Patent Publication Number: US-2022225386-A1

Title: Methods For Base Station And UE COT Sharing In Mobile Communications

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION(S) 
     The present disclosure is part of a non-provisional application claiming the priority benefit of U.S. Patent Application No. 63/137,177, filed 14 Jan. 2021, the content of which being incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure is generally related to mobile communications and, more particularly, to techniques for base station and user equipment (UE) channel occupancy time (COT) sharing in mobile communications. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Unless otherwise indicated herein, approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims listed below and are not admitted as prior art by inclusion in this section. 
     In wireless communications, such as mobile communications under the 3 rd  Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) specification(s) for 5th Generation (5G) New Radio (NR), certain agreement has been made regarding COT indication for a configured uplink (UL) transmission. At present time there are several different alternatives or approaches proposed for a case when a configured UL transmission is aligned with a UE fixed frame period (FFP) boundary and ends before an idle period of that UE FFP associated to the UE. The different alternatives have been listed depending on whether or not an ongoing base station (e.g., gNB) COT is to be taken into consideration. One of the alternatives is to prioritize the sharing of a gNB-initiated COT in case that the transmission is confined within a gNB FFP before an idle period of that gNB FFP. Moreover, a UE needs some amount of time to detect any gNB downlink (DL) transmission at the start of the gNB FFP and to confirm that the gNB has initiated a COT. Thus, it is not sufficient to merely confine the UL transmission by the UE to be within a gNB FFP. Therefore, there is a need for a solution with respect to gNB and UE COT sharing in mobile communications. 
     SUMMARY 
     The following summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be limiting in any way. That is, the following summary is provided to introduce concepts, highlights, benefits and advantages of the novel and non-obvious techniques described herein. Select implementations are further described below in the detailed description. Thus, the following summary is not intended to identify essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended for use in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. 
     An objective of the present disclosure is to propose solutions or schemes that address the issue(s) described herein. More specifically, various schemes proposed in the present disclosure are believed to provide solutions for gNB and UE COT sharing in mobile communications. 
     In one aspect, a method may involve a UE determining a COT to rely on for an UL transmission. The method may also involve the UE performing the UL transmission to a network node of a wireless network during the COT, which may be initiated by either the network node or the UE. 
     In another aspect, a method may involve a UE receiving a cancellation signal from a network node of a wireless network during a COT. The method may also involve the UE cancelling, in response to receiving the cancellation signal, the COT as an ongoing UE-initiated COT. 
     In yet another aspect, an apparatus implementable in a UE may include a transceiver and a processor coupled to the transceiver. The transceiver may be configured to communicate wirelessly. The processor may determine a COT to rely on for an UL transmission. The processor may also perform the UL transmission to a network node of a wireless network during the COT, which may be initiated by either the network node or the UE. 
     It is noteworthy that, although description provided herein may be in the context of certain radio access technologies, networks and network topologies such as 5G/NR mobile communications, the proposed concepts, schemes and any variation(s)/derivative(s) thereof may be implemented in, for and by other types of radio access technologies, networks and network topologies such as, for example and without limitation, Long-Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced, LTE-Advanced Pro, Internet-of-Things (IoT), Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT), Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), and non-terrestrial network (NTN) communications. Thus, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the examples described herein. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute a part of the present disclosure. The drawings illustrate implementations of the disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure. It is appreciable that the drawings are not necessarily in scale as some components may be shown to be out of proportion than the size in actual implementation in order to clearly illustrate the concept of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 1  is a diagram of an example network environment in which various proposed schemes in accordance with the present disclosure may be implemented. 
         FIG. 2  is a block diagram of an example communication system in accordance with an implementation of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  is a flowchart of an example process in accordance with an implementation of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  is a flowchart of an example process in accordance with an implementation of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED IMPLEMENTATIONS 
     Detailed embodiments and implementations of the claimed subject matters are disclosed herein. However, it shall be understood that the disclosed embodiments and implementations are merely illustrative of the claimed subject matters which may be embodied in various forms. The present disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the exemplary embodiments and implementations set forth herein. Rather, these exemplary embodiments and implementations are provided so that description of the present disclosure is thorough and complete and will fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. In the description below, details of well-known features and techniques may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the presented embodiments and implementations. 
     Overview 
     Implementations in accordance with the present disclosure relate to various techniques, methods, schemes and/or solutions pertaining to gNB and UE COT sharing in mobile communications s. According to the present disclosure, a number of possible solutions may be implemented separately or jointly. That is, although these possible solutions may be described below separately, two or more of these possible solutions may be implemented in one combination or another. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates an example network environment  100  in which various solutions and schemes in accordance with the present disclosure may be implemented. Referring to  FIG. 1 , network environment  100  may involve a UE  110  in wireless communication with a wireless network  120  (e.g., a 5G NR mobile network and/or another type of network such as a LTE network, a LTE-Advance network, a NB-IoT network, an IoT network, an IIoT network and/or an NTN). UE  110  may be in wireless communication with wireless network  120  via a base station or network node  125  (e.g., an eNB, gNB or transmit-receive point (TRP), herein interchangeably referred to as “gNB” and “base station” for simplicity). In network environment  100 , UE  110 , network node  125  and wireless network  120  may implement various schemes pertaining to gNB and UE COT sharing in mobile communications, as described below. 
     Under a first proposed scheme in accordance with the present disclosure, an UL transmission by UE  110  may be confined within a period expressed as [gNB_FFP_start+41, gNB_idle_period_start], where Δ1 denotes the time required for UE  110  to receive and detect a gNB DL transmission (e.g., from network node  125 ) at the start of a gNB FFP. The decision about the UE transmission may be based on the result of the DL detection at the start of the gNB FFP. However, in an event that UE  110  fails to detect the gNB DL transmission, some additional time may be required for UE  110  to perform clear channel assessment (CCA) before initiating its own COT. Thus, an additional time  42  may be defined as the time required for CCA and, accordingly, the UL transmission by UE  110  may be confined within a period expressed as [gNB_FFP_start+Δ1+Δ2, gNB_idle_period_start]. In other words, further reduction to the UL transmission by UE  110  may be made to confine the interval of the UL transmission by taking into consideration the UE processing time. 
     Under the proposed scheme, Δ1 and Δ2 may be defined separately or together as a single parameter Δ, where Δ=Δ1+Δ2. The lower bound of the confining interval in which the configured UL transmission by UE  110  can take place may be gNB_FFP_start+41 or gNB_FFP_start+42 or gNB_FFP_start+4. Here, Δ1 and/or Δ2 and/or Δ may be signaled by UE  110  to network node  125  as a UE capability. Multiple values of Δ1 and/or Δ2 and/or Δ may be specified (e.g., depending on the numerology, UE capability, and so on). Accordingly, the UL transmission may be confined within [gNB_FFP_start+Δ, gNB_idle_period_start], where Δ denotes a time duration required for UE processing. Moreover, in case that the transmission is confined within a gNB FFP before the idle period of that gNB FFP, and UE  110  has already determined that network node  125  has initiated that gNB FFP, then UE  110  may assume that the configured UL transmission corresponds to the gNB-initiated COT. Otherwise, UE  110  may assume that the configured UL transmission corresponds to a UE-initiated COT. 
     Under a second proposed scheme in accordance with the present disclosure, in a first alternative, the configured UL transmission may always rely on a UE-initiated COT. In a second alternative, the configured UL transmission may rely on a gNB-initiated COT or the UE-initiated COT. For instance, a dynamic indication (e.g., via downlink control information (DCI) signaling) or a semi-static configuration may be used by network node  125  to switch between the aforementioned two alternatives, or between relying on the UE-initiated COT and gNB-initiated COT for the configured UL transmission. Accordingly, the UL transmission relying on the UE-initiated COT may be defined as a UE capability and UE  110  may signal to network node  125  the support of this capability. 
     Under a third proposed scheme in accordance with the present disclosure, UE  110  may determine that network node  125  has ended the sharing of another UE COT. Under the proposed scheme, network node  125  may indicate implicitly or explicitly the end of its sharing of another UE COT. For instance, network node  125  may transmit a signal explicitly to indicate the end of its sharing of another UE COT. The signaling may be a group-common (GC) or a broadcast signaling (e.g., GC-DCI). Alternatively, the signaling may be a specific demodulation reference signal (DMRS) encoding (e.g., phase shifts). For instance, the specific DMRS may be used during the time network node  125  is sharing a UE COT. Under the proposed scheme, other UEs may determine the information implicitly. For instance, network node  125  may signal FFP parameters of the UE COT that it is sharing its COT to other UEs to determine when network node  125  is supposed to end the sharing. Under the proposed scheme, UE  110  may determine implicitly that network node  125  is sharing another UE COT in an event that network node  125  is transmitting in its own FFP idle periods. 
     Under a fourth proposed scheme in accordance with the present disclosure, UE  110  may determine that an UL scheduled transmission is to be transmitted using a gNB-initiated COT or a UE-initiated COT. Under the proposed scheme, UE  110  may make such a determination implicitly. For instance, in an event that network node  125  has already initiated a COT and in case that the UL transmission is scheduled in the current gNB-initiated COT and fully contained in the gNB-initiated COT, then UE  110  may rely on the gNB-initiated COT for the UL transmission. In an event that UE  110  has already initiated a COT and in case that the UL transmission is scheduled in the current UE-initiated COT and fully contained in the UE-initiated COT, then UE  110  may rely on the UE-initiated COT. In an event that time resources of the UL scheduled transmission overlap with a gNB FFP idle period, then UE  110  may rely on the UE-initiated COT. In an event that the time resources of the UL scheduled transmission overlap with a UE FFP idle period, then UE  110  may rely on the gNB-initiated COT. Otherwise, a default assumption may be used (e.g., gNB-initiated COT or UE-initiated COT). For instance, in case of alignment with a UE FFP boundary, then UE  110  may use the UE-initiated COT or else assume the gNB-initiated COT. 
     Under the fourth proposed scheme, UE  110  may determine whether to rely on a gNB-initiated COT or a UE-initiated COT for an UL scheduled transmission by a dynamic signaling (e.g., DCI) or a semi-static signaling (e.g., radio resource control (RRC) signaling) from network node  125 . Additionally, the UL scheduled transmission relying on the UE-initiated COT may be defined as a UE capability and the support thereof may be signaled by UE  110  to network node  125 . Network node  125  may or may not configure UE  110  with this functionality. Alternatively, or additionally, UE  110  may determine whether to rely on a gNB-initiated COT or a UE-initiated COT for the UL scheduled transmission implicitly from a specific DCI bit-field, a DCI format, and/or a radio network temporary identifier (RNTI). Alternatively, or additionally, the UL scheduled transmission relying on a gNB-initiated COT or a UE-initiated COT may rely on a FFP with the closest start boundary to the start of the scheduled transmission. Alternatively, or additionally, UE  110  may determine whether to rely on a gNB-initiated COT or a UE-initiated COT for the UL scheduled transmission implicitly from a time domain resource allocation of the UL scheduled transmission. 
     Under a fifth proposed scheme in accordance with the present disclosure, network node  125  may cancel an ongoing UE-initiated COT. For instance, an explicit signaling may be used for cancellation of an ongoing COT (e.g., DCI 2_0, DCI 2_4, and so on). Under the proposed scheme, a time duration t may be defined such that, after t from the reception of the cancellation signal, UE  110  may cancel its ongoing COT (e.g., by cancelling any ongoing transmission). The duration t may be required for UE  110  to process the cancellation signal and cancel any ongoing transmission. Under the proposed scheme, multiple values of t may be specified, and UE  110  may report to network node  125  the value(s) of t supported by UE  110 . Moreover, UE  110  may acknowledge its reception of the cancellation signal to network node  125 . Furthermore, cancellation of an ongoing UE-initiated COT may be defined as a UE capability or a UE feature. For instance, UE  110  may signal its support of the cancellation of an ongoing UE-initiated COT to network node  125 . Correspondingly, network node  125  may configure (e.g., via RRC) or may not configure UE  110  with this feature. Additionally, UE  110  may be configured semi-statically (e.g., via RRC) or dynamically (e.g., via DCI) by network node  125  about the time instant(s) when UE  110  is to cancel an ongoing UE-initiated COT. For instance, an example time instant may be the gNB FFP boundary. Alternatively, an example time instant may be another UE FFP start boundary (e.g., that of a UE with a high-priority traffic). 
     Under a sixth proposed scheme in accordance with the present disclosure, UE  110  may initiate a COT within a gNB-initiated COT, and network node  125  may initiate a COT within a UE-initiated COT. For instance, UE  110  may initiate a COT within a gNB-initiated COT in case that an UL transmission would overlap with a gNB FFP idle period or in case that UE  110  has data in its buffer and hence needs a longer COT to transmit the data while sharing an ongoing gNB-initiated COT is not sufficient to transmit the UL data. Additionally, initiating a COT within a UE-initiated COT may also be useful for network node  125  to transmit and receive data from other UEs. Under the proposed scheme, UE  110  initiating a COT within a gNB-initiated COT may be supported and disabled/enabled dynamically (e.g., via DCI) or semi-statically (e.g., via RRC). Moreover, network node  125  initiating a COT within a UE-initiated COT may be supported and disabled/enabled dynamically (e.g., via DCI) or semi-statically (e.g., via RRC). Alternatively, or additionally, UE  110  initiating a COT within a gNB-initiated COT may be allowed for high-priority traffic (e.g., ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC)) but not for low-priority traffic (e.g., enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB)). 
     Under the sixth proposed scheme, UE  110  may initiate a COT within a gNB-initiated COT in case that the UL transmission would overlap with the gNB FFP idle period of in case that UE  110  has data in its buffer and hence needs a longer COT to transmit the data while sharing an ongoing gNB-initiated COT is not sufficient to transmit the UL data. Under the proposed scheme, UE  110  initiating a COT within a gNB-initiated COT may be allowed in an event that the UL transmission (CG and/or dynamic-grant (DG)) overlaps with the gNB FFP idle period. Moreover, network node  125  initiating a COT within a UE-initiated COT may be configurable (e.g., via RRC) to UE  110 . Furthermore, network node  125  initiating a COT within a UE-initiated COT may be signaled explicitly or implicitly to other UEs. For instance, it may be interpreted as an indication to some or all UEs not to initiate a COT within a given gNB-initiated COT. 
     Illustrative Implementations 
       FIG. 2  illustrates an example communication system  200  having an example communication apparatus  210  and an example network apparatus  220  in accordance with an implementation of the present disclosure. Each of communication apparatus  210  and network apparatus  220  may perform various functions to implement schemes, techniques, processes and methods described herein pertaining to gNB and UE COT sharing in mobile communications, including scenarios/schemes described above as well as processes described below. 
     Communication apparatus  210  may be a part of an electronic apparatus, which may be a UE such as a portable or mobile apparatus, a wearable apparatus, a wireless communication apparatus or a computing apparatus. For instance, communication apparatus  210  may be implemented in a smartphone, a smartwatch, a personal digital assistant, a digital camera, or a computing equipment such as a tablet computer, a laptop computer or a notebook computer. Communication apparatus  210  may also be a part of a machine type apparatus, which may be an IoT, NB-IoT, IIoT or NTN apparatus such as an immobile or a stationary apparatus, a home apparatus, a wire communication apparatus or a computing apparatus. For instance, communication apparatus  210  may be implemented in a smart thermostat, a smart fridge, a smart door lock, a wireless speaker or a home control center. Alternatively, communication apparatus  210  may be implemented in the form of one or more integrated-circuit (IC) chips such as, for example and without limitation, one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, one or more reduced-instruction set computing (RISC) processors, or one or more complex-instruction-set-computing (CISC) processors. Communication apparatus  210  may include at least some of those components shown in  FIG. 2  such as a processor  212 , for example. Communication apparatus  210  may further include one or more other components not pertinent to the proposed scheme of the present disclosure (e.g., internal power supply, display device and/or user interface device), and, thus, such component(s) of communication apparatus  210  are neither shown in  FIG. 2  nor described below in the interest of simplicity and brevity. 
     Network apparatus  220  may be a part of an electronic apparatus/station, which may be a network node such as a base station, a small cell, a router, a gateway or a satellite. For instance, network apparatus  220  may be implemented in an eNodeB in an LTE, in a gNB in a 5G, NR, IoT, NB-IoT, IIoT, or in a satellite in an NTN network. Alternatively, network apparatus  220  may be implemented in the form of one or more IC chips such as, for example and without limitation, one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, or one or more RISC or CISC processors. Network apparatus  220  may include at least some of those components shown in  FIG. 2  such as a processor  222 , for example. Network apparatus  220  may further include one or more other components not pertinent to the proposed scheme of the present disclosure (e.g., internal power supply, display device and/or user interface device), and, thus, such component(s) of network apparatus  220  are neither shown in  FIG. 2  nor described below in the interest of simplicity and brevity. 
     In one aspect, each of processor  212  and processor  222  may be implemented in the form of one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, one or more RISC processors, or one or more CISC processors. That is, even though a singular term “a processor” is used herein to refer to processor  212  and processor  222 , each of processor  212  and processor  222  may include multiple processors in some implementations and a single processor in other implementations in accordance with the present disclosure. In another aspect, each of processor  212  and processor  222  may be implemented in the form of hardware (and, optionally, firmware) with electronic components including, for example and without limitation, one or more transistors, one or more diodes, one or more capacitors, one or more resistors, one or more inductors, one or more memristors and/or one or more varactors that are configured and arranged to achieve specific purposes in accordance with the present disclosure. In other words, in at least some implementations, each of processor  212  and processor  222  is a special-purpose machine specifically designed, arranged and configured to perform specific tasks including gNB and UE COT sharing in mobile communications in accordance with various implementations of the present disclosure. 
     In some implementations, communication apparatus  210  may also include a transceiver  216  coupled to processor  212  and capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data. In some implementations, communication apparatus  210  may further include a memory  214  coupled to processor  212  and capable of being accessed by processor  212  and storing data therein. In some implementations, network apparatus  220  may also include a transceiver  226  coupled to processor  222  and capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data. In some implementations, network apparatus  220  may further include a memory  224  coupled to processor  222  and capable of being accessed by processor  222  and storing data therein. Accordingly, communication apparatus  210  and network apparatus  220  may wirelessly communicate with each other via transceiver  216  and transceiver  226 , respectively. 
     Each of communication apparatus  210  and network apparatus  220  may be a communication entity capable of communicating with each other using various proposed schemes in accordance with the present disclosure. To aid better understanding, the following description of the operations, functionalities and capabilities of each of communication apparatus  210  and network apparatus  220  is provided in the context of a mobile communication environment in which communication apparatus  210  is implemented in or as a communication apparatus or a UE (e.g., UE  110 ) and network apparatus  220  is implemented in or as a network node or base station (e.g., network node  125 ) of a communication network (e.g., wireless network  120 ). It is also noteworthy that, although the example implementations described below are provided in the context of mobile communications, the same may be implemented in other types of networks. 
     Under various proposed schemes pertaining to gNB and UE COT sharing in mobile communications in accordance with the present disclosure, with communication apparatus  210  implemented in or as UE  110  and network apparatus  220  implemented in or as network node  125  in network environment  100 , processor  212  of communication apparatus  210  may determine a COT to rely on for an UL transmission. Additionally, processor  212  may perform, via transceiver  216 , the UL transmission to a network node of a wireless network (e.g., apparatus  220  as network node  125  of wireless network  120 ) during the COT, which may be initiated by either the network node or the UE (e.g., the COT being either a gNB-initiated COT or a UE-initiated COT). 
     In some implementations, in determining the COT, processor  212  may be dynamically configured by the network node by: (a) receiving, via transceiver  216 , a DCI signal from the network node; and (b) determining whether the COT is initiated by the UE or by the network node (e.g., gNB) based on the DCI signal. 
     In some implementations, in determining the COT, processor  212  may be semi-statically configured by the network node by: (a) receiving, via transceiver  216 , an RRC signal from the network node; and (b) determining whether the COT is initiated by the UE or by the network node (e.g., gNB) based on the RRC signal. 
     In some implementations, an interval of the UL transmission may be confined within a gNB FFP and before an idle period of the gNB FFP. For instance, the interval of the UL transmission may be confined within a duration expressed as [gNB_FFP_start+Δ, gNB_idle_period_start], where: (i) gNB_FFP_start denotes a start time of the gNB FFP, (ii) gNB_idle_period_start denotes a start time of the idle period of the gNB FFP, and (iii) A denotes a time duration of a UE processing time. 
     In some implementations, processor  212  may perform additional operations. For instance, processor  212  may receive, via transceiver  216 , a cancellation signal from the network node during the COT. Moreover, processor  212  may cancel, in response to receiving the cancellation signal, the COT as an ongoing UE-initiated COT. 
     In some implementations, processor  212  may also transmit, via transceiver  216 , to the network node an acknowledgement of reception of the cancellation signal. 
     In some implementations, processor  212  may further transmit, via transceiver  216 , to the network node an indication of support of cancellation of an ongoing UE-initiated COT prior to receiving the cancellation signal, with the support of the cancellation being a feature of a UE capability. 
     In some implementations, processor  212  may also receive, via transceiver  216 , from the network node an RRC signal configuring the feature of the UE capability. 
     In some implementations, processor  212  may further receive, via transceiver  216 , from the network node a signal configuring a time instant at which the UE cancels the ongoing UE-initiated COT. In some implementations, in receiving the signal, processor  212  may semi-statically receive an RRC signal or dynamically receive a DCI signal. In some implementations, the time instant may include a start boundary of a gNB FFP or a start boundary of a FFP of another UE. 
     Under various proposed schemes pertaining to gNB and UE COT sharing in mobile communications in accordance with the present disclosure, with communication apparatus  210  implemented in or as UE  110  and network apparatus  220  implemented in or as network node  125  in network environment  100 , processor  212  of communication apparatus  210  may receive, via transceiver  216 , a cancellation signal from a network node of a wireless network (e.g., apparatus  220  as network node  125  of wireless network  120 ) during an ongoing UE-initiated COT. Moreover, processor  212  may cancel, in response to receiving the cancellation signal, the ongoing UE-initiated COT. 
     In some implementations, processor  212  may also transmit, via transceiver  216 , to the network node an acknowledgement of reception of the cancellation signal. 
     In some implementations, processor  212  may further transmit, via transceiver  216 , to the network node an indication of support of cancellation of the ongoing UE-initiated COT prior to receiving the cancellation signal, with the support of the cancellation being a feature of a UE capability. 
     In some implementations, processor  212  may also receive, via transceiver  216 , from the network node an RRC signal configuring the feature of the UE capability. 
     In some implementations, processor  212  may further receive, via transceiver  216 , from the network node a signal configuring a time instant at which the UE cancels the ongoing UE-initiated COT. In some implementations, in receiving the signal, processor  212  may semi-statically receive an RRC signal or dynamically receive a DCI signal. In some implementations, the time instant may include a start boundary of a gNB FFP or a start boundary of a FFP of another UE. 
     Illustrative Processes 
       FIG. 3  illustrates an example process  300  in accordance with an implementation of the present disclosure. Process  300  may be an example implementation of schemes described above whether partially or completely, with respect to gNB and UE COT sharing in mobile communications in accordance with the present disclosure. Process  300  may represent an aspect of implementation of features of communication apparatus  210  and network apparatus  220 . Process  300  may include one or more operations, actions, or functions as illustrated by one or more of blocks  310  and  320 . Although illustrated as discrete blocks, various blocks of process  300  may be divided into additional blocks, combined into fewer blocks, or eliminated, depending on the desired implementation. Moreover, the blocks of process  300  may executed in the order shown in  FIG. 3  or, alternatively, in a different order. Process  300  may be implemented by communication apparatus  210  or any suitable UE or machine type devices as well as by and network apparatus  220  or any suitable network node or base station. Solely for illustrative purposes and without limitation, process  300  is described below in the context of communication apparatus  210  implemented in or as UE  110  and network apparatus  220  implemented in or as network node  125 . Process  300  may begin at block  310 . 
     At  310 , process  300  may involve processor  212  of communication apparatus  210 , implemented in or as UE  110 , determining a COT to rely on for an UL transmission. Process  300  may proceed from  310  to  320 . 
     At  320 , process  300  may involve processor  212  performing, via transceiver  216 , the UL transmission to a network node of a wireless network (e.g., apparatus  220  as network node  125  of wireless network  120 ) during the COT, which may be initiated by either the network node or the UE (e.g., the COT being either a gNB-initiated COT or a UE-initiated COT). 
     In some implementations, in determining the COT, process  300  may involve processor  212  being dynamically configured by the network node by: (a) receiving, via transceiver  216 , a DCI signal from the network node; and (b) determining whether the COT is initiated by the UE or by the network node (e.g., gNB) based on the DCI signal. 
     In some implementations, in determining the COT, process  300  may involve processor  212  being semi-statically configured by the network node by: (a) receiving, via transceiver  216 , an RRC signal from the network node; and (b) determining whether the COT is initiated by the UE or by the network node (e.g., gNB) based on the RRC signal. 
     In some implementations, an interval of the UL transmission may be confined within a gNB FFP and before an idle period of the gNB FFP. For instance, the interval of the UL transmission may be confined within a duration expressed as [gNB_FFP_start+Δ, gNB_idle_period_start], where: (i) gNB_FFP_start denotes a start time of the gNB FFP, (ii) gNB_idle_period_start denotes a start time of the idle period of the gNB FFP, and (iii) A denotes a time duration of a UE processing time. 
     In some implementations, process  300  may involve processor  212  performing additional operations. For instance, process  300  may involve processor  212  receiving, via transceiver  216 , a cancellation signal from the network node during the COT. Moreover, process  300  may involve processor  212  cancelling, in response to receiving the cancellation signal, the COT as an ongoing UE-initiated COT. 
     In some implementations, process  300  may further involve processor  212  transmitting, via transceiver  216 , to the network node an acknowledgement of reception of the cancellation signal. 
     In some implementations, process  300  may further involve processor  212  transmitting, via transceiver  216 , to the network node an indication of support of cancellation of an ongoing UE-initiated COT prior to receiving the cancellation signal, with the support of the cancellation being a feature of a UE capability. 
     In some implementations, process  300  may further involve processor  212  receiving, via transceiver  216 , from the network node an RRC signal configuring the feature of the UE capability. 
     In some implementations, process  300  may further involve processor  212  receiving, via transceiver  216 , from the network node a signal configuring a time instant at which the UE cancels the ongoing UE-initiated COT. In some implementations, in receiving the signal, process  300  may involve processor  212  semi-statically receiving an RRC signal or dynamically receiving a DCI signal. In some implementations, the time instant may include a start boundary of a gNB FFP or a start boundary of a FFP of another UE. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates an example process  400  in accordance with an implementation of the present disclosure. Process  400  may be an example implementation of schemes described above whether partially or completely, with respect to gNB and UE COT sharing in mobile communications in accordance with the present disclosure. Process  400  may represent an aspect of implementation of features of communication apparatus  210  and network apparatus  220 . Process  400  may include one or more operations, actions, or functions as illustrated by one or more of blocks  410  and  420 . Although illustrated as discrete blocks, various blocks of process  400  may be divided into additional blocks, combined into fewer blocks, or eliminated, depending on the desired implementation. Moreover, the blocks of process  400  may executed in the order shown in  FIG. 4  or, alternatively, in a different order. Process  400  may be implemented by communication apparatus  210  or any suitable UE or machine type devices as well as by and network apparatus  220  or any suitable network node or base station. Solely for illustrative purposes and without limitation, process  400  is described below in the context of communication apparatus  210  implemented in or as UE  110  and network apparatus  220  implemented in or as network node  125 . Process  400  may begin at block  410 . 
     At  410 , process  400  may involve processor  212  of communication apparatus  210 , implemented in or as UE  110 , receiving, via transceiver  216 , a cancellation signal from a network node of a wireless network (e.g., apparatus  220  as network node  125  of wireless network  120 ) during an ongoing UE-initiated COT. Process  400  may proceed from  410  to  420 . 
     At  420 , process  400  may involve processor  212  cancelling, in response to receiving the cancellation signal, the ongoing UE-initiated COT. 
     In some implementations, process  400  may further involve processor  212  transmitting, via transceiver  216 , to the network node an acknowledgement of reception of the cancellation signal. 
     In some implementations, process  400  may further involve processor  212  transmitting, via transceiver  216 , to the network node an indication of support of cancellation of the ongoing UE-initiated COT prior to receiving the cancellation signal, with the support of the cancellation being a feature of a UE capability. 
     In some implementations, process  400  may further involve processor  212  receiving, via transceiver  216 , from the network node an RRC signal configuring the feature of the UE capability. 
     In some implementations, process  400  may further involve processor  212  receiving, via transceiver  216 , from the network node a signal configuring a time instant at which the UE cancels the ongoing UE-initiated COT. In some implementations, in receiving the signal, process  400  may involve processor  212  semi-statically receiving an RRC signal or dynamically receiving a DCI signal. In some implementations, the time instant may include a start boundary of a gNB FFP or a start boundary of a FFP of another UE. 
     Additional Notes 
     The herein-described subject matter sometimes illustrates different components contained within, or connected with, different other components. It is to be understood that such depicted architectures are merely examples, and that in fact many other architectures can be implemented which achieve the same functionality. In a conceptual sense, any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality is effectively “associated” such that the desired functionality is achieved. Hence, any two components herein combined to achieve a particular functionality can be seen as “associated with” each other such that the desired functionality is achieved, irrespective of architectures or intermedial components. Likewise, any two components so associated can also be viewed as being “operably connected”, or “operably coupled”, to each other to achieve the desired functionality, and any two components capable of being so associated can also be viewed as being “operably couplable”, to each other to achieve the desired functionality. Specific examples of operably couplable include but are not limited to physically mateable and/or physically interacting components and/or wirelessly interactable and/or wirelessly interacting components and/or logically interacting and/or logically interactable components. 
     Further, with respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and/or application. The various singular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sake of clarity. 
     Moreover, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims, e.g., bodies of the appended claims, are generally intended as “open” terms, e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc. It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to implementations containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an,” e.g., “a” and/or “an” should be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more;” the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should be interpreted to mean at least the recited number, e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations. Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention, e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc. In those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention, e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc. It will be further understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be understood to include the possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.” 
     From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that various implementations of the present disclosure have been described herein for purposes of illustration, and that various modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the various implementations disclosed herein are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.