Channel access procedure

Abstract

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to a network element that sends a first configuration message to a reconfigurable smart surface (RIS) device, the first configuration message includes a first mapping of each of one or more sensing beams in a set of sensing beams associated with the network element to each of one or more sensing beams in a set of sensing beams associated with the RIS device; and performing a channel access procedure for each of one or more sensing beams of a set of sensing beams associated with the network element, wherein the channel access procedure is performed in parallel with the RIS device based at least in part on the first configuration message.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. patent application serial number 63 / 485,386, filed on February 16, 2023, entitled “Channel Access Process,” the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to wireless communications, and more particularly, to performing channel access procedures for wireless communications on a shared spectrum (eg, an unlicensed band). Background Art

[0004] A wireless communication system may include one or more network communication devices, such as a base station, which may also be referred to as an eNodeB (eNB), a next generation NodeB (gNB), or other appropriate terms. Each network communication device (such as a base station) may support wireless communication for one or more user communication devices, which may also be referred to as user equipment (UE) or other appropriate terms. A wireless communication system may support wireless communication with one or more user communication devices by utilizing resources of the wireless communication system (e.g., time resources (e.g., symbols, time slots, subframes, frames, etc.) or frequency resources (e.g., subcarriers, carriers)). Additionally, a wireless communication system may support wireless communication across various radio access technologies, including third generation (3G) radio access technology, fourth generation (4G) radio access technology, fifth generation (5G) radio access technology, and other appropriate radio access technologies above 5G (e.g., sixth generation (6G)).

[0005] In some wireless communication systems supporting NR-Unlicensed (NR-U), a communication device (e.g., a network entity, a UE, etc.) may perform a channel access procedure, such as a Listen Before Talk (LBT) procedure or a Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) procedure, including sensing a channel to determine whether the channel is occupied (e.g., used by other communication devices) or unoccupied (e.g., not used by other communication devices) when performing wireless communication (e.g., downlink communication, uplink communication, sidelink communication) on the channel. In some wireless communication systems, a Reconfigurable Smart Surface (RIS) device may be deployed for communicating (e.g., transmitting, receiving, reflecting, etc.) wireless communications (e.g., control information, data, signals, packets, etc.) between communication devices (e.g., a base station and a UE) in the wireless communication system. Summary of the Invention

[0006] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method performed by a network unit is provided, the method comprising: sending a first configuration message to a reconfigurable smart surface (RIS) device, the first configuration message comprising a first mapping of each of one or more sensing beams in a set of sensing beams associated with the network unit to each of one or more sensing beams in the set of sensing beams associated with the RIS device; and performing a channel access procedure for each of the one or more sensing beams in the set of sensing beams associated with the network unit, wherein the channel access procedure is performed in parallel with the RIS device based at least in part on the first configuration message.

[0007] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a network unit is provided, comprising: a transmitter; and a processor, wherein the processor is configured to: send a first configuration message to a reconfigurable smart surface (RIS) device via the transmitter, the first configuration message comprising a first mapping of each of one or more sensing beams in a set of sensing beams associated with the network unit to each of one or more sensing beams in the set of sensing beams associated with the RIS device; and perform a channel access procedure for each of the one or more sensing beams in the set of sensing beams associated with the network unit, wherein the channel access procedure is performed in parallel with the RIS device based at least in part on the first configuration message.

[0008] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method performed by a reconfigurable smart surface (RIS) device is provided, the method comprising: receiving a first configuration message from a network unit, the first configuration message comprising a first mapping of each of one or more sensing beams in a set of sensing beams associated with the network unit to each of one or more sensing beams in the set of sensing beams associated with the RIS device; and configuring multiple elements of the RIS device based on the first configuration message during a channel access procedure performed by the network unit.

[0009] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a reconfigurable smart surface (RIS) device is provided, the RIS device including: a receiver; a plurality of elements; and a processor, wherein the processor is configured to receive a first configuration message from a network unit via the receiver, the first configuration message including a first mapping of each of one or more sensing beams in a set of sensing beams associated with the network unit to each of one or more sensing beams in the set of sensing beams associated with the RIS device; and configure the plurality of elements based on the first configuration message during a channel access procedure performed by the network unit.

[0010] Further aspects are set out in the dependent claims.

[0011] These and other aspects will be apparent from the embodiments described hereinafter.The scope of the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the present disclosure, nor to implementations that necessarily solve any or all disadvantages noted. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] For a better understanding of the present disclosure and to illustrate how embodiments may be implemented, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0013] Figure 1 A wireless communication system supporting a channel access procedure for wireless communication over a shared spectrum according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown;

[0014] Figure 2 is a schematic block diagram of a remote unit supporting a channel access procedure for wireless communications over a shared spectrum according to aspects of the present disclosure;

[0015] Figure 3A is a schematic block diagram of a network element supporting a channel access procedure for wireless communications over a shared spectrum according to aspects of the present disclosure;

[0016] Figure 3B is a schematic block diagram of a RIS device supporting a channel access procedure for wireless communications over a shared spectrum according to aspects of the present disclosure;

[0017] Figure 4A is a flow chart illustrating a method performed by a network element supporting a channel access procedure for wireless communications over a shared spectrum according to aspects of the present disclosure;

[0018] Figure 4B is a flow chart illustrating a method performed by a RIS device supporting a channel access procedure for wireless communications over a shared spectrum according to aspects of the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 5 shows a mapping of sensing beams associated with a network element to one or more of the sensing beams associated with a RIS device;

[0020] Figure 6 The use of a wide sensing beam at a RIS device is shown;

[0021] Figure 7 shows a mapping of a transmission beam associated with a network element to one or more transmission beams associated with a RIS device; and

[0022] Figure 8 Sharing multiple channel occupancy times with RIS devices for multiple LBTs is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] In 3GPP 5G New Radio (NR-U), channel access in both the downlink and uplink relies on the LBT procedure. The gNB and / or UE first senses the channel to detect that there are no ongoing communications before any transmissions are made. When the communication channel is a wideband unlicensed carrier, the Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) procedure relies on detecting energy levels across multiple subbands of the communication channel. LBT in NR-U in Rel. 16 does not consider beamforming and assumes only omnidirectional LBT.

[0024] In Rel. 17, when the gNB is required by regulation to sense whether channel(s) are available to perform transmission(s) on the channel(s), or when the gNB provides the higher layer parameter channelAccessMode2-r17 to the UE(s) via SIB1 or dedicated configuration to indicate that a channel access procedure is to be performed by the UE prior to transmission(s) on the channel(s), the channel access procedure for accessing the channel(s) on which transmission(s) are performed by the gNB / UE(s) is outlined below.

[0025] When the gNB / UE senses whether a channel is available to perform(s) downlink (DL) / uplink (UL) transmission, the channel used for sensing includes at least(s) corresponding active DL / UL bandwidth portions for(s) DL / UL transmission.

[0026] When sensing is applicable, the basic unit for performing sensing is a unit with a duration of T sl =5μs sensing slot. If the gNB or UE senses the channel during the sensing slot duration and determines that the energy detected after antenna assembly within the sensing slot duration is less than the energy detection threshold X Thresh , then the channel is considered to be in the sensing time slot duration T sl Otherwise, the channel is idle during the sensing time slot duration T sl It's busy inside.

[0027] The maximum gap between DL or UL transmission sets in a DL or UL transmission burst is 8 μs, respectively. For the purpose of determining the channel occupancy time, if the transmission gap is less than or equal to 8 μs, the gap duration is counted towards the channel occupancy time.

[0028] During the sensing slot duration at the gNB, or at the UE when the UE does not indicate beam correspondence capability for no uplink beam scanning required, or at the UE when the UE senses using a beam different from the beam used for transmission, the spatial domain filters used for sensing beam(s) cover the transmission beam(s) of the intended transmission(s) within the channel occupancy.

[0029] If the UE indicates beam correspondence capability for no uplink beam scanning required, and if the UE selects the same sensing beam(s) as the transmission beam(s), the spatial domain filter for the sensing beam is determined accordingly.

[0030] If the channel occupancy includes transmission(s) in different beams multiplexed in the spatial domain, then one of the following applies to the corresponding sensing to perform the transmission(s) within the channel occupancy:

[0031] - Type 1 channel access procedure is applied before the start of channel occupancy using a single sensing beam that covers all transmission beams within the channel occupancy. When the channel is accessed, transmission(s) across different beams within the channel occupancy may occur.

[0032] - Type 1 channel access procedure is applied simultaneously before the start of channel occupancy for each sensing beam covering a transmission beam within the channel occupancy. When a channel is accessed, transmission(s) across different beams within the channel occupancy may occur.

[0033] If the channel occupancy includes transmissions in different beams multiplexed in the time domain, one of the following applies to the corresponding sensing to perform the transmission within the channel occupancy:

[0034] - Type 1 channel access procedure is applied before the start of channel occupancy using a single sensing beam that covers all transmit beams within the channel occupancy. When the channel is accessed, transmissions across different beams within the channel occupancy can occur.

[0035] When the gNB / UE can perform simultaneous sensing in different beams, a Type 1 channel access procedure is applied before the start of channel occupancy for each sensing beam, where each sensing beam covers a transmit beam within the channel occupancy. When the channel is accessed, transmissions across different beams within the channel occupancy can occur.

[0036] When the gNB / UE can perform simultaneous sensing in different beams, the Type 1 channel access procedure is applied before the start of channel occupancy for each sensing beam that covers a transmit beam within the channel occupancy. When the channel is accessed, transmissions within the channel occupancy may occur before switching to other beams within the channel occupancy.

[0037] When the gNB intends to send (multiple) DL transmissions across multiple transmission beams, if the gNB independently performs sensing on the corresponding (multiple) sensing beams, then if the channel access procedure on the (multiple) corresponding sensing beams has succeeded, then (multiple) DL transmissions can be performed on (multiple) transmission beams among the multiple transmission beams, and channel occupancy will start simultaneously across the multiple transmission beams.

[0038] When a UE is scheduled by DCI to send UL transmission(s), the scheduling DCI may indicate the corresponding channel access procedure for the UL transmission(s).The UE determines whether a Type 1, Type 2, or Type 3 channel access procedure is applicable based on the DCI.

[0039] When a UE is scheduled with a contiguous set of UL transmissions, the following applies:

[0040] - For any consecutive UL transmissions without gaps between transmissions, the UE is not expected to be indicated with different channel access types.

[0041] - If the UE cannot access the channel used for transmission in the set at the time of the last transmission according to the Type 1 or Type 2 channel access procedure, the UE shall attempt to send the next transmission according to the channel access type indicated in the corresponding UL grant or DL ​​assignment.

[0042] -If a UE is scheduled to transmit a set of consecutive UL transmissions without gaps, including PUSCH using one or more UL grants, PUCCH using one or more DL grants, or SRS with one or more DL grants or UL grants, and the UE transmits one of the scheduled UL transmissions in the set after accessing the channel according to one of the Type 1, Type 2, or Type 3 channel access procedures, the UE may continue transmission of the remaining UL transmissions in the set (if any).

[0043] In this disclosure, we address the channel access mechanism in unlicensed bands when reconfigurable smart surface (RIS) devices are deployed in the network. Since beam-based operation is assumed for unlicensed spectrum in FR2 and above, listen-before-talk (LBT) is performed on specific beam direction(s) at the gNB. In Release 17 (Rel. 17), once Category 4 (Cat 4) LBT succeeds for a certain Tx beam / sensing beam from the gNB, the gNB can share the channel occupation time (COT) with the user equipment (UE), allowing the UE to use the configured UL Tx beam or beam correspondence within the COT for its UL transmission without performing Category 4 LBT.

[0044] If the gap exceeds 16 / 25 microseconds, the UE needs to perform Category 2 LBT on its UL transmissions in the shared COT. However, when RIS devices are deployed in the network, the gNB will have only a few backhaul beams with the RIS devices to communicate with the UE in different directions, and the result of directional LBT depends not only on the directional LBT at the gNB, but also on the state of the RIS reflection configuration in different time slots. During the COT shared by the gNB for this specific Tx beam at the gNB, the RIS device may have been previously configured with a beam index to reflect the signal in different directions for different time domain resources (also referred to herein as "time resources").

[0045] The present disclosure relates to configuring a RIS device to assist with LBT operations at a gNB. Specifically, the network configures the RIS device to assist with LBT operations prior to DL and / or UL transmissions. The RIS device is configured by the network to perform reflections in the UL and / or DL ​​directions using spatial information, wherein the spatial information includes reflection coefficients (phase values ​​of RIS elements) to beamform signals in different directions associated with preconfigured time-domain resources during a clear channel assessment (CCA) operation at the gNB.

[0046] Some embodiments of the present disclosure relate to sharing a Coordinated Transmitter (COT) initiated by a gNB with a RIS device for DL ​​transmission.

[0047] Figure 1 One embodiment of a wireless communication system is depicted. In one embodiment, the wireless communication system 100 includes a remote unit 102, a network unit 104, and a RIS device 106. Although a specific number of remote units 102, network units 104, and RIS devices 106 may be used, the present invention provides a method for determining the number of remote units 102, network units 104, and RIS devices 106. Figure 1 1 , but those skilled in the art will recognize that any number of remote units 102, network units 104, and RIS devices 106 may be included in the wireless communication system 100.

[0048] In one embodiment, the remote unit 102 may include a computing device such as a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a personal digital assistant ("PDA"), a tablet computer, a smartphone, a smart TV (e.g., a TV connected to the Internet), a set-top box, a game console, a security system (including a security camera), an in-vehicle computer, a network device (e.g., a router, a switch, a modem), an IoT device, etc. In some embodiments, the remote unit 102 includes a wearable device such as a smart watch, a fitness band, an optical head-mounted display, etc. Additionally, the remote unit 102 may be referred to as a subscriber unit, a mobile device, a mobile station, a user, a terminal, a mobile terminal, a fixed terminal, a subscriber station, a UE, a user terminal, a device, or other terms used in the art. The remote unit 102 may communicate directly with one or more of the network units 104 via uplink ("UL") communication signals, and / or the remote unit 102 may communicate directly with other remote units 102 via sidelink communications.

[0049] The network elements 104 may be distributed across a geographic area. In some embodiments, the network elements 104 may also be referred to as access points, access terminals, base stations, Node-Bs, eNBs, gNodeBs ("gNBs"), Home Node-Bs, RANs, relay nodes, devices, network devices, integrated and access backhaul ("IAB") nodes, donor IAB nodes, or any other terminology used in the art. The network elements 104 are typically part of a radio access network that includes one or more controllers communicatively coupled to one or more corresponding network elements 104. The radio access network is typically communicatively coupled to one or more core networks, which may be coupled to other networks, such as the Internet and public switched telephone networks, among other networks. These and other elements of the radio access network and core network are not shown, but are generally familiar to those skilled in the art.

[0050] In one implementation, the wireless communication system 100 complies with the 5G or NG (next generation) standards of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project ("3GPP") protocols, wherein the network element 104 transmits using NG RAN technology. However, more generally, the wireless communication system 100 may implement some other open or proprietary communication protocols, such as WiMAX, among others. The present disclosure is not intended to be limited to any particular wireless communication system architecture or protocol implementation.

[0051] The network unit 104 can serve multiple remote units 102 within a service area (e.g., a cell or cell sector) via wireless communication links. The network unit 104 sends downlink ("DL") communication signals to serve the remote units 102 in the time, frequency, and / or spatial domains.

[0052] The RIS device 106 may be any suitable reconfigurable smart surface, such as a smart surface ("SS"), a large smart surface ("LIS"), an intelligent reflective surface ("IRS"), etc. A reconfigurable smart surface may refer to a device having one or more elements (e.g., programmable elements) configured to reflect a signal in such a manner that the signal is enhanced upon reflection.

[0053] The network element 104 can communicate with the remote element 102 by sending transmissions to the RIS device 106, where the RIS device 106 reflects and boosts received transmissions directed to the remote element 102. Additionally, the remote element 102 can communicate with the network element 104 by sending transmissions to the RIS device 106, where the RIS device 106 reflects and boosts received transmissions directed to the network element 104. As can be appreciated, the RIS device 106 can receive transmissions, including control signals, from one or more network elements 104 to control its configuration.

[0054] Figure 2 2 is a schematic block diagram of a remote unit 102. As shown, the remote unit 102 may include a processor 202, a memory 204, an input device 206, a display 208, a transmitter 210, and a receiver 212. The input device 206 and the display 208 may be combined into a single device, such as a touch screen. The remote unit 102 may not include any input device 206 and / or display 208.

[0055] Figure 3A is a schematic block diagram of a network unit 104. The network unit 104 may include a processor 302, a memory 304, an input device 306, a display 308, a transmitter 310, and a receiver 312. The remote unit 102 may not include any input device 306 and / or display 308.

[0056] In one embodiment, processor 302 may include any known controller capable of executing computer-readable instructions and / or capable of performing logical operations. For example, processor 202 may be a microcontroller, a microprocessor, a central processing unit ("CPU"), a graphics processing unit ("GPU"), an auxiliary processing unit, a field programmable gate array ("FPGA"), or a similar programmable controller. In some embodiments, processor 302 executes instructions stored in memory 204 to perform the methods and routines described herein. Processor 302 is communicatively coupled to memory 304, input device 306, display 308, transmitter 310, and receiver 312.

[0057] In one embodiment, memory 304 is a computer-readable storage medium. In some embodiments, memory 304 includes volatile computer storage media. For example, memory 304 may include RAM, including dynamic RAM ("DRAM"), synchronous dynamic RAM ("SDRAM"), and / or static RAM ("SRAM"). In some embodiments, memory 304 includes non-volatile computer storage media. For example, memory 304 may include a hard drive, flash memory, or any other suitable non-volatile computer storage device. In some embodiments, memory 304 includes both volatile and non-volatile computer storage media. In some embodiments, memory 304 also stores program code and related data, such as an operating system or other controller algorithms operating on remote unit 102.

[0058] In one embodiment, input device 206 may include any known computer input device, including a touchpad, buttons, keyboard, stylus, microphone, etc. In some embodiments, input device 306 may be integrated with display 208, for example, as a touch screen or similar touch-sensitive display. In some embodiments, input device 306 includes a touch screen so that text can be entered using a virtual keyboard displayed on the touch screen and / or by handwriting on the touch screen. In some embodiments, input device 306 includes two or more different devices, such as a keyboard and a touchpad.

[0059] In one embodiment, the display 308 may include any known electronically controllable display or display device. The display 308 may be designed to output visual, auditory, and / or tactile signals. In some embodiments, the display 308 includes an electronic display capable of outputting visual data to a user. For example, the display 308 may include, but is not limited to, a liquid crystal display ("LCD"), an LED display, an organic light emitting diode ("OLED") display, a projector, or a similar display device capable of outputting images, text, etc. to a user. As another non-limiting example, the display 208 may include a wearable display, such as a smart watch, smart glasses, a head-up display, etc. In addition, the display 308 may be a component of a smartphone, a personal digital assistant, a television, a tablet computer, a notebook (laptop) computer, a personal computer, a vehicle dashboard, etc.

[0060] In some embodiments, the display 308 includes one or more speakers for generating sound. For example, the display 308 can generate an audible alarm or notification (e.g., a beep or ringtone). In some embodiments, the display 308 includes one or more haptic devices for generating vibration, motion, or other tactile feedback. In some embodiments, all or part of the display 308 can be integrated with the input device 306. For example, the input device 306 and the display 308 can form a touch screen or similar touch-sensitive display. In other embodiments, the display 308 can be located near the input device 306.

[0061] Although only one transmitter 310 and one receiver 312 are shown, the network unit 104 may have any suitable number of transmitters 310 and receivers 312. The transmitter 310 and receiver 312 may be any suitable type of transmitter and receiver. In one embodiment, the transmitter 310 and receiver 312 may be part of a transceiver.

[0062] The network unit 104 may be associated with a sensing beam set. Specifically, the transmitter 310 may be associated with the sensing beam set. The sensing beam set may include one or more sensing beams. The sensing beam associated with the network unit 104 is a beam used to receive signals (e.g., any signals transmitted from other devices (e.g., WiFi) not connected to the network unit 104) and is used to perform channel access procedures (e.g., CCA procedures).

[0063] Figure 3Bis a schematic block diagram illustrating a reconfigurable smart surface ("RIS") device 106. RIS device 106 may include elements 352, receiver 354, and processor 356. As will be appreciated, in some embodiments, processor 356 and receiver 354 may be substantially similar to processor 302 and receiver 312, respectively, of network unit 104. In various embodiments, elements 352 include one or more programmable and / or controllable elements. The number of elements 352 may be at least one hundred, at least one thousand, several thousand, and so on. In certain embodiments, each of elements 352 may be individually programmable and / or controllable by properties to promote reflection and enhance transmission directed toward the corresponding element. In various embodiments, two or more elements 352 may be combined into one or more element groups. In such embodiments, one or more element groups may be individually programmable and / or controllable by properties to promote reflection and enhance transmission directed toward the corresponding group of elements. A collection of elements 352 referred to herein may include one or more elements. Receiver 354 may be any suitable wireless or wired receiver configured to receive control signals for programming and / or controlling elements 352. Processor 356 may be any suitable hardware and / or software device that may receive control signals for programming and / or controlling element 352 and provide information to element 352 for controlling and / or programming the element.

[0064] In some embodiments, the RIS device 106 can have a planar, two-dimensional array of meta-atoms (e.g., unit cells, elements), where each passive element (or group of elements) can be set to one of several states with different reflection coefficients. Together, these meta-atoms impart macroscopic properties to the RIS to manipulate incident electromagnetic ("EM") waves and redirect them in the direction of the intended receiver. This can improve performance at the receiver and / or reduce interference to other users.

[0065] RIS device 106 may be associated with a set of sensing beams. The set of sensing beams may include one or more sensing beams. Each of the one or more sensing beams used by RIS device 106 is associated with a configuration of a phase of element 352. Specifically, each sensing beam of RIS device 106 may correspond to a codebook representing a phase coefficient of element 352. The sensing beam associated with RIS device 106 is the beam used to receive signals, which are then reflected by element 352 to network unit 104.

[0066] Figure 4A is a flow chart illustrating a method 400 performed by the network element 104. Embodiments are described hereinafter with reference to the network element 104 as a "gNB", however, as mentioned above, the embodiments are not limited to any particular radio access technology.

[0067] In the method 400, at step S402, the processor 302 sends a first configuration message via the transmitter to the RIS device 106. The first configuration message includes a first mapping of each of one or more sensing beams associated with the network element 104 to each of one or more sensing beams in the set of sensing beams associated with the RIS device 106.

[0068] Figure 5 A sensing beam 502 is shown associated with the network element 104. Figure 5 As shown in FIG, sensing beam 502 is directed toward an element of RIS device 106. Figure 5 Also shown is a set of sensing beams associated with RIS device 106, including a first RIS sensing beam 552, a second RIS sensing beam 554, a third RIS sensing beam 556, and a fourth RIS sensing beam 558. Each sensing beam in the set of sensing beams associated with RIS device 106 corresponds to a codebook representing a phase coefficient for element 352. It should be understood that Figure 5 The number of sensing beams shown in is only an example.

[0069] During a channel access procedure performed by the network element 104 , the first configuration message configures the RIS device 106 to apply one or more specific sensing beams at the RIS device 106 .

[0070] In an example implementation, the RIS device 106 has access to a preconfigured table in which the gNB-side sensing beam 502 can be mapped to one or more of a plurality of sensing beams associated with the RIS device 106. The preconfigured table can be stored in a memory accessible to the RIS device 106. The RIS device 106 can include a memory for storing the preconfigured table. Alternatively, the preconfigured table can be stored in a memory of an external device. The preconfigured table can include a gNB sensing beam index mapped to a plurality of sensing beam indices on the RIS side.

[0071] For example, the preconfiguration table may specify that: at time domain resource T1, when the gNB is using sensing beam 502 for CCA, the RIS device 106 should configure element 352 to apply sensing beam 552; at time domain resource T2, when the gNB is using sensing beam 502 for CCA, the RIS device 106 should configure element 352 to apply sensing beam 554; at time domain resource T3, when the gNB is using sensing beam 502 for CCA, the RIS device 106 should configure element 352 to apply sensing beam 556; and at time domain resource T4, when the gNB is using sensing beam 502 for CCA, the RIS device 106 should configure element 352 to apply sensing beam 558.

[0072] In these example implementations, the first configuration message may include at least one row index, each index of the at least one index corresponding to a row in a preconfigured table, the preconfigured table including a time resource, a sensing beam in a sensing beam set associated with a network element, and one or more sensing beams in the sensing beam set associated with the RIS device to be used by the RIS device at the time resource. In these example implementations, the preconfigured table stores, for each time resource: (i) a RIS sensing beam index corresponding to a phase coefficient of element 352 to be applied by the RIS device to generate one or more sensing beams in the sensing beam set associated with the RIS device; and (ii) a gNB sensing beam index corresponding to a phase coefficient of element 352 to be applied by RIS device 106 to generate a reflected beam corresponding to a sensing beam in the sensing beam set associated with the network element.

[0073] One or more of the time resources may be associated with a single sensing beam in a set of sensing beams associated with the RIS device. One or more of the time resources may be associated with multiple sensing beams in a set of sensing beams associated with the RIS device. Multiple sensing beams to be applied by the RIS device in a single time resource may be applied using different elements 352 of the RIS device.

[0074] The sensing beam(s) to be applied by the RIS device in the first time resource may be different from the sensing beam(s) to be applied by the RIS device in the second subsequent time resource. Element 352 for applying the sensing beam(s) in the first time resource may be the same as element 352 for applying the sensing beam(s) in the second time resource. Alternatively, element 352 for applying the sensing beam(s) in the first time resource may be different from element 352 for applying the sensing beam(s) in the second time resource.

[0075] In other implementations, the RIS device 106 does not have access to such a pre-configured table, and the first configuration message includes one or more time resources, and for each of the one or more time resources, a sensing beam in a sensing beam set associated with the network element, and one or more sensing beams in the sensing beam set associated with the RIS device to be applied at the time resource. Specifically, for each time resource, the first configuration message may include: (i) a RIS sensing beam index corresponding to a phase coefficient of element 352 to be applied by the RIS device 106 to generate one or more sensing beams in the sensing beam set associated with the RIS device; and (ii) a gNB sensing beam index corresponding to a phase coefficient of element 352 to be applied by the RIS device 106 to generate a reflected beam corresponding to the sensing beam in the sensing beam set associated with the network element.

[0076] Therefore, the RIS device 106 learns from the first configuration message which sensing beam is to be used to receive signals, which reflection beam is to be used to reflect signals to the gNB (gNB's sensing beam), and in which time slot the execution needs to be performed.

[0077] The time resource may be a timeslot number or a symbol number within a timeslot. Since the RIS device 106 is synchronized to the network, the timing and timeslot / frame numbering used by the RIS device 106 are aligned with the gNB.

[0078] At step S404, the processor 302 performs a channel access procedure (e.g., a CCA procedure) for each of one or more sensing beams in the set of sensing beams associated with the network element, wherein the channel access procedure is performed in parallel with the RIS device at least in part based on the first configuration message.

[0079] Embodiments of the present disclosure ensure that whenever a channel access procedure is performed at a gNB, the channel access procedure is not performed from the perspective of the gNB, but rather from the perspective of one or more sensing beams of the RIS device 106.

[0080] An example of a channel access procedure is the CCA procedure. The CCA procedure is a form of the Listen Before Talk (LBT) procedure. The Listen Before Talk (LBT) procedure is a fundamental mechanism that allows radio communication systems to share unlicensed frequency bands while maintaining the performance of each individual system. When using LBT, when a device transmits a signal, it listens to the channel to determine if it is already occupied. Further references to the LBT procedure in the specification relate to the CCA procedure.

[0081] During the CCA process, a device will "listen" for RF transmissions at the physical layer. A signal detection threshold and / or an energy detection threshold may be used to identify any transmissions from other devices sending on the channel to be evaluated.

[0082] Therefore, when the CCA procedure for directional LBT is performed at the gNB (e.g., using Category 4 LBT), the gNB can jointly consider the sensing beams of the gNB and the RIS to sense the channel occupancy. Therefore, for each clear channel assessment procedure for fixed sensing beams at the gNB, the sensing beams at the RIS side can be different in different time domain resources (in some implementations, pre-configured using a table).

[0083] As described above, the sensing beam applied at the RIS device 106 corresponds to a codebook (e.g., from a predefined table) representing the phase coefficients of the RIS elements. The configured sensing beam applied at the RIS device 106 can be associated with a transmit beam for the UE 102 to receive its DL and / or transmit its UL after a successful CCA procedure for the sensing beam.

[0084] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the gNB configures a set of sensing beams for the RIS device 106, wherein each beam corresponds to a codebook (e.g., from a predefined table) representing a phase coefficient of the RIS element 352, and performs LBT on (multiple) backhaul beams ((multiple) sensing beams at the gNB) used to communicate with the RIS device 106 in multiple time domain resources (e.g., symbols / time slots), wherein each time resource used for performing LBT can be mapped to a sensing beam pair at both the gNB and the RIS. During the LBT on the backhaul beam, based on a first configuration message, the RIS device 106 switches the Rx beam to the sensing beam configured for each time domain resource, such that a single sensing beam at the gNB can be mapped to a different sensing beam at the RIS device 106.

[0085] In one example implementation, the gNB performs a clear channel assessment (CCA) procedure on the backhaul sensing beam 502 and configures the RIS device 106 to use a wide sensing beam to cover a certain propagation space. Figure 6 is shown in .

[0086] Specifically, the first configuration message may include mapping the sensing beams 502 associated with the network element 104 to a single sensing beam 560 that covers multiple potential transmission and / or reflection beams at the RIS device 106 (to cover a certain propagation space).

[0087] Figure 4B is a flow chart illustrating a method 450 performed by RIS device 106 .

[0088] In the method 450 , at step S452 , the RIS device 106 receives a first configuration message from a network element via the receiver 354 .

[0089] At step S452 , the processor 356 receives a first configuration message from the network element 104 via the receiver 354 .

[0090] At step S454, during a channel access procedure performed by the network element, the processor 356 configures the plurality of elements based on the first configuration message. That is, during the CCA procedure, the gNB jointly senses channel occupancy by considering the sensing beam of the gNB 502 and one or more sensing beams of the RIS device 106 in the specific time resources applied by the RIS device 106 according to the first configuration message.

[0091] As described above, in example implementations, the first configuration message may include at least one row index. In these example implementations, the processor 356 is configured to query a preconfigured table stored in memory using the at least one index to obtain an entry corresponding to each of the at least one index. The table entries indicate one or more sensing beams in a sensing beam set associated with the RIS device, to be output by the RIS device on one or more time resources corresponding to when the gNB senses channel occupancy during a CCA procedure.

[0092] For each time resource, the processor 356 is configured to use the RIS sensing beam index to obtain a corresponding phase coefficient of the element 352 to be applied by the RIS device 106 to generate one or more sensing beams in the sensing beam set associated with the RIS device; and to use the gNB sensing beam index to obtain a corresponding phase coefficient of the element 352 to be applied by the RIS device 106 to generate a reflected beam corresponding to a sensing beam in the sensing beam set associated with the network element. For example, the processor 356 may query a table stored in a memory accessible to the RIS device 106 that stores a mapping of beam indices to coefficients (phase values ​​of the RIS element 352).

[0093] Now let's review Figure 4A The method 400 shown in FIG.

[0094] After a successful LBT at the gNB for the sensing beam applied at the RIS device 106 (i.e., after a successful CCA procedure), the gNB may send its intended DL signal and configure the RIS device 106. The transmission beam 602 associated with the network element 104 is Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown in Figure 7 As shown, the transmission beam 602 is directed toward the element 352 of the RIS device 106 .

[0095] It should be understood that the gNB may use a spatial filter for reception and another spatial filter for transmission. Therefore, a mapping between the sensing beam 502 and the transmission beam 602 may be required. Similarly, if the sensing beam 502 is wide, it can be associated with one of the multiple transmission beams within the sensing beam 502.

[0096] In step S406, the network unit 104 configures the RIS device 106. Specifically, the processor 302 is configured to send a second configuration message to the RIS device 106 via the transmitter 310. The second configuration message includes a second mapping between each of the one or more sensing beams in the sensing beam set associated with the RIS device and each of the one or more transmission beams associated with the RIS device.

[0097] Specifically, the second configuration message configures RIS device 106 to use the transmission beam corresponding to the sensing beam used to perform the successful LBT. For example, if the CCA process succeeds during the time resources in which RIS device 106 applies first RIS sensing beam 552, the second configuration message configures RIS device 106 to use transmission beam 652 corresponding to first RIS sensing beam 552. If the CCA process succeeds during the time resources in which RIS device 106 applies second RIS sensing beam 554, the second configuration message configures RIS device 106 to use transmission beam 654 corresponding to second RIS sensing beam 554. If the CCA process succeeds during the time resources in which RIS device 106 applies third RIS sensing beam 556, the second configuration message configures RIS device 106 to use transmission beam 656 corresponding to third RIS sensing beam 556. If the CCA process succeeds during the time resources in which RIS device 106 applies fourth RIS sensing beam 558, the second configuration message configures RIS device 106 to use transmission beam 658 corresponding to fourth RIS sensing beam 558.

[0098] If the RIS device 106 is configured with a wide sensing beam 560 during LBT (see Figure 6 ), wide sensing beam 560 may be associated with any transmission beam reflected from RIS device 106 within wide sensing beam 560. For example, if wide sensing beam 560 covers all of first RIS sensing beam 552, second RIS sensing beam 554, third RIS sensing beam 556, and fourth RIS sensing beam 558, wide sensing beam 560 may be associated with a transmission beam corresponding to any one of RIS sensing beams 552, 554, 556, and 558.

[0099] In some implementations, the mapping between sensing beams and transmit beams at the RIS device 106 is valid for both UL and DL, for example, by leveraging beam correspondence between UL and DL. In other implementations, the mapping between sensing beams and transmit beams at the RIS device 106 is valid only for DL ​​(transmissions from the gNB to the UE using reflections from the RIS device), and another mapping for UL is used based on LBT operation at the UE.

[0100] After LBT fails, the gNB may configure the RIS with a different sensing beam and perform LBT on the backhaul beam (sensing beam 502 at the gNB), where the sensing beam configured at the RIS device may be associated with one of the configured transmission beams for the UE to transmit its UL and / or receive its DL. The gNB may send a deactivation command to the RIS device 106 to deactivate any previously configured periodic or semi-static transmissions on the beam associated with the failed LBT.

[0101] In the method 450 performed by the RIS device 106 , at step S456 , the RIS device 106 may receive a second configuration message from the network element 104 via the receiver 354 .

[0102] At step S456, the processor 356 configures the plurality of elements based on the second configuration message. After completion of step S456, DL signals sent from the network element 104 using the transmission beam 602 associated with the network element 104 will be reflected by the RIS device 106 using the transmission beam applied at the RIS device 106, which corresponds to the sensing beam used in the successful CCA process.

[0103] Now let's review Figure 4A The method 400 shown in FIG.

[0104] Upon successful LBT in the one or more time resources at the gNB (i.e., after a successful CCA procedure), at step S408, the processor 302 may send a third configuration message to the RIS device 106 via the transmitter 310. The third configuration message includes an indication of one or more channel occupation times (COTs) shared with the RIS device 106 based at least in part on the performed channel access procedure, and one or more time resources associated with the one or more COTs.

[0105] Specifically, the gNB initiates and shares the COT and associated time resource(s) with the RIS device 106, so that the RIS device 106 uses the corresponding beam pair for UL and / or DL ​​reflection within the shared COT. Before performing reflection, the RIS device 106 maps the time domain resources in which the DL is received and looks up in a mapping table to determine the corresponding transmission beam / reflection beam to be used within the COT.

[0106] In some implementations, the gNB shares the COT and the set of time domain resources associated with a successful LBT with the RIS device 106.

[0107] In other implementations, the gNB shares the COT, and the time resources associated with the failed LBT, with the RIS device 106, such that the RIS device 106 limits reflections on beams associated with these time domain resources within the shared COT.

[0108] In another implementation, the third configuration message includes a plurality of channel occupancy times and time resources associated with each of the plurality of channel occupancy times, each of the plurality of channel occupancy times being within a maximum channel occupancy duration. Specifically, the gNB initiates and shares a plurality of COTs having a maximum COT duration (MCOT), each COT being after a successful LBT on a corresponding time domain resource associated with a different sensing beam at the RIS device 106, such as Figure 8 As shown in .

[0109] like Figure 8 As shown, if the CCA process succeeds in the first time resource in which the RIS device 106 applies the first RIS sensing beam 552, the third configuration message includes the first time resource and the first COT (COT1). The third configuration message enables the RIS device 106 to determine the transmission beam 652 corresponding to the first time resource and use the transmission beam 652 within COT1.

[0110] If the CCA process succeeds in the second time resource in which RIS device 106 applies second RIS sensing beam 554, a third configuration message includes the second time resource and a second COT (COT2). The third configuration message causes RIS device 106 to determine a transmission beam 654 corresponding to the second time resource and use the transmission beam 654 within COT2.

[0111] If the CCA process succeeds in the third time resource in which RIS device 106 applies third RIS sensing beam 556, a third configuration message includes the third time resource and a third COT (COT3). This third configuration message causes RIS device 106 to determine a transmission beam 656 corresponding to the third time resource and use the transmission beam 656 within COT3.

[0112] In the method 450 performed by the RIS device 106 , at step S458 , the RIS device 106 may receive a third configuration message from the network element 104 via the receiver 354 .

[0113] At step S458 , the processor 356 configures the plurality of elements based on the third configuration message as described above.

[0114] If the RIS device 106 uses multiple elements 352 to reflect signals, the gNB can configure the RIS device 106 with simultaneous sensing beams to be applied to the multiple elements 352 and perform LBT on the backhaul beam 502. Upon successful LBT, the gNB can share the COT with the RIS device 106, allowing the RIS to immediately reflect signals using the beams configured within the COT during actual transmission. Once the COT is initiated, the gNB / RIS can access other RIS beams during the COT without performing LBT.

[0115] In the event of failed LBT, the gNB may perform time division multiplexing (TDM) LBT on the backhaul beam and configure the RIS device 106 to switch the sensing beam for each time domain resource from each segment to identify the beam pair associated with the failed LBT.

[0116] We describe a new process for configuring and sharing channel access procedure (e.g., LBT) results with RIS devices for facilitating communications in unlicensed bands. This process can include configuring the RIS device to which sensing beams will be switched during LBT operations at the gNB. This process can also include sharing the COT with the RIS device to perform reflection / transmission on the RIS sensing beam associated with a successful LBT.

[0117] As described above, according to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method performed by a network unit is provided, the method including: sending a first configuration message to a reconfigurable smart surface (RIS) device, the first configuration message including a first mapping of each of one or more sensing beams in a set of sensing beams associated with the network unit to each of one or more sensing beams in a set of sensing beams associated with the RIS device; and performing a channel access procedure for each of the one or more sensing beams in the set of sensing beams associated with the network unit, wherein the channel access procedure is performed in parallel with the RIS device at least in part based on the first configuration message.

[0118] For each of one or more sensing beams in the set of sensing beams associated with the network unit, the first mapping may include one or more time resources, each of the one or more time resources being associated with one or more sensing beams in the set of sensing beams associated with the RIS device.

[0119] The first mapping of the method may include at least one index, each index of the at least one index corresponding to an entry in a preconfigured table stored in a memory accessible to the RIS device, the entry including a time resource from the one or more time resources and one or more sensing beams from a set of sensing beams associated with the RIS device to be output by the RIS device at the time resource.

[0120] Each of the one or more time resources may be associated with a corresponding one or more sensing beams in a set of sensing beams associated with the RIS device.

[0121] A time resource of the one or more time resources may be associated with a plurality of sensing beams associated with the RIS device, the plurality of sensing beams being applied to different elements of the RIS device.

[0122] A time resource in the one or more time resources may be associated with one or more sensing beams in a set of sensing beams associated with the RIS device applied by a first set of elements of the RIS device; and another time resource in the one or more time resources may be associated with one or more sensing beams in a set of sensing beams associated with the RIS device applied by a second set of elements of the RIS device, the second set of elements being different from the first set of elements.

[0123] The first mapping may include mapping the sensing beams in the set of sensing beams associated with the network element to a single sensing beam that covers multiple potential transmission and / or reflection beams at the RIS device.

[0124] If the channel access procedure is successful, the method may further include sending a second configuration message to the RIS device, the second configuration message including a second mapping of each of the one or more sensing beams in the sensing beam set associated with the RIS device and each of the one or more transmission beams associated with the RIS device.

[0125] The second mapping may configure the RIS device for both uplink and downlink transmissions between the RIS device and the user equipment.

[0126] The second mapping may configure the RIS device to be used only for downlink transmissions between the RIS device and the user equipment.

[0127] If the channel access procedure is successful, the method may further include sending a third configuration message to the RIS device, the third configuration message including an indication of one or more channel occupancy times shared with the RIS device and one or more time resources associated with the one or more channel occupancy times based at least in part on the performed channel access procedure.

[0128] The channel access procedure may have been successful in one or more time resources.

[0129] The third configuration message may include a plurality of channel occupancy times and a time resource associated with each of the plurality of channel occupancy times, each of the plurality of channel occupancy times being within the maximum channel occupancy duration.

[0130] As described above, according to one aspect of the present disclosure, a network unit is provided, including: a transmitter; and a processor, wherein the processor is configured to: send a first configuration message to a reconfigurable smart surface (RIS) device via the transmitter, the first configuration message including a first mapping of each of one or more sensing beams in a set of sensing beams associated with the network unit to each of one or more sensing beams in a set of sensing beams associated with the RIS device; and perform a channel access procedure for each of the one or more sensing beams in the set of sensing beams associated with the network unit, wherein the channel access procedure is performed in parallel with the RIS device at least in part based on the first configuration message.

[0131] For each of one or more sensing beams in a set of sensing beams associated with a network unit, the first mapping may include one or more time resources, each of the one or more time resources being associated with one or more sensing beams in a set of sensing beams associated with a RIS device.

[0132] The first mapping may include at least one index, each index of the at least one index corresponding to an entry in a preconfigured table stored in a memory accessible to the RIS device, the entry including a time resource from the one or more time resources and one or more sensing beams from a set of sensing beams associated with the RIS device to be output by the RIS device at the time resource.

[0133] Each of the one or more time resources may be associated with a corresponding one or more sensing beams in the set of sensing beams associated with the RIS device.

[0134] A time resource of the one or more time resources may be associated with a plurality of sensing beams associated with the RIS device, the plurality of sensing beams being applied to different elements of the RIS device.

[0135] A time resource in the one or more time resources may be associated with one or more sensing beams in a set of sensing beams associated with the RIS device and applied by a first set of elements of the RIS device; and another time resource in the one or more time resources may be associated with one or more sensing beams in a set of sensing beams associated with the RIS device and applied by a second set of elements of the RIS device, which second set of elements is different from the first set of elements.

[0136] The first mapping may include mapping the sensing beams in the set of sensing beams associated with the network element to a single sensing beam that covers a plurality of potential transmission and / or reflection beams at the RIS device.

[0137] If the channel access procedure is successful, the processor may also be configured to send a second configuration message to the RIS device via the transmitter, the second configuration message including a second mapping of each of the one or more sensing beams in the set of sensing beams associated with the RIS device and each of the one or more sensing beams associated with the RIS device.

[0138] The second mapping may configure the RIS device for both uplink and downlink transmissions between the RIS device and the user equipment.

[0139] The second mapping may configure the RIS device to be used only for downlink transmissions between the RIS device and the user equipment.

[0140] If the channel access procedure is successful, the processor may be further configured to send a third configuration message to the RIS device via the transmitter, the third configuration message including an indication of one or more channel occupancy times shared with the RIS device based at least in part on the performed channel access procedure, and one or more time resources associated with the one or more channel occupancy times.

[0141] The channel access procedure may have been successful in one or more time resources.

[0142] The third configuration message may include a plurality of channel occupancy times and a time resource associated with each of the plurality of channel occupancy times, each of the plurality of channel occupancy times being within the maximum channel occupancy duration.

[0143] As described above, according to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method performed by a reconfigurable smart surface (RIS) device is provided, the method including: receiving a first configuration message from a network unit, the first configuration message including a first mapping of each of one or more sensing beams in a set of sensing beams associated with the network unit to each of one or more sensing beams in the set of sensing beams associated with the RIS device; and configuring multiple elements of the RIS device based on the first configuration message during a channel access procedure performed by the network unit.

[0144] For each of one or more sensing beams in a set of sensing beams associated with a network unit, the first mapping may include one or more time resources, each of the one or more time resources being associated with one or more sensing beams in a set of sensing beams associated with a RIS device.

[0145] The first mapping may include at least one index, each index of the at least one index corresponding to an entry in a preconfigured table stored in a memory accessible to the RIS device, the entry including a time resource from the one or more time resources and one or more sensing beams from a set of sensing beams associated with the RIS device to be output by the RIS device at the time resource.

[0146] The method may further include querying the preconfigured table using the at least one index to obtain an entry corresponding to each of the at least one index.

[0147] Each of the one or more time resources may be associated with a corresponding one or more sensing beams in the set of sensing beams associated with the RIS device.

[0148] A time resource of the one or more time resources may be associated with a plurality of sensing beams associated with the RIS device, the plurality of sensing beams being applied to different elements of the RIS device.

[0149] A time resource in the one or more time resources may be associated with one or more sensing beams in a set of sensing beams associated with the RIS device and applied by a first set of elements of the RIS device; and another time resource in the one or more time resources may be associated with one or more sensing beams in a set of sensing beams associated with the RIS device and applied by a second set of elements of the RIS device, the second set of elements being different from the first set of elements.

[0150] The first mapping may include mapping the sensing beams in the set of sensing beams associated with the network element to a single sensing beam that covers multiple potential transmission and / or reflection beams at the RIS device.

[0151] If the channel access procedure is successful, the method may further include receiving a second configuration message from the network unit, the second configuration message including each of the one or more sensing beams in the set of sensing beams associated with the RIS device and a second mapping of each of the one or more sensing beams associated with the RIS device; and configuring multiple elements of the RIS device based on the second configuration message.

[0152] The second mapping may configure the RIS device for both uplink and downlink transmissions between the RIS device and the user equipment.

[0153] The second mapping may configure the RIS device to be used only for downlink transmissions between the RIS device and the user equipment.

[0154] If the channel access procedure is successful, the method may further include: receiving a third configuration message from the network element, the third configuration message including one or more channel occupancy times based at least in part on the performed channel access procedure, and an indication of one or more time resources associated with the one or more channel occupancy times; and configuring multiple elements of the RIS device based on the third configuration message.

[0155] The channel access procedure may have been successful in one or more time resources.

[0156] The third configuration message may include a plurality of channel occupancy times and a time resource associated with each of the plurality of channel occupancy times, each of the plurality of channel occupancy times being within the maximum channel occupancy duration.

[0157] As described above, according to one aspect of the present disclosure, a reconfigurable smart surface (RIS) device is provided, the RIS device including: a receiver; a plurality of elements; and a processor, wherein the processor is configured to receive a first configuration message from a network unit via the receiver, the first configuration message including a first mapping of each of one or more sensing beams in a set of sensing beams associated with the network unit to each of one or more sensing beams in the set of sensing beams associated with the RIS device; and configure the plurality of elements based on the first configuration message during a channel access procedure performed by the network unit.

[0158] For each of one or more sensing beams in the set of sensing beams associated with the network unit, the first mapping may include one or more time resources, each of the one or more time resources being associated with one or more sensing beams in the set of sensing beams associated with the RIS device.

[0159] The first mapping may include at least one index, each index of the at least one index corresponding to an entry in a preconfigured table stored in a memory accessible to the RIS device, the entry including a time resource from the one or more time resources and one or more sensing beams from a set of sensing beams associated with the RIS device to be output by the RIS device at the time resource.

[0160] The processor may be further configured to query the preconfigured table using the at least one index to obtain an entry corresponding to each index of the at least one index.

[0161] Each of the one or more time resources may be associated with a corresponding one or more sensing beams in the set of sensing beams associated with the RIS device.

[0162] A time resource of the one or more time resources may be associated with a plurality of sensing beams associated with the RIS device, the plurality of sensing beams being applied to different elements of the RIS device.

[0163] A time resource in the one or more time resources may be associated with one or more sensing beams in a set of sensing beams associated with the RIS device and applied by a first set of elements of the RIS device; and another time resource in the one or more time resources may be associated with one or more sensing beams in a set of sensing beams associated with the RIS device and applied by a second set of elements of the RIS device, the second set of elements being different from the first set of elements.

[0164] The first mapping may include mapping the sensing beams in the set of sensing beams associated with the network element to a single sensing beam that covers multiple potential transmission and / or reflection beams at the RIS device.

[0165] If the channel access procedure is successful, the processor may also be configured to: receive a second configuration message from the network unit via the receiver, the second configuration message including a second mapping of each of one or more sensing beams in the set of sensing beams associated with the RIS device to each of one or more sensing beams associated with the RIS device; and configure multiple elements of the RIS device based on the second configuration message.

[0166] The second mapping may configure the RIS device for both uplink and downlink transmissions between the RIS device and the user equipment.

[0167] The second mapping configures the RIS device for use only in downlink transmissions between the RIS device and user equipment.

[0168] If the channel access procedure is successful, the processor may be further configured to: receive a third configuration message from the network element via the receiver, the third configuration message including one or more channel occupancy times based at least in part on the performed channel access procedure, and an indication of one or more time resources associated with the one or more channel occupancy times; and configure multiple elements of the RIS device based on the third configuration message.

[0169] The channel access procedure may have been successful in one or more time resources.

[0170] The third configuration message may include a plurality of channel occupancy times and a time resource associated with each of the plurality of channel occupancy times, each of the plurality of channel occupancy times being within the maximum channel occupancy duration.

[0171] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method performed by a network element, the method comprising: sending a first configuration message to a reconfigurable smart surface (RIS) device, the first configuration message comprising a first mapping of each of one or more sensing beams in a set of sensing beams associated with the network element to each of one or more sensing beams in the set of sensing beams associated with the RIS device; as well as A channel access procedure is performed for each of the one or more sensing beams in the set of sensing beams associated with the network element, wherein the channel access procedure is performed in parallel with the RIS device based at least in part on the first configuration message.

2. A base station for wireless communication, wherein the network unit comprises: at least one memory; as well as at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory and configured to cause the base station to: sending a first configuration message to a reconfigurable smart surface (RIS) device, the first configuration message comprising a first mapping of each of one or more sensing beams in a set of sensing beams associated with the base station to each of one or more sensing beams in a set of sensing beams associated with the RIS device; as well as A channel access procedure is performed for each of the one or more sensing beams in the set of sensing beams associated with the network element, wherein the channel access procedure is performed in parallel with the RIS device based at least in part on the first configuration message.

3. The base station of claim 2 , wherein, for each of the one or more sensing beams in the sensing beam set associated with the base station, the first mapping includes one or more time resources, each of the one or more time resources being associated with one or more sensing beams in the sensing beam set associated with the RIS device.

4. The base station of claim 2 , wherein the first mapping comprises at least one index, each index of the at least one index corresponding to an entry in a preconfigured table stored in a memory accessible to the RIS device, the entry comprising a time resource of one or more time resources and one or more sensing beams of the set of sensing beams associated with the RIS device to be output by the RIS device at the time resource.

5. The base station according to claim 3 or 4, wherein each of the one or more time resources is associated with corresponding one or more sensing beams in the set of sensing beams associated with the RIS device.

6. The base station according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein a time resource of the one or more time resources is associated with a plurality of sensing beams associated with the RIS device, the plurality of sensing beams being applied to different elements of the RIS device.

7. A base station according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein a time resource of the one or more time resources is associated with one or more sensing beams of the sensing beam set associated with the RIS device applied by a first set of elements of the RIS device; and another time resource of the one or more time resources is associated with one or more sensing beams of the sensing beam set associated with the RIS device applied by a second set of elements of the RIS device, the second set of elements being different from the first set of elements.

8. The base station according to any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein the first mapping comprises: A mapping of sensing beams in the set of sensing beams associated with the base station network element to a single sensing beam that covers a plurality of potential transmission and / or reflection beams at the RIS device.

9. The base station according to any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein if the channel access procedure is successful, the processor is further configured to send a second configuration message to the RIS device, the second configuration message including a second mapping of each of the one or more sensing beams in the sensing beam set associated with the RIS device and each of the one or more transmission beams associated with the RIS device.

10. The base station of claim 9, wherein the second mapping configures the RIS device for both uplink and downlink transmissions between the RIS device and user equipment.

11. The base station of claim 9, wherein the second mapping configures the RIS device to be used only for downlink transmission between the RIS device and user equipment.

12. A method performed by a reconfigurable smart surface (RIS) device, the method comprising: receiving a first configuration message from a network element, the first configuration message comprising a first mapping of each of one or more sensing beams in a set of sensing beams associated with the network element to each of one or more sensing beams in a set of sensing beams associated with the RIS device; as well as During a channel access procedure performed by the network element, a plurality of elements of the RIS device are configured based on the first configuration message.

13. A reconfigurable smart surface (RIS) device, comprising: Receiver; Multiple components; as well as A processor, wherein the processor is configured to: receiving, via the receiver, a first configuration message from a network element, the first configuration message comprising a first mapping of each of one or more sensing beams in a set of sensing beams associated with the network element to each of one or more sensing beams in a set of sensing beams associated with the RIS device; as well as During a channel access procedure performed by the network element, the plurality of elements are configured based on the first configuration message.

14. The RIS device of claim 13, wherein for each of the one or more sensing beams in the set of sensing beams associated with the network unit, the first mapping includes one or more time resources, each of the one or more time resources being associated with one or more sensing beams in the set of sensing beams associated with the RIS device.

15. The RIS device of claim 13 , wherein the first mapping comprises at least one index, each index of the at least one index corresponding to an entry in a preconfigured table stored in a memory accessible to the RIS device, the entry comprising a time resource of one or more time resources and one or more sensing beams of the set of sensing beams associated with the RIS device to be output by the RIS device at the time resource.

16. The RIS device of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to query the preconfigured table using the at least one index to obtain the entry corresponding to each index of the at least one index.

17. The RIS device according to any one of claims 14 or 15, wherein each of the one or more time resources is associated with a corresponding one or more sensing beams in the set of sensing beams associated with the RIS device.

18. The RIS device according to any one of claims 13 to 17, wherein if the channel access procedure is successful, the processor is further configured to: receiving, via the receiver, a third configuration message from the network element, the third configuration message comprising: one or more channel occupancy times and an indication of one or more time resources associated with the one or more channel occupancy times based at least in part on the channel access procedure performed; as well as The plurality of elements of the RIS device are configured based on the third configuration message.

19. The RIS device of claim 18, wherein the channel access procedure is successful in the one or more time resources.

20. The RIS device according to claim 18 or 19, wherein the third configuration message comprises a plurality of channel occupancy times and a time resource associated with each of the plurality of channel occupancy times, each of the plurality of channel occupancy times being within a maximum channel occupancy duration.

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