Methods performed by user devices and access network nodes, user devices and access network nodes

Abstract

A communication system is disclosed in which communication between a UE and a base station is performed in uplink only, downlink only, or in full-duplex slots or symbols. Frequency resources are configured for communication in full-duplex slots, including frequency resources for an uplink subband and / or frequency resources for a downlink subband. The frequency resources for an uplink subband or a downlink subband are distributed across the entire bandwidth of an unlicensed spectral band, or across the entire bandwidth of one or more subbands of an unlicensed spectral band.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a communication system. The present disclosure is not exclusive, but in particular, relates to a wireless communication system and its devices operating in accordance with the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP (registered trademark)) standard or its equivalents or derivatives (including LTE Advanced, next generation or 5G networks, future generations, and thereafter). The present disclosure is not necessarily exclusive, but in particular, relates to improved devices and methods for supporting full-duplex communication in a time division duplex (TDD) communication band in the context of unlicensed spectrum use.

Background Art

[0002] Previous developments of the 3GPP standard have been referred to as the Long-Term Evolution (LTE) of the Evolved Packet Core (EPC) network and the Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), and have generally also been referred to as "4G". More recently, the terms "5G" and "new radio" (NR) have begun to be used to refer to evolving communication technologies expected to support various applications and services. Various details of 5G networks are described in the "NGMN 5G White Paper" V1.0 by the Next Generation Mobile Networks (NGMN) Alliance, which can be obtained, for example, from https: / / www.ngmn.org / 5g-white-paper.html. 3GPP intends to support 5G with the so-called 3GPP Next Generation (NextGen) radio access network (RAN) and 3GPP NextGen core network.

[0003] Under the 3GPP standard, a NodeB (or eNB in ​​LTE, and gNB in ​​5G) is a radio access network (RAN) node (or simply “access node,” “access network node,” or “base station”) through which communication devices (user equipment or “UE”) connect to the core network and communicate with other communication devices or remote servers. For simplicity, this application uses the terms access network node, RAN node, or base station to refer to any such access node.

[0004] For simplicity, this application uses the terms mobile device, user device, or UE to refer to any communication device that can connect to a core network via one or more base stations. While this application may refer to mobile devices in its description, it should be understood that the described technology can be implemented on any communication device (mobile and / or generally fixed) that can connect to a communication network to transmit / receive data, whether such communication device is controlled by human input or by software instructions stored in memory.

[0005] In current 5G architectures, the structure of a gNB can be divided into two or more parts. In some RAN implementations, there are two parts, sometimes referred to as a "control unit," known as a Central Unit (CU or gNB-CU) and a Distributed Unit (DU or gNB-DU), connected by an F1 interface. This makes it possible to use a "divided" architecture. Typically, a "divided" architecture separates the "upper" CU layer (e.g., the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer and the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer, but not limited to these) and the "lower" DU layer (e.g., the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, the Media Access Control (MAC) layer, and the Physical (PHY) layer, but not limited to these) between a specific CU and one or more DUs connected to and controlled by that CU via an F1 interface. Therefore, for example, the upper layer CU functionality of several gNBs can be implemented centrally (e.g., by a single processing unit or in a cloud-based or virtualized system) while each gNB separately maintains its own lower layer DU functionality locally.

[0006] More recently proposed distributed RAN architectures introduce the concept of a Radio Unit (RU), sometimes referred to as a "remote unit," in addition to the CU and DU. In this architecture, the RU is responsible for processing the digital front end (DFE), digital beamforming functions, and lower-level functions, typically related to the PHY layer, while the DU typically handles the upper-level functions of the PHY, RLC, and MAC layers. The CU in this architecture still controls one or more DUs (each DU corresponding to a different gNB) and is responsible for processing upper-layer signaling (typically the RRC and PDCP layers).

[0007] The actual functional partitioning between CUs and DUs (and RUs, where applicable) in these distributed architectures is flexible and allows for optimization of functionality to suit various use cases. In effect, the partitioned architecture enables 5G networks to use various distributions of the protocol stack between CUs and DUs (and RUs, where applicable), depending, for example, midhaul availability and network design.

[0008] The choice of how to partition functions within the architecture is determined, among other factors, by the wireless network deployment scenario, constraints, and corresponding desired use cases. Key considerations include the need to accommodate specific quality of service for each service provided and real-time / non-real-time application, as well as addressing specific user density and load requirements within a given geographical area, and the availability of transport networks with varying performance levels.

[0009] Until now, communication systems have used two main duplex schemes: frequency division duplex (FDD) and time division duplex (TDD). In FDD, frequency domain resources are divided into downlink (DL) and uplink (UL), while in TDD, time domain resources are divided into DL and UL.

[0010] The appropriate dual scheme to be used in a given scenario is largely spectrum-dependent, although it involves some overlap. When low-frequency bands are used for communications, paired spectrum UL and DL resource allocation is generally used, and therefore FDD is used. In contrast, in high-frequency bands, the use of unpaired spectrum, and therefore TDD, is becoming increasingly prevalent. Thus, TDD is widely used in commercial NR deployments. Given that the carrier frequencies supported by 5G, and those supported by future communication generations (6G and beyond), are significantly higher than those of previous communication generations, improved techniques for providing efficient use of unpaired spectrum are becoming increasingly important, and will continue to be so. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0011] [Non-Patent Document 1] "NGMN 5G White Paper" Version 1.0, [online], February 17, 2015, Next Generation Mobile Network (NGMN) Alliance, [Accessed May 23, 2024], Internet (URL: https: / / www.ngmn.org / 5g-white-paper.html) [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0012] However, overly restrictive duration allocation for UL in TDD carriers can lead to reduced coverage, increased latency, and decreased capacity.

[0013] Full duplex (FD) operation, which involves sharing both frequency-domain and time-domain resources between the UL and DL within the bandwidth of a conventional TDD carrier, is one way to achieve performance improvements that surpass conventional TDD. Therefore, extensions for implementing full-duplex operation at base stations within a TDD carrier are currently under development, and there are currently no restrictions on the frequency range that can be used for such FD operation. For now, half-duplex operation within a TDD carrier is still assumed for UEs, but full-duplex UE operation remains an option for the future. However, using FD can introduce serious interference problems that are difficult to address at both base stations and UEs.

[0014] For example, there are several possible FD implementations that can be implemented on a TDD carrier, such as subband non-overlap, subband overlap, and full overlap.

[0015] Referring to Figures 1 through 4, in subband non-overlapping FD (SBFD), also known as cross-division duplex (XDD), non-overlapping UL and DL subbands can be configured within a TDD carrier (as seen in the typical example in Figure 1). As shown in Figures 1 through 4, each subband contains its own relatively "narrow" frequency band, having a bandwidth that occupies only a portion of the total bandwidth available within the current TDD carrier, configured for communication in the associated cell. Thus, a base station can simultaneously perform (full-duplex) transmission and reception to different UEs in their respective different non-overlapping subbands.

[0016] Figure 2 shows a specific example where only one dedicated DL subband and one dedicated UL subband are configured in a TDD carrier. Figure 3 shows an example where full-duplex operation is active in slots 1 through 4, with the UL subband located at the center of the frequency band and two DL subbands on either side of the DL subband. In slot 5, the base station uses legacy TDD operation (i.e., the entire frequency band is used for UL only). Figure 4 shows an example where full-duplex operation is active in slots 1 through 5. In the first four slots, the UL subband is located at the center of the frequency band and there are two DL subbands on either side of the DL subband. Slot 5 has a complementary UL / DL configuration compared to the first four slots. In subband overlap FD, UL and DL can be configured similarly to subband non-overlapping FD, but different subbands can overlap in frequency.

[0017] In fully duplicated FD, the entire available bandwidth may be used for UL or DL ​​transmission.

[0018] One of the main advantages of SBFD is that it increases UL coverage because the increased number of consecutive UL occurrences in SBFD facilitates the use of multi-slot UL iterations. Therefore, the focus is currently on developing techniques to implement subband non-overlapping FD operation and potential related extensions for dynamic TDD or flexible TDD. However, other FD implementations remain as future options, and it will be understood that the functional enhancements envisioned for subband non-overlapping FD may also have advantages in other FD schemes.

[0019] When implementing a FD (Frequency Dynamics) scheme, several considerations must be taken into account. One consideration particularly relevant to SBFD (and other FD schemes) is the need to avoid self-interference. More specifically, a particular concern for SBFD implementations within base stations / access networks is self-interference from the DL (Digital Light) subband to the UL (Ultra Light) subband (also known as inter-subband interference). Specifically, while DL and UL operate using different frequency resources, DL transmissions can interfere with UL reception due to transceiver elements (e.g., power amplifiers) having nonlinear channel responses. Furthermore, high DL transmission power (compared to lower signal power for UL) can saturate analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) units, which can significantly impact the ADC's resolution for UL reception. This occurs primarily because analog filtering operations performed before the ADC filter only out-of-channel-band transmissions, and therefore the filtered output may contain both the UL signal and the dominant DL transmission signal.

[0020] For example, several self-interference mitigation techniques can be applied, such as the following: - A self-interference cancellation mechanism (which can be digital, analog, or a combination of both). - A spatial domain mechanism (for example, using beams with minimal radiation overlap to reduce self-interference from DL to UL). -Methods for mitigating the power domain (for example, reducing DL power and / or improving UL power). - Frequency domain separation (for example, by introducing / increasing a frequency gap (i.e., a guard band) between the DL subband and the UL subband). - A filtering mechanism (for example, one that performs analog filtering before the ADC to output only the UL subband component). --The degree of isolation achievable depends on both the analog filtering characteristics and any guard bands between the UL sub-bands and the DL sub-bands, and thus, generally, frequency domain solutions and filtering solutions are considered together. -Antenna separation (considering that many 5G implementations use an antenna panel with multiple antenna elements, different antenna elements can be used for DL and UL to achieve separation).

[0021] As TDD full-duplex (e.g., SBFD) is developed and implemented, there are several motivations for deploying SBFD in unlicensed spectrum. For example, there are many potential use cases for both full-duplex usage and unlicensed spectrum usage, including, for example, indoor hotspots, indoor offices, and factory application examples. Thus, the need for efficient co-operation of both full-duplex and unlicensed spectrum is likely to arise in the future. Full-duplex also has the potential to address many common problems of unlicensed operation, such as high channel contention due to DL-UL interruptions, and thus increase the performance of unlicensed operation. Moreover, in future generations of communication technologies (e.g., 6G), full-duplex is expected to be supported from the first release, but unlicensed operation is a possible scenario, and thus it is important to consider how they can coexist effectively with each other.

[0022] However, there are several considerations that must be taken into account for operation in unlicensed spectrum. For example, there are several regulatory requirements for unlicensed operation, including regulatory constraints on Equivalent Isotropic Radiation Power (EIRP) that limits the power transmitted in each symbol, occupied channel bandwidth (e.g., requiring that the bandwidth containing 99% of the signal power is between 80% and 100% of the unlicensed channel bandwidth reserved for communication), and the required channel access procedure (e.g., listen-before-talk operation) before starting communication.

[0023] However, even if there is no restriction on frequency range expansion for full duplex, currently, full duplex operation is not suitable for unlicensed channel operation. In particular, due to regulatory occupied channel bandwidth requirements, problems can arise from transmissions only within the UL or DL sub-bandwidth (which is characteristic of SBFD transmissions). For example, when the base station transmits on a DL sub-band, a large portion of the channel bandwidth may remain unused, which can reduce the occupied channel bandwidth to less than 80% generally required by regulatory requirements. Furthermore, current channel access procedures do not consider the possibility that UL and DL communications may occur within the same symbol.

[0024] One such channel access mechanism is the "listen-before-talk" (LBT) which is expected to involve some form of clear channel assessment (CCA) where the transmitting device (UE / base station) generally "senses" the medium to detect any transmissions from other nodes. When the LBT procedure is successful, the channel is considered clear and is in fact reserved for a duration known as the Channel Occupancy Time (COT) to transmit therein. CCA can include, for example, energy detection (i.e., measuring the received energy level of any signal transmitted from other devices) and determining whether the channel is idle or busy based on the detected energy. There are different scenarios where different LBT requirements are appropriate, including some where channel access can be performed immediately (without the need for a sensing / listening step). The LBT procedure is executed over a 20 MHz bandwidth and can be of different types allowing different COT durations.

[0025] For (dynamic) channel access for NR communications in the unlicensed band, four LBT categories are currently defined. - Cat 4 LBT with contention window (also known as "Type 1") - A Cat 2 LBT (also known as "Type 2A") that allows the UE to detect channels within a 25μs gap. - A Cat 2 LBT (also known as "Type 2B") that allows the UE to detect the channel within a 16μs gap. Cat 1 LBT (also known as "Type 2C") has a -16μs gap but does not require channel detection / LBT. This type of LBT is permitted only in very limited scenarios.

[0026] More specifically, for Type 1 LBTs, the UE detects channels during a variable conflict window period. Each channel access priority class (CAPC) can be configured for each data radio bearer (DRB), with higher CAPCs corresponding to lower priorities. Signaling radio bearers (SRBs) carrying control signals such as RRC and non-access stratum (NAS) messages always use the CAPC corresponding to the highest priority (except for SRB2). Several different priority levels / CAPCs are defined for Type 1 LBTs with different COT durations and detection durations (i.e., conflict window periods). An exemplary set of these CAPCs is shown in Table 1. [Table 1]

[0027] As shown in Table 1, the contention window (CWp) for a given priority class (p) has a duration between the minimum contention window (CWmin,p) for that priority class and the maximum contention window (CWmax,p) for that priority class. The maximum uplink COT duration is given by Tulm,cot,p. The number of detection slots is given by the parameter mp. It will be understood that different sets of CAPCs can be defined using different numbers of detection slots, COT durations, and contention window durations.

[0028] As currently proposed, SBFD cannot guarantee the occupied bandwidth requirements stipulated by regulations for unlicensed channels. Specifically, because each base station's transmission and each UE's transmission are restricted to their respective DL / UL subbands, this can lead to a significant amount of bandwidth remaining unused when using unlicensed channels. For example, when a base station obtains a COT for DL ​​communication, one or more UL subbands may remain unused, and when an UE obtains a COT for UL communication, one or more DL subbands may remain unused. Therefore, if regulatory requirements expect at least a minimum (typically 80%) of bandwidth occupation, SBFD may not be able to meet this requirement.

[0029] This disclosure aims to provide one or more devices and one or more related methods that contribute at least partially to addressing the above-mentioned problems. [Means for solving the problem]

[0030] In one embodiment, the Disclosure provides a method performed by user equipment (UE) which includes communicating with an access network node in at least one of a plurality of time resources, each of which is configurable for downlink communication only, uplink communication only, or both uplink and downlink communication, and the communication includes receiving configuration information from the access network node for configuring a frequency resource for communicating with the access network node in at least one time resource configured for both uplink and downlink communication, the frequency resource including at least one uplink set of frequency resources for uplink communication or a downlink set of frequency resources for downlink communication, and the configuration information constitutes at least one uplink set of frequency resources for uplink communication or a downlink set of frequency resources for downlink communication so as to be distributed across at least one entire unlicensed bandwidth.

[0031] Configuration information can configure at least one of an uplink set of frequency resources for uplink communication or a downlink set of frequency resources for downlink communication, such that it includes at least one interlaced set of frequency resources. The at least one interlaced set of frequency resources may be based on a first interlace format, and the method may further include receiving further configuration information for configuring further frequency resources for communication with access network nodes in at least one time resource configured for uplink communication only and / or at least one time resource configured for downlink communication only, the further configuration information may configure further frequency resources to include at least one further interlaced set of frequency resources based on a second interlace format different from the first interlace format.

[0032] The method may further include determining an unused set of frequency resources that should remain unused for uplink or downlink communications in at least one unlicensed bandwidth. The unused set of frequency resources may be determined from further configuration information received from access network nodes to explicitly configure the unused set of frequency resources. The unused set of frequency resources may be determined based on at least one of the uplink set of frequency resources for uplink communications or the downlink set of frequency resources for downlink communications.

[0033] The method may further include receiving rate-matched downlink transmissions around frequency resources that do not belong to the downlink set of frequency resources.

[0034] Configuration information may constitute an uplink set of frequency resources for uplink communication, and the method may further include receiving rate-matched downlink transmissions around at least the uplink set of frequency resources.

[0035] The method may further include receiving instructions for at least one downlink interlace in the downlink set of frequency resources and receiving a downlink transmission using at least one downlink interlace. The method may further include receiving instructions for at least one uplink interlace in the uplink set of frequency resources and transmitting an uplink transmission using at least one uplink interlace.

[0036] The method may further include receiving a signal that an access network node has acquired channel occupancy time for downlink transmissions, and performing a channel access procedure to acquire access to at least one unauthorized bandwidth for uplink transmissions during the channel occupancy time. The channel access procedure may be of a type that does not require listen-before-talk (LBT) to be performed to acquire access to at least one unauthorized bandwidth.

[0037] Channel access using channel access procedures that do not require LBT may be limited to at least one of the following: the maximum number of uplink transmits within the channel occupancy time, the UE associated with the beam used by the access network node to perform LBT and / or perform downlink transmits to obtain access to at least one unauthorized bandwidth, and / or the access network node obtaining access to at least one unauthorized bandwidth using competition-based LBT for transmits with priority associated with the longest competition window period.

[0038] A channel access procedure may be of a type that requires listen-before-talk (LBT) to be performed in order to gain access to at least one unauthorized bandwidth. The method may further include performing LBT during a period in which downlink communication by the access network node is interrupted. The period in which downlink communication by the access network node is interrupted may be configured to occur in at least one predefined time resource. At least one predefined time resource may include the first symbol of a slot and / or the seventh symbol of a slot or subframe. The period in which downlink communication by the access network node is interrupted may be configured to occur between two different downlink transmissions. The period in which downlink communication by the access network node is interrupted may be configured to occur during an ongoing downlink transmission. The method may further include receiving instructions for the timing and / or duration of the period in which downlink communication by the access network node is interrupted. The period in which downlink communication by the access network node is interrupted may be configured to be less than or equal to the maximum gap required for a Type 2 LBT procedure.

[0039] At least one unauthorized bandwidth may include multiple unauthorized bandwidths that form the total unauthorized bandwidth, each unauthorized bandwidth may correspond to a different set of consecutive frequency resources, and configuration information may constitute each set of frequency resources either as at least part of the uplink set of frequency resources or as at least part of the downlink set of frequency resources.

[0040] The method may further include receiving instructions for at least one uplink interlace in the uplink set of frequency resources, and transmitting an uplink transmission using a resource corresponding to the intersection between at least one uplink interlace and the uplink set of frequency resources.

[0041] The configuration information can be configured with a first set of consecutive frequency resources as an uplink set of frequency resources, and / or a second set of consecutive frequency resources as a downlink set of frequency resources. The configuration information can be configured with each set of consecutive frequency resources as a different uplink set of frequency resources, or as a different set of downlink sets of frequency resources.

[0042] The method may further include receiving an instruction that an access network node has acquired channel occupancy time for downlink transmissions, following a listen-before-talk (LBT) performed with respect to at least one set of contiguous frequency resources configured as at least part of a downlink set of frequency resources, and with respect to at least one set of contiguous frequency resources configured as at least part of an uplink set of frequency resources, and performing a channel access procedure to acquire access to at least one unauthorized bandwidth for uplink transmissions during the channel occupancy time.

[0043] A channel access procedure may be of a type that does not require LBT to be performed in order to obtain access to at least one unauthorized bandwidth.

[0044] An instruction that an access network node has acquired channel occupancy time for a downlink transmission may be received by the access network node in the uplink set of frequency resources without the preceding downlink transmission being performed. An instruction that an access network node has acquired channel occupancy time for a downlink transmission may be received by the access network node in the uplink set of frequency resources after the preceding downlink transmission has been performed. The preceding downlink transmission may be performed by the access network node at the start of at least one time resource configured for both uplink and downlink communication. The preceding downlink transmission may be performed by the access network node before at least one time resource configured for both uplink and downlink communication.

[0045] The method may further include: receiving an instruction that an access network node has acquired channel occupancy time for downlink transmissions, following a listen-before-talk (LBT) performed with respect to at least one set of contiguous frequency resources configured as at least part of a downlink set of frequency resources, but not with respect to at least one set of contiguous frequency resources configured as at least part of an uplink set of frequency resources; and performing a channel access procedure to acquire access to at least one unauthorized bandwidth for uplink transmissions during the channel occupancy time.

[0046] A channel access procedure may be of a type that requires competition-based LBT to be performed in order to gain access to at least one unauthorized bandwidth.

[0047] An instruction that an access network node has acquired channel occupancy time may indicate the duration of the channel occupancy time, one or more sets of consecutive frequency resources to which the channel occupancy time can be applied, or at least one of one or more frequency domains to which the channel occupancy time can be applied.

[0048] In one embodiment, the Disclosure provides a method performed by user equipment (UE) which includes communicating with an access network node in at least one of a plurality of time resources, each of which can be configured for downlink communication only, uplink communication only, or both uplink and downlink communication, and the communication includes performing at least one transmission to the access network node using an unlicensed bandwidth frequency resource in at least one time resource configured for both uplink and downlink communication, namely, a frequency for either uplink or downlink communication. The operation is performed on the condition that at least one of the following conditions is met: a first set of resources extends by a first predefined percentage of the unauthorized bandwidth and / or a second set of frequency resources for the other of uplink and downlink communications extends by a second predefined percentage of the unauthorized bandwidth; no other communication nodes are detected as being in the vicinity of the access network node and / or UE; the distance between the UE and the access network node is less than a distance threshold; the beam used by the access network node and / or UE has a beamwidth in at least one dimension greater than a threshold or is an omnidirectional beam; or a quasi-static channel occupancy mode or frame-based equipment (FBE) mode is used in the UE for channel access.

[0049] In one embodiment, the Disclosure provides a method performed by user equipment (UE) which includes communicating with an access network node using unauthorized bandwidth on at least one time resource, wherein if at least one time resource is configured for uplink communication only or downlink communication only, the communication is performed based on a first configuration for accessing unauthorized bandwidth, and if at least one time resource is configured for both uplink and downlink communication, the communication is performed based on a second configuration for accessing unauthorized bandwidth which is different from the first configuration.

[0050] Communication involves performing a channel access procedure to access unauthorized bandwidth on at least one time resource, and the channel access procedure may be performed based on a first configuration if at least one time resource is configured for uplink communication only, or based on a second configuration if at least one time resource is configured for both uplink and downlink communication.

[0051] The method may further include a step of receiving from an access network node first information corresponding to a first configuration and second information corresponding to a second configuration, before performing the channel access procedure.

[0052] The first configuration may define a first channel access configuration for accessing at least one time resource configured for uplink communication only, and the second configuration may define a second channel access configuration for accessing at least one time resource configured for both uplink and downlink communication.

[0053] The first configuration may define a first set of uplink resources for uplink communication within at least one time resource configured solely for uplink communication and / or a first set of downlink resources for downlink communication within at least one time resource configured solely for downlink communication, and the second configuration may define a second set of uplink resources for uplink communication within at least one time resource configured for both uplink and downlink communication and / or a second set of downlink resources for downlink communication.

[0054] The first configuration may define a first conflict window configuration for channel access in at least one time resource configured for uplink communication only, and the second configuration may define a second conflict window configuration for channel access in at least one time resource configured for both uplink and downlink communication.

[0055] In one embodiment, the Disclosure provides a method performed by an access network node, the method comprising communicating with user equipment (UE) in at least one of a plurality of time resources, each of which is configurable for downlink communication only, uplink communication only, or both uplink and downlink communication, and the communication comprises transmitting configuration information to the UE for configuring frequency resources for communication with the UE in at least one time resource configured for both uplink and downlink communication, the frequency resources comprising at least one uplink set of frequency resources for uplink communication or a downlink set of frequency resources for downlink communication, and the configuration information constitutes at least one uplink set of frequency resources for uplink communication or a downlink set of frequency resources for downlink communication so as to be distributed across at least one entire unlicensed bandwidth.

[0056] In one aspect, the disclosure provides a method performed by an access network node, the method for user accessing at least one of a plurality of time resources. Communicating with equipment (UE), each of a plurality of time resources, each of which can be configured for downlink communication only, uplink communication only, or both uplink and downlink communication, and communicating includes receiving a transmission from the UE using a frequency resource of unlicensed bandwidth in at least one time resource configured for both uplink and downlink communication, the transmission being subject to the following conditions: a first set of frequency resources for either uplink or downlink communication is extended by a first predefined percentage of unlicensed bandwidth, and / or a second set of frequency resources for the other of uplink or downlink communication is extended by a second predefined percentage of unlicensed bandwidth, no other communication nodes are detected as being in the vicinity of the access network node and / or UE, the distance between the UE and the access network node is less than a distance threshold, the beam used by the access network node and / or UE has a beamwidth in at least one dimension greater than a threshold, or is an omnidirectional beam, or is in a quasi-static channel occupancy mode, or frame-based The UE executes the equipment (FBE) mode on the condition that at least one of the following conditions is met: the equipment (FBE) mode is used in the UE for channel access.

[0057] In one embodiment, the Disclosure provides a method performed by an access network node, the method comprising communicating with user equipment (UE) using unauthorized bandwidth on at least one time resource, wherein if at least one time resource is configured for uplink communication only or downlink communication only, the communication is performed based on a first configuration for accessing unauthorized bandwidth; and if at least one time resource is configured for both uplink and downlink communication, the communication is performed based on a second configuration for accessing unauthorized bandwidth, which is different from the first configuration.

[0058] In one embodiment, the Disclosure provides user equipment (UE) having means for communicating with an access network node in at least one of a plurality of time resources, each of the plurality of time resources being configurable for downlink communication only, uplink communication only, or both uplink and downlink communication, and the communication includes receiving configuration information from the access network node for configuring a frequency resource for communicating with the access network node in at least one time resource configured for both uplink and downlink communication, the frequency resource including at least one uplink set of frequency resources for uplink communication or a downlink set of frequency resources for downlink communication, and the configuration information constitutes at least one uplink set of frequency resources for uplink communication or a downlink set of frequency resources for downlink communication such that it is distributed across at least one entire unlicensed bandwidth.

[0059] In one embodiment, the disclosure provides a user with means for communicating with an access network node in at least one of a plurality of time resources. The equipment (UE) provides, and each of the multiple time resources can be configured for downlink communication only, uplink communication only, or both uplink and downlink communication, and communication includes performing at least one transmission to an access network node using a frequency resource of unlicensed bandwidth in at least one time resource configured for both uplink and downlink communication, and the transmission is subject to the following conditions: namely, a first set of frequency resources for either uplink or downlink communication is extended by a first predefined percentage of unlicensed bandwidth and / or a second set of frequency resources for the other of uplink or downlink communication is extended by a second predefined percentage of unlicensed bandwidth; no other communication nodes are detected as being in the vicinity of the access network node and / or UE; the distance between the UE and the access network node is less than a distance threshold; the beam used by the access network node and / or UE has a beamwidth in at least one dimension greater than a threshold or is an omnidirectional beam; or a quasi-static channel occupancy mode or frame-based This is executed on the condition that at least one of the following conditions is met: the equipment (FBE) mode is used in the UE for channel access.

[0060] In one embodiment, the Disclosure provides user equipment (UE) comprising an access network node and means for communicating using unauthorized bandwidth on at least one time resource, wherein if at least one time resource is configured for uplink communication only or downlink communication only, the communication is performed based on a first configuration for accessing unauthorized bandwidth; and if at least one time resource is configured for both uplink and downlink communication, the communication is performed based on a second configuration for accessing unauthorized bandwidth, which is different from the first configuration.

[0061] In one embodiment, the Disclosure provides an access network node having means for communicating with user equipment (UE) in at least one of a plurality of time resources, each of the plurality of time resources being configurable for downlink communication only, uplink communication only, or both uplink and downlink communication, and communicating involves transmitting to the UE configuration information for configuring frequency resources for communication with the UE in at least one time resource configured for both uplink and downlink communication, the frequency resources comprising at least one uplink set of frequency resources for uplink communication or a downlink set of frequency resources for downlink communication, and the configuration information constitutes at least one uplink set of frequency resources for uplink communication or a downlink set of frequency resources for downlink communication so as to be distributed across at least one entire unlicensed bandwidth.

[0062] In one aspect, the disclosure relates to a user in at least one of a plurality of time resources. The access network node provides means for communicating with equipment (UE), each of a plurality of time resources is configurable for downlink communication only, uplink communication only, or both uplink and downlink communication, and communication includes receiving a transmission from the UE using a frequency resource of unlicensed bandwidth in at least one time resource configured for both uplink and downlink communication, the transmission being subject to the following conditions: a first set of frequency resources for either uplink or downlink communication is extended by a first predefined percentage of unlicensed bandwidth, and / or a second set of frequency resources for the other of uplink or downlink communication is extended by a second predefined percentage of unlicensed bandwidth, no other communication nodes are detected as being in the vicinity of the access network node and / or UE, the distance between the UE and the access network node is less than a distance threshold, the beam used by the access network node and / or UE has a beamwidth in at least one dimension greater than a threshold, or is an omnidirectional beam, or is in a quasi-static channel occupancy mode, or frame-based The UE executes the equipment (FBE) mode on the condition that at least one of the following conditions is met: the equipment (FBE) mode is used in the UE for channel access.

[0063] In one embodiment, the Disclosure provides an access network node having means for communicating with user equipment (UE) using unauthorized bandwidth in at least one time resource, wherein if at least one time resource is configured for uplink communication only or downlink communication only, the communication is performed based on a first configuration for accessing the unauthorized bandwidth, and if at least one time resource is configured for both uplink and downlink communication, the communication is performed based on a second configuration for accessing the unauthorized bandwidth, which is different from the first configuration.

[0064] The communication systems to which this application relates are described in the context of full-duplex extension at the base station, half-duplex operation at the UE, and no restrictions on the frequency range; however, it will be understood that the described extensions may be beneficial in other communication systems, for example, communication systems in which the UE is capable of full-duplex operation and / or has restrictions on the frequency range in which it can be used. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0065] Next, exemplary embodiments of this disclosure will be described as examples with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a simplified time-frequency diagram showing a subband non-overlapping full-duplex scheme and various exemplary implementations of such a scheme. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a simplified time-frequency diagram showing a subband non-overlapping full-duplex scheme and various exemplary implementations of such a scheme. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a simplified time-frequency diagram showing a subband non-overlapping full-duplex scheme and various exemplary implementations of such a scheme. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a simplified time-frequency diagram showing a subband non-overlapping full-duplex scheme and various exemplary implementations of such a scheme. [Figure 5] Figure 5 provides a schematic overview of a mobile ("cellular" or "wireless") communication system. [Figure 6]Figure 6 shows a typical frame structure that may be used in the communication system shown in Figure 5. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a simplified sequence diagram showing different slot configuration procedures that can be used in the communication system of Figure 5. [Figure 8] Figure 8 shows an exemplary example of a slot configuration constructed according to the procedure in Figure 7. [Figure 9] Figure 9 is a simplified time-frequency diagram illustrating an exemplary full-duplex configuration that may be used in the communication system shown in Figure 5. [Figure 10] Figure 10 is a simplified time-frequency diagram illustrating another full-duplex configuration that may be used in the communication system shown in Figure 5. [Figure 11] Figure 11 is a simplified time-frequency diagram illustrating another exemplary full-duplex configuration that may be used in the communication system of Figure 5. [Figure 12A] Figure 12A shows an example in the communication system of Figure 5 where channel occupancy time is shared between the base station and the UE in order to access unlicensed bandwidth. [Figure 12B] Figure 12B shows another example in the communication system of Figure 5 where channel occupancy time is shared between the base station and the UE to access unlicensed bandwidth. [Figure 12C] Figure 12C shows another example in the communication system of Figure 5 where channel occupancy time is shared between the base station and the UE to access the unlicensed spectrum. [Figure 13] Figure 13 shows a simplified example of interlaced resource allocation in unlicensed bandwidth that may be used in the communication system shown in Figure 5. [Figure 14] Figure 14 is a simplified time-frequency diagram showing an example of an interlaced resource allocation for the downlink and uplink subbands that may be supported in the communication system of Figure 5. [Figure 15] Figure 15 is a simplified time-frequency diagram showing an example of how LBT can be implemented for UL communication in the communication system of Figure 5. [Figure 16] Figure 16 is a simplified time-frequency diagram showing another example of how LBT can be implemented for UL communication in the communication system of Figure 5. [Figure 17] Figure 17 is a simplified time-frequency diagram showing another example of how SBFD can be implemented for unlicensed spectrum in the communication system of Figure 5. [Figure 18] Figure 18 is a simplified time-frequency diagram showing one LBT technique that can be used in the context of SBFD based on the LBT subband in the communication system of Figure 5. [Figure 19] Figure 19 is a simplified time-frequency diagram showing another LBT technique that may be used in the context of SBFD based on the LBT subband in the communication system of Figure 5. [Figure 20] Figure 20 is a simplified time-frequency diagram showing another example of how SBFD can be implemented in the communication system of Figure 5. [Figure 21] Figure 21 is a simplified sequence diagram showing several different ways in which channel access parameters can be configured in the communication system of Figure 5. [Figure 22] Figure 22 is a schematic block diagram showing the main components of the UE for the communication system in Figure 5. [Figure 23] Figure 23 is a schematic block diagram showing the main components of the base station for the communication system in Figure 5. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0066] overview Next, an exemplary communication system will be described using general terminology, with reference to Figures 5 to 13.

[0067] Figure 5 schematically shows a mobile ("cellular" or "wireless") communication system 1 to which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied.

[0068] In communication system 1, user equipment (UE) 3-1, 3-2, 3-3 (e.g., mobile phones and / or other mobile devices) can communicate with each other via radio access network (RAN) nodes 5 operating according to one or more compatible radio access technologies (RATs). In the illustrated example, the RAN node 5 includes a base station 5 or "gNB" 5 operating one or more associated cells 9. Communication via the base station 5 is typically routed through a core network 7 (e.g., a 5G / 6G or later generation core network or evolved packet core network (EPC)).

[0069] As those skilled in the art will understand, three UEs 3 and one base station 5 are shown in Figure 5 for illustrative purposes, but the system, when implemented, typically includes other RAN nodes and UEs.

[0070] Each base station 5 controls one or more associated cells 9, either directly or indirectly through one or more other nodes (such as home base stations, relays, remote radio heads, distributed units, etc.). It will be understood that base stations 5 may be configured to support 4G, 5G, 6G, and / or later generations, as well as / or any other 3GPP or non-3GPP communication protocols.

[0071] The UE3 and their serving base stations 5 are connected via an appropriate air interface (e.g., a so-called "Uu" interface). Adjacent base stations 5 can be connected to each other via an appropriate base station-to-base station interface (e.g., a so-called "X2" interface, an "Xn" interface).

[0072] The core network 7 includes several logical nodes (or "functions") to support communication in the communication system 1. In this example, the core network 7 includes a control plane function (CPF) 10 and one or more network node entities (e.g., user plane function (UPF)) 11 for user data communication. The CPF 10 includes one or more network node entities (e.g., Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF)) 10-1 for control signaling communication, one or more network node entities (e.g., Session Management Functions (SMF)) 10-2 for session management, and several other functions 10-n (e.g., Authentication Server Function (AUSF) to facilitate 5G security processes).

[0073] Base station 5 is connected to the core network nodes via appropriate interfaces (or "reference points"), such as the N2 reference point between base station 5 and AMF10-1 for control signaling communications, and the N3 reference point between base station 5 and each UPF11 for user data communications. Each UE3 is connected to AMF10-1 via a NAS connection through an appropriate reference point (e.g., the N1 reference point (similar to the S1 reference point in LTE)). It will be understood that N1 communications are routed transparently through base station 5.

[0074] One or more UPF11s are connected to an external data network 20 (e.g., an IP network such as the Internet) via a suitable reference point (e.g., N6 reference point) for the communication of user data.

[0075] The AMF10-1 performs mobility management functions, maintains NAS connectivity with each UE3, and manages UE registration. The AMF10-1 receives user information transmitted over the network and forwards it to the SMF10-2. The AMF10-1 is also responsible for managing paging.

[0076] The SMF10-2 provides session management functionality (which forms part of the MME functionality in LTE) and, additionally, combines several control plane functions (provided by the serving gateway and packet data network gateway in LTE). Using user information provided via the AMF10-1, the SMF10-2 determines which session manager is best assigned to the user. The SMF10-2 can effectively be considered the gateway from the user plane to the control plane of the network. The SMF10-2 also assigns an IP address to each UE3.

[0077] The base station 5 of communication system 1 is configured to operate at least one cell 9 on an associated TDD carrier operating in a non-paired spectrum. It will be understood that base station 5 may also operate at least one cell 9 on an associated FDD carrier operating in a paired spectrum.

[0078] Furthermore, base station 5 is configured to transmit control information and user data via multiple downlink (DL) physical channels, and UE3 is configured to receive them and transmit multiple physical signals. Downlink physical channels correspond to resource elements (REs) that transmit information from higher layers, and downlink physical signals correspond to REs used in the physical layer that do not transmit information from higher layers.

[0079] Physical channels may include, for example, a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), and a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). The PDSCH carries data that shares its capacity on a time and frequency basis. The PDSCH can carry various data items, including, for example, user data, UE-specific upper-layer control messages mapped from higher channels, a system information block (SIB), and paging. The PDCCH carries downlink control information (DCI) to support several functions, including scheduling downlink transmissions on the PDSCH and uplink data transmissions on the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH). The PBCH provides the Master Information Block (MIB) to the UE3. It also supports time and frequency synchronization in conjunction with the PDCCH, which assists in cell acquisition, selection, and re-selection.

[0080] DL physical signals may include, for example, a reference signal (RS) and a synchronization signal (SS). The reference signal (sometimes known as a pilot signal) is a predefined signal with a specific waveform that is known to both the UE3 and the base station 5. The reference signal may include, for example, a cell-specific reference signal, a UE-specific reference signal (UE-RS), a downlink demodulation signal (DMRS), and a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS).

[0081] Similarly, UE3 is configured to transmit control information and user data via several uplink (UL) physical channels corresponding to REs that carry information transmitted from higher layers, as well as UL physical signals used in the physical layer that do not carry information transmitted from higher layers, and base station 5 is configured to receive them. Physical channels may include, for example, PUSCH, physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), and / or physical random-access channel (PRACH). UL physical signals may include, for example, demodulation reference signal (DMRS) for UL control / data signals, and / or sounding reference signal (SRS) used for UL channel measurement.

[0082] The base station 5 is also configured to periodically transmit a Synchronisation Signal Block (SSB) in one or more cells 9 on which it operates. The SSB includes both synchronization signals (e.g., a primary synchronization signal (PSS) and a secondary synchronization signal (SSS)) and a PBCH that carries a MIB that provides at least some of the minimum system information for accessing the corresponding cell 9 (e.g., parameters required to obtain a system information block 1 (SIB1) that carries other minimum system information).

[0083] Each UE3 is configured to search for the SSB when a cell scans to camp on, and to decode the associated PBCH before proceeding to decode other system information transmitted via the PDSCH. Each UE3 is also configured to perform measurements of specific resources configured for the SSB, such as reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), and / or signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR) measurements.

[0084] Frame structure Referring to Figure 6, which shows a typical frame structure that may be used in communication system 1, the base station 5 and UE3 of communication system 1 communicate with each other in the time domain using resources organized into frames of length 10 ms. Each frame consists of 10 equally sized subframes of length 1 ms. Each subframe is divided into one or more slots, each containing 14 Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols of equal length.

[0085] As shown in Figure 6, communication system 1 supports several different numerologies (subcarrier spacing (SCS), slot length, and therefore OFDM symbol length). Specifically, each numerology is identified by the parameter μ, where μ=0 represents 15kHz (corresponding to LTE SCS). Currently, the SCS for other values ​​of μ can actually be derived from μ=0 by scaling up by a power of 2 (i.e., SCS = 15 × 2). μ (kHz). The relationship between the parameter μ and SCS(Δf) is as shown in Table 2. [Table 2]

[0086] Typical slot configuration Referring to Figures 7 and 8, base station 5 appropriately configures the use of slots within each cell 9 operating on the TDD carrier.

[0087] As can be seen in Figure 7, a simplified sequence diagram showing different slot configuration procedures (S710, S714, S718) that can be used in communication system 1, base station 5 can use several different procedures to configure slot usage in each cell 9 operating on a TDD carrier.

[0088] As seen in procedure S710, for example, the base station 5 of communication system 1 is configured to provide each cell 9 operating on the TDD carrier with its own common (or "cell-specific") slot configuration. This common slot configuration can be provided to all UE3s in the cell using system information (for example, in the tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationCommon information element (IE) of system information block type 1 (SIB1)) as shown in S710a. This common slot configuration can also be provided to a specific UE3 in the cell using dedicated (for example, radio resource control (RRC)) signaling (for example, in the tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationCommon IE of an RRC message such as an RRC reconfiguration message) as shown in S710b. Thus, upon receiving the common slot configuration, the UE3 can set the common slot format configuration slot by slot across several slots (as seen in S712).

[0089] As shown in Figure 8, which illustrates an example of a slot configuration set up according to the procedure in Figure 7, the slots can be configured as downlink-only slots, uplink-only slots, or unallocated or "flexible" slots (which may be downlink or uplink).

[0090] The common slot configuration is defined by several parameters provided by base station 5 as part of the common UL / DL slot configuration. These parameters include the slot configuration period (e.g., configured by the dl-UL-TransmissionPeriodicity IE), the number of slots having only downlink symbols (e.g., configured by the nrofDownlinkSlots IE), the number of downlink symbols (e.g., configured by the nrofDownlinkSymbols IE), the number of slots having only uplink symbols (e.g., configured by the nrofUplinkSlots IE), and the number of uplink symbols (e.g., configured by the nrofUplinkSymbols IE). As seen in Figure 8, these effectively constitute a repeating pattern of slot types (repeated in the slot configuration period), which in this example includes DL-only slots and symbols followed by flexible slots and symbols, followed by UL-only slots and symbols. The repeating pattern begins with DL groups, each containing a defined number of DL-only slots followed by a defined number of DL-only symbols in the next slot. The repeating pattern ends in a UL group that includes a defined number of UL-only slots, preceded by a defined number of UL-only symbols in the preceding slot. Flexible symbols and slots are symbols and slots between DL groups of DL-only slots and symbols and UL groups of UL-only slots and symbols.

[0091] As seen in procedure S714, the base station 5 of the communication system 1 is also configured to provide a dedicated (or "UE-specific") slot configuration for a particular UE3, if necessary. This dedicated slot configuration can be provided to a particular UE3 in a cell (for example, in the tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationDedicated IE of an RRC message such as an RRC reconfiguration message) using dedicated (e.g., radio resource control (RRC)) signaling (as shown in S715).

[0092] If both a common slot configuration and a dedicated slot configuration are provided to UE3, the dedicated slot configuration will override only the symbols and slots configured as flexible symbols and slots for each slot, across the number of slots configured by the common slot configuration (as shown in the example in Figure 7).

[0093] If a dedicated configuration is provided, this configuration includes one or more individual slot-specific configurations (e.g., using slotSpecificConfigurationsToAddModList IE), each slot configuration including information that identifies a particular slot within the slot configuration period, as defined by a common slot configuration (e.g., slot index IE), and information that defines the symbol structure (e.g., symbols IE). The information defining the symbol structure provides the orientation (downlink or uplink) of the symbol within the particular slot being configured. Information defining the symbol structure can, for example, indicate that all symbols within a particular slot are used for downlinks (for example, by setting symbols IE to "allDownlink"), indicate that all symbols within a particular slot are used for uplinks (for example, by setting symbols IE to "allUplink"), or explicitly indicate how many symbols are allocated to downlinks and uplinks, respectively, at the beginning and end of a particular slot (for example, nrofDownlinkSymbols IE can indicate the number of consecutive downlink symbols at the beginning of the slot identified by the slot index, and nrofUplinkSymbols IE can indicate the number of consecutive uplink symbols at the end of the slot identified by the slot index).

[0094] Therefore, UE3 can configure a dedicated slot format for each slot across several slots (as seen in S716).

[0095] Therefore, UE3 treats symbols in slots designated as downlinks by a common slot configuration or a dedicated slot configuration as available for reception. Similarly, UE3 treats symbols in slots designated as uplinks by a common slot configuration or a dedicated slot configuration as available for transmission.

[0096] Even after the cell-specific and UE-specific slot configuration described above, the slot configuration may still have some unallocated flexible slots / symbols remaining. By utilizing Layer 1 signaling, any remaining flexible symbols (if any) can be dynamically reconfigured.

[0097] As seen in procedure S718, for example, the base station 5 of the communication system 1 is also configured to provide one or more dynamic slot configurations to a group of one or more UE3s via a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). One or more dynamic slot configurations can be provided to a specific group of one or more UE3s in cell 9 using downlink control information (DCI) using an appropriate DCI format (e.g., DCI format 2_0), as shown in S719.

[0098] The indices of one or more slot format indicators (SFIs) are provided within the DCI payload for a group of one or more UE3s. To address the DCI to one or more UE3s in the group and enable decryption, the cyclic redundancy check (CRC) bits of the DCI are scrambled with the associated radio network temporary identifier (RNTI), e.g., slot format indicator RNTI (SFI-RNTI). The same RNTI is assigned to one or more UE3s in the group. Each UE3 in the group is configured to extract its own SFI index based on its position within the DCI payload (this position can be, for example, determined by UE-specific RRC signaling). The RRC configuration may also be, for example, via an RRC message that carries a PDCCH serving cell configuration IE having a slot format indicator (SFI) IE that provides an SFI-RNTI for a particular serving cell (identified by a serving cell ID, e.g., servingCellId IE), defines one or more slot format combinations (e.g., slotFormatCombinations IE), and identifies the starting position (bits) in the DCI of an SFI index that can be applied to the configured UE (e.g., positionInDCI IE).

[0099] Each SFI index provided by DCI acts as a pointer to a combination of slot formats (each slot format corresponds to a combination of downlink symbols, uplink symbols, and / or flexible symbols) for defining the slot format of each slot in several slots, starting from the slot where the UE detects the dynamic slot configuration DCI format.

[0100] Therefore, for any slot shown in UE3 as flexible through both common and dedicated slot configurations, DCI can be used to dynamically configure the downlink symbols, uplink symbols, and / or flexible symbols within that slot (as seen in the example in Figure 9).

[0101] Therefore, UE3 can set a dynamic slot format configuration for each slot across several slots (as seen in the S720).

[0102] Bandwidth Part (BWP) In communication system 1, the cell bandwidth can be divided into multiple bandwidth parts (BWPs), each containing a set of consecutive RBs, each starting with a corresponding resource block (RB) and having a given numerology (sub-carrier spacing: SCS) and cyclic prefix: CP) on a given carrier. Conventionally, it will be understood that the number of downlink symbols, uplink symbols, and flexible symbols for each slot in a slot configuration (e.g., common or dedicated) is common to each configured BWP.

[0103] Therefore, the UE3 and base station 5 of communication system 1 are configured to operate using BWP. For each serving cell of UE3, base station 5 may configure at least one downlink (DL) BWP (e.g., the first DL BWP). Base station 5 may configure UE3 with up to a maximum number (typically four) of DL BWPs, where only one DL BWP is active at a given time. UE3 is not expected to receive PDSCH, PDCCH, or CSI-RS outside the active bandwidth portion (except for radio resource management (RRM)). If the serving cell is configured using uplink (UL), base station 5 may configure at least one UL BWP (e.g., the first UL BWP). Base station 5 may configure UE3 with up to a maximum number (typically four) of UL BWPs, where only one UL BWP is active at a given time. UE3 does not transmit PUSCH or PUCCH outside the active bandwidth portion. In the active cell, UE3 does not transmit SRS outside the active bandwidth portion. It will be understood that the slot format indicator (e.g., SFI index field value) of the Dynamic Slot Configuration DCI format can indicate the slot format of each slot in each DL BWP or each UL BWP to UE3.

[0104] The BWP identifier (BWP-ID) is used to refer to a BWP (independently in UL and DL). Therefore, various radio resource control (RRC) configuration procedures can use the BWP-ID to associate themselves with a specific BWP.

[0105] In paired spectra (FDD), DL BWP and UL BWP are configured separately, but in unpaired spectra (TDD), DL BWP is effectively linked (paired) with UL BWP, and paired DL BWP and UL BWP share the same BWP-ID and center frequency (but possibly different bandwidths).

[0106] Specifically, base station 5 can configure the initial DL BWP (e.g., using initialDownlinkBWP IE) via system information (e.g., system information block 1, "SIB1") and / or via dedicated (e.g., RRC) signaling (e.g., RRC reconfiguration, RRC restart, or RRC setup messages). For example, common parameters of the initial DL BWP may be provided via system information, while UE-specific parameters may be provided via dedicated signaling (e.g., in ServingCellConfig IE within an RRC message containing a dedicated UE-specific BWP configuration). Dedicated signaling may also include some cell-specific information that may be useful in specific scenarios (e.g., handover).

[0107] Base station 5 can configure an initial UL BWP (e.g., using initialUplinkBWP IE) via system information (e.g., system information block 1, "SIB1") and / or via dedicated (e.g., RRC) signaling (e.g., RRC reconfiguration, RRC restart, or RRC setup messages). For example, common parameters for one or more initial UL BWPs may be provided via system information, while UE-specific parameters may be provided via dedicated signaling (e.g., in a ServingCellConfig IE within an RRC message containing a dedicated UE-specific BWP configuration). This provides configuration information to either a so-called special cell (SpCell) or secondary cell (SCell), which is the primary cell (PCell) of a master cell group (MCG) or secondary cell group (SCG).

[0108] The initial DL and UL BWP are used for at least the initial access before the RRC connection is established. The initial BWP is known as BWP#0 because it has a BWP identifier (or "index") of 0. Before receiving the system information that defines the UE's initial DL BWP, each UE3's DL BWP has a frequency range and numerology corresponding to a control resource set (CORESET), e.g., CORESET#0, defined by the master information block (MIB) (or possibly dedicated RRC signaling). The CORESET is used to carry downlink control information (DCI), which is transmitted via the PDCCH to schedule the system information block.

[0109] After receiving system information (e.g., SIB1), UE3 configures the initial DL BWP and initial UL BWP using the BWP configuration defined by that system information. The configured initial UL BWP is then used to initiate the random access procedure for setting up the RRC connection. Base station 5 configures the frequency domain location and bandwidth of the initial DL BWP in the system information so that the initial DL BWP includes the entire CORESET#0 in the frequency domain.

[0110] For each DL BWP in the set of DL BWPs for a primary cell (PCell), UE3 can be configured with a CORESET for any type of common search space (CSS) set (sometimes referred to as cell-specific search space (CSS)) and a CORESET for a UE-specific search space (USS) set. For each UL BWP in the set of UL BWPs for a PCell or PUCCH secondary cell, UE3 is configured with a resource set for PUCCH transmission.

[0111] UE3 is configured to switch its active BWP between its configured BWPs as needed. For example, switching in UE3 may be initiated by receiving a scheduling DCI, by the expiration of an inactivity timer (e.g., BWPInactivityTimer), and / or by the start of a random access procedure.

[0112] Full-duplex communication The UE3 and base station 5 of communication system 1 are configured to provide full duplex (FD) communication over a TDD carrier. Specifically, the UE3 and base station 5 of communication system 1 are configured to facilitate subband non-overlapping FD (SBFD) communication.

[0113] For example, as seen in Figure 9, a simplified time-frequency diagram illustrating an exemplary full-duplex configuration that can be used in communication system 1, different UE-specific slot configurations allow slots within the cell bandwidth to be configured as FD slots, where one slot is configured as an uplink slot for one UE and the same slot is configured as a downlink slot for another UE (or vice versa). Thus, UL communication from one UE3 within the cell bandwidth can be performed in parallel with DL communication to another UE3. Although not specifically shown, it will be understood that parallel UL / DL communication can be configured at the symbol level and the slot level.

[0114] It will be understood that base station 5 is configured to schedule frequency resources in any slot configured as an FD slot to ensure that the frequency resources scheduled for UL communication by one UE3 are part of a different subband than the frequency resources scheduled for DL ​​communication to another UE3. Thus, base station 5 can perform non-overlapping subband FD communication, while the UE3s can perform half-duplex communication.

[0115] Therefore, base station 5 may configure one or more of the TDD carrier slots (and / or symbols) as FD slots (and / or symbols), more specifically as SBFD slots (and / or symbols) when subband non-overlapping full duplex (SBFD) is used in full-duplex operation. For convenience, from the base station's perspective, a slot / symbol containing both the UL subband and the DL subband is generally referred to as an "SBFD" slot / symbol, or a slot / symbol with configured UL subband / DL subband. Other slots / symbols containing only single transmit-direction (UL or DL) communications are generally referred to as legacy (UL or DL) slots / symbols, or non-SBFD (UL or DL) slots / symbols.

[0116] From the UE's perspective, it will be understood that an SBFD slot or symbol may appear to be a legacy UL, DL, or flexible symbol because UE3 is operating with half-duplex on a TDD carrier. However, implicitly or explicitly, UE3 may be notified of FD / SBFD slots / symbols to enable UE3 to assist in interference avoidance / mitigation. For example, if UE3 can identify an FD / SBFD slot / symbol, UE3 can contribute to an appropriate implementation of frequency gap between frequency resources used by that UE3 (e.g., for UL or DL) and frequency resources used by another UE3 (e.g., for UL or DL), and can avoid, reconfigure, and / or apply updated resources with respect to specific transmit / receive (e.g., for quasi-static transmits such as SPS).

[0117] For example, base station 5 may explicitly indicate which slots / symbols are configured as FD / SBFD type slots / symbols, for example, by dynamically using DCI with an appropriate DCI format and / or by using a Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE). Alternatively or additionally, base station 5 may explicitly indicate which slots / symbols are configured as FD / SBFD type slots / symbols via system information or dedicated (RRC) signaling (for example, by frame structure signaling similar to that used for cell-specific and / or dedicated TDD UL / DL slot configurations). UE3 may implicitly determine whether a slot / symbol is configured as an FD / SBFD type slot / symbol based on other information received from the network (base station 5). For example, UE may consider an SBFD slot to occur if the RAN indicates that a UL transmission should occur in a DL-configured slot, or that a DL transmission should occur in a UL-configured slot.

[0118] It will be understood that various variations exist for the implementation of SBFD, and that communication system 1 can be configured to provide support for any suitable SBFD scheme. Such schemes may include, for example, inter-BWP full-duplex and / or intra-BWP full-duplex.

[0119] For example, referring to Figure 10, a simplified time-frequency diagram illustrating an exemplary full-duplex BWP-to-BWP type, the BWP-to-BWP full-duplex includes parallel UL and DL transmissions across different BWPs, where a specific slot in one BWP may be configured as an uplink slot, while a corresponding slot in another BWP (i.e., a slot with the same timing) may be configured as a downlink slot (or vice versa). Thus, a UL from one UE3 in one BWP can be performed in parallel with DL communication to another UE3 in another BWP.

[0120] On the other hand, referring to Figure 11, a simplified time-frequency diagram illustrating an exemplary example of a full-duplex in-BWP type, in-BWP full-duplex includes parallel UL and DL transmissions within the same BWP. In the example shown in Figure 11, the UL subband is effectively inserted / configured within a slot / symbol configured as a (legacy) DL or flexible slot / symbol of the BWP. Specifically, each time resource of the BWP is configured as DL, UL, or flexible slot / symbol (for example, using TDD configuration techniques as described with reference to Figures 7 and 8). The UL subband (for example, a set of consecutive UL frequency resources) is then configured within the BWP such that at least one subset of DL or flexible slot / symbol effectively forms a slot / symbol consisting of the UL subband and one or two DL subbands. The configuration of one or more UL subbands can be achieved in any suitable way, for example, by quasi-static and / or dynamic configurations. A guard band (frequency gap) can be configured between the UL subband and each DL subband, during which transmission is not performed, thereby helping to avoid interference. The base station 5 can then schedule UL transmissions in the UL subband and DL transmissions in one or more DL subbands, as needed.

[0121] It will also be understood that base stations may be able to dynamically schedule DL transmissions within the UL subband (for example, when there are no UL transmissions required to improve radio resource utilization).

[0122] Figure 11 shows that the UL subband is inserted into a downlink or flexible slot / symbol, but it will be understood that a similar mechanism can be used to insert a DL subband into the UL or flexible slot / symbol to achieve SBFD.

[0123] It will be understood that, even though UL (or DL) subbands can be configured within slots / symbols configured as DL (or UL) slots / symbols (e.g., by TDD configuration), it is particularly beneficial for base station 5 that DL (or UL) transmissions can be dynamically scheduled within configured UL (or DL) subbands (e.g., when UL (or DL) transmissions are not required) to improve radio resource utilization.

[0124] Slots / symbols that include both UL and DL subbands may be referred to as SBFD slots / symbols, or more generally, slots / symbols with configured UL / DL subbands. Other slots / symbols for a single transmit direction (UL or DL) may be referred to as non-SBFD slots / symbols.

[0125] Communication in the Unlicensed Spectrum The UE3 and base station 5 of communication system 1 are configured to communicate with each other in the unlicensed spectrum.

[0126] In the case of DL transmission, base station 5 can select the appropriate LBT procedure based on the required COT duration (which determines the maximum transmission duration) and adhere to the type of transmission that can be performed in the COT. For example, SSB transmission can be performed using type 2 because it has a relatively short transmission duration, while longer transmissions may require the use of type 1 LBT.

[0127] For UL transmissions, base station 5 typically indicates to UE3 the type of LBT procedure to be performed by UE3. For example, the LBT type for PUSCH may be provided within the UL grant, for example, during the initial access (random access channel, "RACH") procedure. For configured grant (CG UL), UE3 typically uses a type 1 LBT. For PUCCH and / or PRACH without PUSCH, UE3 typically uses a type 1 LBT with CAPC set to 1 (p=1). For DL ​​triggered SRS, UE3 typically uses a type 2 LBT, but may otherwise use a type 1 LBT with CAPC set to 1 (p=1). Multiple LBT points are provided for UL transmissions, thereby enabling UE3 to successfully perform UL transmissions whenever the channel access procedure is successful.

[0128] UE3 and base station 5 of communication system 1 are also configured for COT sharing. Various examples of COT sharing are shown in Figures 12A to 12C.

[0129] For example, if base station 5 acquires a COT, base station 5 can share this COT with UE3, enabling UE3 to perform a UL transmission within the COT duration. Similarly, UE3 may share a COT with base station 5 for DL ​​transmission when initiating a COT. In the context of COT sharing, base station 5 can use dynamic signaling (e.g., DCI using an appropriate DCI format such as DCI format 2_0) to indicate the value of the COT structure and its duration to UE3.

[0130] As shown in Figures 12A to 12C, if the transmission direction needs to be changed from UL to DL or DL ​​to UL during an ongoing COT, additional LBT procedures may need to be performed depending on the transmission gap.

[0131] If the gap is less than 16 μs, LBT does not need to be performed (i.e., type 2C), as shown in Figure 12A. The duration of the corresponding transmission is limited to a maximum of 584 μs and is permitted only for a single transmission direction change within the COT.

[0132] If the gap is between 16 μs and 25 μs, a Type 2 A / B LBT procedure can be performed (as shown in Figure 12B). Otherwise, a Type 1 LBT procedure can be used.

[0133] As shown in Figure 12C, if the LBT is unsuccessful, a subsequent attempt may be made if there is sufficient time remaining in the COT duration. If the subsequent LBT is successful, transmission may be made within the remaining COT.

[0134] Resource allocation The UE3 and base station 5 of the communication system 1 are also configured to support multiple different resource allocation schemes / types to enable the determination of frequency domain resources for transmission and reception. Typically, base station 5 allocates frequency resources to UE3 by signaling, which carries resource allocation information (which provides identification information of the allocated physical resource blocks within the active BWP) and a bandwidth portion indicator (which indicates the active BWP in which the allocated resources form part).

[0135] The methods supported in communication system 1 include, but are not limited to, type 0 allocation, type 1 allocation, and type 2 allocation. Resource allocation types 0 and 1 broadly correspond to the corresponding methods defined by 3GPP standards (with some minor modifications) for LTE (where resource block allocation is signaled across carriers) and for 5G (where resource block allocation is signaled for active BWP). For brevity, these methods will not be described in detail.

[0136] Unlike Type 0 and Type 1 allocations (where allocated resource blocks are consecutive), Type 2 allocations provide "interlaced" resource allocations for UL communication. In interlaced UL resource allocations, the basic unit of resource allocation is an interlace, which contains a set of resource blocks (e.g., 5 or 10) that are equally spaced (in frequency) within a bandwidth (e.g., 20 MHz) for a given subcarrier interval (e.g., 30 kHz or 15 kHz). Multiple interlaces of RBs can be defined, where an interlace m ∈ {0, 1, ..., M ⋅ 1} consists of common RBs {m, M + m, 2M + m, 3M + m, ...}, where M is the number of interlaces (e.g., 5 for a 30 kHz subcarrier interval, or 10 for a 15 kHz subcarrier interval). Given an interlace, m, and subcarrier interval, there is an index / number (n) of interlaced resource blocks (IRBs). IRB ) and the corresponding index / number(n) of the common resource block (CRB) CRB The relationship / mapping between ) is roughly given by the following equation. (Formula 1)

number

number

number

[0137] In Type 2 uplink resource allocation, resource block allocation / assignment information can provide UE3 with a set of up to M interlaced indices (as defined above) and can represent a set of contiguous resource blocks (RB sets) up to the maximum possible number of RB sets in the corresponding BWP. The allocated physical resource blocks are mapped to virtual resource blocks in the active UL BWP. If one or more RB sets are provided, UE3 can determine the resource allocation in the frequency domain as the intersection of the provided interlaced resource blocks and the union of the provided set of RB sets and any intra-cell guard bands. In the common search space, UE can determine the resource allocation in the frequency domain as the intersection of the provided interlaced resource blocks and a single uplink RB set in the active UL BWP (which could be, for example, the lowest-indexed RB set among one or more uplink RB sets that intersect with the lowest-indexed control channel element (CCE) of the PDCCH where UE3 detects downlink control information in the active downlink BWP).

[0138] Interlaced resource allocation in the context of the unlicensed spectrum In the context of unlicensed spectrum, interlaced resource allocation may be defined for UL transmissions to help ensure that UL transmissions can meet any regulated occupied channel bandwidth requirements. Generally, interlaced resource allocation is applicable to UL transmissions, but for DL ​​transmissions, network-based scheduling will usually be sufficient to meet the regulated channel bandwidth requirements.

[0139] For broadband unlicensed operation, communication system 1 supports serving cells / BWPs with bandwidths greater than 20 MHz. For cell / BWP bandwidths greater than 20 MHz, multi-channel LBT operation may be used, in which LBT is performed on each of the multiple (typically 20 MHz) LBT bandwidths contained within the cell / BWP bandwidth before transmission begins across the entire bandwidth of the BWP.

[0140] Figure 13 shows an example of interlaced resource allocation in an unlicensed bandwidth. As seen in Figure 13, there are three allocated interlaces across a specific LBT bandwidth (e.g., 20 MHz).

[0141] SBFD in Unlicensed Spectrum(SBFD-U) Advantageously, the UE3 and base station5 of communication system 1 are configured with each other for SBFD communication using unlicensed channels, taking into account various regulations and / or other restrictions on the use of unlicensed spectrum.

[0142] Specifically, communication system 1 supports SBFD communication using unlicensed channels in accordance with one or more methods or techniques described below. While several different methods / techniques are described, it will be understood that they are neither mutually exclusive nor dependent on each other. For example, different techniques for implementing SBFD UL and DL subbands on unlicensed channels, and / or different techniques for performing LBT, may, depending on the configuration, be supported by the same base station / UE for use as appropriate.

[0143] In one beneficial approach, which will be discussed in more detail later, to help address channel occupancy requirements, frequency resource allocations for each UL subband and each DL subband are distributed substantially across the entire cell / BWP unlicensed bandwidth. More specifically, frequency resource allocations for both the UL and DL subbands for SBFD use an interlaced structure to distribute resources across the entire unlicensed spectrum where the LBT procedure is required ("LBT bandwidth"), for example, from the lowest frequency (or somewhere within the lowest frequency portion of the bandwidth (e.g., the bottom 10%)) to the highest frequency (or at least somewhere within the highest frequency portion of the bandwidth (e.g., the top 10%)).

[0144] In previously proposed SBFD implementations, it would be understood that, in the case of SBFD, DL transmission can continue when UL transmission begins, so there is no specified transmission gap between DL communication and UL communication that allows UE3 to detect the channel (perform LBT).

[0145] As will be explained in more detail later, one useful technique to address this that may be supported in communication system 1 is that, in the context of an unlicensed spectrum, UE3 can share a COT previously acquired by base station 5 without performing LBT (i.e., by following the type 2C LBT / channel access procedure) to gain access to an unlicensed channel (for example, when DL transmission is in progress when UL transmission is expected to begin).

[0146] As will be explained in more detail later, another useful technique that may be supported in communication system 1 as an alternative or additional measure is that transmissions in the DL subband are temporarily suspended for a "guard" or "LBT" period (which may be shorter than the requirements for the Type 2 LBT procedure) to allow UE3 to detect interference before initiating UL transmissions (e.g., for Type 2 LBT). In this case, it will be understood that the Type 2C LBT / channel access procedure (i.e., without performing LBT) may still be performed by UE3 where appropriate.

[0147] For both the UL and DL subbands of SBFD, using an interlaced structure for frequency resource allocation may increase self-interference at base station 5. This is because interlace-based separation of the DL and UL subbands may not allow for the implementation of analog filters at base station 5. However, self-interference can be mitigated by other means, and in any case, the benefits of these methods may outweigh the drawbacks associated with self-interference.

[0148] Nevertheless, as will be explained in more detail later, another useful way to help address channel occupancy requirements, which may be implemented alternatively or additionally in communication system 1, is that the LBT bandwidth may be treated as if it were divided into separate (consecutive) LBT subbands, each having one or more sets of RBs (e.g., a set of RBs from the consecutive sets of RBs mentioned above in the context of type 2 resource allocation). In this case, the SBFD is implemented in such a way that each LBT subband may contain one or more UL subbands, or one or more DL subbands, but not both.

[0149] As will be explained in more detail later, in a scenario where the LBT bandwidth is divided into separate LBT subbands, each LBT subband containing either a UL subband or a DL subband, any of several different LBT techniques may be beneficially implemented in the communication system 1 to enable base stations 5 and UE3 to access channels on the unlicensed spectrum when needed.

[0150] In one beneficial technique, for example, base station 5 is configured to perform LBT on all LBT subbands (including one or more LBT subbands associated with the UL subband). Upon successful LBT, base station 5 can show the acquired COT to UE3, and UE3 can perform a Type 2 LBT to access and share the COT. Alternatively or additionally, in another beneficial technique that could be supported in communication system 1, base station 5 performs LBT only on LBT subbands associated with one or more DL subbands of the SBFD configuration. In this case, base station 5 can send instructions (e.g., acquired COT duration) to UE3 to trigger a Type 1 LBT on one or more LBT subbands associated with one or more UL subbands of the SBFD configuration.

[0151] Advantageously, in another advantageous way to help address channel occupancy requirements that may be supported by alternative or additional communication systems 1, as will be explained in more detail later, base stations 5 and UE3 may configure both the DL subband and UL subband for SBFD operation over unlicensed channels within the same LBT bandwidth, similar to how the DL subband and UL subband are configured for operation in the licensed spectrum (i.e., using continuous resources rather than interlaced resources for each DL subband or UL subband). However, in this method, appropriate restrictions (e.g., the size of the UL bandwidth relative to the LBT bandwidth, and / or one or more other conditions under which SBFD operation is permitted) are imposed to ensure that base stations 5 operating in SBFD mode can coexist without causing interference to other neighboring nodes / technologies.

[0152] In most cases, the channel access (LBT) procedure for SBFD operation may differ from the channel access (LBT) procedure that may be used for legacy systems. Therefore, advantageously, in scenarios where SBFD operation is used in a configuration that includes both legacy DL / UL (non-SBFD) slots / symbols and SBFD slots / symbols, the base station 5 and UE3 of communication system 1 may be configured to use a slot / symbol type-dependent channel access procedure and / or one or more channel access parameters (for example, to allow a different type of LBT procedure to be performed for legacy DL / UL (non-SBFD) slots / symbols than the one performed for SBFD slots / symbols).

[0153] Interlace allocation for SBFD in unlicensed spectra As mentioned above, one beneficial approach is to help address the channel occupancy requirements for using unlicensed spectra by distributing the frequency resource allocation for each UL subband and each DL subband of the time resources (slots / symbols) configured for SBFD across the entire LBT bandwidth.

[0154] Figure 14 is a simplified time-frequency diagram showing, as a mere example, an interlaced allocation of resources for the downlink and uplink subbands that may be supported in communication system 1. Nevertheless, it will be understood that any appropriate interlace type allocation may be applied.

[0155] As shown in Figure 14, in the case of SBFD time resources, DL subband resource allocation and UL subband resource allocation each take the form of a pattern of frequency resources (e.g., resource blocks) that repeats (periodically in the frequency domain) across the entire bandwidth of the cell / BWP. Therefore, each of these patterns is essentially an interlaced form.

[0156] As a person skilled in the art will understand, frequency resource allocation for the DL subband and / or UL subband can be configured by base station 5 to UE3 in different ways. For example, base station 5 signals UE3 to UE3 for the DL and / or UL subbands with N sets of interlaces (where N can be one or more), each of the N interlaces consisting of a frequency resource or resource block {m, m+M, m+2M, m+3M, ...}, where m is the starting frequency resource or resource block of the interlace, and M is a configurable or predefined parameter. Here, for each of the N interlaces configured for the DL and / or UL subbands, base station 5 can indicate the values ​​of m and M to UE3, respectively (unless M is predefined or otherwise implicitly known to UE3).

[0157] In another example, base station 5 can configure UE3 with a set of parameters for the DL subband and / or UL subband, typically at least three (integer) parameters m, L, and M, and the frequency resource allocation for the DL subband and / or UL subband is interpreted by UE3 based on the parameters as follows: - The first set of frequency resources (P1) for the DL and / or UL subbands is m, m+1, m+2, ..., m+L-1 (corresponding to "L" consecutive frequency resources starting from the m-th frequency resource). - The remaining set of frequency resources is determined by repeating the pattern formed by the first set of frequency resources (P1) at frequency intervals of M, i.e., {P1, P1+M, P1+2M, ...}.

[0158] Similarly, guard bands or unused frequency portions are also a form of interlacing. It will be understood that guard bands can be explicitly configured by the network (e.g., by one or more dedicated informational elements in one or more messages from base stations). Nevertheless, the location of guard band "interlace" can be configured implicitly. For example, UEs and / or base stations can determine which frequency resources should be left unused (i.e., guard bands) based on the allocation of frequency resources for one or more UL subbands and / or DL ​​subbands (e.g., to ensure a proper frequency gap between uplink and downlink transmissions).

[0159] In the illustrated example, one or more uplink subband frequency resources have an "uplink interlace" in which pairs of consecutive resource blocks are repeated every 10 resource blocks in the frequency domain. One or more downlink subband frequency resources have a "downlink interlace" in which groups of six consecutive resource blocks are repeated every 10 resource blocks in the frequency domain. Guard band frequency resources include a "guard band interlace" in which a single unused resource block is repeated every 10 resource blocks in the frequency domain between frequency resources allocated to UL and frequency resources allocated to DL. It will be understood that UL interlace can be conceptually considered as multiple (in this example, pairs) adjacent or consecutive interlaces. Similarly, DL interlace can be conceptually considered as multiple (in this example, up to six) adjacent or consecutive interlaces.

[0160] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that, conventionally, interlaced "Type 2" resource allocation has not been supported for DL ​​resource allocation.

[0161] To support DL transmission using interlaced resources, base station 5 may be configured to rate-match DL transmissions around resources that do not form part of the DL subband (e.g., around one or more UL interlaced resources and guard band resources). Alternatively (or possibly additionally), base station 5 may be configured to use DL resource allocations explicitly defined for one or more interlaces, where the indices of the one or more interlaces can be selected from interlaces present within the configured DL subband.

[0162] For UL transmission, base station 5 configures (and uses by UE3) a defined resource allocation for one or more interlaces, and one or more indices of the one or more interlaces may be selected from interlaces present within the configured UL subband.

[0163] Although Figure 14 shows only SBFD slots, it will be understood that, advantageously, different interlacing structures can be configured for UL-only symbols / slots, DL-only symbols / slots, and / or SBFD symbols / slots (for example, to help optimize channel occupancy for unauthorized channels).

[0164] UL transmission without LBT for SBFD in the unlicensed spectrum As mentioned above, one useful technique is that UE3 can gain access to an unauthorized channel by sharing the COT previously acquired by base station 5 without performing LBT (i.e., following the Type 2C LBT / channel access procedure) (for example, when DL transmission is in progress when UL transmission is expected to start).

[0165] Figure 15 is a simplified time-frequency diagram illustrating, simply as an example, how LBT may be implemented for UL communication in communication system 1. In the example of Figure 15, the LBT technique is shown in the context of interlaced SBFD resource allocation, similar to that illustrated and described with reference to Figure 14.

[0166] As shown in Figure 15, following a successful LBT of the appropriate type (e.g., Type 1 LBT), three different UL transmissions (UL Tx1, UL Tx2, UL Tx3) are made during the COT acquired by base station 5 for DL. In the illustrated example, the UL transmissions can be made without requiring the transmitting UE3 (the transmissions may be from different UEs or the same UE) to perform an LBT, and therefore the DL transmission can continue without interruption.

[0167] To reduce the risk of conflict with other nearby devices / technologies, certain restrictions or conditions may be imposed when LBT does not need to be performed by UE3 to access an unauthorized channel for UL transmission (i.e., type 2C LBT is performed).

[0168] For example, based on one or more of the following conditions, LBT (Type 2C LBT) may not be performed for UL transmissions within the UL subband at the time when UL transmissions are expected to begin. -UL transmissions without LBT (Type 2C LBT) within the UL subband can be used subject to limitations on the (total) UL transmission duration (and / or number of UL transmissions) within the COT acquired by the base station. For example, UL transmissions without LBT are permitted if the UL transmission duration is less than a certain maximum value "X" (which may be a default value pre-configured on the UE and / or a value (pre-configured) by the network). -UL transmission without LBT in the UL subband (Type 2C LBT) may be used by a limited set of one or more UEs, each associated with the same directional beam used by base station 5 to perform LBT and / or DL ​​transmission, and / or -UL transmissions without LBTs (Type 2C LBTs) within the UL subband can be used on the condition that the LBT of base station 5 used to obtain COT is a Type 1 LBT for DL ​​transmissions / bearers with priority / CAPC associated with the longest competition window period.

[0169] Nevertheless, it should be understood that these conditions are purely illustrative, and UL transmissions without LBT (Type 2C LBT) may be performed for other UL transmissions based on one or more other conditions as needed, even if none of the specific conditions above are met.

[0170] UL transmission using LBT for SBFD in the unlicensed spectrum As described above, another useful technique that may be supported in communication system 1 involves temporarily suspending transmission in the DL subband in order to effectively give the UE a “guard” or “LBT” period during which LBT (e.g., type 2A or type 2B LBT) can be performed.

[0171] Figure 16 is a simplified time-frequency diagram showing another example of how LBT can be implemented for UL communication in communication system 1. In the example in Figure 16, the LBT technique is shown in the context of interlaced SBFD resource allocation similar to that illustrated and described with reference to Figure 14.

[0172] In this example, DL transmission is temporarily suspended to allow UE3 to detect interference before initiating UL transmission (for example, for Type 2 LBT). Specifically, base station 5 implements a “guard” or “LBT” period at an appropriate time, during which DL transmission is temporarily suspended. The timing may be fixed or configurable, for example, relative to subframe / slot / symbol boundaries. The timing may be defined such that the DL guard period occurs immediately before the start of an UL transmission instance (for example, at the start of each slot where UL transmission may occur, or at an appropriate symbol (e.g., the seventh symbol of a slot or subframe)).

[0173] In this example, base station 5 may be configured to organize DL transmissions such that each guard period occurs between two separate DL transmissions. Nevertheless, base station 5 may also be configured to introduce guard periods during ongoing DL transmissions, for example, by puncturing DL transmissions with guard periods / UL LBT and, if necessary, by performing appropriate rate matching around the punctured resources.

[0174] Any UE receiving a DL transmission is notified by the base station 5 of one or more configured durations during which the DL transmission will not be performed, for example by rate matching / puncturing patterns and / or by providing DL time resource instructions.

[0175] The length of the guard / LBT period is configured not to exceed the maximum value provided by the requirements for the corresponding Type 2 LBT procedure (e.g., <16μs or <25μs). It will be understood that Type 2C LBT / channel access procedures (i.e., those that do not perform LBT) may still be performed in UE3 if necessary (e.g., for gaps less than 16μs, and potentially according to other conditions).

[0176] In this example, it will be understood that any DL LBT can still be performed during the appropriate transmit gap.

[0177] Mapping of SBFD from LBT subband to UL / DL subband As mentioned above, another useful approach is to treat the LBT bandwidth as if it were divided into separate (consecutive) LBT subbands, each having one or more sets of RBs (e.g., a set of RBs from the consecutive sets of RBs mentioned above in the context of Type 2 resource allocation), and the SBFD could be implemented in such a way that each LBT subband / RB set contains, but does not necessarily contain, one or more UL subbands or one or more DL subbands.

[0178] Figure 17 is a simplified time-frequency diagram showing another example of how SBFD may be implemented in communication system 1. In this example, the LBT bandwidth comprises several separate LBT subbands, each comprising a set of consecutive resource blocks (i.e., an "RB set"). The UL and DL subbands for SBFD are configured to ensure that each LBT subband / RB set may include all or part of the DL subband, or all or part of the UL subband, but does not include resources from both the DL subband and the UL subband. Thus, each DL subband and each UL subband may contain one or more RB sets on which LBT can be performed for channel access.

[0179] Specifically, assuming that there are an integer "N" RB sets configured by base station 5 for cell 9 for UE3, and each RB set is defined by a start PRB and an end PRB (or the number of consecutive PRBs in the start PRB and RB set), base station 5 can configure a (sub)set of "N1" RB sets for the UL subband (where N1 is an integer less than N). It will be understood that the N1 RB sets can be consecutive in the frequency domain (i.e., adjacent in the frequency domain) to be consistent with a typical SBFD framework (as currently proposed) which includes (typically) a single consecutive UL subband within the cell bandwidth. The remaining RB sets (i.e., N-N1) can then be treated as applicable to frequency allocation of one or more DL subbands. In another example, for each of the DL subband and UL subband, base station 5 can simply configure a set of consecutive RB sets as part of a frequency allocation assignment.

[0180] It will be understood that these examples may be applicable to scenarios where there is a single consecutive DL subband and one or more UL subbands (i.e., the references to "UL" and "DL" above are reversed). Resource allocation for uplink transmission in an SBFD slot / symbol may be determined by the UE to be the intersection of the UL interlace allocation (i.e., resources that form part of both one or more UL interlaces and UL subbands) and the frequency allocation for the UL subbands.

[0181] It will be understood that there are different ways in which mapping between one or more DL subbands / one or more UL subbands and LBT subbands / RB sets can be implemented. For example, in one implementation, each DL / UL subband may be associated with two or more LBT subbands (as seen in Figure 17). However, in another implementation, each DL / UL subband may be associated with only a single LBT subband, which means that there may be two or more UL subbands for a single cell, which is not supported in the current SBFD implementation.

[0182] Although not illustrated, it will be understood that guard bands can be configured between RB sets (LBT subbands). For example, guard bands can be configured based on existing 3GPP methods for "intra-cell guard bands." Nevertheless, beneficially, different guard band values ​​may be configurable for SBFD symbols and non-SBFD symbols.

[0183] LBT subband-based SBFD As described above, in a scenario where each LBT subband is mapped to either a UL subband or a DL subband, multiple different LBT techniques may be used to enable base stations 5 and UE3 to access channels on the unlicensed spectrum.

[0184] Figure 18 is a simplified time-frequency diagram illustrating one LBT technique that may be used in a communication system in the context of SBFD based on the LBT subband.

[0185] In this example, base station 5 is configured to perform LBT on all LBT subbands (including one or more LBT subbands associated with the UL subband). If the LBT is successful, base station 5 shows the acquired COT to UE3, and UE3 can then perform a Type 2 LBT to access and share the COT.

[0186] In this example, it will be understood that base station 5 may directly share COT with UE3 without having to perform an initial DL transmission in the UL subband region. Nevertheless, base station 5 may be permitted to share COT with UE3 only after performing an initial DL transmission. In this case, the initial DL transmission may be performed at the start of the SBFD slot / symbol or before the start of the SBFD slot / symbol.

[0187] Figure 19 is a simplified time-frequency diagram illustrating another LBT technique that may be used in a communication system in the context of SBFD based on the LBT subband.

[0188] In this example, base station 5 performs LBT only on LBT subbands associated with one or more DL subbands of the SBFD configuration. In this case, base station 5 sends an instruction (e.g., acquired COT duration) to UE3 to trigger type 1 LBT on one or more LBT subbands associated with one or more UL subbands of the SBFD configuration.

[0189] When indicating the COT duration to UE3, base station 5 may provide information indicating the applicability of the shared COT. This information may, for example, indicate that the COT is applicable to one or more LBT subbands, to one or more DL subbands only, or to both UL subbands and DL subbands, and / or to one or more specific frequency regions where the COT is applicable.

[0190] Consecutive SBFD UL and DL subbands in the unlicensed spectrum As described above, in another beneficial way, base station 5 can configure UE3 using both the DL subband and the UL subband for SBFD operation within the same LBT bandwidth, similar to how the DL subband and UL subband are configured for operation in the licensed spectrum.

[0191] This method will be explained in more detail with reference to Figure 20, a simplified time-frequency diagram showing another example of how SBFD can be implemented in communication system 1.

[0192] As shown in Figure 20, in this example, the SBFD UL and DL subbands each occupy a contiguous frequency resource that forms part of the same LBT bandwidth.

[0193] Nevertheless, SBFD operation is only permitted for use on unauthorized channels, subject to one or more of the following conditions: - The condition that the total bandwidth of the UL subband within the LBT bandwidth occupies no more than the maximum percentage of the LBT bandwidth (e.g., 20%), and / or that UL transmissions within SBFD symbols must always be accompanied by DL transmissions from base station 5 that occupy the minimum percentage of the LBT bandwidth (e.g., 80%). --To enable such low UL bandwidth, restrictions may be imposed on which channels can be used for UL transmission in an SBFD slot / symbol. For example, only selected UL physical channels (e.g., PUCCH, PRACH) may be configured / allowed within an SBFD symbol / slot. - The condition that no other communication nodes / technologies exist in the vicinity of base station 5 and / or UE3 involved in SBFD communication. To facilitate this, the presence of communication nodes can be inferred from a dynamic frequency selection (DFS) mechanism (for example, channel detection is used to measure the energy on the LBT channel and determine whether that energy is below a threshold). - The condition that the measured or estimated distance between UE3 and base station 5 is less than a minimum threshold. The distance may be estimated, for example, based on the magnitude of the signal strength (e.g., RSRP) measured at UE3 for a signal received from base station (e.g., reference signal). - The condition that the communication beam used by base station 5 and / or UE3 has an azimuthal beamwidth and / or altitude beamwidth greater than the threshold for communication, or that an omnidirectional beam is used for communication. This condition can be beneficial, for example, the use of a higher beamwidth or omnidirectional antenna (e.g., by the base station) allows a nearby node listening for channel interference to detect interference in both the UL subband and DL subband (and thereby the entire LBT bandwidth). In contrast, with a smaller beamwidth, there is a risk that a nearby node may observe interference in only a single (e.g., UL) subband, which can make detection difficult and thus degrade system performance. - The condition that quasi-static channel occupancy mode or frame-based equipment (FBE) mode is used in UE3 for channel access. In quasi-static channel occupancy / FBE mode, base station 5 uses a given periodicity(T x Channel detection can be performed in a very short duration (T). Channel detection is usually performed in a very short duration (T). sl < <T x This is performed over a period of ) if the channel is detected as idle. The base station will then use period (T) to communicate with the UE3. x The remaining portion of the duration can be used.

[0194] It will be understood that LBT for this method can be performed in a manner similar to that described with reference to Figure 15 or Figure 16.

[0195] Channel access based on symbol type As described above, in another beneficial way, base station 5 and UE3 are configured to use a type of channel access procedure and / or one or more channel access parameters that depend on the slot / symbol type.

[0196] Figure 21 is a simplified sequence diagram illustrating several different ways in which channel access parameters can be configured in communication system 1. It will be understood that the different options shown in Figure 21 are neither mutually exclusive nor dependent on each other.

[0197] In each of the examples shown in Figure 21, channel access parameters are configured / instructed to UE3 for the SBFD slot / symbol that are different from those for at least some other (non-SBFD) slots / symbols (e.g., slots / symbols (e.g., UL-only slots / symbols, DL-only slots / symbols, or all non-SBFD slots / symbols)).

[0198] In one example, as shown in S2110, separate channel access configurations are provided to UE3 for SBFD slots / symbols and for UL-only (non-SBFD) symbols.

[0199] Specifically, as seen in S2110a, base station 5 transmits information defining the channel access configuration for SBFD symbols / slots, which is different from the information defining the channel access configuration for UL-only (non-SBFD) symbols / slots. For simplicity, it is shown that different channel access configuration information for different slot / symbol types is transmitted in the same message, but it should be understood that different channel access configuration information may be transmitted in different messages (and / or different types of messages). Furthermore, channel access configuration information for a particular type of slot / symbol may be provided in multiple different messages defining different parts of the configuration. Channel access configuration information for a particular type of slot / symbol may also define the configuration (or part of the configuration) with respect to, or by reference to, previously provided configuration information for that type of slot / symbol or a different type of slot / symbol.

[0200] Providing channel access configurations for SBFD slots / symbols distinct from UL-dedicated symbols is particularly beneficial for configured UL resources for channel access (e.g., configured authorizations, resources for PUCCH, resources for SRS, etc.). Nevertheless, providing channel access configurations for SBFD slots / symbols distinct from UL-dedicated symbols can also be beneficial for dynamic transmissions. For example, in the case of a set of PUSCH iterations, base station 5 can provide different channel access parameters for different iterations depending on whether the iterative transmission takes place within an SBFD slot / symbol or within a UL-dedicated slot / symbol.

[0201] In another example shown in S2120, the configuration of UL / DL resource allocation (e.g., an interlace-based configuration) may differ for SBFD symbols / slots from that for UL-only or DL-only (non-SBFD) symbols / slots.

[0202] Specifically, as seen in S2120a, base station 5 transmits UL / DL resource allocation information that specifies the resources used in UL and DL in the case of SBFD symbols / slots, which differ from those used in the case of UL-only (non-SBFD) symbols / slots. For simplicity, it is shown that different UL / DL resource allocation information for different slot / symbol types is transmitted in the same message, but it will be understood that different UL / DL resource allocation information may be transmitted in different messages (and / or different types of messages). Furthermore, UL / DL resource allocation information for a particular type of slot / symbol may be provided in multiple different messages defining different parts of the allocation. UL / DL resource allocation information for a particular type of slot / symbol may also define the allocation (or part of the allocation) with respect to, or by reference to, previously provided allocations for that type of slot / symbol or a different type of slot / symbol.

[0203] For example, base station 5 may indicate that the DL channel uses interlace-based resource allocation for SBFD symbols but non-interlaced resource allocation for non-SBFD symbols. In another example, the configuration of one or more UL interlaces (e.g., available interlaced and / or interlaced frequency resources) may differ for SBFD slots / symbols compared to UL-only (non-SBFD) slots / symbols.

[0204] In another example shown in S2130, the conflict window adjustment procedure is defined differently for SBFD slots / symbols than for non-SBFD slots / symbols.

[0205] Specifically, as seen in S2130a, base station 5 transmits different information for UL-only (non-SBFD) symbols / slots to configure the conflict window used for SBFD symbols / slots. For simplicity, it is shown that different conflict window configuration information for different slot / symbol types is transmitted in the same message, but it should be understood that different conflict window configuration information may be transmitted in different messages (and / or different types of messages). Furthermore, conflict window configuration information for a particular type of slot / symbol may be given in multiple different messages that define different parts of the configuration. Conflict window configuration information for a particular type of slot / symbol may also define allocations (or parts of configurations) to, or by reference to, previously provided configurations for that type of slot / symbol or different types of slot / symbols.

[0206] For example, conflict window configuration information can be used to define conflict window size timers for SBFD slots / symbols in a way that differs from that for non-SBFD slots / symbols.

[0207] Nevertheless, it will be understood that, alternatively or additionally, UE3 may be configured to independently adjust conflict windows for different slot / symbol types without necessarily requiring different configuration information from the base station.

[0208] User equipment Figure 22 is a schematic block diagram showing the main components of UE3 as shown in Figure 5.

[0209] As shown in the figure, UE3 has a transceiver circuit 31 that is capable of transmitting and receiving signals to and from the base station 5 via one or more antennas 33 (for example, having one or more antenna elements). UE3 has a control unit 37 that controls the operation of UE3. The controller 37 is associated with memory 39 and coupled to the transceiver circuit 31. Although not necessarily required for its operation, UE3 may, of course, have all the usual functions of a conventional UE3 (e.g., a user interface 35 such as a touchscreen / keypad / microphone / speaker to enable direct user control and interaction with the user), which may be provided by any one or any combination of hardware, software, and firmware, as appropriate. The software may be pre-installed in memory 39 and / or downloaded, for example, via communication system 1 or from a removable data storage device (RMD).

[0210] In this example, the controller 37 is configured to control the overall operation of the UE3 by program instructions or software instructions stored in memory 39. As shown in the figure, these software instructions include, among other things, the operating system 41 and the communication control module 43.

[0211] The communication control module 43 is operable to control communication between the UE3 and one or more serving base stations 5 (and other communication devices connected to base station 5, such as further UEs and / or core network nodes). The communication control module 43 is configured to handle uplink communication in general via associated uplink channels (e.g., via physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), random access channel (RACH), and / or physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH)), including both dynamic and quasi-static signaling (e.g., such as SRS). The communication control module 43 is also configured to handle the reception of downlink communication in general via associated downlink channels (e.g., via physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and / or physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH)), including both dynamic and quasi-static signaling (e.g., such as CSI-RS). The communication control module 43 is responsible for, for example, determining where to monitor downlink control information (such as the locations of CSS / USS, CORESET, and associated PDCCH candidates to be monitored); determining which resources should be used by UE3 for transmitting / receiving UL / DL communications (including interleaved resources and resources subject to frequency hopping); managing frequency hopping on the UE side; determining how slots / symbols should be configured (for example, for UL, DL, or SBFD communications); determining which one or more bandwidth portions are configured for UE3; determining how uplink transmissions should be encoded; appropriately applying any SBFD-specific communication configurations; and performing channel access (e.g., LBT) procedures for accessing unlicensed spectrum.

[0212] base station Figure 23 is a schematic block diagram showing the main components of a base station 5 for the communication system 1 shown in Figure 5. As shown, the base station 5 has a transceiver circuit 51 for transmitting signals to and receiving signals from communication devices (such as UE3) via one or more antennas 53 (such as single or multi-panel antenna arrays / large antennas), and a core network interface 55 (with, for example, N2, N3, and other reference points / interfaces) for transmitting signals to and receiving signals from network nodes in the core network 7. Not shown, the base station 5 may also be coupled to other base stations via appropriate interfaces (such as the so-called "Xn" interface in NR). The base station 5 has a controller 57 that controls the operation of the base station 5. The controller 57 is associated with memory 59. Software may be pre-installed in memory 59 and / or may be downloaded, for example, via the communication system 1 or from a removable data storage device (RMD). In this example, the controller 57 is configured to control the overall operation of the base station 5 by program instructions or software instructions stored in memory 59.

[0213] As shown in the figure, these software instructions include, in particular, an operating system 61 and a communication control module 63.

[0214] The communication control module 63 is operable to control communication between the base station 5, the UE 3, and other network entities connected to the base station 5. The communication control module 63 is configured to comprehensively control the reception and decoding of uplink communications over associated uplink channels (e.g., via the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), random-access channel (RACH), and / or physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH)), including both dynamic and quasi-static signaling (e.g., SRS). The communication control module 63 is also configured to comprehensively handle the transmission of downlink communications over associated downlink channels (e.g., via the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and / or physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH)), including both dynamic and quasi-static signaling (e.g., CSI-RS). Where appropriate, the communication control module 63 is responsible for managing full-duplex (e.g., SBFD) communications, including the separation of UL and DL communications over different physical antenna elements. The communication control module 63 is responsible for, for example, determining where UE3 should be configured to monitor downlink control information (such as the locations of CSS / USS, CORESET, and associated PDCCH candidates to be monitored); determining resources to be scheduled for UE transmission / reception of UL / DL communications (including interleaved resources and resources subject to frequency hopping); managing frequency hopping on the base station side; appropriately configuring slots / symbols (for example, UL, DL, or SBFD communications); configuring one or more bandwidth segments for UE3; performing channel access (e.g., LBT) procedures for accessing unlicensed spectrum; and / or communicating with UE3 to configure / trigger LBT at UE; and providing relevant configuration signaling to UE3.

[0215] Variations and alternative examples Detailed embodiments have been described above. As those skilled in the art will understand, several modifications and substitutions can be made to the above embodiments while still benefiting from the disclosure embodied therein.

[0216] For example, while specific terms for cellular communication generations (2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, 6G, etc.) may be used to refer to specific communication entities for clarity, it will be understood that the technical features described for a given entity are not limited to devices of that particular communication generation. Technical features can be implemented in any functionally equivalent communication entity, regardless of the differences in the terminology used to refer to them.

[0217] In the above description, the UE and base station are described as having several separate functional components or modules for the sake of ease of understanding. These modules may thus be provided in certain applications, for example, where an existing system is modified to implement the present disclosure, but in other applications, for example, a system designed from the outset with the features of the present invention in mind, these modules may be incorporated into the overall operating system or code, and therefore these modules may not be identified as separate entities.

[0218] In the embodiments described above, several software modules have been explained. As those skilled in the art will understand, the software modules may be provided in compiled or uncompiled form and supplied to a base station, mobility management entity, or UE as a signal over a computer network or as a signal on a recording medium. Furthermore, the functions performed by some or all of this software may be performed using one or more dedicated hardware circuits. However, the use of software modules is preferred because it facilitates updating the base station or UE to update its functions.

[0219] Each controller may include any suitable form of processing circuitry, including (but not limited to) one or more hardware-implemented computer processors, microprocessors, central processing units (CPUs), arithmetic logic units (ALUs), input / output (IO) circuits, internal memory / cache (programs and / or data), processing registers, communication buses (such as control buses, data buses, and / or address buses), direct memory access (DMA) functions, hardware or software-implemented counters, pointers, and / or timers. Various other modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art and will not be described in further detail here.

[0220] A base station may comprise a "distributed" base station having a central unit ("CU") and one or more individual distributed units (DUs).

[0221] In this disclosure, User Equipment (or "UE," "Mobile Station," "Mobile Device," or "Radio Device") is an entity connected to a network via a radio interface.

[0222] Please note that this disclosure is not limited to dedicated communication devices, but can be applied to any device having communication functions as described in the following paragraphs.

[0223] The terms “User Equipment” or “UE” (as used by 3GPP), “Mobile Station,” “Mobile Device,” and “Radio Device” are generally intended to be synonymous with each other and include standalone mobile stations such as terminals, cell phones, smartphones, tablets, cellular IoT devices, IoT devices, and machines. The terms “Mobile Station” and “Mobile Device” will be understood to also include devices that remain stationary for extended periods.

[0224] UE may be items of equipment for production or manufacture and / or items of energy-related machinery, such as equipment or machinery (for example, boilers, engines, turbines, solar panels, wind turbines, hydroelectric generators, thermal generators, nuclear generators, batteries, nuclear systems and / or related equipment, heavy electrical machinery, pumps including vacuum pumps, compressors, fans, blowers, hydraulic equipment, pneumatic equipment, metalworking machinery, manipulators, robots and / or their application systems, tools, molds or dies, rolls, conveying equipment, elevators, material handling equipment, textile machinery, sewing machinery, printing and / or related machinery, paper conversion machinery, chemical machinery, mining machinery and / or construction machinery and / or related equipment, machinery and / or equipment for agriculture, forestry and / or fisheries, safety and / or environmental protection equipment, tractors, precision bearings, chains, gears, power transmission equipment, lubrication equipment, valves, pipe fittings and / or application systems for any of the aforementioned equipment or machinery, etc.).

[0225] UE may be items of transport equipment, such as (for example, transport equipment such as railway cars, automobiles, motorcycles, bicycles, trains, buses, carts, rickshaws, ships and other vessels, aircraft, rockets, satellites, drones, balloons, etc.). UE may be, for example, an item of information and communication equipment (such as electronic computers and related equipment, communication and related equipment, electronic components, etc.).

[0226] For example, UE may be refrigerators, refrigerator applications, commercial and / or service industry equipment items, vending machines, automated service machines, office machines or equipment, and household appliances and electronic equipment (such as audio equipment, video equipment, loudspeakers, radios, televisions, microwave ovens, rice cookers, coffee machines, dishwashers, washing machines, dryers, electronic fans or related equipment, vacuum cleaners, etc.).

[0227] For example, UE may be an electrical application system or device (such as an X-ray system, particle accelerator, radioisotope equipment, sound wave equipment, electromagnetic application equipment, power application equipment, etc.).

[0228] UE may include, for example, electronic lamps, lighting fixtures, measuring instruments, analyzers, testers, or measuring or detection equipment (such as smoke detectors, motion sensors, wireless tags, etc.), watches or clocks, laboratory equipment, optical devices, medical equipment and / or systems, weapons, bladed weapons, hand tools, etc.

[0229] The UE may be, for example, a wireless-equipped personal digital assistant or related device (such as a wireless card or module designed to be attached to or inserted into another electronic device, such as a personal computer or electrical measuring instrument).

[0230] The UE may be part of a device or system that uses various wired and / or wireless communication technologies to provide the following uses, services, and solutions related to the Internet of Things (IoT).

[0231] Internet of Things (IoT) devices (or "Things") may comprise appropriate electronics, software, sensors, network connectivity, etc., that enable them to collect and exchange data with each other and with other communication devices. IoT devices may comprise automated devices that follow software instructions stored in internal memory. IoT devices may operate without requiring human monitoring or interaction with humans. IoT devices may also remain stationary and / or inactive for extended periods. IoT devices may be implemented as part of (generally) stationary equipment. IoT devices may also be incorporated into non-stationary equipment (e.g., vehicles) or attached to animals or people to be monitored / tracked.

[0232] It will be understood that IoT technology can be implemented on any communication device that can connect to a communication network to send and receive data, regardless of whether such communication device is controlled by human input or by software instructions stored in memory.

[0233] It should be understood that IoT devices are sometimes referred to as Machine-Type Communication (MTC) devices or Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication devices. It should be understood that a UE may support one or more IoT or MTC applications. Some examples of MTC applications are listed in Table 3 below. This list is not exhaustive and is intended to illustrate some examples of machine-type communication applications. [Table 3]

[0234] Applications, services, and solutions may include Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) services, emergency radio communication systems, Private Branch eXchange (PBX) systems, PHS / digital cordless telecommunications systems, Point of Sale (POS) systems, incoming advertising systems, Multimedia Broadcast and Multicast Service (MBMS), Vehicle to Everything (V2X) systems, train radio systems, location-related services, disaster / emergency radio communication services, community services, video streaming services, femtocell application services, Voice over LTE (VoLTE) services, billing services, wireless on-demand services, roaming services, activity monitoring services, telecommunications carrier / communication network selection services, function restriction services, Proof of Concept (PoC) services, personal information management services, ad hoc network / delay-tolerant networking (DTN) services, and others.

[0235] Furthermore, the aforementioned UE categories are merely examples of applications of the technical concepts and exemplary embodiments described in this document. Needless to say, these technical concepts and exemplary embodiments are not limited to the aforementioned UEs and are subject to various modifications.

[0236] Various other modifications are obvious to those skilled in the art and will not be described in further detail here.

[0237] Each drawing or figure is merely an example to illustrate one or more embodiments. Each figure does not have to be associated with only one specific embodiment, but may be associated with one or more other embodiments. As those skilled in the art will understand, various features or steps described with reference to any one of the figures may be combined with features or steps shown in one or more other figures, for example, to create embodiments not explicitly shown or described. Not all features or steps shown in any one of the figures to illustrate an embodiment are necessarily essential, and some features or steps may be omitted. The order of steps described in any of the figures may be changed as necessary.

[0238] The embodiments disclosed above, in whole or in part, may be described as follows, but are not limited to those described above. (Note 1) A method performed by user equipment (UE), the method is: In order to satisfy the occupied bandwidth requirements of the Listen-Before-Talk (LBT) bandwidth, configuration information for configuring frequency resources within at least one time resource for subband full duplex (SBFD) is received from the access network node, Configuring frequency resources based on configuration information, Methods that include... (Note 2) Each of the frequency resources, at least one downlink subband and at least one uplink subband, is distributed across the entire LBT bandwidth. The method described in Appendix 1. (Note 3) Frequency resources for at least one downlink subband and frequency resources for at least one uplink subband are allocated in an interlaced manner. The method described in Appendix 2. (Note 4) Determining an unused set of frequency resources that remains unused for uplink or downlink communication in the LBT bandwidth The method according to appendix 3, further comprising: (Appendix 5) Receiving, from an access network node, further configuration information for configuring an unused set of frequency resources further comprising, wherein the determining is performed by determining based on the further configuration information, the method according to appendix 4 (Appendix 6) wherein the determining is performed by determining based on frequency resources for at least one downlink sub-band and frequency resources for at least one uplink sub-band, the method according to appendix 4 (Appendix 7) Receiving a rate-matched downlink transmission around frequency resources that do not belong to the frequency resources for at least one downlink sub-band The method according to any one of appendices 3 to 6, further comprising: (Appendix 8) Receiving a rate-matched downlink transmission around frequency resources for at least one uplink sub-band The method according to any one of appendices 3 to 6, further comprising: (Appendix 9) The configuration information includes information for indicating at least one downlink interlace within the frequency resources for at least one downlink sub-band, and the method includes receiving a downlink transmission using at least one downlink interlace including the method according to any one of appendices 3 to 6 (Appendix 10) The configuration information includes information for indicating at least one uplink interlace within the frequency resources for at least one uplink sub-band, and the method includes Transmitting uplink transmission using at least one uplink interlace including The method according to any one of Appendices 3 to 9. (Appendix 11) Transmitting uplink transmission without performing LBT while downlink transmission continues to be performed when the start of uplink transmission is expected further including Transmitting uplink transmission without executing LBT is a specific number of uplink transmissions within the channel occupancy time obtained by the access network node, an uplink transmission in which the uplink transmission period is less than a specific threshold, a UE associated with a beam used by the access network node to execute LBT and / or to execute downlink transmission, or when LBT is a type 1 channel access procedure having a priority associated with the longest contention window period, is limited to at least one of The method according to any one of Appendices 3 to 10. (Appendix 12) Determining a period during which downlink transmission is temporarily stopped, Temporarily stopping downlink transmission before executing LBT, Executing LBT during the period when downlink transmission is temporarily stopped, further including the method according to any one of Appendices 3 to 10. (Appendix 13) The period is configured to occur at at least one specific time resource, The method according to Appendix 12. (Appendix 14) At least one specific time resource includes a symbol at the beginning of a slot and / or the 7th symbol of a slot or subframe, The method according to Appendix 13. (Appendix 15) The period is, Between two downlink transmissions, or During an ongoing downlink transmission Configured to occur in at least one of the following: The method is, Rate matching downlink transmissions based on time period. This also includes, The method described in any one of the appendices 12 to 14. (Note 16) The duration is configured so as not to exceed the maximum gap required for the Type 2 channel access procedure. The method described in any one of the appendices 12 to 15. (Note 17) The LBT bandwidth includes either the downlink subband of the frequency resource or the uplink subband of the frequency resource. The method described in Appendix 1. (Note 18) To receive information indicating at least one uplink interlace, Transmitting an uplink transmission using a resource corresponding to the intersection between a frequency resource for at least one uplink interlace and at least one uplink subband, The method described in Appendix 17, further including the method described in Appendix 17. (Note 19) Each of the downlink subbands and uplink subbands of the frequency resource corresponds to one or more of the LBT bandwidths. The method described in Appendix 17 or 18. (Note 20) The access network node receives information indicating that it has acquired channel occupancy time for all downlink subbands and uplink subbands of the frequency resource, Based on the information, perform a Type 2 channel access procedure for uplink transmission during the channel occupancy time, The method described in any one of the appendices 17 to 19, further including the method described in any one of the appendices 17 to 19. (Appendix 21) Receiving information is performed by an access network node without a previous downlink transmission in a frequency resource for an uplink sub-band of a frequency resource, the method described in Appendix 20. (Appendix 22) Receiving information is performed by an access network node after a previous downlink transmission in a frequency resource for an uplink sub-band of a frequency resource, the method described in Appendix 20. (Appendix 23) The previous downlink transmission is performed at the start of at least one time resource for SBFD or before the start of at least one time resource for SBFD, the method described in Appendix 22. (Appendix 24) Receiving information indicating that an access network node has obtained a channel occupancy time for a downlink sub-band of a frequency resource, Performing a type 1 channel access procedure for uplink transmission during the channel occupancy time based on the information, The method according to any one of Appendices 17 to 19, further comprising. (Appendix 25) The information indicating that an access network node has obtained a channel occupancy time for a downlink sub-band of a frequency resource is the LBT bandwidth for which the channel occupancy time is applicable, the downlink sub-band or uplink sub-band and both downlink sub-bands for which the channel occupancy time is applicable, or the frequency resource for which the channel occupancy time is applicable, indicating at least one of the method described in Appendix 24. (Appendix 26) The total bandwidth of the uplink subband within the LBT bandwidth occupies less than a first percentage of the LBT bandwidth, and the uplink transmission within at least one time resource for SBFD is accompanied by a downlink transmission from an access network node occupying at least a second percentage of the LBT bandwidth. The method described in Appendix 1. (Note 27) A method performed by user equipment (UE), the method is: Subband full duplex (SBFD) operation is performed under the following conditions, namely: The conditions are that the total bandwidth of the uplink subband within the Listen-Before-Talk (LBT) bandwidth occupies less than a first proportion of the LBT bandwidth, and that uplink transmissions within at least one time resource for SBFD are accompanied by downlink transmissions from access network nodes occupying at least a second proportion of the LBT bandwidth, The condition that no other communication nodes are detected as being in the vicinity of the access network node and / or UE, The condition is that the distance between the UE and the access network node is less than a threshold. The condition that the beam used by the access network node and / or UE has a beam width in at least one dimension greater than the threshold, or that it is an omnidirectional beam, The condition is that quasi-static channel occupancy mode or frame-based equipment (FBE) mode is used. It must be done if at least one of the following conditions is met. Methods that include... (Note 28) The configuration information includes further configuration information for configuring frequency resources within at least one time resource for non-SBFD. The method described in any one of the appendices 1 to 27. (Note 29) Configuration information is, Information for channel access configuration, Information for resource allocation, or Information for the procedure for adjusting conflict windows, It includes at least one of the following: These are defined differently for at least one time resource for SBFD and at least one time resource for non-SBFD. The method described in Appendix 28. (Note 30) A method performed by an access network node, the method is: To send configuration information to the user equipment (UE) for configuring frequency resources within at least one time resource for subband full duplex (SBFD) in order to meet the occupied bandwidth requirements for the Listen-Before-Talk (LBT) bandwidth. Includes, The configuration information allows the UE to configure frequency resources. method. (Note 31) A method performed by an access network node, wherein the method performs subband full duplex (SBFD) operation under the following conditions, namely: The conditions are that the total bandwidth of the uplink subband within the Listen-Before-Talk (LBT) bandwidth occupies less than a first proportion of the LBT bandwidth, and that uplink transmissions within at least one time resource for SBFD are accompanied by downlink transmissions from access network nodes occupying at least a second proportion of the LBT bandwidth, The condition that no other communication nodes are detected as being in the vicinity of the access network node and / or user equipment (UE), The condition is that the distance between the UE and the access network node is less than a threshold. The condition that the beam used by the access network node and / or UE has a beam width in at least one dimension greater than the threshold, or that it is an omnidirectional beam, The condition is that quasi-static channel occupancy mode or frame-based equipment (FBE) mode is used. It must be done if at least one of the following conditions is met. Methods that include... (Note 32) User equipment (UE), Means for receiving configuration information from an access network node to configure frequency resources within at least one time resource for subband full duplex (SBFD) in order to satisfy the occupied bandwidth requirements of the Listen-Before-Talk (LBT) bandwidth, Means for configuring frequency resources based on configuration information, A UE equipped with (Note 33) User equipment (UE), Subband full duplex (SBFD) operation is performed under the following conditions, namely: The conditions are that the total bandwidth of the uplink subband within the Listen-Before-Talk (LBT) bandwidth occupies less than a first proportion of the LBT bandwidth, and that uplink transmissions within at least one time resource for SBFD are accompanied by downlink transmissions from access network nodes occupying at least a second proportion of the LBT bandwidth, The condition that no other communication nodes are detected as being in the vicinity of the access network node and / or UE, The condition is that the distance between the UE and the access network node is less than a threshold. The condition that the beam used by the access network node and / or UE has a beam width in at least one dimension greater than the threshold, or that it is an omnidirectional beam, The condition is that quasi-static channel occupancy mode or frame-based equipment (FBE) mode is used. A means to be executed if at least one of the following conditions is met. A UE equipped with (Note 34) Access network node, Means for transmitting configuration information to user equipment (UE) for configuring frequency resources within at least one time resource for subband full duplex (SBFD) in order to satisfy the occupied bandwidth requirements of the Listen-Before-Talk (LBT) bandwidth. Equipped with, The configuration information allows the UE to configure frequency resources. Access network node. (Note 35) Access network node, Subband full duplex (SBFD) operation is performed under the following conditions, namely: The conditions are that the total bandwidth of the uplink subband within the Listen-Before-Talk (LBT) bandwidth occupies less than a first proportion of the LBT bandwidth, and that uplink transmissions within at least one time resource for SBFD are accompanied by downlink transmissions from access network nodes occupying at least a second proportion of the LBT bandwidth, The condition that no other communication nodes are detected as being in the vicinity of the access network node and / or user equipment (UE), The condition is that the distance between the UE and the access network node is less than a threshold. The condition that the beam used by the access network node and / or UE has a beam width in at least one dimension greater than the threshold, or that it is an omnidirectional beam, The condition is that quasi-static channel occupancy mode or frame-based equipment (FBE) mode is used. A means to be executed if at least one of the following conditions is met. An access network node equipped with the following features.

[0239] Some or all of the elements described in any one of the appendices may apply to various types of hardware, software, and recording means for recording software, systems, and methods.

[0240] This application claims priority based on UK Patent Application No. 2309384.2, filed on 21 June 2023, and incorporates all of its disclosures herein. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0241] 1. Communication System 3 UE 3-1 UE 3-2 UE 3-3 UE 5 RANNode 5 base station 7 Core Network 9 cells 10 Control Plane Functions 10-1 AMF 10-2 SMF 10-n Other features 11 UPF 20 External data network 31 Transmitter / Receiver Circuit 33 One or more antennas 35 User Interface 37 Controllers 39 memory 41 Operating Systems 43 Communication control module 51 Transmitter / Receiver Circuit 53 Antenna 55 1 or core network interface 57 Controllers 59 memory 61 Operating Systems 63 Communication control module

Claims

1. A method performed by user equipment (UE), wherein the method is In order to satisfy the occupied bandwidth requirements of the Listen-Before-Talk (LBT) bandwidth, configuration information for configuring frequency resources within at least one time resource for subband full duplex (SBFD) is received from the access network node, The frequency resources are configured based on the aforementioned configuration information, Methods that include...

2. Each of the at least one downlink subband and the at least one uplink subband of the frequency resource is distributed across the entire LBT bandwidth. The method according to claim 1.

3. The frequency resources for at least one downlink subband and the frequency resources for at least one uplink subband are allocated in an interlaced manner. The method according to claim 2.

4. To determine the unused set of frequency resources that remain unused for uplink or downlink communication in the LBT bandwidth. The method according to claim 3, further comprising:

5. Receiving further configuration information from the access network node for configuring the unused set of frequency resources. It further includes, The aforementioned determination is made by determining based on the aforementioned further configuration information. The method according to claim 4.

6. The determination is made based on the frequency resources for the at least one downlink subband and the frequency resources for the at least one uplink subband. The method according to claim 4.

7. Receiving rate-matched downlink transmissions around frequency resources that do not belong to the aforementioned frequency resources for at least one downlink subband. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 6, further comprising:

8. Receiving rate-matched downlink transmissions around the frequency resources for at least one uplink subband. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 6, further comprising:

9. The configuration information includes information for indicating at least one downlink interlace within the frequency resource for the at least one downlink subband, and the method is Receiving a downlink transmission using the aforementioned at least one downlink interlace including, The method according to any one of claims 3 to 6.

10. The configuration information includes information for indicating at least one uplink interlace within the frequency resources for the at least one uplink subband, and the method is Transmitting an uplink transmission using the aforementioned at least one uplink interlace. including, The method according to any one of claims 3 to 9.

11. Send the uplink transmission without performing LBT while the downlink transmission is continuing at the time when the start of the uplink transmission is expected. It further includes, Transmitting the uplink transmission without performing the LBT is: A specific number of uplink transmissions within the channel occupancy time obtained by the access network node, Uplink transmissions where the uplink transmission period is below a specific threshold, A UE associated with a beam used by the access network node to perform the LBT and / or downlink transmission, or If the LBT is a type 1 channel access procedure having priority associated with the longest competition window period, It is limited to at least one of the following: The method according to any one of claims 3 to 10.

12. To determine the period during which downlink transmission will be temporarily suspended, Before performing LBT, temporarily suspend the downlink transmission, The LBT is performed during the period in which the downlink transmission is temporarily suspended. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 10, further comprising:

13. The aforementioned period is configured to occur in at least one specific time resource. The method according to claim 12.

14. The at least one specific time resource includes the first symbol of the slot and / or the seventh symbol of the slot or subframe. The method according to claim 13.

15. The aforementioned period is Between two downlink transmissions, or During an ongoing downlink transmission It is configured to occur in at least one of the following: The aforementioned method, Rate matching of the downlink transmission based on the aforementioned period. This also includes, The method according to any one of claims 12 to 14.

16. The aforementioned period is configured so as not to exceed the maximum gap required for the Type 2 channel access procedure. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 15.

17. The LBT bandwidth includes either the downlink subband of the frequency resource or the uplink subband of the frequency resource. The method according to claim 1.

18. Receiving information to indicate at least one uplink interlace, Transmitting an uplink transmission using a resource corresponding to the intersection between the frequency resource for at least one uplink interlace and the frequency resource for at least one uplink subband, The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

19. Each of the downlink subband and the uplink subband of the frequency resource corresponds to one or more of the LBT bandwidths. The method according to claim 17 or 18.

20. The access network node receives information indicating that it has acquired channel occupancy time for all of the downlink subband and uplink subband of the frequency resource, Based on the aforementioned information, a Type 2 channel access procedure is performed for uplink transmission during the channel occupancy time. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 19, further comprising:

21. Receiving the aforementioned information is performed by the access network node in the frequency resource for the uplink subband of the frequency resource, without prior downlink transmission. The method according to claim 20.

22. Receiving the aforementioned information is performed by the access network node in the frequency resource for the uplink subband of the frequency resource, after the preceding downlink transmission. The method according to claim 20.

23. The aforementioned downlink transmission is performed at the start of at least one time resource for the SBFD, or before the start of at least one time resource for the SBFD. The method according to claim 22.

24. The access network node receives information indicating that it has acquired channel occupancy time for the downlink subband of the frequency resource, Based on the aforementioned information, a Type 1 channel access procedure for uplink transmission is performed during the channel occupancy time. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 19, further comprising:

25. The information indicating that the access network node has obtained channel occupancy time for the downlink subband of the frequency resource is, The LBT bandwidth to which the channel occupancy time can be applied, The channel occupancy time can be applied to the downlink subband or both the uplink subband and the downlink subband, or The frequency resources to which the channel occupancy time can be applied, Showing at least one of the following: The method according to claim 24.

26. The total bandwidth of the uplink subband within the LBT bandwidth occupies less than a first proportion of the LBT bandwidth, and the uplink transmission within the at least one time resource for the SBFD is accompanied by a downlink transmission from the access network node occupying at least a second proportion of the LBT bandwidth. The method according to claim 1.

27. A method performed by user equipment (UE), wherein the method is Subband full duplex (SBFD) operation is performed under the following conditions, namely: The conditions are that the total bandwidth of the uplink subband within the Listen-Before-Talk (LBT) bandwidth occupies less than a first proportion of the LBT bandwidth, and that the uplink transmission within at least one time resource for the SBFD is accompanied by a downlink transmission from an access network node occupying at least a second proportion of the LBT bandwidth, The condition that no other communication node is detected as being in the vicinity of the access network node and / or the UE, The condition that the distance between the UE and the access network node is less than a threshold, The condition that the beam used by the access network node and / or the UE has a beam width in at least one dimension greater than a threshold, or that it is an omnidirectional beam, The condition that quasi-static channel occupancy mode or frame-based equipment (FBE) mode is used, It must be performed if at least one of the following conditions is met. Methods that include...

28. The configuration information includes further configuration information for configuring frequency resources within at least one time resource for non-SBFD, The method according to any one of claims 1 to 27.

29. The aforementioned configuration information is, Information for channel access configuration, Information for resource allocation, or Information for the procedure for adjusting conflict windows, Includes at least one of the following: These are defined differently with respect to the at least one time resource for the SBFD and the at least one time resource for the non-SBFD, The method according to claim 28.

30. A method performed by an access network node, the method is: To transmit configuration information to user equipment (UE) for configuring frequency resources within at least one time resource for subband full duplex (SBFD) in order to satisfy the occupied bandwidth requirements of the Listen-Before-Talk (LBT) bandwidth. Includes, The configuration information causes the UE to configure the frequency resources. method.

31. A method performed by an access network node, the method is: Subband full duplex (SBFD) operation is performed under the following conditions, namely: The conditions are that the total bandwidth of the uplink subband within the Listen-Before-Talk (LBT) bandwidth occupies less than a first proportion of the LBT bandwidth, and that the uplink transmission within at least one time resource for the SBFD is accompanied by a downlink transmission from the access network node occupying at least a second proportion of the LBT bandwidth, The condition that no other communication nodes are detected as being located near the access network node and / or user equipment (UE), The condition that the distance between the UE and the access network node is less than a threshold, The condition that the beam used by the access network node and / or the UE has a beam width in at least one dimension greater than a threshold, or that it is an omnidirectional beam, The condition that quasi-static channel occupancy mode or frame-based equipment (FBE) mode is used, It must be performed if at least one of the following conditions is met. Methods that include...

32. User mode (UE), Means for receiving configuration information from an access network node for configuring frequency resources within at least one time resource for subband full duplex (SBFD) in order to satisfy the occupied bandwidth requirements of the Listen-Before-Talk (LBT) bandwidth, Means for configuring the frequency resources based on the configuration information, UE, equipped with [unclear / etc.].

33. User mode (UE), Subband full duplex (SBFD) operation is performed under the following conditions, namely: The conditions are that the total bandwidth of the uplink subband within the Listen-Before-Talk (LBT) bandwidth occupies less than a first proportion of the LBT bandwidth, and that the uplink transmission within at least one time resource for the SBFD is accompanied by a downlink transmission from an access network node occupying at least a second proportion of the LBT bandwidth, The condition that no other communication node is detected as being in the vicinity of the access network node and / or the UE, The condition that the distance between the UE and the access network node is less than a threshold, The condition that the beam used by the access network node and / or the UE has a beam width in at least one dimension greater than a threshold, or that it is an omnidirectional beam, The condition that quasi-static channel occupancy mode or frame-based equipment (FBE) mode is used, A means to be executed if at least one of the following conditions is met. UE, equipped with [unclear / etc.].

34. Access network node, Means for transmitting configuration information to user equipment (UE) for configuring frequency resources within at least one time resource for subband full duplex (SBFD) in order to satisfy the occupied bandwidth requirements of the Listen-Before-Talk (LBT) bandwidth. Equipped with, The configuration information causes the UE to configure the frequency resources. Access network node.

35. Access network node, Subband full duplex (SBFD) operation is performed under the following conditions, namely: The conditions are that the total bandwidth of the uplink subband within the Listen-Before-Talk (LBT) bandwidth occupies less than a first proportion of the LBT bandwidth, and that the uplink transmission within at least one time resource for the SBFD is accompanied by a downlink transmission from the access network node occupying at least a second proportion of the LBT bandwidth, The condition that no other communication nodes are detected as being located near the access network node and / or user equipment (UE), The condition that the distance between the UE and the access network node is less than a threshold, The condition that the beam used by the access network node and / or the UE has a beam width in at least one dimension greater than a threshold, or that it is an omnidirectional beam, The condition that quasi-static channel occupancy mode or frame-based equipment (FBE) mode is used, A means to be executed if at least one of the following conditions is met. An access network node equipped with the following features.

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