Sidelink channel occupancy time sharing

Abstract

To provide a method, a processor, and an UE, for limiting a sidelink band unlicensed (SL-U) cyclic prefix expansion (CPE) start position and an identifier (ID) for sharing a channel time occupation (COT) in a system after 5G-NR.SOLUTION: A UE starts a channel access in an SL-U via an NR downlink type A or a type B multichannel access order. The UE does not share a COT with the UE in the case where the COT is secured, and the COT is started by a PSFCH type 1 channel access.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to wireless communications, and more particularly to an apparatus, system, and method for sidelink unlicensed spectrum (SL-U) cyclic prefix extension (CPE) starting position and identifier (ID) restriction for channel time occupancy (COT) sharing, e.g., in 5G NR systems and beyond. [Background technology]

[0002] The use of wireless communication systems is rapidly increasing. In recent years, wireless devices such as smartphones and tablet computers have become increasingly sophisticated. In addition to supporting telephony functions, many mobile devices now provide Internet access, email, text messaging, and navigation using the global positioning system (GPS), and can run sophisticated applications that take advantage of these functionalities. Some examples of wireless communication standards include GSM, UMTS (e.g., associated with a WCDMA or TD-SCDMA air interface), LTE, LTE Advanced (LTE-A), NR, HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), IEEE 802.11 (WLAN or Wi-Fi), BLUETOOTH™, and others.

[0003] The ever-increasing number of features and functionality being introduced into wireless communication devices also creates a continuing need to improve both wireless communication and wireless communication devices. In particular, it is important to ensure the accuracy of transmitted and received signals via user equipment (UE) devices, e.g., wireless devices such as cellular telephones, base stations, and relay stations used in wireless cellular communications. In addition, increasing the functionality of UE devices can place a significant strain on the battery life of the UE devices. Therefore, it is also very important to reduce the power requirements of UE device designs while enabling the UE devices to maintain good transmission and reception capabilities for improved communications. Therefore, improvements in this area are desirable. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Embodiments relate to wireless communications, and more particularly to apparatus, systems, and methods for sidelink unlicensed spectrum (SL-U) cyclic prefix extension (CPE) starting position and identifier (ID) restriction for channel time occupancy (COT) sharing, e.g., in 5G NR systems and beyond.

[0005] For example, in some embodiments, a UE (e.g., a baseband processor of the UE) may be configured to initiate channel access in the SL-U (e.g., the SL-U band and / or SL-U spectrum) via an NR downlink (DL) Type A or NR DL Type B multi-channel access procedure to perform multiple Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel (PSFCH) transmissions on multiple channels. The UE may also be configured to reserve a COT, and if the COT is initiated by PSFCH Type 1 channel access, the UE may not share the COT with other UEs, may share the COT with the corresponding UE, and may share the COT with any UEs expecting feedback during the COT.

[0006] As another example, in some embodiments, a UE (e.g., a baseband processor of the UE) may be configured to detect whether there is a reservation for a sidelink physical channel as part of initiating COT on the sidelink physical channel. The sidelink physical channel may include at least one of a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) or a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH). Additionally, the UE may be configured to initiate full-bandwidth transmission on the sidelink physical channel in response to detecting no reservation for the sidelink physical channel and to select multiple CPE start positions to avoid interference. Furthermore, the UE may be configured to initiate partial-bandwidth transmission on the sidelink physical channel based on one or more conditions in response to detecting a reservation for the sidelink physical channel and to select a CPE start position based on one or more conditions.

[0007] As a further example, in some embodiments, a UE (e.g., a baseband processor of the UE) may be configured to receive information from a transmitting UE that has initiated a COT. The information may be received on a shared RB set. Additionally, the UE may be configured to transmit using resources in the shared RB set during the COT.

[0008] As a further example, in some embodiments, the UE (e.g., a baseband processor of the UE) may be configured to initiate channel access in the SL-U spectrum. Additionally, the UE may be configured to determine whether the UE will have a partial bandwidth for transmission or a full bandwidth for transmission during the COT. Furthermore, the UE may be configured to select a channel access type based on the determination.

[0009] The techniques described herein may be implemented in and / or used in conjunction with several different types of devices, including, but not limited to, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), unmanned aerial vehicle controllers (UACs), UTM servers, base stations, access points, cellular telephones, tablet computers, wearable computing devices, portable media players, and any of a variety of other computing devices.

[0010] This Summary is intended to provide a brief overview of some of the subject matter described in this document. Accordingly, it should be understood that the above features are merely examples and should not be construed as narrowing the scope or spirit of the subject matter described herein. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter described herein will become apparent from the following Detailed Description, the drawings, and the claims.

[0011] A better understanding of the present subject matter may be obtained from the following detailed description of various embodiments when considered in conjunction with the following drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates an exemplary wireless communication system according to some embodiments.

[0013] [Figure 2] 1 is an exemplary block diagram of a base station according to some embodiments.

[0014] [Figure 3] 1 illustrates an example block diagram of a UE according to some embodiments.

[0015] [Figure 4] 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary modem or baseband processor according to some embodiments.

[0016] [Figure 5] Here is an example of oversharing of COT.

[0017] [Figure 6] 1 illustrates a UE providing feedback on a PSFCH both inside and outside a corresponding COT, according to some embodiments.

[0018] [Figure 7] 1 illustrates an example of a UE transmitting in a shared RB set according to some embodiments.

[0019] [Figure 8] 1 illustrates an example of a default configuration of a CCA, according to some embodiments.

[0020] [Figure 9] 1 illustrates an example of a UE transmitting using full transmission, according to some embodiments.

[0021] [Figure 10] 1 illustrates an example of a UE transmitting using partial bandwidth transmission.

[0022] [Figure 11] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example method for COT sharing for a PSFCH according to some embodiments.

[0023] [Figure 12] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example method for selecting a CPE starting position for sidelink physical channel transmission according to some embodiments.

[0024] [Figure 13] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example method for COT sharing for SL-U spectrum operations, according to some embodiments.

[0025] [Figure 14] 1 is a block diagram of an example of a method for determining a COT channel access type for SL-U spectrum operations according to some embodiments.

[0026] While the features described herein are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detailed description are not intended to limit the invention to the particular forms disclosed, but rather to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present subject matter as defined by the appended claims. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0027] acronym Various acronyms are used throughout this disclosure. Definitions of the most prominently used acronyms that may appear throughout this disclosure are provided below. ●3GPP: Third Generation Partnership Project ●UE: User Equipment ●RF: Radio frequency ●BS: Base station DL: Downlink ●UL: Uplink ●LTE: Long Term Evolution ●NR: New Radio ●5GS: 5G system ●5GMM: 5GS mobility management ●5GC / 5GCN: 5G core network ●SIM: Subscriber Identity Module eSIM: Embedded Subscriber Identity Module ●IE: Information Element ●CE: Control element ●MAC: Medium Access Control ●SSB: Synchronization signal block PDCCH: Physical Downlink Control Channel PDSCH: Physical Downlink Shared Channel ●RRC: Radio Resource Control term

[0028] The following is a description of terms used in this disclosure:

[0029] Memory medium—any of various types of non-transitory memory or storage devices. The term “memory medium” is intended to include, for example, installation media such as CD-ROMs, floppy disks, or tape drives; computer system memory or random access memory such as DRAM, DDR RAM, SRAM, EDO RAM, Rambus RAM; non-volatile memory such as magnetic media such as flash or hard drives, or optical storage; registers, or other similar types of memory elements. Memory media may also include other types of non-transitory memory, or combinations thereof. Additionally, memory media may be located in a first computer system on which a program is executed, or may be located in a second, different computer system connected to the first computer system via a network such as the Internet. In the latter case, the second computer system can provide program instructions to the first computer for execution. The term “memory medium” may also include two or more memory media that can reside in different locations, for example, in different computer systems connected via a network. A memory medium may store program instructions (e.g., embodied as a computer program) that can be executed by one or more processors.

[0030] Carrier Medium - memory media as described above, as well as physical transmission media such as buses, networks, and / or other physical transmission media that carry signals, such as electrical, electromagnetic, or digital signals.

[0031] Programmable Hardware Element—includes a variety of hardware devices with multiple programmable function blocks connected via programmable interconnects. Examples include Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs), Field Programmable Object Arrays (FPOAs), and Complex PLDs (CPLDs). Programmable function blocks can range in granularity from fine-grained (combinational logic or lookup tables) to coarse-grained (arithmetic logic units or processor cores). Programmable hardware elements may also be referred to as “reconfigurable logic.”

[0032] User Equipment (UE) (or "UE device")—Any of various types of mobile or handheld computer system devices that perform wireless communications. Examples of UE devices include mobile phones or smartphones (e.g., iPhone™, Android™-based phones), portable gaming devices (e.g., Nintendo DS™, PlayStation Portable™, Gameboy Advance™, iPhone™), laptops, wearable devices (e.g., smart watches, smart glasses), PDAs, portable Internet devices, music players, data storage devices, other handheld devices, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) (e.g., drones), UAV controllers (UACs), etc. In general, the terms "UE" or "UE device" can be broadly defined to encompass any electronic, computing, and / or telecommunications device (or combination of devices) that is easily carried by a user and capable of wireless communications.

[0033] Base Station - The term "base station" has the full scope of its ordinary meaning and includes at least a wireless communication station that is installed at a fixed location and used for communication as part of a wireless telephone or wireless system.

[0034] Processing Element (or Processor)—refers to various elements or combinations of elements capable of performing functions in a device such as user equipment or a cellular network device. A processing element may include, for example, a processor and associated memory, a portion or circuitry of an individual processor core, an entire processor core, a processor array, a circuit such as an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a programmable hardware element such as a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), and various combinations of the above.

[0035] Channel—A medium used to convey information from a sender (transmitter) to a receiver. Note that because the characteristics of the term “channel” may vary according to different wireless protocols, when used herein, the term “channel” is considered to be used consistent with the standard for the type of device with which the term is used. In some standards, channel width may be variable (e.g., depending on device capabilities, band conditions, etc.). For example, LTE may support scalable channel bandwidths from 1.4 MHz to 20 MHz. In contrast, WLAN channels may have a 22 MHz width, and Bluetooth channels may have a 1 MHz width. Other protocols and standards may include different channel definitions. Furthermore, some standards may define and use multiple types of channels, e.g., different channels for uplink or downlink, and / or different channels for different uses, such as data, control information, etc.

[0036] Band - The term "band" has the full scope of the ordinary meaning of band and includes at least that portion of the spectrum (e.g., the radio frequency spectrum) in which channels are used for a purpose or set aside for the same purpose.

[0037] Wi-Fi - The term "Wi-Fi" (or WiFi) has the full scope of its ordinary meaning and includes at least a wireless communication network or RAT served by wireless LAN (WLAN) access points and providing connectivity to the Internet through these access points. Most modern Wi-Fi networks (or WLAN networks) are based on the IEEE 802.11 standard and are marketed under the name "Wi-Fi." Wi-Fi (WLAN) networks are distinct from cellular networks.

[0038] 3GPP Access—Refers to access (e.g., radio access technology) specified by the 3GPP standards. These accesses include, but are not limited to, GSM / GPRS, LTE, LTE-A, and / or 5G NR. Generally, 3GPP access refers to various types of cellular access technologies.

[0039] Non-3GPP access—refers to any access (e.g., radio access technology) not specified by a 3GPP standard. These accesses include, but are not limited to, WiMAX, Wi-Fi, WLAN, and / or fixed networks. Non-3GPP accesses can be divided into two categories: “trusted” and “untrusted”: trusted non-3GPP accesses can interact directly with the Evolved Packet Core (EPC) and / or 5G Core (5GC), whereas untrusted non-3GPP accesses interact with the EPC / 5GC via network entities such as an Evolved Packet Data Gateway and / or a 5G NR Gateway. In general, non-3GPP accesses refer to various types of non-cellular access technologies.

[0040] Automatically—refers to an action or operation performed by a computer system (e.g., software executed by a computer system) or device (e.g., a circuit, programmable hardware element, ASIC, etc.) without user input directly specifying or executing the action or operation. Thus, the term “automatically” is contrasted with an operation that is manually performed or specified by a user, in which the user provides input to directly perform the operation. An automatic procedure may be initiated by input provided by a user, but the subsequent actions performed “automatically” are not specified by the user; i.e., they are not performed “manually,” with the user specifying each action to be performed. For example, a user filling out an electronic form by selecting each field and providing input specifying information (e.g., by typing information, selecting checkboxes, selecting radio selections, etc.) is considered manually filling out the form, even though the computer system must update the form in response to the user actions. A form may also be filled out automatically by a computer system, in which the computer system (e.g., software executed on the computer system) analyzes the form's fields and fills out the form without user input specifying answers to the fields. As noted above, a user can invoke automatic form filling but is not involved in the actual filling of the form (e.g., the user does not manually specify answers in fields, but rather the answers are completed automatically). This specification provides various examples of actions that are automatically performed in response to actions taken by a user.

[0041] Approximately—refers to a value that is nearly accurate or precise. For example, approximately may refer to a value that is within 1-10 percent of a precise (or desired) value. Note, however, that the actual threshold (or tolerance) may depend on the application. For example, in some embodiments, "approximately" may mean within 0.1% of some specified or desired value, while in various other embodiments, the threshold may be, for example, 2%, 3%, 5%, etc., as desired or required by the particular application.

[0042] Concurrent—refers to parallel execution or performance in which tasks, processes, or programs execute in an at least partially overlapping manner. For example, concurrent execution may be performed using “strong” or strict parallelism, where tasks are executed (at least partially) in parallel on respective computing elements, or “weak parallelism,” where tasks are executed in an interleaved manner, e.g., by time-division multiplexing of execution threads.

[0043] Various components may be described as being "configured to" perform a task or tasks. In this context, "configured to" is a broad description that generally means "having the structure" to perform a task or tasks during operation. Thus, a component may be configured to perform a task even when the component is not currently performing the task (e.g., a set of conductors may be configured to electrically connect a module to another module even when the two modules are not connected). In some contexts, "configured to" may be a broad description of a structure that generally means "having circuitry" to perform a task or tasks during operation. Thus, a component may be configured to perform a task even when the component is not currently on. In general, the circuitry forming the structure corresponding to "configured to" may include hardware circuitry.

[0044] In the description herein, for convenience, various components may be described as performing a task or tasks. Such descriptions should be construed to include the phrase "configured to." It is expressly intended that a description of a component being configured to perform one or more tasks does not invoke 35 U.S.C. 112(f) interpretation with respect to that component. Figure 1: Communication system

[0045] Figure 1 illustrates a simplified exemplary wireless communication system according to some embodiments. It should be noted that the system of Figure 1 is merely one example of a possible system, and that features of the present disclosure may be implemented in any of a variety of systems as desired.

[0046] As shown in the figure, the exemplary wireless communication system includes a base station 102A that communicates over a transmission medium with one or more user devices 106A, 106B, etc. through 106N. Each of the user devices may be referred to herein as a "user equipment" (UE). Accordingly, the user devices 106 are referred to as UEs or UE devices.

[0047] The base station (BS) 102A may be a base transceiver station (BTS) or cell site (cellular base station), and may include hardware that enables wireless communication with the UEs 106A-106N.

[0048] The communication area (or coverage area) of a base station may be referred to as a "cell." The base station 102A and the UE 106 may be configured to communicate over a transmission medium using any of a variety of radio access technologies (RATs), also referred to as wireless communication technologies or telecommunication standards, such as LTE, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), 5G New Radio (5G NR), Wi-Fi, etc. It should be noted that if the base station 102A is implemented in the context of LTE, it may alternatively be referred to as an "eNodeB" or an eNB. It should be noted that if the base station 102A is implemented in the context of 5G NR, it may alternatively be referred to as a "gNodeB" or a "gNB."

[0049] As shown, the base station 102A may also be equipped to communicate with a network 100 (e.g., a cellular service provider's core network, a telecommunications network such as the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), and / or the Internet, among other possibilities). Thus, the base station 102A may facilitate communications between user devices and / or between the user devices and the network 100. In particular, the cellular base station 102A may provide various telecommunications capabilities to the UE 106, such as voice, SMS, and / or data services.

[0050] Base station 102A and other similar base stations (such as base stations 102B-102N) operating according to the same or different cellular communication standards may be provided as a network of cells that can provide continuous or near-continuous overlaid services to UEs 106A-106N and similar devices via one or more cellular communication standards over a geographic area.

[0051] Thus, as shown in FIG. 1, base station 102A may function as a "serving cell" for UEs 106A-106N, and each UE 106 may also receive signals from (if possible within range of) one or more other cells (which may be provided by base stations 102B-102N and / or any other base stations), which may be referred to as "neighboring cells." Such cells may also facilitate communication between user devices and / or between user devices and network 100. Such cells may include "macro" cells, "micro" cells, "pico" cells, and / or cells providing any of various other granularities of coverage area size. For example, base stations 102A-102B shown in FIG. 1 may be macro cells, and base station 102N may be a micro cell. Other configurations are possible.

[0052] In some embodiments, the base station 102A may be a next-generation base station, e.g., a 5G New Radio (5G NR) base station, or "gNB." In some embodiments, the gNB may be connected to a conventional Evolved Packet Core (EPC) network and / or an NR Core (NRC) network. In addition, a gNB cell may include one or more Transition and Reception Points (TRPs). In addition, a UE capable of operating according to 5G NR may be connected to one or more TRPs in one or more gNBs.

[0053] Additionally, the UE 106 may be in communication with an access point 112, for example, using wireless networking (e.g., Wi-Fi) and / or peer-to-peer wireless communication protocols (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi peer-to-peer, etc.). The access point 112 may provide connectivity to the network 100.

[0054] It should be noted that the UE 106 may be capable of communicating using multiple wireless communication standards. For example, the UE 106 may be configured to communicate using wireless networking (e.g., Wi-Fi) and / or peer-to-peer wireless communication protocols (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi peer-to-peer, etc.) in addition to at least one cellular communication protocol (e.g., LTE, LTE-A, 5G NR, etc.). The UE 106 may additionally or alternatively be configured to communicate using one or more Global Navigational Satellite Systems (GNSS, e.g., GPS or GLONASS), one or more mobile television broadcast standards (e.g., ATSC-M / H or DVB-H), and / or any other wireless communication protocols, if desired. Other combinations of wireless communication standards (including three or more wireless communication standards) are also possible. Figure 2 - Base Station Block Diagram

[0055] 2 shows an exemplary block diagram of a base station 102, according to some embodiments. Note that the base station of FIG. 3 is merely one example of a possible base station. As shown, the base station 102 includes a processor(s) 204 that may execute program instructions for the base station 102. The processor(s) 204 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 240, which may be configured to receive addresses from the processor(s) 204 and translate those addresses to locations in memory (e.g., memory 260 and read-only memory (ROM) 250) or other circuits or devices.

[0056] The base station 102 may include at least one network port 270. The network port 270 may be configured to couple to a telephone network and provide devices, such as the UE device 106, with access to the telephone network as described above in FIGS.

[0057] Network port 270 (or additional network ports) may also or alternatively be configured to couple to a cellular network, for example, a core network of a cellular service provider. The core network may provide mobility-related services and / or other services to multiple devices, such as UE device 106. In some cases, network port 270 may couple to a telephone network through the core network and / or the core network may provide telephone service (e.g., between other UE devices serviced by the cellular service provider).

[0058] In some embodiments, the base station 102 may be a next-generation base station, e.g., a 5G New Radio (5G NR) base station, or "gNB." In such embodiments, the base station 102 may be connected to a conventional evolved packet core (EPC) network and / or an NR core (NRC) network. In addition, the base station 102 may be considered a 5G NR cell and may include one or more transition and reception points (TRPs). In addition, a UE capable of operating according to 5G NR may be connected to one or more TRPs in one or more gNBs.

[0059] The base station 102 may include at least one antenna 234, and possibly multiple antennas. The at least one antenna 234 may be configured to operate as a wireless transceiver and may be further configured to communicate with the UE device 106 via a radio 230. The antenna 234 communicates with the radio 230 via a communication chain 232. The communication chain 232 may be a receive chain, a transmit chain, or both. The radio 230 may be configured to communicate via various wireless communication standards, including, but not limited to, 5G NR, LTE, LTE-A, Wi-Fi, etc.

[0060] The base station 102 may be configured to communicate wirelessly using multiple wireless communication standards. In some cases, the base station 102 may include multiple radios, which may enable the base station 102 to communicate according to multiple wireless communication technologies. For example, one possibility is that the base station 102 may include an LTE radio for performing communications according to LTE and a 5G NR radio for performing communications according to 5G NR. In such a case, the base station 102 may be capable of operating as both an LTE base station and a 5G NR base station. Another possibility is that the base station 102 may include a multimode radio, which may perform communications according to any of multiple wireless communication technologies (e.g., 5G NR and Wi-Fi, LTE and Wi-Fi, etc.).

[0061] As described further herein below, the BS 102 may include hardware and software components for implementing or supporting the implementation of the features described herein. The processor 204 of the base station 102 may be configured to implement or support the implementation of some or all of the methods described herein, for example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively, the processor 204 may be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array), or as an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit), or a combination thereof. Alternatively (or in addition), the processor 204 of the BS 102, together with one or more of the other components 230, 232, 234, 240, 250, 260, and 270, may be configured to perform or support the execution of some or all of the features described herein.

[0062] Additionally, as described herein, the processor(s) 204 may be comprised of one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included within the processor(s) 204. Thus, the processor(s) 204 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of the processor(s) 204. Additionally, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of the processor(s) 204.

[0063] Further, as described herein, radio 230 may be comprised of one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included within radio 230. Thus, radio 230 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of radio 230. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of radio 230. Figure 3: UE block diagram

[0064] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary simplified block diagram of a communication device 106, according to some embodiments. Note that the communication device block diagram of FIG. 3 is merely one example of a possible communication device. According to embodiments, the communication device 106 may be a user equipment (UE) device, a mobile device or station, a wireless device or station, a desktop computer or computing device, a mobile computing device (e.g., a laptop, notebook, or portable computing device), a tablet, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), a UAV controller (UAC), and / or a combination of devices, among other devices. As shown in the figure, the communication device 106 may include a set of components 300 configured to perform core functions. For example, the set of components may be implemented as a system on chip (SOC), which may include portions for various purposes. Alternatively, the set of components 300 may be implemented as separate components or groups of components for various purposes. The set of components 300 may be coupled (e.g., communicatively, directly or indirectly) to various other circuits of the communication device 106.

[0065] For example, communication device 106 may include various types of memory (including, e.g., NAND flash 310), input / output interfaces such as connector I / F 320 (e.g., for connecting to a computer system, a dock, a charging station, input devices such as a microphone, a camera, a keyboard, output devices such as a speaker, etc.), a display 360 that may be integrated with communication device 106 or may be external to communication device 106, cellular communication circuitry 330 for 5G NR, LTE, GSM, etc., near- and medium-range wireless communication circuitry 329 (e.g., Bluetooth and WLAN circuitry), and wake-up radio circuitry 331. In some embodiments, communication device 106 may include wired communication circuitry (not shown), such as a network interface card for Ethernet.

[0066] Cellular communication circuitry 330 may be communicatively coupled (e.g., directly or indirectly) to one or more antennas, such as antennas 335 and 336, as shown. Near-medium range wireless communication circuitry 329 may also be communicatively coupled (e.g., directly or indirectly) to one or more antennas, such as antennas 337 and 338, as shown. Alternatively, near-medium range wireless communication circuitry 329 may be communicatively coupled (e.g., directly or indirectly) to antennas 335 and 336 in addition to or instead of being communicatively coupled (e.g., directly or indirectly) to antennas 337 and 338. Wake-up radio circuitry 331 may also be communicatively coupled (e.g., directly or indirectly) to one or more antennas, such as antennas 339a and 339b, as shown. Alternatively, the wake-up radio circuit 331 may be communicatively coupled (e.g., directly or indirectly) to antennas 339a and 339b in addition to or instead of being communicatively coupled (e.g., directly or indirectly) to antennas 335 and 336. The near-medium range wireless communication circuit 329 and / or the cellular communication circuit 330 may include multiple receive chains and / or multiple transmit chains for receiving and / or transmitting multiple spatial streams, such as in a Multiple-Input Multiple Output (MIMO) configuration. The wake-up radio circuit 331 may include a wake-up receiver, e.g., the wake-up radio circuit 331 may be a wake-up receiver. In some cases, the wake-up radio circuit 331 may be a low-power and / or ultra-low-power wake-up receiver. In some cases, the wake-up radio circuit may be powered / active only when the cellular communication circuit 330 and / or the near-medium range wireless communication circuit 329 are in a sleep / no-power / inactive state. In some cases, the wake-up radio circuitry 331 may monitor (e.g., periodically) a particular frequency / channel for a wake-up signal, the receipt of which may trigger the wake-up radio circuitry 331 to notify (e.g., directly and / or indirectly) the cellular communication circuitry 330 to enter a powered / active state.

[0067] In some embodiments, as described further below, the cellular communication circuitry 330 may include dedicated receive chains (e.g., a first receive chain for LTE and a second receive chain for 5G NR) for multiple RATs (e.g., including dedicated processors and / or radios and / or communicatively coupled, directly or indirectly, to the dedicated processors and / or radios). Additionally, in some embodiments, the cellular communication circuitry 330 may include a single transmit chain that can be switched between radios dedicated to particular RATs. For example, a first radio may be dedicated to a first RAT, e.g., LTE, and may communicate with a dedicated receive chain and a transmit chain shared with an additional radio, e.g., a second radio, which may be dedicated to a second RAT, e.g., 5G NR, and may communicate with a dedicated receive chain and a shared transmit chain.

[0068] Communication device 106 may also include and / or be configured for use with one or more user interface elements, which may include any of a variety of elements, such as a display 360 (which may be a touchscreen display), a keyboard (which may be a separate keyboard or may be implemented as part of the touchscreen display), a mouse, a microphone and / or speaker, one or more cameras, one or more buttons, and / or any of a variety of other elements capable of providing information to a user and / or receiving or interpreting user input.

[0069] The communication device 106 may further include one or more smart cards 345, which include Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) functionality, such as one or more Universal Integrated Circuit Cards (UICCs). Note that the term “SIM” or “SIM entity” is intended to include various types of SIM implementations or SIM functionality, such as one or more UICC(s) card(s) 345, one or more eUICCs, or one or more eSIMs, either removable or embedded. In some embodiments, the UE 106 may include at least two SIMs. Each SIM may run one or more SIM applications and / or implement SIM functionality. Thus, each SIM may be a single embeddable smart card that may be soldered onto a circuit board within the UE 106, for example, or each SIM 310 may be implemented as a removable smart card. Thus, the SIM may be one or more removable smart cards (such as a UICC card, sometimes referred to as a "SIM card"), and / or the SIM 310 may be one or more built-in cards (e.g., an embedded UICC (eUICC), sometimes referred to as an "eSIM" or "eSIM card").

[0070] As shown, SOC 300 may include processor(s) 302 that may execute program instructions for communication device 106 and display circuitry 304 that may perform graphics processing and provide display signals to display 360. Processor(s) 302 may be coupled to memory management unit (MMU) 340, which may be configured to receive addresses from processor(s) 302 and translate those addresses to locations in memory (e.g., memory 306, read-only memory (ROM) 350, NAND flash memory 310) and / or other circuits or devices, such as display circuitry 304, near-medium range wireless communication circuitry 329, cellular communication circuitry 330, connector I / F 320, and / or display 360. MMU 340 may be configured to perform memory protection and page table translation or setup. In some embodiments, MMU 340 may be included as part of processor(s) 302.

[0071] As noted above, the communications device 106 may be configured to communicate using wireless and / or wired communications circuitry. It should be noted that, as further described herein, the communications device 106 may be configured to perform a method for sidelink unlicensed spectrum (SL-U) cyclic prefix extension (CPE) starting position and identifier (ID) restriction for channel time occupancy (COT) sharing, e.g., in 5G NR systems and beyond.

[0072] As described herein, the communications device 106 may include hardware and software components that implement the above-described features for the communications device 106 to communicate a power-saving scheduling profile to a network. The processor 302 of the communications device 106 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein, for example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively (or additionally), the processor 302 may be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). Alternatively (or additionally), the processor 302 of the communications device 106 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein in conjunction with any one or more of the other components 300, 304, 306, 310, 320, 329, 330, 340, 345, 350, and 360.

[0073] Additionally, as described herein, the processor 302 may include one or more processing elements. Accordingly, the processor 302 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of the processor 302. Additionally, each of the integrated circuits may include a circuit (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of the processor(s) 302.

[0074] Further, as described herein, each of the cellular communication circuit 330 and the near / medium range wireless communication circuit 329 may include one or more processing elements. In other words, the cellular communication circuit 330 may include one or more processing elements, and similarly, the near / medium range wireless communication circuit 329 may include one or more processing elements. Thus, the cellular communication circuit 330 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of the cellular communication circuit 330. In addition, each of the integrated circuits may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of the cellular communication circuit 330. Similarly, the near / medium range wireless communication circuit 329 may include one or more ICs configured to perform the functions of the near / medium range wireless communication circuit 329. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of the near / medium range wireless communication circuit 329. Figure 4 - Modem or baseband processor block diagram

[0075] FIG. 4 shows an exemplary block diagram of a modem 400, which may also be referred to as a baseband processor 400, according to some embodiments. The modem 400 may provide signal processing functionality for one or more wireless communication technologies, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and / or cellular (e.g., 3GPP) communication technologies. Thus, in one possibility, the modem 400 may represent a Wi-Fi modem. For example, the modem 400 shown in FIG. 4 may represent one possible example of the Wi-Fi modem 232 shown in FIG. 2. In another possibility, the modem 400 may represent a cellular modem or a cellular baseband processor. For example, the modem 400 shown in FIG. 4 may represent one possible example of the cellular modem 234 shown in FIG. 2. In yet another possibility, the modem 400 may represent a Bluetooth modem. For example, the modem 400 shown in FIG. 4 may represent one possible example of the Wi-Fi modem 236 shown in FIG. 2. In some embodiments, the modem 400 may implement functionality for supporting communication according to multiple wireless communication technologies. In at least some embodiments, modem 400 may execute a real-time operating system, for example, to facilitate the performance of timing-dependent wireless communication functions.

[0076] Modem 400 may include processing circuitry 402, which may include one or more processor cores, ASICs, programmable hardware elements, digital signal processors, and / or other processing elements. The processing circuitry may be capable of preparing baseband signals for upconversion and transmission by radio circuitry of the wireless device and / or for processing baseband signals received and downconverted by radio circuitry of the wireless device. Such processing may include signal modulation, encoding, decoding, etc., among various possible functions. The processing circuitry may also or alternatively be capable of performing functions for one or more baseband and / or other layers / sublayers of a protocol stack for the wireless communication technology(ies) implemented by modem 400, such as physical layer (PHY) functions, media access control (MAC) functions, logical link control (LLC) functions, radio resource control (RRC) functions, radio link control (RLC) functions, etc. In some embodiments, modem 400 itself may include at least some radio circuitry (e.g., for performing conversion of input baseband signals to radio frequency signals and / or conversion of input radio frequency signals to baseband signals). Alternatively, or in addition, some or all of such functionality may be performed by a separate radio / transceiver component of the wireless device.

[0077] Modem 400 may also include memory 404, which may include a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium. Memory 404 may include program instructions for performing signal processing and / or any of a variety of possible general processing functions. Processing circuitry 402 may be capable of executing program instructions stored in memory 404. Memory 404 may also store data generated and / or used during processing performed by processing circuitry 402.

[0078] As shown, modem 400 may further include interface circuitry for communicating with other components of a wireless device (such as STA 106 or AP 104 shown in FIGS. 1-3), such as, for example, an application processor, radio / transceiver circuitry, and / or any of various other components. Such interfaces may be implemented in any of a variety of ways. For example, one possibility is that modem 400 may have a direct interface with the transceiver circuitry of the wireless device and an additional indirect interface with the application processor and / or other components of the wireless device via a system bus. Other configurations are also possible.

[0079] According to at least some embodiments, the hardware and software components of modem 400 may be configured to implement or support the implementation of features described herein, such as, for example, performing methods for sidelink unlicensed spectrum (SL-U) cyclic prefix extension (CPE) starting position and identifier (ID) restriction for channel time occupancy (COT) sharing in 5G NR systems and beyond, among various other possible features. Processing circuitry 402 of modem 400 may be configured to implement or support the implementation of some or all of the methods described herein, for example, by executing program instructions stored in memory (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium) 404 and / or by using dedicated hardware components. SL-U CPE starting position and ID restrictions for COT sharing

[0080] Currently, in dynamic channel access mode with multi-channel access in sidelink unlicensed (SL-U) operation, it is agreed that both NR unlicensed (NR-U) downlink Type-A (e.g., the device performs an individual backoff instance per carrier before accessing the carrier) and Type-B (e.g., the device performs a backoff instance on a randomly selected carrier or resource block (RB) set, and, if successful, performs Type 2 channel access on another carrier / RB set so that the device can simultaneously access a group of channels) multi-channel access procedures are supported for multiple physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) transmissions on multiple channels. However, various issues remain for further study, including whether such a mechanism can initiate a shared channel occupation time (COT) and / or whether there are any specific procedures required for transmissions in a shared COT on one or more of the channels.

[0081] Furthermore, when initiating COT, if multiple CPE (cyclic prefix extension) start candidate positions are configured (pre-configured) for physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) / physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) transmissions, for partial resource block (RB) set resource allocation, the UE may select a CPE start position according to one of various criteria, which may be down-selected based on reservation information. The various criteria may include a (pre-configured) default CPE start position and the highest priority among the detected and transmitted reservations (note that the exact conditions and how to use the reservation information need to be determined). Other criteria left for future study include whether such behavior should be allowed for full RB set resource allocation, whether the use of reservation information may be conditional on the presence of other technologies (e.g., NR-U), and / or other conditions / criteria, including a comparison of the energy detection threshold (EDT) with the measured energy associated with an existing reservation. Also, when initiating COT, if multiple CPE start candidate positions are (pre)configured for PSCCH / PSSCH transmission, for full RB set resource allocation, the CPE start position is randomly selected from one or more CPE start candidate positions (pre)configured for each PSCCH / PSSCH transmission priority. However, what remains for future study is whether such behavior should be allowed for partial RB set resource allocation (note that the exact conditions and whether / how to use reservation information need to be determined), whether the UE should use only the selected CPE start position, or whether CPE start position(s) after the selected CPE start position (e.g., in the case of failure or non-termination) can also be used, and whether the use of reservation information is conditional on the presence of other technologies (e.g., NR-U, etc.). Furthermore, whether any of these behaviors apply only to Mode 2 operation or can also include Mode 1 operation remains for future study.Additionally, it should be noted that in the sidelink, resource reservations may be transmitted for periodic transmissions (e.g., where initial transmission resources may be reserved) and Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) transmissions (e.g., where the initial transmission may reserve resources for HARQ retransmissions, if necessary), but not for dedicated reservation signal transmissions (e.g., burst transmissions, where the initial transmission may not be reserved).

[0082] Furthermore, it is agreed that on a shared COT, a responding UE can be a receiving UE (e.g., a target of a PSCCH / PSSCH transmission of a COT initiator) or a UE identified by an ID. Note that in the case of a unicast from a COT initiator, a responding UE can transmit within the same COT when the source ID and destination ID included in the sidelink control information (SCI) of the COT initiator match the corresponding destination ID and source ID for the same unicast in the receiving UE. Note also that in the case of groupcast and broadcast, a responding UE can transmit within the same COT when the destination ID included in the SCI of the COT initiator matches the destination ID known in the receiving UE. Furthermore, a UE identified by an ID can transmit in the same COT as the COT initiator if additional IDs (e.g., in addition to the source ID and destination ID of a PSCCH / PSSCH transmission) are supported in the COT shared information and when additional IDs are included in the COT shared information from the COT initiator. However, what remains for future study are restrictions on what additional IDs may be included as well as how the additional IDs may be indicated. Currently, with respect to SL-U COT sharing, when the COT is initialized with partial RB transmissions, multiple initiating UEs may be initiating UEs, each of which may share an additional ID that may lead to over-sharing of the COT with increased contention, as shown, for example, by FIG. 5.

[0083] Additionally, there may be blocking issues between Type 2A and Type 2B / 2C. Especially in the case of COT sharing, it is unclear how a sidelink UE decides whether Type 2A, Type 2B or Type 2C is used.

[0084] In view of the above, the following issues have been identified and improvements are desired. First, in the case of PSFCH multi-channel transmission, the interaction between Type 1 Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) and Type 2 CCA in a shared COT is unclear. Second, the selection of the CPE initiation position remains unclear. Third, in the case of SL-U COT sharing, it remains unclear when additional IDs can be indicated by the COT initiator. Finally, in the case of COT sharing, it is not clear how an SL UE determines whether Type 2A, Type 2B, or Type 2C is used.

[0085] Embodiments described herein provide systems, methods, and mechanisms for sidelink unlicensed band (SL-U) cyclic prefix extension (CPE) start position and identifier (ID) restriction for channel time occupancy (COT) sharing, including systems, methods, and mechanisms for COT sharing for PSFCH multi-channel transmissions, CPE start position determination in SL-U, ID restriction for SL-U COT sharing, and determining when to use Type 2A, Type 2B, and / or Type 2C for SL-U COT sharing.

[0086] For example, in some cases, for multi-channel access in SL-U, the COT initiated by PSFCH type 1 channel access may not be shared with other UEs (e.g., because another UE transmits during the COT). In such cases, the source ID may not be included in the PSFCH. In other cases, for multi-channel access in SL-U, the COT initiated by PSFCH type 1 channel access may be shared with corresponding UEs (e.g., UEs receiving transmissions from the COT initiator). Note that in such cases, only UEs receiving acknowledgement (ACK) / negative acknowledgement (NACK) feedback, or only NACK in the case of groupcast, may share the COT. In addition, the UE may know that the PSFCH is not transmitted using a shared COT. Note that the default channel access priority class (CAPC) may be priority 1. Therefore, the sharing UEs may transmit only traffic with CAPC priority 1 traffic. In yet another case, in case of multi-channel access in SL-U, the COT initiated by PSFCH Type 1 channel access may be shared by all UEs that may expect to transmit ACK / NACK.

[0087] As another example, in the case of multi-channel access in SL-U, when PSFCH transmission within the COT is Type 2 channel access, outside the COT it may be Type 1 channel access, and DL Type A and Type B may be used. In addition, a first UE (e.g., UE1) may transmit a PSFCH in different RB sets, some of the RB sets may be a shared COT, and some of the RB sets may require Type 1 channel access. Thus, in some cases, the first UE (e.g., UE1) may perform a Type A1 (e.g., independent random draw) multi-channel access procedure when outside the COT and independently perform Type 2 channel access within the COT, e.g., each RB set within the COT may be independently selected based on a random number. In other cases, the first UE (e.g., UE1) may perform a Type A2 (e.g., the maximum value of a chosen random number) multi-channel access procedure when outside the COT (e.g., a random number may be generated for each RB set and the maximum value of the random number may be used for all RB sets). In yet another case, a first UE (e.g., UE1) may perform a Type-B multi-channel access procedure on one of the RB sets, which may be randomly selected from the RB sets outside the COT. Furthermore, since Type-2A channel access may be required for the remaining RB sets to transmit, the same Type-2A channel access may be used for both within and outside the COT.

[0088] 6 illustrates UEs providing feedback on PSFCHs both inside and outside a corresponding COT, according to some embodiments. As shown, a first UE (e.g., UE1), which may be UE 106, may have sidelink communication, e.g., SL-U communication, with one or more other UEs, e.g., UE2, UE3, and UE4. Sidelink communication with UE2 may occur on a first resource block (RB) set (e.g., RBset1), sidelink communication with UE3 may occur on a second RB set (e.g., RBset2), and sidelink communication with UE4 may occur on a third RB set (e.g., RBset3). Further, as shown, UE1 may provide feedback for transmissions received from UE2 on the PSSCH / PSCCH in COT-initiating UE2 outside the COT initiated by UE2 (e.g., UE2 COT), feedback for transmissions on the PSSCH / PSCCH in UE3 within the COT initiated by UE3 (e.g., UE3 COT), and feedback for transmissions received from UE4 on the PSSCH / PSCCH in COT-initiating UE4 outside the COT initiated by UE4 (e.g., UE4 COT), e.g., via the PSFCH. Thus, in some instances, UE1 may perform Type A1 or Type A2 channel access to access RBset1 and RBset3 to provide feedback outside the UE2 COT and UE4 COT, and Type A2 or Type 2 channel access to access RBset2 to provide feedback inside the UE3 COT.

[0089] As another example, in some cases, in the case of full bandwidth transmission, a UE, such as UE 106, may randomly select one CPE from multiple configured CPE positions to determine and / or select a CPE start position. In some cases, if and / or when a clear channel access (CCA) procedure fails for the randomly selected CPE position, the UE may resume / re-initiate a Type 1 CCA procedure. In some cases, when the UE does not detect an existing reservation and the UE is not transmitting a reservation, the UE may select full bandwidth transmission and may use multiple CPE positions to avoid inference. In some cases, the UE may select partial bandwidth transmission (e.g., due to a small payload size). In such cases, an initial transmission reservation may have a higher priority than HARQ retransmissions. Additionally, if the UE detects that the reservation / transmitted reservation is for an HARQ retransmission, the UE may use one default CPE start position to allow other UEs to multiplex together. Furthermore, if the UE detects that the reservation / transmitted reservation is for an initial transmission, it may use a larger CPE (e.g., lower priority transmissions may be blocked) regardless of which traffic is of higher priority.

[0090] As a further example, in some cases, for SL-U UE COT sharing, a responding UE, such as UE 106, may transmit on any resource within the shared RB set, as shown by FIG. 7. As shown, a COT initiator, e.g., UE2, which may be UE 106, may transmit to a responding UE, e.g., UE1, which may be UE 106, using a partial bandwidth (e.g., a portion of a resource block (RB) set, such as RBset1). The responding UE may then transmit to the COT initiator using some or all of the bandwidth (e.g., some or all of the RB set). In some cases, for SL-U COT sharing, when an additional ID is used, the additional ID may be included only when the COT initiator UE has a full-bandwidth transmission. Alternatively, in some cases, for SL-U COT sharing, the additional ID may be included when the COT initiator UE has a full-bandwidth transmission and the COT initiator UE expects a transmission (e.g., interactive traffic) from the responding UE.

[0091] As yet another example, in some cases, for SL-U UE COT sharing, the default configuration for clear channel access (CCA) may be Type 2A (e.g., a 25 microsecond listening gap), as shown by FIG. 8. As shown, UE2 and UE4, which may both be UE 106, may each transmit on a partial bandwidth (e.g., each may use a portion of a resource block set, such as RB set 1). Thus, after a gap based on Type 2A CCA, UE1 may transmit to UE2, and UE4 may transmit again to UE3. In some cases, for SL-U UE COT sharing, when a COT initiator UE, such as UE 106, uses full-bandwidth transmission, the initiator COT UE may be configured for Type 2B or Type 2C CCA, e.g., via sidelink control information (SCI) COT sharing information, as shown by FIG. 9. As shown, UE2 may transmit on the full bandwidth for transmission to UE1 (e.g., use all of a resource block set, such as RB set 1). Furthermore, since UE2 continues transmitting, for example, to UE3, UE2 may not leave a gap between transmissions. However, once UE2 completes transmission, a gap based on Type 2B or Type 2C CCA may be used before UE1 and UE3 transmit to UE2. In some cases, in the case of SL-U UE COT sharing, to avoid multiple initiating COT UEs (e.g., for partial bandwidth transmissions) providing different Type 2A / Type 2B / Type 2C indications, when the CCA type is indicated by an initiator COT UE, such as UE106, only the initiator COT UE initiating full bandwidth transmission dynamically indicates the CCA type. In such cases, for an initiator COT UE using partial bandwidth transmission, dynamic indication of the CCA type may not be allowed, and, for example, a default CCA may always be indicated, as shown by FIG. 10. As shown, UE2 may be performing a groupcast to UE1 and UE3. In such a case, after a gap based on Type 2B or Type 2C CCA, UE1 and UE3 may transmit to UE2.In some cases, in the case of SL-U UE COT sharing, gap symbols may be included between transmissions when the transmitting UE changes. In some cases, the gap symbols may be PSSCH transmissions using rate matching, CPE transmissions of one symbol, and / or CPE transmissions using a length equal to one symbol (e.g., 16 microseconds).

[0092] 11 is a block diagram of an example method for COT sharing of a PSFCH, according to some embodiments. The method shown in FIG. 11 can be used in conjunction with any of the systems, methods, or devices shown in the figure, among other devices. For example, a processor of such a device (such as baseband processor 400 shown in and described with respect to FIG. 4) can be configured to cause the device to perform any combination of the method elements shown in the figure and / or other method elements. In various embodiments, some of the method elements shown may be performed simultaneously, in a different order than shown, or omitted. Additional method elements may be performed as desired. As shown in the figure, the method may operate as follows.

[0093] At 1102, a UE, such as UE 106, may initiate channel access in the SL-U spectrum via an NR DL Type A or NR DL Type B multi-channel access procedure to perform multiple PSFCH transmissions on multiple channels.

[0094] At 1104, the UE may reserve a channel occupation time (COT). In some cases, if the COT is initiated by PSFCH type 1 channel access, the UE may not share the COT with other UEs, may share the COT with the corresponding UE, or may share the COT with any UE expecting feedback during the COT. In some cases, when the COT is not shared with other UEs, the UE may not include a source identifier (ID) in the PSFCH. In some cases, when the COT is not shared with other UEs, the UE may not include a destination identifier (ID) in the PSFCH. In some cases, when the COT is shared with a corresponding UE, the corresponding UE may be defined as a UE that receives feedback for unicast transmissions between the UE and the corresponding UE or a UE that receives negative acknowledgement (NACK) feedback for groupcast transmissions. In some cases, the COT may not be a shared COT. In some cases, the default channel access priority class (CAPC) may be 1. In such cases, the corresponding UE may be limited to transmitting traffic with CAPC priority 1 traffic. In some instances, the feedback may include at least one of an acknowledgement (ACK) transmitted on the PSFCH or a negative ACK (NACK) transmitted on the PSFCH.

[0095] FIG. 12 is a block diagram of an example method for selecting a CPE starting position for sidelink physical channel transmission, according to some embodiments. The method illustrated in FIG. 12 can be used in conjunction with any of the systems, methods, or devices illustrated in the figure, among other devices. For example, a processor in such a device (such as baseband processor 400 shown in and described with respect to FIG. 4) may be configured to cause the device to perform any combination of the method elements illustrated in the figure and / or other method elements. In various embodiments, some of the illustrated method elements may be performed simultaneously, in a different order than illustrated, or omitted. Additional method elements may be performed as desired. As shown in the figure, the method may operate as follows.

[0096] At 1202, a UE, such as the UE 106, may detect whether there is a reservation for a sidelink physical channel as part of initiating COT on the sidelink physical channel. The sidelink physical channel may include at least one of a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) or a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH).

[0097] At 1204, in response to detecting no reservation for the sidelink physical channel, the UE may initiate full-bandwidth transmission on the sidelink physical channel and select multiple CPE start positions to avoid interference. In some instances, to select multiple CPE start positions to avoid interference, the UE may randomly select a first CPE start position from the multiple CPE start positions, perform a CCA procedure for the first CPE start position, and, in response to failure of the CCA procedure using the first CPE start position, randomly select a second CPE start position from the multiple CPE start positions and perform a CCA procedure for the second CPE start position. In some instances, to select multiple CPE start positions to avoid interference, the UE may randomly select a first CPE start position from the multiple CPE start positions, perform a CCA procedure for the first CPE start position, and, in response to failure of the CCA procedure using the first CPE start position, trigger a resource reselection procedure.

[0098] At 1206, the UE may initiate a partial bandwidth transmission on the sidelink physical channel based on one or more conditions in response to detecting that there is a reservation for the sidelink physical channel and may select a CPE start position based on the one or more conditions. In some cases, the one or more conditions may include whether the initial transmission of the reservation has a higher priority than a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) transmission and whether the reservation is for an HARQ retransmission. In some cases, when the reservation is for an HARQ retransmission, to select a CPE start position based on the one or more conditions, the UE may select a default CPE start position. The default CPE start position may allow other UE transmissions to be multiplexed with the UE's transmissions on the physical sidelink channel. In some cases, when the initial transmission of the reservation has a higher priority than a HARQ transmission, to select a CPE start position based on the one or more conditions, the UE may select a CPE start position based on the priority of the traffic for the partial bandwidth transmission. In such cases, higher priority traffic may use a larger CPE start position than lower priority traffic, thereby blocking the lower priority traffic.

[0099] FIG. 13 is a block diagram of an example method for COT sharing for SL-U spectrum operations, according to some embodiments. The method shown in FIG. 13 can be used in conjunction with any of the systems, methods, or devices shown in the figure, among other devices. For example, a processor in such a device (such as baseband processor 400 shown in and described with respect to FIG. 4) may be configured to cause the device to perform any combination of the method elements shown in the figure and / or other method elements. In various embodiments, some of the method elements shown may be performed simultaneously, in a different order than shown, or omitted. Additional method elements may be performed as desired. As shown in the figure, the method may operate as follows.

[0100] At 1302, a UE, such as UE 106, may receive information from a transmitting UE that has initiated COT. The information may be received on a shared RB set.

[0101] At 1304, the UE may transmit using resources in the shared RB set during the COT.

[0102] In some cases, the information may be data traffic. In such cases, the UE may be a responding UE during the COT.

[0103] In some cases, the transmitting UE may have full bandwidth transmission capability during the COT. In such cases, the transmitting UE may anticipate interactive traffic with the responding UE. Further, the information may include an identifier associated with the UE. In such cases, the transmission may be based on the UE determining receipt of an identifier associated with the UE.

[0104] FIG. 14 is a block diagram of an example method for determining a channel access type of a COT for SL-U spectrum operations, according to some embodiments. The method shown in FIG. 14 can be used in conjunction with any of the systems, methods, or devices shown in the figure, among other devices. For example, a processor in such a device (such as baseband processor 400 shown in and described with respect to FIG. 4) may be configured to cause the device to perform any combination of the method elements shown in the figure and / or other method elements. In various embodiments, some of the method elements shown may be performed simultaneously, in a different order than shown, or omitted. Additional method elements may be performed as desired. As shown in the figure, the method may operate as follows.

[0105] At 1402, a UE, such as UE 106, may initiate channel access in the SL-U spectrum.

[0106] At 1404, the UE may determine whether the UE will have a partial bandwidth for transmission or a full bandwidth for transmission during the COT.

[0107] At 1406, the UE may select a channel access type based on the determination.

[0108] In some cases, when the UE has partial bandwidth for transmission during the COT to select a channel access type based on determining, the UE may select a Type 2A CCA procedure. Furthermore, the UE may indicate to UEs sharing the COT that Type 2A CCA should be used during the COT. Type 2A CCA may be the default CCA for SL-U COT sharing.

[0109] In some cases, when the UE has full bandwidth for transmission during the COT to select a channel access type based on determining, the UE may select one of the Type 2B CCA procedure or the Type 2C CCA procedure. Further, the UE may indicate the selected channel access type to UEs sharing the COT.

[0110] In some cases, gap symbols may be included between transmissions from different UEs, and in some cases, gap symbols may be included as one symbol of the CPE and / or one symbol of the cyclic prefix extension (CPE) length during transmission of a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) using rate matching.

[0111] 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.

[0112] Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in any of a variety of forms. For example, some embodiments may be implemented as a computer-implemented method, a computer-readable storage medium, or a computer system. Other embodiments may be implemented using one or more custom-designed hardware devices, such as an ASIC. Still other embodiments may be implemented using one or more programmable hardware elements, such as an FPGA.

[0113] In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium may be configured to store program instructions and / or data that, when executed by a computer system, cause the computer system to perform the method, e.g., any of the method embodiments described herein, or a combination of the method embodiments described herein, or a subset of the method embodiments described herein, or a combination of such subsets.

[0114] In some embodiments, a device (e.g., UE 106) may be configured to include a processor (or set of processors) and a storage medium, the storage medium storing program instructions, the processor configured to read and execute the program instructions from the storage medium, the program instructions executable to implement various method embodiments described herein (or a combination of the method embodiments described herein, or any subset of any of the method embodiments described herein, or a combination of such subsets). The device may be embodied in any of a variety of forms.

[0115] Any of the methods described herein for operating a user equipment (UE) may be the basis for a corresponding method for operating a base station by interpreting each message / signal X received by the UE on the downlink as a message / signal X transmitted by the base station, and each message / signal Y transmitted by the UE on the uplink as a message / signal Y received by the base station.

[0116] Although the above embodiments have been described in considerable detail, numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated, and it is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such variations and modifications.

Claims

1. 1. A method for channel occupation time (COT) sharing of a physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH), comprising: initiating channel access in a sidelink unlicensed (SL-U) spectrum via a New Radio (NR) downlink (DL) Type A or NR DL Type B multi-channel access procedure to perform multiple PSFCH transmissions on multiple channels; reserving a channel occupation time (COT), wherein if the COT is initiated by a PSFCH type 1 channel access, the COT is not shared with other user equipment devices (UEs) and no source identifier (ID) is included in the PSFCH.

2. The destination identifier (ID) is not included in the PSFCH. The method of claim 1.

3. If the COT is initiated by a PSFCH type 2 channel access, the method comprises: performing a Type A1 multi-channel access procedure when outside the COT. The method of claim 1.

4. performing the Type A1 multi-channel access procedure includes randomly selecting a resource block set outside the COT; The method of claim 3.

5. If the COT is initiated by a PSFCH type 2 channel access, the method comprises: performing a Type A2 multi-channel access procedure when outside the COT. The method of claim 1.

6. performing the Type A2 multi-channel access procedure, assigning a random number to each resource block set outside the COT; selecting the resource block set assigned the maximum random number; The method of claim 5.

7. If the COT is initiated by a PSFCH type 2 channel access, the method comprises: performing a Type B multi-channel access procedure when outside the COT. The method of claim 1.

8. the Type-B multi-channel access procedure is performed on a subset of a resource block set that is outside the COT; The method of claim 7.

9. the subset of resource block sets is selected randomly. The method of claim 8.

10. 1. A baseband processor, comprising: Memory and a processing circuit in communication with the memory, the processing circuit comprising: initiating channel access in a sidelink unlicensed (SL-U) spectrum via a New Radio (NR) downlink (DL) Type A or NR DL Type B multi-channel access procedure to perform multiple Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel (PSFCH) transmissions on multiple channels; and reserving a channel occupation time (COT), wherein if the COT is initiated by a PSFCH type 1 channel access, the COT is not shared with other user equipment devices (UEs) and a source identifier (ID) is not included in the PSFCH.

11. The destination identifier (ID) is not included in the PSFCH. The baseband processor of claim 10.

12. If the COT is initiated by a PSFCH type 2 channel access, the processing circuitry and further configured to perform a Type A1 multi-channel access procedure when outside the COT. The baseband processor of claim 10.

13. If the COT is initiated by a PSFCH type 2 channel access, the processing circuitry and further configured to perform a Type A2 multi-channel access procedure when outside the COT. The baseband processor of claim 10.

14. If the COT is initiated by a PSFCH type 2 channel access, the processing circuitry and further configured to perform a Type B multi-channel access procedure when outside the COT. The baseband processor of claim 10.

15. A user equipment device (UE), comprising: at least one antenna; at least one radio in communication with said at least one antenna; at least one processor in communication with the at least one radio, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: initiating channel access in a sidelink unlicensed (SL-U) spectrum via a New Radio (NR) downlink (DL) Type A or NR DL Type B multi-channel access procedure to perform multiple Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel (PSFCH) transmissions on multiple channels; A user equipment device (UE) configured to reserve a channel occupation time (COT), wherein if the COT is initiated by a PSFCH type 1 channel access, the COT is not shared with other user equipment devices (UEs) and a source identifier (ID) is not included in the PSFCH.

16. The destination identifier (ID) is not included in the PSFCH.

16. The UE of claim 15.

17. If the COT is initiated by a PSFCH type 2 channel access, the at least one processor: When outside the COT, a Type A1 multi-channel access procedure; When outside the COT, a Type A2 multi-channel access procedure, or a Type B multi-channel access procedure when outside the COT.

16. The UE of claim 15.

Images