Techniques for ue-to-ue channel occupancy time sharing in unlicensed spectrum

Abstract

The various formats described in this case typically involve wireless communication. In some formats, a first user equipment (UE) can determine one or more contention slot start times, at least in part, based on the pre-call listening duration and the automatic gain control duration, during a channel occupancy period shared with a second UE. The first UE can then send sidelink communication to the second UE at one or more of the selected start times from the contention slots. Many other formats are also provided.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The contents of this case generally relate to wireless communications, and more specifically to techniques and apparatus for sharing user equipment (UE) to UE channel occupancy time in unlicensed spectrum. [Previous Technology]

[0002] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various telecommunications services, such as telephone, video, data, messaging, and broadcasting. Typical wireless communication systems may employ multiplexing access technologies that support communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., bandwidth, transmit power, etc.). Examples of such multiplexing access technologies include Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) systems, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) systems, Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) systems, Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) systems, Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) systems, Time Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA) systems, and Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems. LTE / LTE-Advanced is a set of enhancements to the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) mobile service standard released by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).

[0003] A wireless communication network may include several base stations (BSs) capable of supporting communication for several user equipments (UEs). User equipments (UEs) may communicate with base stations (BSs) via downlinks and uplinks. A downlink (or forward link) refers to the communication link from the BS to the UE, and an uplink (or reverse link) refers to the communication link from the UE to the BS. As will be described in detail herein, a BS may be referred to as a Node B, gNB, Access Point (AP), Radio Headend, Transmit / Receive Point (TRP), New Radio (NR) BS, 5G Node B, etc.

[0004] These multiplexing access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunications standards to provide a common protocol enabling different user equipment to communicate at the municipal, national, regional, and even global levels. New Radio (NR) (also known as 5G) is a set of enhancements to the LTE mobile service standard released by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). NR is designed to better support mobile broadband internet access by: improving spectrum efficiency; reducing costs; improving service; utilizing new spectrum; and using Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) with Cyclic Prefix (CP) on the downlink (DL), and using CP-OFDM and / or SC-FDM (e.g., also known as Discrete Fourier Transform Extended OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM)) on the uplink (UL), as well as supporting beamforming, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technologies, and carrier aggregation, to better integrate with other open standards. However, with the continued increase in demand for mobile broadband access, there is a need for further improvements to LTE and NR technologies. Preferably, these improvements should be applicable to other multiplexing access technologies and telecommunications standards that employ such technologies. [Summary of the Invention]

[0005] In some embodiments, a method of wireless communication performed by a first user equipment (UE) may include: determining a contention slot start time based at least in part on a talk-before-sound (LBT) duration and an automatic gain control (AGC) duration during a channel occupancy period shared with a second UE; and sending a sidelink communication to the second UE at a start time selected from one or more of the contention slot start times.

[0006] In some embodiments, a first UE for wireless communication may include a memory and one or more processors operatively coupled to the memory. The memory and the one or more processors may be configured to: determine the start time of one or more contention slots based at least in part on the LBT duration and AGC duration during a channel occupancy period shared with a second UE; and send sidelink communication to the second UE at a start time selected from one or more of the one or more contention slot start times.

[0007] In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable medium may store one or more instructions for wireless communication. When executed by one or more processors of the first UE, the one or more instructions may cause the one or more processors to perform the following operations: during a channel occupancy period shared with the second UE, determine one or more contention slot start times based at least in part on the LBT duration and AGC duration; and at a start time selected from one or more of the contention slot start times, send sidelink communication to the second UE.

[0008] In some embodiments, an apparatus for wireless communication may include: means for determining the start time of one or more contention slots, at least in part based on the LBT duration and the AGC duration, during a channel occupancy period shared with the UE; and means for sending sidelink communication to the UE at a start time selected from one or more of the one or more contention slot start times.

[0009] In some states, the start time of one or more contention slots appears in one or more of the last symbol in the current slot or the first symbol in the next slot.

[0010] In some states, the LBT duration begins from the start of the last symbol in the current time slot, and the AGC duration includes at least a portion of the first symbol in the next time slot.

[0011] In some states, the start time of the one or more contention slots appears in a window between the end time of the LBT duration and the start time of the AGC duration.

[0012] In some cases, the portion of the first symbol in the next time slot corresponding to the duration of the AGC is at least partially based on the subcarrier interval.

[0013] In some states, the number of start times of the one or more contention slots is at least partially based on the duration of the contention slots.

[0014] In some cases, the number of the one or more contention slot start times is at least partially based on the subcarrier interval.

[0015] In some cases, the duration of the LBT has a length that depends on the location of the first symbol in which the side link communication is transmitted.

[0016] In some states, the start time of the one or more contention slots is identified relative to the end time of the LBT duration.

[0017] In some states, the start time of the one or more contention slots is identified relative to the start time of the AGC duration.

[0018] In some cases, the start time for sending the crosslink communication on this side is randomly selected from one or more of the contention slot start times.

[0019] As substantially described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings and description and as shown by means of the accompanying drawings and description, the various types generally include methods, apparatus, systems, computer program products, non-transitory computer-readable media, user equipment, base stations, wireless communication equipment and / or processing systems.

[0020] The features and technical advantages of examples based on the content of this case have been summarized quite extensively above in order to better understand the following detailed description. Other features and advantages will be described below. The disclosed concepts and specific examples can be readily used as the basis for modifying or designing other structures for achieving the same purpose as the content of this case. Such equivalent structures do not depart from the scope of the appended claims. The features (organization and operation) of the concepts disclosed herein, as well as the associated advantages, will be better understood from the following description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Each drawing is provided for illustrative and descriptive purposes and not as a definition of limitation on the scope of the claims.

Implementation Method

[0021] Various forms of the present invention are described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention can be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to any particular structure or function provided throughout the present invention. Rather, these forms are provided to make the present invention thorough and complete, and to fully convey the scope of the present invention to those skilled in the art. Based on the teachings herein, one should understand that the scope of the present invention is intended to cover any form of the present invention disclosed herein, whether implemented independently or in combination with any other form of the present invention. For example, any number of forms set forth herein can be used to implement an apparatus or method of practice. In addition, the scope of the present invention is intended to cover such apparatus or methods practiced using structures, functions, or structures and functions other than those set forth herein or not set forth herein. It should be understood that any form of the present invention disclosed herein can be embodied by one or more elements of the claim.

[0022] Several aspects of a telecommunications system will now be presented with reference to various apparatuses and techniques. These apparatuses and methods will be described in detail below and are illustrated in the accompanying drawings by means of various blocks, modules, components, circuits, steps, programs, algorithms, etc. (collectively, "elements"). These elements can be implemented using hardware, software, or a combination thereof. Whether these elements are implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the entire system.

[0023] It should be noted that although the various forms may be described herein using terms commonly associated with 3G and / or 4G wireless technologies, the various forms of the content herein may be applied to communication systems based on other generations, such as 5G and later, including NR technology.

[0024] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating a wireless network 100 in which various configurations of the present invention can be implemented. The wireless network 100 can be an LTE network or some other wireless network, such as a 5G or NR network. The wireless network 100 may include several base stations 110 (shown as BS 110a, BS 110b, BS 110c, and BS 110d) and other network entities. A BS is an entity that communicates with a user equipment (UE) and may also be referred to as a base station, NR BS, Node B, gNB, 5G Node B (NB), access point, Transmit / Receive Point (TRP), etc. Each BS can provide communication coverage for a specific geographic area. In 3GPP, the term "cell" can refer to the coverage area of ​​a BS and / or the BS subsystem serving that coverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used.

[0025] A BS can provide communication coverage for macrocells, picocells, femtocells, and / or other types of cells. A macrocell can cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., a radius of several kilometers) and can allow unrestricted access for UEs with service subscriptions. A picocell can cover a relatively small geographic area and can allow unrestricted access for UEs with service subscriptions. A femtocell can cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a home) and can allow restricted access for UEs associated with the femtocell (e.g., UEs in a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG)). A BS used for macrocells can be referred to as a macro BS. A BS used for picocells can be referred to as a pico BS. A BS used for femtocells can be referred to as a femtocell BS or a home BS. In the example shown in Figure 1, BS 110a can be a macro BS for macrocell 102a, BS 110b can be a pico BS for picocell 102b, and BS 110c can be a femtocell BS for femtocell 102c. A BS can support one or more (e.g., three) cells. The terms “eNB”, “base station”, “NR BS”, “gNB”, “TRP”, “AP”, “node B”, “5G NB” and “cell” are used interchangeably in this document.

[0026] In some states, the cell may not necessarily be stationary, and the geographical area of ​​the cell may move depending on the location of the active BS. In some states, the BS may use any suitable transport network to interconnect with each other and / or interconnect to one or more other BSs or network nodes (not shown) in the wireless network 100 via various types of backhaul interfaces such as direct physical connections, virtual networks, etc.

[0027] The wireless network 100 may also include a relay station. A relay station is an entity that receives data transmissions from an upstream station (e.g., a BS or a UE) and transmits the data transmissions to a downstream station (e.g., a UE or a BS). A relay station may also be a UE that relays transmissions for other UEs. In the example shown in Figure 1, relay station 110d can communicate with macro BS 110a and UE 120d to facilitate communication between BS 110a and UE 120d. A relay station may also be referred to as a relay BS, relay base station, relay, etc.

[0028] Wireless network 100 can be a heterogeneous network comprising different types of BSs (e.g., macro BS, pico BS, femto BS, repeater BS, etc.). These different types of BSs can have different transmit power levels, different coverage areas, and different effects on interference in wireless network 100. For example, macro BSs can have high transmit power levels (e.g., 5 to 40 watts), while pico BSs, femto BSs, and repeater BSs can have lower transmit power levels (e.g., 0.1 to 2 watts).

[0029] The network controller 130 can be coupled to a group of BSs and provide coordination and control for such BSs. The network controller 130 can communicate with the BSs via backhaul. The BSs can also communicate with each other, for example, directly or indirectly via wireless or wired backhaul.

[0030] UE 120 (e.g., 120a, 120b, 120c) may be distributed throughout the wireless network 100, and each UE may be fixed or mobile. UE may also be referred to as an access terminal, terminal, mobile station, user unit, station, etc. UE may be a cellular telephone (e.g., a smartphone), personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless modem, wireless communication device, handheld device, laptop, wireless telephone, wireless loop (WLL) station, tablet computer, camera, gaming device, laptop, smart computer, ultrabook, medical device or medical apparatus, biometric sensor / device, wearable device (smartwatch, smart clothing, smart glasses, smart wristband, smart jewelry (e.g., smart ring, smart bracelet)), entertainment device (e.g., music device or video device, or satellite radio unit), vehicle component or sensor, smart instrument / sensor, industrial manufacturing equipment, GPS device, or any other suitable device configured to communicate via wireless or wired media.

[0031] Some UEs can be considered Machine Type Communication (MTC) UEs, or evolved or enhanced Machine Type Communication (eMTC) UEs. MTC UEs and eMTC UEs include, for example, robots, drones, remote devices, sensors, meters, monitors, location tags, etc., that can communicate with a base station, another device (e.g., a remote device), or some other entity. Wireless nodes can provide connectivity to or from a network (e.g., a wide area network such as the Internet or cellular networks) via wired or wireless communication links, for example. Some UEs can be considered Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and / or can be implemented as NB-IoT (Narrowband Internet of Things) devices. Some UEs can be considered Customer Premises Equipment (CPE). UE 120 can be included within a housing that houses components such as processor components, memory components, etc. of UE 120.

[0032] Typically, any number of wireless networks can be deployed in a given geographical area. Each wireless network can support a specific RAT and can operate on one or more frequencies. RAT can also be referred to as radio technology, air interface, etc. Frequency can also be referred to as carrier, frequency channel, etc. Each frequency can support a single RAT in a given geographical area to avoid interference between wireless networks of different RATs. In some cases, NR or 5G RAT networks can be deployed.

[0033] In some cases, two or more UEs 120 (e.g., shown as UE 120a and UE 120e) can communicate directly using one or more sidelink channels (e.g., without using base station 110 as an intermediary for communication with each other). For example, UEs 120 can communicate using peer-to-peer (P2P) communication, device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) protocols (e.g., which may include vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) protocols, vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) protocols, vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) protocols, vehicle-to-network (V2N) protocols, mesh networks, etc.). In this case, UEs 120 can perform scheduling operations, resource selection operations, and / or other operations as described elsewhere herein, such as those performed by base station 110.

[0034] As mentioned above, Figure 1 is provided only as an idea. Other examples may differ from those described with respect to Figure 1.

[0035] Figure 2 shows a block diagram of a design 200 for base station 110 and UE 120, which can be one of the base stations and one of the UEs in Figure 1. Base station 110 may be equipped with T antennas 234a to 234t, and UE 120 may be equipped with R antennas 252a to 252r, wherein typically T ≥ 1 and R ≥ 1.

[0036] At base station 110, transmit processor 220 can receive data for one or more UEs from data source 212, select one or more modulation and coding schemes (MCS) for each UE based at least in part on the Channel Quality Indicator (CQI) received from each UE, process (e.g., encode and modulate) the data for each UE based at least in part on the MCS selected for each UE, and provide data symbols for all UEs. Transmit processor 220 can also process system information (e.g., semi-static resource allocation information (SRPI), etc.) and control information (e.g., CQI requests, authorizations, upper-layer signaling, etc.) and provide management burden symbols and control symbols. Transmit processor 220 can also generate reference symbols for synchronization signals (e.g., primary synchronization signal (PSS) and secondary synchronization signal (SSS)) and reference signals (e.g., cell-specific reference signal (CRS)). If applicable, the transmit (TX) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) processor 230 can perform spatial processing (e.g., precoding) on ​​data symbols, control symbols, management burden symbols, and / or reference symbols, and can provide T output symbol streams to T modulators (MODs) 232a to 232t. Each modulator 232 can process its corresponding output symbol stream (e.g., for OFDM, etc.) to obtain an output sample stream. Each modulator 232 can further process (e.g., convert to analog, amplify, filter, and upconvert) the output sample stream to obtain a downlink signal. The T downlink signals from modulators 232a to 232t can be transmitted via T antennas 234a to 234t, respectively. Synchronization signals can be generated using position coding to transmit additional information, depending on the various states described in detail below.

[0037] At UE 120, antennas 252a to 252r can receive downlink signals from base station 110 and / or other base stations, and can provide the received signals to demodulators (DEMODs) 254a to 254r respectively. Each demodulator 254 can adjust (e.g., filter, amplify, downconvert, and digitize) the received signal to obtain an input sample. Each demodulator 254 can further process the input sample (e.g., for OFDM, etc.) to obtain the received symbols. MIMO detector 256 can obtain the received symbols from all R demodulators 254a to 254r, perform MIMO detection on the received symbols when applicable, and provide the detected symbols. Receiver processor 258 can process (e.g., demodulate and decode) the detected symbols, provide decoded data for UE 120 to data slot 260, and provide decoded control information and system information to controller / processor 280. The channel processor can determine the Received Reference Signal Power (RSRP), Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI), Received Reference Signal Quality (RSRQ), Channel Quality Indicator (CQI), etc. In some cases, one or more components of the UE 120 may be included in the housing.

[0038] On the uplink, at UE 120, transmit processor 264 can receive and process data from data source 262 and control information from controller / processor 280 (e.g., for reports including RSRP, RSSI, RSRQ, CQI, etc.). Transmit processor 264 can also generate reference symbols for one or more reference signals. Symbols from transmit processor 264 can be pre-encoded (if applicable) by TX MIMO processor 266, further processed by modulators 254a to 254r (e.g., for DFT-s-OFDM, CP-OFDM, etc.), and transmitted to base station 110. At base station 110, uplink signals from UE 120 and other UEs can be received by antenna 234, processed by demodulator 232, detected by MIMO detector 236 if applicable, and further processed by receive processor 238 to obtain decoded data and control information transmitted by UE 120. The receiver processor 238 can provide decoded data to the data slot 239 and decoded control information to the controller / processor 240. The base station 110 may include a communication unit 244 and communicate with the network controller 130 via the communication unit 244. The network controller 130 may include a communication unit 294, a controller / processor 290, and a memory 292.

[0039] The controller / processor 240 of base station 110, the controller / processor 280 of UE 120, and / or any other component of FIG. 2 may execute one or more techniques associated with UE-UE channel occupancy time sharing in the unlicensed spectrum, as described in more detail elsewhere herein. For example, the controller / processor 240 of base station 110, the controller / processor 280 of UE 120, and / or any other component of FIG. 2 may execute or direct the operation of, for example, program 600 of FIG. 6 and / or other programs as described herein. Memory 242 and 282 may store data and program code of base station 110 and UE 120, respectively. In some embodiments, memory 242 and / or memory 282 may include non-transitory computer-readable media storing one or more instructions for wireless communication. For example, when executed by one or more processors of base station 110 and / or UE 120, one or more instructions may execute or direct the operation of, for example, program 600 of FIG. 6 and / or other programs as described herein. Scheduler 246 can schedule UEs to transmit data on downlink and / or uplink.

[0040] In some embodiments, UE 120 may include: means for determining the start time of one or more contention slots, at least in part based on the duration of pre-talk listening (LBT) and automatic gain control (AGC), during a channel occupancy period shared with another UE 120; means for sending sidelink communication to the other UE 120 at one or more selected start times among the one or more contention slot start times; and so on. In some embodiments, such units may include one or more components of UE 120 described in conjunction with FIG. 2, such as controller / processor 280, transmit processor 264, TX MIMO processor 266, MOD 254, antenna 252, DEMOD 254, MIMO detector 256, receive processor 258, etc.

[0041] As mentioned above, Figure 2 is provided as an example. Other examples may differ from the examples described with respect to Figure 2.

[0042] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating an example 300 of side link communication according to various states of the present case.

[0043] As shown in Figure 3, the first UE 305-1 can communicate with the second UE 305-2 (and one or more other UEs 305) via one or more sidelink channels 310. UEs 305-1 and 305-2 can communicate using one or more sidelink channels 310 for P2P communication, D2D communication, V2X communication (e.g., which may include V2V communication, V2I communication, V2P communication, V2N communication, etc.), mesh networking, etc. In some embodiments, UEs 305 (e.g., UE 305-1 and / or UE 305-2) can correspond to one or more other UEs described elsewhere herein, such as UE 120. In some embodiments, the one or more sidelink channels 310 can use a PC5 interface and / or can operate in a high-frequency band (e.g., the 5.9 GHz band). For example, in the first mode (sometimes referred to as mode 1, etc.), a base station (e.g., base station 110) can allocate resources for one or more sidelink channels 310, provide dynamic granting or initiate configured sidelink granting for sidelink communication, receive sidelink feedback reported by the sending UE, and so on. Alternatively, in the second mode (sometimes referred to as mode 2, etc.), UEs 305-1 and 305-2 can autonomously select sidelink resources for one or more sidelink channels 310, and sidelink communication can be scheduled using sidelink control information (SCI). Alternatively, in some cases, UE 305 can use Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) timing to synchronize the timing of transmission time intervals (TTIs) (e.g., frames, subframes, time slots, symbols, etc.).

[0044] As further shown in Figure 3, one or more side link channels 310 may include a physical side link control channel (PSCCH) 315, a physical side link shared channel (PSSCH) 320, a physical side link feedback channel (PSFCH) 325, etc. PSCCH 315 can be used to communicate control information, similar to a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and / or a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) used for cellular communication with base station 110 via an access link or access channel. PSSCH 320 can be used to communicate data, similar to a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) and / or a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) used for cellular communication with base station 110 via an access link or access channel. For example, PSCCH 315 can carry SCI 330, which can indicate various control information for sidelink communication, such as one or more resources (e.g., time resources, frequency resources, space resources, etc.), wherein transport block (TB) 335 can be carried on PSCCH 320. TB 335 may include data. PSCCH 325 can be used to communicate with sidelink feedback 340, such as Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) feedback (e.g., ACK / NACK information), transmit power control (TPC), scheduling request (SR), etc.

[0045] In some configurations, one or more sidelink channels 310 may use a resource pool. For example, (e.g., included in SCI 330) a scheduling assignment may be transmitted across time using a specific resource block (RB) in a subchannel. In some configurations, (e.g., on PSSCH 320) a data transmission associated with a scheduling assignment may occupy an adjacent RB in the same subframe as the scheduling assignment (e.g., using frequency division multiplexing). In some configurations, the scheduling assignment and associated data transmission are not transmitted on adjacent RBs.

[0046] In some configurations, UE 305 may operate using a transmission mode in which resource selection and / or scheduling is performed by UE 305 (e.g., instead of base station 110). In some configurations, UE 305 may perform resource selection and / or scheduling by sensing the availability of channels for transmission. For example, UE 305 may measure Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) parameters (e.g., sidelink RSSI (S-RSSI) parameters) associated with each sidelink channel, may measure Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) parameters (e.g., PSSCH-RSRP parameters) associated with each sidelink channel, may measure Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ) parameters (e.g., PSSCH-RSRQ parameters) associated with each sidelink channel, and so on, and may select the channel for transmission of sidelink communications based at least in part on these measurements.

[0047] Alternatively, UE 305 may use SCI 330 received in PSCCH 315 to perform resource selection and / or scheduling, SCI 330 may indicate occupied resources, channel parameters, etc. Alternatively, UE 305 may perform resource selection and / or scheduling by determining the Channel Busy Rate (CBR) associated with each sidelink channel, which may be used for rate control (e.g., by indicating the maximum number of resource blocks that UE 305 can use for a particular subframe set).

[0048] In a transmission mode in which resource selection and / or scheduling is performed by UE 305, UE 305 can generate a sidelink grant and can send the grant in SCI 330. The sidelink grant can indicate, for example, one or more parameters (e.g., transmission parameters) to be used for the upcoming sidelink transmission, such as one or more resource blocks (e.g., for TB 335) to be used for the upcoming sidelink transmission on PSSCH 320, one or more subframes to be used for the upcoming sidelink transmission, modulation and coding scheme (MCS) to be used for the upcoming sidelink transmission, etc. In some cases, UE 305 can generate a sidelink grant that indicates one or more parameters for semi-persistent scheduling (SPS), such as the periodicity of the sidelink transmission. Alternatively, UE 305 can generate a sidelink grant for event-driven scheduling, such as for requesting sidelink messages on demand.

[0049] As mentioned above, Figure 3 is provided as an example. Other examples may differ from those described with respect to Figure 3.

[0050] Figure 4A is a diagram illustrating an example 400 of side link communication and access link communication in various forms according to the contents of this case.

[0051] As shown in Figure 4A, and in conjunction with Figure 3 above, the transmitter (Tx) UE 405 and the receiver (Rx) UE 410 can communicate with each other via a sidelink. As further shown, in some sidelink modes, the base station 110 can communicate with the Tx UE 405 via a first access link. Alternatively, in some sidelink modes, the base station 110 can communicate with the Rx UE 410 via a second access link. The Tx UE 405 and / or the Rx UE 410 may correspond to one or more UEs described elsewhere herein, such as UE 120 of Figure 1. Therefore, as described herein, a sidelink can refer to a direct link between UEs 120, and an access link can refer to a direct link between the base station 110 and UE 120. Sidelink communication can be transmitted via the sidelink, and access link communication can be transmitted via the access link. Access link communication can be downlink communication (from base station 110 to UE 120) or uplink communication (from UE 120 to base station 110). Furthermore, in some configurations, sidelink communication can be transmitted via a sidelink in licensed radio frequency (RF) spectrum, unlicensed RF spectrum, and / or any suitable combination thereof, and / or access link communication can be transmitted via an access link.

[0052] For example, to accommodate the increasing demand for transmission volumes, various efforts have been made to improve spectral efficiency in wireless networks and thereby increase network capacity (e.g., through the use of higher-order modulation, advanced MIMO antenna technology, multi-cell coordination technology, etc.). Another possible way to improve network capacity is to extend system bandwidth. However, the available spectrum in the low-frequency bands that have traditionally been licensed or otherwise allocated to mobile network service providers has become very scarce. Accordingly, various technologies have been developed to enable Cellular Radio Access Technology (RAT) to operate in unlicensed or other shared spectrum. For example, Licensed Assisted Access (LAA) uses downlink carrier aggregation to combine LTE in licensed bands and LTE in unlicensed bands (e.g., the 2.4 GHz and / or 5 GHz bands already filled by Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) or "Wi-Fi" devices). In other examples, enhanced LAA (eLAA) and further enhanced LAA (feLAA) technologies enable uplink and downlink LTE operation in unlicensed spectrum; MulteFire is an LTE-based technology that operates in standalone mode in both unlicensed and shared spectrum; NR-U enables NR operation in unlicensed spectrum, and so on. Generally, one challenge that arises when operating a cellular RAT (e.g., using LAA, eLAA, feLAA, MulteFire, NR-U, etc.) in unlicensed spectrum is ensuring fair coexistence with existing (e.g., WLAN) systems that may be operating in unlicensed spectrum.

[0053] For example, before gaining access to an unlicensed channel and / or transmitting via it, a transmitting device (e.g., base station 110, UE 405, UE 410, etc.) may need to perform a pre-call listening (LBT) procedure to contend for access to the unlicensed channel. The LBT procedure typically includes an idle channel assessment (CCA) procedure, which is performed to determine whether the unlicensed channel is available (e.g., not occupied by other transmitters). Specifically, the CCA procedure may include detecting the energy level on the unlicensed channel and determining whether the energy level meets (e.g., is less than or equal to) a threshold value, sometimes referred to as the energy detection threshold, etc. When the energy level meets (e.g., is not equal to or exceeds) the threshold value, the CCA procedure is considered successful, and the transmitting device can gain access to the unlicensed channel for a duration known as the channel occupancy time (COT), during which the transmitting device can perform transmissions without performing additional LBT operations. When the energy level does not meet the threshold, the CCA procedure fails, and contention for access to the licenseless channel can be considered unsuccessful.

[0054] When the CCA procedure results in the unlicensed channel band being unavailable (e.g., because the energy level detected on the unlicensed channel indicates that another device is already using the channel), the CCA procedure can be executed again at a later time. In environments where the transmitting device may lack access to the unlicensed channel (e.g., due to WLAN activity or transmissions from other devices), an extended CCA (eCCA) procedure can be employed to increase the likelihood that the transmitting device will successfully obtain access to the unlicensed channel. For example, the transmitting device executing the eCCA procedure can execute a random number of CCA procedures (from 1 to q) based on an eCCA counter. If and / or when the transmitting device senses that the channel has become idle, the transmitting device can start a random waiting period based on the eCCA counter, and if the channel remains idle during the random waiting period, the transmitting device can begin transmission.

[0055] Accordingly, while wireless networks can be configured to use unlicensed spectrum to achieve faster data rates, provide a more responsive user experience, offload traffic from licensed spectrum, etc., the need to ensure fair coexistence with existing systems (e.g., WLAN devices) may hinder the efficient use of unlicensed spectrum. For example, even in the absence of interference, the LBT procedure used to ensure that no other device is already using the channel introduces a delay before transmission can begin, which may degrade the user experience and lead to unacceptable performance for latency-sensitive or delay-sensitive applications, etc. Furthermore, this problem may be exacerbated when the initial CCA procedure fails, because the transmitting device can only transmit on the channel after performing an additional number of CCA procedures and determining that the channel has become idle and remains idle during a random waiting period. In addition, in some cases, the channel occupancy time obtained by the transmitting device may have a duration longer than the duration necessary for the transmitting device to perform the required transmission, which may lead to inefficient use of the unlicensed channel.

[0056] Accordingly, in some cases, the wireless network can enable the channel occupancy time obtained by the transmitting device to be shared with other nodes in order to improve access, efficiency, etc., for unlicensed channels. For example, when sharing downlink-to-uplink channel occupancy time via an access link, base station 110 can use eCCA to obtain the channel occupancy time, and the channel occupancy time can be shared with one or more UEs (e.g., UE 405, UE 410, etc.), which can then transmit uplink signals within the channel occupancy time obtained by base station 110. In this case, a UE attempting to initiate uplink transmission within the channel occupancy time shared with base station 110 can perform uplink transmission without performing LBT procedures, or the UE can perform uplink transmission after performing a single-slot CCA with a shorter LBT procedure (e.g., a Category 2 LBT procedure when the downlink-to-uplink gap duration is between 16 and 25 µs, a Category 1 LBT procedure when the downlink-to-uplink gap duration is less than or equal to 16 µs, etc.). Alternatively, the wireless network can support shared uplink-to-downlink channel occupancy time via access links. In this case, the channel occupancy time initiated by the UE (e.g., for a configured licensed PUSCH or a scheduled uplink transmission) can be shared with base station 110. Thus, base station 110 can be permitted to transmit control and / or broadcast signals and / or channels for any UE served by base station 110, if such transmission includes downlink signals, channels, and / or other transmissions (e.g., PDSCH, PDCCH, reference signals, etc.) intended to be received by the UE that initiated the channel occupancy.

[0057] Alternatively, the wireless network can support UE-to-UE channel occupancy time sharing via a sidelink. For example, as shown in FIG4B, via element symbol 415, the channel occupancy time acquired by the initiating UE can be shared in a frequency division multiplexing (FDM) mode by dividing the channel occupancy time into multiple interleavings (e.g., time periods during which one or more UEs can perform transmission operations). For example, as shown in FIG4B, the initiating UE can use one or more sidelink resources (e.g., time and frequency resources) to transmit in a first interleaving after acquiring the channel occupancy time, and the responding UE (e.g., UE 410, etc.) can use sidelink frequency resources that do not overlap with the sidelink frequency resources used by the initiating UE to perform transmission operations in subsequent interleavings. Accordingly, as shown in Figure 4B, FDM or interleaving-based channel occupancy time sharing can introduce short transmission gaps between interleavings to allow other UEs to perform transmission operations in subsequent interleavings during the shared channel occupancy time, and the side link control information sent by the initiating UE can carry information to support interleaving-based channel occupancy time sharing.

[0058] Alternatively, as shown in element symbol 420, UE-to-UE channel occupancy time sharing can be enabled in Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) mode. In this case, the total channel occupancy time can be divided into an initial time period during which the initiating UE can perform a transmission, which may include one or more sidelink control information transmissions indicating when the initial transmission will end, the remaining duration of the channel occupancy time available for sharing, etc. Accordingly, one or more responding UEs can monitor sidelink control information sent by other UEs (e.g., the initiating UE) to restore channel occupancy time sharing information that can be used to perform transmissions during the time period corresponding to the shared channel occupancy time.

[0059] Accordingly, as mentioned above, UE-to-UE channel occupancy time sharing can enable better access to unlicensed spectrum, more efficient use of unlicensed spectrum, etc., by allowing multiple UEs to perform transmissions during the channel occupancy time obtained by the initiating UE (e.g., a UE that successfully executed the LBT procedure to obtain access to the unlicensed channel). However, in some cases, implementing UE-to-UE channel occupancy time sharing can be challenging because sidelink communications typically have an invariant time slot structure that provides a limited opportunity (e.g., contention slots) for another UE to execute the LBT procedure before transmission. Some of the states described herein relate to techniques and apparatus that enable UE-to-UE channel occupancy time sharing in unlicensed spectrum by defining one or more contention slot start times based at least in part on the LBT duration and the automatic gain control (AGC) duration during the channel occupancy time shared by the initiating UE. In this way, a responding UE attempting to initiate a sidelink transmission during the channel occupancy period shared by the initiating UE can select an appropriate contention slot. Sufficient time is left between these slots to perform LBT operations during the LBT duration, ensuring the unlicensed channel is available before transmission. Furthermore, since sidelink signal characteristics can vary depending on the UEs participating in sidelink communication in a given area at a given time, the AGC duration ensures that: the responding UE performing the transmission during the shared channel occupancy period and the initiating UE potentially receiving the transmission can perform AGC training to tune or otherwise configure the RF front-end and / or other receiving components to match the received signal power, prevent receiver saturation, maintain a stable signal level at the output stage regardless of changes in signal level at the input stage, and so on.

[0060] As mentioned above, Figures 4A-4B are provided as one or more examples. Other examples may differ from those described with respect to Figures 4A-4B.

[0061] Figures 5A-5G are diagrams illustrating one or more instances 500 of UE-UE channel occupancy time sharing in an unlicensed spectrum according to various aspects of the present invention. As shown in Figure 5A, instance 500 includes: an initiating UE 120i that has acquired channel occupancy time, during which UE 120i is permitted to transmit on an unlicensed channel; and a responding UE 120r that communicates with UE 120i via the unlicensed channel on a sidelink. Furthermore, as shown in Figures 5B-5G, UE 120r can determine one or more contention slot start times, during which UE 120r can send sidelink communications to share the channel occupancy time acquired by UE 120i.

[0062] As shown in Figure 5A, and via element symbol 510, UE 120i can successfully execute an LBT procedure to acquire channel occupancy time, during which UE 120i is permitted to transmit on the unlicensed channel. For example, UE 120i can execute an LBT procedure to contend for access to the unlicensed channel before acquiring access and transmitting on it. In some cases, the LBT procedure may include an Idle Channel Assessment (CCA) procedure executed by UE 120i to determine whether the unlicensed channel is available (e.g., not occupied by other transmitters). Specifically, UE 120i can detect the energy level on the unlicensed channel, and if the energy level on the unlicensed channel meets (e.g., less than or equal to) a threshold value, the CCA procedure can be considered successful. In this case, UE 120i can acquire access to the unlicensed channel to acquire channel occupancy time, during which UE 120i can perform transmissions without performing additional LBT operations. Alternatively, if the energy level detected on the unlicensed channel is insufficient (e.g., greater than or equal to the threshold value), UE 120i may re-execute the CCA procedure and obtain the channel occupancy time at a later time. Alternatively, UE 120i may obtain the channel occupancy time by executing an extended CCA (eCCA) procedure or the like.

[0063] As further shown in FIG5A, and via element symbol 512, UE 120i can transmit and UE 120r can receive sidelink control information to enable the sharing of channel occupancy time acquired by UE 120i. For example, in some configurations, the sidelink control information may carry information to enable interleaving-based sharing of channel occupancy time in FDM mode, information indicating when the transmission of UE 120i will end, and / or the remaining length of channel occupancy time that can be shared in TDM mode, etc.

[0064] As further shown in FIG5A, and via element symbol 514, UE 120r can determine one or more candidate contention slot start times, wherein UE 120r can attempt to execute LBT procedures based at least in part on the sidelink slot structure for sidelink communication between UE 120i and 120r. For example, as shown in element symbol 516-1, a sidelink slot structure without a physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) may include a total of fourteen (14) symbols, of which thirteen (13) symbols are indexed from zero (0) to twelve (12) for transmission of the physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) and / or the physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), and the last symbol in the slot (index thirteen (13)) is reserved as a gap during which no transmission is performed. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5A, the first symbol can be used for AGC training, whereby the second symbol (symbol 1) is a repetition of the first symbol (symbol 0) to increase the reliability of PSCCH and / or PSSCH transmissions (e.g., because the receiving UE may not be able to correctly receive and / or decode the first symbol before performing AGC training). Alternatively, as shown in element symbol 516-2, a side-link time slot structure with PSFCH can include a total of fourteen (14) symbols, of which ten (10) symbols are indexed from zero (0) to nine (9) for PSCCH and / or PSSCH transmissions, two symbols indexed eleven (11) and twelfth (12) are used for repetition of the PSFCH symbol, and two symbols indexed ten (10) and thirteen (13) are reserved as gaps during which no transmission is performed.

[0065] Therefore, in some configurations, UE 120r can determine one or more candidate contention slot start times, which can represent the possible time when UE 120r can begin transmission during the channel occupancy time shared by UE 120i, within a combined period including the last symbol (symbol 13) in the current slot (e.g., the slot before the transmission) and the first symbol (symbol 0) in the next slot (e.g., the slot in which UE 120r will perform the transmission). For example, regardless of whether the sidelink slot structure includes PSFCH symbols, the last symbol in the slot is a gap symbol, and the first symbol in the slot is a repetition of the second symbol. Accordingly, the last symbol in the current slot and the first symbol in the next slot can provide a two-symbol combination mechanism during which one or more candidate contention slot start times can be determined. In some configurations, the two-symbol period can include an initial period TminGap, which corresponds to the LBT duration in which UE 120r can perform the LBT procedure before transmission. For example, in some cases, the LBT duration can be either a 16 µs period or a 25 µs period, depending on the position of the first symbol that UE 120r intends to transmit. For instance, if UE 120i does not perform a transmission during the shared channel occupancy time to allow for a full 25 µs LBT duration, the LBT duration can be 25 µs; or if UE 120r attempts to transmit in the first time slot after UE 120i has completed its transmission, the LBT duration can be 16 µs.

[0066] Furthermore, in some configurations, the two-symbol period may include an AGC period TAGC, which may be reserved for AGC training between UE 120r and another UE (e.g., UE 120i), the other UE being intended as the receiver of sidelink transmissions from UE 120r. For example, as mentioned above, AGC training is typically used to enable the receiving UE to tune or otherwise configure the RF front-end and / or other receiving components to match the received signal power to prevent the receiving components from becoming saturated, to maintain a stable signal level at the output stage regardless of changes in the signal level at the input stage, and so on. Therefore, the AGC period TAGC may correspond to a half-symbol (e.g., the latter half of symbol 0). Alternatively, in the case of a 15 kHz subcarrier spacing (which typically has a longer symbol duration compared to a 30 kHz or 60 kHz subcarrier spacing), the AGC period TAGC may include a full symbol (e.g., the entirety of symbol 0) to achieve better AGC performance.

[0067] Accordingly, in some states, the candidate contention slot start time can be determined as follows: the duration T between the end time TminGap of the LBT duration and the start time TAGC of the AGC duration, where Tsymbol is the duration of a symbol, which can vary depending on the subcarrier interval. For example, for a 15 kHz subcarrier interval, Tsymbol can be approximately 66.7 µs, for a 30 kHz subcarrier interval, Tsymbol can be approximately 33.4 µs, for a 60 kHz subcarrier interval, Tsymbol can be approximately 16.7 µs, and / or similar. Accordingly, given a contention slot duration of approximately 9 µs in which the LBT procedure is attempted, the number K of possible candidate contention slot start times can be determined as follows:

[0068] Accordingly, since the duration T depends on the duration of a symbol, the number K of possible candidate contention slot start times can similarly depend on the duration of a symbol, as further described below with reference to Figures 5B-5G. Furthermore, in some cases, the candidate contention slot start time can be defined relative to the end point TminGap of the LBT duration or relative to the start time TAGC of the AGC duration. For example, in some cases, the end time of the LBT duration can be represented as t0, and the start times of the K candidate contention slots can be determined as t0 + 9 × k for k = 0, ..., K-1. Alternatively, in the case where the candidate contention slot start time is defined relative to the start time of the AGC duration TAGC, the start time of the AGC duration can be represented as t0, and the start times of the K candidate contention slots can be determined as t0 - 9 × k for k = 0, ..., K-1. In either case, as indicated by element symbol 418, UE 120r may randomly select one of the candidate contention slot start times and send sidelink communication to UE 120i during the channel occupancy time shared by UE 120i.

[0069] For example, as shown in Figure 5B, and via element symbol 520, UE 120r can randomly select a set of candidate contention slot start times for a 15 kHz subcarrier interval, where t0 is defined relative to the end time of the LBT duration. In this case, at a 15 kHz subcarrier interval with a symbol duration of 66.7 µs, the total span of the two symbol periods, including the gap symbol (symbol 13) and the repeated combined symbol (symbol 0) used for AGC training, is 133.4 µs. Accordingly, assuming the LBT duration TminGap is 25 µs, and the latter half of symbol 0 is reserved for AGC training, the duration T in which the contention slot start time can occur includes 1.5 symbols - TminGap, which is approximately 75 µs. Given a duration of approximately 9 µs for each contention slot, the time period T between the end of the LBT duration TminGap and the start of the AGC duration TAGC can include up to 10 candidate contention slot start times at times t0+9×k (e.g., t0, t0+9 µs, ..., t0+81 µs) for k = 0, ..., K-1. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 5C, and via element symbol 522, the UE 120r can randomly select a set of candidate contention slot start times for a 15 kHz subcarrier interval, where t0 is defined relative to the start time of the AGC duration, such that the candidate contention slot start times are at times t0-9×k (e.g., t0, t0-9 µs, ..., t0-81 µs) for k = 0, ..., K-1. Furthermore, when UE 120r selects a candidate contention slot start time before the slot boundary between slot n and slot n+1, the signal transmitted before the slot boundary can be considered as a cyclic prefix extension of symbol 0 in slot n+1. Alternatively, when UE 120r selects a candidate contention slot start time after the slot boundary between slot n and slot n+1, the gap after the slot boundary can be obtained by punching a hole in symbol 0 in slot n+1. In this case, since there are multiple candidate contention slot start times available before the slot boundary, the AGC duration can be extended to the entire symbol (e.g., all of symbol 0) to improve AGC performance. Furthermore, when using a shorter LBT duration of 16 µs, the time period T can have an additional candidate contention slot start time. Accordingly, in some cases, the AGC duration can have a length that depends on UE functions (e.g., how much time is required to perform AGC training), the length of the LBT duration, etc.

[0070] In another example, as shown in Figure 5D, and via element symbol 530, UE 120r can randomly select a set of candidate contention slot start times for a 30 kHz subcarrier interval, where t0 is defined relative to the end time of the LBT duration. In this case, at a 30 kHz subcarrier interval with a symbol duration of 33.4 µs, the total span of the two symbol periods, including the gap symbol (symbol 13) and the repeated combined symbol (symbol 0) used for AGC training, is approximately 66.7 µs. Accordingly, assuming an LBT duration TminGap of 25 µs, the latter half of symbol 0 is reserved for AGC training, where the duration T of the contention slot start time may include 1.5 symbols - TminGap, or approximately 41.7 µs. In this case, the time period T can include up to four candidate contention slot start times at times t0+9×k (e.g., t0, t0+9 µs, ..., t0+27 µs) for k = 0, ..., K-1. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 5E, and via element symbol 532, t0 can be defined relative to the start time of the AGC duration such that the candidate contention slot start time is at times t0-9×k (e.g., t0, t0-9 µs, ..., t0-27 µs) for k = 0, ..., K-1. Furthermore, if UE 120r selects a candidate contention slot start time before the slot boundary between slot n and slot n+1, the signal transmitted before the slot boundary can be considered as a cyclic prefix extension of symbol 0 in slot n+1. Alternatively, if UE 120r selects a candidate contention slot start time after the slot boundary between slot n and slot n+1, the gap after the slot boundary can be obtained by punching a hole in symbol 0 in slot n+1. In this case, since only two candidate contention slot start times before the slot boundary are available, the AGC duration can be limited to half a symbol to provide more candidate contention slot start times. Furthermore, when using a shorter LBT duration of 16 µs, the time period T can have an additional candidate contention slot start time.

[0071] In another example, as shown in Figure 5F, and via element symbol 540, UE 120r can randomly select a set of candidate contention slot start times for a 60 kHz subcarrier interval, where t0 is defined relative to the end time of the LBT duration. In this case, at a 60 kHz subcarrier interval with a symbol duration of 16.7 µs, the total span of the two symbol periods, including the gap symbol (symbol 13) and the repeated combined symbol (symbol 0) used for AGC training, is approximately 33.4 µs. Accordingly, assuming the LBT duration TminGap is 25 µs, the latter half of symbol 0 is reserved for AGC training, where the duration T of the contention slot start time may include 1.5 symbols - TminGap, or approximately 8.4 µs. In this case, the time period T may include only one (1) candidate contention slot start time at time t0. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 5G, and via element symbol 542, t0 can be defined relative to the start time of the AGC duration, such that the candidate contention slot start time occurs at time t0 (e.g., at the start time of the AGC duration). Furthermore, in this case, there may be no candidate contention slot start time before the slot boundary between slot n and slot n+1, thus the gap after the slot boundary can be obtained by punching a hole in symbol 0 in slot n+1. In this case, because there is no available candidate contention slot start time before the slot boundary, the AGC duration can be limited to half a symbol to ensure that at least one candidate contention slot start time is available (although, in the case of using a shorter LBT duration of 16 µs, the time period T may have an additional candidate contention slot start time, as described above).

[0072] As mentioned above, Figures 5A-5G are provided as one or more examples. Other examples may differ from those described with respect to Figures 5A-5G.

[0073] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating, for example, an example program 600 executed by a first UE according to various states of the present invention. Example program 600 is an instance in which the first UE (e.g., UE 120, UE 305-1, UE 305-2, UE 405, UE 410, UE 120i, UE 120r, etc.) performs operations associated with sharing UE-to-UE channel occupancy time in an unlicensed spectrum.

[0074] As shown in FIG6, in some configurations, procedure 600 may include determining one or more contention slot start times (block 610) based at least in part on the LBT duration and AGC duration during the channel occupancy time shared with the second UE. For example, as described above, the first UE may (e.g., using controller / processor 280, memory 282, etc.) determine one or more contention slot start times based at least in part on the LBT duration and AGC duration during the channel occupancy time shared with the second UE.

[0075] As further shown in FIG6, in some configurations, procedure 600 may include sending sidelink communication to the second UE at a start time selected from one or more of the contention slot start times (block 620). For example, as described above, the first UE may (e.g., using controller / processor 280, transmit processor 264, TX MIMO processor 266, MOD 254, antenna 252, memory 282, etc.) send sidelink communication to the second UE at a start time selected from one or more of the contention slot start times.

[0076] Program 600 may include additional patterns, such as any single pattern or any combination of patterns described below and / or in combination with one or more other programs described elsewhere herein.

[0077] In the first state, the start time of one or more contention slots appears in one or more of the last symbol in the current slot or the first symbol in the next slot.

[0078] In the second state sample, alone or in combination with the first state sample, the LBT duration begins from the start of the last symbol in the current time slot, and the AGC duration includes at least a portion of the first symbol in the next time slot.

[0079] In the cooperative vendor plane, one or more of the first and second states, either alone or in combination, the start time of one or more contention slots appears in the window between the end time of the LBT duration and the start time of the AGC duration.

[0080] In the fourth state, individually or in combination with one or more of the first to cooperative vendor planes, the portion of the first symbol in the next time slot corresponding to the AGC duration is at least partially based on the subcarrier interval.

[0081] In the fifth state sample, the amount of one or more contention slot start times, individually or in combination with one or more of the first to fourth state samples, is at least partially based on the contention slot duration.

[0082] In the sixth state sample, the amount of one or more contention slot start times, either alone or in combination with one or more of the first to fifth state samples, is at least partially based on the subcarrier interval.

[0083] In the seventh state sample, the LBT duration, either alone or in combination with one or more of the first to sixth state samples, has a length that depends on the position of the first symbol in which the side link communication is transmitted.

[0084] In the eighth state sample, one or more contention slot start times are identified individually or in combination with one or more of the first to seventh state samples, relative to the end time of the LBT duration.

[0085] In the ninth state sample, one or more contention slot start times are identified individually or in combination with one or more of the first to eighth state samples, relative to the start time of the AGC duration.

[0086] In the tenth state sample, the start time for transmitting side link communication, either alone or in combination with one or more of the first to ninth state samples, is randomly selected from one or more of the contention slot start times.

[0087] Although FIG6 illustrates example blocks of program 600, in some versions, program 600 may include additional blocks, fewer blocks, different blocks, or blocks arranged differently compared to those illustrated in FIG6. Alternatively, two or more blocks of program 600 may be executed in parallel.

[0088] Figure 7 is a conceptual data flow diagram 700 illustrating the data flow between different components in example device 702. Device 702 may be a UE (e.g., UE 120, UE 305-1, UE 305-2, UE 405, UE 410, UE 120i, UE 120r, etc.). In some cases, device 702 includes a receiving component 704, a determining component 706, and / or a transmitting component 708. As shown in Figure 7, device 702 may use the receiving component 704 and / or the transmitting component 708 to communicate with another device 750 (e.g., another UE).

[0089] The receiving component 704 can receive one or more sidelink communications from the device 750. For example, the receiving component 704 can receive one or more sidelink transmissions from the device 750 via an unlicensed channel during a channel occupancy period acquired by the device 750. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the receiving component 704 can receive sidelink control information from the device 750, which includes information for enabling the device 702 to share the channel occupancy period acquired by the device 750. In some embodiments, the receiving component 704 may include an antenna (e.g., antenna 252), a receiving processor (e.g., receiving processor 258), a controller / processor (e.g., controller / processor 280), a transceiver, a receiver, etc.

[0090] The determining component 706 may determine the start time of one or more contention slots, at least in part, based on the LBT duration and AGC duration, during the channel occupancy time shared with the device 750. In some cases, the determining component 706 may include a processor (e.g., transmit processor 264, receive processor 258, controller / processor 280, etc.).

[0091] The transmitting component 708 may transmit one or more sidelink communications to the device 750. For example, the transmitting component 708 may transmit the sidelink communications to the device 750 at a start time selected from one or more of the contention slot start times determined by the determining component 706. In some embodiments, the transmitting component 708 may include an antenna (e.g., antenna 252), a transmitting processor (e.g., transmitting processor 264), a controller / processor (e.g., controller / processor 280), a transceiver, a transmitter, etc.

[0092] The apparatus may include additional components that execute each block of the aforementioned program 700 and / or similar program of FIG. 7. Each block of the aforementioned program 700 and / or similar program of FIG. 7 may be executed by the components, and the apparatus may include one or more of such components. These components may be one or more hardware components specifically configured to execute the program / algorithm, implemented by a processor configured to execute the program / algorithm, stored in a computer-readable medium for processor implementation, or a combination of the above.

[0093] The number and arrangement of components shown in FIG800 are provided as examples. In practice, there may be additional components, fewer components, different components, or components with different arrangements compared to those shown in FIG8. Furthermore, two or more components shown in FIG8 may be implemented within a single component, or a single component shown in FIG8 may be implemented as multiple distributed components. Alternatively, a group of components shown in FIG8 (e.g., one or more components) may perform one or more functions described as being performed by another group of components shown in FIG8.

[0094] The foregoing disclosure provides illustrations and descriptions, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the forms to the precise forms disclosed. In view of the foregoing disclosure, modifications and variations are possible, or modifications and variations may be obtained from the implementation of such forms.

[0095] As used herein, the term "component" is intended to be interpreted broadly as hardware, firmware, and / or a combination of hardware and software. As used herein, a processor is implemented as hardware, firmware, and / or a combination of hardware and software.

[0096] As used herein, depending on the context, satisfying the threshold value can mean a value greater than the threshold value, greater than or equal to the threshold value, less than the threshold value, less than or equal to the threshold value, equal to the threshold value, not equal to the threshold value, etc.

[0097] It is evident that the systems and / or methods described herein can be implemented in various forms of hardware, firmware, and / or combinations of hardware and software. The actual dedicated control hardware or software code used to implement such systems and / or methods is not limited to such forms. Therefore, while the operation and behavior of systems and / or methods are described herein without reference to specific software code—it should be understood that software and hardware can be designed to implement systems and / or methods at least in part based on the description herein.

[0098] Although specific combinations of features are stated in the claims and / or disclosed in the specification, such combinations are not intended to limit the disclosure of each aspect. In fact, many of these features can be combined in ways not specifically stated in the claims and / or disclosed in the specification. Although each dependent claim listed below may directly depend on only one claim, the disclosure of each aspect includes each dependent claim combined with other claims in each of the claim sets. The phrase "at least one" in the list of referenced items means any combination of those items, including single members. As an example, "at least one of a, b, or c" is intended to cover a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, and abc, as well as any combination having multiple identical elements (e.g., aa, aaa, aab, aac, abb, acc, bb, bbb, bbc, cc, and ccc, or any other ordering of a, b, and c).

[0099] Unless explicitly stated otherwise, no element, action, or instruction used herein should be construed as essential or necessary. Furthermore, as used herein, the articles “a” and “one” are intended to include one or more items and may be used interchangeably with “one or more.” Additionally, as used herein, the terms “set” and “group” are intended to include one or more items (e.g., related items, unrelated items, combinations of related and unrelated items, etc.) and may be used interchangeably with “one or more.” The term “only one” or similar language is used when only one item is desired. Furthermore, as used herein, the terms “have,” “possess,” “contain,” etc., are intended to be open-ended terms. Furthermore, unless explicitly stated otherwise, the phrase “based on” is intended to mean “at least partially based on.” [Simplified Explanation of the Diagram]

[0101] In order to gain a more detailed understanding of the aforementioned features of the present invention, a more specific description summarized above can be obtained by referring to various embodiments, some of which are shown in the accompanying drawings. However, it should be noted that the drawings only illustrate specific typical embodiments of the present invention and are therefore not intended to limit its scope, as the description may allow for other equivalent embodiments. The same element symbols in different drawings may identify the same or similar elements.

[0102] Figure 1 is a diagram showing examples of wireless communication networks of various types according to the contents of this case.

[0103] Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating examples of communication between a base station and a UE in a wireless communication network according to various states of the present invention.

[0104] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating examples of side link communication in various states according to the contents of this case.

[0105] Figure 4A is a diagram illustrating examples of side link communication and access link communication in various forms according to the contents of this case.

[0106] Figure 4B is a diagram illustrating an example of sharing channel occupancy time among side-link UEs according to various states of the present case.

[0107] Figures 5A-5G are diagrams illustrating one or more instances of UE-UE channel occupancy time sharing in an unlicensed spectrum, according to various aspects of the present case.

[0108] Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example process executed by the UE, for example, according to various states of the present case.

[0109] Figure 7 is a conceptual data flow diagram showing the data flow between different components in an example device of various states according to the contents of this case. [Biomaterial Storage]

[0110] Domestic storage information (please note in order of storage institution, date, and number): None. International storage information (please note in order of storage country, institution, date, and number): None.

Claims

1. A method of wireless communication performed by a first user equipment (UE), comprising the steps of: determining a set of candidate contention slot start times during a channel occupancy time shared with a second UE, based at least in part on a talk-before-sound (LBT) duration and an automatic gain control (AGC) duration, wherein a count of the candidate contention slot start times in the set of candidate contention slot start times is based at least in part on a carrier interval; and transmitting a side link communication to the second UE at an initial start time selected from the set of candidate contention slot start times.

2. According to the method of request item 1, wherein the start time of the group of candidate contention slots appears in one or more of the last symbol in a current slot or the first symbol in the next slot.

3. According to the method of request item 1, wherein the LBT duration begins from the beginning of a last symbol in a current time slot, and the AGC duration includes at least a portion of a first symbol in a next time slot.

4. According to the method of request item 3, wherein the start time of the group of candidate contention slots occurs in a window between an end time of the LBT duration and the start time of the AGC duration.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the portion of the first symbol in the next time slot corresponding to the AGC duration is at least partially based on the subcarrier interval.

6. The method of request 1, wherein the count of the candidate contention slot start times in the group of candidate contention slot start times is further based at least in part on a contention slot duration.

7. According to the method of request item 1, wherein the LBT duration has a length that depends on a position in which a first symbol of the side link communication is transmitted.

8. The method of request item 1, wherein the start time of the group of candidate contention slots is identified relative to an end time of the LBT duration or relative to the start time of the AGC duration.

9. According to the method of request item 1, wherein the start time for sending the crosslink communication on this side is randomly selected from the group of candidate contention slot start times.

10. A first user equipment (UE) for wireless communication, comprising: One or more memory units; and one or more processors coupled to the one or more memory units, the one or more processors being configured to: determine a set of candidate contention slot start times during a channel occupancy period shared with a second UE, based at least in part on a talk-before-sound (LBT) duration and an automatic gain control (AGC) duration, a count of the candidate contention slot start times in the set of candidate contention slot start times being based at least in part on a carrier interval; and send a side link communication to the second UE at an initial start time selected from the set of candidate contention slot start times.

11. According to the first UE of request item 10, wherein the start time of the group of candidate contention slots appears in one or more of the last symbol in a current slot or the first symbol in the next slot.

12. The first UE according to request item 10, wherein the LBT duration begins from the beginning of the last symbol in a current time slot, and the AGC duration includes at least a portion of the first symbol in the next time slot.

13. The first UE according to request item 12, wherein the start time of the group of candidate contention slots occurs in a window between an end time of the LBT duration and the start time of the AGC duration.

14. The first UE according to request item 12, wherein the portion of the first symbol in the next time slot corresponding to the AGC duration is at least partially based on the subcarrier interval.

15. The first UE according to request item 10, wherein the count of the candidate contention slot start times in the group of candidate contention slot start times is further based at least in part on a contention slot duration.

16. The first UE according to request item 10, wherein the LBT duration has a length depending on a position in which a first symbol of the side link communication is transmitted.

17. The first UE according to request item 10, wherein the start time of the group of candidate contention slots is identified relative to an end time of the LBT duration or relative to the start time of the AGC duration.

18. According to the first UE of request item 10, the start time for sending the crosslink communication on that side is randomly selected from the group of candidate contention slot start times.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more instructions for wireless communication, the one or more instructions comprising: When executed by one or more processors of a first user equipment (UE), one or more instructions cause the one or more processors to perform the following operations: during a channel occupancy period shared with a second UE, determine a set of candidate contention slot start times based at least in part on a talk-before-sound (LBT) duration and an automatic gain control (AGC) duration, a count of the candidate contention slot start times in the set of candidate contention slot start times being at least in part based on a carrier interval; and at an initial start time selected from the set of candidate contention slot start times, send a side link communication to the second UE.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to request item 19, wherein the start time of the set of candidate contention slots appears in one or more of the last symbol in a current slot or the first symbol in the next slot.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 19, wherein the LBT duration begins from the beginning of a last symbol in a current time slot, and the AGC duration includes at least a portion of a first symbol in a next time slot.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to request 21, wherein the start time of the set of candidate contention slots occurs in a window between an end time of the LBT duration and a start time of the AGC duration.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 21, wherein the portion of the first symbol in the next time slot corresponding to the AGC duration is at least partially based on the subcarrier interval.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 19, wherein the count of the candidate contention slot start times in the set of candidate contention slot start times is further based at least in part on a contention slot duration.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 19, wherein the LBT duration has a length depending on a position of a first symbol in which the side link communication is transmitted.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to request item 19, wherein the start time of the set of candidate contention slots is identified relative to an end time of the LBT duration or relative to the start time of the AGC duration.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to request item 19, wherein the start time for sending the crosslink communication on this side is randomly selected from the group of candidate contention slot start times.

28. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: Means for determining a set of candidate contention slot start times during a channel occupancy period shared with a user equipment (UE), based at least in part on a pre-talk listen-before (LBT) duration and an automatic gain control (AGC) duration, wherein a count of the candidate contention slot start times in the set of candidate contention slot start times is based at least in part on a carrier interval; and means for sending one-sided link communication to the UE at an initial start time selected from the set of candidate contention slot start times.

29. The apparatus according to claim 28, wherein the start time of the group of candidate contention slots occurs in one or more of a window between a last symbol in a current slot, a first symbol in a next slot, or an end time of the LBT duration and a start time of the AGC duration.

30. The apparatus according to claim 28, wherein the LBT duration begins from the beginning of a last symbol in a current time slot, and the AGC duration includes at least a portion of a first symbol in a next time slot.

31. The apparatus according to claim 30, wherein the portion of the first symbol in the next time slot corresponding to the AGC duration is at least partially based on the subcarrier interval.

32. The apparatus according to claim 28, wherein the count of the candidate contention slot start times in the set of candidate contention slot start times is further based at least in part on a contention slot duration.

33. The apparatus according to claim 28, wherein the LBT duration has a length depending on a position in which a first symbol of the side link communication is transmitted.

34. The apparatus according to claim 28, wherein the start time of the set of candidate contention slots is identified relative to an end time of the LBT duration or relative to the start time of the AGC duration.

35. The apparatus according to request item 28, wherein the start time for sending the side link communication is randomly selected from the group of candidate contention slot start times.

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