Method and apparatus for channel occupancy time sharing in wireless communications

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses for signaling unused channel occupancy time (COT) to a gNB for COT sharing among other UEs are disclosed. Upon determining that a portion of the maximum COT (MCOT) provided to a UE will not be used, the UE can generate COT sharing information for transmission back to the gNB. The COT sharing information identifies the starting point and duration (e.g., number of consecutive slots) of the unused portion of the MCOT. This information is then encoded into a configured grant uplink control information (UG-UCI) and transmitted to the gNB as part of an uplink transmission. In aspects, the unused portion can be partially through a slot. In such cases, the starting symbol of the unused portion or the ending symbol of the used portion can also be encoded into the uplink transmission. In this way, the unused COT is not wasted, but rather used for other purposes by the gNB.

Description

Related application citation

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the invention patent application with international application number PCT / CN2020 / 090161, international application date of May 14, 2020, entry into the Chinese national phase date of November 9, 2022, Chinese national application number 202080100741.0, and invention title "Method and apparatus for sharing channel occupancy time in wireless communication". Technical Field

[0002] Various aspects can typically involve the field of wireless communication. Summary of the Invention

[0003] According to various aspects of this disclosure, the UE receives the Maximum Channel Occupied Time (MCOT) from the serving base station. However, the UE determines that only a portion of the MCOT is needed, and therefore the remainder will be unused. Therefore, during uplink transmission, the UE encodes COT sharing information, which can be decoded by the base station to determine the unused portion of the MCOT. This unused portion can then be reallocated to other UEs.

[0004] In various aspects, a user equipment is described, comprising a transceiver configured to transmit and receive information with a communication network and one or more processors. The one or more processors are configured to perform multiple functions related to COT sharing. Specifically, the one or more processors receive the Maximum Channel Occupancy Time (MCOT) from the communication network. They then determine a first portion of the MCOT that will be used for uplink transmission and determine the remaining portion of the MCOT that will not be used. The processors then generate an uplink transmission for transmission during the first portion of the MCOT, the uplink transmission including Channel Occupancy Time (COT) sharing information describing at least one of the location or duration of the remaining portion of the MCOT. Finally, the processors cause the transceiver to transmit the uplink transmission to the communication network.

[0005] In various aspects, a user equipment is disclosed, comprising a transceiver configured to transmit and receive information with a communication network and one or more processors. The one or more processors are configured to perform multiple functions related to COT sharing. Specifically, the one or more processors receive the Maximum Channel Occupancy Time (MCOT) from the communication network. Then, a first portion of the MCOT to be used for uplink transmission is determined, and a remaining portion of the MCOT to be unused is determined. The remaining portion includes unused portions of end slots. Subsequently, an uplink transmission for transmission during the first portion of the MCOT is generated, the uplink transmission including Channel Occupancy Time (COT) sharing information describing the starting point of the remaining portion of the MCOT based on the unused portions of the end slots. The one or more processors then cause the transceiver to transmit the uplink transmission to the communication network.

[0006] In one aspect, the COT sharing information is included within the Configuration Grant Uplink Control Information (CG-UCI) transmitted on the uplink.

[0007] In one aspect, the COT shared information describes the number of starting time slots and consecutive time slots of the remaining portion of the MCOT.

[0008] In one aspect, the COT shared information includes an index value, based on which the number of the starting time slot and the number of consecutive time slots can be determined.

[0009] In one aspect, the one or more processors are further configured to determine the number of consecutive time slots based on the Channel Access Priority Class (CAPC) used by the user equipment to obtain the channel.

[0010] In one aspect, the one or more processors are further configured to derive the index value from the number of consecutive time slots.

[0011] In one aspect, the one or more processors are further configured to receive a subcarrier spacing reference from the communication network and to generate scaling factors based on the received subcarrier spacing reference.

[0012] In one aspect, generating the uplink transmission includes a symbolic indicator describing the start point of the MCOT within the end gap.

[0013] In one aspect, the symbol indicator identifies the end symbol within the end gap of the first portion of the MCOT.

[0014] In one aspect, the symbol indicator is encoded separately in a dedicated information field for configuring permitted uplink control information (CG-UCI).

[0015] In one aspect, the one or more processors are further configured to set the starting point of the remaining portion of the MCOT to an even sign of the unused portion of the ending gap.

[0016] In one aspect, the one or more processors are further configured to set the starting point of the remaining portion of the MCOT to the nearest half-slot boundary after the first portion.

[0017] As is widely recognized, the use of personally identifiable information should comply with privacy policies and practices that are generally accepted to meet or exceed industry or governmental requirements for protecting user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly explained to users. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 An exemplary wireless communication environment is shown according to one aspect; Figure 2 A block diagram of an exemplary user equipment according to one aspect is shown; Figure 3 A block diagram illustrating an exemplary maximum channel occupancy time according to one aspect is shown; Figure 4 A block diagram of an exemplary MCOT based on one aspect is shown; Figure 5 A block diagram of an exemplary CG-UCI for use in COT sharing is shown, according to one aspect; Figure 6 A block diagram is shown illustrating an exemplary numeric-related COT instruction based on the use of a scaling factor in one aspect; Figure 7 A block diagram of an exemplary MCOT including an IE in CG-UCI is shown, based on an illustration of one aspect; Figure 8A An exemplary shared time slot for use in gNB indication is shown according to one aspect; Figure 8B An exemplary shared time slot for use in gNB indication is shown according to one aspect; Figure 9 An example COT length can be determined by the gNB in ​​the end-symbol indication; Figure 10 Multiple time-overlapping COTs according to aspects of this disclosure are shown, along with corresponding solutions; Figure 11 A flowchart is shown, illustrating an exemplary method for a UE to signal to a base station to notify COT sharing according to one aspect; Figure 12 A flowchart is shown of an exemplary method 1100 for a UE to signal to a base station to notify COT sharing according to one aspect; and Figure 13 A block diagram representation of an exemplary general-purpose computer system capable of implementing certain aspects of this disclosure is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0019] In 3GPP Release 16, New Radio (NR) based access to unlicensed spectrum (NR-U) supports Autonomous Uplink (AUL) transmission. Enhanced uplink performance is particularly important in NR-U when it coexists with non-scheduled autonomous systems such as WiFi. Specifically, AUL avoids the dual Listen-Before-Talk (LBT) requirement at both the gNB (e.g., base station) and the User Equipment (UE). LBT is generally considered difficult to implement, but it is also the most likely to provide fair coexistence with Wi-Fi. This is because WiFi's LBT (which, depending on the era of Wi-Fi, is called Distributed Coordination Function (DCF) or Enhanced Distributed Channel Access (EDCA)) differs slightly from LBT implemented in other wireless communication systems.

[0020] When an NR-U acquires a channel by performing a Cat-4 LBT channel access procedure, the allowed uplink (UL) transmission is performed for up to the maximum channel occupancy time (MCOT) duration—e.g., 8 ms. If the UL transmission (e.g., configuration grant PUSCH) is shorter than the acquired MCOT, the remaining resources are unnecessarily lost. To better utilize the channel occupancy time (COT), 3GPP recently revised to allow the UE to share the remaining resources in the acquired MCOT with the gNB for downlink (DL) and uplink transmissions. However, in its current form, the 3GPP specification does not provide a means to signal to the gNB that the UE shares the remaining COT length. This disclosure provides several solutions to this and other related problems.

[0021] Figure 1 An exemplary wireless communication environment 100 is illustrated according to one aspect. Environment 100 includes base stations 110 and 120, each having a corresponding coverage area 110a and 120a. In one aspect, base stations 110 and 120 are access points for gNodeBs (also referred to herein as “gNBs”), eNodeBs, or other network connections. Base stations 110 and 120 are connected to a network backend and provide cellular connectivity to devices within their respective coverage areas.

[0022] Access point 130 may also be located within environment 100 and includes its own coverage area 130a. The access point can be any other type of transmit and receive point (TRP), such as a macro cell, small cell, pico cell, femtocell, remote radio head, relay node, etc. Base stations 110 and 120, together with access point 130, provide a network for cellular connectivity to a UE in environment 100. A UE 140 of this type is shown within the coverage area 110a of base station 110 and the coverage area 120a of base station 120. In operation, serving base stations 110 / 120 and / or access point 130 will communicate with UE 140 to configure shared channel occupancy time.

[0023] Figure 2 A block diagram of an exemplary wireless system 200 of an electronic device implementing measurement signal conflict resolution according to some aspects of this disclosure is shown. System 200 may be any electronic device of environment 100 (e.g., AP 1010, STA 1020), including UE 140. System 200 includes processor 210, transceiver 220, buffers 230a and 230b, communication infrastructure 240, memory 250, operating system 252, application 254, and antenna 260. The illustrated system is provided as an exemplary part of wireless system 200, and system 200 may include other circuitry and subsystems. Furthermore, although the wireless system 200 is shown as separate components, aspects of this disclosure may include any combination of these components, fewer components, or more components.

[0024] Memory 250 may include random access memory (RAM) and / or cache, and may include control logic (e.g., computer software) and / or data. Memory 250 may include other storage devices or memories, such as, but not limited to, hard disk drives and / or removable storage devices / cells. According to some examples, operating system 252 may be stored in memory 250. Operating system 252 can manage data transfer from memory 250 and / or one or more applications 254 to processor 210 and / or transceiver 220. In some examples, operating system 252 holds one or more network protocol stacks (e.g., Internet Protocol stack, cellular protocol stack, etc.) that may include multiple logical layers. At the corresponding layer of the protocol stack, operating system 252 includes control mechanisms and data structures to perform functions associated with that layer.

[0025] According to some examples, application 254 may be stored in memory 250. Application 254 may include applications used by the wireless system 200 and / or users of the wireless system 200 (e.g., user applications). Applications in application 254 may include, but are not limited to, applications such as, Siri.™ FaceTime ™ Radio current, video streaming, remote control, measurement conflict resolution, and / or other user applications.

[0026] As an alternative to or supplement to the operating system, system 200 may include communication infrastructure 240. Communication infrastructure 240 provides communication, for example, between processor 210, transceiver 220, and memory 250. In some implementations, communication infrastructure 240 may be a bus. Processor 210, together with instructions stored in memory 250, executes to enable the wireless system 200 of system 1000 to perform COT-shared signaling operations as described herein. Alternatively or additionally, transceiver 220 executes to enable the wireless system 200 of system 1000 to perform COT-shared signaling operations as described herein.

[0027] According to some aspects, transceiver 220 transmits and receives communication signals supporting COT shared signaling and may be coupled to antenna 260. Antenna 260 may include one or more antennas, which may be the same or different types. Transceiver 220 allows system 200 to communicate with other devices, which may be wired and / or wireless. Transceiver 220 may include a processor, controller, radio components, socket, plug, buffer, and similar circuitry / devices for connecting to and communicating on a network. According to some examples, transceiver 220 may include one or more circuitry for connecting to and communicating on a wired and / or wireless network. Transceiver 220 may include a cellular subsystem, a WLAN subsystem, and / or Bluetooth. ™ Subsystems, each comprising its own radio transceiver and protocol, as will be understood by those skilled in the art based on the discussion provided herein. In some specific implementations, transceiver 220 may include more or fewer systems for communicating with other devices.

[0028] The cellular subsystem (not shown) may include one or more circuits (including cellular transceivers) for connecting to and communicating on a cellular network. The cellular network may include, but is not limited to, 3G / 4G / 5G networks, such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Long Term Evolution (LTE), etc. Bluetooth ™ Subsystems (not shown) may include those for implementing, for example, Bluetooth-based... ™ Protocol, Bluetooth ™ Low power protocol or Bluetooth ™ One or more circuits for low-power remote protocol connectivity and communication (including Bluetooth) ™Transceiver). The WLAN subsystem (not shown) may include one or more circuits (including a WLAN transceiver) to enable connectivity and communication via a WLAN network, such as, but not limited to, networks based on standards described in IEEE 802.11 (such as, but not limited to, IEEE 802.11ac, IEEE 802.11ax, IEEE 802.11bc, IEEE 802.11bd, IEEE 802.11be, etc.).

[0029] Depending on some aspects, processor 210 executes COT sharing signaling alone or in combination with memory 250 and / or transceiver 220. For example, system 200 is configured to identify unused COTs and generate COT sharing information and send it to the network, as will be discussed in further detail below.

[0030] Depending on some aspects, processor 210 may transmit COT sharing information alone or in combination with transceiver 220 and / or memory 205. Processor 210 (alone or in combination with transceiver 220 and / or memory 205) may receive MCOT, determine unused portions of MCOT, and generate and transmit COT sharing information.

[0031] Figure 3 A block diagram of an exemplary maximum channel occupancy time (MCOT) 300 for uplink transmission is shown, according to one exemplary aspect. Figure 3 As shown, Cat-4 LBT Idle Channel Assessment (CCA) 310 precedes MCOT 300. Thereafter, CG-PUSCH 320 is transmitted for a duration less than MCOT 300. Therefore, there is a remaining duration 340 in MCOT that can be shared with the gNB. The following figures and descriptions illustrate aspects used to signal this shared remaining COT.

[0032] SCCI signaling for COT sharing indication Figure 4 A block diagram of an exemplary MCOT 410 according to one aspect is shown. Figure 4 As shown, the UE uses the first part of MCOT 410 for uplink transmission across multiple time slots, where the first part is represented by time slot 415. However, in Figure 4 In the example, the uplink ends before MCOT 410 ends, leaving the UE with an unused remaining COT duration of 430.

[0033] exist Figure 4In this aspect, the Shared COT Configuration Index (SCCI) is included in the Configuration Grant Uplink Control Information (CG-UCI) payload to indicate the number of initial timeslots 420 and consecutive timeslots (e.g., duration 430) available for COT sharing with the gNB. The initial timeslot 420 relates to the start of the timeslot for transmitting the CG-UCI. For example... Figure 4 As shown, each of the time slots 415 includes CG-UCI information 418, which carries information necessary to signal the duration L 430 of the unused portion of the MCOT 410.

[0034] In one aspect, the value of the starting slot S and the number of consecutive slots L counted from slot S are determined from the SCCI value V included in the CG-UCI. For example, the values ​​of L and S can be determined according to the following equation / algorithm, where N is the number of slots within the MCOT after a successful Cat-4LBT: Figure 5 A block diagram of an exemplary CG-UCI for use in COT sharing is shown, based on one aspect. Figure 5 The specific fields in the CG-UCI are shown, including the Channel Access Priority Class (CAPC) Information field (IE) 510, SCCI 520, and Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) 530. As mentioned above, the value N represents the number of time slots within the MCOT after a successful Cat-4 LBT. In one aspect, this is determined based on the Channel Access Priority Class (CAPC) used by the UE to perform Clean Channel Access (CCA) to obtain a channel. There is a correlation between the CAPC value and the value N. Therefore, different methods can be considered for encoding N, S, and L within the SCCI field 420.

[0035] In one respect, the CAPC value and SCCI are encoded separately in different DCI information fields (IE), such as Figure 5 As described in the document. In this respect, N is determined by the UE based on the CAPC IE value and is subsequently used to derive the SCCI value (N, S, and L).

[0036] On the other hand, a single IE field in the downlink control information (DCI) format is used to jointly encode the CAPC value, S, and L. Table 1 below provides an exemplary encoding scheme for jointly encoding these values. This table assumes that the MCOT is equal to two or three time slots used for different CAPC values ​​and 15kHz digital uplink transmission.

[0037] In some instances where SCCIV control signaling uses large subcarrier spacing (SCS) digits (e.g., 60 kHz, 6 ms MCOT corresponds to N=24 time slots with a 60 kHz SCS), it can lead to large overhead (e.g., 9 bits in this example) indicating different SCCI values. This is undesirable. Therefore, in one aspect, a signaling reference SCS u can be sent. ref This indicates the SCCI value. For example, in many instances, the gNB and UE may use different subcarrier spacing units (e.g., the reference spacing might be 15 kHz, while the UE uses 60 kHz). ref The unit that interprets the subcarrier spacing by the gNB is notified to the UE.

[0038] According to the first aspect, the gNB provides reference u in the System Information Block (SIBx) targeting all UEs. ref On the other hand, u is transmitted via dedicated RRC signaling as part of the COT shared configuration for a specific UE. ref On the other hand, u ref It can be fixed in the 3GPP specification, for example, according to the frequency range (FR) (i.e., 15 kHz for FR1 and 60 kHz for FR2).

[0039] Figure 6 A block diagram illustrating an exemplary digitally related COT indication using a scaling factor is shown. In one aspect, the scaling factor describes the duration of the unused portion of the MCOT. In another aspect, the scaling factor is applied to both S and L. Alternatively, the scaling factor can be applied to L only when determining the COT duration shared by the UE, where u is the digital representation used for CG-UCI transmission. In one aspect, the scaling factor... .like Figure 6 As shown, the duration 620 of the unused portion of MCOT comprises multiple time slots 610. The first time slot includes the encoded SCCI value 605, which... Figure 6 In the example, it is encoded as "011". As shown in Table 1 above, the SCCI value 011 corresponds to the L value 5. Therefore, by applying the equation of scaling factor K and scaling it with the value of L(5), the total number of unused slots in MCOT can be determined as: In one aspect, the CG-UCI may include information fields (IEs) for indicating various parameters. These parameters include, for example, the number of CG-PUSCHs configured by the gNB for the UE to transmit within this COT, and the CAPC value used by the UE to access the channel used for CG-PUSCH transmission. For example, the UE may derive the MCOT length based on the CAPC value indicated in the CG-UCI.

[0040] Figure 7 A block diagram of an exemplary MCOT 710 including an IE in CG-UCI is shown, based on an illustration of one aspect. (See diagram for example.) Figure 7 As shown, the frame includes an MCOT 710 with a Cat-4 LBT 705 preceding it. Within the MCOT 710 is the number of CG-PUSCH slots used by the UE 720. This includes multiple slots 730, each with a CG-UCI portion 735. The CG-UCI portion 735 includes K and CAPC values. The MCOT is determined by the CAPC value used by the UE to access the channel.

[0041] On the other hand, if a PUSCH scheduled in DCI format overlaps with a CG-PUSCH resource in the time domain, the UE can skip / omit the overlapping CG-PUSCH transmission. This provides the gNB with the necessary flexibility to prioritize certain Dynamic Grant (DG) PUSCH scheduling for the UE (e.g., adjusting the MCS or other configurations).

[0042] Given the above, another problem arises: a method is needed to indicate to the gNB a portion of the time slots that are partially used for CG-PUSCH transmissions. Several solutions are provided in this disclosure.

[0043] Figure 8A An exemplary end slot 810a for gNB shared time slot indication is shown according to one aspect. It is possible that MCOT usage ends partially through the MCOT's time slot. To improve efficiency and maximize COT sharing, the gNB signal may include a partial time slot indication to allow the COT to share the unused portion of that end slot. Time slot 810a includes multiple symbols 815. A first portion 820 of signal 810a includes a first set of symbols for CG-PUSCH transmission. A second portion 830 includes a second set of symbols corresponding to the UL to DL switching gap. Finally, a third portion 840 of signal 810a includes a third set of symbols for DL ​​transmission. In this aspect, the end symbol 850 is separately encoded in a dedicated IE in CG-UCI. As a result, the number of bits in this IE can be determined as follows: On the other hand, the number of end-symbol candidates can be fixed / predefined in the specification or signaled on a per-UE basis in the SIB information or via dedicated RRC signaling. This further reduces signaling overhead.

[0044] For example, the end symbol 850 within a time slot can be restricted to an odd number of symbols, such as 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, or 11, as shown below. Figure 8B As shown in the image. Figure 8B An exemplary end time slot 810b is shown according to one aspect for gNB partial time slot indication. Similar to shared time slot 810a, shared time slot 810b includes a plurality of symbols 815. Figure 8B As shown, to reduce signaling overhead, the UE can request that only odd-numbered symbols 815 be used as the end slot. Therefore, the bit width required to signal the end UL symbol 850 is reduced to 3 bits, thus reducing overhead. For even further reduction, the selection of the end symbol can be further limited to half-slot boundaries (e.g., slot end or slot midpoint). Compared to the previous aspect (where the end symbol is limited to odd-numbered symbols), limiting the end symbol to half-slot boundaries requires only 1 bit for signaling to the gNB. In another example, the UE indicates to the gNB the number of end symbol patterns and the corresponding end symbol position within each pattern. It is worth noting that these methods can be reused for last slot indication within a shared COT.

[0045] In one aspect, the SCCI IE is transmitted only in the first CG-PUSCH transmission. This is particularly possible considering that the information within the SCCI IE is valid for the entire CG-PUSCH transmission within the COT initiated by the UE. By transmitting the SCCI IE only in the first CG-PUSCH transmission, the gNB is given more processing time to prepare downlink transmissions using shared COT resources on PUCCH or PUSCH.

[0046] In one aspect, different modes can be provided to the UE via RRC signaling. In this aspect, each mode has a specific configuration for signaling to the UE. For example, in each aspect, each mode includes: 1) the number of symbols S1 starting from the last symbol in the start time slot (e.g., a partial time slot); 2) the number of symbols S2 starting from the first symbol in the end time slot; and 3) a reference SCS configuration. In some aspects, to minimize signaling overhead, certain restrictions may be needed on the indication of S1 and S2. For example, S1 and S2 can be restricted via a relationship that makes the sum of S1 and S2 less than a specific maximum value. For example, S1 and S2 could be restricted to make S1 + S2 - 14 (i.e., an integer number of time slots shared by the gNB). In this case, the gNB can provide the UE with the values ​​of both S1 and S2, which will cause the UE to use those values. Alternatively, the gNB can provide only one of S1 or S2, in which case the UE will apply the aforementioned relationship to determine the unprovided value.

[0047] Table 2 below shows exemplary modes that can be provided to the UE and the corresponding values ​​of S1 and S2 generated by these modes. As shown below, mode 1 follows the relationship between S1 and S2 described above, and therefore can be signaled by providing only one of S1 or S2. However, modes 2 and 3 do not match this relationship, so both values ​​of S1 and S2 must be provided.

[0048] Figure 9 The example COT length, as described above with respect to Table 2, can be determined by the gNB's use in the end-symbol indication. Figure 9 As shown, the first solution 910 corresponds to pattern index 2 in Table 2. As illustrated, the first solution 910 includes a start time slot 912 with four symbols corresponding to S1 in pattern 2, and an end time slot 914 with seven symbols corresponding to S2. Similarly, the second solution 920 corresponds to pattern index 3 in Table 2. The second solution 920 includes a start time slot 922 with ten symbols corresponding to S1 in pattern index 3, and an end time slot 924 with seven symbols corresponding to S2 in pattern index 3.

[0049] In cases where a UE initiates COT sharing with the gNB, it is possible for different UEs to share more than one COT with the gNB. To properly utilize these multiple COTs, the gNB must be configured accordingly. This document discloses various solutions for determining the duration of DL transmissions from the gNB.

[0050] Figure 10 Multiple time-overlapping COTs according to aspects of this disclosure are shown, along with corresponding solutions. Figure 10Multiple COTs 1010 received from various UEs are shown (including UE-shared COT 1 1010a, UE-shared COT 2 1010b, and UE-shared COT 3 1010c). Each shared COT has a corresponding duration 1012a, 1012b, and 1012c. In a first aspect corresponding to the first solution, the shared solution duration 1020 is determined as the time interval between the COT initiated across UEs and the first start symbol to the first end symbol.

[0051] In another aspect, according to the second solution, duration 1030 is determined as the union of UE-initiated COTs (e.g., the total duration of the individual COTs). This aspect results in a duration 1030 spanning from the start of the earliest COT 1010a to the end of the latest COT 1010b. On the other hand, this duration is equal to the duration of either the shortest or longest COT. Figure 10 As shown, when using the shortest COT, duration 1012c is used (e.g., the duration of COT 3). On the other hand, when configured to use the longest COT duration, duration 1012b is used (e.g., the duration of COT 2).

[0052] Figure 11 A flowchart is shown of an exemplary method 1100 for a UE to signal to a base station to notify COT sharing, according to one aspect. (See diagram for example.) Figure 11 As shown, the UE receives the MCOT from the network (1110). The UE determines the first part of the MCOT that will be used for uplink transmission (1120). The UE also determines the unused remaining part of the MCOT that will become unused (1130).

[0053] Based on this information, the UE generates an uplink transmission with COT shared information (1140). Specifically, the uplink transmission is generated to include information sufficient to identify the unused portion of the MCOT, such as the starting timeslot and the number of consecutive timeslots of the unused portion. Once generated, the uplink transmission with COT shared information is transmitted (1150) to the network.

[0054] Figure 12 A flowchart illustrating an exemplary method 1200 for a UE to signal to a base station to notify COT sharing, according to one aspect, is shown. Figure 12 As shown, the UE receives the MCOT (1210) from the network. The UE determines the first portion of the MCOT that will be used for uplink transmission, and the second unused portion of the MCOT that will become unused. The UE determines that the unused portion includes a portion of the uplink transmission time slot (1220).

[0055] Once it is determined that the unused portion includes a portion of the time slots used for uplink transmission, the UE selects a starting symbol (1230) for the unused portion. As mentioned above, this can include various different solutions, such as selecting the next available symbol (e.g., such as...). Figure 8A As shown), select the next even number symbol (such as...). Figure 8B (as shown in the diagram), or select the symbol corresponding to the next half of the time slot. Once the starting time slot is selected (1230), the starting symbol and ending time slot information are encoded (1240). Then, the UE generates an uplink transmission (1250) to include the starting symbol and ending time slot information, for example, in the CG-UCI. Once generated, the uplink transmission with COT shared information is transmitted (1260) to the network.

[0056] Although the method has been described with reference to a specific implementation, it should be understood that many of these steps may be performed in a different order or omitted depending on the specific application.

[0057] One or more computer systems (such as) can be used, for example. Figure 13 The computer system 1300 shown herein is used to implement various aspects. The computer system 1300 can be any well-known computer capable of performing the functions described herein, such as... Figure 13 Equipment 1310, 1320, or Figure 2 The computer system 1300 includes one or more processors (also referred to as a central processing unit or CPU), such as processor 1304. Processor 1304 is connected to communication infrastructure 1306 (e.g., a bus). The computer system 1300 also includes user input / output devices 1303, such as a monitor, keyboard, pointing device, etc., that communicate with the communication infrastructure 1306 via user input / output interface 1302. The computer system 1300 also includes main memory or primary memory 1308, such as random access memory (RAM). Main memory 1308 may include one or more levels of cache. Control logic components (e.g., computer software) and / or data are stored in main memory 1308.

[0058] The computer system 1300 may also include one or more secondary storage devices or memories 1310. The secondary storage 1310 may include, for example, a hard disk drive 1312 and / or a removable storage device or drive 1314. The removable storage drive 1314 may be a floppy disk drive, a magnetic tape drive, an optical disk drive, an optical storage device, a magnetic tape backup device, and / or any other storage device / drive.

[0059] Removable storage drive 1314 can interact with removable storage unit 1318. Removable storage unit 1318 includes a computer-usable or readable storage device on which computer software (control logic components) and / or data are stored. Removable storage unit 1318 can be a floppy disk, magnetic tape, optical disc, DVD, optical storage disk, and / or any other computer data storage device. Removable storage drive 1314 reads from and / or writes to removable storage unit 1318 in a well-known manner.

[0060] According to some aspects, the auxiliary storage 1310 may include other means, tools, or other methods for allowing computer system 1300 to access computer programs and / or other instructions and / or data. Such means, tools, or other methods may include, for example, removable storage unit 1322 and interface 1320. Examples of removable storage unit 1322 and interface 1320 may include program boxes and box interfaces (such as those found in video game devices), removable memory chips (such as EPROM or PROM) and associated sockets, memory sticks and USB ports, memory cards and associated memory card slots, and / or any other removable storage unit and associated interface.

[0061] Computer system 1300 may also include a communication or network interface 1324. Communication interface 1324 enables computer system 1300 to communicate and interact with any combination of remote devices, remote networks, remote entities, etc. (indicated individually and collectively by reference numeral 1328). For example, communication interface 1324 may allow computer system 1300 to communicate with remote device 1328 via communication path 1326, which may be wired and / or wireless, and may include any combination of LAN, WAN, Internet, etc. Control logic components and / or data may be transmitted to and from computer system 1300 via communication path 1326.

[0062] The operations described in the foregoing aspects can be implemented in various configurations and architectures. Therefore, some or all of the operations described in the foregoing aspects can be performed in hardware, software, or both. In some aspects, a tangible, non-transitory device or article of manufacture includes a tangible, non-transitory computer-usable or readable medium on which control logic components (software) are stored, also referred to herein as a computer program product or program storage device. This includes, but is not limited to, computer system 1300, main memory 1308, secondary memory 1310, and removable storage units 1318 and 1322, and tangible articles of manufacture embodying any combination thereof. When executed by one or more data processing devices (such as computer system 1300), such control logic components cause such data processing devices to operate as described herein.

[0063] Based on the teachings contained in this disclosure, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art how to use [other methods]. Figure 13 Other data processing devices, computer systems, and / or computer architectures besides those shown may be used to make and use aspects of this disclosure. In particular, aspects may operate in conjunction with software, hardware, and / or operating system implementations other than those described herein.

[0064] It should be understood that the Detailed Description section, rather than the Summary and Abstract section, is intended to be used to interpret the claims. The Summary and Abstract section may set forth one or more, but not all, exemplary aspects of this disclosure as contemplated by the inventors, and therefore is not intended to limit this disclosure and the appended claims in any way.

[0065] This disclosure has been described above using functional building blocks, which illustrate the implementation of specified functions and their relationships. For ease of description, the boundaries of these functional building blocks have been arbitrarily defined herein. Alternative boundaries may be defined provided that the specified functions and their relationships are properly performed.

[0066] The foregoing description of specific aspects fully demonstrates the general nature of this disclosure, enabling others to readily modify and / or adapt various applications of such specific aspects without requiring excessive experimentation, by utilizing knowledge within the scope of the art, without departing from the general conception of this disclosure. Therefore, based on the teachings and guidance presented herein, such modifications and alterations are intended to fall within the meaning and scope of equivalents of the aspects disclosed herein. It should be understood that the wording or terminology used herein is for illustrative purposes and not for limitation, and thus the terminology or terminology of this specification shall be interpreted by those skilled in the art in accordance with the teachings and guidance presented.

[0067] The breadth and scope of this disclosure should not be limited by any of the foregoing exemplary aspects, but should be defined solely by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE), comprising: A transceiver configured to wirelessly transmit and receive information with a communication network; and One or more processors, said one or more processors being configured to: An uplink transmission is generated for transmission during a first portion of the Maximum Channel Occupancy Time (MCOT), the uplink transmission including Channel Occupancy Time (COT) sharing information, the COT sharing information describing at least one of the start position or duration of the remaining portion of the MCOT that will not be used for the uplink transmission; as well as The transceiver transmits the uplink transmission to the communication network in the configured permitted uplink control information CG-UCI.

2. The UE according to claim 1, wherein the starting position of the remaining portion identifies a starting symbol.

3. The UE according to claim 2, wherein the starting position identifies the starting subframe.

4. The UE according to claim 2, wherein the starting position identifies the starting time slot.

5. The UE of claim 1, wherein the duration of the remaining portion identifies the number of consecutive time slots of the remaining portion.

6. The UE of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: determine the number of consecutive time slots of the remaining portion based on the Channel Access Priority Class (CAPC) used by the UE to obtain the channel.

7. The UE of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: determine that the uplink transmission is less than the available MCOT.

8. An apparatus comprising: Memory; and One or more processors, said one or more processors being configured to: An uplink transmission is generated for transmission during a first portion of the Maximum Channel Occupancy Time (MCOT), and the uplink transmission includes Channel Occupancy Time (COT) sharing information, which describes at least one of the start position or duration of the remaining portion of the MCOT that will not be used for the uplink transmission. as well as Enables the transmission of the uplink to the communication network in the configured licensed uplink control CG-UCI.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the starting position of the remaining portion is identified by a starting symbol.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the starting position identifies the starting subframe.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the starting position identifies the starting time slot.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the duration of the remaining portion identifies the number of consecutive time slots of the remaining portion.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine the number of consecutive time slots of the remaining portion based on the Channel Access Priority Class (CAPC) for obtaining the channel.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: determine a first portion of the MCOT to be used for uplink transmission, the first portion comprising a plurality of time slots including an end time slot that is only partially used, and determine a remaining portion of the MCOT that will not be used, the remaining portion comprising an unused portion of the end time slot.

15. A method for signaling the unused portion of the Maximum Channel Occupancy Time (MCOT) by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: An uplink transmission is generated for transmission during the first part of the MCOT, and the uplink transmission includes Channel Occupancy Time (COT) sharing information, which describes at least one of the start position or duration of the remaining part of the MCOT that will not be used for the uplink transmission. as well as The uplink transmission is transmitted to the communication network in the configuration permission uplink control information CG-UCI.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the starting position identifies the starting subframe.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the starting position identifies the starting time slot.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the duration of the remaining portion identifies the number of consecutive time slots of the remaining portion.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine the number of consecutive time slots of the remaining portion based on the Channel Access Priority Class (CAPC) used by the UE to obtain the channel.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising: The first portion of the MCOT to be used for uplink transmission is determined, the first portion comprising multiple time slots including an end time slot that is only partially used, and a remaining portion of the MCOT to be unused is determined, the remaining portion comprising the unused portion of the end time slot.

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