Method and apparatus for reporting listen-before-talk (LBT) information in wireless communication system

Abstract

Embodiments herein disclose a method and an apparatus for reporting LBT related information in a wireless communication system. In the embodiments, the method, performed by a UE in a wireless communication system supporting a shared spectrum channel access, comprises performing a RA procedure for the shared spectrum channel access, identifying a number of LBT failure indications received from a lower layer during the RA procedure, and transmitting a RA report including information indicating a number of LBT failures to a network node in case that the number of the LBT failure indications is greater than or equal to a pre-defined value.

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REPORTING LISTEN-BEFORE-TALK (LBT) INFORMATION IN WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

[0001] Embodiments disclosed herein relate to wireless communication networks, and more particularly but not exclusively to a method and an apparatus for reporting Listen-Before-Talk information in wireless communication networks.

[0002] 5G mobile communication technologies define broad frequency bands such that high transmission rates and new services are possible, and can be implemented not only in "Sub 6GHz" bands such as 3.5GHz, but also in "Above 6GHz" bands referred to as mmWave including 28GHz and 39GHz. In addition, it has been considered to implement 6G mobile communication technologies (referred to as Beyond 5G systems) in terahertz bands (for example, 95GHz to 3THz bands) in order to accomplish transmission rates fifty times faster than 5G mobile communication technologies and ultra-low latencies one-tenth of 5G mobile communication technologies.

[0003] At the beginning of the development of 5G mobile communication technologies, in order to support services and to satisfy performance requirements in connection with enhanced Mobile BroadBand (eMBB), Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communications (URLLC), and massive Machine-Type Communications (mMTC), there has been ongoing standardization regarding beamforming and massive MIMO for mitigating radio-wave path loss and increasing radio-wave transmission distances in mmWave, supporting numerologies (for example, operating multiple subcarrier spacings) for efficiently utilizing mmWave resources and dynamic operation of slot formats, initial access technologies for supporting multi-beam transmission and broadbands, definition and operation of BWP (BandWidth Part), new channel coding methods such as a LDPC (Low Density Parity Check) code for large amount of data transmission and a polar code for highly reliable transmission of control information, L2 pre-processing, and network slicing for providing a dedicated network specialized to a specific service.

[0004] Currently, there are ongoing discussions regarding improvement and performance enhancement of initial 5G mobile communication technologies in view of services to be supported by 5G mobile communication technologies, and there has been physical layer standardization regarding technologies such as V2X (Vehicle-to-everything) for aiding driving determination by autonomous vehicles based on information regarding positions and states of vehicles transmitted by the vehicles and for enhancing user convenience, NR-U (New Radio Unlicensed) aimed at system operations conforming to various regulation-related requirements in unlicensed bands, NR UE Power Saving, Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) which is UE-satellite direct communication for providing coverage in an area in which communication with terrestrial networks is unavailable, and positioning.

[0005] Moreover, there has been ongoing standardization in air interface architecture / protocol regarding technologies such as Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) for supporting new services through interworking and convergence with other industries, IAB (Integrated Access and Backhaul) for providing a node for network service area expansion by supporting a wireless backhaul link and an access link in an integrated manner, mobility enhancement including conditional handover and DAPS (Dual Active Protocol Stack) handover, and two-step random access for simplifying random access procedures (2-step RACH for NR). There also has been ongoing standardization in system architecture / service regarding a 5G baseline architecture (for example, service based architecture or service based interface) for combining Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) and Software-Defined Networking (SDN) technologies, and Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) for receiving services based on UE positions.

[0006] As 5G mobile communication systems are commercialized, connected devices that have been exponentially increasing will be connected to communication networks, and it is accordingly expected that enhanced functions and performances of 5G mobile communication systems and integrated operations of connected devices will be necessary. To this end, new research is scheduled in connection with eXtended Reality (XR) for efficiently supporting AR (Augmented Reality), VR (Virtual Reality), MR (Mixed Reality) and the like, 5G performance improvement and complexity reduction by utilizing Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), AI service support, metaverse service support, and drone communication.

[0007] Furthermore, such development of 5G mobile communication systems will serve as a basis for developing not only new waveforms for providing coverage in terahertz bands of 6G mobile communication technologies, multi-antenna transmission technologies such as Full Dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), array antennas and large-scale antennas, metamaterial-based lenses and antennas for improving coverage of terahertz band signals, high-dimensional space multiplexing technology using OAM (Orbital Angular Momentum), and RIS (Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface), but also full-duplex technology for increasing frequency efficiency of 6G mobile communication technologies and improving system networks, AI-based communication technology for implementing system optimization by utilizing satellites and AI (Artificial Intelligence) from the design stage and internalizing end-to-end AI support functions, and next-generation distributed computing technology for implementing services at levels of complexity exceeding the limit of UE operation capability by utilizing ultra-high-performance communication and computing resources.

[0008] The aspect of the embodiments herein is to provide a method and an apparatus for efficiently reporting Listen-Before-Talk (LBT) related information in a wireless communication system.

[0009] Another aspect of the embodiments herein is to provide a method and an apparatus for reporting by the UE the number of LBT failures to a network node for the Self-Organizing-Networks (SON) / MDT purpose.

[0010] Another aspect of the embodiments herein is to provide a method and an apparatus for performing random access (RA) related optimizations for Secondary cell group (SCG) optimization during LBT failure.

[0011] Accordingly, the embodiments herein provide a method performed by a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system supporting a shared spectrum channel access, the method comprises performing a random access (RA) procedure for the shared spectrum channel access, identifying a number of listen before talk (LBT) failure indications received from a lower layer during the RA procedure, and transmitting a RA report including information indicating a number of LBT failures to a network node in case that the number of the LBT failure indications is greater than or equal to a pre-defined value.

[0012] In the method, the number of LBT failures may be set to the pre-defined value.

[0013] In the method, the information indicating the number of LBT failures may indicate a total number of preamble transmission attempts in the RA procedure.

[0014] In the method, the RA report may further include information indicating a RA purpose as LBT failure in case that the UE initiates the RA procedure due to consistent uplink LBT failures.

[0015] In the method, the UE may initiate the RA procedure in a special cell (SpCell) due to the consistent uplink LBT failures, the SpCell including a primary cell of secondary cell group (SCG).

[0016] In the method, the information indicating the RA purpose as the LBT failure may be used for a SCG related RA report.

[0017] In the method, the pre-defined value may be 128.

[0018] the embodiments herein provide a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system supporting a shared spectrum channel access, the UE comprises a transceiver, and a processor configured to perform, through the transceiver, a random access (RA) procedure for the shared spectrum channel access, identify a number of listen before talk (LBT) failure indications received from a lower layer during the RA procedure, and transmit, through the transceiver, a RA report including information indicating a number of LBT failures to a network node in case that the number of the LBT failure indications is greater than or equal to a pre-defined value.

[0019] Accordingly, embodiments herein disclose, a method for logging Listen before talk (LBT) failure in a wireless network, the method comprises triggering by a user equipment (UE), a plurality of random-access (RA) preamble transmission attempts to a serving network node. The method further comprises detecting by the UE, a plurality of LBT failure indications by at least one lower layer in the UE, in response to the plurality of RA preamble transmission attempts. Further, the method comprises comparing by the UE, a total number of the plurality of RA preamble transmission attempts for which LBT failure indication detected with a pre-defined value, wherein the pre-defined value represents a pre-defined total number of a plurality of LBT failure indications. The method further comprises logging by the UE, a compensated number of the plurality of RA preamble transmission attempts for which LBT failure indication detected, as the pre-defined value, when the total number of the plurality of RA preamble transmission attempts for which LBT failure indication detected is more than the pre-defined value. Further, the method comprises reporting by the UE, to at least one reporting network node, the compensated number of the plurality of preamble transmission attempts for which LBT failure indication detected.

[0020] Wherein the method may comprise logging by the UE and reporting by the UE, to the at least one reporting network node, a total number of the plurality of preamble transmission attempts for which LBT failure indication detected as at least one of the pre-defined value, when the total number of the plurality of RA preamble transmission attempts for which LBT failure indication detected, is equal to the pre-defined value, and the total number of the plurality of RA preamble transmission attempts for which LBT failure indication detected, when the total number of the plurality of RA preamble transmission attempts for which LBT failure indication detected, is less than the pre-defined value.

[0021] Wherein the method may comprise reporting, by the UE, to the at least one reporting network node, a total number of LBT failure during the plurality of RA-preamble transmission attempts, when the total number of LBT failure is less than the pre-defined value, and reporting by the UE, to the at least one reporting network node, a compensated number of LBT failure as the pre-defined value during the plurality of RA-preamble transmission attempts, when at least one of the total number of the LBT failure is equal to the pre-defined value, and the total number of the LBT failure is more than the pre-defined value.

[0022] wherein the pre-defined value may be obtained from a plurality of number of bits representing the plurality of LBT failures.

[0023] wherein the pre-defined value may be obtained using 8bits, representing 128 LBT failures.

[0024] wherein the serving network node and the at least one reporting network node may belong to at least one of a master cell group and a secondary cell group.

[0025] wherein the UE may log and report to the at least one reporting network node, the plurality of LBT failure indications through at least one of a random access report (RA report), a radio Link failure report (an RLF report), a successful handover report (an SHR) and a successful PScell Addition or Change report (an SPR).

[0026] wherein the method may comprise reporting, by the UE, a secondary cell group (SCG)-related RA report to the at least one reporting network node, for an RA purpose caused due to the plurality of consistent LBT Failures, wherein the at least one reportinng network node belongs to an SCG.

[0027] Accordingly, embodiments herein disclose, a user equipment (UE) comprising a processor, a memory and a communication module. The processor is coupled with the memory, and the at communication module, and configured to trigger a plurality of random-access preamble (RA preamble) transmission attempts to a network node. Further, the processor of the UE can be configured to detect a plurality of LBT failure indications from at least one lower layer in the wireless network, in response to the plurality of RA preamble transmission attempts. The processor of the UE can be further configured to compare a total number of the plurality of RA preamble transmission attempts for which LBT failure indication detected and a pre-defined value, wherein the pre-defined value represents a pre-defined total number of a plurality of LBT failure indications. Further, the processor of the UE can be configured to log, a compensated number of the plurality of RA preamble transmission attempts for which LBT failure indication detected, as the predefined value, when the total number of the plurality of RA preamble transmission attempts for which LBT failure indication detected is more than the pre-defined value. The processor of the UE can be further configured to report, to at least one reporting network node, a compensated number of the plurality of preamble transmission attempts for which LBT failure indication detected.

[0028] Accordingly, embodiments herein disclose, a reporting network node comprising a processor, a memory and a communication module. The processor is coupled with the memory, and the at least one communication module. The processor of the reporting network node can be configured to receive from a UE, a compensated number of the plurality of preamble transmission attempts for which LBT failure indication detected as a pre-defined value, if a total number of a plurality of RA preamble transmission attempts for which LBT failure indication detected is more than the pre-defined value. Further, the processor of the reporting network node can be configured to receive from the UE, a total number of the plurality of RA preamble transmission attempts for which LBT failure indication detected as at least one of: the pre-defined value, if the total number of the plurality of RA preamble transmission attempts is equal to the pre-defined value; and a total number of the RA preamble transmission attempts for which LBT failure indication detected, if the total number of the plurality of RA preamble transmission attempts is less than the pre-defined value. In an embodiment, the pre-defined value represents a pre-defined total number of a plurality of LBT failure indications.

[0029] These and other aspects of the embodiments herein will be better appreciated and understood when considered in conjunction with the following description and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the following descriptions, while indicating at least one embodiment and numerous specific details thereof, are given by way of illustration and not of limitation. Many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the embodiments herein without departing from the spirit thereof, and the embodiments herein include all such modifications.

[0030] Embodiments herein are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, throughout which like reference letters indicate corresponding parts in the various figures. The embodiments herein will be better understood from the following description with reference to the following illustratory drawings. Embodiments herein are illustrated by way of examples in the accompanying drawings, and in which:

[0031] FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting the system of a wireless network for reporting LBT failure information for SONs in an optimal manner, according to embodiments as disclosed herein;

[0032] FIG. 2A is a flow diagram depicting a method for reporting to network node of a serving cell, a plurality of LBT failure indications during an RA procedure, according to embodiments as disclosed herein;

[0033] FIG. 2B is a flow diagram (200B) depicting a method for logging and reporting a plurality of LBT failure indications associated with a plurality of RA transmission attempt in an optimal manner, according to embodiments as disclosed herein; and

[0034] FIG. 3 depicts the process (300) for handling consistent Uplink (UL) LBT failures for a secondary cell group (SCG), according to embodiments as disclosed herein.

[0035] The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein can be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.

[0036] Various embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, specific details such as detailed configuration and components are merely provided to assist the overall understanding of these embodiments of the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications of the embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. In addition, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions are omitted for clarity and conciseness.

[0037] Also, the various embodiments described herein are not necessarily mutually exclusive, as some embodiments can be combined with one or more other embodiments to form new embodiments.

[0038] Herein, the term "or" as used herein, refers to a non-exclusive or, unless otherwise indicated. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein can be practiced and to further enable those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.

[0039] For the purposes of interpreting this specification, the definitions (as defined herein) will apply and whenever appropriate the terms used in singular will also include the plural and vice versa. It is to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purposes of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. The terms "comprising", "having" and "including" are to be construed as open-ended terms unless otherwise noted.

[0040] The words / phrases "exemplary", "example", "illustration", "in an instance", "and the like", "and so on", "etc.", "etcetera", "e.g.,", "i.e.," are merely used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any embodiment or implementation of the present subject matter described herein using the words / phrases "exemplary", "example", "illustration", "in an instance", "and the like", "and so on", "etc.", "etcetera", "e.g.," , "i.e.," is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments.

[0041] As used herein, each of such phrases as "A or B", "at least one of A and B", "at least one of A or B", "A, B, or C", "at least one of A, B, and C" and "at least one of A, B, or C," may include all possible combinations of the items enumerated together in a corresponding one of the phrases. As used herein, such terms as "1st" and "2nd" or "first" and "second" may be used to simply distinguish a corresponding component from another, and does not limit the components in other aspect (e.g., importance or order).

[0042] As used herein, terms for identifying access nodes, terms denoting network entities, terms denoting messages, terms denoting inter-network entity interfaces, and terms denoting various pieces of identification information are provided as an example for ease of description. Thus, the disclosure is not limited to the terms, and the terms may be replaced with other terms denoting objects with equivalent technical meanings.

[0043] In the disclosure, the base station (BS) is a network entity allocating resources to the UE and capable of communicating with the UE and may be at least one of an eNode B, a Node B, a gNB, a radio access network (RAN), an access network (AN), a RAN node, an integrated access / backhaul (IAB) node, a radio access unit, a base station controller, a node over network, or a transmission reception point (TRP). The user equipment (UE) may be at least one of a terminal, a mobile station (MS), cellular phone, smartphone, computer, or multimedia system capable of performing communication functions.

[0044] For ease of description, the terms and names defined in the latest 3rd generation partnership project 5G and NR standards among the current communication standards are used herein. However, the disclosure is not limited by such terms and names and may be likewise applicable to wireless communication networks conforming to other standards. In particular, the disclosure may be applied to 3GPP GS / NR (5th generation mobile communication standards).

[0045] In embodiments of the present disclosure, each network entity may be implemented to include a processor for controlling operations in accordance with each embodiment or combination of at least one embodiment, and a network interface / transceiver for communicating with other network entity on a wired / wireless network.

[0046] Embodiments herein may be described and illustrated in terms of blocks which carry out a described function or functions.　These blocks, which may be referred to herein as managers, units, modules, hardware components or the like, are physically implemented by analog and / or digital circuits such as logic gates, integrated circuits, microprocessors, microcontrollers, memory circuits, passive electronic components, active electronic components, optical components, hardwired circuits and the like, and may optionally be driven by a firmware. The circuits may, for example, be embodied in one or more semiconductor chips, or on substrate supports such as printed circuit boards and the like.　The circuits constituting a block may be implemented by dedicated hardware, or by a processor (e.g., one or more programmed microprocessors and associated circuitry), or by a combination of dedicated hardware to perform some functions of the block and a processor to perform other functions of the block.　Each block of the embodiments may be physically separated into two or more interacting and discrete blocks without departing from the scope of the disclosure.　Likewise, the blocks of the embodiments may be physically combined into more complex blocks without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

[0047] It should be noted that elements in the drawings are illustrated for the purposes of this description and ease of understanding and may not have necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the flowcharts / sequence diagrams illustrate the method in terms of the steps required for understanding of aspects of the embodiments as disclosed herein. Furthermore, in terms of the construction of the device, one or more components of the device may have been represented in the drawings by conventional symbols, and the drawings may show only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the present embodiments so as not to obscure the drawings with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein. Furthermore, in terms of the system, one or more components / modules which comprise the system may have been represented in the drawings by conventional symbols, and the drawings may show only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the present embodiments so as not to obscure the drawings with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.

[0048] The accompanying drawings are used to help easily understand various technical features and it should be understood that the embodiments presented herein are not limited by the accompanying drawings. As such, the present disclosure should be construed to extend to any modifications, equivalents, and substitutes in addition to those which are particularly set out in the accompanying drawings and the corresponding description. Usage of words such as first, second, third etc., to describe components / elements / steps is for the purposes of this description and should not be construed as sequential ordering / placement / occurrence unless specified otherwise. Below information is provided for providing the clarity with respect to the invention.

[0049] Operators typically resort to manual techniques like drive tests to identify the optimal parameters in wireless communication networks. However, such manual parameter tuning is a costly operation since it depends on a lot of factors like the number of users, number of neighbors, maximum throughput in the cell, average throughput in the cell etc. Further, whenever a neighbor gNB is installed or a new service is introduced, many of these manual operations need to be repeated. To resolve this problem, 3gpp has introduced Self-Organizing Networks (SON) techniques in wireless technologies like NR. 3gpp release 17 (V17.5.0) of specifications like TS 38.331, TS38.300 and TS 38.321 can be considered as background for the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0050] In general, Self-Organizing-Networks (SONs) self-optimization capability can optimize handover parameters, radio resource allocation and so on, to optimize coverage, capacity, and quality of service of a wireless network. One of the main issues with respect to self-optimization of SONs is the overhead with respect to storing and reporting of the information. A User Equipment (UE) needs to reserve memory for storing the self-optimization data. From a user's perspective, this data is an overhead, as it is not related to any of the services / applications. Similarly, there is a signaling overhead on the air interface for reporting this data. Therefore, there is also an impact on the power consumption during the transfer of this information. Hence it is important to minimize the amount of data stored or reported for SON MDT purposes. According to the standard 3GPP TS 38.331 V18.0.0 and v18.1.0, the number of LBT (Listen Before Talk) failures for a random access procedure can be very large. For e.g Let us assume maximum count for triggering consistent LBT failure is 128 and every 128h attempt, LBT is timed out. LBT failure counter will be reset and the UE will try again without incrementing the preamble transmission counter. Thus the total number of LBT failures can be very large, even tens of thousands. Reporting such a large information causes big signalling overhead over air interface and memory requirements at the UE. Thus, there is a problem with reporting the number of LBT failures in RA-Report or other SON / MDT reports while ensuring that the data transmitted is optimum. Further, LBT failures may occur in SN also. There is also a problem of how to debug the LBT failures in SN in a dual connectivity scenario.

[0051] Self optimization in NR:

[0052] A 5G NR (new radio) radio access network (also known as NG-RAN (Next Generation Radio Network) comprises a plurality of NR base stations (known as gNBs). The plurality of gNBs can be connected to each other through a plurality of Xn interfaces. Further, the plurality of gNBs, can be connected to various core network elements such as AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function), UPF (User Plane Function) and so on, via a plurality of NG interfaces. The plurality of gNBs can be divided into two physical entities; a CU (Centralized Unit) and a DU (Distributed Unit). The CU can provide support for the higher layers of the protocol stack such as Session Data Application Protocol (SDAP), Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) and Radio Resource Control (RRC), and so on. The DU provides support for the lower layers of the protocol stack such as RLC (Radio Link Control), MAC (Medium Access Control) and Physical layer. Each gNB can include a plurality of cells for serving a plurality of User Equipment (UEs).

[0053] Self-Organizing Network (SON) techniques can be divided into three categories: Self-Configuration, Self-Optimization and Self-Healing. The SON architecture can be a centralized, a distributed or a hybrid solution. Mobility Robustness Optimization (MRO) is a SON technique which can be used to optimize various parameters related to mobility with respect to network handover.

[0054] According to 3gpp specifications like TS 38.300 V17.0.0, Mobility Robustness Optimization aims at detecting and enabling correction of following problems such as without limitation:

[0055] Connection failure due to an intra-system and / or inter-system mobility;

[0056] Inter-system Unnecessary Handover (HO) (too early inter-system HO from NR to Evolved-Universal terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) with no radio link failure); and

[0057] Inter-system HO ping-pong.

[0058] The MRO can provide a means to distinguish the above mentioned problems from NR coverage related problems and some other problems that are not related to mobility. Further, for analysis of a connection failure, a UE can make a Radio Link Failure (RLF) Report available to an NG-RAN. The UE can store a latest RLF Report (including both LTE and NR RLF report) until the RLF report is fetched by the NG-RAN. Further, the UE can store the latest RLF report for 48 hours after the connection failure is detected by the NG-RAN.

[0059] One of the functions of the MRO in NR R17 is to detect connection failures that occurred due to Too Early or Too Late inter-system handovers. These problems are defined as follows:

[0060] - Inter-system / Too Late Handover: an RLF occurs after the UE has stayed in a cell belonging to an NG-RAN node for a long period of time; the UE attempts to reconnect to a cell belonging to an E-UTRAN node; and

[0061] - Inter-system / Too Early Handover: an RLF occurs shortly after a successful handover from a source cell belonging to an E-UTRAN node to a target cell belonging to an NG-RAN node. The UE attempts to reconnect to the source cell or another cell belonging to an E-UTRAN node.

[0062] One of the purposes of inter-system Mobility Robustness Optimization in NR R17 is the detection of a non-optimal use of network resources. In particular, in case of inter-system operations and when NR is considered, the case known as Unnecessary HO to another system is identified. The unnecessary HO is defined as follows:

[0063] - A UE is handed over from an NR to a E-UTRAN even though quality of NR coverage was sufficient for the service used by the UE. The handover may therefore be considered as unnecessary HO to another system (i.e., EPS) (too early inter-system HO without connection failure).

[0064] In inter-system HO, if signal strength threshold (NR cell) of a serving cell, is set too high, and a cell in another system (Evolved packet system) (e.g., EPS) with good signal strength is available, a handover to another system may be triggered unnecessarily, resulting in an inefficient use of the networks. With a lower threshold, the UE could have continued in the serving cell of a source system (5GS).

[0065] A function of Mobility Robustness Optimization is to detect ping-pongs that occur in an inter-system environment. The function is defined as follows:

[0066] - If a UE is handed over from a cell in a source system (e.g., 5GS) to a cell in a target system (e.g., EPS) different from the source system, then within a predefined limited time the UE is handed over back to a cell in the source system, while the coverage of the source system was sufficient for the service used by the UE. This event can occur more than once.

[0067] A UE can log various events and information, and report corresponding information message(s) to a network node of NR for supporting optimizations. Examples of the information message(s) can be, but not limited to, a random access report (RA Report), a Radio Link failure report (RLF Report), a Successful handover report (SHR), and so on. Contents of information that are reported to the network node by the UE as per Release 17 NR specifications TS 38.331 are given Table 1 below.

[0068] [Table 1]

[0069]

[0070]

[0071]

[0072]

[0073]

[0074]

[0075] NR operations in the unlicensed spectrum:

[0076] According to TS 38.300, Radio Access operating with shared spectrum channel access can support the following deployment scenarios:

[0077] - Scenario A: Carrier aggregation between NR in licensed spectrum (Specialcell or SpCell) and NR in shared spectrum (SCell);

[0078] - Scenario A.1: SCell is not configured with uplink (DL only);

[0079] - Scenario A.2: SCell is configured with uplink (DL+UL).

[0080] - Scenario B: Dual connectivity between LTE in a licensed spectrum and an NR in shared spectrum (PSCell);

[0081] - Scenario C: NR in a shared spectrum (PCell);

[0082] - Scenario D: an NR cell in shared spectrum and uplink in licensed spectrum;

[0083] - Scenario E: Dual connectivity between an NR in licensed spectrum (PCell) and an NR in shared spectrum (PSCell).

[0084] Carrier aggregation of cells in shared spectrum can be applicable to afore-stated all deployment scenarios.

[0085] a gNB and a UE apply Listen-Before-Talk (LBT) before performing a transmission on a cell configured with shared spectrum channel access. When LBT is applied, the transmitter listens to the channel to determine whether the channel is free or busy in order to perform transmission only if the channel is sensed free.

[0086] When consistent uplink LBT failures are detected on Special cell (SpCell), the UE switches to another uplink bandwidth part (UL BWP) with configured random access channel (RACH) resources on that cell, initiates RACH, and reports the failure via MAC control element (MAC CE). For a PSCell, if consistent uplink LBT failures are detected on all the UL BWPs with configured RACH resources, the UE declares secondary cell group radio link failure (SCG RLF) and reports the failure to a Mater node (MN) via SCGFailureInformation. For a PCell, if the uplink LBT failures are detected on all the UL BWP(s) with configured RACH resources, the UE declares RLF. If the UE succeeds with a random access procedure in any of the BWPs, UE doesn't declare RLF.

[0087] The UE can log information of multiple RA (random access) procedures related to consistent LBT failures. Further, the UE can inform the network node that the RA was initiated following a "consistent LBT failures" in the SpCell. In NR, this may be reported using raPurpose field in an NR RA-Report.

[0088] The UE further can log the last successful RA procedure related information in the RA report. Only the preamble transmission attempts for which LBT was successful are represented in the "per RA attempt info list" for a given beam.

[0089] Further, the UE can report the number of LBT failures (failure to access the channel before transmission) to the network. The UE logs RA-InformationCommon including LBT info in the RLF-Report, in case of handover failure (HOF) and when the RLF cause is a randomAccessProblem or a beamFailureRecoveryFailure.

[0090] Example RA information common field descriptions and RA-report field descriptions are mentioned [Table 2] below:

[0091] [Table 2]

[0092]

[0093]

[0094]

[0095]

[0096]

[0097] The embodiments herein achieve methods and systems for self-optimization of inter-Radio Access Technology (inter-RAT) mobility between 5G NR (New Radio) and LTE (Long Term Evolution) in wireless networks. Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1 through 3, where similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the figures, there are shown at least one embodiment.

[0098] FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting the system (100) of a wireless network for reporting LBT failure information for SONs in an optimal manner, in accordance with embodiments as disclosed herein. In an embodiment herein, the wireless network comprises at least one user equipment (UE) (102), at least one serving network node (104) of a network cell and at least one reporting network node (106) of a network cell.

[0099] The wireless network can be, for example, but not limited to a fourth generation (4G) network, a fifth generation (5G) network, a 6G network, an Open Radio Access Network (ORAN) or the like. The UE (102) can be, for example, but not limited to a laptop, a smart phone, a desktop computer, a notebook, a Device-to-Device (D2D) device, a vehicle to everything (V2X) device, a foldable phone, a smart TV, a tablet, an immersive device, an internet of things (IoT) device, and any other device capable of communicating using the wireless network. The serving network node (104) may belong to a service cell of the UE, wherein the serving network node (104) can be, for example, but not limited to a gNB, an eNB, a new radio (NR) trans-receiver or the like of the wireless network. The reporting network node (106) may be a reporting network node for reporting a plurality of LBT failures. In an example embodiment herein, the reporting network node (106) can be, for example, but not limited to, a gNB, a eNB, a new radio (NR) trans-receiver or the like of the wireless network. In an embodiment herein, the serving network node (104) and the reporting network node (106) can comprise a processor and a communication module.

[0100] In an embodiment herein, the UE (102) can perform Random Access procedure due to various occasions such as, initial access to a serving network node (104) from an idle state of the UE (102), re-establishment after a radio-link failure, a handover to a different cell from a service cell, and so on. In an embodiment herein, the UE (102) can be connected to a network node of a serving cell in the wireless network. Further, in an embodiment herein, the UE (102) can attempt at least one RA preamble transmission to the serving network node (104), in the wireless network. In an embodiment herein, the UE (102) can detect that at least one LBT failure has occurred for the at least one RA preamble transmission attempt. In an embodiment herein, the UE (102) can determine a value M indicating a total number of a plurality of LBT failure indications during the random access and log the value M. In an embodiment if M is greater than or equal to a pre-defined value N, the logged value is N. Otherwise, the logged value is M. In an embodiment herein, the pre-defined value N can be represented as , wherein x is the number of bits for the number of LBT failures. Such a representation allows reporting of the actual number of LBT failures from 1 to N where the maximum value of N is there by utilizing all the available bits used for reporting the number of LBT failures. Further, in an embodiment herein, the pre-defined value N can be represented as . wherein the x is the number of bits for the number of LBT failures. Furthermore, in an embodiment herein, the pre-defined value N can be represented as , wherein the x is the number of bits for the number of LBT failures. Such a representation allows reporting of the actual number of LBT failures from 0 to N-1 where the maximum value of N is .

[0101] With respect to various embodiments herein, if the UE (102) detects a number of a plurality of LBT failures in a plurality of random access procedures is between 1 and the pre-defined value N, the UE (102) can report to the reporting network node (106), the number of a plurality of LBT failures in response to a plurality of RA procedures. UE may log the number of plurality of LBT failures in SON / MDT reports like RA-Report, RLF report, SHR, SPR etc. Network (Reporting network node) further requests the UE (102) to report this information through RRC procedures such as UE Information Request procedure. In an example embodiment herein, the reporting network node (106) can be the serving network node (104). Further, in an embodiment herein, if the UE (102) detects the number of the plurality of LBT failures in the plurality of random access procedures is at least one of greater than the pre-defined value N, and equal to the pre-defined value N, the UE (102) can report the pre-defined value N as the number of LBT failure indications to the reporting network node (106).

[0102] Further, the UE (102) can determine a plurality of RA preamble transmission attempts followed by an LBT procedure performed in a lower layer of the UE (TS 37.213). Further, the lower layer of the UE (102) can send a plurality of LBT failure indications to at least a MAC layer of the UE (102). In an embodiment herein, the UE (102) can determine a total number of a plurality of RA preamble transmission attempts for which LBT failure indication is received is less than the pre-defined value N. Upon determining that the afore-stated plurality of RA preamble transmission attempts is less than N, the UE (102) can report a total number of RA preamble transmission attempts for which LBT failure indication has been received as N to the reporting network node (106). Further, in an embodiment herein, the UE (102) can determine the total number of preamble transmission attempts for which LBT failure indication received is at least one of greater than N and equal to N. Upon determining the plurality of RA preamble transmission attempts is at least one of greater than N and equal to N, the UE can report N as the total number of preamble transmission attempts for which LBT failure indication is received in the RA procedure.

[0103] In an example embodiment herein, the UE (102) can comprise a processor (120), a memory (122) and a communication module (124). The processor (120) can include analog and / or digital circuits such as logic gates, integrated circuits, microprocessors, microcontrollers, memory circuits, passive electronic components, active electronic components, optical components, hardwired circuits and the like, and may optionally be driven by firmware.

[0104] The processor (120) may further, include one or a plurality of processors. The one or the plurality of processors may be a general-purpose processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU), an application processor (AP), or the like, a graphics-only processing unit such as a graphics processing unit (GPU), a visual processing unit (VPU), and / or an AI-dedicated processor such as a neural processing unit (NPU). The processor (120) may include multiple cores and is configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory (122).

[0105] Further, the processor (120) is configured to execute instructions stored in the memory (122) and to perform various processes. The communication module (124) is configured for communicating internally between internal hardware components and with external devices via one or more networks. The memory (122) can also store instructions to be executed by the processor (120). The memory (122) may include non-volatile storage elements. Examples of such non-volatile storage elements may include magnetic hard discs, optical discs, floppy discs, flash memories, or forms of electrically programmable memories (EPROM) or electrically erasable and programmable (EEPROM) memories. In addition, the memory (122) may, in some examples, be considered a non-transitory storage medium. The term "non-transitory" may indicate that the storage medium is not embodied in a carrier wave or a propagated signal. However, the term "non-transitory" should not be interpreted that the memory (130) is non-movable. In certain examples, a non-transitory storage medium may store data that can, over time, change (e.g., in Random Access Memory (RAM) or cache).

[0106] In an embodiment, the communication module (124) includes an electronic circuit specific to a standard that enables wired or wireless communication. The communication module (122) can be configured to communicate internally between internal hardware components of the UE (102) and with external devices via one or more networks.

[0107] FIG. 2A is a flow diagram (200A) depicting the method for reporting to a reporting network node (104), a plurality of LBT failure indications during an RA procedure, in accordance with embodiments as disclosed herein. At step 202, the method depicts obtaining a plurality of LBT failure indications from at least one lower layer in the UE (102) by a UE (102), during an RA procedure. In an embodiment herein, the UE (102) performs an LBT procedure with respect to a radio channel and detects failure in a plurality of RA preamble transmission attempts. The UE (102) detects the plurality of LBT failure indications in at least one lower layer in the UE (102). In an example embodiment herein, the at least one lower layer can be, without limitation to, a physical layer in a 5G NR user plane protocol stack for the UE (102). Further, in an example embodiment herein, the lower layer of the UE (102) can send a plurality of LBT failure indications to at least a MAC layer of the UE (102).

[0108] At step 204, the method comprises the UE (102) checking if a plurality of LBT failure transmission indications is less than the pre-defined value N. The pre-defined value N indicates the plurality of LBT failure indications in an RA procedure. In an example embodiment herein, the MAC layer in the UE can compare a total number of LBT failures with a pre-defined value N, wherein N indicates the plurality of LBT failure indications. Further, in an embodiment herein, the UE can define N based on a plurality of number of bits representing the plurality of LBT failure transmissions. In an example embodiment herein, 128 LBT failure indications can be represented by a number of 8 bits. Further, in an embodiment herein, the pre-defined value N can be represented as , whereas x is the number of bits for the number of LBT failures. This representation of the pre-defined value ensures that all of the bits used for reporting the number of LBT failures are used effectively. Further, in an embodiment herein, the pre-defined value N can be represented as , whereas x is the number of bits for the number of LBT failures. Furthermore, in an embodiment herein, the pre-defined value N can be represented as , whereas x is the number of bits for the number of LBT failures. In an example embodiment herein, the pre-defined value N can also be one of 256, 512, 2048, 4096, 8192, 16384, 25401, 32768 i.e. a value which can be represented as and so on. Therefore, the possible range of values for the number of LBT failures is 1 to N. Each of these values allow the UE to report the maximum number of LBT failures that can be reported using x bits. A larger value of x helps the network to perform optimization at a finer level, but increases the overhead on UE memory and the signaling on air interface. On the other hand, a smaller value reduces the overhead on UE memory and the signaling on air interface, but constrains the network's ability to perform optimization at a finer level.

[0109] Further, at step 204, the method comprises the UE (102) checking if a plurality of LBT failure transmission indications is at least one of equal to the pre-defined value N and greater than the pre-defined value N. In an embodiment herein, the UE (102) compares a total number of LBT failures with the pre-defined value N, wherein N indicates the plurality of LBT failure indications. Further, in an embodiment herein, the UE can define N based on a plurality of number of bits representing the plurality of LBT failure transmissions. In an example embodiment herein, a 128 LBT failure indications can be represented by 8 bits (including a bit to indicate the presence of the information element). This will help to have byte aligned operations during reporting the number of LBT failures at the UE and during the processing at the network. Further, in an embodiment herein, the pre-defined value N can be represented as , whereas x is the number of bits for the number of LBT failures. This representation of the pre-defined value ensures that all of the bits used for reporting the number of LBT failures are used effectively. Further, in an embodiment herein, the pre-defined value N can be represented as , whereas x is the number of bits for the number of LBT failures. Furthermore, in an embodiment herein, the pre-defined value N can be represented as , whereas x is the number of bits for the number of LBT failures. In an example embodiment herein, the pre-defined value N can also be one of 256, 512, 2048, 4096, 8192, 16384, 25401, 32768, and so on. Therefore, the possible range of values for the number of LBT failures is 1 to N.

[0110] At step 206, the method comprises the UE (102) reporting the pre-defined value N as a total number of LBT failure indications to a reporting network node (106), upon determining the total number of LBT failure indications is at least one of equal to the pre-defined value N and greater than the pre-defined value N. Further, the UE (102) can store the pre-defined value N as the total number of LBT failure indications in the memory (122).

[0111] Further, at step 206, the method comprises the UE (102) reporting the total number of LBT failure indications to the reporting network node (106), on determining the total number of LBT failure indications is less than the pre-defined value N. Further, the UE (102) can store the total number of LBT failure indications in the memory.

[0112] The various actions in method 200A may be performed in the order presented, in a different order or simultaneously. Further, in some embodiments, some actions listed in FIG. 2A may be omitted.

[0113] FIG. 2B is a flow-diagram (200B) depicting the method for logging to a network node, a plurality of RA preamble transmission attempts for which LBT failure indications detected a, in an optimal manner, in accordance with embodiments as disclosed herein. In an embodiment herein, the network node can be at least one of a serving network node (104) and a reporting network node (106).

[0114] At step 212, the method comprises, the UE (102) triggering a plurality of RA preamble transmission attempts to at least one serving network node (104) through a plurality of BWPs of a RACH. In an example embodiment herein, the plurality of RA preamble transmission attempts are triggered due to the UE (102) initiating an access to at least one of the serving network node (104) and the reporting network node (106), from an idle state of the UE (102), re-establishment after a radio-link failure, a handover to a different cell from a service cell and so on.

[0115] At step 214, the method comprises the UE (102) obtaining a plurality of LBT failure indications from at least one layer in the UE (102), in response to the plurality of RA preamble transmission attempts. In an embodiment herein, the UE (102) performs an LBT procedure with respect to a radio channel and detects failure in a plurality of RA preamble transmission attempts. Thus, the UE (102) detects the plurality of LBT failure indications in at least one layer in the UE (102). In an example embodiment herein, the at least one lower layer can be, without limitation, a physical layer in a 5G NR user plane protocol stack for the UE (102). Further, in an embodiment herein, the lower layer of the UE (102) can send a plurality of LBT failure indications to at least a MAC layer of the UE (102).

[0116] At step 216, the method comprises the UE (102) checking if a total number of RA preamble transmission attempts for which LBT failure indication detected is less than the pre-defined value N, wherein the pre-defined value N indicates a plurality of pre-defined LBT failure indications. In an embodiment herein, the UE (102) compares a total number of LBT failures with the pre-defined value N, wherein N indicates the plurality of pre-defined LBT failure indications. Further, in an embodiment herein, the UE (102) can define N based on a plurality of number of bits representing the plurality of LBT failure transmissions. In an example embodiment herein, 128 LBT failure indications can be represented by 8 bits. Further, in an embodiment herein, the pre-defined value N can be represented as , where x is the number of bits for the number of LBT failures. This representation of the pre-defined value ensures that all of the bits used for reporting the number of LBT failures are used effectively. Further, in an embodiment herein, the pre-defined value N can be represented as , whereas x is the number of bits for the number of LBT failures Furthermore, in an embodiment herein, the pre-defined value N can be represented as , whereas x is the number of bits for the number of LBT failures. In an example embodiment herein, the value of N can be one of 256, 512, 2048, 4096, 8192, 16384, 25401, 32768, i.e. a value which can be represented as ( ), and so on. Therefore, the possible range of values for the number of RA-preamble transmission attempts is 1 to N. Each of these values allow the UE to report the maximum number of LBT failures that can be reported using x bits. A larger value of x helps the network to perform optimization at a finer level, but increases the overhead on UE memory and the signaling on air interface. On the other hand, a smaller value reduces the overhead on UE memory and the signaling on air interface, but constrains the network's ability to perform optimization at a finer level.

[0117] Further at step 216, the method comprises the UE (102) checking if a total number of RA preamble transmission attempts is at least one of greater than the pre-defined value N and equal to the pre-defined value N, wherein N indicates a plurality of pre-defined LBT failure indications. In an embodiment herein, the UE (102) compares a total number of LBT failures with N. Further, in an embodiment herein, the UE (102) can define N based on a plurality of number of bits representing the plurality of LBT failure transmissions. In an example embodiment herein, 128 LBT failure indications can be represented by 8 bits (including a bit to indicate the presence of the information element). This will help to have byte aligned operations during reporting the number of LBT failures at the UE and during the processing at the network. Further, in an embodiment herein, the pre-defined value N can be represented as , whereas x is the number of bits for the number of LBT failures. This representation of the pre-defined value ensures that all of the bits used for reporting the number of LBT failures are used effectively. Further, in an embodiment herein, the pre-defined value N can be represented as , whereas x is the number of bits for the number of LBT failures. Furthermore, in an embodiment herein, the pre-defined value N can be represented as . In an example embodiment herein, the pre-defined value of N can be one of 256, 512, 2048, 4096, 8192, 16384, 25401, 32768, and so on. Therefore, the possible range of values for the number of RA-preamble transmission attempts is 1 to N.

[0118] At step 218, the method comprises the UE (102) reporting, the pre-defined value N as a total number of RA preamble transmission attempts for which the LBT failure indication has been received, to a reporting network node (106)), on determining the total number of RA preamble transmission attempts for which LBT failure indications detected is at least one of equal to the pre-defined value N and greater than the pre-defined value N. Further, the UE (102) can store in the memory (122), the pre-defined value N as the total number of RA preamble transmission attempts for which the LBT failure indication has been received.

[0119] Further at step 218, the method comprises the UE (102) reporting the total number of RA preamble transmission attempts for which LBT failure indication has been received to the reporting network node (106), upon determining the total number of RA preamble transmission attempts for which LBT failure indications has received is less than the pre-defined value N. Further, the UE (102) can store the total number of RA preamble transmission attempts in the memory (122).

[0120] The various actions in method 200B may be performed in the order presented, in a different order or simultaneously. Further, in some embodiments, some actions listed in FIG. 2B may be omitted.

[0121] In an embodiment herein, the UE (102) can report the total number of RA-preamble transmission attempts as at least one of the total number of RA-preamble transmission attempts and as the pre-defined value N, using the following procedure of [Table 3]:

[0122] [Table 3]

[0123]

[0124]

[0125] Here, the numberOfLBTFailures field can be used to indicate the total number of preamble transmission attempts for which LBT failure indication is received in an RA procedure. This field can be optionally present when there is at least one preamble transmission attempt for which LBT failure indication is received during the RA procedure, otherwise it is absent. If the total number of preamble transmission attempts for which LBT failure indication has been received in the RA procedure is greater than N, the UE reports N. Otherwise, the UE reports the actual number of preamble transmission attempts for which LBT failure indication has been received in the RA procedure.

[0126] In a specific example, this may be represented as [Table 4] below in TS 38.331. Considering the pre-defined value N as 128.

[0127] [Table 4]

[0128]

[0129]

[0130] The numberOfLBTFailures field can be used to indicate the total number of preamble transmission attempts for which LBT failure indication has been received in the RA procedure. This field can be optionally present when there is at least one preamble transmission attempt for which LBT failure indication is received during the RA procedure, otherwise it is absent. If the total number of preamble transmission attempts for which LBT failure indication has been received in the RA procedure is greater than 128, the UE reports 128. Otherwise, the UE reports the actual number of preamble transmission attempts for which LBT failure indication has been received in the RA procedure.

[0131] FIG. 3 depicts the process (300) for handling consistent Uplink (UL) LBT failures for a secondary cell group (SCG), in accordance with embodiments as disclosed herein.

[0132] At step 302, the method comprises the UE (102) initiating at least one random access due to the consistent uplink LBT failures in the PSCell (primary cell of SCG). At step 304, the method comprises the UE (102) reporting purpose of the at least one random access (rapurpose) as LBT failure to a network node. In an embodiment herein, the UE (102) logs the rapurpose as LBTfailure in an SCG related random access report to be transmitted to the network node. In the SCG random access report, the UE (102) may log that the RA was initiated following "consistent LBT failures". This can be represented in TS 38.331. In an example embodiment herein, the network node receiving the SCG random access report from the UE (102) can be at least one of a reporting network node (106) and a serving network node (104). The various actions in the method (300) may be performed in the order presented, in a different order or simultaneously. Further, in some embodiments, some actions listed in FIG.3 may be omitted.

[0133] In an embodiment RA purpose as LBT failure may be logged in RA-Report and reported to the reporting node. In an embodiment reporting node may be a master node in dual connectivity. In an embodiment, the reporting node may be node other than the master node or secondary node and reporting node may forward the RA report to master node. In an embodiment, once the master node receives the RA report, it may forward the RA report to the SN, so that SN can optimize the SCG random access where LBT failures are detected.

[0134] The raPurpose field can be used to indicate the RA scenario for which the RA report entry is triggered. A plurality of RA accesses can be associated with Initial access from RRC_IDLE, RRC re-establishment procedure, and transition from RRC-INACTIVE. The indicator beamFailureRecovery can be used in case of a successful beam failure recovery related RA procedure in the SpCell. The indicator reconfigurationWithSync can be used if the UE (102) executes a reconfiguration with sync. The indicator ulUnSynchronized can be used if the random access procedure is initiated in a SpCell by DL or UL data arrival during RRC_CONNECTED when the timeAlignmentTimer is not running in the Primary timing advanced group (PTAG) or if the RA procedure is initiated in a serving cell by a Physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) order. The indicator schedulingRequestFailure can be used in case of Scheduling request (SR) failures. The indicator noPUCCHResourceAvailable can be used when the UE (102) has no valid Scheduling request Physical uplink control channel (SR PUCCH) resources configured. The indicator requestForOtherSI can be used for MSG1 based on demand SI request. The indicator msg3RequestForOtherSI can be used in case of MSG3 based SI request. The indication lbtFailure can be used when the UE (102) initiates RACH in SpCell due to consistent uplink LBT failures. The field can also be used for the SCG-related RA-Report when the raPurpose is set to beamFailureRecovery, reconfigurationWithSync, ulUnSynchronized, schedulingRequestFailure, noPUCCHResourceAvailable and lbtFailure.

[0135] In an embodiment herein, if the UE (102) has experienced consistent LBT failures in one or more bandwidth parts and the UE (102) has switched to another BWP where it has experienced LBT failure, the UE (102) includes the following information for the BWPs, if the RLF cause is randomAccessProblem or beamFailureRecoveryFailure,

[0136] The locationAndBandwidth information of the BWP where consistent LBT failure occurred.

[0137] The subcarrierSpacing information of the BWP where consistent LBT failure occurred.

[0138] In an embodiment herein, if the UE (102) has experienced consistent LBT failures in one or more bandwidth parts and the UE (102) has switched to another BWP (where it has experienced LBT failures), the UE includes the following information for the BWPs (where consistent LBT failures occur if the RLF cause is any cause excluding lbtfailure):

[0139] The locationAndBandwidth information of the BWP where consistent LBT failure occurred.

[0140] The subcarrierSpacing information of the BWP where consistent LBT failure occurred.

[0141] The embodiments herein disclose methods and systems for self-optimization of. the UE to report the number of LBT failures to the network for the SON / MDT purpose in an optimal manner. Embodiments herein disclose methods and systems for performing random access related optimizations for SCG optimization during LBT failure.

[0142] The embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented through at least one software program running on at least one hardware device and performing network management functions to control the elements. The elements can be at least one of a hardware device, or a combination of hardware device and software module.

[0143] The embodiment disclosed herein describes method(s) and system(s) for interacting with at least one real world object by facilitating spatial-temporal marking using a VST device. Therefore, it is understood that the scope of the protection is extended to such a program and in addition to a computer readable means having a message therein, such computer readable storage means contain program code means for implementation of one or more steps of the method, when the program runs on a server or mobile device or any suitable programmable device. The method is implemented in at least one embodiment through or together with a software program written in e.g., Very high speed integrated circuit Hardware Description Language (VHDL) another programming language, or implemented by one or more VHDL or several software modules being executed on at least one hardware device. The hardware device can be any kind of portable device that can be programmed. The device may also include means which could be e.g., hardware means like e.g., an ASIC, or a combination of hardware and software means, e.g., an ASIC and an FPGA, or at least one microprocessor and at least one memory with software modules located therein. The method embodiments described herein could be implemented partly in hardware and partly in software. Alternatively, the invention may be implemented on different hardware devices, e.g., using a plurality of CPUs.

[0144] The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and / or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of embodiments and examples, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments and examples disclosed herein can be practiced with modification within the scope of the embodiments as described herein.

Claims

1.A method performed by a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system supporting a shared spectrum channel access, the method comprising:performing a random access (RA) procedure for the shared spectrum channel access;identifying a number of listen before talk (LBT) failure indications received from a lower layer during the RA procedure; andtransmitting a RA report including information indicating a number of LBT failures to a network node in case that the number of the LBT failure indications is greater than or equal to a pre-defined value.2.The method of claim 1, wherein the number of LBT failures is set to the pre-defined value.3.The method of claim 1, wherein the information indicating the number of LBT failures indicates a total number of preamble transmission attempts in the RA procedure.4.The method of claim 1, wherein the RA report further includes information indicating a RA purpose as LBT failure in case that the UE initiates the RA procedure due to consistent uplink LBT failures.5.The method of claim 4, wherein the UE initiates the RA procedure in a special cell (SpCell) due to the consistent uplink LBT failures, the SpCell including a primary cell of secondary cell group (SCG).6.The method of claim 4, wherein the information indicating the RA purpose as the LBT failure is used for a SCG related RA report.7.The method of claim 1, wherein the pre-defined value is 128.8.A user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system supporting a shared spectrum channel access, the UE comprising:a transceiver; anda processor configured to:perform, through the transceiver, a random access (RA) procedure for the shared spectrum channel access;identify a number of listen before talk (LBT) failure indications received from a lower layer during the RA procedure; andtransmit, through the transceiver, a RA report including information indicating a number of LBT failures to a network node in case that the number of the LBT failure indications is greater than or equal to a pre-defined value.9.The UE of claim 8, wherein the number of LBT failures is set to the pre-defined value.10.The UE of claim 8, wherein the information indicating the number of LBT failures indicates a total number of preamble transmission attempts in the RA procedure.11.The UE of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to transmit, through the transceiver, the RA report including information indicating a RA purpose as LBT failure in case that the UE initiates the RA procedure due to consistent uplink LBT failures.12.The UE of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to initiate the RA procedure in a special cell (SpCell) due to the consistent uplink LBT failures, the SpCell including a primary cell of secondary cell group (SCG).13.The UE of claim 11, wherein the information indicating the RA purpose as the LBT failure is used for a SCG related RA report.14.The UE of claim 8, wherein the pre-defined value is 128.

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