CN109076605B - Delay duration for uplink listen-before-talk - Google Patents

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for accessing a secondary access (LAA) cell (S) are describedCell), and apparatus. A channel access priority level (p) for uplink communications is identified. Determining a sensing duration (m) for a second channel _p T _sl ) Has a time slot duration (T) _sl ) Number of time slots (m) _p ). Number of time slots (m) _p ) At least 2, and based on the identified channel access priority level. For delay duration (T) _d ) Sensing a channel, the delay duration (T) _d ) Including a first channel sensing duration (T) _f ) And a second channel sensing duration (m) _p T _sl ). When sensing the channel for the delay duration (T) _d ) And any backoff duration is idle, allowing access to the channel for uplink communications.

Description

Delay duration for uplink listen-before-talk

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from U.S. provisional patent application No.62/336,397, filed 2016, 5, 13, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to using unlicensed spectrum. Since the unlicensed spectrum may be used by various users without any centralized scheduling, the access procedure is used to access the unlicensed spectrum in a fair manner.

Background

Wireless mobile communication technology allows communication of mobile user devices such as smart phones, tablet computing devices, laptop computers, and the like. Mobile communication technology may allow for the connection of various types of devices.

Wireless mobile communication technology uses the radio spectrum for communication. The spectrum may be a licensed spectrum or an unlicensed spectrum. Access to the licensed spectrum is limited to authorized persons (and those who, for example, they allow use of the licensed spectrum). On the other hand, access to the unlicensed spectrum is generally available to any user that is affected by certain contention access procedures.

Wireless mobile communication technologies use various standards and protocols to transmit data between a base station and a wireless communication device. Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN) communication system standards and protocols may include, for example, the third Generation partnership project (3 GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) and IEEE 802.16 standards, commonly referred to in the industry as Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX). A Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) may include, for example, the IEEE 802.11 standard, commonly referred to in the industry as Wi-Fi. Other WWAN and WLAN standards and protocols are also known. WWAN communication systems typically operate using licensed spectrum, while WLAN communication systems typically operate using unlicensed spectrum. Since licensed spectrum is limited, there is considerable interest in wireless communications utilizing both licensed and unlicensed spectrum.

Disclosure of Invention

An aspect of the present disclosure provides an apparatus for a user equipment. The device comprises: circuitry configured to detect energy on a channel of a Licensed Assisted Access (LAA) secondary cell (SCell); and one or more baseband processing units configured to: identifying a channel access priority level (p) for uplink communications; is determined to have a time slot duration (T) _sl ) Number of time slots (m) _p ) To serve as a second channel sensing duration (m) _p T _sl ) Wherein the number of time slots (m) _p ) A channel access priority level (p) based on the identified uplink communication, and wherein the number of time slots (m) _p ) At least 2; for delay duration (T) _d ) Sensing the channel, delay duration (T) _d ) Including a first channel sensing duration (T) _f ) And a second channel sensing duration (m) _p T _sl ) (ii) a And sensing the channel for a delay duration (T) _d ) And any retreatWhile the keep-time duration is idle, access to the channel is allowed for uplink communications.

Another aspect of the present disclosure provides an apparatus for a user equipment. The device includes: a memory configured to store a channel sensing duration (T) _f ) And time slot duration (T) _sl ) (ii) a A logic unit configured to detect energy on a channel of a Licensed Assisted Access (LAA) secondary cell (SCell); and one or more processing units, the one or more processing units: identifying an uplink message to be transmitted on a channel of a licensed-assisted access (LAA) secondary cell (SCell), wherein a channel access priority level (p) of the uplink message is a channel access priority level 1; for delay duration (T) _d ) Sensing a channel, wherein a delay duration (T) _d ) Including a channel sensing duration (T) _f ) And a plurality of (m) _p One) has a time slot duration (T) _sl ) Wherein, for channel access priority level 1 uplink messages, the number of consecutive slots (m) _p ) At least 2; and determining a delay duration (T) for the channel before contending for access to the channel _d ) And (4) idling.

Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a method for wireless communication. The method comprises the following steps: identifying an uplink message to be transmitted on a channel of a licensed-assisted access (LAA) secondary cell (SCell), wherein a channel access priority level (p) of the uplink message is a channel access priority level 2; for delay duration (T) _d ) Sensing a channel, wherein a delay duration (T) _d ) Including a channel sensing duration (T) _f ) And a plurality of (m) _p One) has a time slot duration (T) _sl ) Wherein, for at least one of a channel access priority level 1 uplink message and a channel access priority level 2 uplink message, the number of consecutive time slots (m) is _p ) At least 2; and determining a delay duration (T) for the channel before contending for access to the channel _d ) And (4) idling.

Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a computer-readable medium having code stored thereon, which, when executed by a computing device, causes the computing device to perform the above-described method for wireless communication.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of Uplink (UL) burst transmission in which the present systems and methods are implemented.

Fig. 2 is a flow diagram of a method for class 4LBT (e.g., cat.4lbt) devices to access a channel.

Fig. 3 is a flow chart of a method for accessing a channel.

Fig. 4 is a flow chart of a method for accessing a channel.

Fig. 5 is a flow chart of a method for accessing a channel.

Fig. 6 is a block diagram illustrating electronic device circuitry, which may be evolved node B (eNB) circuitry, user Equipment (UE) circuitry, network node circuitry, or some other type of circuitry, in accordance with various embodiments.

Fig. 7 is a block diagram illustrating example components of a UE, mobile Station (MS) device, or eNB for one embodiment.

Detailed Description

The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numbers may be used in different drawings to identify the same or similar elements. In the following description, for purposes of explanation and not limitation, specific details are set forth such as particular structures, architectures, interfaces, techniques, etc. in order to provide a thorough understanding of the various aspects of the disclosed embodiments. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the present disclosure that the various aspects of the embodiments may be practiced in other examples that depart from these specific details. In certain instances, descriptions of well-known devices, circuits, and methods are omitted so as not to obscure the description of the embodiments with unnecessary detail.

In a 3GPP LTE Radio Access Network (RAN), an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN) may include one or more base stations, referred to as E-UTRAN node bs (also commonly denoted as evolved node bs, enhanced node bs, enodebs, or enbs) and/or Radio Network Controllers (RNCs). In an LTE network, one or more enbs may communicate with one or more wireless communication devices, referred to as User Equipment (UE). An Evolved Packet Core (EPC) may communicatively couple the E-UTRAN to an external network, such as the internet. LTE networks include Radio Access Technologies (RATs) and core radio network architectures, which may provide high data rates, low latency, packet optimization, and improved system capacity and coverage.

The demand for high data rates for wireless communication systems is increasing. For example, the demand for high data rates for LTE is increasing. Typically, LTE uses licensed spectrum. One of the challenges associated with licensed spectrum is that the available licensed spectrum is typically limited (e.g., bandwidth limited). These limitations have led to the discovery of wireless communications using both licensed and unlicensed spectrum. The use of both licensed and unlicensed spectrum is enabled, at least in part, due to the proliferation of homogeneous networks.

In a homogeneous network, a node (also referred to as a macro node or macro cell) may provide basic radio coverage to wireless devices in a cell. The cell may be an area in which wireless devices may communicate with a macro node. Heterogeneous networks (hetnets) can be used to handle the increased traffic load on macro nodes due to increased usage and functionality of wireless devices. Hetnets may include a layer of planned high power macro nodes (macro enbs or macro cells) overlaid with layers of lower power nodes (small cells, small enbs, micro enbs, pico enbs, femto enbs, or home enbs (henbs)) that may be deployed within the coverage area (cell) of the macro node in a not well-planned or even completely uncoordinated manner. The lower power nodes may be generally referred to as "small cells," small nodes, or low power nodes. Hetnets may also include various types of nodes utilizing different types of RATs, e.g., LTE enbs, 3G nodebs, wi-Fi APs, and WiMAX base stations. In some cases, one or more high power macro nodes may utilize a licensed spectrum (e.g., LTE on licensed spectrum) while one or more lower power nodes may utilize an unlicensed spectrum (e.g., LTE on unlicensed spectrum).

As used herein, the terms "node" and "cell" are intended to be synonymous and refer to a wireless transmission point operable to communicate with a plurality of wireless mobile devices, such as a UE or another base station. Furthermore, the cell or node may also be a Wi-Fi Access Point (AP), or a multi-radio cell with Wi-Fi/cellular or additional RATs. For example, a node or cell may include various technologies such that cells operating on different RATs are integrated into one unified HetNet.

The increasing demand for high data rates for wireless systems, coupled with the bandwidth constraints of the available licensed spectrum, has led to the operation of LTE systems in unlicensed spectrum. Operation of LTE in unlicensed spectrum is referred to as Licensed Assisted Access (LAA).

The unlicensed band of initial interest in 3GPP is the 5GHz band, which includes a broad spectrum with global universal availability. The 5GHz band is governed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States (US) and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) in Europe (EP). The main existing system in the 5GHz band is WLAN, in particular a system based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11a/n/ac standard/technology. Since WLAN systems are widely deployed by individuals and operators for carrier-level access services and data offloading, sufficient care must be taken before LAAs are deployed. This is why the Listen-Before-Talk (LBT) mechanism is considered as a mandatory feature for 3GPP release 13LAA systems for fair coexistence with existing systems. LBT is the following procedure: the radio transmitter first senses the medium and only transmits when it is sensed that the medium is idle.

3GPP release 13LAA focuses mainly on using both licensed and unlicensed spectrum for Downlink (DL) access through carrier aggregation. In 3GPP release 13LAA, UL access is limited to using licensed spectrum.

The main design goal of 3GPP release 14 enhanced LAA (eLAA) is to specify UL support for LAA secondary cell (SCell) operation in unlicensed spectrum. If supported, the specification of UL support for the LAA SCell should include the design of Sounding Reference Signals (SRS), physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), and possibly Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) and Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH).

The present systems and methods relate to specifying parameters for UL support for eLAA operation in unlicensed spectrum. In particular, the present systems and methods relate to specifying a delay period for UL LBT. It should be understood that the delay period for UL LBT is different from the delay period for DL LBT.

During 3GPP release 13, the channel access mechanism for DL LBT is specified to include a delay duration (T) for each channel access priority class (p) _d ) (e.g., based on m) _p Value of (d). Delay duration (T) for DL LBT _d ) Including a duration of time T _f =16 μ s (microseconds (μ s)) followed by m _p A number of consecutive time slot durations, wherein each time slot duration is T _sl =9 μ s, and T _f At T _f Includes an idle slot duration T at the beginning of _sl . Thus, DL delay duration T _d Based on m _p A value of (a) and m _p Depending on the channel access priority class (p). M for DL LBT _p The duration of the consecutive time slots depends on the channel access priority class (p) as shown in table 1, which table 1 is a reproduction of table 15.1.1-1 in the 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 36.213v13.0.1.

TABLE 1

Further, to specify m to be used with each channel access priority class (p) of DL LBT _p For consecutive time slot durations, table 1 specifies the minimum contention window size (CW) to be used with each channel access priority level (p) of the DL LBT _min,p ) Maximum contention window size (CW) _max,p ) Maximum channel occupancy time (T) _mcot,p ) And allowed contention window size (CW) _p )。

As described above, the present systems and methods relate to specifying parameters for UL support for eLAA operation in unlicensed spectrum. In particular, the present systems and methods relate to specifying a delay period for UL LBT.

Delay duration (T) for UL LBT, as described herein _d ) Including durationT _f =16 μ s (microseconds (μ s)) followed by m _p A number of consecutive time slot durations, wherein each time slot duration is T _sl =9 μ s, and T _f At T _f Includes an idle slot duration T at the beginning of _sl . Thus, e.g., DL delay duration T _d UL delay duration T _d Based on m _p A value of (a) and m _p The value of (d) depends on the channel access priority level (p). M for UL LBT _p The duration of the consecutive time slots depends on the channel access priority level (p) as shown in table 2.

TABLE 2

As shown in Table 2, when the channel access priority class (p) is 1 or 2, m designated for UL LBT _p The duration of each successive time slot is 2. This is in contrast to m for DL LBT _p The consecutive time slots differ in duration.

Further, to specify m to be used with each channel access priority class (p) of UL LBT _p For consecutive time slot durations, table 2 specifies the minimum contention window size (CW) to be used with each channel access priority class (p) of UL LBT _min,p ) Maximum contention window size (CW) _max,p ) Maximum UL channel occupancy time (T) _ulmcot,p ) And allowed contention window size (CW) _p )。

It should be appreciated that the delay duration T is for LTE in WLAN _d Is the arbitration interframe space (AIFS) duration (AIFS [ AC ] of a particular Access Class (AC)]) And to LTE m in WLAN _p Is the number of AIFS (AIFSN [ AC ]]). Duration AIFS [ AC]Is through the relationship AIFS [ AC ]]＝AIFSN[AC]From AIFSN [ AC ] by aSlotTime + aSIFStime]Wherein aSlotTime is a time-Slot (ST), and wherein aSIFSTime is a short interframe space (SIFS).

According to IEEE Standard 802.11eTM-2005 revision 8, for non-AP quality of service (QoS) stations (QSTAs), AIFSN [ AC]Should be greater than or equal toEqual to 2, and for QoS AP (QAP), AIFSN [ AC)]Should be greater than or equal to 1. Furthermore, IEEE standard 802.11eTM-2005 revision 8 provides that the default configuration for access priority levels 1 to 4, stas is AIFSN = {2, 3,7}, respectively. Thus, the DL delay duration T _d According to the default configuration of QAP, and the proposed UL delay duration T _d 3GPP release 14eLAA design according to the default configuration of the QSTA. Thus, the DL delay duration T _d And proposed UL delay duration T _d Honor (honor) existing WLAN systems in order to achieve fair contention for channel access.

In view of the foregoing, the described systems and methods relate to specifying a number of consecutive time slots (e.g., m) when a channel access priority level (p) is 1 or 2 _p ) Is 2. In some embodiments, when the channel access priority level (p) is 1 or 2, the number of consecutive time slots (e.g., m _p ) Greater than or equal to 2.

Referring now to the drawings, fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of UL burst transmission 100 implementing the present systems and methods. A device (not shown), such as a UE, may have an LAA UL burst 150 to send. The device may monitor channel 155 and may wait until channel 155 is idle before transmitting LAA UL burst 150. As shown in fig. 1, channel 155 may be busy 105 for a period of time. The device may sense the channel 155 to determine when the channel 155 becomes idle (e.g., not busy 105).

When the channel 155 becomes idle, the device may wait for a delay duration (T) before initiating a contention process (e.g., backoff duration 130) _d ) 120 comprising a first channel sensing duration (T) _f ) 110 and a second channel sensing duration (m) _p T _sl ) 115. If the channel 155 is for a delay duration (T) _d ) 120 and the backoff duration 130 are both idle (e.g., undergoing a contention access procedure), the device may transmit an LAA UL burst 150 on a channel 155.

First channel sensing duration (T) _f ) 110 may have a fixed duration of 16 mus. Second channel sensing duration (m) _p T _sl ) 115 may have a variable duration depending on m _p And T _sl Wherein, T _sl Is an enhanced clear channel access (eCCA) slot time (T) having a fixed duration of 9 mus _sl ) 125 and wherein m _p Is a continuous eCCA slot time (T) specifying that the second channel sensing duration 115 should be _sl ) 125, respectively. As described above, m _p Depending on the channel access priority level (p) as described in table 2.

Fig. 1 shows an example in which the channel access priority class (p) is the channel access priority class 1. Thus, according to Table 2, m _p =2, minimum contention window size (CW) _min,p ) Maximum contention window size (CW) of 3 _max,p ) Is 7, and maximum UL channel occupancy time (T) _ulmcot,p ) Which is 2 milliseconds (ms) (i.e., 2 subframes). As shown, the delay duration (T) _d ) 120 is 34 μ s (i.e., T) _f =16 μ s and m _p T _sl ＝2·9μs＝18μs)。

If the channel 155 is for a delay duration (T) _d ) 120 idle, then immediately delay duration (T) _d ) After 120 (e.g., contiguous therewith), a contention access procedure is initiated. The contention access procedure is known to those skilled in the art and is only briefly described here. The contention access process provides fair access to the channel 155 and helps to mitigate and resolve collisions during contention access. During contention access, devices go from 0 to Contention Window (CW) _p ) 135 (e.g., a uniform random number N), where CW _p 135 are based on eCCA slot time (T) _sl ) 125, in this case (e.g., channel access priority level 1), it may be 3 eCCA slot times (T) as shown in table 2 _sl ) 125 (e.g., CW) _min,p 140 Or 7 eCCA slot times (T) _sl ) 125 (e.g., CW) _max,p 145). The contention access procedure defines an algorithm for decrementing N. In the simplest case (e.g., where there are no other devices with a lower N, so the channel remains idle), for the delay duration (T) _d ) Every eCCA slot time (T) after 120 _sl ) 125, n is decremented. As shown, N =2, so the backoff duration 130 is 2 eCCA slot times (T) _sl ) 125 (e.g., this assumes no interference from other devices).

Immediately after the delay duration (T) _d ) After 120 and any backoff duration 130, the device transmits an LAA UL burst 150. As shown in Table 2, different channel access priority classes (p) have a plurality of different maximum channel occupancy times (T) _ulmcot,p ) 175. Maximum channel occupancy time (T) in case of channel access priority level 1 _ulmcot,p ) 175 is 2ms. This corresponds to 2 LTE subframes with subframe timing 165 of 1ms per subframe. In some embodiments, the LAA UL burst 150 may include one or more Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) subframes 170. As shown, the LAA UL burst 150 includes a first PUSCH subframe 170-a and a second PUSCH subframe 170-b. In some embodiments, the subframe timing 165 associated with the first and second PUSCH subframes 170 may be in order with one or more SCell subframe boundaries 160 associated with the channel 155.

As can be appreciated from the foregoing description, the duration of the second channel sensing duration 115 may be based on m _p And m varies, and m _p The value of (d) depends on the access channel priority level (p) as shown in table 2.

Fig. 2 is a flow diagram of a method 200 for class 4LBT (e.g., cat.4lbt) devices to access a channel. As used herein, a cat.4lbt device may be a UE capable of supporting both UL and DL LAA burst transmissions.

At 205, the method starts and senses a channel. At 210, a channel is determined for a delay duration (T) _d ) Whether it is idle. If the channel is for the delay duration (T) _d ) Idle (e.g., yes), the method continues to 215. Otherwise (e.g., no), the method stays at 210 and continues to sense the channel.

At 215, from 0 to CW _p In a range of (1), wherein 0 to CW _p Each integer within the range of (a) has a uniform probability of being selected. At 220, it is determined whether N is equal to 0. If N is equal to 0 (e.g., is) Then the method ends 225 (and the channel may be accessed, for example). Otherwise (e.g., NO), the channel is determined for the time slot (T) _sl ) Whether it is idle 230. If the channel is for a time slot (T) _sl ) Idle (e.g., yes), then N is decremented by 235 (e.g., N = N-1) and the method returns to 220, where it is determined whether N is equal to 0. Otherwise (e.g., no) (e.g., another device is accessing the frequency channel), the channel is sensed at 240. At 245, it is determined whether (C1) is for the slot time (T) _sl ) Sensing that the channel is busy or (C2) the channel is for a delay duration (T) _d ) And (4) idling. If C1, the channel continues to be sensed at 240. If C2, the method returns to 220, where it is determined whether N is equal to 0.

It should be appreciated that the method 200 may be modified or adjusted without affecting the scope of the described systems and methods. Further, it should be noted that the method 200 requires that the channel be at least for the delay duration (T) before any backoff duration is considered (e.g., N, decision 220 as to whether N is equal to 0 or not) _d ) Is idle.

Fig. 3 is a flow chart of a method 300 for accessing a channel. The method 300 is performed by a device such as a UE or the like. In particular, the method 300 may be performed by a processor (e.g., a baseband processor) within a device. Although the operations of method 300 are shown as being performed in a particular order, it should be understood that the operations of method 300 may be reordered without departing from the scope of the method.

At 305, a channel access priority level (p) for uplink communications is identified. At 310, a determination is made to serve as a second channel sensing duration (m) _p T _sl ) Time slot duration (T) _sl ) Number of (m) _p ) Wherein, the number (m) _p ) Access a priority level based on the identified channel. Number (m) _p ) At least 2. At 315, for delay duration (T) _d ) Sensing a channel comprising a first channel sensing duration (T) _f ) And a second channel sensing duration (m) _p T _sl ). At 320, when the channel is sensed for a delay duration (T) _d ) And any back-off duration is idle,access to the channel is allowed for uplink communications.

The operations of method 300 may be performed by a special purpose processor, a programmable Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or the like.

Fig. 4 is a flow chart of a method 400 for accessing a channel. The method 400 is performed by a device such as a UE or the like. In particular, the method 400 may be performed by a processor (e.g., a baseband processor) within a device. Although the operations of method 400 are shown as being performed in a particular order, it should be understood that the operations of method 400 may be reordered without departing from the scope of the method.

At 405, an uplink message to be transmitted on a channel is identified. The channel access priority level (p) of the uplink message is channel access priority level 1. At 410, for a delay duration (T) _d ) Sensing a channel, the delay duration comprising a channel sensing duration (T) _f ) And a plurality of (m) _p One) has a time slot duration (T) _sl ) Of consecutive time slots. Number of consecutive time slots (m) for channel access priority level 1 uplink messages _p ) At least 2. At 415, it is determined for a delay duration (T) before the channel contends for access to the channel _d ) And (4) idling.

The operations of method 400 may be performed by a special purpose processor, a programmable ASIC, an FPGA, or the like.

Fig. 5 is a flow diagram of a method 500 for accessing a channel. The method 500 is performed by a device such as a UE or the like. In particular, method 500 may be performed by a processor (e.g., a baseband processor) within a device. Although the operations of method 500 are shown as being performed in a particular order, it should be understood that the operations of method 500 may be reordered without departing from the scope of the method.

At 505, an uplink message to be transmitted on a channel is identified. The channel access priority level (p) of the uplink message is channel access priority level 2. At 510, for a delay duration (T) _d ) Sensing a channel comprising a channel sensing duration (T) _f ) And a plurality of (m) _p One) has a time slot durationInter (T) _sl ) Of consecutive time slots. Number of consecutive time slots (m) for channel access priority level 2 uplink messages _p ) At least 2. At 515, it is determined that the channel is for a delay duration (T) before contending for access to the channel _d ) And (4) idling.

The operations of method 500 may be performed by a special purpose processor, a programmable ASIC, an FPGA, or the like.

Fig. 6 is a block diagram illustrating electronic device circuitry 600, which electronic device circuitry 600 may be eNB circuitry, UE circuitry, network node circuitry, or some other type of circuitry, in accordance with various embodiments. In embodiments, the electronic device circuitry 600 may be, or may be incorporated or otherwise be part of: an eNB, a UE, an MS, a Base Transceiver Station (BTS), a network node, or some other type of electronic device. In an embodiment, the electronic device circuitry 600 may include radio transmit circuitry 605 and receive circuitry 610 coupled to the control circuitry 615. In some embodiments, the transmit circuit 605 and/or the receive circuit 610 may be elements or modules of a transceiver circuit, as shown. The electronic device circuitry 600 may be coupled with one or more antenna elements 620 of one or more antennas. The electronic device circuitry 600 and/or components of the electronic device circuitry 600 may be configured to perform operations similar to those described elsewhere in this disclosure.

In embodiments where the electronic device circuitry 600 is or is incorporated into or otherwise part of a UE, the transmit circuitry 605 may transmit the SCell UL LAA message, as shown in fig. 1. The receive circuitry 610 may receive the SCell DL LAA message.

In embodiments where the electronic device circuitry 600 is, or is incorporated into or otherwise part of, an eNB, UE, BTS, and/or network node, the transmit circuitry 605 may transmit the SCell DL LAA message. The receive circuitry 610 may receive an SCell UL LAA message, as shown in fig. 1.

In certain embodiments, the electronic device circuitry 600 shown in FIG. 6 may be operable to perform one or more methods, such as the methods shown in FIGS. 3-5.

As used herein, the term "circuitry" may refer to, be part of, or include the following: an ASIC, an electronic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group) and/or memory (shared, dedicated, or group) that executes one or more software or firmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and/or other suitable hardware components that provide the described functionality. In some embodiments, the circuitry may be implemented in, or functions associated with, one or more software or firmware modules. In some embodiments, the circuitry may comprise logic operable, at least in part, in hardware.

Any suitably configured hardware and/or software may be used to implement the embodiments described herein into a system. Fig. 7 is a block diagram illustrating example components of a UE, MS device, or evolved node B (eNB) 700 for one embodiment. In some embodiments, the UE device 700 may include application circuitry 705, baseband circuitry 710, radio Frequency (RF) circuitry 715, front End Module (FEM) circuitry 720, and one or more antennas 725 coupled together at least as shown in fig. 7.

The application circuitry 705 may include one or more application processors. By way of non-limiting example, the application circuitry 705 may include one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The processor(s) may include any combination of general-purpose processors and special-purpose processors (e.g., graphics processors, application processors, etc.). The processor(s) may be operably coupled to and/or may include memory/storage and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory/storage to enable various applications and/or operating systems to run on the system.

By way of non-limiting example, baseband circuitry 710 may include circuitry one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The baseband circuitry 710 may include one or more baseband processors and/or control logic. Baseband circuitry 710 may be configured to process baseband signals received from a receive signal path of RF circuitry 715. The baseband circuitry 710 may also be configured to generate baseband signals for the transmit signal path of the RF circuitry 715. Baseband circuitry 710 may interface with application circuitry 705 to generate and process baseband signals and to control the operation of RF circuitry 715.

By way of non-limiting example, the baseband circuitry 710 may include at least one of: a second generation (2G) baseband processor 710A, a third generation (3G) baseband processor 710B, a fourth generation (4G) baseband processor 710C, and/or other baseband processor(s) 710D for other existing generations, generations in development or to be developed in the future (e.g., fifth generation (5G), sixth generation (6G), etc.). Baseband circuitry 710D (e.g., at least one of baseband processors 710A-D) may handle various radio control functions that support communication with one or more radio networks via RF circuitry 715. By way of non-limiting example, the radio control functions may include signal modulation/demodulation, encoding/decoding, radio frequency shifting, other functions, and combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the modulation/demodulation circuitry of baseband circuitry 710 may be programmed to perform Fast Fourier Transforms (FFTs), precoding, constellation mapping/demapping functions, other functions, and combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the encoding/decoding circuitry of baseband circuitry 710 may be programmed to perform convolution, tail-biting convolution, turbo, viterbi (Viterbi), low Density Parity Check (LDPC) encoder/decoder functions, other functions, and combinations thereof. Embodiments of modulation/demodulation and encoder/decoder functions are not limited to these examples and may include other suitable functions.

In some embodiments, baseband circuitry 710 may comprise elements of a protocol stack. By way of non-limiting example, elements of the Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (EUTRAN) protocol include, for example, physical (PHY), medium Access Control (MAC), radio Link Control (RLC), packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP), and/or Radio Resource Control (RRC) elements. A Central Processing Unit (CPU) 710E of the baseband circuitry 710 may be configured to run elements of a protocol stack for signaling of the PHY, MAC, RLC, PDCP, and/or RRC layers. In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 710 may include one or more audio Digital Signal Processors (DSPs) 710F. Audio DSP(s) 710F may include elements for compression/decompression and echo cancellation. Audio DSP(s) 710F may also include other suitable processing elements.

The baseband circuitry 710 may also include memory/storage 710G. Memory/storage 710G may include data and/or instructions stored thereon for operations performed by the processor of baseband circuitry 710. In some embodiments, memory/storage 710G may include any combination of suitable volatile memory and/or non-volatile memory. Memory/storage 710G may also include any combination of various levels of memory/storage, including but not limited to: read Only Memory (ROM) with embedded software instructions (e.g., firmware), random access memory (e.g., dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM)), cache, buffers, and the like. In some embodiments, memory/storage 710G may be shared among various processors or dedicated to a particular processor.

The baseband circuitry 710 may additionally include a Wi-Fi processor 710h for processing WLAN communications, which may include LTE communications over unlicensed spectrum traditionally occupied by Wi-Fi. The Wi-Fi processor 710H can be coupled to the Wi-Fi RF circuitry 730, the Wi-Fi FEM circuitry 735, and the Wi-Fi antenna 740. These components may be co-located with the respective RF circuitry 715, FEM circuitry 720, and/or antenna 725, or may be separately located (as shown). Although separate, wi-Fi specific hardware (e.g., 730-740) can provide functionality comparable to cellular circuitry (e.g., 715-725).

In some embodiments, the components of baseband circuitry 710 may be combined in a single chip, a single chipset, or disposed on the same circuit board, as appropriate. In some embodiments, some or all of the constituent components of baseband circuitry 710 and application circuitry 705 may be implemented together, for example, on a system on a chip (SOC).

In some embodiments, baseband circuitry 710 may provide communications compatible with one or more radio technologies. For example, in some embodiments, baseband circuitry 710 may support communication with an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (EUTRAN) and/or other Wireless Metropolitan Area Networks (WMANs), WLANs, wireless Personal Area Networks (WPANs). Embodiments in which the baseband circuitry 710 is configured to support radio communications of multiple wireless protocols may be referred to as multi-mode baseband circuitry.

RF circuitry 715 may support communication with a wireless network using modulated electromagnetic radiation through a non-solid medium. In various embodiments, the RF circuitry 715 may include switches, filters, amplifiers, and the like to facilitate communication with the wireless network. The RF circuitry 715 may include a receive signal path that may include circuitry to down-convert RF signals received from the FEM circuitry 720 and provide baseband signals to the baseband circuitry 710. The RF circuitry 715 may also include a transmit signal path that may include circuitry to up-convert baseband signals provided by the baseband circuitry 710 and provide an RF output signal to the FEM circuitry 720 for transmission.

In some embodiments, RF circuitry 715 may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the RF circuitry 715 may include a mixer circuit 715A, an amplifier circuit 715B, and a filter circuit 715C. The transmit signal path of RF circuitry 715 may include filter circuitry 715C and mixer circuitry 715A. The RF circuitry 715 may also include synthesizer circuitry 715D configured to synthesize frequencies for use by the mixer circuitry 715A of the receive and transmit signal paths. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 715A of the receive signal path may be configured to down-convert the RF signal received from the FEM circuit 720 based on the synthesized frequency provided by the synthesizer circuit 715D. The amplifier circuit 715B may be configured to amplify the downconverted signal.

The filter circuit 715C may include a Low Pass Filter (LPF) or a Band Pass Filter (BPF) configured to remove unwanted signals from the downconverted signals to generate an output baseband signal. The output baseband signal may be provided to baseband circuitry 710 for further processing. In some embodiments, the output baseband signal may be a zero frequency baseband signal, but this is not required. In some embodiments, mixer circuit 715A of the receive signal path may comprise a passive mixer, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

In some embodiments, mixer circuitry 715A of the transmit signal path may be configured to upconvert the input baseband signal based on a synthesis frequency provided by synthesizer circuitry 715D to generate an RF output signal for FEM circuitry 720. The baseband signal may be provided by baseband circuitry 710 and may be filtered by filter circuitry 715C. Filter circuit 715C may include a Low Pass Filter (LPF), although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some embodiments, mixer circuit 715A of the receive signal path and mixer circuit 715A of the transmit signal path may comprise two or more mixers and may be arranged for quadrature down-conversion and/or up-conversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 715A of the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 715A of the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for image rejection (e.g., hartley image rejection). In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 715A of the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 715A of the transmit signal path may be arranged for direct down-conversion and/or direct up-conversion, respectively. In some embodiments, mixer circuit 715A of the receive signal path and mixer circuit 715A of the transmit signal path may be configured for superheterodyne operation.

In some embodiments, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be analog baseband signals, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some alternative embodiments, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be digital baseband signals. In these alternative embodiments, the RF circuitry 715 may include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuitry, and the baseband circuitry 710 may include a digital baseband interface to communicate with the RF circuitry 715.

In some dual-mode embodiments, separate radio Integrated Circuit (IC) circuitry may be provided to process signals for each spectrum, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

In some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 715D may include one or more of a fractional-N synthesizer and a fractional-N/N +1 synthesizer, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect as other types of frequency synthesizers may be suitable. For example, synthesizer circuit 715D may include a delta-sigma synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, a synthesizer including a phase locked loop with a frequency divider, other synthesizers, and combinations thereof.

The synthesizer circuit 715D may be configured to synthesize an output frequency for use by the mixer circuit 715A of the RF circuit 715 based on the frequency input and the divider control input. In some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 715D may be a fractional N/N +1 synthesizer.

In some embodiments, the frequency input may be provided by a Voltage Controlled Oscillator (VCO), but this is not required. The divider control input may be provided by baseband circuitry 710 or application processor 705 depending on the desired output frequency. In some embodiments, the divider control input (e.g., N) may be determined from a look-up table based on the channel indicated by the application processor 705.

Synthesizer circuit 715D of RF circuit 715 may include frequency dividers, delay Locked Loops (DLLs), multiplexers, and phase accumulators. In some embodiments, the frequency divider may comprise a dual-mode frequency divider (DMD) and the phase accumulator may comprise a Digital Phase Accumulator (DPA). In some embodiments, the DMD may be configured to divide an input signal by N or N +1 (e.g., based on a carry out) to provide a fractional division ratio. In some example embodiments, a DLL may include a set of cascaded tunable delay elements, a phase detector, a charge pump, and a D-type flip-flop. In these embodiments, the delay elements may be configured to decompose the VCO period into Nd equal phase groups, where Nd is the number of delay elements in the delay line. In this way, the DLL can provide negative feedback to help ensure that the total delay through the delay line is one VCO cycle.

In some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 715D may be configured to generate a carrier frequency as the output frequency, while in other embodiments, the output frequency may be a multiple of the carrier frequency (e.g., twice the carrier frequency, four times the carrier frequency, etc.) and used with a quadrature generator and divider circuit to generate a plurality of signals having a plurality of mutually different phases at the carrier frequency. In some embodiments, the output frequency may be a Local Oscillator (LO) frequency (fLO). In some embodiments, RF circuit 715 may include an IQ/polarity converter.

FEM circuitry 720 may include a receive signal path that may include circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from one or more antennas 725, amplify the received signals, and provide amplified versions of the received signals to RF circuitry 715 for further processing. FEM circuitry 720 may also include a transmit signal path, which may include circuitry configured to amplify signals provided by RF circuitry 715 for transmission by at least one of antennas 725.

In some embodiments, FEM circuitry 720 may include TX/RX switches to switch between transmit mode and receive mode operation. FEM circuit 720 may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of FEM circuitry 720 may include a Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) to amplify the received RF signal and provide the amplified received RF signal as an output (e.g., to RF circuitry 715). The transmit signal path of FEM circuitry 720 may include a Power Amplifier (PA) configured to amplify an input RF signal (e.g., provided by RF circuitry 715), and one or more filters configured to generate RF signals for subsequent transmission (e.g., by one or more of antennas 725).

In some embodiments, MS apparatus 700 may include additional elements, such as, for example, memory/storage, a display, a camera, one or more sensors, an input/output (I/O) interface, other elements, and combinations thereof.

In some embodiments, MS device 700 may be configured to perform one or more processes, techniques, and/or methods, or portions thereof, as described herein.

Examples of the invention

The following examples relate to other embodiments.

Example 1 is an apparatus for a user equipment. The apparatus includes circuitry to detect for authorized assisted access(LAA) energy on a channel of a secondary cell (SCell). The apparatus also includes one or more baseband processing units to identify a channel access priority level (p) for uplink communications. The apparatus also includes one or more baseband processing units to determine a sensing duration (m) to use as a second channel _p T _sl ) Has a time slot duration (T) _sl ) Number of time slots (m) _p ) Wherein the number of time slots (m) _p ) Access a priority level based on the identified channel, and wherein the number of time slots (m) _p ) At least 2. The one or more baseband processing units are also directed to a delay duration (T) _d ) Sensing a channel, the delay duration (T) _d ) Including a first channel sensing duration (T) _f ) And a second channel sensing duration (m) _p T _sl ) And sensing the channel for a delay duration (T) _d ) And any backoff duration is idle, allowing access to the channel for uplink communications.

Example 2 is the apparatus of example 1 and/or any other example described herein, wherein the identified channel access priority level (p) of the uplink communication is one (1), and wherein the number of time slots (m) for the channel access priority level 1 is one (1) ₁ ) Is two (2).

Example 3 is the apparatus of example 1 and/or any other example described herein, wherein the channel access priority level (p) of the identified uplink communication is one (1), and wherein the number of time slots (m) for channel access priority level 2 is one (1) ₂ ) Is two (2).

Example 4 is the apparatus of any of examples 1-3 and/or any other example described herein, wherein a plurality (m) is _p One) time slots are consecutive.

Example 5 is the apparatus of example 4 and/or any other example described herein, wherein the slot duration (T) is greater than the slot duration (T;) _sl ) Is nine (9) microseconds (mus).

Example 6 is the apparatus of example 5 and/or any other example described herein, wherein the first channel sensing duration (T) is greater than a second channel sensing duration (T;) _f ) Is 16. Mu.s.

Example 7 is that of examples 1 to 3The apparatus of any example and/or any other example described herein, wherein the second channel sensing duration (m) is greater than the first channel sensing duration (m) _p T _sl ) And a first channel sensing duration (T) _f ) And (4) continuous.

Example 8 is the apparatus of any of examples 1-3 and/or any other example described herein, wherein the backoff duration is associated with a delay duration (T;) and the delay duration (T;) _d ) And (4) continuous.

Example 9 is the apparatus of any of examples 1-3 and/or any other example described herein, wherein the uplink communication comprises a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) communication.

Example 10 is the apparatus of any of examples 1-3 and/or any other example described herein, wherein any backoff duration is based on a random backoff counter (N).

Example 11 is an apparatus for a user equipment. The apparatus includes means for storing a channel sensing duration (T) _f ) And time slot duration (T) _sl ) And logic for detecting energy on a channel of a Licensed Assisted Access (LAA) secondary cell (SCell). The apparatus also includes one or more processing units to: identifying an uplink message to be transmitted on a channel of a licensed-assisted access (LAA) secondary cell (SCell), wherein a channel access priority level (p) of the uplink message is a channel access priority level 1 for a delay duration (T ™) _d ) Sensing a channel, wherein the delay duration (T) _d ) Including a channel sensing duration (T) _f ) And a plurality of (m) _p One) has a time slot duration (T) _sl ) Wherein, for channel access priority level 1 uplink messages, the number of consecutive slots (m) _p ) At least 2, and determining a delay duration (T) for the channel before contending for access to the channel _d ) And (4) idling.

Example 12 is the apparatus of example 11 and/or any other example described herein, wherein, for channel access priority class 1, the number of consecutive time slots (m) is greater than one _p ) Is two (2).

Example 13 is the apparatus of example 11 and/or any other example described herein, wherein the one or more processing units are further to determine that the channel is available for uplink messages when the channel is idle and the random backoff counter (N) is equal to zero (0).

Example 14 is the apparatus of any of examples 11-13 and/or any other example described herein, wherein the slot duration (T) is a duration of a slot _sl ) Is nine (9) microseconds (mus).

Example 15 is the apparatus of any of examples 11-13 and/or any other example described herein, wherein the channel sensing duration (T) is a duration of channel sensing (T ″) _f ) Is 16. Mu.s.

Example 16 is a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium has instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to identify an uplink message to be transmitted on a channel of a Licensed Assisted Access (LAA) secondary cell (SCell), wherein a channel access priority level (p) of the uplink message is a channel access priority level 2. The computer-readable medium has stored thereon instructions that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to target a delay duration (T) _d ) Sensing a channel, wherein the delay duration (T) _d ) Including a channel sensing duration (T) _f ) And a plurality of (m) _p One) has a time slot duration (T) _sl ) Wherein, for channel access priority level 2 uplink messages, the number of consecutive slots (m) _p ) At least 2; and determining a delay duration (T) for the channel before contending for access to the channel _d ) And (4) idling.

Example 17 is the computer-readable medium of example 16 and/or any other example described herein, wherein, for channel access priority level 2, the number of consecutive time slots (m) _p ) Is two (2).

Example 18 is the computer-readable medium of example 16 and/or any other example described herein, wherein the one or more processing units are further to determine that the channel is available for uplink messages when the channel is idle and the random backoff counter (N) is equal to zero (0).

Example 19 is any of examples 16-18 and/or is described hereinThe computer-readable medium of any other example of the above, wherein the slot duration (T) is a duration of a slot _sl ) Is nine (9) microseconds (mus).

Example 20 is a computer-readable medium of any of examples 16-18 and/or any other example described herein, wherein the channel sensing duration (T) is a duration of channel sensing (T;) _f ) Is 16. Mu.s.

Example 21 is a method for wireless communication. The method includes identifying an uplink message to be transmitted on a channel of a licensed-assisted access (LAA) secondary cell (SCell), wherein a channel access priority level (p) of the uplink message is a channel access priority level 2; for delay duration (T) _d ) Sensing a channel, wherein the delay duration (T) _d ) Including a channel sensing duration (T) _f ) And a plurality of (m) _p One) has a time slot duration (T) _sl ) Wherein, for at least one of a channel access priority level 1 uplink message and a channel access priority level 2 uplink message, the number of consecutive time slots (m) is _p ) At least 2; and determining a delay duration (T) for the channel before contending for access to the channel _d ) And (4) idling.

Example 22 is the method of example 16 and/or any other example described herein, wherein, for channel access priority class 1, the number of consecutive time slots (m) _p ) Is two (2).

Example 23 is the method of example 16 and/or any other example described herein, wherein, for channel access priority class 2, the number of consecutive time slots (m) _p ) Is two (2).

Example 24 is the method of example 16 and/or any other example described herein, wherein the method further comprises determining that the channel is available for uplink messages when the channel is idle and the random backoff counter (N) is equal to zero (0).

Example 25 is the method of any of examples 16-19 and/or any other example described herein, wherein the slot duration (T) is a time slot duration (T;) _sl ) Is nine (9) microseconds (mus).

Example 26 is any of examples 16-19 and/or is described hereinThe method of any other example, wherein the channel sensing duration (T) is greater than the channel sensing duration (T;) _f ) Is 16. Mu.s.

Example 27 is an apparatus, comprising means to perform any of the methods described herein.

Example 28 is a machine-readable storage device comprising machine-readable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to implement any of the methods described herein or to implement any of the apparatuses described herein.

Example 29 is a machine-readable medium comprising code, which when executed, causes a machine to perform any of the methods described herein.

It will be obvious to those having skill in the art that many changes may be made to the details of the above-described embodiments without departing from the underlying principles of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined only by the following claims.

Claims (22)

1. An apparatus for a user equipment, the apparatus comprising:

circuitry to detect energy on a channel of a licensed-assisted access, LAA, secondary cell, SCell; and

one or more baseband processing units that:

identifying a channel access priority level p for uplink communications;

is determined to have a time slot duration T _sl Number m of time slots of _p To serve as a second channel sensing duration m _p T _sl Wherein the number m of the time slots _p A channel access priority level p based on the identified uplink communication, and wherein the number m of time slots _p At least 2;

for delay duration T _d Sensing the channel, the delay duration T _d Including a first channel sensing duration T _f And the second channel sensing duration m _p T _sl (ii) a And

upon sensing the channel for the delay duration T _d And any backoff duration is idle, allowing access to the channel for the uplink communication.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a channel access priority level p of the identified uplink communication is 1, and wherein a number m of slots for channel access priority level 1 ₁ Is 2.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a channel access priority level p of the identified uplink communication is 2, and wherein a number m of time slots for channel access priority level 2 ₂ Is 2.

4. The device of any one of claims 1-3, wherein m is _p The time slots are consecutive.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the slot duration T _sl Is 9 microseconds mus.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the first channel sensing duration T _f Is 16. Mu.s.

7. The apparatus of any of claims 1-3, wherein the second channel sensing duration m _p T _sl And the first channel sensing duration T _f And (4) continuous.

8. The apparatus of any one of claims 1-3, wherein the backoff duration and the delay duration T _d And (4) continuous.

9. The apparatus of any of claims 1-3, wherein the uplink communication comprises a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) communication.

10. The apparatus according to any of claims 1-3, wherein any backoff duration is based on a random backoff counter N.

11. An apparatus for a user equipment, the apparatus comprising:

a memory storing a channel sensing duration T _f And time slot duration T _sl ；

A logic unit to detect energy on a channel authorizing assisted access to an LAA secondary cell, SCell; and

one or more processing units that:

identifying an uplink message to be transmitted on a channel of a licensed-assisted access, LAA, secondary cell, SCell, wherein a channel access priority level, p, of the uplink message is a channel access priority level 1;

for delay duration T _d Sensing the channel, wherein the delay duration T _d Including the channel sensing duration T _f And m _p Has the time slot duration T _sl Wherein the number m of said consecutive time slots is for channel access priority level 1 uplink messages _p At least 2; and

determining the channel is for the delay duration T before contending for access to the channel _d And (4) idling.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the number m of consecutive time slots is for a channel access priority level 1 _p Is 2.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the one or more processing units are further to:

determining that the channel is available for the uplink message when the channel is idle and a random backoff counter N is equal to zero.

14. The apparatus of any of claims 11-13, wherein the slot duration T _sl Is 9 microseconds mus.

15. The apparatus of any of claims 11-13, wherein the channel sensing duration T _f Is 16. Mu.s.

16. A method for wireless communication, comprising:

identifying an uplink message to be transmitted on a channel authorizing assisted access to a LAA-assisted cell, SCell, wherein a channel access priority level, p, of the uplink message is a channel access priority level 2;

for delay duration T _d Sensing the channel, wherein the delay duration T _d Including a channel sensing duration T _f And m _p One having a time slot duration T _sl Wherein the number m of said consecutive time slots is for at least one of a channel access priority level 1 uplink message and a channel access priority level 2 uplink message _p At least 2; and

determining the delay duration T for the channel before contending for access to the channel _d And (4) idling.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the number of consecutive time slots m, for a channel access priority class 1 _p Is 2.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the number of consecutive time slots, m, for a channel access priority level 2 _p Is 2.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining that the channel is available for the uplink message when the channel is idle and a random backoff counter N is equal to zero.

20. The method of any of claims 16-19, wherein the time slot duration T _sl Is 9 microseconds mus.

21. The method of any of claims 16-19, wherein the channel sensing duration T _f Is 16. Mu.s.

22. A computer-readable medium having code stored thereon, which, when executed by a computing device, causes the computing device to perform the method of any of claims 16-21.

Images