Area Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) signaling with fallback Downlink Control Indicator (DCI) and User Equipment (UE) Listen-Before-Talk (LBT) procedures

Abstract

Techniques described herein can facilitate a listen-before-talk procedure for clear channel assessment signaling. An exemplary aspect is a baseband processor of a user equipment (UE) including one or more processors configured to receive system information including a region indication for a clear channel assessment (CCA) procedure. The CCA procedure is associated with a listen-before-talk (LBT) region configuration for one of a first region, a second region, or a third region. The one or more processors are configured to receive downlink control information (DCI) in a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) message including a DCI CCA indication. Thereafter, the one or more processors are configured to perform an initial LBT procedure associated with the region indication and generate a random access channel (RACH) message after performing the initial LBT procedure. Finally, the one or more processors generate an uplink (UL) message according to the DCI CCA indication.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to wireless technologies, including New Radio (NR) listen-before-talk procedures and methods for region-clear channel assessment signaling. [Background technology]

[0002] Mobile communications in next-generation wireless communication systems, 5G, or new radio (NR) networks, will provide ubiquitous connectivity, access to information, and data-sharing capabilities worldwide. 5G networks and network slicing are unified, service-based frameworks that aim to meet diverse, and sometimes conflicting, performance criteria. 5G networks will serve highly heterogeneous application domains, ranging from Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) to massive Machine-Type Communications (mMTC), Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communications (URLLC), and other communications. In general, NR will evolve with additional enhanced radio access technologies (RATs) based on the third generation partnership project (3GPP) long-term evolution (LTE) advanced technology to enable seamless and faster wireless connectivity solutions. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0003] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an exemplary block diagram illustrating an example of user equipment (UE) communicatively coupled to a network in accordance with various aspects described herein.

[0004] [Figure 2] 1 is a signal flow diagram outlining exemplary signaling for regional clear channel assessment (CCA) signaling and listen-before-talk (LBT) procedures;

[0005] [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a signal flow diagram outlining example signaling for area clear channel assessment (CCA) signaling and updated listen-before-talk (LBT) procedures after a user equipment (UE) establishes a connection with a base station (BS).

[0006] [Figure 4] 1 illustrates a flow diagram of an example method for listen-before-talk (LBT) mode configuration for areas where LBT is not mandatory from a base station (BS) to a user equipment (UE).

[0007] [Figure 5] 1 illustrates a flow diagram of an example method for area clear channel assessment (CCA) signaling and listen-before-talk (LBT) procedures for a user equipment (UE).

[0008] [Figure 6] 1 illustrates a flow diagram of an exemplary method for base station (BS) area clear channel assessment (CCA) signaling and listen-before-talk (LBT) procedures.

[0009] [Figure 7] 1 illustrates a flow diagram of an example method for clear channel assessment (CCA) signaling corresponding to an updated listen-before-talk (LBT) procedure by a user equipment (UE).

[0010] [Figure 8]1 illustrates a flow diagram of an example method for clear channel assessment (CCA) signaling corresponding to an updated listen-before-talk (LBT) procedure by a base station (BS).

[0011] [Figure 9] 1 illustrates an example of infrastructure equipment in accordance with various disclosed aspects.

[0012] [Figure 10] 1 illustrates an example user equipment (UE) or base station (BS) platform in accordance with various disclosed aspects. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] A 5G or NR network may, for example, use a clear channel assessment (CCA) procedure before using a channel to determine whether the channel is in use or clear for use. The CCA procedure for the 60 GHz band (e.g., 57 GHz to 71 GHz) may be used in conjunction with licensed-assisted access (LAA) technology for unlicensed bands so that unlicensed spectrum use can coexist with other radio access technologies (RATs). In some aspects, the CCA procedure may utilize a listen-before-talk (LBT) configuration to determine whether a channel is available for use.

[0014] CCA procedures may be region-specific. For example, in the United States (US), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) may regulate CCA procedures and may not require LBT procedures before using a channel, thus making the LBT procedure optional. The region where LBT operation is optional and not mandatory may be referred to as the first region. In another example, CCA procedures may be regulated by European standards, specifically, European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) EN 302 567, which may primarily include Category 3 (CAT3) LBT procedures. The region where LBT operation is regulated by European standards may be referred to as the second region. In another example, CCA procedures are regulated by Japanese standards, where LBT is mandatory to facilitate spectrum sharing. The region where LBT operation is mandatory may be referred to as the third region. CCA and LBT procedures for the 60 GHz band require signaling between user equipment (UE) and network (NW) for effective channel access and use in different regions.

[0015] Various aspects of the present disclosure are directed to CCA signaling between a UE and a NW and may be applicable to the 60 GHz band or other bands. A mechanism is presented herein that allows a NW to indicate a region configuration. Furthermore, a mechanism is presented herein that allows a UE to perform initial access with a NW according to a region. A mechanism is described herein for indicating an LBT procedure via downlink control information (DCI). A mechanism is also described herein that allows a UE to update its LBT behavior after initial access. The mechanisms presented herein facilitate CCA procedures between a UE and a NW by efficiently addressing various signaling, channel access, and LBT aspects.

[0016] In some aspects, the NW may configure a channel access mode indication (e.g., channelAccessMode-r17) indicating a first, second, or third region. Thus, the channel access mode may include a region indication. In some instances, the NW may transmit a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) message with System Information Block 1 (SIB1) comprising the channel access mode. The UE may receive SIB1 including the channel access mode and perform initial access with the NW according to an LBT procedure associated with the received region indication included in the channel access mode. For example, the UE may perform a Random Access Channel (RACH) procedure including a Message 1 (Msg1) or a Message A (MsgA) transmission according to the LBT procedure specified by the region indication.

[0017] The LBT procedure may follow one or more of several categories, including Category 1 (CAT1), Category 2 (CAT2), Category 3 (CAT3), associated with the indicated first, second, or third region. Thus, the UE may perform one or more of the CAT1, CAT2, or CAT3 procedures before transmitting RACH Msg1 or MsgA.

[0018] In addition to receiving the region indication, the UE can receive a DCI in a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) message comprising a DCI CCA indication for an LBT procedure before transmitting an UL message and LBT procedure update or upgrade information for subsequent messaging that is different from the LBT procedure associated with initial access. The DCI CCA indication can be associated with the DCI itself without a CCA-specific bit. In other aspects, the DCI CCA indication is associated with a CCA-specific bit in a DCI format (e.g., format 0_0, 0_1, 0_2, 1_0, 1_1, 1_2, etc.).

[0019] For example, in a region where LBT is not mandatory, such as region 1, the NW may indicate an LBT mode for the communication link between the base station (BS) and the UE. In such an aspect, the UE may determine under what conditions it should perform verification of BS-transmitted messages depending on a BS- or UE-specific LBT mode configuration, either pre-configured or indicated by the NW.

[0020] Thus, the CCA described herein facilitates spectrum sharing between licensed and unlicensed spectrum by employing various aspects of LBT.

[0021] Additional aspects and details of the disclosure are further described below with reference to the figures.

[0022] FIG. 1 illustrates a wireless communication system 100, a network including a UE 101a and a UE 101b (collectively referred to as "UEs 101" or "UEs 101"), a radio access network (RAN) 110, and a core network (CN) 120. (Also referred to herein as "system 100.") 1 illustrates an example architecture of a UE (Communication Unit) 101. The UE communicates with the CN 120 via the RAN 110. In aspects, the RAN 110 may be a next generation (NG) RAN or 5G RAN, an evolved-UMTS Terrestrial RAN (E-UTRAN), or a legacy RAN such as a UTRAN or GERAN. As used herein, terms such as "NG RAN" can refer to a RAN 110 operating in an NR or 5G system 100, and terms such as "E-UTRAN" can refer to a RAN 110 operating in an LTE or 4G system 100. The UE 101 utilizes connections (or channels) 102 and 104, respectively, which each include a physical communication interface / layer. connection 102 and 104 may facilitate one or more of licensed or unlicensed communication bands between the UE 101 and the RAN 110.

[0023] Therefore, the UE 101 may receive a channel access mode indication, which may be a region indication in SIB1 included in the PDSCH message, over the connection 102 or 104. Furthermore, the UE 101 may receive a DCI CCA indication in the PDCCH message over the connection 102 or 104. The UE 101 may perform an initial LBT procedure according to the region indication before transmitting an initial access RACH message (e.g., RACH Msg1) over the connection 102 or 104. The UE 101 may perform an LBT procedure according to the DCI CCA indication and transmit an UL message over the connection 102 or 104.

[0024] Alternatively, or in addition, each of the UEs 101 may be configured with dual connectivity (DC) as multi-RAT or multi-Radio Dual Connectivity (MR-DC), where a multi-Rx / Tx / capable UE may be configured to utilize resources provided by two different nodes (e.g., 111a, 111b, 112, or other network nodes) that may be connected over a non-ideal backhaul, for example, one providing NR access and the other providing either E-UTRA for LTE or NR access for 5G.

[0025] Alternatively, or in addition, each of the UEs 101 may be configured in a CA mode in which multiple frequency bands are aggregated among component carriers (CCs) to increase data throughput between the UE 101 and the nodes 111a, 111b. For example, the UE 101a may communicate with the node 111a according to the CC in the CA mode. Furthermore, the UE 101a may simultaneously communicate with the node 112 in the DC mode and additionally communicate with each of the nodes 112 in the CA mode.

[0026] In this example, connections 102 and 104 are shown as air interfaces that enable a communicative coupling. In an aspect, UE 101 can directly exchange communication data via ProSe interface 105. ProSe interface 105 can alternatively be referred to as sidelink (SL) interface 105 and can comprise one or more logical channels.

[0027] The RAN 110 enables connections 102 and 104. Nodes 111a, 111b, etc. One or more access nodes Do As used herein, the terms "access node," "access point," etc. may describe equipment that provides wireless baseband functionality for data and / or voice connectivity between a network and one or more users. These access nodes may be referred to as base stations (BS), next generation base stations (gNB), RAN nodes, evolved next generation base stations (eNB), Node Bs, RSUs, Transmission Reception Points (TRxPs), or TRPs, etc.

[0028] In aspects where system 100 is a 5G or NR system, node 112 is the Xn interface In The Xn interface can be used to connect two or more No between 5GbE111 (e.g., two or more gNBs) connected to the 5GC120. Runo Code 111 a (e.g., gNB) and an eNB, and / or between two eNBs connected to 5GC120.

[0029] The RAN 110 is shown communicatively coupled to a core network, in this embodiment, a CN 120. The CN 120 may comprise a number of network elements 122 configured to provide various data and communication services to customers / subscribers (e.g., users of UEs 101) connected to the CN 120 via the RAN 110.

[0030] In some aspects, physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) signaling may carry user data and higher layer signaling to the UE 101. The physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) may carry, among other things, information regarding the transport format and resource allocation for the PDSCH channel. The PDCCH may inform the UE 101 about the transport format, resource allocation, and hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) information for the uplink shared channel. Typically, downlink scheduling (e.g., allocating control and shared channel resource blocks to the UEs 110-2 in a cell) may be performed in any of the RANs 110 based on channel quality information fed back from any of the UEs 101. Downlink resource allocation information may be transmitted on the PDCCH used (e.g., assigned) for each of the UEs 101.

[0031] BS 111 may generate one or more of a region indication or a DCI CCA indication. BS 111 may then send a region indication in a PDSCH message and a DCI CCA indication in a PDCCH message via connection 102 or 104. BS 111 may receive an initial access message in a RACH message or an UL message after UE 101 performs a corresponding LBT procedure according to connection 102 or 104. Furthermore, BS 111 may generate a CCA indication in RACH messaging, for example, RACH message 2 (Msg2), and send the CCA indication to UE 101 via connection 102 or 104. Regional CCA signaling with DCI and UE LBT procedures

[0032] FIG. 2 is a signal flow diagram 200 outlining example signaling for region clear channel assessment (CCA) signaling and listen-before-talk (LBT) procedures. In signal flow diagram 200, UE 101 receives region information from BS 111 to perform a CCA procedure, including an LBT procedure associated with the indicated region information, to support unlicensed spectrum use. In some aspects, the operations described in signal flow diagram 200 are for 60 GHz band (e.g., 57 GHz to 71 GHz) communications. The CCA procedure is employed to determine channel use prior to communicating on the channel. The LBT procedure may be employed in conjunction with license-assisted access (LAA) technology to enable unlicensed spectrum use in the presence of other radio access technologies (RATs). Because different regions may be regulated by different requirements, signal flow diagram 200 describes signaling and procedures that apply to different regions according to their specific requirements.

[0033] The BS 111 can coordinate 202 with a NW (e.g., the RAN 110, the CN 120 in FIG. 1 ) to determine and generate a region indication 204. The region indication 204 can indicate one of a first region, a second region, or a third region for the CCA procedure.

[0034] The first region may correspond to a region where an LBT procedure is not required before accessing a channel. Thus, an LBT procedure may be optional. In other aspects, the first region may correspond to communication operations for licensed bands where an LBT operation may not be required. In some aspects, the first region corresponds to a CCA procedure regulated by the United States (US) Federal Communications Commission (FCC) or regulated by US standards. In some aspects, the first region primarily corresponds to Category 1 (CAT1) operation, in which a channel is immediately accessed without performing an LBT. In other aspects, CAT1 operation corresponds to immediately accessing a channel if the channel is accessed during a channel occupancy time (COT). The COT may be a transmission opportunity period (TXOP).

[0035] The second region may correspond to a region that primarily utilizes Category 3 (CAT3) operation. In some aspects, the second region is a region regulated by a European standard. Additionally or alternatively, the second region may be regulated by European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) EN 302 567. In some aspects, the second region utilizes the c1, c2, and / or c3 bands and associated spectrum access requirements for the 60 GHz band (e.g., 57 GHz to 71 GHz). The second region may require CAT3 operation in accordance with CCA operation defined in ETSI EN 302 567. In other examples, aspects of CAT3 procedures for LBT may include performing a CCA check on a channel in which the device (e.g., the UE 101 or the BS 111) does not transmit if the channel is occupied, the device performing CCA using energy detection in which transmissions are postponed when the channel is unoccupied for a period of time, and the device scheduling transmissions on the channel in accordance with COT when the channel is clear.

[0036] The third region may correspond to a region where an LBT procedure is mandatory before each transmission. In some aspects, an LBT procedure is mandatory for initial access 220 and / or unlicensed spectrum use. In some aspects, the third region may be a region regulated by Japanese standards. The LBT procedure for the third region may be dynamic and may include one or more of a Category 2 (CAT2) procedure or a CAT3 procedure. The CAT3 procedure may be the CAT3 procedure described in connection with the second region. The CAT2 procedure may be a one-step procedure or a one-shot procedure. The CAT2 procedure may include channel sensing over a period of time, and if the channel is idle for a fixed period of time, the channel may be accessed. If the channel is not idle or clear, the channel may be sensed again over that period at determined intervals. In some aspects, the CAT2 procedure includes a channel check for a period of time (e.g., 5 μs), and if the channel is clear or unoccupied during the channel check, transmission may occur on the channel.

[0037] After generating the region indication 204 at 202, the BS 111 may alternatively or additionally generate at 206 a downlink control indication (DCI) having a DCI CCA indication 208. The DCI CCA indication 208 may be used by the UE 101 for one or more of the initial access 220 with the BS 111, the LBT procedure 224, and the updated LBT procedure 304 (see, e.g., FIG. 3). The DCI CCA indication 208 may be generated optionally depending on a communication scheme between the UE 101 and the BS 111. In some aspects, the communication scheme does not utilize the DCI CCA indication. In other aspects, the communication scheme uses the DCI CCA indication to determine the LBT procedure. In other aspects, the initial LBT procedure 216 is performed based on the region indication 204, and one or more of the LBT procedure 224 or the updated LBT procedure 304 (see, e.g., FIG. 3) are performed in accordance with the DCI CCA indication 208.

[0038] At 210, BS 111 may transmit a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) message including a region indication 204. BS 111 may generate the region indication 204 in System Information Block 1 (SIB1) of the PDSCH message. In some aspects, the region indication 204 is a channel access mode indication, e.g., channelAccessMode-r17, in SIB1. In some aspects, channelAccessMode-r17 is part of a Serving Cell Common Configuration (ServingCellConfigCommon) resource and / or a Serving Cell Common SIB Configuration (ServingCellConfigCommonSIB) resource of SIB1. In alternative aspects, the region indication 204 is transmitted in Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling at 210, e.g., for a handover procedure.

[0039] At 212, BS 111 may transmit the DCI in a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) message, where the DCI includes the DCI CCA indication 208 if the DCI CCA indication 208 is generated at 206.

[0040] At 214, the UE 101 can perform an initial LBT procedure 216 according to the received region indication 204. The initial LBT procedure 216 is performed before the UE 101 transmits an initial access 220 message, for example, via a random access channel (RACH) attempt, such as Message 1 (Msg1) or Message A (MsgA). The UE 101 reads the SIB1 received at 210 and determines the channel access mode indicated by the region indicator 204. The type of the initial LBT procedure 216 performed at 214 depends on the region indication 204 and can be no LBT procedure, a CAT1, CAT2, or CAT3 procedure.

[0041] When the region indication 204 indicates a first region, the UE 101 may directly send a RACH transmission at 218 without performing the initial LBT procedure 216. Because the first region does not require LBT, in some aspects the UE 101 may skip the initial LBT procedure 216 entirely, such that the UE 101 does not perform the initial LBT procedure 216.

[0042] When the region indication 204 indicates a second region, the UE 101 can directly transmit a RACH transmission at 218 without performing an LBT procedure at 214. While the second region may primarily require CAT3 procedures, for the RACH procedure, the UE 101 can generate a RACH signal as short control signaling. In some aspects, short control signaling is as defined in ETSI EN 302 567 and is applicable to the second region. In some aspects, short control signaling is a transmission that occurs without sensing the channel for the presence of other signals. Short control signaling may be limited with respect to an observation period (e.g., 100 ms) in which the short control signaling transmission is less than 10 ms within the observation period. In some aspects, the UE 101 assumes that the BS 111 will not schedule other transmissions during the period for the UE 101 to perform a RACH Msg1 or MsgA transmission.

[0043] When the region indication 204 indicates a third region, the UE 101 may perform one or more of a CAT2 procedure or a CAT3 procedure as the initial LBT procedure 216 before generating and transmitting the initial access 220 RACH Msg1 or MsgA. In this aspect, the initial LBT procedure 216 is performed as mandatory in accordance with the third region restrictions.

[0044] After the UE 101 generates and transmits the initial access 220 message at 218, the UE 101 can perform an LBT procedure 224 at 222 before generating and transmitting additional UL signaling, e.g., an UL message 228, at 226. In this aspect, the LBT procedure 224 can be generated based on the DCI CCA indication 208. In some aspects, the DCI CCA indication is included in a fallback DCI format. DCI format 0_0 can be a fallback DCI format for uplink resource allocation for a physical uplink shared channel. DCI format 1_0 can be a fallback DCI format for downlink resource allocation for a PDSCH. The LBT procedure 224 associated with the fallback DCI can be performed for signaling after the initial access 220, e.g., at 218, and before connection state signaling, e.g., before the UE 101 is in an RRC connected state or a dedicated connection at 230. For example, the UL message 228 may be RACH message 3 (Msg3) or other UE 101 UL messaging before the RRC connected state or dedicated connection at 230.

[0045] In some aspects, the LBT procedure is performed by, for example, the BS 111, before RACH message 2 (Msg2) and RACH message 4 (Msg4) in accordance with DCI format 1_0 indicating DCI CCA indication 208. In this aspect, the BS 111 can perform an LBT procedure similar to LBT procedure 224 before generating and transmitting downlink (DL) messaging. In other aspects, the LBT procedure 224 is performed by the UE 101 before RACH message 5 (Msg5) in accordance with DCI format 0_0 indicating DCI CCA indication 208. In some aspects, the RACH Msg3 LBT mode is communicated in an indicated random access response (RAR) message, such as RACH message 2 (Msg2). In this aspect, the DCI CCA indication 208 may be associated with an RAR message for RACH Msg2, and the LBT mode indicated in the RAR message may be a 0-bit, 1-bit, or 2-bit RAR indication, similar to the described DCI CCA indication 208. Thus, the LBT procedure 224 at 222 may be performed according to the RAR indication rather than the DCI indication. In some aspects, the LBT procedure 224 performed according to the DCI CCA indication 208 may be referred to as a first LBT procedure.

[0046] In some aspects, the DCI CCA indication 208 is indicated by a CCA bit in the DCI. In other aspects, the DCI CCA indication 208 is indicated without an additional CCA bit in the DCI or without a dedicated CCA bit, but rather by the UE 101 receiving the DCI. In some aspects, the LBT procedure 224 associated with the DCI CCA indication 208 is pre-configured, and the UE 101 performs the associated procedure after receiving the DCI.

[0047] In some examples, if the DCI CCA indication 208 is configured without additional CCA bits in the DCI, the UE 101 may perform the LBT procedure 224 based on the region indication 204. For a first region, the UE 101 may generate the UL message 228 without performing any LBT procedure. Because LBT is not required for the first region, immediate transmission of the UL messaging 228 may be appropriate for the first region. In some aspects, the LBT procedure 224 may be a CAT1 procedure that is performed before the UE 101 generates and transmits the UL message 228 at 226.

[0048] For the second region, when the UE 101 receives the DCI, the UE 101 does not perform the LBT as part of the LBT procedure 224 before generating the UL message 228. In this aspect, the BS 111 is responsible for transmitting or scheduling the PUCCH or PUSCH within the COT scheduled by the BS 111. Thus, the burden of resource scheduling falls on the BS 111, thereby allowing the UE 101 to operate without performing the LBT procedure.

[0049] In an alternative aspect for the second region, the UE 101 may perform a CAT3 procedure as the LBT procedure 224 before transmitting the UL message 228. In this aspect, the BS 111 will schedule a gap before the UE 101 transmits the UL message 228 such that the UE 101 has time according to the gap to perform the CAT3 procedure.

[0050] For the third region, the UE 101 may perform one or more of a CAT2 procedure or a CAT3 procedure as the LBT procedure 224 before generating and transmitting the UL message 228 at 226. In this aspect, the CAT2 or CAT3 procedure is performed according to available resources, pre-configured CAT procedures, or UE 101 implementation.

[0051] In some examples, the DCI CCA indication 208 is a 1-bit CCA indicator. In some examples, the 1-bit CCA indicator is included in Format 0_0 or Format 1_0 of the DCI. Thus, the UE 101 can perform the LBT procedure 224 according to the bit value of the 1-bit CCA indicator. In the first region, the BS 111 can configure the DCI CCA indication 208 1-bit indicator to indicate that the LBT procedure will not be performed. For example, the 1-bit CCA indicator can be configured to a 0 value indicating that the LBT procedure should not be performed for the LBT procedure 224 before the UE 101 generates the UL message 228. In other aspects, because the LBT procedure is not mandatory in the first region, it does not matter whether or how the BS 111 configures the 1-bit CCA indicator, and the UE 101 can ignore the 1-bit CCA indicator at 222 and not perform the LBT procedure before generating the UL message 228. In some aspects, the BS 111 can indicate that it will perform a CAT1 procedure as the LBT procedure 224, or the UE 101 can autonomously perform a CAT1 procedure as the LBT procedure 224 regardless of how the 1-bit CCA indicator is configured.

[0052] For the second region, the BS 111 may configure a 1-bit CCA indicator to indicate that it will perform a CAT3 procedure. For example, the BS 111 may configure the 1-bit CCA indicator to a value of 1, thereby indicating a CAT3 procedure for the LBT procedure 224. In some aspects, the BS 111 may configure the 1-bit CCA indicator to indicate that it will perform a CAT1 procedure. For example, the BS 111 may configure the 1-bit CCA indicator to a value of 0, thereby indicating a CAT1 procedure for the LBT procedure 224. In other aspects, the UE 101 may perform the LBT procedure 224 in accordance with the COT. For example, when the UE 101 can generate and transmit the UL message 228 within the COT, the BS 111 may configure the COT, and the UE 101 may skip performing the LBT procedure 224 or not perform the LBT procedure 224. In some aspects, the BS 111 performs the CAT3 procedure and obtains and configures the COT while performing the CAT3 procedure. Additionally, the UE 101 may perform a CAT3 procedure as the LBT procedure 224 when the UE 101 determines that the UE 101 will transmit the UL message 228 outside the COT configured by the BS 111. The UE 101 may be pre-configured to determine the LBT procedure 224 according to the COT described above, or the BS 111 may configure the UE 101 to follow the COT transmission scheme described above according to a 1-bit CCA indicator.

[0053] For the third region, the BS 111 may configure the 1-bit CCA indicator to indicate that it will perform one or more of the CAT2 or CAT3 procedures. For example, the BS 111 may configure the 1-bit CCA indicator to a value of 1, thereby indicating one or more of the CAT2 or CAT3 procedures for the LBT procedure 224. In other aspects, the UE 101 may ignore the 1-bit CCA indicator regardless of how it is set and perform one or more of the CAT2 or CAT3 procedures for the LBT procedure 224. In this aspect, the CAT2 or CAT3 procedures are performed according to available resources, pre-configured CAT procedures, or the UE 101 implementation.

[0054] In some examples, the DCI CCA indication 208 is a 2-bit CCA indicator. In some examples, the 2-bit CCA indicator is included in format 0_0 or format 1_0 of the DCI. Therefore, the UE 101 can perform the LBT procedure 224 according to the region indication 204 and the bit values ​​of the 2-bit CCA indicator. The 2-bit CCA indicator can indicate no LBT procedure, a CAT1 procedure, a CAT2 procedure, or a CAT3 procedure for the LBT procedure 224.

[0055] In the first region, the BS 111 can configure a 2-bit CCA indicator for the DCI CCA indication 208, and the UE 101 can perform the LBT procedure 224 according to the 2-bit CCA indicator to indicate no LBT, CAT1, CAT2, or CAT3 procedure. In another aspect, when there is no cell- or UE-specific RRC configuration indicating that the link from the BS 111 to the UE 101 is operating in LBT mode, the UE 101 can ignore the 2-bit CCA indicator, regardless of how it is configured, and the UE 101 can skip or not perform the LBT procedure at 222. Thus, the LBT procedure 224 is not needed and is not performed. In another aspect, when there is no cell- or UE-specific RRC configuration indicating that the link from the BS 111 to the UE 101 is operating in LBT mode, the BS 111 sets the 2-bit CCA indicator to indicate no LBT procedure or a CAT1 procedure for the LBT procedure 224. In another aspect, if a fallback DCI is used after a cell-specific or UE-specific RRC configuration indicating that the link from BS111 to UE101 is operating in LBT mode, BS111 sets a 2-bit CCA indicator, and UE101 performs the LBT procedure 224 according to the 2-bit CCA indicator.

[0056] For the second region, BS 111 may configure the 2-bit CCA indicator to indicate performing one or more of non-LBT, CAT1, CAT2, or CAT3 procedures, and UE 101 performs LBT procedure 224 according to the 2-bit CCA indicator. For the third region, BS 111 may configure the 2-bit CCA indicator to indicate performing one or more of CAT2 or CAT3 procedures. In other aspects, UE 101 may ignore the 2-bit CCA indicator regardless of how it is set and perform one or more of CAT2 or CAT3 procedures for LBT procedure 224.

[0057] After the UE 101 sends the UL message 228 at 226, the UE 101 may establish an RRC connection or another dedicated connection at 230 according to the dedicated configuration from the BS 111. After the UE 101 enters the RRC connected state or another dedicated connection, the UE 101 may change or upgrade the LBT procedure for subsequent UL messaging.

[0058] FIG. 3 is a signal flow diagram 300 outlining example signaling for regional clear channel assessment (CCA) signaling and updated listen-before-talk (LBT) procedures after the UE 101 establishes a connection with the BS 111. Aspects of the signal flow diagram 300 may occur after aspects of the signal flow diagram 200 of FIG. 2, and in other examples, aspects of the signal flow diagram 300 may occur after alternative signaling. Aspects of the signal flow diagram 300 correspond to CCA signaling according to the first, second, or third domains previously described. The signal flow diagram 300 illustrates an updated LBT procedure 304 performed by the UE 101 at 302, which allows the UE 101 to update or upgrade to an LBT procedure different from the LBT procedure 224 or the initial LBT procedure 216 of FIG. 2. The updated LBT procedure 304 may be referred to as a second LBT procedure. The update LBT procedure 304 may be associated with the DCI CCA indication 208 of FIG. 2 , or may be based on a non-scheduled DCI format such as DCI format 2_0 according to the COT, or a DCI indication of a DCI different from the DCI associated with the DCI CCA indication 208, or a combination of the above. The update LBT procedure 304 may correspond to an LBT procedure according to a non-fallback DCI format. For example, the update LBT procedure 304 may correspond to an LBT procedure other than Format 0_0 or Format 1_0, or according to Format 0_1, Format 0_2, Format 1_1, Format 1_2, etc. DCI format 2_0 may indicate the update LBT procedure 304 according to the COT time indicated by the BS 111. Thus, DCI format 2_0 is a non-scheduled group DCI in which no PDSCH or PUSCH scheduling information is present. Rather, the UE 101 determines whether the UL message 308 can be sent within the COT time indicated by format 2_0 and optionally upgrades the LBT procedure as may be indicated by the DCI CCA indication 208.The following aspects describe the update LBT procedure 304 before sending the UL message 308 and after the UE 101 establishes an RRC or dedicated connection with the BS 111.

[0059] In the first region, the UE 101 may follow one or more RRC-configured CCA bits in the non-fallback DCI to not perform an LBT, CAT1, CAT2, or CAT3 procedure for the updated LBT procedure 304. The UE 101 will configure the updated LBT procedure 304 when the UE 101 is configured by RRC for an LBT link with the BS 111. The RRC configuration may be cell-specific or UE 101-specific. In another example, the upgrade process for the first region may follow the upgrade procedure described below for the second region.

[0060] In the first or second region, the UE 101 may be configured with a 2-bit CCA indicator in the DCI format. For example, the first LBT procedure may be configured by a 2-bit CCA indicator included in the non-fallback or fallback DCI. The 2-bit CCA indicator may indicate a CAT1, CAT2, or CAT3 procedure. When a UE 101 configured for the first or second region is configured with a 2-bit CCA for the first LBT procedure, the UE 101 may utilize various upgrade options. In some aspects, if the UE 101 determines in 306 that the UL message 308 may be transmitted within the COT configured by the BS 111, the UE 101 may autonomously update or upgrade the DCI indication or RRC indication CAT type to another CAT type. The UE 101 may detect the COT in the detected DCI format 2_0.

[0061] The first upgrade option corresponds to an example in which the UE 101 configures a CAT3 procedure for the first LBT procedure based on the 2-bit CCA indicator, and the updated LBT procedure 304 is a CAT1 procedure. In this example, the UE 101 can detect the COT configured by the BS 111 in DCI format 2_0 of the DCI. The UE 101 can determine that the UL message 308 can be generated and transmitted within the COT configured by the BS 111. The UE 101 can then upgrade from the configured CAT3 procedure to the CAT1 procedure for the updated LBT procedure 304 in response to determining that the UL message 308 can be transmitted within the COT. The CAT3 procedure requires more time and resources to execute compared to the CAT1 procedure, and therefore, by upgrading to the CAT1 procedure, the UE 101 can transmit the UL message 308 more quickly. The UE 101 executes the CAT1 procedure for the updated LBT procedure 304 at 302 and transmits the UL message 308 within the COT at 306.

[0062] The second upgrade option corresponds to an example in which the UE 101 configures a CAT3 procedure for the first LBT procedure based on the 2-bit CCA indicator, and the updated LBT procedure 304 is a CAT2 procedure. In this example, the UE 101 can detect the COT configured by the BS 111 in DCI format 2_0 of the DCI. The UE 101 can determine that the UL message 308 can be generated and transmitted within the COT configured by the BS 111. The UE 101 can then upgrade from the configured CAT3 to the CAT2 procedure for the updated LBT procedure 304 in response to determining that the UL message 308 can be transmitted within the COT. The CAT3 procedure requires more time and resources to execute compared to the CAT2 procedure; therefore, by upgrading to the CAT2 procedure, the UE 101 can transmit the UL message 308 more quickly. The UE 101 executes the CAT2 procedure for the updated LBT procedure 304 at 302 and transmits the UL message 308 within the COT at 306.

[0063] The third upgrade option corresponds to an example in which the UE 101 configures a CAT2 procedure for the first LBT procedure based on the 2-bit CCA indicator, and the updated LBT procedure 304 is a CAT1 procedure. In this example, the UE 101 can detect the COT configured by the BS 111 in DCI format 2_0 of the DCI. The UE 101 can determine that the UL message 308 can be generated and transmitted within the COT configured by the BS 111. The UE 101 can then upgrade from the configured CAT2 to the CAT1 procedure for the updated LBT procedure 304 in response to determining that the UL message 308 can be transmitted within the COT. The CAT2 procedure requires more time and resources to execute compared to the CAT1 procedure; therefore, by upgrading to the CAT1 procedure, the UE 101 can transmit the UL message 308 more quickly. The UE 101 executes the CAT1 procedure for the updated LBT procedure 304 at 302 and transmits the UL message 308 within the COT at 306.

[0064] In the first or second region, the UE 101 may be configured with a 1-bit CCA indicator in the DCI format instead of a 2-bit CCA indicator. For example, the first LBT procedure may be configured with a 1-bit CCA indicator included in the non-fallback or fallback DCI. The 1-bit CCA indicator may indicate a CAT1 or CAT3 procedure. When the UE 101 configured for the first or second region is configured with 1-bit CCA for the first LBT procedure, if the UE 101 determines that the UL message 308 in 306 can be transmitted within the COT configured by the BS 111, the UE 101 may autonomously update or upgrade the DCI or RRC indication CAT type to another CAT type. The UE 101 may detect the COT in the detected DCI format 2_0.

[0065] For example, the UE 101 may configure a CAT3 procedure for the first LBT procedure based on the 1-bit CCA indicator, and the updated LBT procedure 304 may be a CAT1 procedure. In this example, the UE 101 may detect the COT configured by the BS 111 in DCI format 2_0 of the DCI. The UE 101 may determine that the UL message 308 may be generated and transmitted within the COT configured by the BS 111. The UE 101 may then upgrade from the configured CAT3 procedure to a CAT1 procedure for the updated LBT procedure 304 in response to determining that the UL message 308 may be transmitted within the COT. The CAT3 procedure requires more time and resources to execute compared to the CAT1 procedure; therefore, by upgrading to the CAT1 procedure, the UE 101 may transmit the UL message 308 more quickly. The UE 101 executes the CAT1 procedure for the updated LBT procedure 304 at 302 and transmits the UL message 308 within the COT at 306.

[0066] In a third region, the UE 101 can configure the update LBT procedure 304 according to various examples. In a first example, the BS 111 does not configure a bit in the CCA indicator. In this aspect, there may be no bit in the DCI to configure for a CCA indication, as described in accordance with FIG. 2, where the communication scheme between the UE 101 and the BS 111 does not utilize a CCA indication. In another aspect, the communication scheme between the UE 101 and the BS 111 utilizes a CCA indication, but the BS 111 does not configure a bit for the CCA indication. When there is no BS 111-configured bit in the CCA indicator, the UE 101 may perform a CAT2 procedure for the update LBT procedure 304 at 302 and, after performing the CAT2 procedure, transmit a UL message 308 at 306.

[0067] In a second example for the third region, the BS 111 configures a 1-bit CCA indicator in the non-fallback or fallback DCI. Thus, the first LBT procedure can be either a CAT2 procedure or a CAT3 procedure. In some aspects, the UE 101 configures a CAT3 procedure for the first LBT procedure based on the 1-bit CCA indicator, and the updated LBT procedure 304 is a CAT2 procedure. In this example, the UE 101 can detect the COT configured by the BS 111 in DCI format 2_0 of the DCI. The UE 101 can determine that the UL message 308 can be generated and transmitted within the COT configured by the BS 111. The UE 101 can then upgrade from the configured CAT3 to a CAT2 procedure for the updated LBT procedure 304 in response to determining that the UL message 308 can be transmitted within the COT. The CAT3 procedure requires more time and resources to execute compared to the CAT2 procedure; therefore, by upgrading to the CAT2 procedure, the UE 101 can transmit the UL message 308 sooner. The UE 101 performs a CAT2 procedure for an updated LBT procedure 304 at 302 and sends a UL message 308 within the COT at 306 .

[0068] 3 provides various options for the update or upgrade behavior of the updated LBT procedure 304 according to various factors in different areas. The examples described above allow the UE 101 to change the LBT procedure to a second LBT procedure that may be faster and more efficient when compared to the first or initial LBT procedure 216.

[0069] FIG. 4 shows a flow diagram of an example method 400 for LBT mode configuration from the BS 111 to the UE 101 for a region where LBT is not mandatory. The example method 400 illustrates various mode configuration indication options, where the mode configuration indication applies to the UE 101 only or to both the UE 101 and the BS 111. In a first region, LBT procedures are not mandatory, but the core network 120 or the BS 111 may determine that LBT procedures should be followed for unlicensed spectrum use based on network conditions. For example, the BS 111 may determine that channel conditions may result in coexisting unlicensed operation and unreliable communication for other RATs. In such an example, the BS 111 may indicate a mode configuration indication for an LBT procedure even though the LBT procedure is not mandatory for the first region. In another example, the UE 101 and the BS 111 may be pre-configured to enable LBT procedures when certain network or channel conditions are met that would improve overall system performance, for example, to mitigate or eliminate unlicensed spectrum use that may interfere with other RATs.

[0070] In a first region where LBT procedures are not mandatory, BS 111 may indicate to UE 101 that the connection from UE 101 to BS 111 is operating with or without LBT operation. UE 101 may then configure operation for the first region based on the indication from BS 111. In some examples, the LBT mode configuration may be indicated in SIBx (e.g., SIB1, SIB2, etc.) or RRC signaling. Thus, BS 111 signals an LBT mode configuration indicating whether the connection is an LBT connection (e.g., LBT operation) or a non-LBT connection (e.g., no LBT operation). BS 111 may signal a cell-specific or UE-specific configuration for the LBT mode configuration. For example, in the case of a cell-specific indication, the LBT mode configuration is common to all UEs in the cell. The LBT mode configuration may be part of signaled system information or dedicated RRC signaling, or both, and the LBT mode configuration may apply to all UEs in the cell. In another example, in the case of a UE-specific indication, the LBT mode configuration may apply to a specific UE in a cell. Thus, different UEs in a cell may receive different LBT mode configurations. BS 111 may send the UE-specific indication as part of the UE-specific RRC configuration.

[0071] Thus, at 402, the BS 111 may transmit an LBT mode configuration to the UE 101 connection indicating LBT operation or no LBT operation for the BS 111. The LBT mode configuration may apply to a cell or a specific UE. In some aspects, the LBT mode configuration indicating LBT operation or no LBT operation applies only to the UE 101, as shown at 404. The UE 101 may determine a verification scheme and whether to perform verification of the BS 111 transmission, as shown at 408, or not perform verification of the BS 111 transmission, as shown at 406. Performing verification of the BS 111 transmission may include the UE 101 affirmatively confirming that the BS 111 transmitted an expected message. In this aspect, if the UE receives a message or expects the BS 111 to transmit or broadcast a message and the UE does not detect the expected message, the UE 101 may perform a verification fallback procedure according to instructions preconfigured as part of the LBT procedure. For example, the UE 101 may verify a periodic channel state information reference signal (p-CSI-RS) signal from the BS 111. The p-CSI-RS may be used by the UE 101 for link adaptation, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) feedback, radio resource management (RRM), or radio link monitoring (RLM) management. Thus, the UE 101 may ensure that the p-CSI-RS is transmitted through verification before using the p-CSI-RS for feedback or other procedures. If the UE 101 does not perform the verification, the UE 101 may perform an improper feedback procedure.

[0072] In some examples, the UE 101 determines whether to perform verification based on a verification instruction from the BS 111. In other aspects, the UE 101 is pre-configured to perform or not perform verification of the BS 111 transmissions.

[0073] For example, in 406, the LBT mode configuration indicates no LBT operation and applies only to UE 101, and UE 101 does not perform verification of BS 111 signaling. In some examples, UE 101 may assume that BS 111 does not perform any LBT operation. In some aspects, BS 111 may frequency-division multiplex (FDM) multiplex multiple UEs together with or without LBT configurations, allowing BS 111 to implement flexible UL and downlink (DL) scheduling. In this example, UE 101 may assume that BS 111 always transmits a PDCCH, a PDSCH, or a p-CSI-RS according to scheduled resources or trigger events. Therefore, because UE 101 assumes that a PDCCH, a PDSCH, or a p-CSI-RS is always transmitted according to scheduled resources, UE 101 does not perform verification of whether a PDCCH, a PDSCH, or a p-CSI-RS is transmitted by BS 111. In some aspects, the UE 101 always assumes that the BS 111 performs transmissions appropriate for non-LBT operation. The BS 111 can determine whether to perform an LBT procedure at 406 according to scheduled resources, network conditions, or trigger events. Because the UE 101 does not perform the verification, the resource cost to the UE 101 is low. Therefore, the UE 101 does not perform the verification in response to receiving an LBT mode configuration.

[0074] In another example, at 408, the LBT mode configuration indicates LBT operation and applies only to UE 101, and UE 101 performs verification of BS 111 signaling. In this aspect, UE 101 always assumes that BS 111 performs an LBT procedure. Thus, UE 101 performs verification of BS 111 signaling, e.g., p-CSI-RS signaling from BS 111. In this aspect, BS 111 can determine whether to perform an LBT procedure at 408. An example of this is a higher cost of resources for UE 101 when UE 101 performs verification. In this example, UE 101 may need updated resource information from p-CSI-RS for further signaling. Thus, if p-CSI-RS is not transmitted to UE 101 by BS 111, communication with BS 111 may be unreliable. In some situations, BS 111 may transmit p-CSI-RS and UE 101 may not receive P-CSI-RS due to network congestion or interference. By UE 101 performing the verification, the reliability of communication between UE 101 and BS 111 can be improved.

[0075] In another example, at 410, an LBT mode configuration indicating LBT operation is applied to both the UE 101 and the BS 111, and the UE 101 performs verification of BS 111 signaling at 412, and the BS 111 performs an LBT procedure. In this aspect, the UE 101 assumes that the BS 111 performs an LBT procedure. Thus, the UE 101 performs verification of BS 111 signaling, e.g., verification of p-CSI-RS signaling from the BS 111, at 412. In this aspect, the BS 111 performs an LBT procedure at 410. The BS 111 can perform the LBT procedure for all FDM transmissions for both the LBT and non-LBT communication links. This example is at a higher cost of resources for both the UE 101 and the BS 111 because the UE 101 is performing the verification and the BS 111 is performing the LBT procedure, but this example ensures the most reliable communication link. As explained above, BS 111 may transmit p-CSI-RS and UE 101 may not receive P-CSI-RS due to network congestion or interference. By UE 101 performing the verification, the reliability of communication between UE 101 and BS 111 can be improved.

[0076] 5 shows a flow diagram of an example method 500 for regional CCA signaling and LBT procedures for a UE. The example method 500 may be performed, for example, by the UE 101 of FIG.

[0077] At 502, the method includes receiving a region indication and, optionally, receiving a DCI CCA indication. 210 and 212 in FIG.

[0078] At 504, the method includes performing an initial LBT procedure according to the region indication. 214 in FIG.

[0079] At 506, the method includes transmitting an initial access RACH message after performing the initial LBT procedure. 218 in FIG.

[0080] At 508, the method includes performing an LBT procedure according to the DCI CCA indication, if the DCI CCA indication is received at 502. 222 in FIG.

[0081] At 510, the method includes sending a UL message after performing the LBT procedure at 508. 226 in FIG.

[0082] At 512, the method includes establishing an RRC connection or a dedicated connection after transmitting the initial access RACH message at 506. 230 in FIG.

[0083] 6 shows a flow diagram of an example method 600 for regional CCA signaling and LBT procedures for a BS. The example method 600 may be performed, for example, by the BS 111 of FIG.

[0084] At 602, the method includes generating a region indication and, optionally, generating a DCI CCA indication. 202 and 206 in FIG.

[0085] At 604, the method includes transmitting the region indication and the DCI CCA indication. 210 and 212 in FIG.

[0086] At 606, the method includes receiving an initial access RACH message after transmitting the region indication. 218 in FIG.

[0087] At 608, the method includes receiving a UL message after receiving the initial access RACH message. 226 of FIG.

[0088] 7 illustrates a flow diagram of an example method 700 for CCA signaling corresponding to an updated LBT procedure by a UE. The example method 700 may be performed, for example, by the UE 101 of FIG.

[0089] At 702, the method includes performing an updated LBT procedure according to a preconfigured instruction or a CCA bit in the DCI. In some aspects, operation 702 occurs after the UE establishes a dedicated connection. 302 in FIG. 3 corresponds to some aspects of operation 702.

[0090] At 704, the method includes transmitting a UL message after performing the update LBT procedure. 306 in FIG.

[0091] 8 illustrates a flow diagram of an example method 800 for CCA signaling corresponding to an updated LBT procedure by a BS. The example method 800 may be performed, for example, by the BS 111 of FIG.

[0092] At 802, the method includes receiving an UL message after generating one or more of a region indication or a DCI CCA indication and establishing a dedicated connection with the UE. 306 in FIG. 3 corresponds to some aspects of operation 802.

[0093] 9 illustrates an example of infrastructure equipment 900 in accordance with various aspects. Infrastructure equipment 900 (also referred to as "system 900") may be implemented as a base station, a radio head, a RAN node such as BS 111 in FIG. 1, and / or any other element / device described herein. In other examples, system 900 may be implemented in or by a UE such as UE 101 in FIG. 1. In yet other aspects, some features of system 900 may be implemented in or by an AM in FIG. 1. F It can be implemented in or by any AMF.

[0094] System 900 includes application circuitry 905, baseband circuitry 910, one or more radio front end modules (RFEMs) 915, memory circuitry 920 (including a memory interface), power management integrated circuitry (PMIC) 925, power tee circuitry 930 (PMIC), network controller circuitry 935, network interface connector 940, satellite positioning circuitry 945, and user interface 950. In some aspects, the devices of system 900 may include additional elements, such as memory / storage, a display, a camera, sensors, or input / output (I / O) interfaces. In other aspects, the components described below may be included in two or more devices. For example, the circuits may be included separately in two or more devices for a CRAN, vBBU, or other similar implementation.

[0095] The baseband circuitry 910 may be used to generate and transmit one or more of the region indication 204 or DCI CCA indication 208, mode configuration, RRC configuration, dedicated configuration, or other signaling from the BS 111 as described herein. The baseband circuitry 910 may be used to receive one or more of the initial access 220 RACH message, UL message 228, UL message 308, or other signaling for the BS 111 as described herein. The baseband circuitry 910 may be used by the UE 101 to generate and transmit one or more of the initial access 220 RACH message, UL message 228, or UL message 308. The baseband circuitry 910 may be used to receive one or more of the region indication 204, DCI CCA indication 208, RRC configuration, mode configuration, RRC configuration, dedicated configuration, or other signaling for the UE 101.

[0096] The application circuitry 905 may include, but is not limited to, one or more processors (or processor cores), processing circuits, cache memory, and one or more circuits such as low drop-out voltage regulators (LDOs), interrupt controllers, serial interfaces such as SPI, I2C, or universal programmable serial interface modules, real time clocks (RTCs), timer counters including interval timers and watchdog timers, general-purpose input / output (I / O or IO), memory card controllers such as Secure Digital (SD) Multi Media Card (MMC), Universal Serial Bus (USB) interfaces, Mobile Industry Processor Interface (MIPI), and Joint Test Access Group (JTAG) test access ports. The processors (or cores) of the application circuitry 905 may be coupled to or include memory / storage elements and may be configured to execute instructions stored in memory / storage elements to enable various applications or operating systems to run on the system 900. In some implementations, the memory / storage element may be an on-chip memory circuit, which may include any suitable volatile and / or non-volatile memory, such as DRAM, SRAM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, solid-state memory, and / or any other type of memory device technology as described herein. The application circuit 905 may facilitate generating and / or updating one or more of the initial LBT procedure 216, the LBT procedure 224, or the updated LBT procedure 304 for the UE 101.The application circuitry 905 may generate a region indication 204, a DCI CCA indication 208, a mode configuration, an RRC configuration, or a dedicated configuration for the BS 111. The memory circuitry 920 may store one or more of an initial LBT procedure 216, an LBT procedure 224, an updated LBT procedure 304, a region indication 204, a DCI CCA indication 208, etc. for the UE 101.

[0097] The processor of the application circuitry 905 may include, for example, one or more processor cores (CPUs), one or more application processors, one or more graphics processing units (GPUs), one or more reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processors, one or more Acorn RISC Machine (ARM) processors, one or more complex instruction set computing (CISC) processors, one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), one or more FPGAs, one or more PLDs, one or more ASICs, one or more microprocessors or controllers, or any suitable combination thereof. In some aspects, the application circuitry 905 may include a dedicated processor / controller that operates in accordance with various aspects herein, or may be a special-purpose processor / controller. By way of example, the processor(s) of application circuit 905 may include one or more Apple® processors, Intel® processor(s), Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Ryzen® processor(s), accelerated processing unit (APU), or Epyc® processor, ARM-based processor(s) licensed from ARM Holdings Ltd., such as the ARM Cortex-A family processors, and processors of MIPS-based designs offered by MIPS Technologies, Inc., such as the ThunderX2® offered by Cavium™, Inc., MIPS Warrior P-class processors, etc. In some aspects, system 900 may not utilize application circuit 905 and instead may include a dedicated processor / controller for processing IP data received from, for example, the EPC or 5GC.

[0098] User interface 950 may include one or more user interfaces designed to enable user interaction with system 900 or peripheral component interfaces designed to enable peripheral component interaction with system 900. User interfaces may include, but are not limited to, one or more physical or virtual buttons (e.g., a reset button), one or more indicators (e.g., light emitting diodes (LEDs)), a physical keyboard or keypad, a mouse, a touchpad, a touchscreen, a speaker or other audio emitting device, a microphone, a printer, a scanner, a headset, a display screen or device, etc. Peripheral component interfaces may include, but are not limited to, a non-volatile memory port, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, an audio jack, a power interface, etc.

[0099] The components shown in FIG. 9 can communicate with each other using communicatively coupled interface circuits, which may include any number of bus and / or interconnect (IX) technologies, such as industry standard architecture (ISA), extended ISA (EISA), peripheral component interconnect (PCI), peripheral component interconnect extended (PCIx), PCI express (PCIe), or any number of other technologies. The bus / IX may be, for example, a proprietary bus used in an SoC-based system. Other bus or IX systems may include an I2C interface, an SPI interface, a point-to-point interface, and a power bus, among others.

[0100] 10 illustrates an example of a platform 1000 (also referred to as a "device 1000") in accordance with various aspects. In an aspect, the platform 1000 may be a UE 101 of FIG. 1 and / or a BS 111 or AM 1000 of FIG. 1. F Platform 1000 may be suitable for use as any other element / device described herein, such as a processor, processors, or processors. Platform 1000 may include any combination of the components shown in the examples. Components of platform 1000 may be implemented as integrated circuits (ICs), portions thereof, discrete electronic devices, or other modules, logic, hardware, software, firmware, or combinations thereof adapted to platform 1000, or as components incorporated within the chassis of a larger system. The block diagram of FIG. 10 is intended to provide a schematic representation of the components of platform 1000. However, some of the components shown may be omitted, additional components may be present, and different arrangements of the components shown may occur in other embodiments.

[0101] The application circuitry 1005 includes, but is not limited to, one or more processors (or processor cores), memory circuitry 1020 (including a memory interface), cache memory, and circuits such as one or more LDOs, an interrupt controller, a serial interface such as SPI, I2C, or a universal programmable serial interface module, a timer counter including an RTC, interval and watchdog timers, a general-purpose I / O, a memory card controller such as SD MMC, a USB interface, a MIPI interface, and a JTAG test access port. The processor (or core) of the application circuitry 1005 may be coupled to or may include memory / storage elements and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory / storage elements to enable various applications or operating systems to run on the system 1000. In some implementations, the memory / storage elements may be on-chip memory circuits, which may include any suitable volatile and / or non-volatile memory, such as DRAM, SRAM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, solid-state memory, and / or any other type of memory device technology as described herein.

[0102] The application circuit 1005 may facilitate generating and / or updating one or more of the initial LBT procedure 216, the LBT procedure 224, or the updated LBT procedure 304 for the UE 101. The application circuit 905 may generate a region indication 204, a DCI CCA indication 208, a mode configuration, an RRC configuration, or a dedicated configuration for the BS 111. The memory circuit 1020 may store one or more of the initial LBT procedure 216, the LBT procedure 224, the updated LBT procedure 304, the region indication 204, the DCI CCA indication 208, etc. for the UE 101.

[0103] By way of example, the processor(s) of application circuit 1005 may include a general-purpose or special-purpose processor such as an A-series processor (e.g., A13 Bionic) available from Apple® Inc. of Cupertino, California, or any other such processor. The processor of the application circuit 1005 may also include one or more of an Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Ryzen® processor or accelerated processing unit (APU), Intel® Inc.'s core processor(s), Qualcomm® Technologies Inc.'s Snapdragon™ processor(s), Texas Instruments® Open Multimedia Application Platform (OMAP)™ processor(s), or MIPS-based designs from MIPS Technologies, Inc., such as the MIPS Warrior M-class, Warrior I-class, and Warrior P-class processors, ARM-based designs licensed from ARM Holdings, Ltd., such as the ARM Cortex-A, Cortex-R, and Cortex-M family of processors, etc. In some implementations, the application circuit 1005 may be part of a system on a chip (SoC) in which the application circuit 1005 and other components are formed on a single integrated circuit or package.

[0104] Also referred to herein as "processor 1010" Baseband circuit Road 1The baseband circuitry or processor 1010 may be implemented, for example, as a soldered board containing one or more integrated circuits, a single package integrated circuit soldered to a main circuit board, or a multi-chip module containing two or more integrated circuits. Furthermore, the baseband circuitry or processor 1010 may cause transmission of various resources. The baseband circuitry 1010 may be used to generate and transmit one or more of the region indication 204 or DCI CCA indication 208, mode configuration, RRC configuration, dedicated configuration, or other signaling from the BS 111 described herein. The baseband circuitry 1010 may be used to receive one or more of the initial access 220 RACH message, UL message 228, UL message 308, or other signaling for the BS 111 described herein. The baseband circuitry 1010 may be used by the UE 101 to generate and transmit one or more of the initial access 220 RACH message, UL message 228, or UL message 308. The baseband circuitry 1010 may be used to receive one or more of a region indication 204, a DCI CCA indication 208, an RRC configuration, a mode configuration, an RRC configuration, a dedicated configuration, or other signaling for the UE 101.

[0105] Platform 1000 may also include interface circuitry (not shown) used to connect external devices with platform 1000. The interface circuitry may communicatively couple one interface to another. External devices connected to platform 1000 via the interface circuitry may include sensor circuitry 1021 and electro-mechanical components (EMC). 1022 , and removable It can be memory circuit 1020 The removable memory device is coupled to the

[0106] The battery 1030 may provide power to the platform 1000, although in some examples, the platform 1000 may be deployed and mounted at a fixed location and may have a power source coupled to an electric grid. The battery 1030 may be a lithium-ion battery, a metal-air battery such as a zinc-air battery, an aluminum-air battery, a lithium-air battery, etc. In some implementations, such as for V2X applications, the battery 1030 may be a typical lead-acid automotive battery.

[0107] While the method is illustrated and described above as a series of acts or events, it is understood that the illustrated order of such acts or events should not be construed in a limiting sense. For example, some acts may occur in a different order and / or concurrently with other acts or events other than those illustrated and / or described herein. In addition, not all illustrated acts are required to implement one or more aspects or examples of the present disclosure. Also, one or more of the acts illustrated herein may be performed in one or more separate acts and / or phases. In some examples, the above-described method may be implemented on a computer-readable medium or a non-transitory computer-readable medium using instructions stored in a memory. Many other examples and variations are possible within the scope of the claimed disclosure.

[0108] As used herein, the term "processor" can refer to virtually any computing processing unit or device, including, but not limited to, a single-core processor, a single processor with software multithreading execution capabilities, a multi-core processor, a multi-core processor with software multithreading execution capabilities, a multi-core processor with hardware multithreading technology, a parallel platform, and a parallel platform with distributed shared memory. Furthermore, a processor can refer to an integrated circuit, an application-specific integrated circuit, a digital signal processor, a field programmable gate array, a programmable logic controller, a complex programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof, designed to perform the functions and / or processes described herein. The processor can utilize nanoscale architectures, including, but not limited to, molecular dot and quantum dot-based transistors, switches, and gates, etc., to optimize space usage or improve performance of mobile devices. A processor can also be implemented as a combination of computing processing units. A processor or baseband processor can be configured to execute the instructions described herein.

[0109] A UE or BS, for example, UE 101 or BS 111 of FIG. 1, may include a memory interface and a processing circuit communicatively coupled to the memory interface configured to execute the instructions described herein.

[0110] Embodiments (configurations) may include subject matter such as a method, means for performing an operation or block of a method, at least one machine-readable medium containing instructions that, when executed by a machine (e.g., a processor with memory, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), etc.), cause the machine to perform the operation of the method or the operation of an apparatus or system to perform simultaneous communication using multiple communication technologies according to the configurations and embodiments described herein.

[0111] Example 1 is a baseband processor of a user equipment (UE), comprising: one or more processors, the one or more processors configured to receive system information including a region indication for a clear channel assessment (CCA) procedure associated with a listen-before-talk (LBT) region configuration for one of a first region, a second region, or a third region; receive downlink control information (DCI) in a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) message including the DCI CCA indication; perform an initial LBT procedure associated with the region indication; generate a random access channel (RACH) message after performing the initial LBT procedure; and generate an uplink (UL) message according to the DCI CCA indication.

[0112] Example 2 may include example 1, wherein LBT operation is not required in a first domain, LBT operation is associated with at least some regulations in a second domain, and LBT is required in a third domain.

[0113] Example 3 can include example 2, wherein the first region is further regulated by US standards, the second region is regulated by European standards and ETSI EN 302 567, and the third region is regulated by Japanese standards.

[0114] Example 4 may include example 1, in which the region indication is included in a channelAccessMode-r17 resource included in a ServingCellConfigCommon resource or a ServingCellConfigCommonSIB resource.

[0115] Example 5 may include example 1, in which the SIB1 including the region indication is received in a radio resource control (RRC) message.

[0116] Example 6 may include example 1, in which the processor is further configured to establish an RRC connection after receiving the DCI CCA indication.

[0117] Example 7 may include example 1, in which the region indication indicates a first region or a second region, the initial LBT procedure is a non-LBT procedure, and the processor is configured to generate Msg1 or MsgA without executing an LBT procedure before generating Msg1 or MsgA.

[0118] Example 8 can include example 7, wherein Msg1 or MsgA is produced as short regulatory signaling in the second region.

[0119] Example 9 may include Example 1, in which the region indication indicates a third region, the initial LBT procedure is one or more of a Category 2 (CAT2) procedure or a CAT3 procedure, and the processor is configured to perform one or more of the CAT2 procedure or the CAT3 procedure and generate a RACH message after performing one or more of the CAT2 procedure or the CAT3 procedure.

[0120] Example 10 may include example 1, in which the region indication indicates a first region or a second region, and the DCI CCA indication indicates a non-LBT procedure, and the processor is configured to generate a UL message without performing an LBT procedure in response to the DCI CCA indication.

[0121] Example 11 may include example 1, wherein the region indication indicates a first region or a second region, and the processor is further configured to receive a random access response (RAR) message having a CCA indication, where the CCA indication is 0, 1, or 2 bits; perform an LBT procedure according to the CCA indication; and generate a UL message in response to performing the LBT procedure.

[0122] Example 12 may include example 1, in which the region indication indicates a second region, the DCI CCA indication indicates a CAT3 procedure, and the processor is configured to perform the CAT3 procedure and generate a UL message after performing the CAT3 procedure.

[0123] Example 13 may include example 1, in which the region indication indicates a third region, the DCI CCA indication indicates one or more of a CAT2 procedure or a CAT3 procedure, and the processor is configured to perform the one or more of the CAT2 procedure or the CAT3 procedure and generate a UL message after performing the one or more of the CAT2 procedure or the CAT3 procedure.

[0124] Example 14 may include any of Examples 10 to 13, wherein the DCI CCA indication is a received DCI without any dedicated CCA bits.

[0125] Example 15 may include example 1, in which the region indication indicates a first region, the DCI CCA indication is a 1-bit CCA indicator indicating a non-LBT procedure, and the processor is configured to generate the UL message without performing an LBT operation.

[0126] Example 16 may include example 1, in which the region indication indicates a second region, and the DCI CCA indication is a 1-bit CCA indicator indicating a CAT3 procedure or no LBT procedure, and the processor is configured to perform the CAT3 procedure or no LBT procedure according to the 1-bit CCA indicator, and after performing the CAT3 procedure or no LBT procedure, generate a UL message.

[0127] Example 17 may include example 1, in which the region indication indicates a third region, the DCI CCA indication is a 1-bit CCA indicator indicating a CAT2 procedure or a CAT3 procedure, and the processor is configured to perform the CAT2 procedure or the CAT3 procedure and generate a UL message after performing the CAT2 procedure or the CAT3 procedure.

[0128] Example 18 may include example 1, in which the DCI CCA indication is a 2-bit CCA indicator included in DCI format 0_0 or DCI format 1_0 and indicates a Category 1 (CAT1) procedure, a CAT2 procedure, or a CAT3 procedure, and the processor is configured to perform one of the CAT1, CAT2, or CAT3 procedures and generate a UL message after performing the one of the CAT1, CAT2, or CAT3 procedures.

[0129] Example 19 may include Example 18, in which one of the CAT1, CAT2, or CAT3 procedures is performed after establishing a cell-specific or UE-specific RRC connection.

[0130] Example 20 can include any of examples 1 to 19, wherein the range indication is associated with 60 GHz band wireless operation.

[0131] Example 21 is a baseband processor of a user equipment (UE), comprising one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors are configured to receive a system information block 1 (SIB1) including a region indication for a clear channel assessment (CCA) procedure associated with a listen-before-talk (LBT) configuration for one of a first region, a second region, or a third region, receive downlink control information (DCI) in a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) message, where LBT operation is not mandatory in the first region, LBT operation is associated with at least some restrictions in the second region, and LBT is mandatory in the third region, configure a first LBT procedure according to a fallback DCI format of the DCI, configure a second LBT procedure according to the DCI format of the DCI, and generate an uplink (UL) message after performing the second LBT procedure.

[0132] Example 22 may include Example 21, wherein the region indication indicates a first region, and the processor is configured to receive Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling indicating an LBT connection and an RRC configuration DCI having a CCA bit, the CCA bit being associated with a non-fallback DCI format, and the CCA bit indicating a Category 1 (CAT1), Category 2 (CAT2), or CAT3 procedure for the second LBT procedure.

[0133] Example 23 may include Example 21, in which the region indication indicates the first region or the second region, and the DCI format includes a 2-bit CCA indicator.

[0134] Example 24 may include example 23, wherein the first LBT procedure is a CAT3 procedure, and the processor is configured to detect a channel occupation time (COT) in format 2_0, perform a second LBT procedure according to a Category 1 (CAT1) procedure, and generate a UL message during the COT.

[0135] Example 25 may include example 23, wherein the first LBT procedure is a CAT3 procedure, and the processor is configured to detect a channel occupation time (COT) in format 2_0, perform a second LBT procedure according to a Category 2 (CAT2) procedure, and generate a UL message during the COT.

[0136] Example 26 may include Example 23, wherein the first LBT procedure is a Category 2 (CAT2) procedure, and the processor is configured to detect a channel occupation time (COT) in format 2_0, perform a second LBT procedure according to a Category 1 (CAT1) procedure, and generate a UL message during the COT.

[0137] Example 27 may include Example 21, wherein the region indication indicates a first region or a second region, the DCI format includes a 1-bit CCA indicator, the first LBT procedure is a CAT3 procedure, and the processor is configured to detect a channel occupation time (COT) in format 2_0, determine that a UL message can be generated during the COT, configure a second LBT procedure according to a Category 1 (CAT1) procedure, and generate a UL message during the COT.

[0138] Example 28 may include example 21, in which the region designation indicates a third region, and the first LBT procedure and the second LBT procedure are Category 2 (CAT2) procedures indicated by the DCI format.

[0139] Example 29 may include example 28, in which the received DCI does not include a dedicated CCA bit.

[0140] Example 30 may include Example 21, wherein the region indication indicates a third region, the DCI format includes a 1-bit CCA indicator, the first LBT procedure is a CAT3 procedure, and the processor is configured to detect a channel occupation time (COT) in format 2_0, configure a second LBT procedure according to a Category 2 (CAT2) procedure, and generate a UL message during the COT.

[0141] Example 31 is a baseband processor of a user equipment (UE), comprising one or more processors, the one or more processors being configured to configure operation for a listen-before-talk (LBT) region where LBT is mandatory, receive an LBT mode configuration indicating LBT operation or non-LBT operation for a base station (BS), the LBT mode configuration being a cell-specific configuration or a UE-specific configuration, and determine a verification scheme for BS signaling based on the LBT mode configuration.

[0142] Example 32 may include Example 31, in which the LBT mode configuration is received in one or more of system information or radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0143] Example 33 may include example 31, wherein the LBT mode configuration indicates non-LBT operation for the BS, and the one or more processors are configured to determine a verification scheme, and the BS signaling is not verified in response to the indicated non-LBT operation for the BS.

[0144] Example 34 may include example 31, wherein the LBT mode configuration indicates an LBT operation for the BS, and the one or more processors are configured to determine a verification scheme, and the BS signaling is verified in response to the indicated LBT operation for the BS.

[0145] Example 35 may include example 35, wherein the one or more processors are configured to verify reception of a periodic channel state information reference signal (p-CSI-RS).

[0146] A method substantially as described herein with reference to Examples 1 to 35 and each or any combination thereof, including those included in the detailed description, substantially as described herein.

[0147] A non-transitory computer-readable medium substantially as described herein with reference to each or any combination thereof, including Examples 1 to 35 and the detailed description.

[0148] A wireless device configured to perform any operation or combination of operations substantially as described in Examples 1 to 35 and the detailed description herein.

[0149] An integrated circuit configured to perform any operation or combination of operations substantially as described in Examples 1 to 35 and the detailed description herein.

[0150] An apparatus configured to perform any operation or combination of operations substantially as described in Examples 1 to 35 and the detailed description herein.

[0151] A baseband processor configured to perform any operation or combination of operations substantially as described in Examples 1 to 35 and the detailed description herein.

[0152] Moreover, various aspects or features described herein may be implemented as a method, apparatus, or article of manufacture using standard programming and / or engineering techniques. The term "article of manufacture," as used herein, is intended to encompass a computer program accessible from any computer-readable device, carrier, or medium. For example, computer-readable media may include, but are not limited to, magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disks, floppy disks, magnetic strips, etc.), optical disks (e.g., compact disks (CDs), digital versatile disks (DVDs), etc.), smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g., EPROMs, cards, sticks, key drives, etc.). Furthermore, various storage media described herein may represent one or more devices and / or other machine-readable media for storing information. The term "machine-readable medium" may include, but is not limited to, wireless channels and various other media capable of storing, containing, and / or carrying instruction(s) and / or data. Furthermore, a computer program product may include a computer-readable medium having one or more instructions or code operable to cause a computer to perform the functions described herein.

[0153] Communication media includes computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other structured or unstructured data in a data signal such as a modulated data signal, e.g., carrier wave or other transport mechanism, and includes any information delivery or transport medium. A "modulated data signal" or signals refers to a signal that has one or more characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in one or more signals. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media includes wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media.

[0154] An exemplary storage medium may be coupled to the processor such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. Alternatively, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. Further, in some aspects, the processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC. In addition, the ASIC may reside in a user terminal or device.

[0155] In this regard, while the disclosed subject matter has been described in connection with various embodiments and corresponding drawings, it should be understood that, where applicable, other similar embodiments can be used to perform the same, similar, alternative, or substitute functions of the disclosed subject matter, or modifications and additions can be made without departing from the described embodiments. Accordingly, the disclosed subject matter should not be limited to any single embodiment described herein, but rather should be construed according to the breadth and scope of the following appended claims.

[0156] In particular, with regard to the various functions performed by the above-described components (assemblies, devices, circuits, systems, etc.), the terms used to describe such components (including references to "means") are intended to correspond to any component or structure (e.g., functionally identical, etc.) that performs the specified function of the described component, even if it is not structurally identical, etc. to the disclosed structure that performs that function in the exemplary implementations of the present disclosure shown herein. Furthermore, while a particular feature may be disclosed with respect to only one of several implementations, such feature can be combined with one or more other features of other implementations as may be desirable or advantageous for any given or particular application.

[0157] The present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout, and wherein the structures and devices depicted are not necessarily drawn to scale. As used herein, terms such as “component,” “system,” and “interface” are intended to refer to computer-related entities, hardware, (e.g., executing) software, and / or firmware. For example, a component may be a processor (e.g., a microprocessor, controller, or other processing device), a process running on a processor, a controller, an object, an executable file, a program, a storage device, a computer, a tablet PC, and / or user equipment (e.g., a mobile phone) equipped with a processing device. Illustratively, an application running on a server and that server may also be a component. One or more components may reside within a process, and a component may be localized on one computer and / or distributed among two or more computers. This specification may describe a set of elements or other components, where the term “set” may be interpreted as “one or more.”

[0158] Additionally, these components may execute, e.g., as modules, from various computer-readable or non-transitory computer-readable storage media having various data structures stored thereon. Components may communicate, for example, via local and / or remote processes, according to signals comprising one or more data packets (e.g., data from a component interacting with another component via signals in a local system, a distributed system, and / or across a network, e.g., the Internet, a local area network, a wide area network, or a similar network with other systems).

[0159] As another example, a component may be a device having particular functionality provided by mechanical parts operated by electrical or electronic circuitry, where the electrical or electronic circuitry may be operated by software or firmware applications executed by one or more processors. The one or more processors may be internal or external to the device and may execute at least a portion of the software or firmware applications. As yet another example, a component may be a device that provides particular functionality through electronic components without mechanical parts, where the electronic components may comprise one or more processors that execute software and / or firmware that at least partially impart the functionality of the electronic components.

[0160] As used herein, the term "circuitry" refers to, is a part of, or can include an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group), or associated memory (shared, dedicated, or group) operably coupled to a circuit that executes one or more software or firmware programs, a combinatorial logic circuit, or other suitable hardware component that provides the described functionality. In some forms, a circuit may be implemented in, or functions associated with, a circuit may be performed by, one or more software or firmware modules. In some aspects, a circuit may include logic operable at least partially in hardware.

[0161] The use of the word "exemplary" is intended to make a concept concrete. The term "or" as used herein is intended to mean an inclusive "or," not an exclusive "or." That is, unless otherwise specified or clear from the context, "X uses A or B" is intended to mean any of all possible permutations. That is, "X uses A," "X uses B," or "X uses both A and B" all satisfy "X uses A or B." Additionally, the articles "a" and "an" as used in this application and the appended claims should generally be interpreted to mean "one or more" unless otherwise specified or clear from the context to refer to the singular form. Furthermore, when "including," "includes," "having," "has," "with," or variations thereof are used in either the detailed description or the claims, these terms are intended to be inclusive, similar to the term "comprising." Furthermore, in situations where one or more numbered items are recited (e.g., "first X," "second X," etc.), in some situations the context may indicate that one or more numbered items are separate or the same, but in general these one or more numbered items may be separate or the same.

[0162] It is understood that use of personally identifiable information should comply with generally recognized privacy policies and practices that meet or exceed industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and handled in a manner that minimizes the risk of unintended or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of permitted uses should be clearly indicated to users.

Claims

1. 1. A baseband processor, comprising: one or more processors, the one or more processors receiving a region indication for a clear channel assessment (CCA) procedure associated with a listen-before-talk (LBT) region configuration for one of the first region, the second region, or the third region; receiving downlink control information (DCI) comprising a DCI CCA indication; executing an initial LBT procedure associated with said region indication; generating a random access channel (RACH) message for transmission after performing the initial LBT procedure; A baseband processor configured to generate an uplink (UL) message for transmission in accordance with the DCI CCA indication.

2. 2. The baseband processor of claim 1, wherein LBT operation is not mandatory in the first domain, LBT operation is associated with at least some regulations in the second domain, and LBT is mandatory in the third domain.

3. The baseband processor according to claim 1 , wherein the region indication is included in a channelAccessMode-r17 resource included in a ServingCellConfigCommon resource or a ServingCellConfigCommonSIB resource.

4. The baseband processor of claim 1 , wherein the region indication is received in a radio resource control (RRC) message.

5. The baseband processor of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to establish an RRC connection after receiving the DCI CCA indication.

6. the region indication indicates the first region or the second region, the initial LBT procedure is a non-LBT procedure, and the processor: The baseband processor of claim 1 , configured to generate the RACH message without performing an LBT procedure before generating the RACH message.

7. A user equipment (UE), A memory circuit; a radio frequency (RF) module; one or more processors; wherein the one or more processors, when executing instructions stored in the memory circuit, cause the UE to: receiving a region indication for a clear channel assessment (CCA) procedure associated with a listen-before-talk (LBT) region configuration for one of a first region, a second region, or a third region; receiving downlink control information (DCI) comprising a DCI CCA indication; executing an initial LBT procedure associated with the region indication; transmitting a random access channel (RACH) message by the RF module after performing the initial LBT procedure; transmitting an uplink (UL) message by the RF module according to the DCI CCA indication; The UE executes the above.

8. the region indication indicates the third region, the initial LBT procedure is one or more of a Category 2 (CAT2) procedure or a CAT3 procedure, and the one or more processors: performing one or more of the CAT2 or CAT3 procedures; configured to transmit a RACH message by the RF module after performing one or more of the CAT2 procedure or the CAT3 procedure.

8. The UE of claim 7.

9. the region indication indicates the first region or the second region, the DCI CCA indication indicates no LBT procedure, and the one or more processors: configured to transmit the UL message by the RF module without performing an LBT procedure in response to the DCI CCA indication.

8. The UE of claim 7.

10. The region indication indicates the first region or the second region, and the one or more processors: receiving a random access response (RAR) message having a CCA indication, the CCA indication being 0, 1, or 2 bits; Execute an LBT procedure according to the CCA instructions; and further configured to transmit the UL message by the RF module in response to performing the LBT procedure.

8. The UE of claim 7.

11. the region indication indicates the second region, the DCI CCA indication indicates a CAT3 procedure, and the one or more processors: Execute the CAT3 procedure; configured to transmit the UL message by the RF module after performing the CAT3 procedure; 8. The UE of claim 7.

12. the region indication indicates the third region, the DCI CCA indication indicates one or more of a CAT2 procedure or a CAT3 procedure, and the one or more processors: performing one or more of the CAT2 or CAT3 procedures; configured to transmit the UL message by the RF module after performing one or more of the CAT2 procedure or the CAT3 procedure.

8. The UE of claim 7.

13. The DCI CCA indication is the received DCI without a dedicated CCA bit.

13. The UE of claim 12.

14. 1. A method for a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving a region indication for a clear channel assessment (CCA) procedure associated with a listen-before-talk (LBT) region configuration for one of a first region, a second region, or a third region; receiving downlink control information (DCI) comprising a DCI CCA indication; executing an initial LBT procedure associated with the region indication; transmitting a random access channel (RACH) message after performing the initial LBT procedure; transmitting an uplink (UL) message according to the DCI CCA indication; A method comprising:

15. the region indication indicates the first region, and the DCI CCA indication is a 1-bit CCA indicator indicating a non-LBT procedure, and the method includes: transmitting the UL message without performing an LBT operation; Further comprising:

15. The method of claim 14.

16. the region indication indicates the second region, and the DCI CCA indication is a 1-bit CCA indicator indicating a CAT3 procedure or no LBT procedure, and the method includes: performing the CAT3 procedure or not performing the LBT procedure according to the 1-bit CCA indicator; sending the UL message after performing the CAT3 procedure or after not performing the LBT procedure; Further comprising:

15. The method of claim 14.

17. the region indication indicates the third region, and the DCI CCA indication is a 1-bit CCA indicator indicating a CAT2 procedure or a CAT3 procedure, and the method includes: performing the CAT2 procedure or the CAT3 procedure; generating the UL message after performing the CAT2 procedure or the CAT3 procedure; Further comprising:

15. The method of claim 14.

18. the DCI CCA indication is a 2-bit CCA indicator included in DCI format 0_0 or DCI format 1_0, and indicates a category 1 (CAT1) procedure, a CAT2 procedure, or a CAT3 procedure; and the method includes: performing one of the CAT1, CAT2, or CAT3 procedures; transmitting the UL message after performing one of the CAT1, CAT2, or CAT3 procedures; Further comprising:

15. The method of claim 14.

19. one of the CAT1, CAT2, or CAT3 procedures is performed after establishing a cell-specific or UE-specific RRC connection; 20. The method of claim 18.

20. the region indication indicates the first region or the second region, the initial LBT procedure is a non-LBT procedure, and the method includes: transmitting the RACH message without performing an LBT procedure before transmitting the RACH message; Further comprising:

15. The method of claim 14.

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