PSSCH carrying an SCI indicating the list of eligible UEs. In some aspects, the list of eligible UEs may include a list of UE IDs (e.g., SL destination identifiers) that are eligible to receive communications during the shared portion 614 of the COT. In other aspects, action 612 may include: UE 115i sends one or more of an RRC message, a MAC-CE, and / or any other suitable type of SL communication indicating the list. In some aspects, the list may further indicate multiple COT shared durations or portions during which one or more UEs of UE 115j, 115k, and / or 115m may receive SL communications from COT sharing UE 115j during the shared portion 614 of the COT. For example, the list may indicate that UE 115 k may receive during the entire shared portion 614 of the COT, and UE 115 m may receive during a portion 616 of the shared portion 614 of the COT. For example, portion 616 of the shared portion 614 may include the first M μs of the shared portion 614 of the COT. The list may be based on a multi-level threshold configuration, where UE 115 i uses multiple hierarchical distance or channel condition thresholds to determine the appropriate duration for each other UE, as illustrated and described above with respect to Table 3.

[0106] In some aspects, a list of eligible UEs and a list of durations may be provided in the same list. In other aspects, a list of durations and a list of eligible UEs may be provided or indicated in separate lists. In some aspects, these lists may be sent by UE115i in the same SL communication. For example, these lists may be sent in the same SCI, RRC message and / or MAC-CE. On the other hand, these lists may be sent in separate SL communications (e.g., separate SCI, RRC message and / or MAC-CE). On the other hand, actions 610 and 612 may be performed using a single SL transmission. For example, a single PSCCH and PSSCH communication may indicate a COT, COT shared information, a list of eligible UEs and / or a list of durations for each eligible UE. In other aspects, UE115i may send separate SL communications in actions 610 and 612.

[0107] At action 613, UE 115j sends a PSFCH communication to UE 115k based on the list provided at action 612. In some aspects, action 613 includes determining or verifying that UE 115k is on the list provided at action 612. In another aspect, sending a PSFCH communication includes sending a PSFCH including sending a PSFCH based on the list of durations described above. For example, if the distance and / or channel conditions between UE 115i and UE 115j only meet one of the multi-level thresholds, UE 115j may send a PSFCH to UE 115k during a smaller portion 616 of the shared portion 614. In another example, if the distance and / or channel conditions between UE 115i and UE 115k meet all configured multi-level thresholds, UE 115j may send a PSFCH in a larger portion of the shared portion 614. In some aspects, a longer duration of the shared portion 614 of the COT may increase the probability that a PSFCH may be sent. For example, UE 115 may be configured with a PSFCH period. For example, the period may be configured as a number of time slots. A longer duration enabled or allowed for PSFCH transmission during the shared portion may increase the probability of scheduling a periodic PSFCH opportunity within the duration, and thus may increase the probability that a PSFCH may be transmitted.

[0108] In this regard, at action 618, UE 115j may transmit a PSFCH to UE 115m during a smaller portion 616 of the shared portion 614 of the COT. For example, in some aspects, UE 115i may determine that the distance and / or channel conditions between UE 115i and UE 115m satisfy one or more but not all of the configured multi-level thresholds. UE 115i may provide a list of durations for UE 115j, 115k, and / or 115m based on the multi-level thresholds. The list may indicate that UE 115m may transmit within the first N μs of the shared portion 614 of the COT. Therefore, UE 115i may transmit a PSFCH in a smaller portion 616, which may include the first N μs of the shared portion 614 of the COT.

[0109] although Figure 6 Actions 613 and 618 are illustrated as including PSFCH transmission, but it will be understood that either or both actions 613 and / or 618 may include transmitting other types of SL communications other than PSFCH. For example, either or both actions 613 and / or 618 may include: transmitting PSCCH, PSSCH, reference signals, and / or any other suitable SL communications during the shared portion 614 of the COT, instead of or in addition to transmitting PSFCH.

[0110] Figure 7is a block diagram of an exemplary UE 700 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. UE 700 may be UE 115 or UE 215 in network 100 or 200 as discussed above. As shown, UE 700 may include a processor 702, a memory 704, a COT sharing module 708, a transceiver 710 including a modem subsystem 712 and a radio frequency (RF) unit 714, and one or more antennas 716. These elements may be coupled to each other, for example, via one or more buses and communicate with each other directly or indirectly.

[0111] The processor 702 may include a central processing unit (CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a controller, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) device, another hardware device, a firmware device, or any combination thereof configured to perform the operations described herein. The processor 702 may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0112] Memory 704 may include cache memory (e.g., cache memory of processor 702), random access memory (RAM), magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, solid-state memory devices, hard drives, other forms of volatile and non-volatile memory, or a combination of different types of memory. In some examples, memory 704 includes non-transitory computer-readable media. Memory 704 may store instructions 706. Instructions 706 may include instructions that, when executed by processor 702, cause processor 702 to perform various aspects of the present disclosure described herein (e.g., Figures 3 to 6 , Fig. 9 and / or Fig.10 Instructions 706 may also be referred to as code. The terms "instructions" and "code" should be broadly interpreted to include any type of computer-readable statements. For example, the terms "instructions" and "code" may refer to one or more programs, routines, subroutines, functions, procedures, etc. "Instructions" and "code" may include a single computer-readable statement or many computer-readable statements.

[0113] The COT sharing module 708 may be implemented via hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, the COT sharing module 708 may be implemented as a processor, circuit, and / or instructions 706 stored in the memory 704 and executed by the processor 702. In some aspects, in some aspects, the COT sharing module 808 may be implemented Figures 3 to 6 , Fig. 9 and / or Fig.10 aspects of the present invention. For example, the COT sharing module 708 may perform a listen-before-talk (LBT) procedure. The COT sharing module 708 may obtain a channel occupancy time (COT) based on the success of the LBT procedure. The COT sharing module 708 may send COT sharing information for sharing the COT with the second side link UE during the COT. It will be understood that the functionality and configuration of the COT sharing module 708 may include controlling one or more other components of the UE 700 (such as the processor 702, the memory 704, and / or the transceiver 710) and / or cooperating with the one or more other components to perform the actions described herein. Therefore, although the COT sharing module 708 may be described as "configured to" perform an action, it will be understood that the action may be controlled, initiated and / or monitored by the COT sharing module 708 in conjunction with one or more other components of the UE 700.

[0114] In some aspects, the COT sharing module 708 may be configured to cause the transceiver 710 to send and / or receive an indication of the COT. On the other hand, the COT sharing module 708 is configured to cause the transceiver 710 to communicate the COT sharing indication. In some aspects, the COT sharing indication may include or indicate COT sharing information. The COT indication and / or the COT sharing information may be carried in an SCI sent in at least one of the PSCCH signal and / or the PSSCH signal. In some aspects, the COT sharing module 708 is configured to cause the transceiver 710 to receive and / or send an SCI-2 including the COT sharing information indicated in the SL_COT_SharingInformation field. In some aspects, the COT sharing information may include time resources and / or frequency resources associated with the shared portion of the COT.

[0115] In some aspects, the COT sharing module 708 is configured to initiate a COT by executing a channel access procedure. For example, the COT sharing module 708 may execute a type 1 channel access procedure to initiate a COT. The type 1 channel access procedure may include CAT4 LBT. In some aspects, the COT sharing module 708 may be configured to execute a type 2 channel access procedure to share a portion of the COT. For example, the COT sharing module 708 may execute a type 2A or type 2B channel access procedure to communicate during the shared portion of the COT.

[0116] In some aspects, the COT sharing module 708 is configured to communicate during the shared portion of the COT. For example, the COT sharing module 708 may be configured to communicate SL communication based on the distance between the COT initiating UE and the receiver of the SL communication. On the other hand, the COT sharing module 708 may be configured to communicate SL communication based on the channel conditions between the COT initiating UE and the receiver of the SL communication. In some aspects, UE 700 may be a COT initiating UE. On the other hand, UE 700 may be a sender of SL communication. On the other hand, UE 700 may be a receiver of SL communication. In some aspects, channel conditions may include signal power (e.g., RSRP) and / or path loss. On the other hand, channel conditions may include reference signal received quality (RSRQ), received signal strength indicator (RSSI), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and / or any other suitable channel conditions.

[0117] In some aspects, the COT sharing module 708 may determine whether to communicate SL communications based on a comparison of distance and / or channel conditions to corresponding thresholds. In some aspects, the COT sharing module 708 is configured to receive an indication of the threshold in RRC signaling. On the other hand, the COT sharing module 708 may receive an indication of the threshold via SCI, MAC-CE, and / or any other suitable form of communication. In some aspects, the COT sharing module 708 may communicate a list of one or more UEs that are eligible to receive SL communications from non-COT initiating UEs during the shared portion of the COT. In some aspects, the list may further indicate one or more durations or portions of the shared portion of the COT during which at least one of the one or more UEs may receive SL communications.

[0118] As shown, the transceiver 710 may include a modem subsystem 712 and an RF unit 714. The transceiver 710 may be configured to communicate bidirectionally with other devices such as the BS 105 and / or the UE 115. The modem subsystem 712 may be configured to modulate and / or encode data from the memory 704 according to a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) (e.g., a low-density parity check (LDPC) coding scheme, a turbo coding scheme, a convolutional coding scheme, a digital beamforming scheme, etc.). The RF unit 714 may be configured to process (e.g., perform analog-to-digital conversion or digital-to-analog conversion, etc.) the modulated / encoded data from the modem subsystem 712 (for outbound transmissions) or from another source such as a UE 115 or BS 105 transmission. The RF unit 714 may be further configured to perform analog beamforming in conjunction with digital beamforming. Although shown as being integrated together in the transceiver 710, the modem subsystem 712 and the RF unit 714 may be separate devices that are coupled together to enable the UE 700 to communicate with other devices.

[0119] The RF unit 714 may provide modulated and / or processed data (e.g., data packets (or more generally, data messages that may include one or more data packets and other information)) to the antenna 716 for transmission to one or more other devices. The antenna 716 may also receive data messages transmitted from other devices. The antenna 716 may provide the received data messages for processing and / or demodulation at the transceiver 710. The antenna 716 may include multiple antennas of similar or different designs in order to maintain multiple transmission links. The RF unit 714 may configure the antenna 716.

[0120] In some examples, the UE 700 may include multiple transceivers 710 that implement different RATs (e.g., NR and LTE). In some examples, the UE 700 may include a single transceiver 710 that implements multiple RATs (e.g., NR and LTE). In some examples, the transceiver 710 may include various components, where different combinations of components may implement the RATs.

[0121] Fig.10 8 is a block diagram of an exemplary network unit 800 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The network unit 800 may be a BS 105, a CU, a DU, or a RU as discussed above. As shown, the network unit 800 may include a processor 802, a memory 804, a COT sharing module 808, a transceiver 810 including a modem subsystem 812 and an RF unit 814, and one or more antennas 816. These elements may be coupled to each other, for example, via one or more buses and communicate with each other directly or indirectly.

[0122] The processor 802 may have various features as a particular type of processor. For example, these features may include a CPU, a DSP, an ASIC, a controller, an FPGA device, another hardware device, a firmware device, or any combination thereof configured to perform the operations described herein. The processor 802 may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0123] Memory 804 may include cache memory (e.g., cache memory of processor 802), RAM, MRAM, ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, solid-state memory devices, one or more hard disk drives, memristor-based arrays, other forms of volatile and non-volatile memory, or a combination of different types of memory. In some examples, memory 804 may include non-transitory computer-readable media. Memory 804 may store instructions 806. Instructions 806 may include instructions that, when executed by processor 802, cause processor 802 to perform the instructions described herein (e.g., Figures 3 to 6 , Fig. 9 and / or Fig.10 Instructions 806 may also be referred to as codes, which may be broadly interpreted to include any type of computer-readable statements.

[0124] The COT sharing module 808 may be implemented via hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, the COT sharing module 808 may be implemented as a processor, circuit, and / or instruction 806 stored in the memory 804 and executed by the processor 802 .

[0125] In some aspects, the COT sharing module 808 can implement Figures 3 to 6 , Fig. 9 and / or Fig.10 For example, the COT sharing module 808 may send or indicate SL resource pools, COT sharing configurations, distance thresholds, channel condition thresholds, and / or Figures 3 to 6 , Fig. 9 and Fig.10 any other features associated with the various aspects of the.

[0126] Additionally or alternatively, the COT sharing module 808 may be implemented in any combination of hardware and software, and in some implementations may involve, for example, the processor 802 , memory 804 , instructions 806 , transceiver 810 , and / or modem 812 .

[0127] As shown, the transceiver 810 may include a modem subsystem 812 and an RF unit 814. The transceiver 810 may be configured to communicate bidirectionally with other devices such as UE 115 and / or 600. The modem subsystem 812 may be configured to modulate and / or encode data according to an MCS (e.g., an LDPC decoding scheme, a turbo decoding scheme, a convolutional decoding scheme, a digital beamforming scheme, etc.). The RF unit 814 may be configured to process (e.g., perform analog-to-digital conversion or digital-to-analog conversion, etc.) modulated / encoded data from the modem subsystem 812 (regarding outbound transmissions) or from another source such as UE 115 or UE 700. The RF unit 814 may be further configured to perform analog beamforming in conjunction with digital beamforming. Although shown as being integrated together in the transceiver 810, the modem subsystem 812 and / or the RF unit 814 may be separate devices coupled together at the network unit 800 to enable the network unit 800 to communicate with other devices.

[0128] The RF unit 814 may provide modulated and / or processed data (e.g., data packets (or more generally, data messages that may include one or more data packets and other information)) to the antenna 816 for transmission to one or more other devices. For example, this may include a configuration indicating a number of sub-slots within a time slot, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The antenna 816 may also receive data messages transmitted from other devices and provide the received data messages for processing and / or demodulation at the transceiver 810. The antenna 816 may include multiple antennas of similar design or different designs in order to maintain multiple transmission links.

[0129] In some examples, the network unit 800 may include multiple transceivers 810 that implement different RATs (e.g., NR and LTE). In some examples, the network unit 800 may include a single transceiver 810 that implements multiple RATs (e.g., NR and LTE). In some examples, the transceiver 810 may include various components, where different combinations of components may implement the RATs.

[0130] Fig. 9 900 is a flow chart of a communication method 900 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. Various aspects of the method 900 may be performed by a computing device (e.g., a processor, processing circuitry, and / or other suitable components) of a wireless communication device or other suitable means for performing these aspects. For example, a wireless communication device (such as UE 115, UE 215, or UE 700) may utilize one or more components (such as a processor 702, a memory 704, a COT sharing module 708, a transceiver 710, a modem 712, and one or more antennas 716) to perform various aspects of the method 900. The method 900 may employ similar mechanisms as those in networks 100 and 200 and with respect to Figures 3 to 6 As illustrated, method 900 includes several enumerated aspects, but method 900 may include additional aspects before, after, and between these enumerated aspects. In some aspects, one or more of these enumerated aspects may be omitted or performed in a different order.

[0131] At action 910, the first UE receives an indication of a COT associated with the second UE from the second UE. In some aspects, the COT may be initiated by the second UE. In some aspects, receiving an indication of the COT may include receiving at least one of a PSCCH communication and / or a PSSCH communication. For example, the indication may include a PSCCH containing an SCI. The SCI may indicate time resources and frequency resources for PSSCH communication. PSSCH communication may carry or include PSSCH data and / or additional SCI. For example, the PSSCH may include SCI-2. In some aspects, the indication of the COT may include a COT sharing indication. The COT sharing information may include a COT resource allocation indicating that the first UE can be used to share the COT resources. The COT sharing information may include a resource allocation for sharing the COT to the first UE. In some aspects, the first UE may receive the COT sharing information via sidelink control information (e.g., SCI-1, SCI-2), an RRC message, a PSCCH message, a PSSCH message, or other suitable communications. For example, the COT sharing information may be included or indicated in the SL_COT_SharingInformation field via sidelink control information 2 (SCI-2). The first UE may use one or more components (such as processor 702, memory 704, COT sharing module 708, transceiver 710, modem 712, and one or more antennas 716) to perform aspects of action 910.

[0132] At action 920, the first UE sends a SL communication to the third UE in the shared portion of the COT. In some aspects, the sending is based on at least one of: the distance between the second UE and the third UE; or the channel condition between the second UE and the third UE. As mentioned above, the second UE may be a COT initiating UE. In some aspects, the first UE may determine whether the third UE is eligible to receive communications during the shared portion of the COT initiated by the second UE based on the distance and / or the channel condition. In one example, determining whether the third UE is eligible includes determining whether the third UE is on a list of eligible UEs provided by the second UE. As explained above with respect to method 600, the second UE may generate a list indicating which UEs are eligible to receive communications during the shared portion of the COT. For example, the second UE may generate a list based on the distance between the second UE and the third UE. On the other hand, the second UE may generate a list based on the channel condition between the second UE and the third UE. The channel condition may be, for example, RSRP or path loss.

[0133] In some aspects, sending SL communications includes sending PSFCH communications to a third UE. The first UE may send PSFCH communications in a PSFCH opportunity of a resource pool configured for the first UE. The first UE may send PSFCH communications in response to receiving PSCCH communications and / or PSSCH communications from a third UE. In some aspects, the PSFCH opportunity at which the first UE sends PSFCH communications may fall within a shared portion of the COT. In other aspects, sending SL communications may include the first UE sending at least one of PSCCH communications, PSSCH communications, reference signals, and / or any other suitable type of SL communications. The first UE may use one or more components (such as a processor 702, a memory 704, a COT shared module 708, a transceiver 710, a modem 712, and one or more antennas 716) to perform various aspects of action 920.

[0134] In some aspects, the first UE may perform a channel access procedure prior to sending a SL communication. For example, the first UE may perform a type 2 channel access procedure. In some aspects, the first UE may perform a type 2A or type 2B channel access procedure. In other aspects, the first UE may not perform a channel access procedure. In this regard, the first UE may perform a "type 2C" channel access procedure such that the first UE does not perform channel sensing during the COT prior to sending a SL communication.

[0135] In some aspects, the method 900 further includes the first UE receiving a list of eligible UEs for receiving communications from the second UE.

[0136] In some aspects, the COT sharing information may include a time resource allocation associated with the COT sharing. For example, the time resource allocation may include a COT start time, a COT end time, and / or a COT duration. The time resource allocation may include time resources (e.g., time slots, sub-time slots, symbols, frames, etc.) allocated to the set of sidelink UEs sharing the COT. For example, the time resource allocation may indicate an index indicating a starting time slot and / or sub-time slot allocated to the set of sidelink UEs. The time resource allocation may indicate the number of time resources (e.g., the number of time slots, sub-time slots, and / or symbols) allocated to the set of sidelink UEs. The first sidelink UE may indicate the time resource allocation to the sidelink UEs sharing the COT in a time domain resource allocation (TDRA) via SCI-1.

[0137] Fig.101 is a flow chart of a communication method 1000 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. Various aspects of the method 1000 may be performed by a computing device (e.g., a processor, a processing circuit, and / or other suitable components) of a wireless communication device or other suitable means for performing these aspects. For example, a wireless communication device such as UE 115 or UE 700 may utilize one or more components (such as a processor 702, a memory 704, a COT sharing module 708, a transceiver 710, a modem 712, and one or more antennas 716) to perform various aspects of the method 1000. The method 1000 may employ similar mechanisms as those in networks 100 and 200 and with respect to Figures 3 to 6 The various aspects and actions described. In some aspects, method 1000 is performed at least in part based on an unlicensed or shared frequency band. For example, method 1000 may include or involve: sending one or more SL communications based on a SL-U protocol, the SL-U protocol including a channel access procedure, one or more COTs, an occupied bandwidth configuration, and / or any other corresponding scheme for communicating in an unlicensed frequency band. As illustrated, method 1000 includes several listed aspects, but method 1000 may include additional aspects before, after, and between these listed aspects. In some aspects, one or more of these listed aspects may be omitted or performed in a different order.

[0138] At action 1010, the first UE sends an indication of a COT associated with the first UE to the second UE. In some aspects, the COT may be initiated by the first UE. In some aspects, sending an indication of the COT may include sending at least one of a PSCCH communication and / or a PSSCH communication. For example, the indication may include a PSCCH containing an SCI. The SCI may indicate time resources and frequency resources for PSSCH communication. PSSCH communication may carry or include PSSCH data and / or additional SCI. For example, the PSSCH may include SCI-2. In some aspects, the indication of the COT may include a COT sharing indication. The COT sharing information may include a COT resource allocation indicating that the second UE can be used to share the COT resources. The COT sharing information may include a resource allocation for sharing the COT to the second UE. In some aspects, the first UE may send COT sharing information via sidelink control information (e.g., SCI-1, SCI-2), an RRC message, a PSCCH message, a PSSCH message, or other suitable communications. For example, the COT sharing information may be included or indicated in the SL_COT_SharingInformation field via Sidelink Control Information 2 (SCI-2).

[0139] At action 1020, the first UE sends to the second UE a list of one or more UEs that are eligible to receive SL communications from the second UE in the shared portion of the COT. In some aspects, the one or more UEs are different from the first UE and the second UE. In some aspects, the list includes the second UE and one or more UEs that are different from the first UE and the second UE. In some aspects, the list is based on at least one of: the distance between the first UE and the one or more UEs; or the channel conditions between the first UE and the one or more UEs. As mentioned above, the first UE may be a COT initiating UE. In some aspects, the first UE may determine whether one or more UEs are eligible to receive communications during the shared portion of the COT initiated by the first UE based on the distance and / or channel conditions. As explained above with respect to method 600, the first UE may generate the list based on the distance between the first UE and the one or more UEs. On the other hand, the channel condition may be, for example, RSRP or path loss.

[0140] In some aspects, method 1000 includes: the first UE performs a channel access procedure to initiate a COT. For example, the first UE may perform a type 1 channel access procedure. For example, the first UE may perform a CAT4 LBT. In some aspects, the first UE may determine, generate and / or update a list of one or more UEs in response to obtaining the COT. On the other hand, the first UE may determine, generate and / or update the list for sending to the second UE in response to receiving SL data and / or SL signaling in a buffer. In some aspects, the first UE may send the list in response to obtaining the COT. In some aspects, the first UE may send the list in response to receiving SL data and / or SL signaling in a buffer.

[0141] The first UE may Figure 6 The scheme determines or generates a list of eligible UEs. In some aspects, sending the list may include sending an SCI indicating the list. For example, the list may be carried or indicated in SCI-1 and / or SCI-2. On the other hand, the list may be sent using RRC messaging. In some aspects, the first UE may send the list by sending a MAC-CE indicating the list of eligible UEs. On the other hand, method 1000 may also include: the first UE sends a list of COT shared durations or portions of a shared portion of the COT, wherein each eligible UE is permitted to receive SL communications from UEs other than the first UE that initiated the COT.

[0142] In one aspect, the list is based on the distance between the first UE and one or more UEs. For example, the distance may be based on an area ID indication sent by one or more UEs to the first UE. In some aspects, the distance may be based on a comparison of the first area ID of the first UE with one or more second area IDs of one or more UEs. In some aspects, sending SL communications is based on a comparison of the distance with a distance threshold. In some aspects, the distance threshold may be configurable. In some aspects, the comparison may be performed by the second UE. On the other hand, the comparison may be performed by the first UE. In some aspects, the distance threshold may be based on at least one of an energy detection threshold associated with the COT or a quantized interference energy associated with the COT. In this regard, the distance threshold may be determined based on the schemes illustrated with respect to Tables 1 to 3 and the corresponding text.

[0143] On the other hand, the list is based on the channel condition between the first UE and one or more UEs. As explained above, the channel condition may include at least one of signal power (e.g., RSRP) or path loss. However, other types of channel conditions are also contemplated, including signal quality (e.g., RSRQ), received signal strength indicator (RSSI), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and / or any other suitable type of channel condition. The list may be based on a comparison of the channel condition between the first UE and one or more UEs with a configured or indicated channel condition threshold. Similar to the distance threshold, the channel condition threshold may be determined based on the scheme illustrated with respect to Tables 1 to 3 and the corresponding text.

[0144] In some aspects, the first UE may send the list in response to the first UE initiating the COT. In other aspects, the first UE may periodically or occasionally send an updated list of eligible UEs to the second UE and / or other UEs. In some aspects, the list also indicates one or more durations of the shared portion of the COT, where the UEs sharing the COT may transmit to the non-COT initiating UEs. For example, the list may indicate that the third UE may only be in a portion of the shared portion of the COT (see, e.g., 616, Figure 6 ) or during the entire shared portion of the COT (see, e.g., 614, Figure 6 ) for reception. On the other hand, in addition to or in lieu of the list of eligible UEs, the first UE may send a separate list indicating the duration.

[0145] Additional aspects of the present disclosure include the following:

[0146] Aspect 1. A method of wireless communication performed by a first user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving an indication of a channel occupancy time (COT) associated with a second UE from a second UE; and sending a side link (SL) communication to a third UE in a shared portion of the COT, wherein sending the SL communication is based on at least one of: the distance between the second UE and the third UE; or the channel condition between the second UE and the third UE.

[0147] Aspect 2. The method according to aspect 1, wherein sending the SL communication is based on the distance between the second UE and the third UE, and wherein sending the SL communication is also based on a comparison of the distance with a distance threshold.

[0148] Aspect 3. The method according to aspect 2, wherein the distance threshold is based on at least one of an energy detection threshold associated with the COT or a quantized interference energy associated with the COT.

[0149] Aspect 4. A method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 3, wherein sending the SL communication is based on the channel condition between the second UE and the third UE, wherein the channel condition includes signal power, and wherein sending the SL communication is also based on a comparison of the signal power with a signal power threshold.

[0150] Aspect 5. The method according to aspect 4, wherein the signal power threshold is based on at least one of an energy detection threshold associated with the COT or a quantized interference energy associated with the COT.

[0151] Aspect 6. A method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 5, wherein sending the SL communication is based on the channel condition between the second UE and the third UE, wherein the channel condition includes path loss, and wherein sending the SL communication is also based on a comparison of the path loss with a path loss threshold.

[0152] Aspect 7. The method according to aspect 6, wherein the path loss threshold is based on at least one of an energy detection threshold associated with the COT or a quantized interference energy associated with the COT.

[0153] Aspect 8. According to any one of Aspects 1 to 7, the method further includes: receiving from the second UE a list of one or more UEs that are eligible to receive SL communications from the first UE in a shared part of the COT, wherein the one or more UEs are different from the first UE and the second UE, wherein the one or more UEs include the third UE, and wherein the list is based on at least one of: the distance between the second UE and each of the one or more UEs; or the channel condition between the second UE and each of the one or more UEs.

[0154] Aspect 9. The method according to Aspect 8 further includes: receiving an indication of one or more durations corresponding to the one or more UEs of the shared portion of the COT from the second UE, wherein each of the one or more durations is based on a comparison of at least one threshold with at least one of: the distance between the second UE and the one or more UEs; or the channel condition between the second UE and the one or more UEs.

[0155] Aspect 10. The method according to aspect 9, wherein the at least one threshold is based on at least one of a configured energy detection threshold associated with the COT or a quantized interference energy associated with the COT.

[0156] Aspect 11. A method of wireless communication performed by a first user equipment (UE), the method comprising: sending an indication of a channel occupancy time (COT) initiated by the first UE to a second UE; and sending a list of one or more UEs eligible to receive side link (SL) communications from the second UE in a shared portion of the COT to the second UE, wherein the one or more UEs are different from the first UE and the second UE, and wherein the list is based on at least one of: a distance between the first UE and each of the one or more UEs; or a channel condition between the first UE and each of the one or more UEs.

[0157] Aspect 12. The method according to Aspect 11 further includes: sending an indication of one or more durations corresponding to the one or more UEs of the shared part of the COT to the second UE, wherein each of the one or more durations is based on a comparison of at least one threshold with at least one of: the distance between the second UE and each of the one or more UEs; or the channel condition between the second UE and each of the one or more UEs.

[0158] Aspect 13. The method according to aspect 12, wherein the at least one threshold is based on at least one of an energy detection threshold associated with the COT or a quantized interference energy associated with the COT.

[0159] Aspect 14. A method according to any one of Aspects 11 to 13, wherein the list is based on the distance between the first UE and each of the one or more UEs, and wherein the list is also based on a comparison of the distance between the first UE and each of the one or more UEs with a distance threshold.

[0160] Aspect 15. The method of aspect 14, wherein the distance threshold is based on at least one of an energy detection threshold associated with the COT or a quantized interference energy associated with the COT.

[0161] Aspect 16. A method according to any one of Aspects 11 to 15, wherein the list is based on the channel condition between the first UE and each of the one or more UEs, wherein the channel condition includes signal power, and wherein the list is also based on a comparison of the signal power between the first UE and each of the one or more UEs with a signal power threshold.

[0162] Aspect 17. The method according to aspect 16, wherein the signal power threshold is based on at least one of an energy detection threshold associated with the COT or a quantized interference energy associated with the COT.

[0163] Aspect 18. A method according to any one of Aspects 11 to 17, wherein the list is based on the channel condition between the first UE and each of the one or more UEs, wherein the channel condition includes path loss, and wherein the list is also based on a comparison of the path loss between the first UE and each of the one or more UEs with a path loss threshold.

[0164] Aspect 19. The method according to aspect 18, wherein the path loss threshold is based on at least one of an energy detection threshold associated with the COT or a quantized interference energy associated with the COT.

[0165] Aspect 20. A first UE, comprising: a memory device; a transceiver; and a processor, the processor communicating with the memory device and the transceiver, wherein the first UE is configured to perform the actions according to any one of aspects 1 to 10.

[0166] Aspect 21. A first UE, comprising: a memory device; a transceiver; and a processor, the processor communicating with the memory device and the transceiver, wherein the first UE is configured to perform the actions according to any one of aspects 11 to 19.

[0167] Aspect 22. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having program code recorded thereon, wherein the program code comprises instructions executable by a processor of a UE to cause the UE to perform actions according to any one of aspects 1 to 10.

[0168] Aspect 23. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having program code recorded thereon, wherein the program code comprises instructions executable by a processor of a UE to cause the UE to perform actions according to any one of aspects 11 to 19.

[0169] Aspect 24. A UE comprising means for performing the actions according to any one of aspects 1 to 10.

[0170] Aspect 25. A UE comprising means for performing actions according to any one of aspects 11 to 19.

[0171] Any of a variety of different technologies and techniques may be used to represent information and signals. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be mentioned throughout the above description may be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or optical particles, or any combination thereof.

[0172] The various illustrative blocks and modules described herein in conjunction with the present disclosure may be implemented or executed using a general purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in an alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a DSP core, or any other such configuration).

[0173] The functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions may be stored as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium, or sent via a computer-readable medium. Other examples and specific implementations are within the scope of the present disclosure and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, the functions described above may be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, hard wiring, or any combination thereof executed by a processor. The features that implement the functions may also be physically located at different locations, including being distributed so that the parts that implement the functions are at different physical locations. In addition, as used herein (including in the claims), as used in a list of items (e.g., followed by a list of items such as "at least one of" or "one or more of"), "or" indicates an inclusive list, so that, for example, a list of [at least one of A, B, or C] means: A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C).

[0174] As those skilled in the art will understand by now and depending on the specific application at hand, many modifications, substitutions and changes may be made to the materials, devices, configurations and methods of use of the apparatus of the present disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. In view of this, the scope of the present disclosure should not be limited to the scope of the specific examples illustrated and described herein (because they are only some examples thereof), but should be fully equivalent to the claims attached hereto and their functional equivalents.

Claims

1. A method of wireless communication performed by a first user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving, from a second UE, an indication of a channel occupancy time (COT) associated with the second UE; as well as and sending a sidelink (SL) communication to a third UE in a shared portion of the COT, wherein sending the SL communication is based on at least one of: The distance between the second UE and the third UE; or a channel condition between the second UE and the third UE.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the SL communication is based on the distance between the second UE and the third UE, and wherein sending the SL communication is also based on a comparison of the distance with a distance threshold. 3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the distance threshold is based on at least one of an energy detection threshold associated with the COT or a quantized interference energy associated with the COT.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein sending the SL communication is based on the channel condition between the second UE and the third UE, wherein the channel condition includes signal power, and wherein sending the SL communication is also based on a comparison of the signal power with a signal power threshold. 5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the signal power threshold is based on at least one of an energy detection threshold associated with the COT or a quantized interference energy associated with the COT.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the SL communication is based on the channel condition between the second UE and the third UE, wherein the channel condition includes path loss, and wherein sending the SL communication is also based on a comparison of the path loss with a path loss threshold.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the path loss threshold is based on at least one of an energy detection threshold associated with the COT or a quantized interference energy associated with the COT.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: receiving, from the second UE, a list of one or more UEs eligible to receive SL communications from the first UE in a shared portion of the COT, wherein the one or more UEs are different from the first UE and the second UE, wherein the one or more UEs include the third UE, and wherein the list is based on at least one of: a distance between the second UE and each of the one or more UEs; or a channel condition between the second UE and each of the one or more UEs.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising: receiving, from the second UE, an indication of one or more durations corresponding to the one or more UEs of the shared portion of the COT, wherein each of the one or more durations is based on a comparison of at least one threshold with at least one of: the distance between the second UE and the one or more UEs; or The channel condition between the second UE and the one or more UEs.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least one threshold is based on at least one of a configured energy detection threshold associated with the COT or a quantized interference energy associated with the COT.

11. A method of wireless communication performed by a first user equipment (UE), the method comprising: sending, to a second UE, an indication of a channel occupancy time (COT) initiated by the first UE; as well as and sending to the second UE a list of one or more UEs eligible to receive sidelink (SL) communications from the second UE in a shared portion of the COT, wherein the one or more UEs are different from the first UE and the second UE, and wherein the list is based on at least one of: a distance between the first UE and each of the one or more UEs; or a channel condition between the first UE and each of the one or more UEs.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising: and sending an indication of one or more durations corresponding to the one or more UEs of the shared portion of the COT to the second UE, wherein each of the one or more durations is based on a comparison of at least one threshold with at least one of: the distance between the second UE and each of the one or more UEs; or The channel condition between the second UE and each of the one or more UEs.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one threshold is based on at least one of an energy detection threshold associated with the COT or a quantized interference energy associated with the COT.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the list is based on the distance between the first UE and each of the one or more UEs, and wherein the list is further based on a comparison of the distance between the first UE and each of the one or more UEs with a distance threshold.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the distance threshold is based on at least one of an energy detection threshold associated with the COT or a quantized interference energy associated with the COT.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the list is based on the channel condition between the first UE and each of the one or more UEs, wherein the channel condition includes signal power, and wherein the list is also based on a comparison of the signal power between the first UE and each of the one or more UEs with a signal power threshold.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the signal power threshold is based on at least one of an energy detection threshold associated with the COT or a quantized interference energy associated with the COT.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the list is based on the channel condition between the first UE and each of the one or more UEs, wherein the channel condition includes a path loss, and wherein the list is also based on a comparison of the path loss between the first UE and each of the one or more UEs with a path loss threshold.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the path loss threshold is based on at least one of an energy detection threshold associated with the COT or a quantized interference energy associated with the COT.

20. A first user equipment (UE), the first user equipment (UE) comprising: Memory devices; Transceiver; and a processor in communication with the memory device and the transceiver, wherein the UE is configured to: receiving, from a second UE, an indication of a channel occupancy time (COT) associated with the second UE; and and sending a sidelink (SL) communication to a third UE in a shared portion of the COT, wherein sending the SL communication is based on at least one of: The distance between the second UE and the third UE; or a channel condition between the second UE and the third UE.

21. The first UE according to claim 20, wherein: The first UE is configured to send the SL communication based on the distance between the second UE and the third UE; The first UE is further configured to send the SL communication based on a comparison of the distance with a distance threshold; and The distance threshold is based on at least one of an energy detection threshold associated with the COT or a quantized interference energy associated with the COT.

22. The first UE according to claim 20, wherein: The first UE is configured to send the SL communication based on the channel condition between the second UE and the third UE; The channel condition includes signal power, and wherein the first UE is further configured to send the SL communication based on a comparison of the signal power with a signal power threshold; and The signal power threshold is based on at least one of an energy detection threshold associated with the COT or a quantized interference energy associated with the COT.

23. The first UE according to claim 20, wherein: The first UE is configured to send the SL communication based on the channel condition between the second UE and the third UE; The channel condition includes a path loss, and wherein the first UE is further configured to send the SL communication based on a comparison of the path loss with a path loss threshold; and The path loss threshold is based on at least one of an energy detection threshold associated with the COT or a quantized interference energy associated with the COT.

24. The first UE according to claim 20, wherein the UE is further configured to: receiving, from the second UE, a list of one or more UEs eligible to receive SL communications from the first UE in a shared portion of the COT, wherein the one or more UEs are different from the first UE and the second UE, wherein the one or more UEs include the third UE, and wherein the list is based on at least one of: a distance between the second UE and each of the one or more UEs; or a channel condition between the second UE and each of the one or more UEs.

25. The first UE according to claim 24, wherein the UE is further configured to: receiving, from the second UE, an indication of one or more durations corresponding to the one or more UEs of the shared portion of the COT, wherein each of the one or more durations is based on a comparison of at least one threshold with at least one of: the distance between the second UE and the one or more UEs; or The channel condition between the second UE and the one or more UEs.

26. A first user equipment (UE), the first user equipment (UE) comprising: Memory devices; Transceiver; and a processor in communication with the memory device and the transceiver, wherein the UE is configured to: sending an indication of a channel occupancy time (COT) initiated by the first UE to a second UE; and and sending to the second UE a list of one or more UEs eligible to receive sidelink (SL) communications from the second UE in a shared portion of the COT, wherein the one or more UEs are different from the first UE and the second UE, and wherein the list is based on at least one of: a distance between the first UE and each of the one or more UEs; or a channel condition between the first UE and each of the one or more UEs.

27. The first UE according to claim 26, wherein: The first UE is further configured to: sending, to the second UE, an indication of the shared portion of the COT for one or more durations corresponding to the one or more UEs; Each of the one or more durations is based on a comparison of at least one threshold with at least one of: the distance between the second UE and each of the one or more UEs; or the channel condition between the second UE and each of the one or more UEs; and The at least one threshold is based on at least one of an energy detection threshold associated with the COT or a quantized interference energy associated with the COT.

28. The first UE according to claim 26, wherein: The list is based on the distance between the first UE and each of the one or more UEs; The list is further based on a comparison of the distance between the first UE and each of the one or more UEs to a distance threshold; and The distance threshold is based on at least one of an energy detection threshold associated with the COT or a quantized interference energy associated with the COT.

29. The first UE according to claim 26, wherein: The list is based on the channel condition between the first UE and each of the one or more UEs, wherein the channel condition includes signal power; The list is further based on a comparison of the signal power between the first UE and each of the one or more UEs and a signal power threshold; and The signal power threshold is based on at least one of an energy detection threshold associated with the COT or a quantized interference energy associated with the COT.

30. The first UE according to claim 29, wherein: The list is based on the channel condition between the first UE and each of the one or more UEs, wherein the channel condition includes path loss; The list is further based on a comparison of the path loss between the first UE and each of the one or more UEs to a path loss threshold; and The path loss threshold is based on at least one of an energy detection threshold associated with the COT or a quantized interference energy associated with the COT.

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