Patent Description:
Examples of such multiple-access systems include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) systems, time division synchronous code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA) systems, and orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems.

These multiple-access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunication standards to provide a common protocol that enables different wireless devices to communicate on a municipal, national, regional, and even global level. An example telecommunication standard is Long Term Evolution (LTE). LTE is a set of enhancements to the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) mobile standard promulgated by Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). LTE is designed to support mobile broadband access through improved spectral efficiency, lowered costs, and improved services using OFDMA on the downlink, SC-FDMA on the uplink, and multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology. However, as the demand for mobile broadband access continues to increase, there exists a need for further improvements in LTE technology.

By way of example, a wireless multiple-access communications system may include a number of base stations, each simultaneously supporting communication for multiple communication devices, which may be otherwise known as user equipment (UEs), wireless devices, mobile devices or stations (STAs). A base station may communicate with the communication devices on downlink channels (e.g., for transmissions from a base station to a UE) and uplink channels (e.g., for transmissions from a UE to a base station).

As cellular networks have become more congested, operators are beginning to look at ways to maximize the use of available network resources. One approach may include utilizing an unlicensed or shared spectrum (e.g., <NUM> Giga Hertz (GHz) band) to schedule traffic between the base station and the one or more communication devices. As referenced herein, a wireless communications system that adapts LTE air interface to operate in unlicensed or shared spectrum may be referred to as an LTE-U system or a license-assisted access (LAA) system. The unlicensed spectrum may be employed by cellular systems in different ways. For example, in some systems, the unlicensed spectrum may be employed in a standalone configuration, with all carriers operating exclusively in an unlicensed portion of the wireless spectrum (e.g., LTE Standalone). In other systems, the unlicensed spectrum may be employed in a manner that is supplemental to licensed band operation by utilizing one or more unlicensed carriers operating in the unlicensed portion of the wireless spectrum in conjunction with an anchor licensed carrier operating in the licensed portion of the wireless spectrum (e.g., LTE Supplemental DownLink (SDL)).

Due to respective requirements regarding operations in licensed spectrum and unlicensed or shared spectrum, uplink transmissions are generally subject to a listen -before - talk (LBT) approach. That is, when a communication device (e.g., UE or STA) has uplink data for transmission, the communication device may perform a channel check (e.g., clear channel assessment (CCA) or extended clear channel assessment (eCCA)) prior to transmitting any data on the uplink channel. If the result of the channel check indicates that a channel is available for the uplink transmission, i.e., the channel is clear for use and the channel check succeeds, the communication device may then accordingly transmit uplink data. However, if the result of the channel check indicates that the channel is unavailable for the uplink transmission, i.e., the channel is currently busy and the channel check fails, the communication device typically may have to wait until some later time resulting in uplink transmission delays. Other aspects of operations in licensed spectrum and unlicensed or shared spectrum that may cause delays in uplink transmissions are related to the use of hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) operations.

Therefore, there is a need to provide mechanisms for uplink transmission management that are suitable for wireless communications in an unlicensed or shared spectrum.

<CIT> discloses methods to enable wireless cellular operation in unlicensed and lightly licensed, (collectively referred to as license exempt spec-trum). Wireless devices may use licensed exempt spectrum as new bands in addition to the existing bands to transmit to a wireless trans-mit/receive unit (WTRU) in the downlink direction, or to a base station in the uplink direction. The wireless devices may access license exempt spectrum for bandwidth aggregation or relaying using a carrier aggregation framework. In particular, a primary component carrier operating in a licensed spectrum is used for control and connection establishment and a second component carrier operating in a licensed exempt spec-trum is used for bandwidth extension.

Preferred embodiments of the invention are stipulated in the dependent claims. While several embodiments and/or examples have been disclosed in the description, the subject matter for which protection is sought is limited to those examples and/or embodiments which are encompassed by the scope of the appended claims. Embodiments and/or examples that do not fall under the scope of the claims are useful for understanding the invention.

As discussed above, congestion on the traditional licensed band (e.g., <NUM> band) has motivated network operators to offload wireless wide area network (WWAN) traffic to the unlicensed or shared spectrum (e.g., <NUM> band) in order to meet the ever-growing bandwidth demands. In LTE systems over unlicensed spectrum (LTE-U) or LAA systems, uplink transmissions from a UE to a network entity (e.g., eNodeB) are subject to listen-before-talk (LBT) principle. In an aspect, the UE may have to perform a channel check before transmitting data on the uplink channel. When the channel check fails, unnecessary delays may occur since the UE may have to wait for a subsequent uplink grant for transmitting the data. In some other examples, the data transmitted on the uplink data may be out of order.

Thus, in one aspect, a network entity may be configured to include, indicate, or specify one or more implicit uplink grants in an explicit uplink grant. That is, when a UE receives the explicit uplink grant and a first channel check fails, the UE may perform another channel check as if the UE received more than one explicit uplink grant. As referenced herein, a channel check may refer to an operation to determine if a channel is available for transmitting data. As such, the UE may not have to wait for the network entity to transmit another explicit uplink grant several time slots later that may cause delays in uplink transmissions. Further, when the UE receives the explicit uplink grant with the implicit uplink grants includes therein, the UE is configured to transmit one or more copies of the data (e.g., transmit copies with different redundancy information) on the uplink such that the delay caused by possible retransmission may be mitigated.

In another aspect, when a first data unit, such as a protocol data unit (PDU) is blocked from being transmitted (e.g., transmission of the PDU does not occur) due to a failed channel check, the UE may be configured to transmit the first PDU when the UE receives a subsequent uplink grant for a second PDU. As such, a first PDU in time may be transmitted before other PDUs.

<FIG> illustrates an example of a wireless communications system <NUM> in which techniques for uplink transmission management may be performed in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. The wireless communications system <NUM> includes base stations <NUM>, small cell access points (AP) <NUM>, mobile devices <NUM>, and a core network <NUM>. In some aspects of the present disclosure, the base station <NUM> may be referred to as a macro cell base station, and AP <NUM> may be referred to as small cell base station. The base station <NUM> and the AP <NUM> may be generally referred to as network entities as they are configured to provide network access to the mobile devices <NUM>. One or more mobile devices <NUM> may include an uplink transmission manager component <NUM> configured to manage uplink transmissions, as described further herein. On the other side, one or more network entities (base stations <NUM> by way of example) may include an uplink grant manager component <NUM> configured to generate or manage explicit uplink grant, or implicit uplink grant, or both. The core network <NUM> may provide user authentication, access authorization, tracking, internet protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. The base stations <NUM> may interface with the core network <NUM> through backhaul links <NUM> (e.g., S1, etc.). The base stations <NUM> and AP <NUM> may perform radio configuration and scheduling for communication with the mobile devices <NUM>, or may operate under the control of a base station controller (not shown). In various examples, the base station <NUM> and AP <NUM> may communicate, either directly or indirectly (e.g., through core network <NUM>), with each other over backhaul links <NUM> (e.g., X2, Over-the-air (OTA) etc.), which may be wired or wireless communication links. In some aspects of the present disclosure, the base station <NUM> and AP <NUM> may share their respective timing parameters associated with communication scheduling.

The base station <NUM> and AP <NUM> may wirelessly communicate with the mobile device <NUM> via one or more antennas. Each of the base station <NUM> and AP <NUM> may provide communication coverage for a respective geographic coverage area <NUM>. In some examples, base station <NUM> may be referred to as a base transceiver station, a radio base station, an access point, a radio transceiver, a NodeB, eNodeB (eNB), Home NodeB, a Home eNodeB, or some other suitable terminology. The geographic coverage area <NUM>-a for a base station <NUM> and coverage area <NUM>-b for AP <NUM> may be divided into sectors making up only a portion of the coverage area (not shown). The wireless communications system <NUM> may include base station <NUM> and AP <NUM> of different types (e.g., macro or small cell base stations). There may be overlapping geographic coverage areas <NUM> for different technologies.

While the mobile devices <NUM> may communicate with each other through the base station <NUM> and AP <NUM> using communication links <NUM>, each mobile device <NUM> may also communicate directly with one or more other mobile devices <NUM> via a direct wireless link <NUM>. Two or more mobile devices <NUM> may communicate via a direct wireless link <NUM> when both mobile devices <NUM> are in the geographic coverage area <NUM> or when one or more mobile devices <NUM> are within the AP geographic coverage area <NUM>-b. Examples of direct wireless link <NUM> may include Wi-Fi Direct connections, connections established using a Wi-Fi Tunneled Direct Link Setup (TDLS) link, and other P2P group connections. In other implementations, other peer-to-peer connections or ad hoc networks may be implemented within the wireless communications system <NUM>.

In some examples, the wireless communications system <NUM> includes a wireless wide area network (WWAN) such as an LTE/LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) network. WWAN technologies such as LTE or LTE-A may be adapted for operation over an unlicensed or shared spectrum. In LTE/LTE-A networks, the term evolved node B (eNB) may be generally used to describe the base stations <NUM>, while the term user equipment (UEs) or wireless devices may be generally used to describe the mobile devices <NUM>. The wireless communications system <NUM> may include a heterogeneous LTE/LTE-A network in which different types of eNBs provide coverage for various geographical regions. The wireless communications system <NUM> may also support eCC operations, which may use listen-before-talk (LBT) like LTE over unlicensed spectrum, but may have a different numerology than LTE over unlicensed spectrum.

The wireless communications system <NUM> may, in some examples, also support a wireless local area network (WLAN). A WLAN may be a network employing techniques based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) <NUM>. 11x family of standards ("Wi-Fi"). In some examples, each eNB or base station <NUM> and AP <NUM> may provide communication coverage for a macro cell, a small cell, or other types of cell. The term "cell" is a 3GPP term that may be used to describe a base station, a carrier or component carrier associated with a base station, or a coverage area (e.g., sector, etc.) of a carrier or base station, depending on context.

A macro cell generally covers a relatively large geographic area (e.g., several kilometers in radius) and may allow unrestricted access by mobile device <NUM> with service subscriptions with the network provider. A pico cell, for example, may cover a small geographic area and may allow unrestricted access by mobile device <NUM> with service subscriptions with the network provider. A femto cell may also cover a small geographic area (e.g., a home) and may provide restricted access by mobile device <NUM> having an association with the femto cell (e.g., mobile device <NUM> in a closed subscriber group (CSG), mobile device <NUM> for users in the home, and the like). In some aspects of the present disclosure, the base station <NUM> may be referred to as a macro cell base station, and AP <NUM> may be referred to as small cell base station.

The wireless communications system <NUM> may support synchronous or asynchronous operation.

The communication networks that may accommodate some of the various disclosed examples may be packet-based networks that operate according to a layered protocol stack. In the user plane, communications at the bearer or packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer may be IP-based. A radio link control (RLC) layer may perform packet segmentation and reassembly to communicate over logical channels. A medium access control (MAC) layer may perform priority handling and multiplexing of logical channels into transport channels. In the control plane, the radio resource control (RRC) protocol layer may provide establishment, configuration, and maintenance of an RRC connection between a mobile device <NUM> and the base stations <NUM>. The RRC protocol layer may also be used for core network <NUM> support of radio bearers for the user plane data. At the physical (PHY) layer, the transport channels may be mapped to physical channels.

The mobile devices <NUM> may be dispersed throughout the wireless communications system <NUM>, and each mobile device <NUM> may be stationary or mobile. A mobile device <NUM> may also include or be referred to by those skilled in the art as a user equipment (UE), mobile station, a subscriber station, STA, a mobile unit, a subscriber unit, a wireless unit, a remote unit, a mobile device, a wireless device, a wireless communications device, a remote device, a mobile subscriber station, an access terminal, a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a remote terminal, a handset, a user agent, a mobile client, a client, or some other suitable terminology. A mobile device <NUM> may be a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, a wireless communication device, a handheld device, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a cordless phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, or the like. A mobile device may be able to communicate with various types of base stations and network equipment including macro eNBs, small cell eNBs, relay base stations, and the like. In some examples, a dual-radio UE <NUM>-a, may include a WLAN radio (not shown) and a WW AN radio (not shown) that may be configured to concurrently communicate with base station <NUM> (using the WWAN radio) and with AP <NUM> (using the WLAN radio).

The communication links <NUM> shown in wireless communications system <NUM> may include uplink (UL) transmissions from a mobile device <NUM> to a base station <NUM> or AP <NUM>, or downlink (DL) transmissions, from a base station <NUM> or AP <NUM> to a mobile device <NUM>. The downlink transmissions may also be called forward link transmissions while the uplink transmissions may also be called reverse link transmissions. Each communication links <NUM> may include one or more carriers, where each carrier may be a signal made up of multiple sub-carriers (e.g., waveform signals of different frequencies) modulated according to the various radio technologies described above. Each modulated signal may be sent on a different subcarrier and may carry control information (e.g., reference signals, control channels, etc.), overhead information, user data, etc. The communication links <NUM> may transmit bidirectional communications using frequency division duplex (FDD) (e.g., using paired spectrum resources) or time division duplex (TDD) operation (e.g., using unpaired spectrum resources). Frame structures may be defined for FDD (e.g., frame structure type <NUM>) and TDD (e.g., frame structure type <NUM>).

The communication links <NUM> may utilize resources of licensed spectrum or unlicensed spectrum, or both. Broadly speaking, the unlicensed spectrum in some jurisdictions may range from <NUM> Megahertz (MHz) to <NUM> Gigahertz (GHz), but need not be limited to that range. As used herein, the term "unlicensed spectrum" or "shared spectrum" may thus refer to industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) radio bands, irrespective of the frequency of those bands. An "unlicensed spectrum" or "shared spectrum" may refer to a spectrum used in a contention-based communications system. In addition, the term "licensed spectrum" or "cellular spectrum" may be used herein to refer to wireless spectrum utilized by wireless network operators under administrative license from a governing agency.

Wireless communications system <NUM> may also support operation on multiple cells or carriers, a feature which may be referred to as carrier aggregation (CA) or multi-carrier operation. A carrier may also be referred to as a component carrier (CC), a layer, a channel, etc. The terms "carrier," "component carrier," "cell," and "channel" may be used interchangeably herein. A mobile device <NUM> may be configured with multiple downlink CCs and one or more uplink CCs for carrier aggregation.

<FIG> is a diagram illustrating example components of the wireless communication system for uplink grant and transmission management. As depicted, UE <NUM> may be in communication with a network entity <NUM> associated with core network <NUM> via a primary cell <NUM> and/or an LAA secondary cell <NUM>. In some examples, network entity <NUM> may be referred to as a base station, a base transceiver station, an access point, a radio transceiver, a NodeB, eNodeB (eNB), Home NodeB, a Home eNodeB, or some other suitable terminology. In some aspects, primary cell <NUM> may refer to connectivity services provided in a licensed spectrum and LAA secondary cell <NUM> may refer to connectivity services provided in an unlicensed spectrum. UE <NUM> may receive signaling, including uplink grants, via primary cell <NUM> and transmit data (e.g., PDUs) via LAA secondary cell <NUM>.

Further, UE <NUM> may be configured to execute an uplink transmission manager component <NUM> that includes a grant receiver <NUM>, a channel examiner <NUM>, a data transmitter <NUM>, a buffer manager <NUM>, and a transmission determiner <NUM>. Network entity <NUM> may be configured to execute an uplink grant manager component <NUM> to generate an explicit uplink grant <NUM> and at least one implicit uplink grant <NUM>.

In one aspect, uplink grant manager component <NUM> may generate explicit uplink grant <NUM> that indicates, when received by UE <NUM>, UE <NUM> is authorized to transmit an amount of data on the uplink. Explicit uplink grant <NUM> may also include a maximum size of the data authorized to transmit on the uplink. In addition to generating explicit uplink grant <NUM>, uplink grant manage process <NUM> may further include, or otherwise indicate, one or more implicit uplink grants <NUM> in explicit uplink grant <NUM>. In other words, each of the implicit uplink grants <NUM> may authorize UE <NUM> to transmit the amount of data on the uplink. Uplink grant manager component <NUM> may determine a count of implicit uplink grants <NUM> based on factors including a total number of UEs within the coverage of wireless communications system <NUM>.

In another aspect, when explicit uplink grant <NUM> is received by grant receiver <NUM> of UE <NUM> at a time slot n via primary cell <NUM>, channel examiner <NUM> may perform a channel check prior to transmitting the data on the uplink channel. If the channel check succeeds, i.e., an uplink channel is available for transmitting the data, data transmitter <NUM> may transmit the data on the uplink channel via LAA secondary cell <NUM>. If the channel check fails, i.e., the uplink channel is not available for transmitting the data, buffer manager <NUM> may store the data, e.g., a first PDU, in a HARQ buffer associated with a HARQ process, e.g., HARQ buffer <NUM>. Further, transmission determiner <NUM> may determine which data should be transmitted if one or more PDUs have been stored in the HARQ buffer due to previous failed channel checks. Such determination may be performed based on one or more factors further described in <FIG>. In addition, other aspects of the components of network entity <NUM> and UE <NUM> are described in details in accordance with <FIG> and <FIG>, respectively.

Referring to <FIG>, in an aspect, a network entity <NUM> (e.g., a base station or an access point) associated with core network <NUM> may be in communication with UE <NUM> via a primary cell <NUM> and/or an LAA secondary cell <NUM>. In some aspects, primary cell <NUM> may refer to connectivity services provided in a licensed spectrum and LAA secondary cell <NUM> may refer to connectivity services provided in an unlicensed spectrum. Network entity <NUM> may transmit signaling, including uplink grants, via primary cell <NUM> and receive data (e.g., PDUs) via LAA secondary cell <NUM>.

In an aspect, network entity <NUM> may include one or more antennas <NUM>, RF front end <NUM> and transceiver <NUM> for receiving and transmitting radio transmissions, including, for example, the described signaling messages and also any messages corresponding to uplink grant and/or uplink transmission management. RF front end <NUM> may be connected to the one or more antennas <NUM>. RF front end <NUM> may include, for example, one or more low-noise amplifiers (LNAs) (not shown), one or more switches (not shown), one or more power amplifiers (PAs) (not shown), and one or more filters (not shown) for transmitting and receiving RF signals on the uplink channels and downlink channels. RF front end <NUM> is merely an example configuration; in an aspect, other configurations for RF front end <NUM> may be used by network entity <NUM>. In an aspect, components of RF front end <NUM> may connect with transceiver <NUM>. Transceiver <NUM> may connect to one or more processor <NUM>.

In another aspect, network entity <NUM> may include one or more processors <NUM> that may operate in combination with uplink grant manager component <NUM>, which may generate an explicit uplink grant <NUM> and/or at least one implicit uplink grant <NUM>, for uplink grant and/or uplink transmission management as described herein. In an aspect, the one or more processors <NUM> may include a modem <NUM> that uses one or more modem processors. In another aspect, the one or more processors <NUM> may be communicatively coupled to at least a memory <NUM>, wherein the memory <NUM> may be configured to store instructions for handling uplink grant and/or uplink transmission management.

Referring to <FIG>, in an aspect, an UE <NUM> may be in communication with a network entity <NUM> associated with core network <NUM> via a primary cell <NUM> and/or an LAA secondary cell <NUM>. In some aspects, primary cell <NUM> may refer to connectivity services provided in a licensed spectrum and LAA secondary cell <NUM> may refer to connectivity services provided in an unlicensed spectrum. UE <NUM> may receive signaling, including uplink grants, via primary cell <NUM>, and transmit data (e.g., PDUs) via LAA secondary cell <NUM>.

In an aspect, UE <NUM> may include RF front end <NUM> and transceiver <NUM> for receiving and transmitting radio transmissions, including, for example, the described signaling messages and also any messages corresponding to the operation of uplink transmission manager component <NUM>. RF front end <NUM> may be connected to one or more antennas <NUM>. RF front end <NUM> may include, for example, one or more low-noise amplifiers (LNAs) <NUM>, one or more switches <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, one or more power amplifiers (PAs) <NUM>, and one or more filters <NUM> for transmitting and receiving RF signals. RF front end <NUM> is merely an example configuration; in an aspect, other configurations for RF front end <NUM> may be used by UE <NUM>. In an aspect, components of RF front end <NUM> may connect with transceiver <NUM>. Transceiver <NUM> may connect to one or more processor <NUM>.

In an aspect, LNA <NUM> may amplify a received signal at a desired output level. In an aspect, RF front end <NUM> may use one or more switches <NUM>, <NUM> to select a particular LNA <NUM> and its specified gain value based on a desired gain value for a particular application.

In an aspect, each PA <NUM> may have a specified minimum and maximum gain values. In an aspect, RF front end <NUM> may use one or more switches <NUM>, <NUM> to select a particular PA <NUM> and its specified gain value based on a desired gain value for a particular application.

Also, for example, one or more filters <NUM> may be used by RF front end <NUM> to filter a received signal to obtain an input RF signal. Similarly, in an aspect, for example, a respective filter <NUM> may be used to filter an output from a respective PA <NUM> to produce an output signal for transmission. In an aspect, each filter <NUM> may be connected to a specific LNA <NUM> and/or PA <NUM>. In an aspect, RF front end <NUM> may use one or more switches <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> to select a transmit or receive path using a specified filter <NUM>, LNA <NUM>, and/or PA <NUM>, based on a configuration as specified by transceiver <NUM> and/or processor <NUM>.

In an aspect, UE <NUM> may include one or more processors <NUM> that may operate in combination with an uplink transmission manager component <NUM> for managing uplink transmissions as described herein. In an aspect, uplink transmission manager component <NUM> may include a grant receiver <NUM>, a channel examiner <NUM>, a data transmitter <NUM>, a buffer manager <NUM>, and a transmission determiner <NUM>. In another aspect, buffer manager <NUM> may be associated with one or more HARQ buffers <NUM>. In an aspect, the one or more processors <NUM> may include a modem <NUM> that uses one or more modem processors. In another aspect, the one or more processors <NUM> may be communicatively coupled to at least a memory <NUM>, wherein the memory <NUM> may be configured to store instructions for handling uplink transmission management.

Various functions related to uplink transmission manager component <NUM> may be included in modem <NUM> and/or one or more processors <NUM> and, in an aspect, may be executed by a single processor, while in other aspects, different ones of the functions may be executed by a combination of two or more different processors. For example, in an aspect, the one or more processors <NUM> may include any one or any combination of a modem processor, or a baseband processor, or a digital signal processor, or a transmit processor, or a transceiver processor associated with transceiver <NUM>. In particular, the one or more processors <NUM> may execute functions included in uplink transmission manager component <NUM>, including, but not limited to, a grant receiver <NUM>, a channel examiner <NUM>, a data transmitter <NUM>, a buffer manager <NUM>, and a transmission determiner <NUM>. In an aspect, buffer manager <NUM> may be associated with one or more HARQ buffers <NUM>. In addition, some other aspects of the components of uplink transmission manager component <NUM> are described in greater details in accordance with <FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG>.

<FIG> is a diagram illustrating example sub-components of the wireless communication system for uplink transmission management. As depicted, transmission determiner <NUM> may determine which data to be transmitted on the uplink channel based on time duration <NUM> and granted size <NUM>.

As referenced herein, time duration <NUM> may refer to a time period between two consecutive explicit uplink grant. Granted size <NUM> may refer to a size limit indicating a maximum size of data that may be transmitted on the uplink channel in response to an explicit uplink grant. Other aspects of the sub-components of transmission determiner <NUM> are described in greater details in accordance with <FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG>.

<FIG> is a diagram illustrating an example of conventional operations regarding uplink transmissions. <FIG> is a diagram illustrating another example of conventional operations regarding uplink transmissions. For brevity, uplink transmissions are illustrated to occur immediately subsequent to a succeeded channel check.

For <FIG>, a first issue is that the uplink data transmission is delayed due to a failed channel check. As depicted in <FIG>, conventionally, when grant receiver <NUM> receives explicit uplink grant <NUM> at a time slot n, channel examiner <NUM> may perform a channel check prior to transmitting the data. If the channel check fails, e.g., shown as failed CCA <NUM>, data transmitter <NUM> may not transmit the data on the uplink channel, e.g., shown as blocked UL transmission <NUM>, at time slot n+<NUM> or any other predetermined time slot. Thus, uplink transmission manager component <NUM> may have to wait for another explicit uplink grant <NUM> from network entity <NUM> to transmit the blocked data. For example, when grant receiver <NUM> receives another explicit uplink grant <NUM> at time slot n+<NUM>, channel examiner <NUM> may perform another channel check prior to transmitting the data. If the channel check succeeds, e.g., shown as succeeded CCA <NUM>, data transmitter <NUM> may transmit the data, shown as UL transmission <NUM>, at time slot n+<NUM>.

For <FIG>, a second issue is that the PDUs transmitted on the uplink channel may be out of order. As depicted in <FIG>, conventionally, grant receiver <NUM> may similarly receive an explicit uplink grant <NUM> associated with a first HARQ process from network entity <NUM>. Channel examiner <NUM> may also perform a channel check prior to transmitting the data. If the channel check fails, shown as failed CCA <NUM>, a MAC PDU may be blocked from transmission, e.g., shown as blocked MAC PDU <NUM>. Blocked MAC PDU <NUM> may be temporarily stored by buffer manager <NUM> in a HARQ buffer associated with the first HARQ process waiting to be transmitted in response to a further explicit uplink grant. Meanwhile, grant receiver <NUM> may receive another explicit uplink grant <NUM> associated with a second HARQ process. Channel examiner <NUM> may accordingly perform a channel check prior to data transmission. If the channel check succeeds, e.g., shown as succeeded CCA <NUM>, data transmitter <NUM> may transmit MAC PDU <NUM> on the uplink channel. However, the blocked MAC PDU <NUM> may be a PDU that should be transmitted prior to MAC PDU <NUM> in time and thus, network entity <NUM> may have to wait for blocked MAC PDU <NUM> to be transmitted, even when MAC PDU <NUM> is successfully received, and re-order MAC PDU <NUM> and blocked MAC PDU <NUM>.

<FIG>, is a diagram illustrating an example of operations of uplink transmission management and <FIG> is a diagram illustrating another example of operations of uplink transmission management.

<FIG> provides an example approach to address the first issue illustrated in <FIG>. As depicted in <FIG>, grant receiver <NUM> may receive an explicit uplink grant <NUM>, together with one or more implicit uplink grants <NUM> included therein (shown as two implicit uplink grants in <FIG>), at a time slot n. When a first channel check fails at time slot n+<NUM> (e.g., one of failed CCAs <NUM>), rather than waiting for another explicit uplink grant at time slot n+<NUM>, channel examiner <NUM> may perform one or more additional channel checks at subsequent time slots. For example, channel examiner <NUM> may immediately perform the additional channel checks at subsequent time slots n+<NUM> and n+<NUM>. A count of the additional channel checks may equal the count of implicit uplink grants <NUM>. If one of the additional channel checks succeeds, data transmitter <NUM> may subsequently transmit the data on the uplink channel. For example, an additional channel check may succeed at time slot n+<NUM> (shown as succeeded CCA <NUM>), data transmitter <NUM> may accordingly transmit the data on the uplink channel at time slot n+<NUM> (shown as UL transmission <NUM>). As such, UE <NUM> may not have to wait till later time slots, e.g., time slot n+<NUM> as shown in <FIG>, to transmit the data and unnecessary delay may be mitigated.

In an aspect, if grant receiver <NUM> receives another explicit uplink grant while UE <NUM> is processing the implicit uplink grants, the explicit uplink grant may be delayed after the implicit uplink grants are processed.

Further, each of the explicit or implicit uplink grants may expire after a predetermine time duration.

<FIG> provides another example approach to address the first issue illustrated in <FIG>. As depicted in <FIG>, grant receiver <NUM> receives an explicit uplink grant <NUM>, together with one or more implicit uplink grants <NUM> included therein (shown as two implicit uplink grants in <FIG>), at time slot n. Channel examiner <NUM> performs a channel check at time slot n+<NUM>, when the channel check succeeds (shown as succeeded CCA <NUM>), data transmitter <NUM> respectively transmits multiple copies of the data at subsequent time slots, e.g., time slots n+<NUM>, n+<NUM>, and n+<NUM>. Each copy of the data may be a version of different redundancy, e.g., including different redundancy information. The count of the copies is determined based on the count of implicit uplink grants <NUM> and the count of failed channel checks. For example, when grant receiver <NUM> receives explicit uplink grant <NUM> and two implicit uplink grants <NUM> and a first channel check in time succeeds (e.g., succeeded CCA <NUM>), data transmitter <NUM> may transmit three copies of the data, each in a time slot subsequent to succeeded CCA <NUM>. When the first channel check in time fails, channel examiner <NUM> may perform a second channel check in a time slot subsequent to the first channel check. In some examples, channel examiner <NUM> may perform a second channel check in a time slot immediately subsequent to the first channel check If the second channel check succeeds, data transmitter <NUM> may only transmit two copies of the data on the uplink channel.

<FIG> provides an example approach to address the second issue in <FIG>. As depicted in <FIG>, grant receiver <NUM> may receive explicit uplink grant <NUM> at time slot n via primary cell <NUM>. Explicit uplink grant <NUM> may indicate that UE <NUM> is authorized to transmit MAC PDU <NUM>, MAC PDU <NUM> being associated with a first HARQ process. Channel examiner <NUM> may perform a channel check at time slot n+<NUM>. If the channel check fails (shown as failed CCA <NUM>), MAC PDU may be blocked from being transmitted at time slot n+<NUM> and may be stored in a buffer associated with the first HARQ process, e.g., HARQ buffer <NUM>. Later in time, grant receiver <NUM> may receive, at time slot n+<NUM>, an explicit uplink grant <NUM> indicating that UE <NUM> is authorized to transmit another MAC PDU (not shown) being associated with a second HARQ process. Channel examiner <NUM> may similarly perform a channel check at time slot n+<NUM>. If the channel check succeeds (shown as succeeded CCA <NUM>), transmission determiner <NUM> may determine whether to transmit MAC PDU <NUM> based on one or more factors including time duration <NUM>, i.e., the time period between receiving explicit uplink grant <NUM> and <NUM>, and granted size <NUM>, i.e., the maximum size of data may be transmitted in accordance with explicit uplink grant <NUM>. For example, if time duration <NUM> is greater than a predetermine threshold, which indicates that UE <NUM> has sufficient time to perform operations to retrieve MAC PDU <NUM>, transmission determiner <NUM> may determine to transmit MAC PDU <NUM>, rather than the other MAC PDU originally associated with the second HARQ process. As another example, if granted size <NUM> is greater than the size of MAC PDU <NUM>, transmission determiner <NUM> may determine to transmit MAC PDU <NUM> and maybe a portion of the other MAC PDU originally associated with the second HARQ process. As such, network entity <NUM> may receive PDUs in a correct order.

In some aspects, prior to transmitting MAC PDU <NUM>, buffer manager <NUM> may move MAC PDU <NUM> from a HARQ buffer associated with the first HARQ process, e.g., HARQ buffer <NUM>, to another HARQ buffer associated with the second HARQ process, e.g., HARQ buffer <NUM>. In another aspect, if MAC PDU <NUM> is successfully transmitted on the uplink channel, the buffer that stored MAC PDU <NUM> at UE <NUM> may be cleared.

<FIG> is an example flowchart for uplink transmission management in an LAA system. Method <NUM> is described below with reference to ones of UEs <NUM> described with reference to <FIG>.

At <NUM>, method <NUM> includes grant receiver <NUM> receiving an explicit uplink grant that indicates one or more implicit uplink grants. For example, grant receiver <NUM> may receive an explicit uplink grant <NUM>, together with one or more implicit uplink grants <NUM> included therein (shown as two implicit uplink grants in <FIG>), at a time slot n.

At <NUM>, channel examiner <NUM> performs a first clear channel assessment (CCA) in response to the explicit uplink grant in a first time slot. For example, channel examiner <NUM> may perform a channel check at time slot n+<NUM>.

At <NUM>, uplink transmission manager component <NUM> of UE <NUM> determines if the first CCA succeeds. In an aspect, when uplink transmission manager component <NUM> determines that the first CCA succeeds, UE <NUM> proceeds to <NUM>, and data transmitter <NUM> transmits a PDU over an unlicensed or shared spectrum and in a time slot subsequent to the first time slot. For example, if a channel check succeeds in time slot n+<NUM>, data transmitter <NUM> may immediately transmit the data in time slot n+<NUM>.

In another aspect, when uplink transmission manager component <NUM> determines that the first CCA does not succeed, UE <NUM> proceeds to <NUM>, and channel examiner <NUM> sequentially performs one or more additional CCAs respectively in one or more time slots subsequent to the first time slot in response to the one or more implicit uplink grants. For example, when a first channel check fails at time slot n+<NUM> (e.g., one of failed CCAs <NUM>), rather than waiting for another explicit uplink grant at time slot n+<NUM>, channel examiner <NUM> may perform one or more additional channel checks at time slots n+<NUM> and n+<NUM>. A count of the additional channel checks may equal the count of implicit uplink grants <NUM>. If one of the additional channel checks succeeds, data transmitter <NUM> may subsequently transmit the data on the uplink channel. For example, an additional channel check may succeed at time slot n+<NUM> (shown as succeeded CCA <NUM>), data transmitter <NUM> may accordingly transmit the data on the uplink channel at time slot n+<NUM> (shown as UL transmission <NUM>). As such, UE <NUM> may not have to wait till later time slots, e.g., time slot n+<NUM>, to transmit the data and unnecessary delay may be mitigated.

In another aspect of <FIG>, an example apparatus for managing uplink transmissions in a license-assisted access (LAA) system is provided. In an aspect, the apparatus includes means for receiving an explicit uplink grant that indicates one or more implicit uplink grants. In an aspect, the apparatus also includes means for performing a first clear channel assessment (CCA) in response to the explicit uplink grant in a first time slot. In another aspect, the apparatus includes means for transmitting a protocol data unit (PDU) over an unlicensed or shared spectrum and in a time slot subsequent to the first time slot if the first CCA succeeds. In an aspect, the apparatus includes means for sequentially performing, if the first CCA fails, one or more additional CCAs respectively in one or more time slots subsequent to the first time slot in response to the one or more implicit uplink grants. In another aspect, the apparatus includes means for transmitting the PDU over the unlicensed or shared spectrum and in a time slot subsequent to the time slot, if the first CCA fails, in which one of the one or more additional CCAs succeeds.

In an aspect of <FIG>, an example computer-readable medium storing computer executable code for managing uplink transmissions in a license-assisted access (LAA) system is provided. In an aspect, the computer-readable medium includes computer executable code for receiving an explicit uplink grant that indicates one or more implicit uplink grants. In another aspect, the computer-readable medium also includes computer executable code for performing a first clear channel assessment (CCA) in response to the explicit uplink grant in a first time slot. In an aspect, the computer-readable medium includes computer executable code for transmitting a protocol data unit (PDU) over an unlicensed or shared spectrum and in a time slot subsequent to the first time slot if the first CCA succeeds. In another aspect, the computer-readable medium includes computer executable code for sequentially performing, if the first CCA fails, one or more additional CCAs respectively in one or more time slots subsequent to the first time slot in response to the one or more implicit uplink grants. In an aspect, the computer-readable medium includes computer executable code for transmitting the PDU over the unlicensed or shared spectrum and in a time slot subsequent to the time slot in which one of the one or more additional CCAs succeeds if the first CCA fails.

Still referring <FIG>, another example apparatus for managing uplink transmissions in a license-assisted access (LAA) system is provided. In an aspect, the apparatus may include a memory configured to store instructions and at least one processor coupled to the memory, the at least one processor and the memory are configured to execute the instructions to perform the following features. In another aspect, the apparatus may include a grant receiver configured to receive an explicit uplink grant that indicates one or more implicit uplink grants. In an aspect, the apparatus may include a channel examiner configured to perform a first clear channel assessment (CCA) in response to the explicit uplink grant in a first time slot. In another aspect, the apparatus may also include a data transmitter configured to transmit a protocol data unit (PDU) over an unlicensed or shared spectrum and in a time slot subsequent to the first time slot if the first CCA succeeds. In an aspect, if the first CCA fails, the channel examiner included in the apparatus may be configured to sequentially perform one or more additional CCAs respectively in one or more time slots subsequent to the first time slot in response to the one or more implicit uplink grants. In another aspect, the data transmitter included in the apparatus may be further configured to transmit the PDU over the unlicensed or shared spectrum and in a time slot subsequent to the time slot in which one of the one or more additional CCAs succeeds.

<FIG> is a flowchart, according to the invention, for uplink transmission management in an LAA system. Method <NUM> is described below with reference to ones of UEs <NUM> described with reference to <FIG>.

At <NUM>, method <NUM> includes channel examiner <NUM> performing a first clear channel assessment (CCA) in response to the explicit uplink grant in a first time slot. For example, channel examiner <NUM> may perform a channel check at time slot n+<NUM>.

At <NUM>, uplink transmission manager component <NUM> of UE <NUM> determines if the first CCA succeeds. In an aspect, when uplink transmission manager component <NUM> determines that the first CCA succeeds, UE <NUM> proceeds to <NUM>, data transmitter <NUM> respectively transmits over an unlicensed or shared spectrum copies of a protocol data unit (PDU) in time slots subsequent to the first time slot, wherein a number of transmitted copies of the PDU is based at least in part on the one or more implicit uplink grants. For example, when the channel check succeeds (shown as succeeded CCA <NUM>), data transmitter <NUM> may respectively transmit multiple copies of the data at subsequent time slots, e.g., time slots n+<NUM>, n+<NUM>, and n+<NUM>. Each copy of the data may be a version of different redundancy, e.g., including different redundancy information. The count of the copies is determined based on the count of implicit uplink grants <NUM> and the count of failed channel checks. For example, when grant receiver <NUM> receives explicit uplink grant <NUM> and two implicit uplink grants <NUM> and a first channel check in time succeeds (e.g., succeeded CCA <NUM>), data transmitter <NUM> may transmit three copies of the data, each in a time slot subsequent to succeeded CCA <NUM>.

In another aspect, when uplink transmission manager component <NUM> determines that the first CCA does not succeed, UE <NUM> proceeds to <NUM>, and channel examiner <NUM> performs an additional CCA subsequent to the first time slot and data transmitter <NUM> respectively transmits the one or more copies of the PDU in one or more third time slots subsequent to the additional CCA if the additional CCA succeeds. When the first channel check in time fails, channel examiner <NUM> may perform a second channel check in a time slot subsequent to the first channel check. If the second channel check succeeds, data transmitter <NUM> may only transmit two copies of the data on the uplink channel in time slots n+<NUM> and n+<NUM>.

In another aspect of <FIG>, an example apparatus for managing uplink transmissions in a license-assisted access (LAA) system is provided. In an aspect, the apparatus includes means for receiving an explicit uplink grant that indicates one or more implicit uplink grants. In an aspect, the apparatus also includes means for performing a first clear channel assessment (CCA) in response to the explicit uplink grant in a first time slot. In another aspect, the apparatus includes means for respectively transmitting over an unlicensed or shared spectrum copies of a protocol data unit (PDU), if the first CCA succeeds, in time slots subsequent to the first time slot, wherein a number of transmitted copies of the PDU is based at least in part on the one or more implicit uplink grants. In an aspect, the apparatus also includes means for performing an additional CCA in a time slot subsequent to the first time slot if the first CCA fails. In another aspect, the apparatus includes means for respectively transmitting over the unlicensed or shared spectrum one or more copies of the PDU in one or more time slots subsequent to a time slot in which the additional CCA succeeds.

In an aspect of <FIG>, an example computer-readable medium storing computer executable code for managing uplink transmissions in a license-assisted access (LAA) system is provided. In an aspect, the computer-readable medium includes computer executable code for receiving an explicit uplink grant that indicates one or more implicit uplink grants. In another aspect, the computer-readable medium includes computer executable code for performing a first clear channel assessment (CCA) in response to the explicit uplink grant in a first time slot. In an aspect, the computer-readable medium includes computer executable code for respectively transmitting over an unlicensed or shared spectrum copies of a protocol data unit (PDU), if the first CCA succeeds, in time slots subsequent to the first time slot, wherein a number of transmitted copies of the PDU is based at least in part on the one or more implicit uplink grants.

In another aspect, the above mentioned example computer-readable medium may also include computer executable code for performing an additional CCA in a time slot subsequent to the first time slot if the first CCA fails. In another aspect, the above mentioned example computer-readable medium may include computer executable code for respectively transmitting over the unlicensed or shared spectrum one or more copies of the PDU in one or more time slots subsequent to a time slot in which the additional CCA succeeds.

At <NUM>, method <NUM> may include grant receiver <NUM> receiving a first explicit uplink grant for transmission of a first PDU associated with a first HARQ process. For example, grant receiver <NUM> may receive explicit uplink grant <NUM> at time slot n via primary cell <NUM>. Explicit uplink grant <NUM> may indicate that UE <NUM> is authorized to transmit MAC PDU <NUM>, MAC PDU <NUM> being associated with a first HARQ process.

At <NUM>, method <NUM> may include grant receiver <NUM> receiving a second explicit uplink grant for transmission of a second PDU associated with a second HARQ process, the second explicit uplink grant being received subsequent to the first explicit uplink grant. For example, grant receiver <NUM> may receive, at time slot n+<NUM>, an explicit uplink grant <NUM> indicating that UE <NUM> is authorized to transmit another MAC PDU (not shown) being associated with a second HARQ process.

At <NUM>, method <NUM> may include channel examiner <NUM> performing a first clear channel assessment (CCA) in response to the first explicit uplink grant in a first time slot. For example, channel examiner <NUM> may perform a channel check at time slot n+<NUM>.

At <NUM>, method <NUM> may include channel examiner <NUM> performing a second CCA in response to the second explicit uplink grant in a second time slot. For example, channel examiner <NUM> may similarly perform a channel check at time slot n+<NUM>.

At <NUM>, method <NUM> may include transmission determiner <NUM> determining whether to transmit over an unlicensed or shared spectrum the first PDU or the second PDU in a time slot subsequent to the second time slot in association with the second HARQ process if the first CCA fails and the second CCA succeeds. For example, with failed CCA <NUM> and succeeded CCA <NUM>, transmission determiner <NUM> may determine whether to transmit MAC PDU <NUM> based on one or more factors including time duration <NUM>, i.e., the time period between receiving explicit uplink grant <NUM> and <NUM>, and granted size <NUM>, i.e., the maximum size of data may be transmitted in accordance with explicit uplink grant <NUM>. For example, if time duration <NUM> is greater than a predetermine threshold, which indicates that UE <NUM> has sufficient time to perform operations to retrieve MAC PDU <NUM>, transmission determiner <NUM> may determine to transmit MAC PDU <NUM>, rather than the other MAC PDU originally associated with the second HARQ process. As another example, if granted size <NUM> is greater than the size of MAC PDU <NUM>, transmission determiner <NUM> may determine to transmit MAC PDU <NUM> and maybe a portion of the other MAC PDU originally associated with the second HARQ process. As such, network entity <NUM> may receive PDUs in a correct order.

In an aspect, prior to transmitting MAC PDU <NUM>, buffer manager <NUM> may move MAC PDU <NUM> from the buffer associated with the first HARQ process to another buffer associated with the second HARQ process.

In another aspect of <FIG>, an example apparatus for managing uplink transmissions in a license-assisted access (LAA) system is provided. In an aspect, the apparatus includes means for receiving a first explicit uplink grant for transmission of a first protocol data unit (PDU) associated with a first Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) process. In an aspect, the apparatus also includes means for receiving a second explicit uplink grant for transmission of a second PDU associated with a second HARQ process, the second explicit uplink grant being received subsequent to the first explicit uplink grant. In another aspect, the apparatus includes means for performing a first clear channel assessment (CCA) in response to the first explicit uplink grant in a first time slot. In an aspect, the apparatus also includes means for performing a second CCA in response to the second explicit uplink grant in a second time slot. In another aspect, the apparatus includes means for determining whether to transmit over an unlicensed or shared spectrum the first PDU or the second PDU, if the first CCA fails and the second CCA succeeds, in a time slot subsequent to the second time slot in association with the second HARQ process.

Still referring <FIG>, in another aspect, the above mentioned example apparatus may include means for storing the first PDU in a first HARQ buffer associated with the first HARQ process. In an aspect, the above mentioned example apparatus may also include means for moving the first PDU, in response to a determination being made to transmit the first PDU in association with the second HARQ process, from the first HARQ buffer to a second HARQ buffer associated with the second HARQ process. In an aspect, the above mentioned example apparatus may also include means for moving the second PDU from a MAC buffer to a second HARQ buffer associated with the second HARQ process in response to a determination being made to transmit the second PDU in association with the second HARQ process. In another aspect of the above mentioned example apparatus, the means for determining whether to transmit over the unlicensed or shared spectrum the first PDU or the second PDU is based at least in part on a difference in transmission time and/or a difference in size between the first explicit grant and the second explicit grant.

In an aspect of <FIG>, an example computer-readable medium storing computer executable code for managing uplink transmissions in a license-assisted access (LAA) system is provided. In an aspect, the computer-readable medium includes computer executable code for receiving a first explicit uplink grant for transmission of a first protocol data unit (PDU) associated with a first Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) process. In another aspect, the computer-readable medium includes computer executable code for receiving a second explicit uplink grant for transmission of a second PDU associated with a second HARQ process, the second explicit uplink grant being received subsequent to the first explicit uplink grant. In an aspect, the computer-readable medium includes computer executable code for performing a first clear channel assessment (CCA) in response to the first explicit uplink grant in a first time slot. In another aspect, the computer-readable medium includes computer executable code for performing a second CCA in response to the second explicit uplink grant in a second time slot. In an aspect, the computer-readable medium includes computer executable code for determining to transmit over an unlicensed or shared spectrum the first PDU or the second PDU, if the first CCA fails and the second CCA succeeds, in a time slot subsequent to the second time slot in association with the second HARQ process.

Still referring <FIG>, the above mentioned example computer-readable medium may, in an aspect, include computer executable code for storing the first PDU in a first HARQ buffer associated with the first HARQ process. In another aspect, the above mentioned example computer-readable medium may include computer executable code for moving the first PDU, in response to a determination being made to transmit the first PDU in association with the second HARQ process, from the first HARQ buffer to a second HARQ buffer associated with the second HARQ process. In an aspect, the above mentioned example computer-readable medium may also include computer executable code for moving the second PDU from a MAC buffer to a second HARQ buffer associated with the second HARQ process in response to a determination being made to transmit the second PDU in association with the second HARQ process. In another aspect of the above example computer-readable medium, the computer executable code for determining whether to transmit over the unlicensed or shared spectrum the first PDU or the second PDU is based at least in part on a difference in transmission time and/or a difference in size between the first explicit grant and the second explicit grant.

In an aspect of <FIG>, another example apparatus for managing uplink transmissions in a license-assisted access (LAA) system is provided. In an aspect, the apparatus may include a memory configured to store instructions and at least one processor coupled to the memory, the at least one processor and the memory are configured to execute the instructions to perform the following features. In another aspect, the apparatus may include a grant receiver configured to receive a first explicit uplink grant for transmission of a first protocol data unit (PDU)associated with a first Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) process, and receive a second explicit uplink grant for transmission of a second PDU associated with a second HARQ process, the second explicit uplink grant being received subsequent to the first explicit uplink grant. In an aspect, the apparatus may include a channel examiner configured to perform a first clear channel assessment (CCA) in response to the first explicit uplink grant in a first time slot, and perform a second CCA in response to the second explicit uplink grant in a second time slot. In an aspect, the apparatus may include a transmission determiner configured to determine whether to transmit over an unlicensed or shared spectrum the first PDU or the second PDU in a time slot subsequent to the second time slot in association with the second HARQ process if the first CCA fails and the second CCA succeeds.

Still referring <FIG>, in an aspect, the above example apparatus may further include a buffer manager configured to store the first PDU in a first HARQ buffer associated with the first HARQ process; and in response to a determination being made to transmit the first PDU in association with the second HARQ process, move the first PDU from the first HARQ buffer to a second HARQ buffer associated with the second HARQ. In another aspect, the buffer manager of the apparatus is further configured to move the second PDU from a MAC buffer to a second HARQ buffer associated with the second HARQ process in response to a determination being made to transmit the second PDU in association with the second HARQ process. In an aspect, the transmission determiner of the apparatus is configured to determine whether to transmit the first PDU or the second PDU based at least in part on a difference in transmission time and/or a difference in size between the first explicit grant and the second explicit grant.

<FIG> is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for an apparatus employing a processing system. In some examples, the processing system <NUM> may be an example of a UE <NUM> or a network entity <NUM> described with reference to <FIG>. In this example, the processing system <NUM> may be implemented with a bus architecture, represented generally by the bus <NUM>. The bus <NUM> may include any number of interconnecting buses and bridges depending on the specific application of the processing system <NUM> and the overall design constraints. The bus <NUM> links together various circuits including one or more processors, represented generally by the processor <NUM>, computer-readable media, represented generally by the computer-readable medium <NUM>, uplink transmission manager component <NUM>, or uplink grant manager component <NUM> (see <FIG>), which may be configured to carry out one or more methods or procedures described herein.

In some instances, the communication management component <NUM> may be implemented when processing system <NUM> is used in a UE <NUM> or network entity <NUM>. In an aspect, uplink transmission manager component <NUM> and the components therein may comprise hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software that may be configured to perform the functions, methodologies (e.g., method <NUM> of <FIG>), or methods presented in the present disclosure. Uplink grant manager component <NUM> and the components therein may comprise hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software that may be configured to perform the functions, methodologies (e.g., method <NUM> of <FIG>), or methods presented in the present disclosure.

The bus <NUM> may also link various other circuits such as timing sources, peripherals, voltage regulators and power management circuits, which are well known in the art, and therefore, will not be described any further. A bus interface <NUM> provides an interface between the bus <NUM> and a transceiver <NUM>. The transceiver <NUM> provides a means for communicating with various other apparatus over a transmission medium. Depending upon the nature of the apparatus, a user interface <NUM> (e.g., keypad, display, speaker, microphone, joystick) may also be provided.

The software, when executed by the processor <NUM>, causes the processing system <NUM> to perform the various functions described infra for any particular apparatus. The computer-readable medium <NUM> may also be used for storing data that is manipulated by the processor <NUM> when executing software. In some aspects, at least a portion of the functions, methodologies, or methods associated with the uplink transmission manager component <NUM> or uplink grant manager component <NUM> may be performed or implemented by the processor <NUM> and/or the computer-readable medium <NUM>.

In some examples, the computer-readable medium <NUM> may store code for wireless communications. The code may comprise instructions executable by a computer (e.g., processor <NUM>) for monitoring one or more wireless channels for one or more trigger conditions, for transmitting a probe signal over a first wireless channel of the one or more wireless channels to access a network entity when the one or more trigger conditions are met on the first wireless channel, wherein properties of the probe signal are based at least on a type of access with the network entity; and for receiving a response signal from the network entity in response to the probe signal, the response signal including information to enable access by the first wireless device.

Referring to <FIG>, a Node B <NUM> is in communication with a UE <NUM> and having aspects configured to manage cell update messages. In an aspect, the Node B <NUM> may be an example of a network entity <NUM> associated with core network <NUM> of <FIG> and <FIG>, executing uplink grant manager component <NUM>. In an aspect, the UE <NUM> may be an example of UE <NUM> of <FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG>, executing uplink transmission manager component <NUM>. In the downlink communication, a transmit processor <NUM> may receive data from a data source <NUM> and control signals from a controller/processor <NUM>. The transmit processor <NUM> provides various signal processing functions for the data and control signals, as well as reference signals (e.g., pilot signals). For example, the transmit processor <NUM> may provide cyclic redundancy check (CRC) codes for error detection, coding and interleaving to facilitate forward error correction (FEC), mapping to signal constellations based on various modulation schemes (e.g., binary phase-shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK), M-phase-shift keying (M-PSK), M-quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM), and the like), spreading with orthogonal variable spreading factors (OVSF), and multiplying with scrambling codes to produce a series of symbols. Channel estimates from a channel processor <NUM> may be used by a controller/processor <NUM> to determine the coding, modulation, spreading, and/or scrambling schemes for the transmit processor <NUM>. These channel estimates may be derived from a reference signal transmitted by the UE <NUM> or from feedback from the UE <NUM>. The symbols generated by the transmit processor <NUM> are provided to a transmit frame processor <NUM> to create a frame structure. The transmit frame processor <NUM> creates this frame structure by multiplexing the symbols with information from the controller/processor <NUM>, resulting in a series of frames. The frames are then provided to a transmitter <NUM>, which provides various signal conditioning functions including amplifying, filtering, and modulating the frames onto a carrier for downlink transmission over the wireless medium through antenna <NUM>. The antenna <NUM> may include one or more antennas, for example, including beam steering bidirectional adaptive antenna arrays or other similar beam technologies.

At the UE <NUM>, a receiver <NUM> receives the downlink transmission through an antenna <NUM> and processes the transmission to recover the information modulated onto the carrier. The information recovered by the receiver <NUM> is provided to a receive frame processor <NUM>, which parses each frame, and provides information from the frames to a channel processor <NUM> and the data, control, and reference signals to a receive processor <NUM>. The receive processor <NUM> then performs the inverse of the processing performed by the transmit processor <NUM> in the Node B <NUM>. More specifically, the receive processor <NUM> descrambles and dispreads the symbols, and then determines the most likely signal constellation points transmitted by the Node B <NUM> based on the modulation scheme. These soft decisions may be based on channel estimates computed by the channel processor <NUM>. The soft decisions are then decoded and de-interleaved to recover the data, control, and reference signals. The CRC codes are then checked to determine whether the frames were successfully decoded. The data carried by the successfully decoded frames will then be provided to a data sink <NUM>, which represents applications running in the UE <NUM> and/or various user interfaces (e.g., display). Control signals carried by successfully decoded frames will be provided to a controller/processor <NUM>. When frames are unsuccessfully decoded by the receive processor <NUM>, the controller/processor <NUM> may also use an acknowledgement (ACK) and/or negative acknowledgement (NACK) protocol to support retransmission requests for those frames.

In the uplink channel, data from a data source <NUM> and control signals from the controller/processor <NUM> are provided to a transmit processor <NUM>. The data source <NUM> may represent applications running in the UE <NUM> and various user interfaces (e.g., keyboard). Similar to the functionality described in connection with the downlink transmission by the Node B <NUM>, the transmit processor <NUM> provides various signal processing functions including CRC codes, coding and interleaving to facilitate FEC, mapping to signal constellations, spreading with OVSFs, and scrambling to produce a series of symbols. Channel estimates, derived by the channel processor <NUM> from a reference signal transmitted by the Node B <NUM> or from feedback contained in the midamble transmitted by the Node B <NUM>, may be used to select the appropriate coding, modulation, spreading, and/or scrambling schemes. The symbols produced by the transmit processor <NUM> will be provided to a transmit frame processor <NUM> to create a frame structure. The transmit frame processor <NUM> creates this frame structure by multiplexing the symbols with information from the controller/processor <NUM>, resulting in a series of frames. The frames are then provided to a transmitter <NUM>, which provides various signal conditioning functions including amplification, filtering, and modulating the frames onto a carrier for uplink transmission over the wireless medium through the antenna <NUM>.

The uplink transmission is processed at the Node B <NUM> in a manner similar to that described in connection with the receiver function at the UE <NUM>. A receiver <NUM> receives the uplink transmission through the antenna <NUM> and processes the transmission to recover the information modulated onto the carrier. The information recovered by the receiver <NUM> is provided to a receive frame processor <NUM>, which parses each frame, and provides information from the frames to the channel processor <NUM> and the data, control, and reference signals to a receive processor <NUM>. The receive processor <NUM> performs the inverse of the processing performed by the transmit processor <NUM> in the UE <NUM>. The data and control signals carried by the successfully decoded frames may then be provided to a data sink <NUM> and the controller/processor, respectively. If some of the frames were unsuccessfully decoded by the receive processor, the controller/processor <NUM> may also use an acknowledgement (ACK) and/or negative acknowledgement (NACK) protocol to support retransmission requests for those frames.

The controller/processors <NUM> and <NUM> may be used to direct the operation at the Node B <NUM> and the UE <NUM>, respectively. For example, the controller/processors <NUM> and <NUM> may provide various functions including timing, peripheral interfaces, voltage regulation, power management, transmission management, and other control functions. The computer readable media of memories <NUM> and <NUM> may store data and software for the Node B <NUM> and the UE <NUM>, respectively. A scheduler/processor <NUM> at the Node B <NUM> may be used to allocate resources to the UEs and schedule downlink and/or uplink transmissions for the UEs. In an aspect, uplink grant manager component <NUM> may communicate with the controller/processors <NUM> at the Node B <NUM> for managing uplink grants, and uplink transmission manager component <NUM> may communicate with the controller/processors <NUM> at the UE <NUM> for managing uplink transmissions.

The detailed description set forth above in connection with the appended drawings describes example embodiments and does not represent all the embodiments that may be implemented or that are within the scope of the claims. The term "exemplary," as used in this description, means "serving as an example, instance, or illustration," and not "preferred" or "advantageous over other embodiments. In some instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the concepts of the described embodiments.

The various illustrative blocks and modules described in connection with the disclosure herein may be implemented or performed with a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an ASIC, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein.

For example, due to the nature of software, functions described above may be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, or combinations of any of these. Also, as used herein, including in the claims, "or "as used in a list of items (for example, a list of items prefaced by a phrase such as "at least one of" or "one or more of") indicates an inclusive list such that, for example, a list of at least one of A, B, or C means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C).

By way of example, and not limitation, computer-readable media may comprise RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), compact disk (CD) ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that may be used to carry or store desired program code means in the form of instructions or data structures and that may be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer, or a general-purpose or special-purpose processor.

The previous description of the disclosure is provided to enable a person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure.

Claim 1:
A method of wireless communication, comprising:
receiving an uplink grant (<NUM>), said uplink grant scheduling multiple time slots for uplink transmission over a shared spectrum, wherein the received uplink grant is an explicit uplink grant for a first time slot of the multiple time slots and wherein the explicit uplink grant indicates one or more implicit uplink grants for subsequent time slots of the multiple time slots and configuring the UE to transmit one or more copies of data on the uplink;
performing clear channel assessment, CCA, (<NUM>) sequentially for the multiple time slots, starting with a first time slot of the multiple time slots, until the CCA succeeds for a particular time slot of the multiple time slots, wherein the CCA is performed first for the time slot indicated by the explicit uplink grant, and if it fails the CCA is performed sequentially for the time slots indicated by the implicit uplink grants; and
transmitting data in the particular time slot and copies of data in the remaining time slots of the multiple time slots over the shared spectrum.