Channel occupancy time sharing with multiple communications from an initiating user equipment

Abstract

Various aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communication. In some aspects, a user equipment (UE) can receive a channel occupancy time (COT) sharing indication (COT-SI) from an initiating UE, where the COT-SI indicates that at least a portion of a COT associated with the COT-SI is for a physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) transmission to the initiating UE. The UE can transmit a PSFCH communication to the initiating UE in the COT. Numerous other aspects are described.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] All aspects of this disclosure relate to wireless communication in general, and more particularly to techniques, apparatus and methods for sharing channel occupancy time with multiple communications from an initiating user equipment. Background Technology

[0002] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide a variety of services, including voice, text, messaging, video, data, and / or other services. Services may include unicast, multicast, and / or broadcast services, etc. Typical wireless communication systems employ multiple access radio access technologies (RATs) capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., time-domain resources, frequency-domain resources, spatial-domain resources, and / or device transmit power, etc.). Examples of such multiple access RATs include Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) systems, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) systems, Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) systems, Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) systems, Single-Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) systems, and Time Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA) systems.

[0003] The aforementioned Multiple Access RATs have been adopted in various telecommunications standards to provide a common protocol enabling different wireless communication devices to communicate at the city, national, regional, or global level. An example telecommunications standard is New Radio (NR). NR (also known as 5G) is part of the continuous evolution of mobile broadband announced by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). NR (and other mobile broadband evolutions beyond NR) can be designed to better support the Internet of Things (IoT) and reduced-capacity device deployments, industrial connectivity, millimeter-wave (mmWave) expansion, licensed and unlicensed spectrum access, non-terrestrial network (NTN) deployments, sidelinks and other device-to-device direct communication technologies (e.g., cellular vehicle-to-everything (CV2X) communications), massive MIMO, decomposed network architectures and network topology expansion, multi-subscriber implementations, high-precision positioning and / or radio frequency (RF) sensing, and more. As the demand for mobile broadband access continues to grow, further improvements to NR can be implemented, and other radio access technologies (such as 6G) can be introduced to further advance mobile broadband evolution. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In some aspects, a method of wireless communication performed by a responding user equipment (UE) includes: receiving a Channel Occupied Time (COT) Sharing Indication (COT-SI) from the initiating UE, wherein the COT-SI indicates that at least a portion of the COT associated with the COT-SI is used for transmission to the Physical Side Link Feedback Channel (PSFCH) of the initiating UE; and transmitting PSFCH communication to the initiating UE in the COT.

[0005] In some aspects, a method of wireless communication performed by an initiating UE includes: transmitting a first communication in a COT initiated by the initiating UE; receiving a PSFCH from a responding UE in the COT; and transmitting a second communication in the COT and after receiving the PSFCH, wherein the second communication has a cyclic prefix extension that begins before an LBT opportunity of the responding UE, wherein the LBT opportunity is the next LBT opportunity after the PSFCH.

[0006] In some aspects, a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of instructions for wireless communication includes one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a responding UE, cause the responding UE to: receive a COT-SI from the initiating UE, wherein the COT-SI indicates at least a portion of a COT associated with the COT-SI for PSFCH transmission to the initiating UE; and transmit PSFCH communication to the initiating UE in the COT.

[0007] In some aspects, a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of instructions for wireless communication includes one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of an initiating UE, cause the initiating UE to: transmit a first communication in a COT initiated by the initiating UE; receive a PSFCH from a responding UE in the COT; and transmit a second communication in the COT and after receiving the PSFCH, wherein the second communication has a cyclic prefix extension that begins before an LBT opportunity of the responding UE, wherein the LBT opportunity is the next LBT opportunity after the PSFCH.

[0008] In some aspects, an apparatus for wireless communication includes: a component for receiving a COT-SI from an initiating UE, wherein the COT-SI indicates at least a portion of a COT associated with the COT-SI for PSFCH transmission to the initiating UE; and a component for transmitting PSFCH communication to the initiating UE in the COT.

[0009] In some aspects, an apparatus for wireless communication includes: components for transmitting a first communication in a COT initiated by the apparatus; components for receiving a PSFCH from a responding UE in the COT; and components for transmitting a second communication in the COT and after receiving the PSFCH, wherein the second communication has a cyclic prefix extension that begins before an LBT opportunity in response to the UE, wherein the LBT opportunity is the next LBT opportunity after the PSFCH.

[0010] In some aspects, an apparatus configured for wireless communication includes: one or more memories including processor-executable instructions; and one or more processors configured to execute the processor-executable instructions and cause the apparatus to: receive a COT-SI from an initiating UE, wherein the COT-SI indicates at least a portion of a COT associated with the COT-SI for PSFCH transmission to the initiating UE; and transmit PSFCH communication to the initiating UE in the COT.

[0011] In some aspects, an apparatus configured for wireless communication includes: one or more memories including processor-executable instructions; and one or more processors configured to execute the processor-executable instructions and cause the apparatus to: transmit a first communication in a COT initiated by the apparatus; receive a PSFCH from a responding UE in the COT; and transmit a second communication in the COT and after receiving the PSFCH, wherein the second communication has a cyclic prefix extension that begins before an LBT opportunity in response to the UE, wherein the LBT opportunity is the next LBT opportunity after the PSFCH.

[0012] Various aspects of this disclosure may be implemented or be implemented as described in whole by or embodied in the methods, apparatus, systems, computer program products, non-transitory computer-readable media, user equipment, base stations, network nodes, network entities, wireless communication devices and / or processing systems as fully described in the specification and drawings and illustrated in the specification and drawings.

[0013] The preceding paragraphs of this section have broadly summarized some aspects of this disclosure. These and additional aspects and their associated advantages will be described below. The disclosed aspects can serve as the basis for modifying or designing other aspects for performing the same or similar purposes of this disclosure. Such equivalent aspects do not depart from the scope of the appended claims. The characteristics of the aspects disclosed herein, their organization and operation, and their associated advantages will be better understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0014] The accompanying drawings illustrate some aspects of this disclosure but do not limit its scope, as other aspects can be achieved by this description. Each drawing in the drawings is provided for illustrative and descriptive purposes and not as a definition of limitation of the claims. Identical or similar reference numerals in different drawings may identify identical or similar elements.

[0015] Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication network according to the present disclosure.

[0016] Figure 2This is a diagram illustrating communication between an example network node and an example UE in a wireless network according to this disclosure.

[0017] Figure 3 This is a diagram illustrating an example decomposed base station architecture according to this disclosure.

[0018] Figure 4 This is a diagram illustrating an example of sidelink communication according to this disclosure.

[0019] Figure 5A and Figure 5B This is a diagram illustrating examples of sidelink communication and access link communication according to this disclosure.

[0020] Figure 6 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a cyclic prefix extension (CPE) for shared channel access according to this disclosure.

[0021] Figure 7 This is a diagram illustrating an example of COT sharing that reuses the Channel Occupancy Time (COT) of the initiating UE according to this disclosure.

[0022] Figure 8 This is a diagram illustrating another example of COT sharing reused with the initiating UE according to this disclosure.

[0023] Figure 9 This is a diagram illustrating an example process performed, for example, at a UE or a device of a UE, according to this disclosure.

[0024] Figure 10 This is a diagram illustrating an example process performed, for example, at a UE or a device of a UE, according to this disclosure.

[0025] Figure 11 The diagram illustrates an example of a specific implementation of the code and circuitry for a communication device according to this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0026] Various aspects of this disclosure are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, aspects of this disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to any specific aspect illustrated or described with reference to the drawings or otherwise presented in this disclosure. Rather, these aspects are provided so that this disclosure will be comprehensive and complete, and will fully convey the scope of this disclosure to those skilled in the art. Those skilled in the art will understand that the scope of this disclosure is intended to cover any aspect of this disclosure disclosed herein, whether implemented independently of or in combination with any other aspect of this disclosure. For example, various combinations or numbers of aspects set forth herein may be used to implement an apparatus or a method of practice. Furthermore, the scope of this disclosure is intended to cover apparatuses having structures and / or functionalities other than those available for practicing the various aspects of this disclosure set forth herein, or methods of practice using those other structures and / or functionalities. Any aspect of this disclosure disclosed herein may be embodied by one or more elements of the claims.

[0027] Various methods, operations, apparatuses, and techniques will now be presented with reference to them. These methods, operations, apparatuses, and techniques will be described in detail below and illustrated in the accompanying drawings by various boxes, modules, components, circuits, steps, processes, or algorithms (collectively, “elements”). These elements may be implemented using hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. Whether such elements are implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the system as a whole.

[0028] User equipment (UE) can communicate on spectrum utilizing channel access mechanisms (e.g., unlicensed channels). For example, before gaining access to and / or transmitting on a channel such as an unlicensed channel, a transmitting device may perform a Listen-Before-Speak (LBT) procedure to contend for access to the unlicensed channel. The LBT procedure generally includes a Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) procedure, which is performed to determine whether the channel is available (e.g., not occupied by other transmitters). Specifically, the CCA procedure may include detecting the energy level on the channel and determining whether the energy level meets (e.g., is less than or equal to) a threshold (sometimes referred to as the energy detection threshold, etc.). When the energy level meets (e.g., is not equal to or exceeds) the threshold, the CCA procedure is considered successful, and the transmitting device can gain access to the channel for a duration known as the Channel Occupied Time (COT), during which the transmitting device can perform transmission without performing additional LBT operations. When the energy level does not meet the threshold, the CCA procedure is unsuccessful, and contention for channel access may be considered unsuccessful.

[0029] In some deployments, UE-to-UE COT sharing can be enabled. For example, the initiating UE can perform a transmission that may include sending one or more sidelink control information messages, such as when the initial transmission ends, the remaining duration of the COT available for sharing, etc. Therefore, one or more responding UEs can monitor sidelink control information sent by other UEs (e.g., the initiating UE) to restore COT sharing information that can be used to perform transmissions during the time period corresponding to the shared COT.

[0030] Therefore, UE-to-UE COT sharing can enable multiple UEs to perform transmissions during the COT period obtained by the initiating UE (e.g., a UE that successfully performs an LBT procedure to gain access to an unlicensed channel), thereby achieving better access to unlicensed spectrum, more efficient use of unlicensed spectrum, and so on. In some examples, if the receiving UE is the target receiver of a COT transmission by the sending UE (i.e., a transmission for which the sending UE obtains the COT or a transmission by the sending UE within the sending UE's COT), then the receiving UE may be allowed to share the sending UE's COT.

[0031] In some cases, the initiating UE can acquire a COT to transmit multiple communications, such as communications on multiple time slots. In this example, the initiating UE can provide a COT sharing indication (COT-SI) that indicates other UEs can share the COT. For example, this can be beneficial for PSFCH transmission from the responding UE to the initiating UE. However, in some examples, the responding UE can begin transmission on the COT before the expected transmission duration of the initiating UE ends (such as PSSCH transmission after PSFCH transmission in the COT, which interrupts the initiating UE's communication). For example, the responding UE can send PSFCH to the initiating UE and then acquire the COT using Type 2 LBT when the initiating UE processes feedback. This can cause interference or disruption to the sidelink transmission burst of the indicating UE. Furthermore, if the initiating UE transmits sidelink data in discontinuous time slots of the COT and sends a COT-SI at the beginning of the COT, the responding UE can utilize the COT before the transmission of sidelink data in contiguous time slots ends. However, completely prohibiting the responding UE from sharing the COT can result in the inability to receive PSFCH from the responding UE, which negatively impacts communication performance.

[0032] This disclosure relates generally to COT sharing. Some aspects relate more specifically to the sharing of COT for PSFCH transmission. For example, an initiating UE may transmit a COT-SI indicating that at least a portion of the COT is used for PSFCH transmission to the initiating UE. For example, the COT-SI may indicate that at least a portion of the COT is only available for PSFCH transmission. In some aspects, the COT-SI may indicate the duration of the COT, wherein the COT is only available for PSFCH transmission. In some aspects, it is anticipated that the responding UE will not receive the COT-SI indicating that at least a portion of the COT is used (e.g., only available for) PSFCH transmission during the period when the COT is shared for general transmission.

[0033] In some respects, the initiating UE can use a CPE that starts before the next LBT opportunity after the received communication to send communication in a shared COT. For example, the initiating UE can initiate a CPE at the starting location of a starting location independent of the CPE configuration. For example, the starting location can be configured such that the transmitter of the received communication (which may be, for example, PSFCH communication) is unlikely to succeed at the LBT after sending the communication.

[0034] Various aspects of this disclosure can be used to achieve one or more of the following potential advantages. In some aspects, by transmitting a COT-SI indicating that at least a portion of the COT is used (e.g., only usable) for PSFCH transmission to the initiating UE, the initiating UE reduces interference or loss of sidelink data transmissions in shared COTs. By indicating the duration of a COT in which the COT is only usable for PSFCH transmission, the initiating UE can both provide PSFCH reception (during the duration) without interrupting other communications and share another portion of the COT for general communications. By avoiding the transmission of a COT-SI indicating that at least a portion of the COT is used (e.g., only usable) for PSFCH transmission during the period when the COT is shared for general transmission, conflicts between COT-SIs indicating shared use for general communications and COT-SIs specific to PSFCH transmission are avoided.

[0035] By using a CPE that initiates transmission before the next LBT opportunity following the received communication (e.g., at the start of a start location configured independently of the CPE), the initiating UE can retain the COT used for its transmission, thereby reducing interference and interruptions to the initiating UE's transmission. Furthermore, maintaining PSFCH reception within the COT improves sidelink performance.

[0036] Multiple access radio access technology (RAT) has been adopted in various telecommunications standards to provide a common protocol that enables wireless communication devices to communicate at the city, enterprise, national, regional, or global level. For example, 5G New Radio (NR) is part of the continuous mobile broadband evolution announced by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). 5G NR supports a variety of technologies and use cases, including enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC), massive machine-type communication (mMTC), millimeter wave (mmWave) technology, beamforming, network slicing, edge computing, Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity and management, and network function virtualization (NFV).

[0037] With increasing demand for broadband access and the evolution of technologies supported by wireless communication networks, further technological improvements can be adopted in or implemented for 5G NR or future RATs (such as 6G) to further advance the evolution of wireless communication for a variety of existing and new use cases and applications. These technological improvements can be associated with new frequency band extensions, licensed and unlicensed spectrum access, overlapping spectrum use, small cell deployments, non-terrestrial network (NTN) deployments, decomposed network architectures and network topology extensions, device aggregation, advanced duplex communication, sidelinks and other device-to-device direct communication, IoT (including passive or ambient IoT) networks, reduced-capacity (RedCap) UE functionality, industrial connectivity, multi-subscriber implementations, high-precision positioning, radio frequency (RF) sensing and / or artificial intelligence or machine learning (AI / ML), and more. Such technological improvements can support use cases such as wireless backhaul, wireless data centers, extended reality (XR) and metaverse applications, meta-services for supporting vehicle connectivity, holographic and mixed reality communications, autonomous and collaborative robots, vehicle platooning and collaborative manipulation, sensor networks, posture monitoring, brain-computer interfaces, digital twin applications, asset management, and general coverage applications using off-ground and / or aerial platforms, etc. The methods, operations, apparatuses, and techniques described herein can implement one or more of the foregoing technologies and / or support one or more of the foregoing use cases.

[0038] Figure 1This is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication network 100 according to the present disclosure. The wireless communication network 100 may be a 5G (or NR) network or a 6G network, or may include elements of a 5G (or NR) network or a 6G network, etc. The wireless communication network 100 may include a plurality of network nodes 110, shown as network node (NN) 110a, network node 110b, network node 110c, and network node 110d. Network nodes 110 may support communication with a plurality of UEs 120 (shown as UE 120a, UE 120b, UE 120c, UE 120d, and UE 120e).

[0039] Network nodes 110 and UEs 120 of wireless communication network 100 can communicate using the electromagnetic spectrum, which can be subdivided into various categories, frequency bands, carriers, and / or channels according to frequency or wavelength. For example, devices of wireless communication network 100 can communicate using one or more operating frequency bands. In some aspects, multiple wireless networks 100 can be deployed in a given geographical area. Each wireless communication network 100 can support a specific radio access technology (RAT) (which may also be referred to as an air interface) and can operate on one or more carrier frequencies in one or more frequency ranges. Examples of RATs include 4G RAT, 5G / NR RAT, and / or 6G RAT, etc. In some examples, when multiple RATs are deployed in a given geographical area, each RAT in that geographical area can operate on a different frequency to avoid interference with each other.

[0040] Various operating frequency bands have been defined as frequency ranges designated FR1 (410 MHz to 7.125 GHz), FR2 (24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz), FR3 (7.125 GHz to 24.25 GHz), FR4a or FR4-1 (52.6 GHz to 71 GHz), FR4 (52.6 GHz to 114.25 GHz), and FR5 (114.25 GHz to 300 GHz). Although a portion of FR1 is greater than 6 GHz, in some documents and articles, FR1 is often (interchangeably) referred to as the “sub-6 GHz” band. Similarly, in some documents and articles, FR2 is often (interchangeably) referred to as the “millimeter wave” band, but this is different from the Very High Frequency (EHF) band (30 GHz to 300 GHz) identified as the “millimeter wave” band by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are often referred to as the mid-band frequencies, including FR3. Frequency bands falling within FR3 can inherit FR1 or FR2 characteristics, thereby effectively extending the characteristics of FR1 or FR2 into mid-band frequencies. Therefore, "below 6 GHz" (if used herein) can broadly refer to frequencies less than 6 GHz, within FR1, and / or included in mid-band frequencies. Similarly, the term "millimeter wave" (if used herein) can broadly refer to frequencies included in mid-band frequencies, within FR2, FR4, FR4-a, FR4-1, or FR5, and / or within the EHF band. Higher frequency bands can extend 5G NR operation, 6G operation, and / or other RATs above 52.6 GHz. For example, each of FR4a, FR4-1, FR4, and FR5 falls within the EHF band. In some examples, the wireless communication network 100 can implement dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS), where multiple RATs (e.g., 4G / LTE and 5G / NR) are implemented within a single frequency band using dynamic bandwidth allocation (e.g., based on user demand). It is conceivable that the frequencies included in these operating frequency bands (e.g., FR1, FR2, FR3, FR4, FR4-a, FR4-1 and / or FR5) can be modified, and the techniques described herein are applicable to those modified frequency ranges.

[0041] Network node 110 may include one or more devices, components, or systems that enable communication between UE 120 and one or more devices, components, or systems of wireless communication network 100. Network node 110 may be, may include, or may also be referred to as an NR network node, 5G network node, 6G network node, node B, eNB, gNB, access point (AP), transmit / receive point (TRP), mobility element, core, network entity, network element, network equipment, and / or another type of device, component, or system included in a radio access network (RAN).

[0042] Network node 110 may be implemented as a single physical node (e.g., a single physical structure) or as two or more physical nodes (e.g., two or more different physical structures). For example, network node 110 may be a device or system implementing a portion of a radio protocol stack, a device or system implementing a complete radio protocol stack (such as a complete gNB protocol stack), or a collection of devices or systems collectively implementing a complete radio protocol stack. For example, and as shown, network node 110 may be an aggregated network node (with an aggregated architecture), meaning that network node 110 can implement a complete radio protocol stack physically and logically integrated within a single node (e.g., a single physical structure) in the wireless communication network 100. For example, aggregated network node 110 may consist of a single standalone base station or a single TRP that uses the complete radio protocol stack to implement or facilitate communication between UE 120 and the core network of wireless communication network 100.

[0043] Alternatively, and also as shown in the figure, network node 110 can be a decomposed network node (sometimes referred to as a decomposed base station), meaning that network node 110 can realize a radio protocol stack that is physically distributed and / or logically distributed among two or more nodes in the same or different geographic locations. For example, a decomposed network node may have a decomposed architecture. In some deployments, decomposed network node 110 may be used in integrated access and backhaul (IAB) networks, in open radio access networks (O-RAN) (such as network configurations compliant with the O-RAN Alliance), or in virtualized radio access networks (vRAN) (also referred to as cloud radio access networks (C-RAN)) to facilitate scaling by decomposing base station functionality into multiple units that can be deployed independently.

[0044] Network nodes 110 of the wireless communication network 100 may include one or more central units (CUs), one or more distributed units (DUs), and / or one or more radio units (RUs). CUs may host one or more higher-layer control functions, such as Radio Resource Control (RRC) functions, Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) functions, and / or Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) functions, etc. DUs may host one or more of the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, Media Access Control (MAC) layer, and / or one or more higher physical (PHY) layers, at least in part, according to functional splits (such as functional splits defined by 3GPP). In some examples, DUs may also host one or more lower PHY layer functions, such as Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), Inverse FFT (iFFT), beamforming, Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) extraction and filtering, and / or scheduling of resources for one or more UEs 120, etc. RUs may host RF processing functions or lower PHY layer functions, such as FFT, iFFT, beamforming, or PRACH extraction and filtering, etc., according to functional splits (such as lower-layer functional splits). In this type of architecture, each RU can be operated to handle over-the-air (OTA) communications with one or more UE 120s.

[0045] In some aspects, a single network node 110 may include a combination of one or more CUs, one or more DUs, and / or one or more RUs. Additionally or alternatively, network node 110 may include one or more near real-time (near RT) RAN Intelligent Controllers (RICs) and / or one or more non-real-time (non-RT) RICs. In some examples, CUs, DUs, and / or RUs may be implemented as virtual units, such as Virtual Central Units (VCUs), Virtual Distributed Units (VDUs), or Virtual Radio Units (VRUs), etc. Virtual units may be implemented as virtual network functions, such as those associated with cloud deployments.

[0046] Some network nodes 110 (e.g., base stations, RUs, or TRPs) can provide communication coverage for specific geographic areas. In 3GPP, the term "cell" can refer to the coverage area of ​​network node 110 or to network node 110 itself, depending on the context in which the term is used. Network node 110 can support one or more (e.g., three) cells. In some examples, network node 110 can provide communication coverage for macro cells, pico cells, femto cells, or another type of cell. A macro cell can cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., a radius of several kilometers) and can allow unrestricted access by UE 120 with a service subscription. A pico cell can cover a relatively small geographic area and can allow unrestricted access by UE 120 with a service subscription. A femto cell can cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a residential area) and can allow restricted access by UE 120 associated with that femto cell (e.g., UE 120 in a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG)). The network node 110 used for a macro cell may be referred to as a macro network node. Network node 110 used for a picocell may be referred to as a pico network node. Network node 110 used for a femtocell may be referred to as a femto network node or a home network node. In some examples, the cell may not necessarily be stationary. For example, the geographical area of ​​the cell may be mobile based on the location of the associated mobile network node 110 (e.g., a train, satellite base station, unmanned aerial vehicle, or non-terrestrial network (NTN) network node).

[0047] The wireless communication network 100 can be a heterogeneous network, comprising different types of network nodes 110, such as macro network nodes, piconet nodes, femtonet nodes, relay network nodes, aggregation network nodes, and / or decomposition network nodes, etc. Figure 1 In the example shown, network node 110a can be a macro network node for macro cell 130a, network node 110b can be a pico network node for pico cell 130b, and network node 110c can be a femto network node for femto cell 130c. Compared to other types of network nodes 110, the various types of network nodes 110 typically transmit at different power levels, serve different coverage areas, and / or have different effects on interference in the wireless communication network 100. For example, macro network nodes may have high transmit power levels (e.g., 5 watts to 40 watts), while pico network nodes, femto network nodes, and relay network nodes may have lower transmit power levels (e.g., 0.1 watts to 2 watts).

[0048] In some examples, network node 110 may be, may include, or operate as a RU, TRP, or base station communicating with one or more UEs 120 via a radio access link (which may be referred to as a "Uu" link). The radio access link may include a downlink and an uplink. A "downlink" (or "DL") refers to the communication direction from network node 110 to UE 120, and an "uplink" (or "UL") refers to the communication direction from UE 120 to network node 110. Downlink channels may include one or more control channels and one or more data channels. Downlink control channels may be used to transmit downlink control information (DCI) (e.g., scheduling information, reference signals, and / or configuration information) from network node 110 to UE 120. Downlink data channels may be used to transmit downlink data (e.g., user data associated with UE 120) from network node 110 to UE 120. Downlink control channels may include one or more physical downlink control channels (PDCCH), and downlink data channels may include one or more physical downlink shared channels (PDSCH). The uplink channel may similarly include one or more control channels and one or more data channels. The uplink control channel can be used to transmit uplink control information (UCI) from UE 120 to network node 110 (e.g., transmitting corresponding reference signals and / or feedback with one or more downlinks). The uplink data channel can be used to transmit uplink data (e.g., user data associated with UE 120) from UE 120 to network node 110. The uplink control channel may include one or more physical uplink control channels (PUCCH), and the uplink data channel may include one or more physical uplink shared channels (PUSCH). The downlink and uplink may each include a set of resources on which network node 110 and UE 120 can communicate.

[0049] Downlink and uplink resources may include time-domain resources (frames, subframes, time slots, and / or symbols), frequency-domain resources (bands, component carriers, subcarriers, resource blocks, and / or resource elements), and / or spatial-domain resources (specific transmission directions and / or beam parameters). Frequency-domain resources in some bands may be subdivided into bandwidth portions (BWPs). A BWP may be a contiguous block of frequency-domain resources allocated to one or more UEs 120 (e.g., a contiguous block of resource blocks). A UE 120 may be configured with both an uplink BWP and a downlink BWP (where the uplink BWP and downlink BWP may be the same BWP or different BWPs). BWPs may be dynamically configured and / or reconfigured (e.g., by sending DCI configuration to one or more UEs 120 via network node 110), meaning that BWPs may be adjusted in real-time (or near real-time) based on changing network conditions in the wireless communication network 100 and / or based on the specific requirements of one or more UEs 120. This allows for more efficient use of available frequency domain resources in the wireless communication network 100, as fewer frequency domain resources can be allocated to the BWP for UE 120 (which reduces the number of frequency domain resources that UE 120 needs to monitor), thus allowing more frequency domain resources to be distributed across multiple UE 120s. Therefore, the BWP can also assist in the implementation of such UE 120s by facilitating the configuration of smaller bandwidths for communications performed by lower-capacity UE 120s.

[0050] As described above, in some aspects, the wireless communication network 100 may be an IAB network, may include an IAB network, or may be included in an IAB network. In an IAB network, at least one network node 110 is an anchor network node communicating with a core network. The anchor network node 110 may also be referred to as an IAB donor (or "IAB donor"). The anchor network node 110 may be connected to the core network via a wired backhaul link. For example, the Ng interface of the anchor network node 110 may terminate at the core network. Additionally or alternatively, the anchor network node 110 may be connected to one or more devices in the core network that provide core access and mobility management functions (AMF). An IAB network typically also includes multiple non-anchor network nodes 110, which may also be referred to as relay network nodes or simply IAB nodes (or "IAB-nodes"). Each non-anchor network node 110 can directly communicate with the anchor network node 110 via a wireless backhaul link to access the core network, or can indirectly communicate with the anchor network node 110 via one or more other non-anchor network nodes 110 and an associated wireless backhaul link forming a backhaul path to the core network. Some anchor network nodes 110 or other non-anchor network nodes 110 can also directly communicate with one or more UEs 120 via a wireless access link carrying access services. In some examples, network resources used for wireless communication (such as time resources, frequency resources, and / or spatial resources) can be shared between the access link and the backhaul link.

[0051] In some examples, any network node 110 relaying communication may be referred to as a relay network node, a relay station, or simply a repeater. A repeater may receive communications from an upstream station (e.g., another network node 110 or UE 120) and transmit communications to a downstream station (e.g., UE 120 or another network node 110). In this case, the wireless communication network 100 may include or be referred to as a "multi-hop network." Figure 1 In the example shown, network node 110d (e.g., a relay network node) can communicate with network node 110a (e.g., a macro network node) and UE 120d to facilitate communication between network node 110a and UE 120d. Additionally or alternatively, UE 120 can be a relay station capable of relaying transmissions to or from other UE 120s, or can operate as such a relay station. UE 120 relaying communication can be referred to as a UE repeater or relay UE, etc.

[0052] UE 120 may be physically distributed throughout the wireless communication network 100, and each UE 120 may be stationary or mobile. UE 120 may be, may include, an access terminal, another terminal, a mobile station, or a subscriber unit, or may be included in an access terminal, another terminal, a mobile station, or a subscriber unit. UE 120 may be, or may include, a cellular phone (e.g., a smartphone), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, a wireless communication device, a handheld device, a laptop computer, a cordless phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a tablet device, a camera, a gaming device, a netbook, a smartbook, an ultrabook, a medical device, a biometric device, a wearable device (e.g., a smartwatch, smart clothing, smart glasses, a smart wristband and / or smart jewelry (such as a smart ring or smart bracelet)), an entertainment device (e.g., a music device, a video device and / or a satellite radio), an extended reality (XR) device, a vehicle component or sensor, a smart meter or sensor, industrial manufacturing equipment, a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) device (such as a Global Positioning System device or another type of positioning device), a UE function of a network node, and / or any other suitable device or function that can communicate via a wireless medium, or may be coupled to them.

[0053] UE 120 and / or network node 110 may include one or more chips, system-on-a-chip (SoC), chipsets, packages, or devices that individually or collectively constitute or include a processing system. The processing system includes processor (or “processing”) circuitry in the form of one or more processors, microprocessors, processing units (such as central processing units (CPUs), graphics processing units (GPUs), neural processing units (NPUs), and / or digital signal processors (DSPs)), processing blocks, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logic devices (PLDs) (such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs)), or other discrete gate or transistor logic components or circuits (all of which are generally referred to herein individually as “processors” or collectively as “processors” or “processor circuitry”). One or more of these processors may be individually or collectively configured to perform the various functions or operations described herein. A group of processors that can be configured or configured to perform a set of functions may include a first processor that can be configured or configured to perform a first function in the set, and a second processor that can be configured or configured to perform a second function in the set, or may include the entire group of processors that are configured or configured to perform the set of functions.

[0054] The processing system may also include memory circuitry in the form of one or more memory devices, memory blocks, memory elements, or other discrete gate or transistor logic components or circuits, each of which may include tangible storage media such as random access memory (RAM) or read-only memory (ROM) or combinations thereof (all of which are generally referred to herein individually as "memory" or collectively as "memory" or "memory circuitry"). One or more of these memories may be coupled to one or more processors in the processor (e.g., operatively coupled, communicatively coupled, electronically coupled, or electrically coupled) and may store processor-executable code (such as software) individually or collectively, which, when executed by one or more processors in the processor, may configure one or more processors in the processor to perform the various functions or operations described herein. Additionally or alternatively, in some examples, one or more processors in the processor may be pre-configured to perform the various functions or operations described herein without being configured by software. The processing system may also include or be coupled to one or more modems (such as Wi-Fi (e.g., IEEE compliant) modems or cellular (e.g., 3GPP 4G LTE, 5G, or 6G compliant) modems). In some embodiments, one or more processors of the processing system include or implement one or more modems among the modems. The processing system may also include, or be coupled to, multiple radio components (collectively, “radio components”), multiple RF chains, or multiple transceivers, each of which may in turn be coupled to one or more antennas among multiple antennas. In some embodiments, one or more processors of the processing system include or implement one or more of the radio components, RF chains, or transceivers. UE 120 may be included or may be contained in a housing that houses components associated with UE 120, including the processing system.

[0055] Some UEs 120 may be considered Machine Type Communication (MTC) UEs, Evolved or Enhanced Machine Type Communication (eMTC) UEs, Further Enhanced eMTC (feMTC) UEs or Enhanced feMTC (efeMTC) UEs, or further evolutions thereof, all of which may be collectively referred to as "MTC UEs". MTC UEs may be, may include, or may be included in or coupled with the following: robots, unmanned aerial vehicles, remote devices, sensors, instruments, monitors, and / or location tags. Some UEs 120 may be considered IoT devices and / or may be implemented as NB-IoT (Narrowband IoT) devices. IoT UEs or NB-IoT devices may be, may include, or may be included in or coupled with the following: industrial machines, appliances, refrigerators, doorbell camera devices, home automation devices, and / or lighting fixtures, etc. Some UEs 120 may be considered customer premises equipment, which may include telecommunications equipment installed at a customer location (such as a home or office) to enable access to a service provider’s network (such as being included in or communicating with the wireless communication network 100).

[0056] Some UEs 120 can be categorized according to different categories associated with varying levels of complexity and / or capabilities. UEs 120 in the first category facilitate large-scale IoT within the wireless communication network 100 and offer lower complexity and / or lower cost compared to UEs 120 in the second category. UEs 120 in the second category may include mission-critical IoT devices, legacy UEs, baseline UEs, high-level UEs, advanced UEs, full-capability UEs, and / or premium UEs capable of ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), and / or precise positioning, etc., within the wireless communication network 100. UEs 120 in the third category may have intermediate-level complexity and / or capabilities (e.g., capabilities between UEs 120 in the first category and UEs 120 in the second category). UEs 120 in the third category may be referred to as reduced-capability UEs (“RedCap UEs”), intermediate-level UEs, NR lightweight UEs, and / or NR simplified UEs, etc. RedCap UEs bridge the gap in capabilities and complexity between NB-IoT devices and / or eMTC UEs and mission-critical IoT devices and / or premium UEs. RedCap UEs can include, for example, wearable devices, IoT devices, industrial sensors, and / or cameras associated with limited bandwidth, power capacity, and / or transmission range. RedCap UEs can support healthcare environments, building automation, power distribution, process automation, transportation and logistics, and / or smart city deployments, among others.

[0057] In some examples, two or more UEs 120 (e.g., shown as UE 120a and UE 120e) can communicate directly with each other using sidelink communication (e.g., without communicating through a network node 110 acting as an intermediary). As an example, UE 120a can send data, control information, or other signaling directly to UE 120e as sidelink communication. This contrasts with, for example, UE 120a first sending data to network node 110 in UL communication, and then that network node sending data to UE 120e in DL communication. In various examples, UE 120 can use peer-to-peer (P2P) communication protocols, device-to-device (D2D) communication protocols, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication protocols (which may include vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) protocols, vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) protocols, and / or vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) protocols), and / or mesh network communication protocols to send and receive sidelink communication. In some deployments and configurations, network node 110 may schedule and / or allocate resources for sidelink communication between UEs 120 in the wireless communication network 100. In some other deployments and configurations, UE 120 (instead of network node 110) may perform or cooperate with or negotiate with one or more other UEs to perform scheduling operations, resource selection operations, and / or other operations for sidelink communication.

[0058] In various examples, in addition to half-duplex operation, some network nodes and UEs in the wireless communication network 100, including network node 110 and UE 120, can also be configured for full-duplex operation. Network node 110 or UE 120 operating in half-duplex mode can perform only one of transmission or reception during a specific time resource period (such as a specific time slot, symbol, or other time period). Half-duplex operation may involve time division duplex (TDD), where the DL transmission of network node 110 and the UL transmission of UE 120 do not occur in the same time resource (i.e., the transmissions do not overlap in time). In contrast, network node 110 or UE 120 operating in full-duplex mode can transmit and receive communications concurrently (e.g., within the same time resource). By operating in full-duplex mode, network node 110 and / or UE 120 can generally increase the capacity of the network and radio access links. In some examples, full-duplex operation may involve frequency division duplex (FDD), in which network node 110 performs DL transmission in a first frequency band or on a first component carrier, and UE 120 performs transmission in a second frequency band or on a second component carrier, the second frequency band or the second component carrier being different from the first frequency band or the first component carrier, respectively. In some examples, full-duplex operation may be enabled for UE 120 but not for network node 110. For example, UE 120 may simultaneously transmit UL to the first network node 110 and receive DL transmissions from the second network node 110 in the same time resources. In some other examples, full-duplex operation may be enabled for network node 110 but not for UE 120. For example, network node 110 may simultaneously transmit DL to the first UE 120 and receive UL transmissions from the second UE 120 in the same time resources. In some other examples, full-duplex operation may be enabled for both network node 110 and UE 120.

[0059] In some examples, UE 120 and network node 110 can perform MIMO communication. "MIMO" generally refers to the simultaneous transmission or reception of multiple signals (such as multiple layers or multiple data streams) using the same time and frequency resources. MIMO technology typically utilizes multipath propagation. MIMO can be implemented using various spatial processing or spatial multiplexing operations. In some examples, MIMO can support simultaneous transmission to multiple receivers, which is called multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO). Some radio access technologies (RATs) can employ advanced MIMO techniques such as mTRP operation (including redundant transmission or reception on multiple TRPs), reciprocity in the time or frequency domain, single-frequency network (SFN) transmission, or noncoherent joint transmission (NC-JT).

[0060] In some aspects, UE 120 may include communication manager 140. As described in more detail elsewhere herein, communication manager 140 may: receive a Channel Occupancy Time (COT) Sharing Indication (COT-SI) from the initiating UE, wherein the COT-SI indicates that at least a portion of the COT associated with the COT-SI is used for transmission to the Physical Side Link Feedback Channel (PSFCH) of the initiating UE; and transmit PSFCH communication to the initiating UE within the COT. Additionally or alternatively, communication manager 140 may perform one or more other operations described herein.

[0061] In some aspects, UE 120 may include a communication manager 140. As described in more detail elsewhere herein, the communication manager 140 may: transmit a first communication during a Channel Occupancy Time (COT) initiated by the initiating UE; receive a Physical Side Link Feedback Channel (PSFCH) from the responding UE during the COT; and transmit a second communication during the COT and after receiving the PSFCH, wherein the second communication has a cyclic prefix extension that begins before a Listen-Before-Speak (LBT) opportunity of the responding UE, wherein the LBT opportunity is the next LBT opportunity after the PSFCH. Additionally or alternatively, the communication manager 140 may perform one or more other operations described herein.

[0062] As indicated above, Figure 1 This is provided as an example. Other examples are available with reference to [the relevant information]. Figure 1 The examples described are different.

[0063] Figure 2 This is a diagram illustrating an example network node 110 communicating with an example UE 120 in a wireless network according to the present disclosure.

[0064] like Figure 2As shown, network node 110 may include a data source 212, a transmit processor 214, a transmit (TX) MIMO processor 216, a set of modems 232 (shown as 232a to 232t, where t≥1), a set of antennas 234 (shown as 234a to 234v, where v≥1), a MIMO detector 236, a receive processor 238, a data sink 239, a controller / processor 240, a memory 242, a communication unit 244, a scheduler 246, and / or a communication manager 150, etc. In some configurations, one or a combination of antennas 234, modems 232, MIMO detectors 236, receive processors 238, transmit processors 214, and / or TX MIMO processors 216 may be included in the transceiver of network node 110. The transceiver may be under the control of and used by one or more processors (such as controller / processor 240), and in some respects, may perform aspects of the methods, procedures and / or operations described herein in conjunction with processor-readable code stored in memory 242. In some respects, network node 110 may include one or more interfaces, communication components and / or other components that facilitate communication with UE 120 or another network node.

[0065] The terms “processor,” “controller,” or “controller / processor” can refer to one or more controllers and / or one or more processors. For example, references to “a / the processor,” “a / the controller / processor,” etc. (in the singular) should be understood as referring to a combination of… Figure 2 The processor described refers to any one or more processors, such as a single processor or a combination of multiple different processors. The reference to "one or more processors" should be understood as a combination of references. Figure 2 Any one or more processors described herein. For example, one or more processors of network node 110 may include transmit processor 214, TX MIMO processor 216, MIMO detector 236, receive processor 238, and / or controller / processor 240. Similarly, one or more processors of UE 120 may include MIMO detector 256, receive processor 258, transmit processor 264, TX MIMO processor 266, and / or controller / processor 280.

[0066] In some aspects, a single processor can perform all operations described as being performed by one or more processors. In some aspects, a first set of one or more processors can perform a first operation described as being performed by that one or more processors, and a second set of one or more processors can perform a second operation described as being performed by that one or more processors. The processors in the first set and the processors in the second set can be the same set of processors or can be different sets of processors. The reference to "one or more memories" should be understood to refer to any one or more memories of the corresponding device, such as combined... Figure 2 The memory described. For example, an operation described as being performed by one or more memories can be performed by the same subset of the one or more memories or by different subsets of the one or more memories.

[0067] For downlink communication from network node 110 to UE 120, transmit processor 214 may receive data (“downlink data”) intended for use by UE 120 (or a set of UEs including UE 120) from data source 212 (such as a data pipeline or data queue). In some examples, transmit processor 214 may select one or more MCSs for UE 120 based on one or more Channel Quality Indicators (CQIs) received from UE 120. Network node 110 may process the data (e.g., including encoding the data) based on the MCS selected for UE 120 for transmission to UE 120 on the downlink, thereby generating data symbols. Transmit processor 214 may process system information (e.g., semi-static resource partitioning information (SRPI)) and / or control information (e.g., CQI requests, grants, and / or upper-layer signaling) and provide overhead symbols and / or control symbols. The transmitting processor 214 can generate reference symbols for reference signals (e.g., cell-specific reference signals (CRS), demodulation reference signals (DMRS), or channel state information (CSI) reference signals (CSI-RS)) and / or synchronization signals (e.g., primary synchronization signal (PSS) or secondary synchronization signal (SSS)).

[0068] The TX MIMO processor 216 can perform spatial processing (e.g., pre-decoding) on ​​data symbols, control symbols, overhead symbols, and / or reference symbols, where applicable, and can provide a set of output symbol streams (e.g., T output symbol streams) to a set of modems 232. For example, each output symbol stream can be provided to a corresponding modulator component (shown as MOD) of modem 232. Each modem 232 can use the corresponding modulator component to process (e.g., modulate) the corresponding output symbol stream (e.g., for Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM)) to obtain an output sample stream. Each modem 232 can further use the corresponding modulator component to process (e.g., convert to analog, amplify, filter, and / or up-convert) the output sample stream to obtain a time-domain downlink signal. Modems 232a to 232t can transmit a set of downlink signals (e.g., T downlink signals) together via a set of corresponding antennas 234.

[0069] Downlink signals may include DCI communication, MAC control element (MAC-CE) communication, RRC communication, downlink reference signals, or another type of downlink communication. Downlink signals may be transmitted on the PDCCH, PDSCH, and / or on another downlink channel. Downlink signals may carry one or more transport blocks (TBs) of data. A TB may be a data unit transmitted via the air interface in the wireless communication network 100. A data stream (e.g., from data source 212) may be encoded into multiple TBs for transmission via the air interface. The number of TBs used to carry data associated with a particular data stream may be associated with a TB size shared by multiple TBs. The TB size may be based on the radio channel conditions of the air interface, the MCS used to encode the data, downlink resources allocated for transmitting data, and / or other parameters, or otherwise associated with them. Generally, a larger TB size allows for a larger amount of data to be transmitted in a single transmission, reducing signaling overhead. However, a larger TB size may be more prone to transmission and / or reception errors than a smaller TB size, but such errors can be mitigated through more robust error correction techniques.

[0070] For uplink communication from UE 120 to network node 110, the uplink signal from UE 120 may be received by antenna 234, processed by modem 232 (e.g., demodulator component of modem 232, shown as DEMOD), detected where applicable by MIMO detector 236 (e.g., receive (Rx) MIMO processor), and / or further processed by receive processor 238 to obtain decoded data and / or control information. Receive processor 238 may provide the decoded data to data sink 239 (which may be a data pipeline, data queue, and / or another type of data sink) and provide the decoded control information to processors such as controller / processor 240.

[0071] Network node 110 may use scheduler 246 to schedule one or more UEs 120 for downlink or uplink communication. In some aspects, scheduler 246 may use DCI to dynamically schedule DL transmissions to and / or UL transmissions from UE 120. In some examples, scheduler 246 may allocate repetitive time-domain and / or frequency-domain resources that UE 120 may use for transmitting and / or receiving communication with RRC configuration (e.g., semi-static configuration), for example, to perform semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) or to configure configuration grant (CG) for UE 120.

[0072] One or more of the following may be included in the RF chain of network node 110: transmit processor 214, TX MIMO processor 216, modem 232, antenna 234, MIMO detector 236, receive processor 238, and / or controller / processor 240. The RF chain may include one or more filters, mixers, oscillators, amplifiers, analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), and / or other devices for converting analog signals (such as those used for transmission or reception via an air interface) to digital signals (such as those used for processing by one or more processors of network node 110). In some aspects, the RF chain may be a transceiver of network node 110, or may be included in such a transceiver.

[0073] In some examples, network node 110 may use communication unit 244 to communicate with the core network and / or other network nodes. Communication unit 244 may support wired and / or wireless communication protocols and / or connections, such as Ethernet, fiber optic, Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI), and / or wired or wireless backhaul, etc. Network node 110 may use communication unit 244 to send and / or receive data associated with UE 120, or to execute network control signaling, etc. Communication unit 244 may include transceivers and / or interfaces, such as network interfaces.

[0074] UE 120 may include a collection of antennas 252 (shown as antennas 252a to 252r, where r ≥ 1), a collection of modems 254 (shown as modems 254a to 254u, where u ≥ 1), a MIMO detector 256, a receive processor 258, a data sink 260, a data source 262, a transmit processor 264, a TX MIMO processor 266, a controller / processor 280, a memory 282, and / or a communication manager 140, etc. One or more components of UE 120 may be included in housing 284. In some aspects, one or a combination of antenna 252, modem 254, MIMO detector 256, receive processor 258, transmit processor 264, or TX MIMO processor 266 may be included in a transceiver included in UE 120. The transceiver may be under the control of and used by one or more processors (such as controller / processor 280), and in some respects, may perform aspects of the methods, procedures, or operations described herein in conjunction with processor-readable code stored in memory 282. In some respects, UE 120 may include another interface, another communication component, and / or another component that facilitates communication with network node 110 and / or another UE 120.

[0075] For downlink communication from network node 110 to UE 120, the set of antennas 252 can receive downlink communication or signals from network node 110 and can provide a set of received downlink signals (e.g., R received signals) to a set of modems 254. For example, each received signal can be provided to a corresponding demodulator component (shown as DEMOD) of modem 254. Each modem 254 can use the corresponding demodulator component to condition (e.g., filter, amplify, downconvert, and / or digitize) the received signal to obtain an input sample. Each modem 254 can use the corresponding demodulator component to further demodulate or process the input sample (e.g., for OFDM) to obtain a received symbol. MIMO detector 256 can obtain the received symbols from the set of modems 254, can perform MIMO detection on the received symbols where applicable, and can provide the detected symbols. The receiver processor 258 can process (e.g., decode) the detected symbols, provide the decoded data for the UE 120 to the data sink 260 (which may include a data pipeline, a data queue, and / or an application running on the UE 120), and provide the decoded control information and system information to the controller / processor 280.

[0076] For uplink communication from UE 120 to network node 110, the transmitting processor 264 may receive and process data (“uplink data”) from data source 262 (such as data pipelines, data queues, and / or applications running on UE 120) and control information from controller / processor 280. The control information may include one or more parameters, feedback, one or more signal measurements, and / or other types of control information. In some aspects, the receiving processor 258 and / or controller / processor 280 may determine one or more parameters related to the transmission of uplink communication for received signals (such as those received from network node 110 or another UE). One or more parameters may include a Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) parameter, a Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) parameter, a Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ) parameter, a Channel Quality Indicator (CQI) parameter, or a Transmit Power Control (TPC) parameter, etc. The control information may include indications of RSRP, RSSI, RSRQ, CQI, TPC, and / or another parameter. Control information can facilitate parameter selection and / or scheduling for UE 120 by network node 110.

[0077] Transmitter 264 can generate reference symbols for one or more reference signals, such as uplink DMRS, uplink SRS, and / or another type of reference signal. Symbols from transmitter 264 may be pre-decoded by TX MIMO processor 266, where applicable, and further processed by an assembly of modems 254 (e.g., for DFT-s-OFDM or CP-OFDM). TX MIMO processor 266 may (where applicable) perform spatial processing (e.g., pre-decoding) on ​​data symbols, control symbols, overhead symbols, and / or reference symbols, and may provide an assembly of output symbol streams (e.g., U output symbol streams) to the assembly of modems 254. For example, each output symbol stream may be provided to a corresponding modulator component (shown as MOD) of modem 254. Each modem 254 may use the corresponding modulator component to process (e.g., modulate) the corresponding output symbol stream (e.g., for OFDM) to obtain an output sample stream. Each modem 254 may further use a corresponding modulator component to process (e.g., convert to analog, amplify, filter, and / or upconvert) the output sample stream to obtain an uplink signal.

[0078] Modems 254a to 254u can transmit a set of uplink signals (e.g., R uplink signals or U uplink symbols) via a set of corresponding antennas 252. Uplink signals may include UCI communication, MAC-CE communication, RRC communication, or another type of uplink communication. Uplink signals can be transmitted on PUSCH, PUCCH, and / or another type of uplink channel. Uplink signals can carry one or more TBs of data. Sidelink data and control transmission (i.e., transmission directly between two or more UEs 120) typically uses techniques similar to those described for uplink data and control transmission and may use sidelink-specific channels such as the Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH), Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH), and / or Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel (PSFCH).

[0079] One or more antennas in the set of antennas 252 or the set of antennas 234 may include one or more antenna panels, one or more antenna groups, one or more sets of antenna elements, or one or more antenna arrays, etc., or may be included in one or more antenna panels, one or more antenna groups, one or more sets of antenna elements, or one or more antenna arrays, etc. Antenna panels, antenna groups, sets of antenna elements, or antenna arrays may include one or more antenna elements (within a single housing or multiple housings), a set of coplanar antenna elements, a set of non-coplanar antenna elements, or with one or more transmitting or receiving components (such as...) Figure 2 An antenna module is a combination of one or more antenna elements coupled to one or more components. As used herein, "antenna" can mean one or more antennas, one or more antenna panels, one or more antenna groups, one or more collections of antenna elements, or one or more antenna arrays. "Antenna panel" can mean a group of antennas (such as antenna elements) arranged in an array or panel that can facilitate beamforming by manipulating the parameters of that group of antennas. "Antenna module" can mean a circuit that includes one or more antennas, and may also include one or more other components (such as filters, amplifiers, or processors) associated with integrating the antenna module into a wireless communication device.

[0080] In some examples, each antenna element of antenna 234 or antenna 252 may include one or more sub-elements for radiating or receiving radio frequency signals. For example, a single antenna element may include a first sub-element cross-polarized with a second sub-element, which can be used to independently transmit cross-polarized signals. Antenna elements may include patch antennas, dipole antennas, and / or other types of antennas arranged in a linear pattern, a two-dimensional pattern, or another pattern. The spacing between antenna elements can allow signals with a desired wavelength transmitted individually by the antenna elements to interact or interfere (e.g., to form a desired beam) in various directions. For example, given a desired wavelength or frequency range, the spacing may provide a quarter wavelength, half a wavelength, or another fraction of the wavelength between adjacent antenna elements to allow desired constructive and destructive interference modes of signals transmitted by individual antenna elements within that desired range.

[0081] The amplitude and / or phase of signals transmitted via antenna elements and / or sub-elements can be modulated and (e.g., by manipulating phase shifts, phase offsets, and / or amplitudes) shifted relative to each other to generate one or more beams; this is known as beamforming. The term "beam" can refer to the directional transmission of a wireless signal toward a receiving device or otherwise in a desired direction. "Beam" can also generally refer to the direction associated with such directional signal transmission, the set of directional resources associated with the signal transmission (e.g., angle of arrival, horizontal direction, and / or vertical direction), and / or a set of parameters indicating one or more aspects of the directional signal, the direction associated with the signal, and / or the set of directional resources associated with the signal. In some implementations, antenna elements can be individually selected or deselected for the directional transmission of a signal (or multiple signals) by controlling the amplitude of one or more corresponding amplifiers and / or the phase of the signal to form one or more beams. The shape of the beam (such as amplitude, width, and / or the presence of sidelobes) and / or the direction of the beam (such as the angle of the beam relative to the surface of the antenna array) can be dynamically controlled by modifying the phase shifts, phase offsets, and / or amplitudes of multiple signals relative to each other.

[0082] Different UEs 120 or network nodes 110 may include different numbers of antenna elements. For example, UE 120 may include a single antenna element, two antenna elements, four antenna elements, eight antenna elements, or different numbers of antenna elements. As another example, network node 110 may include eight antenna elements, 24 antenna elements, 64 antenna elements, 128 antenna elements, or different numbers of antenna elements. Generally speaking, a larger number of antenna elements provides increased control over the parameters used for beamforming compared to a smaller number of antenna elements, while a smaller number of antenna elements may be less complex to implement and can use less power. Multiple antenna elements can support multi-layer transmission, in which the same time and frequency resources are used to utilize spatial multiplexing to transmit a first layer of communication (which may include a first data stream) and a second layer of communication (which may include a second data stream).

[0083] Although Figure 2 The boxes in the diagram are illustrated as different components, but the functions described above with respect to these boxes may be implemented in a single hardware, software, or combined component, or in various combinations of components. For example, the functions described with respect to transmit processor 264, receive processor 258, and / or TX MIMO processor 266 may be performed by or under the control of controller / processor 280.

[0084] Figure 3 This is an illustration of an example decomposed base station architecture 300 according to the present disclosure. One or more components of the example decomposed base station architecture 300 may be, may include, or may be included in one or more network nodes (such as one or more network nodes 110). The decomposed base station architecture 300 may include a CU 310, which may communicate directly with the core network 320 via a backhaul link, or may communicate indirectly with the core network 320 via one or more decomposed control units (such as non-RT RIC 350 and / or near-RT RIC 370 associated with a Service Management and Orchestration (SMO) framework 360 (e.g., via an E2 link)). The CU 310 may communicate with one or more DU 330s via a corresponding midhaul link (such as via an F1 interface). Each DU 330 may communicate with one or more RU 340s via a corresponding fronthaul link. Each RU 340 may communicate with one or more UE 120s via a corresponding RF access link. In some deployments, a UE 120 may be served simultaneously by multiple RU 340s.

[0085] Each component in the decomposed base station architecture 300 (including CU 310, DU 330, RU 340, near-RT RIC 370, non-RT RIC 350, and SMO frame 360) may include one or more interfaces or be coupled to one or more interfaces for receiving or transmitting signals, such as data or information, via wired or wireless transmission media.

[0086] In some respects, the CU 310 can be logically divided into one or more CU user plane (CU-UP) units and one or more CU control plane (CU-CP) units. When implemented in an O-RAN configuration, the CU-UP units can communicate bidirectionally with the CU-CP units via an interface such as an E1 interface. The CU 310 can be deployed to communicate with one or more DU 330s for network control and signaling, as needed. Each DU 330 may correspond to a logical unit that includes one or more base station functions for controlling the operation of one or more RU 340s. For example, the DU 330 may host various layers, such as the RLC layer, MAC layer, or one or more PHY layers (such as one or more high PHY layers or one or more low PHY layers). Each layer (which may also be referred to as a module) can be implemented using an interface for signaling to other layers (and modules) hosted by the DU 330, or for signaling to control functions hosted by the CU 310. Each RU 340 may implement lower-layer functionality. In some respects, the real-time and non-real-time aspects of communication with the control plane and user plane of the RU 340 can be controlled by the corresponding DU 330.

[0087] The SMO framework 360 supports RAN deployment and provisioning for both non-virtualized and virtualized network elements. For non-virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 360 supports the deployment of dedicated physical resources for RAN coverage requirements, which can be managed via operation and maintenance interfaces such as the O1 interface. For virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 360 can interact with cloud computing platforms such as the Open Cloud (O-Cloud) platform 390 to perform network element lifecycle management (such as instantiating virtualized network elements) via cloud computing platform interfaces such as the O2 interface. Virtualized network elements may include, but are not limited to, CU 310, DU 330, RU 340, non-RT RIC 350, and / or near-RT RIC 370. In some aspects, the SMO framework 360 can communicate with hardware aspects of the 4G RAN, 5G NR RAN, and / or 6G RAN (such as the Open eNB (O-eNB) 380) via the O1 interface. Additionally or alternatively, the SMO framework 360 can communicate directly with each of one or more RUs 340 via the corresponding O1 interface. In some deployments, this configuration enables each DU 330 and CU 310 to be implemented in a cloud-based RAN architecture, such as a vRAN architecture.

[0088] The non-RT RIC 350 may include or implement logical functions that enable non-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources, including artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) workflows for model training and updates, and / or policy-based guidance of applications and / or features in the near-RT RIC 370. The non-RT RIC 350 may be coupled to or communicate with the near-RT RIC 370, such as via an A1 interface. The near-RT RIC 370 may include or implement logical functions that enable near real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources via an interface, such as an E2 interface, through data collection and actions, connecting one or more CU 310s, one or more DU 330s, and / or O-eNBs to the near-RT RIC 370.

[0089] In some aspects, to generate AI / ML models to be deployed in the near-RT RIC 370, the non-RT RIC 350 may receive parameters or external enrichment information from an external server. This information can be utilized by the near-RT RIC 370 and can be received from non-network data sources or network functions at the SMO framework 360 or the non-RT RIC 350. In some examples, the non-RT RIC 350 or near-RT RIC 370 may modulate RAN behavior or performance. For example, the non-RT RIC 350 may monitor long-term trends and patterns in performance and may employ AI / ML models to perform corrective actions via the SMO framework 360 (such as reconfiguration via the O1 interface) or via the creation of RAN management policies (such as A1 interface policies).

[0090] As indicated above, Figure 3 This is provided as an example. Other examples are available with reference to [the relevant information]. Figure 3 The examples described are different.

[0091] Figure 1 , Figure 2 or Figure 3 Network node 110, its controller / processor 240, UE 120, UE 120's controller / processor 280, CU 310, DU 330, RU 340, or any other component may implement one or more technologies associated with COT sharing or perform one or more operations associated with COT sharing, as described in more detail elsewhere herein. For example, network node 110's controller / processor 240, UE 120's controller / processor 280, CU 310, DU 330, RU 340, or any other component may implement one or more technologies associated with COT sharing or perform one or more operations associated with COT sharing, as described in more detail elsewhere herein. Figure 2 Any other component, CU 310, DU 330, or RU 340 may execute or instruct, for example Figure 9 The process 900 Figure 10The operation of process 1000 or other processes as described herein (alone or in combination with one or more other processors). Memory 242 may store data and program code for network node 110, CU 310, DU 330, or RU 340. Memory 282 may store data and program code for UE 120. In some examples, memory 242 or memory 282 may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instruction sets (e.g., code or program code) for wireless communication. Memory 242 may include one or more memories, such as a single memory or multiple different memories (of the same or different types). Memory 282 may include one or more memories, such as a single memory or multiple different memories (of the same or different types). For example, the instruction set may be made to be executed by one or more processors of network node 110, UE 120, CU 310, DU 330, or RU 340 (e.g., directly, or after compilation, transformation, or interpretation). Figure 9 The process 900 Figure 10 The process 1000 or other processes as described herein. In some examples, the execution instructions may include run instructions, transformation instructions, compilation instructions, and / or interpretation instructions, etc.

[0092] In some aspects, UE 120 includes: components for receiving a COT-SI from the initiating UE, wherein the COT-SI indicates at least a portion of a COT associated with the COT-SI for PSFCH transmission to the initiating UE; and / or components for transmitting PSFCH communication to the initiating UE in the COT. Components enabling UE 120 to perform the operations described herein may include, for example, one or more of a communication manager 140, an antenna 252, a modem 254, a MIMO detector 256, a receive processor 258, a transmit processor 264, a TX MIMO processor 266, a controller / processor 280, or a memory 282.

[0093] In some aspects, UE 120 includes: components for transmitting a first communication in a COT initiated by the initiating UE; components for receiving a PSFCH from the responding UE in the COT; and / or components for transmitting a second communication in the COT and after receiving the PSFCH, wherein the second communication has a cyclic prefix extension that begins before an LBT opportunity of the responding UE, wherein the LBT opportunity is the next LBT opportunity after the PSFCH. Components for UE 120 to perform the operations described herein may include, for example, one or more of a communication manager 140, an antenna 252, a modem 254, a MIMO detector 256, a receive processor 258, a transmit processor 264, a TX MIMO processor 266, a controller / processor 280, or a memory 282.

[0094] Figure 4 This is a diagram illustrating example 400 of sidelink communication according to this disclosure.

[0095] like Figure 4 As shown, the first UE 405-1 can communicate with the second UE 405-2 (and one or more other UEs 405) via one or more sidelink channels 410. UEs 405-1 and 405-2 can communicate using one or more sidelink channels 410 for P2P communication, D2D communication, V2X communication (e.g., which may include V2V communication, V2I communication, and / or V2P communication), and / or mesh networking. In some aspects, UE 405 (e.g., UE 405-1 and / or UE 405-2) can correspond to one or more other UEs (such as UE 120) described elsewhere herein. In some aspects, one or more sidelink channels 410 can use a PC5 interface and / or can operate in a high-frequency band (e.g., the 5.9 GHz band). Additionally or alternatively, UE 405 can use Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) timing to synchronize the timing of transmission time intervals (TTIs) (e.g., frames, subframes, time slots, or symbols).

[0096] like Figure 4As further shown, one or more sidelink channels 410 may include a Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH) 415, a Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH) 420, and / or a Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel (PSFCH) 425. PSCCH 415 can be used to convey control information, similar to a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) and / or a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) for cellular communication with network node 110 via an access link or access channel. PSSCH 420 can be used to convey data, similar to a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) and / or a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) for cellular communication with network node 110 via an access link or access channel. For example, PSCCH 415 may carry Sidelink Control Information (SCI) 430, which may indicate various control information for sidelink communication, such as one or more resources (e.g., time resources, frequency resources, and / or spatial resources), wherein a Transport Block (TB) 435 may be carried on PSSCH 420. TB 435 may include data. PSFCH 425 may be used to convey sidelink feedback 440, such as Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) feedback (e.g., Acknowledgment or Negative Acknowledgment (ACK / NACK) information), Transmit Power Control (TPC), and / or Schedule Request (SR).

[0097] Although shown on PSCCH 415, SCI 430 may include multiple communications in different phases, such as a first-phase SCI (SCI-1) and a second-phase SCI (SCI-2). SCI-1 may be transmitted on PSCCH 415. SCI-2 may be transmitted on PSSCH 420. SCI-1 may include, for example, indications of one or more resources on PSSCH 420 (e.g., time resources, frequency resources, and / or spatial resources), information for decoding sidelink communications on PSSCH, Quality of Service (QoS) priority values, resource reservation periods, PSSCH demodulation reference signal (DMRS) modes, SCI format for SCI-2, β offset for SCI-2, number of PSSCH DMRS ports, and / or modulation and decoding scheme (MCS). SCI-2 may include information associated with data transmission on PSSCH 420, such as Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) process ID, New Data Indicator (NDI), source identifier, destination identifier, and / or Channel State Information (CSI) report triggering.

[0098] The SCI can use an SCI format that defines the purpose of the SCI, the fields included in the SCI, etc. A first-stage SCI can indicate the SCI format of a second-stage SCI. For example, if parameters are configured for the sidelink bandwidth portion (e.g., transmissionStructureForPSCCHandPSSCH), the first-stage SCI can include second-stage SCI format fields and reserved bits as defined in Table 1.

[0099]

[0100] Table 1

[0101] Table 1 indicates the second-stage SCI (SCI-2) format for side-link operations in shared spectrum.

[0102] In some aspects, one or more sidelink channels 410 may use resource pools. For example, scheduling assignments (e.g., included in SCI 430) may be transmitted across time using specific resource blocks (RBs) in a subchannel. In some aspects, data transmissions associated with scheduling assignments (e.g., on PSSCH 420) may (e.g., using frequency division multiplexing) occupy adjacent RBs in the same subframe as the scheduling assignment. In some aspects, scheduling assignments and associated data transmissions are not transmitted on adjacent RBs.

[0103] In some aspects, UE 405 may operate using a sidelink transmit mode (e.g., mode 1), where resource selection and / or scheduling is performed by network node 110 (e.g., a base station, CU, or DU). For example, UE 405 may receive permission for sidelink channel access and / or scheduling (e.g., in downlink control information (DCI) or in radio resource control (RRC) messages, such as permission for configuration) from network node 110 (e.g., directly or via one or more network nodes). In some aspects, UE 405 may operate using a transmit mode (e.g., mode 2), where resource selection and / or scheduling is performed by UE 405 (e.g., not by network node 110). In some aspects, UE 405 may perform resource selection and / or scheduling by sensing channel availability for transmission. For example, UE 405 can measure Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) parameters (e.g., sidelink RSSI (S-RSSI) parameters) associated with various sidelink channels, can measure Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) parameters (e.g., PSSCH-RSRP parameters) associated with various sidelink channels, and / or can measure Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ) parameters (e.g., PSSCH-RSRQ parameters) associated with various sidelink channels, and can select the transmission channel for sidelink communication based at least in part on the measurements.

[0104] Additionally or alternatively, UE 405 may use SCI 430 received in PSCCH 415 to perform resource selection and / or scheduling, which may indicate the occupied resources and / or channel parameters. Additionally or alternatively, UE 405 may perform resource selection and / or scheduling by determining the Channel Busy Ratio (CBR) associated with various sidelink channels, which may be used for rate control (e.g., by indicating the maximum number of resource blocks that UE 405 may use for a specific set of subframes).

[0105] In a transmission mode where resource selection and / or scheduling is performed by UE 405, UE 405 may generate sidelink grants and transmit the grants in SCI 430. Sidelink grants may indicate one or more parameters (e.g., transmission parameters) to be used for an upcoming sidelink transmission, such as one or more resource blocks (e.g., for TB 435) to be used for an upcoming sidelink transmission on PSSCH 420, one or more subframes to be used for an upcoming sidelink transmission, and / or a modulation and decoding scheme (MCS) to be used for an upcoming sidelink transmission. In some aspects, UE 405 may generate sidelink grants indicating one or more parameters for semi-persistent scheduling (SPS), such as the periodicity of sidelink transmissions. Additionally or alternatively, UE 405 may generate sidelink grants for event-driven scheduling (such as for on-demand sidelink messages).

[0106] As indicated above, Figure 4 This is provided as an example. Other examples are available with reference to [the relevant information]. Figure 4 The descriptions are different.

[0107] Figure 5A and Figure 5B This is a diagram illustrating example 500 of sidelink communication and access link communication according to this disclosure.

[0108] like Figure 5A As shown, the transmitter (Tx) / receiver (Rx) UE 505 and the Rx / Tx UE 510 can communicate with each other via a side link, as described above. Figure 4As described. As further shown, in some sidelink modes, network node 110 may communicate with Tx / Rx UE 505, such as via a first access link (e.g., directly or via one or more network nodes). Additionally or alternatively, in some sidelink modes, network node 110 may communicate with Rx / Tx UE 510, such as via a second access link (e.g., directly or via one or more network nodes). Tx / Rx UE 505 and / or Rx / Tx UE 510 may correspond to one or more UEs described elsewhere herein, such as Figure 1 UE 120 or Figure 3 UE 305. Therefore, the direct link between UEs 120 (e.g., via the PC5 interface) can be referred to as a side link, and the direct link between network node 110 and UE 120 (e.g., via the Uu interface) can be referred to as an access link. Side link communication can be sent via the side link, and access link communication can be sent via the access link. Access link communication can be downlink communication (from network node 110 to UE 120) or uplink communication (from UE 120 to network node 110).

[0109] For example, to accommodate growing business demands, various efforts have been made to improve spectrum efficiency in wireless networks, thereby increasing network capacity (e.g., through the use of higher-order modulation, advanced MIMO antenna technology, multi-cell coordination techniques, etc.). Another potential way to increase network capacity is to expand system bandwidth. However, the available spectrum in lower frequency bands that has traditionally been licensed or otherwise allocated to mobile network operators may be limited.

[0110] Accordingly, various technologies have been developed to enable cellular RATs to operate in unlicensed or other shared spectrum. For example, Licensed Assisted Access (LAA) uses carrier aggregation on the downlink to combine LTE in licensed bands with LTE in unlicensed bands (e.g., 2.4 and / or 5 GHz bands already filled with wireless LAN (WLAN) or “Wi-Fi” devices). Enhanced LAA (eLAA) and further enhanced LAA (feLAA) technologies enable both uplink and downlink LTE operation in unlicensed spectrum. MulteFire is an LTE-based technology that operates in both unlicensed and shared spectrum in a standalone mode. NR-U enables NR operation in unlicensed spectrum. Generally, a challenge arises when operating cellular RATs in unlicensed spectrum (e.g., using LAA, eLAA, feLAA, MulteFire, and / or NR-U) is ensuring fair coexistence with existing (e.g., WLAN) systems that can operate in that unlicensed spectrum.

[0111] For example, before gaining access to and / or transmitting on a channel such as an unlicensed channel, a transmitting device (e.g., network node 110, UE 120, UE 505, UE 510, etc.) may perform a Listen-Before-Speak (LBT) procedure to contend for access to the unlicensed channel. The LBT procedure generally includes a Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) procedure, which is performed to determine whether the channel is available (e.g., not occupied by other transmitters). Specifically, the CCA procedure may include detecting the energy level on the channel and determining whether that energy level meets (e.g., is less than or equal to) a threshold (sometimes referred to as an energy detection threshold, etc.). When the energy level meets (e.g., is not equal to or exceeds) the threshold, the CCA procedure is considered successful, and the transmitting device may gain access to the channel for a duration known as the Channel Occupied Time (COT), during which the transmitting device may perform transmission without performing additional LBT operations. When the energy level does not meet the threshold, the CCA procedure is unsuccessful, and contention for channel access may be considered unsuccessful.

[0112] When a CCA procedure results in the channel band being determined to be unavailable (e.g., due to an energy level detected on the channel indicating that another device is already using the channel), the CCA procedure can be performed again later. In environments where the transmitting device has limited access to the channel (e.g., due to WLAN activity or transmissions by other devices), an extended CCA (eCCA) procedure can be employed to increase the likelihood that the transmitting device will successfully gain access to the channel.

[0113] For example, a transmitting device performing an eCCA procedure can execute a random number of CCA procedures (from 1 to q) based on an eCCA counter. When the transmitting device senses that the channel has become open, and / or when the transmitting device senses that the channel has become open, the transmitting device can initiate a random waiting period based on the eCCA counter, and if the channel remains open during that random waiting period, transmission begins.

[0114] Therefore, while wireless networks can be configured to use unlicensed spectrum to achieve faster data rates, provide a more responsive user experience, offload services from licensed spectrum, etc., ensuring fair coexistence with existing systems (e.g., WLAN devices) can be balanced with the efficient use of unlicensed spectrum. For example, even in the absence of interference, the LBT process used to ensure that no other device is already using the channel introduces a delay before transmission can begin, which can degrade the user experience, leading to unacceptable performance for latency-sensitive or delay-sensitive applications, and so on. Furthermore, these problems can be exacerbated when the initial CCA process fails, as the transmitting device can only transmit on the channel after performing an additional number of CCA processes and determining that the channel has become open and remaining open for a random waiting period. Additionally, in some cases, the COT obtained by the transmitting device may have a longer duration than necessary for the transmitting device to perform the desired transmission, which can lead to inefficient use of the unlicensed channel.

[0115] Therefore, in some scenarios, wireless networks can enable the COT obtained by the transmitting device to be shared with other nodes to improve access and efficiency for unlicensed channels. For example, in downlink-to-uplink COT sharing on an access link, network node 110 can obtain a COT using eCCA, and this COT can be shared with one or more UEs (e.g., UE 120, UE 505, UE 510, etc.), which can then transmit uplink signals within the COT already obtained by network node 110. In this case, a UE attempting to initiate uplink transmission within the COT shared with network node 110 can perform uplink transmission without having to perform an LBT procedure, or the UE can perform uplink transmission after performing a single CCA with a shorter LBT procedure (e.g., a Category 2 LBT procedure when the downlink-to-uplink gap duration is between 16µs and 25µs, a Category 1 LBT procedure when the downlink-to-uplink gap duration is less than or equal to 16µs, etc.).

[0116] Additionally or alternatively, the wireless network may support uplink-to-downlink COT sharing on the access link. In this case, UE-initiated COTs (e.g., for configured PUSCH or scheduled uplink transmissions) may be shared with network node 110. In this way, network node 110 may be permitted to transmit control and / or broadcast signals and / or channels for any UE served by network node 110, provided that the transmission includes downlink signals, channels, and / or other transmissions (e.g., PDSCH, PDCCH, reference signals, etc.) intended to be received by the UE initiating the channel occupancy.

[0117] Additionally or alternatively, the wireless network may support UE-to-UE COT sharing on a sidelink. The initiating UE may initiate (e.g., acquire) COT, as described below. For example, as in... Figure 5B As illustrated by reference numeral 515 in the accompanying drawings, the COT obtained by the initiating UE (e.g., UE 505) can be shared in Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM) mode by dividing the COT into multiple interleavings (e.g., time periods during which one or more UEs can perform transmission operations). For example, as... Figure 5B As shown, the initiating UE can use one or more sidelink resources (e.g., time and frequency resources) to transmit in the first interleaving after the COT has been obtained, and the responding UE (e.g., UE 510) can use sidelink frequency resources that do not overlap with the sidelink frequency resources used by the initiating UE to perform transmission operations in subsequent interleavings. Therefore, as Figure 5B As shown, FDM or interleaved COT sharing can introduce short transmission gaps between interleavings to allow other UEs to perform transmission operations in subsequent interleavings during shared COT, and the sidelink control information transmitted by the initiating UE can carry information to support interleaved COT sharing. The initiating UE may be referred to as the transmitting UE in this document, and the responding UE may be referred to as the receiving UE.

[0118] Additionally or alternatively, as shown by reference numeral 520, UE-to-UE COT sharing can be implemented in Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) mode. In this case, the total COT can be divided into initial time periods during which the initiating UE can perform transmissions, which may include one or more SCI transmissions indicating when the initial transmissions will end, the remaining duration of the COT available for sharing, etc. Therefore, one or more responding UEs can monitor sidelink control information transmitted by other UEs (e.g., the initiating UE) to recover COT sharing information that can be used to perform transmissions during the time periods corresponding to the shared COT.

[0119] In some aspects, the second-stage SCI can indicate the COT duration (e.g., remaining COT duration) via a COT duration field (e.g., the remaining COT duration field). The COT duration can be represented using physical time slots. The payload size of the COT duration field can be 4 bits in a 15kHz subcarrier interval, 5 bits in a 30kHz subcarrier interval, or 6 bits in a 60kHz subcarrier interval. If the indicated COT duration is 0 time slots, the initiating UE does not share the COT. The starting time slot of the COT duration is the time slot in which the COT-SI is transmitted. When the COT-SI is transmitted in time slot n and the remaining COT duration is set to K, the end of the COT duration to be shared is time slot n+K. The remaining COT duration indicated by the COT duration field cannot cause the COT duration to exceed the maximum COT duration.

[0120] As used herein, a responding UE is a UE attempting to gain access to a COT shared by the initiating UE. A responding UE can perform Type 2 sidelink channel access to gain access to the COT. For example, a UE can perform Type 2A channel access after another UE's transmission, where, during shared channel occupancy, the interval between the other UE's transmission and this UE's transmission is at least 25 microseconds. For example, a UE can perform Type 2B channel access after another UE's transmission, where, during shared channel occupancy, the interval between the other UE's transmission and this UE's transmission is 16 microseconds. For example, a UE can perform Type 2C channel access after another UE's transmission, where, when the duration of this UE's transmission is at most 584 microseconds, the interval between the other UE's transmission and this UE's transmission is at most 16 microseconds.

[0121] Therefore, as described herein, UE-to-UE COT sharing can enable multiple UEs to perform transmissions during the COT period obtained by the initiating UE (e.g., a UE that successfully performs an LBT procedure to gain access to an unlicensed channel), thereby achieving better access to unlicensed spectrum, more efficient use of unlicensed spectrum, and so on. In some examples, if the receiving UE is the target receiver of a COT transmission by the transmitting UE (i.e., a transmission for which the transmitting UE obtains the COT or a transmission by the transmitting UE within the transmitting UE's COT), then the receiving UE may be allowed to share the transmitting UE's COT.

[0122] As indicated above, Figure 5A and Figure 5B This is provided as an example. Other examples are available with reference to [the relevant information]. Figure 5A and Figure 5B The examples described are different.

[0123] Figure 6 This is a diagram illustrating Example 600 of Cyclic Prefix Extension (CPE) for Shared Channel Access according to this disclosure. Example 600 shows symbols numbered 12, 13, and 0 (e.g., OFDM symbols). For example, a time slot (e.g., a physical time slot) may include 14 symbols. Symbol 0 is an Automatic Gain Control (AGC) symbol. The AGC symbol can be used for level control in a sidelink receiver. Example 600 illustrates a symbol represented as T sym_0 T sym_1 and T sym_2 Time. T sym_0 It is the starting position (in time) of the next AGC symbol (symbol 0). sym_1 This is the starting position of the first symbol of the AGC symbol (symbol 13). T sym_2 It is the starting position of the second symbol before the AGC symbol (symbol 12). Symbol 13 can be a gap symbol (also known as a guard symbol).

[0124] A UE can use a CPE to obtain channel access. For example, when performing Type 2 channel access to transmit a PSSCH or PSCCH within a COT, the UE can prepend the CPE to its transmission, allowing the transmission to occupy the channel at a given time, earlier than the transmissions of other UEs. Therefore, a UE configured with a CPE that starts earlier in a given time slot or symbol (with earlier CPE start positioning) can effectively prioritize channel access over a UE configured with a CPE that starts later in a given time slot or symbol (with later CPE start positioning).

[0125] In some examples, only one value is configured or pre-configured (e.g., in wireless communication specifications) for the CPE origin location set. For example, this value might be considered the default CPE origin location, and the UE might use only the (pre-)configured default CPE origin location. In other examples, multiple values ​​might be (pre-)configured for the CPE origin location. One of these values ​​could represent the default CPE origin location. In this example, the UE could initiate channel access in COT similar to how a UE would initiate COT using Type 1 channel access.

[0126] The set of candidate CPE start-point values ​​that can be configured or defined for the UE for one or more CPE start-point locations can be based on the subcarrier spacing (SCS) of the sidelink bandwidth portion. For example, for a 15kHz SCS (which is in Figure 6 (as shown in the example), this set can contain the value { , , , , , , For a 30kHz SCS, the set of values ​​for a symbol-length CPE window can include { , , For a 30kHz SCS, the set of values ​​for a two-symbol-length CPE window can include { , , , , , , For a 60kHz SCS, the set of values ​​for a symbol-length CPE window can include { , For a 60kHz SCS, the set of values ​​for a two-symbol-length CPE window can include { , , When the CPE's initial location is Tsym_0, the CPE length can be 0.

[0127] The initial positioning value of CPE is... Figure 6 exemplified in . Specifically, It is shown by reference numeral 605 in the attached drawing. It is shown by reference numeral 610 in the attached drawing. It is shown by reference numeral 615 in the attached drawing. It is shown by reference numeral 620 in the attached drawing. It is shown by reference numeral 625 in the attached drawing. It is shown by reference numeral 630 in the attached drawing.

[0128] As indicated above, Figure 6 This is provided as an example. Other examples are available with reference to [the relevant information]. Figure 6 The examples described are different.

[0129] Figure 7 This is an illustration of Example 700, which reuses the COT shared by the initiating UE according to this disclosure. Example 700 includes an initiating UE (e.g., UE 120, UE 505, UE 510) and a responding UE (e.g., UE 120, UE 505, UE 510).

[0130] like Figure 7 As shown, the initiating UE can transmit the first communication 702 (e.g., PSSCH communication) in several time slots (time slot 0, time slot 1, and time slot 2). Therefore, the initiating UE can obtain the COT in which the first communication 702 is transmitted. Furthermore, the initiating UE can transmit COT-SI 704 (such as via a second-stage SCI). COT-SI 704 can indicate that the COT can be shared by the responding UE. Therefore, the COT can be associated with COT-SI 704.

[0131] As shown in the figure, COT-SI 704 can indicate that COT is used for PSFCH transmission. For example, COT-SI 704 can indicate that COT can be used by the UE for PSFCH transmission only. For example, COT-SI 704 can indicate that COT cannot be shared for PSSCH transmission or PSCCH transmission.

[0132] In some aspects, COT-SI 704 may include an indication of the duration associated with (e.g., included in) a COT. During the duration, the COT may be used (e.g., only used) to transmit a PSFCH to the initiating UE. This duration may include the entire COT or a subset of the COT (e.g., a suitable subset, such as one time slot, multiple time slots, etc.). In some aspects, the indication of the duration may be included in the COT duration field of COT-SI 704 (e.g., the remaining COT duration field). For example, the indication may use one or more values ​​of the COT duration field to indicate the duration (such as one or more reserved bits of the remaining COT duration field). In some aspects, different values ​​of the COT duration field may correspond to different numbers of time slots. For example, a first value of the COT duration field may indicate a duration of 1 time slot, a second value of the COT duration field may indicate a duration of 2 time slots, and so on. In some aspects, different values ​​of the COT duration field may correspond to different numbers of PSFCH opportunities. For example, the first value of the COT duration field can indicate that the responding UE can use COT to send PSFCH during the next 1 PSFCH timing, the second value of the COT duration field can indicate that the responding UE can use COT to send PSFCH during the next 2 PSFCH timings, and so on.

[0133] In some aspects, the SCI format associated with COT-SI 704 may indicate that at least a portion of the COT is used (e.g., only available for) PSFCH transmission to the initiating UE. For example, a first-stage SCI may indicate that a second-stage SCI has an SCI format indicating that at least a portion of the COT is only available for PSFCH transmission. For example, in SCI-1, when the higher-layer parameter transmissionStructureForPSCCHandPSSCH in SL-BWP-Config is configured (indicating side-link operation in the shared spectrum) and the reserved bit is configured to 1, the second-stage SCI format field value "10" (previously used as the reserved value in Table 1 above) indicates the SCI format. In some aspects, the SCI format may be referred to as SCI format 2-E. In some aspects, the SCI format may carry a COT-SI indicating that at least a portion of the COT is only available for PSFCH transmission and may include one or more fields of SCI format 2-A, as defined by 3GPP.

[0134] In some aspects, the COT-SI 704 may include a Channel Access Priority Class (CAPC) value, a COT Shared Broadcast Type value, a COT duration (e.g., remaining COT duration) value, and one or more additional identifiers, and may therefore have a size of 34 bits. The CAPC value may indicate the priority of LBT operations, which can be used to determine the maximum COT length and other parameters. The COT Shared Broadcast Type value may indicate one or more broadcast types (e.g., multicast, broadcast, unicast) that can use the COT. One or more additional identifiers may identify the UE or group of UEs that can use the COT. In some aspects, the COT-SI 704 may include a COT Shared Broadcast Type value, a COT duration (e.g., remaining COT duration) value, and one or more additional identifiers (e.g., and the CAPC value may be omitted, which reduces overhead because the CAPC used for PSFCH can typically be 1). The COT-SI 704 may have a size of 32 bits.

[0135] As indicated by reference numeral 706 in the accompanying drawings, a responding UE may transmit PSFCH communication within the COT. For example, a responding UE may transmit PSFCH communication within the COT according to COT-SI 704, which indicates that the COT (or at least a portion of the COT) is only available for PSFCH. In some aspects, a responding UE may transmit PSFCH communication within a duration (e.g., within the COT) for PSFCH transmission, as indicated by the COT-SI.

[0136] As shown by reference numeral 708, after sending a PSFCH communication, if the responding UE wants to send another communication (e.g., a non-PSFCH communication, such as PSSCH or PSCCH) in the COT, the responding UE can perform a Type 1 LBT operation (e.g., using a variable sensing period and random backoff) to obtain channel access. As further shown, the Type 1 LBT operation may fail, causing the responding UE not to obtain channel access after sending the PSFCH. Furthermore, after processing the PSFCH communication, the initiating UE can perform a Type 2 LBT operation in the COT at reference numeral 710 to obtain channel access (which is more likely to succeed than the Type 1 LBT operation), and can send another communication 712 (e.g., PSSCH). In some aspects, the first and second communications can both belong to the same transmission burst. For example, the initiating UE can send the PSSCH in slots 0, 1, and 2, and then process the PSFCH communication to determine whether the responding UE received the PSSCH. Based on the result of processing the PSFCH communication, the initiating UE can obtain channel access and send communication 712 in slot 4. Furthermore, the initiating UE can provide a COT-SI 714 associated with PSSCH 710 (such as in the PSCCH of scheduled communication 712). In some aspects, COT-SI 714 may not indicate that COT is used for PSFCH transmission. For example, COT may be used for both PSFCH and other communications (e.g., PSSCH, PSCCH). Therefore, the responding UE can send communication 716 in COT. In some aspects, when the responding UE receives a general COT-SI (e.g., COT-SI 714, which does not indicate that COT is used only for PSFCH transmission), it is not expected that the responding UE will receive subsequent COT-SIs (such as COT-SI 704) used only for PSFCH within the remaining COT duration indicated by the general COT-SI (e.g., COT-SI 714). Therefore, a conflict between COT-SI 704 and COT-SI 714 is avoided.

[0137] The expected transmission duration of the initiating UE is shown. This expected transmission duration can indicate the duration during which the initiating UE is expected to transmit data, such as the length of the transmission burst. For example, the expected transmission duration can be based on the amount of data to be transmitted by the initiating UE.

[0138] As indicated above, Figure 7 This is provided as an example. Other examples are available with reference to [the relevant information]. Figure 7 The examples described are different.

[0139] Figure 8This is an illustration of another example 800 of a COT sharing reused with the initiating UE according to this disclosure. Example 800 includes an initiating UE (e.g., UE 120, UE 505, UE 510) and a responding UE (e.g., UE 120, UE 505, UE 510). In example 800, the initiating UE may use a CPE that begins prior to the responding UE's LBT opportunity to send communications.

[0140] As shown by reference numeral 802 in the figure, the initiating UE can send and the responding UE can receive a first communication. For example, the initiating UE can initiate a COT and can send the first communication within that COT. As shown, the first communication may include or be associated with a COT-SI, which indicates that the COT can be shared with (at least) the responding UE.

[0141] As shown by reference numeral 804 in the attached figure, the responding UE can send a PSFCH during the COT. For example, the responding UE can share the COT with the initiating UE by sending a PSFCH during the COT. The initiating UE can receive the PSFCH.

[0142] As shown in the figure, the initiating UE can send the second communication 806 in the COT. For example, the initiating UE can send the second communication 806 before the processing delay used for PSFCH. Figure 7 An example of this processing delay is illustrated. In some aspects, the initiating UE may transmit the second communication 806 within a threshold time length of receiving the PSFCH. In some aspects, the threshold time length may be at most (e.g., equal to or less than) 16 microseconds. Therefore, the initiating UE may prevent the responding UE from accessing the COT via a type 2 LBT (such as type 2A and type 2B LBTs in the next LBT opportunity after the PSFCH, which involve a gap of at least 16 microseconds). In some aspects, the first and second communications 806 may be part of a transmission burst. For example, the first and second communications 806 may carry the same transport block, or may carry different portions of the same transport block.

[0143] In some aspects, the receiving UE can transmit the second communication 806 within a threshold time length by sending a CPE associated with (e.g., as part of, preceding) the second communication 806. For example, the receiving UE can transmit the second communication 806 within a time value relative to time slot #2. Sending a CPE with initial positioning (for second communication 806) (in conjunction with Figure 6 (As described). In some respects, the initiating UE may receive or be pre-configured with a set of time values ​​for the CPE, such as in combination with Figure 6 As described. In such examples, in example 800, the initiation can be sent in CPE starting at point, even This also applies when the initiating UE is not configured or pre-configured for sending CPE time values ​​as the initiating UE can transmit. For example, the CPE may begin at a starting position (for the second communication 806) that is independent of one or more starting positions configured for the CPE. Therefore, the initiating UE is excluded based on the starting position. Compared to sending a set of configured or pre-configured values ​​to a CPE, the side-link transmission of both the first and second communications 806 initiated by the UE is protected with a higher probability.

[0144] As shown by reference numeral 808 in the attached figure, the responding UE may send a communication (e.g., PSSCH) after the second communication 806 has ended. For example, the responding UE may obtain a COT (such as via a type 1 LBT or a type 2 LBT, depending on the gap after the second communication 806) and may send a communication.

[0145] As indicated above, Figure 8 This is provided as an example. Other examples are available with reference to [the relevant information]. Figure 8 The examples described are different.

[0146] Figure 9 This is a diagram illustrating an example process 900 performed, for example, at a UE or a device of a UE, according to this disclosure. Example process 900 is where the device or UE (e.g., UE 120, ...) is... Figure 7 Examples of operations performed by the UE in response to and associated with sharing of channel occupancy time from multiple communications originating from the UE.

[0147] like Figure 9 As shown, in some aspects, process 900 may include receiving a COT-SI from the initiating UE, wherein the COT-SI indicates at least a portion of the COT associated with the COT-SI for transmission to the PSFCH of the initiating UE (block 910). For example, the UE (e.g., using...) Figure 11 The transceiver 1108 and antenna 1110 of the communication device 1100 can receive COT-SI from the initiating UE, wherein the COT-SI indicates at least a portion of the COT associated with the COT-SI for transmission to the PSFCH of the initiating UE, as described above.

[0148] like Figure 9 As further shown, in some aspects, process 900 may include sending PSFCH communication to the initiating UE in the COT (box 920). For example, the UE (e.g., using...) Figure 11 The transceiver 1108 and antenna 1110 of the communication device 1100 in the COT can send PSFCH communication to the initiating UE, as described above.

[0149] Process 900 may include additional aspects, such as any single aspect or any combination of aspects described below and / or in conjunction with one or more other processes described elsewhere in this document.

[0150] In the first aspect, COT-SI indicates that at least a portion of COT can only be used for PSFCH transmission to the initiating UE.

[0151] In a second aspect, either alone or in combination with the first aspect, COT-SI includes an indication of the duration associated with COT, wherein COT is only available for transmission to the PSFCH of the initiating UE during that duration.

[0152] In the third aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of the first and second aspects, the indication is included in the COT history field associated with COT-SI.

[0153] In the fourth aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of the first to third aspects, duration is time duration.

[0154] In the fifth aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of the first to fourth aspects, the duration is multiple PSFCH opportunities.

[0155] In the sixth aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of the first to fifth aspects, the SCI format associated with COT-SI indicates that at least a portion of COT can only be used for PSFCH transmission to the initiating UE.

[0156] In the seventh aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of the first to sixth aspects, the first-stage SCI indicates that the second-stage SCI associated with COT-SI has an SCI format.

[0157] In the eighth aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of the first to seventh aspects, the COT-SI includes the channel access priority level, the COT shared broadcast type, the remaining COT duration, and one or more additional identifiers.

[0158] In the ninth aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of the first to eighth aspects, the COT-SI includes the COT shared broadcast type, the remaining COT duration, and one or more additional identifiers.

[0159] In the tenth aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of the first to ninth aspects, the COT-SI is a first COT-SI, and the method further includes receiving a second COT-SI after sending the PSFCH; and sending communication according to the second COT-SI.

[0160] In the eleventh aspect, communication is sidelink data communication, either alone or in combination with one or more of the first to tenth aspects.

[0161] although Figure 9 An example box of process 900 is shown, but in some respects, process 900 may include... Figure 9 The boxes depicted may be fewer, different, or arranged differently compared to additional boxes. Alternatively, two or more boxes in the process 900 may be executed in parallel.

[0162] Figure 10 This is a diagram illustrating an example process 1000 performed, for example, at a UE or a device of a UE, according to this disclosure. Example process 1000 is where the device or UE (e.g., UE 120, ...) is... Figure 8 An example of operations performed by the initiating UE and associated with sharing of channel occupancy time from multiple communications from the initiating UE.

[0163] like Figure 10 As shown, in some aspects, process 1000 may include sending a first communication in a COT initiated by the initiating UE (block 1010). For example, the UE (e.g., using...) Figure 11 The transceiver 1108 and antenna 1110 of the communication device 1100 can transmit the first communication in a COT initiated by the initiating UE, as described above.

[0164] like Figure 10 As further shown, in some aspects, process 1000 may include receiving a PSFCH from a responding UE in the COT (box 1020). For example, the UE (e.g., using...) Figure 11 The transceiver 1108 and antenna 1110 of the communication device 1100 can receive PSFCH from the responding UE in the COT, as described above.

[0165] like Figure 10 Further shown, in some aspects, process 1000 may include sending a second communication in the COT and after receiving the PSFCH, wherein the second communication has a cyclic prefix extension that begins before the LBT opportunity in response to the UE, wherein the LBT opportunity is the next LBT opportunity after the PSFCH (box 1030). For example, the UE (e.g., using...) Figure 11 The transceiver 1108 and antenna 1110 of the communication device 1100 in the COT can transmit a second communication after receiving the PSFCH, wherein the second communication has a cyclic prefix extension that begins before the LBT opportunity in response to the UE, wherein the LBT opportunity is the next LBT opportunity after the PSFCH, as described above.

[0166] Process 1000 may include additional aspects, such as any single aspect or any combination of aspects described below and / or in conjunction with one or more other processes described elsewhere in this document.

[0167] In the first aspect, cyclic prefix extension begins at most 16 microseconds after the end of PSFCH.

[0168] In a second aspect, either alone or in combination with the first aspect, process 1000 includes receiving a configuration for one or more start positions for cyclic prefix extension, wherein the cyclic prefix extension begins at a start position not included in the one or more start positions.

[0169] In the third aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of the first and second aspects, cyclic prefix extension begins before the decoding of PSFCH is completed.

[0170] In a fourth aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of the first to third aspects, process 1000 includes receiving a third communication from the responding UE after the second communication.

[0171] In the fifth aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of the first to fourth aspects, the first and second communications are part of the transmission of a burst.

[0172] although Figure 10 An example box of process 1000 is shown, but in some respects, process 1000 may include... Figure 10 The boxes depicted may be fewer, different, or arranged differently compared to additional boxes. Alternatively, two or more boxes in the process 1000 may be executed in parallel.

[0173] Figure 11 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a specific implementation of the code and circuitry for a communication device 1100 according to this disclosure. The communication device 1100 may be a UE, or a UE may include the communication device 1100. For example, the communication device 1100 may be related to... Figure 5A , Figure 5B , Figure 7 and Figure 8 The described initiating UE. As another example, communication device 1100 could be about... Figure 5A , Figure 5B , Figure 7 and Figure 8 The described response UE.

[0174] Communication device 1100 includes a processing system 1102 coupled to transceiver 1108 (e.g., a transmitter and / or receiver, and which may include a single transceiver or multiple transceivers capable of performing various operations described herein). Transceiver 1108 is configured to transmit and receive signals for communication device 1100 via antenna 1110, such as various signals as described herein. Processing system 1102 may be configured to perform processing functions of communication device 1100, including processing signals received by communication device 1100 and / or to be transmitted by the communication device.

[0175] Processing system 1102 includes one or more processors 1120. In various aspects, the one or more processors 1120 may include one or more of a receive processor 258, a transmit processor 264, a TX MIMO processor 266, and / or a controller / processor 280, as per [reference to...]. Figure 2 As described. One or more processors 1120 are coupled to computer-readable medium / memory 1130 via bus 1106. In various aspects, computer-readable medium / memory 1130 may include one or more memories, such as memory 282, as described above. Figure 2 As described. In some aspects, the computer-readable medium / memory 1130 is configured to store instructions (e.g., computer-executable code, processor-executable code) that, when executed by one or more processors 1120, cause one or more processors 1120 to perform actions related to... Figure 9 and Figure 10 The processes 900 and 1000 described, or any aspect thereof. It should be noted that references to processors performing the functions of communication device 1100 may include one or more processors performing that function of communication device 1100. It should also be noted that references to one or more processors performing multiple functions may include a first processor performing a first function of the multiple functions and a second processor performing a second function of the multiple functions.

[0176] like Figure 11 As shown, the communication device 1100 may include circuitry (circuit 1135) for receiving COT-SI from the initiating UE. For example... Figure 11 As shown, the communication device 1100 may include code (code 1140) stored in a computer-readable medium / memory 1130 for receiving COT-SI from the initiating UE.

[0177] like Figure 11 As shown, the communication device 1100 may include circuitry (circuit 1145) for sending PSFCH communication to the initiating UE in the COT.

[0178] like Figure 11As shown, the communication device 1100 may include code (code 1150) stored in a computer-readable medium / memory 1130 for sending PSFCH communication to the initiating UE in the COT.

[0179] like Figure 11 As shown, the communication device 1100 may include circuitry (circuit 1155) for transmitting a first communication in a COT initiated by the initiating UE.

[0180] like Figure 11 As shown, the communication device 1100 may include code (code 1160) stored in a computer-readable medium / memory 1130 for transmitting a first communication in a COT initiated by the initiating UE.

[0181] like Figure 11 As shown, the communication device 1100 may include circuitry (circuit 1165) for receiving PSFCH from a responsive UE in a COT.

[0182] like Figure 11 As shown, the communication device 1100 may include code (code 1170) stored in a computer-readable medium / memory 1130 for receiving PSFCH from a responding UE in the COT.

[0183] like Figure 11 As shown, the communication device 1100 may include circuitry (circuit 1175) for transmitting a second communication in the COT and after receiving the PSFCH.

[0184] like Figure 11 As shown, the communication device 1100 may include code stored in computer-readable medium / memory 1130 for transmitting a second communication in the COT and after receiving the PSFCH, wherein the second communication has a cyclic prefix extension that begins before a Listen-Before-Speak (LBT) opportunity in response to the UE, wherein the LBT opportunity is the next LBT opportunity after the PSFCH (code 1180).

[0185] The various components of the communication device 1100 can provide for performing tasks related to... Figure 9 and Figure 10 The described processes 900 and 1000, or any components related to them. For example, components for transmitting, conveying, or outputting for transmission may include the modem 254 and / or antenna 252 of UE 120, and / or Figure 11 The communication device 1100 includes a transceiver 1108 and an antenna 1110. Components for receiving or acquiring may include a modem 254 and / or an antenna 252 of the UE 120, and / or Figure 11 The transceiver 1108 and antenna 1110 of the communication device 1100.

[0186] Figure 11 This is provided as an example. Other examples can be combined with it. Figure 11 The examples described are different.

[0187] The following provides an overview of some aspects of this disclosure:

[0188] Aspect 1: A method for wireless communication performed by a responding user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving a Channel Occupied Time (COT) Sharing Indication (COT-SI) from an initiating UE, wherein the COT-SI indicates at least a portion of a COT associated with the COT-SI for transmission to a Physical Side Link Feedback Channel (PSFCH) of the initiating UE; and transmitting PSFCH communication to the initiating UE in the COT.

[0189] Aspect 2: According to the method of aspect 1, wherein the COT-SI indicates that at least a portion of the COT is only available for PSFCH transmission to the initiating UE.

[0190] Aspect 3: According to the method of aspect 2, wherein the COT-SI includes an indication of the duration associated with the COT, wherein during the duration, the COT is only available for PSFCH transmission to the initiating UE.

[0191] Aspect 4: According to the method of aspect 3, wherein the indication is included in the remaining COT duration field associated with the COT-SI.

[0192] Aspect 5: The method according to aspect 4, wherein the indication uses one or more reserved bits of the remaining COT duration field.

[0193] Aspect 6: The method according to aspect 3, wherein the duration is a time duration.

[0194] Aspect 7: According to the method of aspect 3, the duration is a plurality of PSFCH times.

[0195] Aspect 8: According to the method of aspect 2, wherein the side link control information (SCI) format associated with the COT-SI indicates that at least a portion of the COT is only available for PSFCH transmission to the initiating UE.

[0196] Aspect 9: According to the method of aspect 8, wherein the first-stage SCI indicates that the second-stage SCI associated with the COT-SI has the SCI format.

[0197] Aspect 10: According to the method of aspect 8, the COT-SI includes: channel access priority level, COT shared broadcast type, remaining COT duration and one or more additional identifiers.

[0198] Aspect 11: According to the method of aspect 8, the COT-SI includes: COT shared broadcast type, remaining COT duration and one or more additional identifiers.

[0199] Aspect 12: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 11, wherein the COT-SI is a first COT-SI, and the method further includes: receiving a second COT-SI after sending the PSFCH; and sending communication according to the second COT-SI.

[0200] Aspect 13: The method according to aspect 12, wherein the communication is a side-link data communication.

[0201] Aspect 14: The method according to aspect 12, wherein the second COT-SI is associated with the second COT, and wherein it is anticipated that the UE will not receive another COT-SI during the second COT that indicates at least a portion of the second COT for PSFCH transmission.

[0202] Aspect 15: A method of wireless communication performed by an initiating user equipment (UE), the method comprising: transmitting a first communication during a channel occupancy time (COT) initiated by the initiating UE; receiving a physical side link feedback channel (PSFCH) from a responding UE during the COT; and transmitting a second communication during the COT and after receiving the PSFCH, wherein the second communication has a cyclic prefix spread that begins before a listen-before-talk (LBT) opportunity of the responding UE, wherein the LBT opportunity is the next LBT opportunity after the PSFCH.

[0203] Aspect 16: According to the method of aspect 15, the cyclic prefix extension begins at most 16 microseconds after the end of the PSFCH.

[0204] Aspect 17: The method according to any one of Aspects 15 to 16, the method further comprising receiving a configuration for one or more starting locations for the cyclic prefix extension, wherein the cyclic prefix extension begins at a starting location for the second communication that is not included in the one or more starting locations.

[0205] Aspect 18: The method according to any one of aspects 15 to 17, wherein the cyclic prefix extension begins at a starting position of a configuration for the second communication independent of one or more starting positions configured for the cyclic prefix extension.

[0206] Aspect 19: The method according to any one of Aspects 15 to 18, wherein the first communication and the second communication are part of transmitting a burst.

[0207] Aspect 20: An apparatus for wireless communication at a device, the apparatus comprising: one or more processors; one or more memories coupled to the one or more processors; and instructions stored in the one or more memories and executable by the one or more processors to cause the apparatus to perform the method according to one or more of aspects 1 to 19.

[0208] Aspect 21: An apparatus for wireless communication at a device, the apparatus comprising one or more memories and one or more processors coupled to the one or more memories, the one or more processors being configured to cause the device to perform the method according to one or more of aspects 1 to 19.

[0209] Aspect 22: An apparatus for wireless communication, the apparatus comprising at least one component for performing the method according to one or more of aspects 1 to 19.

[0210] Aspect 23: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication, the code including instructions executable by one or more processors to perform the method according to one or more of aspects 1 to 19.

[0211] Aspect 24: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of instructions for wireless communication, the set of instructions comprising one or more instructions which, when executed by one or more processors of a device, cause the device to perform the method according to one or more of aspects 1 to 19.

[0212] Aspect 25: A device for wireless communication, the device including a processing system comprising one or more processors and one or more memories coupled to the one or more processors, the processing system being configured to cause the device to perform the method according to one or more of aspects 1 to 19.

[0213] Aspect 26: An apparatus for wireless communication at a device, the apparatus comprising one or more memories and one or more processors coupled to the one or more memories, the one or more processors being individually or collectively configured to cause the device to perform the method according to one or more of aspects 1 to 19.

[0214] While the foregoing disclosure provides examples and descriptions, it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the aspects to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations may be made based on the foregoing disclosure, or from various forms of practice.

[0215] As used herein, the term "component" is intended to be broadly interpreted as hardware or a combination of hardware and at least one of software or firmware. "Software" should be broadly interpreted as instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subroutines, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable programs, threads of execution, procedures, or functions, whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, or other terms. As used herein, a "processor" is implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and software. It will be apparent that the systems or methods described herein may be implemented in various forms of hardware or combinations of hardware and software. The actual dedicated control hardware or software code used to implement these systems or methods is not limited in any way. Therefore, the operation and behavior of these systems or methods are described herein without reference to specific software code, as those skilled in the art will understand that the software and hardware can be designed to implement these systems or methods, at least in part, based on the description herein. Unless otherwise stated, a component configured to perform a function means that the component has the capability to perform that function, but it is not necessary for the component to actually perform that function.

[0216] As used in this article, depending on the context, "meeting the threshold" can mean a value greater than the threshold, greater than or equal to the threshold, less than the threshold, less than or equal to the threshold, equal to the threshold, not equal to the threshold, etc.

[0217] As used in this article, the phrase “at least one of the items” in a list of items refers to any combination of these items, including a single member. As an example, “at least one of a, b, or c” is intended to cover: a, b, c, a+b, a+c, b+c, and a+b+c, as well as any combination with multiple identical elements (e.g., a+a, a+a+a, a+a+b, a+a+c, a+b+b, a+c+c, b+b, b+b+b, b+b+c, c+c, and c+c+c, or any other ordering of a, b, and c).

[0218] No element, action, or instruction used herein should be construed as essential or necessary unless explicitly stated otherwise. Furthermore, as used herein, the articles “a” and “an” are intended to include one or more items and are used interchangeably with “one or more.” Similarly, as used herein, the article “described” is intended to include one or more items mentioned in connection with the article “described” and is used interchangeably with “one or more.” Furthermore, as used herein, the terms “group” and “cluster” are intended to include one or more items and are used interchangeably with “one or more.” If only one item is desired, the phrase “only one” or similar terminology will be used. Moreover, as used herein, the terms “having” and similar terms are intended as open-ended terms that do not limit the elements they modify (e.g., “having” A may also have B). Additionally, the phrase “based on” is intended to mean “based on or otherwise related to” unless otherwise explicitly stated. Furthermore, as used herein, the term “or” is intended to be inclusive when used consecutively and is interchangeable with “and / or” unless otherwise explicitly stated (e.g., if used in conjunction with “either of the two” or “only one of them”). It should be understood that “one or more” is equivalent to “at least one”.

[0219] Although specific combinations of features are set forth in the claims or disclosed in the description, these combinations are not intended to limit the disclosure of various aspects. Many of these features may be combined in ways not specifically stated in the claims or disclosed in the description. The disclosure of various aspects includes each dependent claim in combination with each other claim in the claim set.

Claims

1. An apparatus configured for wireless communication, the apparatus comprising: One or more memories, the one or more memories including processor-executable instructions; and One or more processors, the one or more processors being configured to execute processor-executable instructions and cause the device to: Receive Channel Occupied Time (COT) Sharing Indication (COT-SI) from the initiating User Equipment (UE), wherein the COT-SI indicates that at least a portion of the COT associated with the COT-SI is used for transmission to the Physical Side Link Feedback Channel (PSFCH) of the initiating UE; and In the COT, PSFCH communication is sent to the initiating UE.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the COT-SI indicates that at least a portion of the COT is only available for PSFCH transmission to the initiating UE.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the COT-SI includes an indication of the duration associated with the COT, wherein, During the duration, the COT can only be used for PSFCH transmission to the initiating UE.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the indication is included in the remaining COT duration field associated with the COT-SI.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the indication uses one or more reserved bits of the remaining COT duration field.

6. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the duration is a time duration.

7. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the duration is a plurality of PSFCH times.

8. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the side link control information (SCI) format associated with the COT-SI indicates that at least a portion of the COT is only available for PSFCH transmission to the initiating UE.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first-stage SCI indicates that the second-stage SCI associated with the COT-SI has the SCI format.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the COT-SI comprises: Channel access priority level COT shared broadcast type Remaining COT duration, and One or more additional identifiers.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the COT-SI comprises: COT shared broadcast type Remaining COT duration, and One or more additional identifiers.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the COT-SI is a first COT-SI, and the one or more processors are further configured to cause the apparatus to: Receive the second COT-SI after sending the PSFCH; and Communication is sent according to the second COT-SI.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the communication is a sidelink data communication.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the second COT-SI is associated with the second COT, and wherein the apparatus is not expected to receive another COT-SI during the second COT that indicates at least a portion of the second COT for PSFCH transmission.

15. An apparatus configured for wireless communication, the apparatus comprising: One or more memories, the one or more memories including processor-executable instructions; and One or more processors, the one or more processors being configured to execute processor-executable instructions and cause the device to: The first communication is transmitted during the Channel Occupancy Time (COT) initiated by the device; In the COT, the Physical Side Link Feedback Channel (PSFCH) is received from the Response User Equipment (UE); and In the COT and after receiving the PSFCH, a second communication is sent, wherein the second communication has a cyclic prefix extension that begins before the Listen-Before-Speak (LBT) opportunity of the responding UE, wherein the LBT opportunity is the next LBT opportunity after the PSFCH.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the cyclic prefix extension begins at most 16 microseconds after the end of the PSFCH.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the apparatus to receive a configuration for one or more start positions for the cyclic prefix extension, wherein the cyclic prefix extension begins at a start position for the second communication that is not included in the one or more start positions.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the cyclic prefix extension begins at a starting position of a configuration for the second communication independent of one or more starting positions configured for the cyclic prefix extension.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the first communication and the second communication are part of a transmission burst.

20. A method for wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: The initiating UE receives a Channel Occupied Time (COT) Sharing Indication (COT-SI), wherein the COT-SI indicates that at least a portion of the COT associated with the COT-SI is used for transmission to the Physical Side Link Feedback Channel (PSFCH) of the initiating UE; and In the COT, PSFCH communication is sent to the initiating UE.

21. A method for wireless communication performed by an initiating user equipment (UE), the method comprising: The first communication is transmitted during the Channel Occupancy Time (COT) initiated by the initiating UE; In the COT, the Physical Side Link Feedback Channel (PSFCH) is received from the responding UE; and In the COT and after receiving the PSFCH, a second communication is sent, wherein the second communication has a cyclic prefix extension that begins before the Listen-Before-Speak (LBT) opportunity of the responding UE, wherein the LBT opportunity is the next LBT opportunity after the PSFCH.

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