Energy Detection Threshold Adaptation Based on Traffic Priority in Unlicensed Bands

Abstract

Energy detection threshold adaptation based on traffic priority in unlicensed bands. Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a device, method, apparatus, and computer-readable storage medium for traffic priority-based energy detection threshold adaptation in unlicensed bands. The method includes determining a target traffic priority for transmitting data from a first device to a second device, obtaining at least one candidate configuration parameter for an energy detection threshold for channel clearance evaluation for the target traffic priority, determining a target configuration parameter for transmitting the data based on the at least one candidate configuration parameter, and transmitting the data to the second device based on the target configuration parameter. In this manner, a maximum EDT can be associated with the traffic priority to facilitate flexible channel access requirements for different uplink traffic priorities.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of telecommunications, and more particularly, to an apparatus, method, and computer-readable storage medium for traffic priority-based energy detection threshold adaptation in an unlicensed band.

Background Art

[0002] Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communication (URLLC) services were introduced in 5G to support use cases with extremely low latency and stringent requirements for high reliability. To comply with regulatory requirements for unlicensed spectrum access, a User Equipment (UE) may perform a Listen Before Talk (LBT) operation before an uplink (UL) URLLC transmission. If the detected energy level is higher than the maximum Energy Detection Threshold (EDT), the channel may be considered occupied, and thus, channel access may be deferred until the LBT operation is passed. Therefore, the setting of the maximum EDT can have a significant impact on the channel access possibility of the UE.

[0003] However, when the maximum EDT is large, the maximum output power of the UE decreases according to regulatory requirements. In the case of URLLC, it makes sense to reduce the maximum output power for a high-speed ED-based LBT operation. For example, URLLC traffic with small data packets generally requires a small transmission bandwidth, and thus, only a low transmission power (per MHz) is required for reliable transmission, especially for cell-center UEs. Even if a small maximum output power may sometimes have an adverse effect on link performance, other approaches such as link adaptation or retransmission can be used to guarantee the transmission reliability of small URLLC traffic. Therefore, it is reasonable to reduce the maximum output power of the UE for a high-speed channel access operation under the constraints of regulatory requirements.

[0004] Unlike URLLC, other traffic such as enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) generally has a large amount of data for transmission and needs to occupy a large channel bandwidth for UL transmission. For this reason, a large maximum output power is beneficial to improve the critical performance of the corresponding traffic, such as the throughput performance of eMBB traffic.

Summary of the Invention

[0005] Generally, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for traffic priority-based energy detection threshold adaptation in an unlicensed band.

[0006] In a first aspect, a first device is provided. The first device includes at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, and the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to cause the first device, using the at least one processor, to at least determine a target traffic priority for transmitting data from the first device to a second device, obtain at least one candidate configuration parameter of an energy detection threshold for a channel clearance evaluation for the target traffic priority, determine a target configuration parameter for data transmission from the at least one candidate configuration parameter, and transmit data to the second device based on the target configuration parameter.

[0007] In a second aspect, a second device is provided. The second device comprises at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, and the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to cause the at least one processor, in response at least to receiving data transmitted from a first device based on target configuration parameters, to determine a target traffic priority for transmitting data based on the data, where the target configuration parameters are configured to cause at least one candidate configuration parameter of an energy detection threshold for channel clearance assessment for the target traffic priority. Based at least on the target traffic priority, an output power level for data transmission is associated with the determination,

[0008] In a third aspect, a method is provided. The method comprises determining a target traffic priority for transmitting data from a first device to a second device, obtaining at least one candidate configuration parameter of an energy detection threshold for channel clearance assessment for the target traffic priority, determining target configuration parameters for data transmission from the at least one candidate configuration parameter, and transmitting data to the second device based on the target configuration parameters.

[0009] In a fourth aspect, a method is provided. The method comprises determining, at the first device and in response to receiving data transmitted based on target configuration parameters at the second device, a target traffic priority for transmitting data based on the data, where the target configuration parameters are associated with at least one candidate configuration parameter of an energy detection threshold for channel clearance assessment for the target traffic priority, and determining an output power level for data transmission based at least on the target traffic priority.

[0010] In a fifth aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising means for determining a target traffic priority for transmitting data from a first device to a second device, means for obtaining at least one candidate configuration parameter of an energy detection threshold for channel clearance evaluation for the target traffic priority, means for determining a target configuration parameter for data transmission from the at least one candidate configuration parameter, and means for transmitting data to the second device based on the target configuration parameter.

[0011] In a sixth aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising means for determining a target traffic priority for transmitting data based on data in response to receiving data transmitted based on a target configuration parameter at the first device and at the second device, wherein the target configuration parameter is associated with at least one candidate configuration parameter of an energy detection threshold for channel clearance evaluation for the target traffic priority, and means for determining an output power level for data transmission based at least on the target traffic priority.

[0012] In a seventh aspect, there is provided a computer-readable medium storing a computer program which, when executed by at least one processor of the apparatus, causes the apparatus to execute the method according to the third or fourth aspect.

[0013] Other features and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure will also become apparent from the following description of specific embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate the principles of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014] The embodiments of the present disclosure are presented by way of example, and their advantages will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

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[0015] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar elements. **DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION**

[0016] Next, the principles of the present disclosure will be explained with reference to some exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and are intended to assist those skilled in the art in understanding and implementing the present disclosure, and do not imply any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. It should be noted that the present invention can be implemented in various aspects other than those described below.

[0017] Unless otherwise defined in the following description and claims, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present disclosure belongs.

[0018] The descriptions such as "one embodiment", "an embodiment", "exemplary embodiment" in the present disclosure indicate that the described embodiments may include specific features, structures, or characteristics, but not all embodiments need to include specific features, structures, or characteristics. Furthermore, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Moreover, when a specific feature, structure, or characteristic is described in relation to an exemplary embodiment, it is stated that it is within the scope of the knowledge of those skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in relation to other embodiments, whether explicitly described or not.

[0019] In this specification, terms such as "first" and "second" may be used to describe various elements, but it should be understood that these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish the functions of various elements. As used in this specification, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the recited terms.

[0020] The terms used in this specification are for the sole purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments. The terms "comprises", "comprising", "has", "having", "includes", and / or "including", when used in this specification, identify the presence of the recited features, elements, and / or components, etc., but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0021] As used in this application, the term "circuit" may refer to one or more or all of the following. (a) Only hardware circuit implementations (such as implementations of only analog and / or digital circuits) and (b) Combinations of hardware circuits and software, such as (where applicable), (i) A combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuits and software / firmware, and (ii) Any portion of a hardware processor having software, software, and memory that cooperate (including a digital signal processor) to cause a device such as a mobile phone or a server to perform various functions. (c) A hardware circuit and / or processor, such as a microprocessor or a portion of a microprocessor, that requires software (e.g., firmware) to operate may not have the software present when it is not required for operation.

[0022] This definition of circuit applies to all uses of this term in this application, including any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term circuit includes simply a hardware circuit or processor (or processors), or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor, and the implementation of its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuit also includes, for example, a baseband integrated circuit or a processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in a server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network device, when applicable to a particular claim element.

[0023] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that complies with any suitable communication standard such as the 5th generation (5G) system, Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA (registered trademark)), High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc. Further, the communication between the terminal device and the network device in the communication network can be implemented according to any suitable generation communication protocol including, but not limited to, the 1st generation (1G), 2nd generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, 3rd generation (3G), 4th generation (4G), 4.5G, future 5th generation (5G) New Radio (NR) communication protocol, and / or other protocols known or planned to be developed in the future. Embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to various communication systems. Considering the rapid development in communication, it is natural that there are also future types of communication technologies and systems to which the present disclosure can be implemented. The technical scope of the present disclosure should not be regarded as limited only to the systems described above.

[0024] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communication network through which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services therefrom. The network device can refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP) depending on the terms and technologies applied, such as Node B (Node B or NB), evolved Node B (eNode B or eNB), NR Next Generation Node B (gNB), Remote Radio Unit (RRU), Radio Header (RH), Remote Radio Head (RRH), repeater, femto, pico, and other low-power nodes.

[0025] The term "terminal device" refers to any end device that may be capable of wireless communication. By way of example and not limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, a user equipment (UE), a subscriber station (SS), a portable subscriber station, a mobile station (MS), or an access terminal (AT). A terminal device may include, but is not limited to, a cellular phone, a mobile phone, a smartphone, a voice over IP (VoIP) phone, a wireless local loop phone, a tablet, a wearable terminal device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable computer, a desktop computer, an image capture terminal device such as a digital camera, a game terminal device, a music storage and playback device, a vehicle wireless terminal device, a wireless endpoint, a mobile station, a laptop embedded equipment (LEE), a laptop mounted equipment (LME), a USB dongle, a smart device, a wireless customer premise equipment (CPE), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a watch or other wearable, a head-mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, a medical device and application (e.g., remote surgery), an industrial device and application (e.g., a robot and / or other wireless device operating in an industrial and / or automated processing chain context), an electronic device that may include a consumer, a device operating on a commercial and / or industrial wireless network, etc. A terminal device may also correspond to the mobile termination (MT) part of an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node (also known as a relay node). In the following description, the terms "terminal device", "communication device", "terminal", "user equipment", and "UE" may be used interchangeably.

[0026] The functions described in this specification may be performed in various exemplary embodiments in fixed and / or wireless network nodes, but in other exemplary embodiments, the functions may be implemented in user equipment devices (such as mobile phones or tablet computers or laptop computers or desktop computers or mobile IoT devices or fixed IoT devices). Such user equipment devices may, for example, optionally have corresponding capabilities as described in relation to fixed and / or wireless network nodes. The user equipment device may be a user equipment and / or a control device such as a chipset or a processor configured to control the user equipment when installed therein. Examples of such functions include a bootstrapping server function and / or a home subscriber server, and the bootstrapping server function and / or the home subscriber server may be implemented in the user equipment device by providing software configured to cause the user equipment device to perform from the perspective of these functions / nodes.

[0027] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary communication network 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. As shown in FIG. 1, the communication network 100 includes a terminal device 110 (hereinafter also referred to as the first device 110 or UE 110) and a network device 120 (hereinafter also referred to as the second device 120 or gNB 120). The terminal device 110 can communicate with the network device 120. It should be understood that the number of network devices and terminal devices shown in FIG. 1 is provided for illustrative purposes without suggesting any limitation. The communication network 100 can include any suitable number of network devices and terminal devices.

[0028] Depending on the communication technology, network 100 can be a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) network, a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) network, a Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) network, an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) network, a Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) network, or any other network. The communications discussed in network 100 can comply with any suitable standard including, but not limited to, New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE Evolution, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), cdma2000, and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM®). Further, the communications can be performed according to any generation of communication protocol, whether currently known or to be developed in the future. Examples of communication protocols include, but are not limited to, the First Generation (1G), Second Generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, Third Generation (3G), Fourth Generation (4G), 4.5G, Fifth Generation (5G) communication protocols, etc. The techniques described herein can be used for the wireless networks and radio technologies described above, as well as for other wireless networks and radio technologies. For clarity, certain aspects of the technology are described below with respect to LTE, and LTE terminology is used in much of the following description.

[0029] To ensure compatibility with unlicensed band URLLC / IIoT operation in a controlled environment, several potential enhancements related to Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communication (URLLC) have been studied.

[0030] To achieve coexistence fairness with other radio access technologies (RATs) (e.g., NR-U / LAA / WiFi, etc.), it may be necessary to perform a listen-before-talk (LBT) operation before transmission in the unlicensed band according to the regulator requirements in a specific area. For this purpose, the device must consider the occupied channel as long as other radio LAN (RLAN) transmissions are detected at a level greater than the energy detection threshold (EDT). The EDT is integrated over the total nominal channel bandwidth of all operating channels used by the device.

[0031] Generally, a larger maximum EDT means that the maximum output power of the UE becomes smaller according to the regulatory requirements. In the case of URLLC, it makes sense to reduce the maximum output power for the high-speed ED-based LBT operation. For example, URLLC traffic with small data packets generally requires a small transmission bandwidth and thus only low transmission power (per MHz) is needed, especially for reliable transmission for cell-center UEs. Even if a small maximum output power may sometimes have an adverse effect on link performance, other techniques such as link adaptation or iterative transmission can be used to ensure the transmission reliability of URLLC traffic with some data. Therefore, it is reasonable to reduce the maximum output power of the UE for high-speed channel access operations under the constraints of regulatory requirements.

[0032] Unlike URLLC, other traffic such as eMBB (Enhanced Mobile Broadband) generally has a large amount of data for transmission and needs to occupy a large channel bandwidth for UL transmission. For this purpose, a large maximum output power is beneficial to improve the critical performance of the corresponding traffic, such as the throughput performance of eMBB traffic.

[0033] In some cases, UEs in NR may need to support the transmission of a mixture of multiple traffics with different traffic priorities. In this case, a larger or smaller EDT does not benefit the critical performance of all uplink traffics. Therefore, it is beneficial to consider the channel access requirements of different traffics during EDT design. However, the current EDT remains uniform for all UL traffics regardless of the channel access requirements of the traffics in NR-U.

[0034] In NR-U and LAA, the settings of LBT parameters such as the contention window size (CWS) and the channel occupancy time (COT) already take into account the channel access requirements of different uplink traffics. However, the same EDT is adopted in NR-U for channel clearance assessment (CCA) without considering the actual channel access requirements of different uplink traffics.

[0035] Therefore, in this disclosure, a novel traffic-priority-based energy threshold design in NR-U is proposed. In this solution, a UE can be configured using at least one configuration parameter for energy detection for a given traffic priority. When a UE starts a UL transmission with a given traffic priority, one of the at least one configuration parameters can be activated to determine the output power level of the UE. Then, the transmission can be performed according to the determined output power level. In this way, the maximum EDT can be associated with the traffic priority to facilitate the flexible channel access requirements of different uplink traffic priorities.

[0036] Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4, the principles and implementations of the present disclosure will be described in detail. FIG. 2 shows a signaling chart illustrating a process of traffic priority-based energy detection threshold adaptation according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. For the sake of explanation, process 200 is described with reference to FIG. 1. Process 200 may involve UE 110 and gNB 120 as shown in FIG. 1. Although process 200 is described in communication network 100 of FIG. 1, it will be understood that this process may be similarly applied to other communication scenarios.

[0037] If data transmission from UE 110 to gNB 120 is to be initiated at UE 110, UE 110 may determine the traffic priority of the data transmission.

[0038] In some exemplary embodiments, the traffic priority of data transmission and reception may be classified based on traffic type (e.g., eMBB, IoT, URLLC) or 5QI. For example, the network may classify uplink traffic as the same as the channel access priority class (CAPC). That is, the traffic priority of data transmission and reception may depend on the type of data being transmitted.

[0039] As another option, when an uplink transmission for a given traffic priority is scheduled at gNB 120, gNB 120 may indicate the traffic priority in the scheduled grant. For this purpose, UE 110 transmits the traffic priority in the corresponding scheduling grant resource. Further, gNB 120 may also indicate the traffic priority in the configured grant configuration. For this purpose, UE 110 may transmit the traffic priority in the corresponding configured grant resource.

[0040] After determining the traffic priority of data transmission and reception, as shown in FIG. 2, the UE 110 obtains an indication related to energy detection for CCA (205), and based on the indication, may determine at least one candidate configuration parameter of the energy detection threshold for CCA for the determined target traffic priority.

[0041] Optionally, the indication may include K candidate offsets related to the reference energy detection threshold for CCA for the target traffic priority. As another option, the indication may include K candidate energy detection thresholds for CCA for the target traffic priority. It is also possible that the indication includes K candidate offsets related to the reference power threshold for CCA for the target traffic priority.

[0042] In some exemplary embodiments, the k-th candidate offset of a given traffic priority of the UE 110 related to the reference energy detection threshold

Number

Number

[0043] Next, the UE 110 may determine the k-th candidate EDT for the traffic priority based on the candidate offset and the reference energy detection threshold

Number

Number

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Number

Number

Number

[0044] In this case, when regulatory requirements are defined and NR-U coexists with other technologies, the offset

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[0045] In some exemplary embodiments, the k-th candidate energy detection threshold

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[0046] In some exemplary embodiments, the k-th candidate offset

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[0047] can be calculated as

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Number

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Number

[0048] Then, UE110 can determine the candidate energy detection threshold for traffic priority

Number

[0049] In some exemplary embodiments, UE110 first [Number] is used to replace the maximum output power in the default maximum energy detection threshold calculation procedure [Number] Then, it can [Number] be set. Here, [Number] is calculated based on the default maximum energy detection threshold calculation procedure.

[0050] Assume that UE 110 transmits with a default maximum output power of 23 dBm on a 20M channel bandwidth. When candidate offsets for traffic priority are set, for example, two candidate offset values (such as 0 dB and 6 dB offset values) related to the default maximum EDT for uplink CCA of URLLC transmission can be set. Then, for uplink CCA of URLLC traffic by the UE, two candidate EDTs (i.e., -72 dBm and -77 dBm) can be determined.

[0051] When an EDT for traffic priority is set, for example, two candidate EDT values (such as -72 dBm and -77 dBm) can be set for uplink CCA of URLLC transmission.

[0052] When candidate offsets for traffic priority are configured, for example, two candidate offset values (such as 0 dB and 6 dB offset values) related to the default maximum output power of the UE can be configured. Then, the UE can determine two candidate EDTs (i.e., -72 dBm and -77 dBm) for uplink CCA of URLLC traffic.

[0053] In some exemplary embodiments, candidate parameters for a given traffic priority included in the indication may be pre-defined / pre-configured, and UE 110 may obtain the candidate parameters from the pre-configured configuration information. Also, UE 110 can obtain at least one candidate configuration parameter for traffic priority via a higher layer signal or a physical layer signal.

[0054] Before data transmission and reception start, as shown in Figure 2, UE 110 can determine (210) target configuration parameters for data transmission and reception from at least one candidate configuration parameter. That is, one of the at least one candidate configuration parameters can be activated for data transmission and reception.

[0055] In some exemplary embodiments, a target configuration parameter may be implicitly activated. Optionally, a first candidate configuration parameter of at least one candidate configuration parameter may be determined as the target configuration parameter. As another option, if UE110 receives an indication indicating that one of at least one candidate configuration parameter has been updated, UE110 may determine the updated candidate configuration parameter as the target configuration parameter.

[0056] In some exemplary embodiments, gNB120 may be triggered to send an indication of an expected configuration parameter among at least one candidate configuration parameter to be activated to UE110.

[0057] For example, if gNB120 determines that the channel access probability for the target traffic priority is lower than the threshold N rate, the interference level on the UE side or the gNB side exceeds the threshold level, the same channel interference from a further date transmission having the target traffic priority is detected, or the channel occupancy time sharing between gNB120 and UE110 should be stopped, gNB120 may determine an expected candidate configuration parameter from at least one candidate configuration parameter. Then, gNB120 may send an indication of the expected candidate configuration parameter to UE110.

[0058] In this case, the activation signaling for the expected candidate configuration parameter may be explicitly indicated to UE110 through higher layer signaling or physical signaling. For example, if the channel access probability of the traffic priority is lower than the specified threshold level, gNB120 may configure UE110 to activate Expected candidate configuration parameter for the traffic priority via an RRC signal. Further, in a controlled environment, gNB 120 may use this solution to adjust the interference between traffics. When eMBB traffic and URLLC traffic are mixed, gNB120 may activate a higher energy detection threshold for URLLC.

[0059] In some exemplary embodiments, the UE 110 may be triggered to activate on demand one of at least one candidate configuration parameter. For example, if the UE 110 determines that the channel access probability for traffic priority is lower than a threshold probability or the interference level at the UE side exceeds a threshold level, the UE 110 may be triggered to activate a target configuration parameter from at least one candidate configuration parameter.

[0060] In this case, the UE 110 may send an indication of the target configuration parameter to the gNB 120 via physical signaling such as uplink control information (UCI).

[0061] In some exemplary embodiments, a timer can be started after the target configuration parameter is activated. The UE 110 may Target configuration parameter obtain a timer for this purpose. If the UE 110 determines that the timer has expired, the UE 110 may Target configuration parameter update it. For example, the UE 110 may activate a default configuration parameter such as the first candidate configuration parameter of at least one candidate configuration parameter.

[0062] In some exemplary embodiments, when multiple traffic priorities are multiplexed for burst transmission, the UE 110 may determine a target traffic priority for transmission based on the highest traffic priority among the multiple traffic priorities or the lowest traffic priority among the multiple traffic priorities. Then, the UE 110 may determine a target configuration parameter from at least one candidate configuration parameter for the determined traffic priority.

[0063] For example, the lowest traffic priority with the minimum maximum EDT can be considered by default to determine the actual maximum EDT of the multiplexed transmission. It is also possible that the highest traffic priority with the minimum maximum EDT can be considered by default to determine the actual maximum EDT of the multiplexed transmission.

[0064] Referring back to FIG. 2, the UE 110 can transmit data to the UE based on the determined Target configuration parameter (215). To ensure fair coexistence with other devices, when requirements are defined for the maximum output power for uplink transmission of a given traffic priority, it should be adapted based on the maximum energy detection threshold of the given traffic priority.

[0065] Thus, in some exemplary embodiments, the UE 110 can perform CCA based on the target configuration parameters and determine an acceptable output power level for data transmission and reception based on the result of the CCA. The acceptable output power level can be regarded as the maximum output power level allowed for data transmission.

[0066] Next, the UE 110 can transmit data based on the acceptable output power level. That is, the actual output power level for data transmission and reception may not exceed the acceptable output power level.

[0067] For example, when regulatory requirements are defined for unlicensed spectrum access, the UE 110 can reduce the maximum output power of this traffic priority in proportion to the configured maximum energy detection threshold. Using the following formula, the maximum output power for the traffic priority with respect to the maximum energy detection threshold

Equation

Equation

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Number

[0068] In some exemplary embodiments, the UE110 may be configured to use a maximum energy detection threshold of -72 dBm for eMBB traffic with a default maximum output power of 23 dBm. If the UE110 is configured to use a maximum energy detection threshold of -77 dBm for URLLC, it can reduce its maximum output power for URLLC transmission to 18 dBm.

[0069] When the gNB receives data transmitted from the UE 110, the gNB 120 can determine the traffic priority of the data transmission and reception. For example, when an uplink transmission for a given traffic priority is scheduled, the gNB 120 may indicate the traffic priority during the scheduled grant. For this purpose, the UE 110 transmits the traffic priority in the corresponding scheduling grant resource. Further, the gNB 120 may also indicate the traffic priority in the configured grant configuration. For this purpose, the UE 110 can transmit the traffic priority in the corresponding configured grant resource.

[0070] Next, at 220, the gNB120 determines, based on the traffic priority, for example, based on default configuration parameters from at least one candidate configuration parameter, The gNB120 may determine the allowable output power level for data transmission and reception based on predicted configuration parameters determined from at least one candidate configuration parameter, or based on configuration parameters determined from at least one candidate configuration parameter by the UE110.

[0071] In this way, in order to facilitate flexible channel access requirements for different uplink traffic priorities, the maximum EDT can be associated with the traffic priority. One of the candidate configuration parameters can be activated for the traffic priority by the gNB120 and / or the UE110 upon request to adapt to the interference environment changes and channel access requirements for the uplink CCA. Further, the maximum transmission power is adapted for each traffic priority in proportion to the maximum energy detection threshold and thus can comply with the regulatory requirements.

[0072] Figure 3 shows a flowchart of an exemplary method 300 for traffic priority-based energy detection threshold adaptation according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Method 300 may be implemented in terminal device 110 as shown in FIG. 1. For the sake of explanation, method 300 will be described with reference to FIG. 1.

[0073] As shown in FIG. 3, at 310, the terminal device determines a target traffic priority for transmitting data from the terminal device to the network device.

[0074] At 320, the terminal device obtains at least one candidate configuration parameter of an energy detection threshold for channel clearance evaluation for the target traffic priority.

[0075] In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device can receive at least one indication of a set of candidate offsets related to a reference energy detection threshold for channel clearance evaluation for the target traffic priority, a set of candidate energy detection thresholds for channel clearance evaluation for the target traffic priority, and a set of candidate offsets related to a reference power threshold of the output power level of the first device. The terminal device can determine at least one candidate configuration parameter based on the indication.

[0076] In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device can obtain the indication through at least one of pre-configured configuration information, upper layer signals, and physical layer signals.

[0077] At 330, the terminal device determines a target configuration parameter for data transmission and reception from at least one candidate configuration parameter.

[0078] In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device can obtain an indication of pre-determined reference configuration parameters for the target traffic priority and determine target configuration parameters from at least one candidate configuration parameter based on the indication. Here, the difference between the reference configuration parameter and the default configuration parameter is that the default configuration parameter is more general and indicates the first of the candidate configuration parameters, while the reference configuration parameter indicates a pre-determined or indexed configuration parameter.

[0079] In some exemplary embodiments, when the terminal device determines an index of reference configuration parameters from an indication, it can determine target configuration parameters from at least one candidate configuration parameter based on the index.

[0080] In some exemplary embodiments, when the terminal device determines update information of reference configuration parameters, it can determine target configuration parameters from at least one candidate configuration parameter based on the update information.

[0081] In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device can receive an indication of candidate configuration parameters to be activated from a network device, and the candidate configuration parameters to be activated are selected from at least one candidate configuration parameter. The terminal device can determine the candidate configuration parameters to be activated as target configuration parameters.

[0082] In some exemplary embodiments, when the terminal device determines that the interference level of the terminal device exceeds a threshold level, it can determine target configuration parameters from at least one candidate configuration parameter based on the channel access probability.

[0083] In some exemplary embodiments, when the terminal device determines that the channel access probability for the target traffic priority of the terminal device is lower than a threshold probability, it can determine target configuration parameters from at least one candidate configuration parameter based on the channel access probability.

[0084] In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device can send an indication of the target configuration parameter to the second device.

[0085] In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device obtains a timer for the target configuration parameter, and if the terminal device determines that the timer has expired, the target configuration parameter can be updated to a reference configuration parameter pre-determined for the target traffic priority. The timer may indicate the available period of the target configuration parameter after the target configuration parameter is activated.

[0086] In some exemplary embodiments, the data includes a first data packet and a second data packet, and the terminal device can determine the target traffic priority based on one of the first traffic priority of the first data packet or the second traffic priority of the second data packet, and the first traffic priority is higher than the second traffic priority.

[0087] At 340, the terminal device sends data to the network device based on the target configuration parameter.

[0088] In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device performs a channel clearance assessment based on the target configuration parameter, and can determine an allowable output power level for data transmission and reception based on the result of the channel clearance assessment. The terminal device can send data based on the allowable output power level.

[0089] FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of an exemplary method 400 for traffic priority-based energy detection threshold adaptation according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Method 400 may be implemented in network device 120 as shown in FIG. 1. For the sake of explanation, method 400 will be described with reference to FIG. 1.

[0090] At 410, when the network device receives data transmitted from the terminal device based on the target configuration parameters, the network device determines a target traffic priority for transmitting the data based on the data. The target configuration parameters are associated with at least one candidate configuration parameter of an energy detection threshold for channel clearance evaluation for the target traffic priority.

[0091] At 420, the network device determines an acceptable output power level for data transmission and reception based on at least the target traffic priority.

[0092] In some exemplary embodiments, the data comprises a first data packet and a second data packet, and the network device can determine the target traffic priority based on one of the first traffic priority of the first data packet or the second traffic priority of the second data packet, and the first traffic priority is higher than the second traffic priority.

[0093] In some exemplary embodiments, the network device can determine a predicted candidate configuration parameter from at least one candidate configuration parameter based on at least one of: the channel access probability for the target traffic priority being lower than a threshold probability; the interference level at the terminal device exceeding a first threshold level; the interference level at the network device exceeding a second threshold level; the detection of co-channel interference from further data transmission and reception having a further target traffic priority; and the suspension of channel occupancy time sharing between the network device and the terminal device. The network device can also transmit an indication of the predicted candidate configuration parameter to the terminal device.

[0094] In some exemplary embodiments, a network device may determine a configuration parameter predicted from at least one candidate configuration parameter for a target traffic priority based on the target traffic priority, and determine an acceptable output power level based on the predicted candidate configuration parameter.

[0095] In some exemplary embodiments, a network device may receive an indication of a target configuration parameter for a target traffic priority from a terminal device, and determine an acceptable output power level based on the target configuration parameter.

[0096] In some exemplary embodiments, a network device may obtain at least one candidate configuration parameter for energy detection for a target traffic priority based on the target traffic priority. The network device may determine an indication of a reference configuration parameter pre-determined for the target traffic priority, and determine the reference configuration parameter from the at least one candidate configuration parameter based on the indication. The network device may determine an acceptable output power level based on the reference configuration parameter.

[0097] In some exemplary embodiments, a device (e.g., implemented in terminal device 110) that can execute method 300 may include means for executing each step of method 300. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented as a circuit or a software module.

[0098] In some exemplary embodiments, the apparatus comprises means for determining a target traffic priority for transmitting data from a first device to a second device, means for obtaining at least one candidate configuration parameter of an energy detection threshold for a channel clearance evaluation for the target traffic priority, means for determining a target configuration parameter for data transmission from the at least one candidate configuration parameter, and means for transmitting data to the second device based on the target configuration parameter.

[0099] In some exemplary embodiments, an apparatus capable of executing method 400 (e.g., implemented in network device 120) may comprise means for executing each step of method 400. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented as a circuit or a software module.

[0100] In some exemplary embodiments, the apparatus of the present application comprises means for determining a target traffic priority for transmitting data based on data in response to receiving data transmitted based on a target configuration parameter from a first device and at a second device, wherein the target configuration parameter is determined from at least one candidate configuration parameter of an energy detection threshold for a channel clearance evaluation for the target traffic priority, and means for determining an acceptable output power level for data transmission based on at least the target traffic priority.

[0101] FIG. 5 is a simplified block diagram of an apparatus 500 suitable for implementing an embodiment of the present disclosure. The device 500 may be provided for implementing a communication device, e.g., a terminal device 110 or a network device 120 as shown in FIG. 1. As shown, the apparatus 500 includes one or more processors 510, one or more memories 540 coupled to the processor 510, and one or more transmitters and / or receivers (TX / RX) 540 coupled to the processor 510.

[0102] The TX / RX 540 is for two-way communication. The TX / RX 540 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface may represent any interface necessary for communication with other network elements.

[0103] The processor 510 may be of any type suitable for a local technology network and may include, by way of non-limiting example, one or more of a general-purpose computer, a dedicated computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. The apparatus 500 may have multiple processors such as an application-specific integrated circuit chip that is temporally dependent on a clock that synchronizes the main processor.

[0104] The memory 520 can include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, ROM (Read Only Memory) 524, EPROM (electrically programmable read only Memory), flash memory, hard disk, compact disk (CD), digital video disk (DVD), and other magnetic storage, and / or optical storage. Examples of volatile memories include random access memory (RAM) 522 and other volatile memories that do not last beyond the power period, but are not limited thereto.

[0105] The computer program 530 includes computer-executable instructions to be executed by the associated processor 510. The program 530 may be stored in the ROM 520. The processor 510 can execute any appropriate operations and processes by loading the program 530 into the RAM 520.

[0106] Embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented by means of program 530 such that device 500 can execute any of the processes of the present disclosure described in relation to FIGS. 2-4. Embodiments of the present disclosure can also be implemented by hardware or in combination with software and hardware.

[0107] In some embodiments, program 530 can be tangibly embodied on a computer-readable medium that can be included in device 500 (such as memory 520) or other storage devices accessible by device 500. For execution, device 500 can load program 530 from the computer-readable medium into RAM 522. The computer-readable medium can include any type of tangible non-volatile memory such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. FIG. 6 shows an example of a computer-readable medium 600 in the form of a CD or DVD. The computer-readable medium has program 530 stored thereon.

[0108] Generally, various embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuitry, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects can be implemented in hardware, while other aspects can be implemented in firmware or software executable by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various aspects of embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other pictorial representation, the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein can be implemented, by way of non-limiting example, in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuitry or logic, general purpose hardware or controllers, or other computing devices, or any combination thereof.

[0109] The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as those included in program modules, that are executed in a device on a target physical processor or a virtual processor to perform the methods 300 and 400 described above with reference to FIGS. 3-4. In general, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The functionality of the program modules can be combined or divided among the program modules as desired in various manners. The machine-executable instructions for the program modules can be executed within a local device or a distributed device. In a distributed device, the program modules can be arranged on both a local storage medium and a remote storage medium.

[0110] The program code for performing the methods of the present disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes can be provided to a processor or a controller of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing devices, such that when the program code is executed by the processor or the controller, it implements the functions / operations specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram. The program code can be executed entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, as a stand-alone software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0111] In the context of the present disclosure, the computer program code or related data can be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus, or processor to perform the various processes and operations described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer-readable media, etc.

[0112] A computer-readable medium can be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium. A computer-readable medium can include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of the computer-readable storage medium include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0113] Further, the operations are depicted in a particular order, but this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown, or in a sequential order, or that all of the shown operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, while some specific implementation details are included in the above description, these are not to be construed as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. The specific features described in the context of separate embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, the various features described in the context of a single embodiment may be implemented separately, or in any suitable combination, in multiple embodiments.

[0114] Although the present disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the disclosure defined by the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A first device comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to cause the at least one processor to cause the first device to determine a target traffic priority for transmitting data from the first device to a second device; determine at least one candidate configuration parameter of an energy detection threshold for a channel clearance evaluation for the target traffic priority, the parameter being an energy detection threshold; determine a target configuration parameter for transmitting data based on the at least one candidate configuration parameter; transmit the data to the second device based on the target configuration parameter; A first device configured to perform the above, wherein the first device receives an indication of a set of candidate offsets relative to a reference energy detection threshold for the channel clearance evaluation of the target traffic priority; receives an indication of a set of candidate energy detection thresholds for the channel clearance evaluation of the target traffic priority; receives an indication of a set of candidate offsets relative to a reference power threshold of the output power level of the first device; performs any of the above; determines the at least one candidate configuration parameter based on the indication; determines the at least one candidate configuration parameter by the above; A first device, wherein the first device obtains an indication of a predetermined reference configuration parameter for the target traffic priority; Determining the target configuration parameter from the at least one candidate configuration parameter based on the indication of the reference configuration parameter; Determining the target configuration parameter by; The first device. **Claim 2** The first device is Receiving an indication of one predicted candidate configuration parameter to be activated from the second device from which the data has been transmitted from the first device, the predicted candidate configuration parameter being selected from the at least one candidate configuration parameter; Determining the predicted candidate configuration parameter as the target configuration parameter; Determining the target configuration parameter by; The first device according to claim 1. **Claim 3** The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first device determines the target configuration parameter from the at least one candidate configuration parameter based on the interference level according to a determination that an interference level in the first device exceeds a threshold level. **Claim 4** The first device further Obtaining a timer for the target configuration parameter, the timer indicating an available period of the target configuration parameter after the target configuration parameter is activated; Updating the target configuration parameter to a reference configuration parameter predetermined for the target traffic priority according to a determination that the timer has expired; The first device according to claim 1, which performs. **Claim 5** The data includes a first data packet and a second data packet, The first device determines the target traffic priority by a step of determining the priority order of target traffic based on either the first traffic priority of the first data packet or the second traffic priority of the second data packet, where the first traffic priority is higher than the second traffic priority. The first device according to claim 1.

6. The first device is executing the channel clearance evaluation based on the target configuration parameter; determining an allowable output power level for transmitting the data based on the result of the channel clearance evaluation; transmitting the data based on the allowable output power level; The first device according to claim 1, which transmits the data by the above steps.

7. A second device comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code cause the at least one processor to cause the second device to at least in response to receiving data transmitted based on a target configuration parameter from a first device, determining a target traffic priority for transmitting the data, where the target configuration parameter is associated with at least one candidate configuration parameter of an energy detection threshold for channel clearance evaluation of the target traffic priority, and the parameter is an energy detection threshold; determining an allowable output power level for transmitting the data based on at least the target traffic priority; A second device configured to perform the above steps. Here, the first device is A set of candidate offsets based on a reference energy detection threshold for the channel clearance evaluation of the target traffic priority, A set of candidate energy detection thresholds for the channel clearance evaluation of the target traffic priority, and A set of candidate offsets based on a reference power threshold of the output power level of the first device, Receiving any one of the indications; Determining the at least one candidate configuration parameter based on the indication; Determining the at least one candidate configuration parameter by the above, A second device.

8. The data includes a first data packet and a second data packet, The second device determines a target traffic priority by determining a priority order of target traffic based on one of the first traffic priorities of the first data packet or the second traffic priorities of the second data packet, where the first traffic priority is higher than the second traffic priority. The second device according to claim 7.

9. The second device further includes An interference level in the first device exceeding a first threshold level, An interference level in the second device exceeding a second threshold level, Co-channel interference from further data transmission and reception having a detected further target traffic priority, and Channel occupancy time sharing between the first device and the second device that is stopped, Determining predicted candidate configuration parameters from the at least one candidate configuration parameter based on at least one of the above, Transmitting an indication of the predicted candidate configuration parameters to the first device. The second device according to claim 7, which executes

10. The second device determining a predicted configuration parameter from the at least one candidate configuration parameter for the target traffic priority based on the target traffic priority; determining the allowable output power level based on the predicted configuration parameter, and determining the allowable output power level thereby. The second device according to claim 7.

11. The second device receiving an indication of the target configuration parameter for the target traffic priority from the first device; determining the allowable output power level based on the target configuration parameter; and determining the allowable output power level thereby, the second device according to claim 7.

12. The second device obtaining at least one candidate configuration parameter of energy detection for the target traffic priority based on the target traffic priority; obtaining an indication of a reference configuration parameter predetermined for the target traffic priority; determining the reference configuration parameter from the at least one candidate configuration parameter based on the indication; determining the allowable output power level based on the reference configuration parameter; and determining the allowable output power level thereby, the second device according to claim 7.

13. determining a target traffic priority for transmitting data from a first device to a second device; A step of determining at least one candidate configuration parameter of an energy detection threshold for channel clearance evaluation for the target traffic priority, wherein the parameter is an energy detection threshold, and A step of determining a target configuration parameter for transmitting the data based on the at least one candidate configuration parameter, and A step of transmitting the data to the second device based on the target configuration parameter, and A method comprising: The step of determining the at least one candidate configuration parameter includes: A set of candidate offsets based on a reference energy detection threshold for channel clearance evaluation of the target traffic priority, A set of candidate energy detection thresholds for the channel clearance evaluation of the target traffic priority, and A set of candidate offsets based on a reference power threshold of the output power level of the first device, Receiving a designation of any one of them, and Determining the at least one candidate configuration parameter based on the designation, and Including, Method.

14. The step of determining the target configuration parameter includes: Obtaining a designation of a reference configuration parameter predetermined for the target traffic priority, and Determining the target configuration parameter from the at least one candidate configuration parameter based on the designation, and Including, The method according to claim 13.

15. The step of determining the target configuration parameter includes: Receiving an indication of one predicted candidate configuration parameter to be activated from the second device that transmitted the data from the first device, the predicted candidate configuration parameter being selected from the at least one candidate configuration parameter; Determining the predicted candidate configuration parameter as the target configuration parameter; comprising The method according to claim 13.

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