Slot format indicator enhancements for new radio-unlicensed

• US 10,687,362 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2019
• Issued: 06/16/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Sun, Jing, Zhang, Xiaoxia, Ozturk, Ozcan, Yerramalli, Srinivas
• Primary Examiner(s): Solinsky, Peter G
• Application Number:
  US16/676,308
• Publication Number:
  US 20200154477A1
• Time in Patent Office: 223 Days
• Field of Search: 370329
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/1268 of uplink data flows
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/006 in the downlink, i.e. towards the terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0816 with collision avoidance
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/27 Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems

Abstract

Enhancements to slot format indicator (SFI) for new radio (NR) unlicensed (NR-U) operations is disclosed. The SFI may be transmitted separately from a channel occupancy time (COT) range indication. The COT range indication identifies parameters of a three-segment structure of a current COT within the current TxOP. Upon receiving the SFI and COT range indication, a UE may engage in communications with the serving UE in accordance with the COT range indication and the SFI.

Claims

1. A method of wireless communication, comprising:

receiving, at a user equipment (UE), a slot format indicator (SFI) from a serving base station, wherein the SFI identifies a symbol status of each symbol of a plurality of slots within a current transmission opportunity (TxOP);

receiving, at the UE, a channel occupancy time (COT) range indication for a current COT of one or more COTs of the current TxOP, wherein the COT range indication identifies parameters of a three-segment structure of the current COT including a first COT segment, a second COT segment, and a third COT segment; and

engaging, by the UE, in communication with the serving base station in at least the first COT segment in accordance with the COT range indication and the SFI.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second COT segment defines a pause in all transmissions by the serving base station and the UE within the current TxOP.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the parameters include:

an ending location of the first COT segment;

a pause duration of the pause; and

a second duration of the third COT segment, wherein the ending location, the pause duration, and the second duration are identified in units of symbols.

4. The method of claim 2, further including:

receiving, at the UE, within the current COT a next COT range indication, wherein the next COT range indication includes updated parameters for the three-segment structure.

5. The method of claim 4,

wherein the updated parameters associated with the second COT segment and the third COT segment remain unchanged from the parameters of the COT range indication, and

wherein the updated parameters associated with the first COT segment identify a same ending location of parameters of the first COT segment.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the updated parameters associated with the third COT segment are modified to change a duration of the third COT segment.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the updated parameters define a new three-segment structure from a transmission time of the next COT range indication to an end of the current COT, wherein the new three-segment structure includes one or more of:

one or more additional COT segments and an additional pause in all transmissions of the UE and the serving base station within the current TxOP.

8. The method of claim 1, further including:

identifying, by the UE, the symbol status for a symbol within the plurality of slots;

ignoring, by the UE, the symbol status in response to the symbol falling outside of the current COT, wherein the engaging in the communication is in accordance with the symbol status for the symbol in response to the symbol falling within the current COT.

9. The method of claim 1, further including:

identifying, by the UE, a symbol within the current COT without the symbol status identified in the SFI; and

treating, by the UE, the symbol as one of;

a flexible symbol;

a to-be-configured symbol in a future SFI;

or

a status in accordance with a semi-static symbol status previously identified in radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the COT range indication further identifies a segment level state indicator, wherein the segment level state indicator identifies the three-segment structure of the current COT as one of:

downlink only;

uplink only;

mostly downlink;

mostly uplink;

mixed direction;

or

undetermined direction.

11. The method of claim 2, further including:

receiving, by the UE, a radio resource control (RRC) uplink transmission configuration, wherein the RRC uplink transmission configuration include configuration of a listen before talk (LBT) type for use with an associated RRC uplink transmission, wherein the LBT type includes one of;

a full LBT procedure, or a reduced LBT procedure.

12. The method of claim 11, further including:

failing, by the UE, to successfully decode the SFI associated with a symbol allocated for an RRC uplink transmission;

attempting, by the UE, the RRC uplink transmission when configured with the full LBT procedure; and

canceling, by the UE, the RRC uplink transmission when configured with the reduced LBT procedure.

13. The method of claim 11, further including:

successfully decoding, by the UE, the SFI associated with a symbol within the current COT allocated for an RRC uplink transmission configured for the full LBT procedure;

attempting, by the UE, the RRC uplink transmission after the full LBT procedure in response to the symbol located within the pause in the current COT;

performing, in response to the symbol located outside of the pause in the current COT, one of;

canceling the RRC uplink transmission;

or

canceling the RRC uplink transmission in response to a conflict in the symbol status identified by the SFI and the RRC uplink transmission configuration;

or

attempting, by the UE, the RRC uplink transmission in accordance with an LBT procedure associated with the symbol status identified in the SFI.

14. A method of wireless communication, comprising:

detecting, by a base station, a channel occupancy time (COT) range indication of a neighboring base station, wherein the COT range indication identifies at least a segment level state indicator of a three-segment structure of a current COT of one or more COTs of the current TxOP of the neighboring base station; and

scheduling, by the base station, transmissions with one or more served user equipments (UEs) based in part on the segment level state indicator for the neighboring base station.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the segment level state indicator identifies the three-segment structure of the current COT of the neighboring base station as one of:

downlink only;

uplink only;

mostly downlink;

mostly uplink;

mixed direction;

or

undetermined direction.

16. An apparatus configured for wireless communication, the apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

a memory coupled to the at least one processor,

wherein the at least one processor is configured;

to receive, at a user equipment (UE), a slot format indicator (SFI) from a serving base station, wherein the SFI identifies a symbol status of each symbol of a plurality of slots within a current transmission opportunity (TxOP);

to receive, at the UE, a channel occupancy time (COT) range indication for a current COT of one or more COTs of the current TxOP, wherein the COT range indication identifies parameters of a three-segment structure of the current COT including a first COT segment, a second COT segment, and a third COT segment; and

to engage, by the UE, in communication with the serving base station in at least the first COT segment in accordance with the COT range indication and the SFI.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the second COT segment defines a pause in all transmissions by the serving base station and the UE within the current TxOP.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the parameters include:

an ending location of the first COT segment;

a pause duration of the pause; and

a second duration of the third COT segment, wherein the ending location, the pause duration, and the second duration are identified in units of symbols.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, further including configuration of the at least one processor to receive, at the UE, within the current COT a next COT range indication, wherein the next COT range indication includes updated parameters for the three-segment structure.

20. The apparatus of claim 19,

wherein the updated parameters associated with the second COT segment and the third COT segment remain unchanged from the parameters of the COT range indication, and

wherein the updated parameters associated with the first COT segment identify a same ending location of parameters of the first COT segment.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the updated parameters associated with the third COT segment are modified to change a duration of the third COT segment.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the updated parameters define a new three-segment structure from a transmission time of the next COT range indication to an end of the current COT, wherein the new three-segment structure includes one or more of:

one or more additional COT segments and an additional pause in all transmissions of the UE and the serving base station within the current TxOP.

23. The apparatus of claim 16, further including configuration of the at least one processor:

to identify, by the UE, the symbol status for a symbol within the plurality of slots;

to ignore, by the UE, the symbol status in response to the symbol falling outside of the current COT, wherein the configuration of the at least one processor to engage in the communication is executed in accordance with the symbol status for the symbol in response to the symbol falling within the current COT.

24. The apparatus of claim 16, further including configuration of the at least one processor:

to identify, by the UE, a symbol within the current COT without the symbol status identified in the SFI; and

to treat, by the UE, the symbol as one of;

a flexible symbol;

a to-be-configured symbol in a future SFI;

or

a status in accordance with a semi-static symbol status previously identified in radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

25. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the COT range indication further identifies a segment level state indicator, wherein the segment level state indicator identifies the three-segment structure of the current COT as one of:

downlink only;

uplink only;

mostly downlink;

mostly uplink;

mixed direction;

or

undetermined direction.

26. The apparatus of claim 17, further including configuration of the at least one processor to receive, by the UE, a radio resource control (RRC) uplink transmission configuration, wherein the RRC uplink transmission configuration include configuration of a listen before talk (LBT) type for use with an associated RRC uplink transmission, wherein the LBT type includes one of:

a full LBT procedure, or a reduced LBT procedure.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, further including configuration of the at least one processor:

to fail, by the UE, to successfully decode the SFI associated with a symbol allocated for an RRC uplink transmission;

to attempt, by the UE, the RRC uplink transmission when configured with the full LBT procedure; and

to cancel, by the UE, the RRC uplink transmission when configured with the reduced LBT procedure.

28. The apparatus of claim 26, further including configuration of the at least one processor:

to successfully decode, by the UE, the SFI associated with a symbol within the current COT allocated for an RRC uplink transmission configured for the full LBT procedure;

to attempt, by the UE, the RRC uplink transmission after the full LBT procedure in response to the symbol located within the pause in the current COT;

to execute, in response to the symbol located outside of the pause in the current COT, configuration of the at least one processor to one of;

cancel the RRC uplink transmission;

or

cancel the RRC uplink transmission in response to a conflict in the symbol status identified by the SFI and the RRC uplink transmission configuration;

or

attempt, by the UE, the RRC uplink transmission in accordance with an LBT procedure associated with the symbol status identified in the SFI.

29. An apparatus configured for wireless communication, the apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

a memory coupled to the at least one processor,

wherein the at least one processor is configured;

to detect, by a base station, a channel occupancy time (COT) range indication of a neighboring base station, wherein the COT range indication identifies at least a segment level state indicator of a three-segment structure of a current COT of one or more COTs of the current TxOP of the neighboring base station; and

to schedule, by the base station, transmissions with one or more served user equipments (UEs) based in part on the segment level state indicator for the neighboring base station.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the segment level state indicator identifies the three-segment structure of the current COT of the neighboring base station as one of:

downlink only;

uplink only;

mostly downlink;

mostly uplink;

mixed direction;

or

undetermined direction.