Patent Description:
In some wireless communication systems, a user equipment (UE) wirelessly communicates with a base station to send data to the base station and/or receive data from the base station. A wireless communication from a UE to a base station is referred to as an uplink (UL) communication. A wireless communication from a base station to a UE is referred to as a downlink (DL) communication.

Resources are required to perform uplink and downlink communications. For example, a UE may wirelessly transmit data to a base station in an uplink transmission at a particular frequency and/or during a particular slot in time. The frequency and time slot used are examples of resources.

In some wireless communication systems, if a UE wants to transmit data to a base station, the UE requests uplink resources from the base station. The base station grants the uplink resources, and then the UE sends the uplink transmission using the granted uplink resources. A transmission in such uplink resources granted by a base station is referred to as a grant-based or scheduled UL transmission.

However, a UE may send uplink transmissions using certain semi-statically configured uplink resources without specifically requesting use of the resources and without being dynamically granted use of the resources by the base station. Such transmissions are referred to as grant-free, grant-less, schedule-free, schedule-less, or configured-grant uplink transmissions. A UE sending a configured-grant uplink transmission, or configured to send a configured-grant uplink transmission, may be referred to as operating in grant-free mode or in configured-grant mode.

One advantage of configured-grant transmission is lower latency resulting from not having to request and receive a grant for an allocated time slot from a base station. Further, in a configured-grant transmission, scheduling overhead may be reduced. In a configured-grant scheme, the same uplink resources can be accessible to multiple configured-grant UEs served by the same base station.

There is a desire for configured-grant and sidelink transmission schemes that can make more efficient use of available resources.

The present invention is defined by the subject matter of the enclosed claims. In the following description, embodiments which are not covered by the claims are to be considered as example necessary for understanding the invention.

For illustrative purposes, specific example embodiments will be explained in greater detail below in conjunction with the figures. It should be appreciated, however, that the present disclosure provides many applicable concepts that can be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The specific embodiments discussed are merely illustrative and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure.

In this disclosure, configured-grant transmissions refer to data transmissions that are performed without communicating grant-based signaling in a dynamic control channel, such as a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). Configured-grant transmissions can include uplink or downlink transmissions, and may encompass Semi-Persistently Scheduled (SPS) transmissions, and should be interpreted as such unless otherwise specified.

<FIG> illustrates an example communication system <NUM>. In general, the system <NUM> enables multiple wireless or wired user devices to transmit and receive data and other content. The system <NUM> may implement one or more channel access methods, such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), or single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA).

In this example, the communication system <NUM> includes electronic devices (EDs) or user equipments (UEs) 110a-110c, radio access networks (RANs) 120a-120b, a core network <NUM>, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) <NUM>, the Internet <NUM>, and other networks <NUM>. While certain numbers of these components or elements are shown in <FIG>, any number of these components or elements may be included in the system <NUM>.

The UEs 110a-110c are configured to operate and/or communicate in the system <NUM>. For example, the UEs 110a-110c are configured to transmit and/or receive via wireless or wired communication channels. Each UE 110a-110c represents any suitable end user device and may include such devices (or may be referred to) as a user equipment/device (UE), wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU), mobile station, fixed or mobile subscriber unit, cellular telephone, personal digital assistant (PDA), smartphone, laptop, computer, touchpad, wireless sensor, or consumer electronics device.

The RANs 120a-120b include base stations 170a-170b, respectively. Each base station 170a-170b is configured to interface wirelessly with one or more of the UEs 110a-110c to enable access to a backhaul network. The backhaul network in <FIG> includes the core network <NUM>, the PSTN <NUM>, the Internet <NUM>, and/or the other networks <NUM>. For example, the backhaul network can include a <NUM> communication system network or a future next evolution system network. For example, the base stations 170a-170b may include (or be) one or more of a base transceiver station (BTS), a Node-B (NodeB), an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a gigabit NodeB (gNodeB), a Home NodeB, a Home eNodeB, a Home gNodeB, a site controller, an access point (AP), or a wireless router. The UEs 110a-110c are configured to interface and communicate with the Internet <NUM> and may access the core network <NUM>, the PSTN <NUM>, and/or the other networks <NUM>.

In the embodiment shown in <FIG>, the base station 170a forms part of the RAN 120a, which may include other base stations, elements, and/or devices. Also, the base station 170b forms part of the RAN 120b, which may include other base stations, elements, and/or devices. The base station 170a operates to transmit and/or receive wireless signals within a particular coverage area or cell 175a, and the base station 170b operates to transmit and/or receive wireless signals within a particular coverage area or cell 175b. In some embodiments, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology may be employed having multiple transceivers for each cell.

The base stations 170a-170b communicate with one or more of the UEs 110a-110c over one or more air interfaces <NUM> using wireless communication links. The air interfaces <NUM> may utilize any suitable radio access technology.

It is contemplated that the system <NUM> may use multiple channel access functionality, including such schemes as described above. In particular embodiments, the base stations and UEs implement <NUM>, long-term evolution (LTE), LTE-A, LTE-B, and/or <NUM>. Of course, other multiple access schemes and wireless protocols may be utilized.

The RANs 120a-120b are in communication with the core network <NUM> to provide the UEs 110a-110c with voice, data, application, voice over internet protocol (VoIP), or other services. The RANs 120a-120b and/or the core network <NUM> may be in direct or indirect communication with one or more other RANs (not shown). The core network <NUM> may also serve as a gateway access for other networks (such as the PSTN <NUM>, the Internet <NUM>, and the other networks <NUM>). In addition, some or all of the UEs 110a-110c may include functionality for communicating with different wireless networks over different wireless links using different wireless technologies and/or protocols. Instead of wireless communication (or in addition thereto), the UEs 110a-110c may communicate via wired communication channels to a service provider or switch (not shown), and to the internet <NUM>.

For example, the communication system <NUM> could include any number of UEs, base stations, networks, or other components in any suitable configuration.

In particular, <FIG> illustrates an example UE <NUM> corresponding to any of the UEs 110a-110c, and <FIG> illustrates an example base station <NUM> corresponding to either of the base stations 170a-170b.

As shown in <FIG>, the UE <NUM> includes at least one processing unit <NUM>. The processing unit <NUM> implements various processing operations of the UE <NUM>. For example, the processing unit <NUM> could perform signal coding, data processing, power control, input/output processing, or any other functionality enabling the UE <NUM> to operate in the system <NUM>. The processing unit <NUM> also supports the methods and teachings described in more detail below. Each processing unit <NUM> could, for example, include a microprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor, field programmable gate array, or an application-specific integrated circuit.

The UE <NUM> also includes at least one transceiver <NUM>. The transceiver <NUM> is configured to modulate data or other content for transmission by at least one antenna <NUM> or network interface controller (NIC). The transceiver <NUM> is also configured to demodulate data or other content received by the at least one antenna <NUM>. Each transceiver <NUM> includes any suitable structure for generating signals for wireless or wired transmission and/or processing signals received wirelessly or by wire. Each antenna <NUM> includes any suitable structure for transmitting and/or receiving wireless or wired signals. One or multiple transceivers <NUM> could be used in the UE <NUM>, and one or multiple antennas <NUM> could be used in the UE <NUM>. Although shown as a single functional unit, a transceiver <NUM> could also be implemented using at least one transmitter and at least one separate receiver.

The UE <NUM> further includes one or more input/output devices <NUM> or interfaces (such as a wired interface to the Internet <NUM>). The input/output devices <NUM> facilitate interaction with a user or other devices (network communications) in the network. Each input/output device <NUM> includes any suitable structure for providing information to or receiving/providing information from a user, such as a speaker, microphone, keypad, keyboard, display, or touch screen, including network interface communications.

In addition, the UE <NUM> includes at least one memory <NUM>. The memory <NUM> stores instructions and data used, generated, or collected by the UE <NUM>. For example, the memory <NUM> could store software or firmware instructions executed by the processing unit(s) <NUM> and data used to reduce or eliminate interference in incoming signals. Each memory <NUM> includes any suitable volatile and/or non-volatile storage and retrieval device(s). Any suitable type of memory may be used, such as random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), hard disk, optical disc, subscriber identity module (SIM) card, memory stick, secure digital (SD) memory card, and the like.

As shown in <FIG>, the base station <NUM> includes at least one processing unit <NUM>, at least one transmitter <NUM>, at least one receiver <NUM>, one or more antennas <NUM>, at least one memory <NUM>, and one or more input/output devices or interfaces <NUM>. A scheduler, which would be understood by one skilled in the art, could also be coupled to the processing unit <NUM>. The processing unit <NUM> can also support the methods and teachings described in more detail below.

Each transmitter <NUM> includes any suitable structure for generating signals for wireless or wired transmission to one or more UEs or other devices. Each receiver <NUM> includes any suitable structure for processing signals received wirelessly or by wire from one or more UEs or other devices. Although shown as separate transmitter <NUM> and receiver <NUM>, these two devices could be combined as a transceiver. Each antenna <NUM> includes any suitable structure for transmitting and/or receiving wireless or wired signals. While a common antenna <NUM> is shown here as being coupled to the transmitter <NUM>, one or more antennas <NUM> could be coupled to the receiver <NUM>, allowing separate antennas <NUM> to be coupled to the transmitter and the receiver as separate components. Each memory <NUM> includes any suitable volatile and/or non-volatile storage and retrieval device(s). Each input/output device <NUM> facilitates interaction with a user or other devices (network communications) in the network. Each input/output device <NUM> includes any suitable structure for providing information to or receiving/providing information from a user, including network interface communications.

The base stations <NUM> are configured to support wireless communication with the UEs 110a-110c, which may each send configured-grant uplink transmissions. The UEs 110a-110c may be configured for configured-grant transmission, for example by configured-grant resource pre-configuration at the UE connection setup or by configured-grant resource configuration or re-configuration from an update during operation. For example, configured-grant resources can be configured for UEs by broadcast or multi-cast signaling in some embodiments. Two or more configured-grant transmissions can share the same configured resources. Furthermore, a grant-based transmission can use dedicated resources or can share resources (fully or partially) with configured-grant resources in a time interval.

Any of the configured-grant and grant-based transmissions may, in some embodiments, be used for any application traffic or services type, depending on the associated application requirements and quality of service (QoS). Configured-grant transmission can be used, for example, for: ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC) traffic to satisfy the low latency requirement; enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) traffic with short packets to save signaling overhead; and eMBB traffic to enhance resource utilization and spectrum efficiency.

A numerology is defined as a set of physical-layer parameters of an air interface that are used to communicate a particular signal. For orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM)-based communication, a numerology may be described in terms of at least subcarrier spacing (SCS) and OFDM symbol duration, and may also be defined by other parameters such as fast Fourier transform (FFT) and/or inverse FFT (IFFT) length, transmission time slot length, and cyclic prefix (CP) length or duration. In general, numerologies used for configured-grant UL transmissions in the unlicensed spectrum in accordance with the present disclosure may be selected so as to support certain functionality.

One UE or a group of UEs may have a group identifier (ID) or radio network temporary ID (RNTI) to share the same parameter or resource configuration, and an RNTI may be a grant-free RNTI (GF-RNTI) or a grant-based RNTI (GB-RNTI). The group ID can be pre-configured, or dynamically configured to each UE. The parameter or resource configuration to the UE(s) with the group ID can be done by semi-static or dynamic signaling, for example. The group ID can be used for resource deactivation or activation for the UEs in the group, for example. The resources being activated or deactivated can include frequency, time, and reference signal (RS) associated with each UE in the group.

The associated resources configured for a UE or a group of UEs can include any or all of the following.

One type of transmission with configured grant (TCG) for new radio (NR), referred to as Type <NUM> NR TCG, includes using radio resource control (RRC) signaling to provide configuration information to a UE. Examples of configuration information include, but are not limited to, periodicity, offset, time-frequency allocation, UE-specific demodulation reference signals (DMRS) configuration, modulation coding scheme/transmit block size (MCS/TBS), number of repetitions (K), and power control.

In a second type, referred to as Type <NUM> NR TCG, RRC signaling can be used to provide a UE some of the configuration information, and other configuration information is provided to the UE in activation downlink control information (DCI). Examples of the configuration information that might be provided in RRC signaling include, but are not limited to, periodicity, power control, number of repetitions (K), and MCS/TBS. Examples of configuration information that may be provided in the activation DCI include, but are not limited to, offset, time-frequency allocation, MCS/TBS and UE-specific DMRS configuration information.

With regard to time-domain resource allocation for the configured grant transmission in unlicensed spectrum, the following two parameters are configured through RRC signaling for both Type <NUM> and Type <NUM> identified above.

The following two parameters are configured via RRC for Type <NUM> and via activation DCI for Type <NUM>:.

Given the scarcity and expense of bandwidth in the licensed spectrum, and the increasing demand for data transmission capacity, there is increasing interest in offloading at least some communication traffic, such as uplink communication traffic, to the unlicensed spectrum, which may be equivalent to a "shared spectrum". For example, there has been significant interest in the unlicensed <NUM> spectrum in which many Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) operate. Accordingly, in order to operate in this spectrum, efficient and fair coexistence with WLANs, along with compliance with region-specific unlicensed spectrum regulations, may be necessary.

Before a UE can access unlicensed spectrum to transmit on an unlicensed spectrum sub-band, the UE performs a listen-before talk (LBT) operation (for example including initial clear channel assessment (ICCA) and an extended clear channel assessment (ECCA)) in order to check that the channel is idle before transmitting. A sub-band of an unlicensed spectrum band may include a group of frequency resources that includes one or more unlicensed channels as defined by the IEEE <NUM> standard in the geographical region of operation, or one or more bandwidth parts (BWPs) as defined by 3GPP standards, for example.

In regions such as Europe and Japan, devices attempting to access the unlicensed spectrum have to comply with either a load-based equipment (LBE) LBT procedure or a frame-based equipment (FBE) LBT procedure.

In the LBE LBT procedure, a device attempting to access the unlicensed spectrum can start transmitting at an arbitrary time after a successful clear channel assessment (CCA). The CCA mechanism employed in such LBE LBT procedures may be the same CCA mechanism employed in WLAN, i.e. carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA/CA), or it may be based on an energy-detection-based CCA. For example, an energy-detection-based CCA may utilize a random back-off to determine the size of a contention window, and a respective maximum channel occupancy time (MCOT) that determines the maximum amount of time that a device may occupy in the unlicensed channel once it has successfully contended for a transmission opportunity.

In FBE LBT procedures, a device attempting to access the unlicensed spectrum can start transmitting only at periodic instants after a short successful energy-detection-based CCA. The minimum time between such periodic instants is the fixed frame period, which encompasses the channel occupancy time of the transmission and an idle period. Under the regulatory requirements, the channel occupancy may be between <NUM> and <NUM> milliseconds (ms) and the idle period must be at least <NUM>% of the channel occupancy time and lower bounded by <NUM> microseconds (µs). In addition, under the regulatory requirements, devices employ an energy-detection-based CCA in which a channel is determined to be busy if the total energy detected in the channel is greater than a CCA threshold value that is upper bounded by a function of the transmit power of the device. In particular, the upper bound of the CCA threshold has been regulated as follows:<MAT> where max Tx EIRP is a device's maximum transmit equivalent isotropically radiated power (EIRP). As a result, the higher the max Tx power and/or the antenna gain, the lower the CCA threshold that is allowed. Under the current regulatory requirements, the CCA period must be at least <NUM> microseconds (µs) long, with <NUM> being typical.

If individual UEs accessed the unlicensed spectrum individually without coordination, it could create delay and potentially deteriorate performance. For example, If UEs perform independent LBT procedures, they may either start transmitting uplink data or send a reservation signal to ensure that other devices do not occupy an unlicensed channel before they are able to transmit. In both situations, if no coordination exists between UEs in terms of aligning their CCAs, sending of the reservation signals or starting of their uplink transmissions, then the channel may appear to be busy for other UEs, which can increase the latency of uplink transmission for those other UEs.

<FIG> illustrates an example of a time resource <NUM> for configured grant transmission by the UE 110a in an unlicensed spectrum in the cell 175a of the base station 170a according to one embodiment, although alternative embodiments may involve different UEs, different cells, and/or different base stations.

In the example of <FIG>, the time resource <NUM> includes five time slots <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>. The UE 110a attempted to initiate channel occupancy time (COT) for an uplink transmission to the base station 170a in the time resource <NUM> by a first uplink (UL) LBT procedure <NUM> at the beginning of the time slot <NUM>. In this example, the first UL LBT procedure <NUM> failed because of a "busy" assessment. The UE 110a attempted again to initiate COT for an uplink transmission to the base station 170a in the time resource <NUM> by proceeding with a second UL LBT procedure <NUM> towards the next potential PUSCH, the starting point of which is after a delay <NUM> from the beginning of the time slot <NUM>. In the embodiment shown, the first UL LBT procedure <NUM> and the second UL LBT procedure <NUM> are category <NUM> (CAT4) UL LBT procedures that involve a random back-off, but in alternative embodiments, a UE may attempt to initiate COT using other procedures.

In this example, the second UL LBT procedure <NUM> was successful, and the UE 110a initiated COT having a MCOT <NUM> of four time slots <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> in the time resource <NUM>. The COT in the MCOT <NUM> is therefore a COT initiated by the UE 110a. During the COT in the MCOT <NUM>, the UE 110a transmits an uplink transmission to the base station 170a in a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) <NUM> in the time slot <NUM>, in a PUSCH <NUM> in the time slot <NUM>, and in a PUSCH <NUM> in the time slot <NUM>. The PUSCHs <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> therefore form an uplink burst <NUM> in an uplink transmission from the UE 110a to the base station 170a in the time resource <NUM> in the unlicensed spectrum in the cell 175a of the base station 170a.

However, in this example, the uplink burst <NUM> does not extend into the time slots <NUM> and <NUM> that are within the MCOT <NUM>. Therefore, the uplink burst <NUM> includes indications of a downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> (or, more generally, a transmission opportunity) in the time slots <NUM> and <NUM> during the COT in the MCOT <NUM>. The downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> begins two time slots after the time slot <NUM>, which is one time slot after the time slot <NUM>, and has a duration of two time slots <NUM> and <NUM>.

In this example, the PUSCH <NUM> in the time slot <NUM> includes a configured-grant uplink control information (CG-UCI) <NUM>. In general, a CG-UCI as described herein may include one or more of: a HARQ ID, a new data indicator (NDI), a redundancy version (RV), COT sharing information as described below, or other information such as a UE ID.

The COT sharing information of the CG-UCI <NUM> includes an indication that the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> begins two time slots after the time slot <NUM>, indicated by l = <NUM> in <FIG>. More generally, l is a "DL offset" that may indicate a number of time slots of COT from transmission of the CG-UCI <NUM> to the beginning of the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM>. The COT sharing information of the CG-UCI <NUM> also includes an indication that the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> has a duration of two time slots, indicated by d = <NUM> in <FIG>. More generally, d may indicate a duration of the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> as a number of time slots of the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM>. In general, an indication in a CG-UCI as described herein may be an indication encoded in one or more bit fields of the CG-UCI.

Further, in this example, the PUSCH <NUM> in the time slot <NUM> includes a CG-UCI <NUM>, and the COT sharing information of the CG-UCI <NUM> includes an indication that the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> begins one time slot after the time slot <NUM>, indicated by the DL offset l = <NUM> in <FIG>. The COT sharing information of the CG-UCI <NUM> also includes an indication that the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> has a duration of two time slots, again indicated by d = <NUM> in <FIG>. Further, in this example, the PUSCH <NUM> in the time slot <NUM> includes a CG-UCI <NUM>, and the COT sharing information of the CG-UCI <NUM> includes an indication that the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> begins one time slot after the time slot <NUM>, again indicated by l = <NUM> in <FIG>. The COT sharing information of the CG-UCI <NUM> also includes an indication that the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> has a duration of two time slots, again indicated by d = <NUM> in <FIG>. The values of l and d in the embodiment of <FIG> are examples only. Alternative embodiments may include different indications of a time delay (or offset) to a beginning of a downlink transmission opportunity, and alternative embodiments may include different indications of a duration of the downlink transmission opportunity.

Therefore, more generally, the COT sharing information of each of the CG-UCIs <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> identifies the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> to the base station 170a to allow the base station 170a to share the COT in the MCOT <NUM>. In the embodiment shown, the COT sharing information of each of the CG-UCIs <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> identifies the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> by including an indication l of a time delay (or offset) from the transmission of the CG-UCI to the beginning of the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> and an indication d of a duration of the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM>, although alternative embodiments may differ.

In the embodiment shown, the indication l indicates a number of time slots from the time slot of the CG-UCI to the time slot of the beginning of the downlink transmission opportunity, and may be referred to as an indication of an offset from the transmission of the CG-UCI to the beginning of the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM>. However, alternative embodiments may differ. For example, alternative embodiments may indicate a time delay (or offset) to a beginning of a downlink transmission opportunity other than by indicating a number of time slots and other than by indicating a time from transmission of the CG-UCI.

Further, in the embodiment shown, the indication d indicates a number of time slots of the downlink transmission opportunity. However, alternative embodiments may differ and may, for example, indicate a duration of a downlink transmission opportunity other than a number of time slots of the downlink transmission opportunity. The COT sharing information of a CG-UCI includes an identifier of a combination in an ordered set of combinations of (l, d). In general, ordered sets of combinations of (l, d) as described herein may be configured or predefined. An identifier of a combination in an ordered set of combinations of (l, d) identifies the l and the d of the combination and therefore identifies both the time delay from the transmission of the CG-UCI to the beginning of the downlink transmission opportunity, and the duration of the downlink transmission opportunity. In this example, the CG-UCI <NUM> may include a combination index value (CIV) or other identifier identifying the combination (l = <NUM>, d = <NUM>) in an ordered set of combinations of (l, d), and the CG-UCIs <NUM> and <NUM> may each include a CIV or other identifier identifying the combination (l = <NUM>, d = <NUM>) in the ordered set of combinations of (l, d).

This example includes three CG-UCIs <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, which may avoid ambiguity if the base station 170a fails to detect some of the CG-UCIs. However, alternative embodiments may include more or fewer CG-UCIs. However, in alternative embodiments, some of the CG-UCIs included in the UL burst may indicate combinations of (l, d) that correspond to another forthcoming DL transmission opportunity, for example when multiple DL transmission opportunities are not consecutive in time and the UE may resume the CG UL transmission between the DL transmission opportunities.

In the embodiment shown, after the uplink burst <NUM> from the UE 110a to the base station 170a, the base station 170a initiates a downlink transmission <NUM> from the base station 170a to the UE 110a in the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> after a downlink (DL) LBT procedure <NUM> at the beginning of the time slot <NUM>. To accommodate the DL LBT procedure <NUM>, and to accommodate other LBT procedures that switch from an uplink transmission to a downlink transmission, the base station 170a may blank one or more downlink symbols based on the numerology or SCS of the active BWP to provide a switching gap between the uplink transmission and the downlink transmission.

In other words, in response to the COT sharing information of one, more than one, or all of the CG-UCIs <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, the base station 170a transmits, and the UE 110a receives, the downlink transmission <NUM> in the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> identified by the COT sharing information of the CG-UCIs <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>. Therefore, the COT sharing information of one, more than one, or all of the CG-UCIs <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> allow the base station 170a to share the COT in the MCOT <NUM> by transmitting the downlink transmission <NUM> to the UE 110a in the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> identified by the COT sharing information of the CG-UCIs <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>.

In the embodiment shown, the DL LBT procedure <NUM> is a category <NUM> (CAT2) DL LBT procedure, which does not involve a random back-off, but in alternative embodiments, the base station may initiate a downlink transmission using other procedures such as CAT1 (no LBT) procedure, for instance when the gap between UL and DL is <NUM> or less. In this example, the DL LBT procedure <NUM> was successful, and the downlink transmission <NUM> includes a first physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) <NUM> in the time slot <NUM> and a second PDSCH <NUM> in the time slot <NUM>. In this embodiment, and in some other embodiments, timing of the downlink transmission <NUM> is chosen such that the time slot <NUM> in which the downlink transmission <NUM> begins includes a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) <NUM>, but alternative embodiments may differ.

In this example, the downlink transmission <NUM> is within the time resource <NUM> and within the MCOT <NUM>. However, in alternative embodiments, a downlink transmission may extend beyond a time resource as described herein.

In this example, the UE 110a attempts to resume uplink transmission in the COT of the MCOT <NUM> by a third UL LBT procedure <NUM> before the end of the time slot <NUM>. To accommodate the UL LBT procedure <NUM>, and to accommodate other LBT procedures that switch from a downlink transmission to an uplink transmission, the base station 170a may blank one or more downlink symbols based on the numerology or SCS of the active BWP to provide a switching gap between the downlink transmission and the uplink transmission.

In the embodiment shown, the third UL LBT procedure <NUM> is a CAT2 UL LBT procedure, but in alternative embodiments, a UE may attempt to resume uplink transmission using other procedures. In this example, the third UL LBT procedure <NUM> was successful, and the UE 110a resumes uplink transmission in the COT of the MCOT <NUM> by transmitting a PUSCH <NUM> in the time slot <NUM>. The PUSCH <NUM> includes a CG-UCI <NUM>, and the COT sharing information of the CG-UCI <NUM> includes a "disabling" indication indicating no downlink transmission opportunity thereafter.

<FIG> illustrates another example of a time resource <NUM> for configured grant by the UE 110a in an unlicensed spectrum in the cell 175a of the base station 170a according to one embodiment, although alternative embodiments may involve different UEs, different cells, and/or different base stations.

In the example of <FIG>, the time resource <NUM> includes five time slots <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, and the UE 110a attempted to initiate COT for an uplink transmission to the base station 170a in the time resource <NUM> by an UL LBT procedure <NUM> at the beginning of the time slot <NUM>. In this example, the UL LBT procedure <NUM> was successful, and the UE 110a initiated COT having a MCOT <NUM> of four time slots in the time slots <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> in the time resource <NUM>. During the COT in the MCOT <NUM>, the UE 110a transmits an uplink transmission to the base station 170a in a PUSCH <NUM> in the time slot <NUM>, in a PUSCH <NUM> in the time slot <NUM>, in a PUSCH <NUM> in the time slot <NUM>, and in a PUSCH <NUM> in the time slot <NUM>. The PUSCHs <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> therefore form an uplink burst <NUM> in an uplink transmission from the UE 110a to the base station 170a in the time resource <NUM> in the unlicensed spectrum in the cell 175a of the base station 170a.

However, in this example, the uplink burst <NUM> does not extend into the time slots <NUM> and <NUM> that are within the MCOT <NUM>. Therefore, the uplink burst <NUM> includes indications of a downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> (or, more generally, a transmission opportunity) in the time slots <NUM> and <NUM> during the COT in the MCOT <NUM>. The downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> begins two time slots after the time slot <NUM>, begins one time slot after the time slot <NUM>, and has a duration of two time slots <NUM> and <NUM>.

In this example, at the time of the PUSCH <NUM>, the UE 110a may not have identified an end of the uplink burst <NUM> in the time slot <NUM> and therefore may not have identified a beginning of the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> in the time slot <NUM>. Therefore, in this example, the PUSCH <NUM> in the time slot <NUM> includes a CG-UCI <NUM>, and the COT sharing information of the CG-UCI <NUM> includes a "disabling" indication indicating no downlink transmission opportunity, similar to the COT sharing information of the CG-UCI <NUM> shown in <FIG>.

However, in this example, at the time of the PUSCH <NUM>, the UE 110a has identified the end of the uplink burst <NUM> in the time slot <NUM> and has identified the beginning of the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> in the time slot <NUM>. Therefore, in this example, the PUSCH <NUM> includes a CG-UCI <NUM>, and the COT sharing information of the CG-UCI <NUM> includes an indication that the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> begins two time slots after the time slot <NUM>, indicated by l = <NUM> in <FIG>. The COT sharing information of the CG-UCI <NUM> also includes an indication that the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> has a duration of two time slots, indicated by d = <NUM> in <FIG>. The COT sharing information of the CG-UCI <NUM> may therefore be similar to the COT sharing information of the COT sharing information of the CG-UCI <NUM> shown in <FIG>. Further, in this example, the PUSCH <NUM> includes a CG-UCI <NUM>, and the COT sharing information of the CG-UCI <NUM> may be similar to the COT sharing information of the CG-UCI <NUM> shown in <FIG>. Further, in this example, the PUSCH <NUM> includes a CG-UCI <NUM>, and the COT sharing information of the CG-UCI <NUM> may be similar to the COT sharing information of the CG-UCI <NUM> shown in <FIG>. Again, the values of l and d in the embodiment of <FIG> are examples only, and alternative embodiments may include different indications of a time delay (or offset) to a beginning of a downlink transmission opportunity, and alternative embodiments may include different indications of a duration of the downlink transmission opportunity.

In the embodiment shown, after the uplink burst <NUM> from the UE 110a to the base station 170a, the base station 170a initiates a downlink transmission <NUM> from the base station 170a to the UE 110a in the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> after a DL LBT procedure <NUM> at the beginning of the time slot <NUM>. The DL LBT procedure <NUM> may be similar to the DL LBT procedure <NUM> shown in <FIG>, and the downlink transmission <NUM> may be similar to the downlink transmission <NUM> shown in <FIG>, although alternative embodiments may differ.

In a configured-grant time resource, a MCOT of COT initiated by a UE has Np,µ time slots, where p represents the channel access priority class (CAPC) used to initiate the COT and µ represents a numerology of the configured-grant time resource. For example, in some embodiments in which µ = <NUM> (<NUM>), N<NUM>,<NUM> = <NUM>, N<NUM>,<NUM> = <NUM>, N<NUM>,<NUM> = <NUM>, and N<NUM>,<NUM> = <NUM>, although alternative embodiments may differ.

In the embodiments of <FIG> and <FIG>, when COT sharing information of a CG-UCI indicates that l = <NUM>, the COT sharing information of the CG-UCI indicates a downlink transmission opportunity beginning in a same time slot as transmission of the CG-UCI. A downlink transmission in a same time slot as transmission of a CG-UCI may be described as a partial-slot downlink transmission. Also, in the embodiments of <FIG> and <FIG>, when a CG-UCI is in the first time slot of a MCOT and indicates that a downlink transmission opportunity begins in the last time slot of the MCOT, the CG-UCI indicates that l = Np,µ - <NUM>. Therefore, in the embodiments of <FIG> and <FIG>, values of l may range from <NUM> to Np,µ - <NUM>.

Further, in some embodiments, d = <NUM> or another indicator may indicate a partial-slot downlink opportunity (as described below with reference to <FIG>), and d = Np,µ - <NUM> indicates a downlink opportunity in all of the remaining time slots of the MCOT after the first slot that may or may not have a partial DL transmission. Therefore, in some embodiments, values of d may range from <NUM> to Np,µ - <NUM>. Further, to maintain the downlink opportunity within the MCOT, <MAT>.

Therefore, the number of combinations of (l, d) that could be used is the number of combinations of (l, d) that satisfy <NUM> ≤ l ≤ Np,µ - <NUM>, <NUM> ≤ d ≤ Np,µ - <NUM>, and l + d < Np,µ, which is <MAT>.

The Cp,µ combinations of (l, d) may be ordered in an ordered set of combinations of (l, d), and combinations in the ordered set of combinations of (l, d) may be identified by values of an index. Therefore, a value of an index may identify a combination in an ordered set of combinations of (l, d), and the value of an index therefore identifies the time delay, represented by the combination, from transmission of a CG-UCI to a beginning of a downlink transmission opportunity, and the value of an index also identifies the duration, represented by the combination, of the downlink transmission opportunity.

In the embodiments of <FIG> and <FIG>, each of the CG-UCIs <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> includes COT sharing information in addition to any other data in the CG-UCIs, and the COT sharing information includes either a "disabling" indication indicating no downlink transmission opportunity or an identifier of a combination in an ordered set of combinations of (l, d). Therefore, the number of possible values (or possible index values) of the COT sharing information of each of the CG-UCIs <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> for a particular p and for a particular µ is <NUM> + Cp,µ, and the number of bits required for the COT sharing information of each of the CG-UCIs is <MAT>.

In other words, in the embodiments of <FIG> and <FIG>, for a particular p and for a particular µ, each of the CG-UCIs <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may include COT sharing information encoded in at least Bp,µ bits, and the bits in the COT sharing information of the CG-UCIs may indicate an index value representing either a "disabling" indication indicating no downlink transmission opportunity or an identifier of a combination in an ordered set of combinations of (l, d). However, CG-UCIs according to other embodiments may differ as described below, for example.

In the embodiments of <FIG> and <FIG> and some other embodiments, different configured-grant resources may be used for particular respective CAPCs.

However, in some other embodiments, configured-grant resources may be used for more than one CAPC. When configured-grant resources may be used for more than one CAPC, COT sharing information in a CG-UCI may include an indicator of a CAPC p that the UE used to initiate the COT. For example, in some embodiments, COT sharing information of a CG-UCI may include two bits, a different number of bits, or a different indicator to indicate a CAPC p that the UE used to initiate the COT.

For a particular numerology represented by µ, an index value identified in COT sharing information of a CG-UCI may be a number encoded in Bµ bits and ranging from <NUM> to <NUM>Bµ - <NUM>. In some embodiments, an index value identified in COT sharing information of a CG-UCI may identify both a CAPC p that the UE used to initiate the COT and an identifier of a combination in an ordered set of combinations of (l, d) as shown in the following example. In the following example, p = <NUM> indicates a "disabling" indication, and for convenient reference, Δp,µ is defined as <MAT> with C<NUM>,µ = <NUM>.

In other words, in this example, an index value of <NUM> indicates a "disabling" indication indicating no downlink transmission opportunity, an index value from <NUM> to C<NUM>,µ indicates a respective combination of an ordered set of C<NUM>,µ combinations of (l, d), an index value from Δ<NUM>,µ to C<NUM>,µ + C<NUM>,µ indicates a respective combination of an ordered set of C<NUM>,µ combinations of (l, d), and so on. In this example, p ranges from <NUM> to <NUM>, so Δ<NUM>,µ, CIV values are required. Therefore, the number of bits required to indicate the number C of required CIV values (where C is a number of combinations configured, and C = Δ<NUM>,µ in this example) is <MAT>, and any index values from C to <NUM>Bµ - <NUM> are unused, or reserved.

Again, alternative embodiments may differ. For example, in alternative embodiments, one or more index values or other indicators may indicate a CAPC p that the UE used to initiate the COT, a "disabling" indication indicating no downlink transmission opportunity, a time delay (or offset) to a beginning of a downlink transmission opportunity, a duration of the downlink transmission opportunity, or a combination of two or more thereof.

<FIG> illustrates an example of a time resource <NUM> for configured grant by the UE 110a in an unlicensed spectrum in the cell 175a of the base station 170a according to one embodiment, although alternative embodiments may involve different UEs, different cells, and/or different base stations.

In the example of <FIG>, the time resource <NUM> includes five time slots <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, and the UE 110a attempted to initiate COT for an uplink transmission to the base station 170a in the time resource <NUM> by a first UL LBT procedure <NUM> at the beginning of the time slot <NUM>. In this example, the first UL LBT procedure <NUM> failed because of a "busy" assessment. The UE 110a attempted again to initiate COT for an uplink transmission to the base station 170a in the time resource <NUM> by proceeding with a second UL LBT procedure <NUM> towards the next potential PUSCH starting point, which is after a delay <NUM> from the beginning of the time slot <NUM>. In the embodiment shown, the first UL LBT procedure <NUM> and the second UL LBT procedure <NUM> are CAT4 UL LBT procedures, but in alternative embodiments, a UE may attempt to initiate COT using other procedures.

In this example, the second UL LBT procedure <NUM> was successful, and the UE 110a initiated COT having a MCOT <NUM> of four time slots <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> in the time resource <NUM>. The COT in the MCOT <NUM> is therefore COT initiated by the UE 110a. During the COT in the MCOT <NUM>, the UE 110a transmits an uplink transmission to the base station 170a in a PUSCH <NUM> in the time slot <NUM> and in a PUSCH <NUM> in the time slot <NUM>. The PUSCHs <NUM> and <NUM> therefore form an uplink burst <NUM> in an uplink transmission from the UE 110a to the base station 170a in the time resource <NUM> in the unlicensed spectrum in the cell 175a of the base station 170a.

However, in this example, the uplink burst <NUM> does not occupy the entire time slot <NUM>, and the uplink burst <NUM> does not extend into the time slots <NUM> and <NUM> that are within the MCOT <NUM>. Therefore, the uplink burst <NUM> includes indications of a downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> (or, more generally, a transmission opportunity) during the COT in the MCOT <NUM>. The downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> includes a partial-slot portion <NUM> of the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> in a portion of the time slot <NUM> that is not occupied by the uplink burst <NUM>. The downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> also includes a portion <NUM> of the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> in the time slots <NUM> and <NUM>. The downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> begins one time slot after the time slot <NUM>, and begins in the same time slot <NUM> as the PUSCH <NUM>. Further, the portion <NUM> of the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM>, which is the portion of the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> that begins after the time slot <NUM> of the PUSCH <NUM>, has a duration of two time slots <NUM> and <NUM> as indicated by d = <NUM> in <FIG>. In other words, the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> has a duration of two time slots, as indicated by d = <NUM> in <FIG>, in addition to the partial-slot portion <NUM>, which is the portion of the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> in the same time slot <NUM> as the PUSCH <NUM>.

In this example, the PUSCH <NUM> in the time slot <NUM> includes a CG-UCI <NUM>, and the COT sharing information of the CG-UCI <NUM> includes an indication that the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> begins one time slot after the time slot <NUM>, again indicated by l = <NUM> in <FIG>. The COT sharing information of the CG-UCI <NUM> also includes an indication that the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> has a duration of two time slots, again indicated by d = <NUM> in <FIG>, in addition to the partial-slot portion <NUM> of the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> in the same time slot <NUM> as the PUSCH <NUM>. The COT sharing information of the CG-UCI <NUM> may therefore be similar to the COT sharing information of the of CG-UCI <NUM> or of the CG-UCI <NUM> as shown in <FIG>, except that the CG-UCI <NUM> also includes a "UL burst end" bit <NUM>.

As indicated above, the COT sharing information of each of the CG-UCIs <NUM> and <NUM> may each include a CIV or other identifier identifying the combination (l = <NUM>, d = <NUM>) in an ordered set of combinations of (l, d), and the COT sharing information of the CG-UCI <NUM> may also include a CIV or other identifier identifying the combination (l = <NUM>, d = <NUM>) in the ordered set of combinations of (l, d). However, in the embodiment shown, in addition to the identifier of the combination (l = <NUM>, d = <NUM>) in the ordered set of combinations of (l, d), the COT sharing information of the CG-UCI <NUM> also includes the "UL burst end" bit <NUM> indicating, with a bit value of '<NUM>' in this example, that the PUSCH <NUM> is not the end of the uplink burst <NUM>.

In this example, the PUSCH <NUM> in the time slot <NUM> includes a CG-UCI <NUM>, and the COT sharing information of the CG-UCI <NUM> includes an indication that the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> begins with a partial slot in the same time slot <NUM> as the CG-UCI <NUM>, indicated by the DL offset l = <NUM> in <FIG>. The COT sharing information of the CG-UCI <NUM> also includes an indication that the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> has a duration of two time slots, again indicated by d = <NUM> in <FIG>, in addition to the partial-slot portion <NUM> of the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> in the same time slot <NUM> as the PUSCH <NUM>. Therefore, in the embodiment shown, the COT sharing information of the CG-UCI <NUM> includes a CIV or other identifier identifying the combination (l = <NUM>, d = <NUM>) in an ordered set of combinations of (l, d), and in addition to the identifier of the combination (l = <NUM>, d = <NUM>) in the ordered set of combinations of (l, d), the CG-UCI <NUM> also includes a "UL burst end" bit <NUM> indicating, with a bit value of '<NUM>' in this example, that the PUSCH <NUM> is the end of the uplink burst <NUM>. In other words, the "UL burst end" bit <NUM> is an indication that the beginning of the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> is in the same time slot <NUM> of the COT in the MCOT <NUM> as the transmission of the CG-UCI <NUM>, the "UL burst end" bit <NUM> is an indication that the beginning of the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> is in a same time slot of the COT as an end of an uplink burst including the transmission of the CG-UCI <NUM>, and the "UL burst end" bit <NUM> is an indication of a time (in this example, the time being after the PUSCH <NUM> including the CG-UCI <NUM>) of the beginning of the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> within the same time slot <NUM> as the transmission of the CG-UCI <NUM>.

Again, in the embodiment of <FIG>, the values of l and d, and the "UL burst end" bits <NUM> and <NUM>, are examples only. Alternative embodiments may include different indications of a time delay (or offset) to a beginning of a downlink transmission opportunity. Alternative embodiments may also include different indications of a duration of the downlink transmission opportunity. Alternative embodiments may also include different indications of whether a downlink transmission opportunity is in a same time slot of the COT as transmission of CG-UCI. Alternative embodiments may also include different indications of an end of an uplink burst.

In the embodiment shown, after the uplink burst <NUM> from the UE 110a to the base station 170a, the base station 170a initiates a downlink transmission <NUM> from the base station 170a to the UE 110a in the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> by a downlink DL LBT procedure <NUM> after the PUSCH <NUM> and in the time slot <NUM>. In the embodiment shown, the DL LBT procedure <NUM> is a CAT2 DL LBT procedure, which does not involve a random back-off, but in alternative embodiments, base station may initiate a downlink transmission using other procedures. In this example, the DL LBT procedure <NUM> was successful, and the downlink transmission <NUM> includes a first PDSCH <NUM> in the time slot <NUM>, a second PDSCH <NUM> in the time slot <NUM>, and a third PDSCH <NUM> in the time slot <NUM>, although alternative embodiments may differ.

In this example, an idle period <NUM> of at least <NUM> follows the downlink transmission <NUM>, and after the idle period <NUM>, the UE 110a attempts to resume uplink transmission in the COT of the MCOT <NUM> by a third UL LBT procedure <NUM> before the end of the time slot <NUM>. In the embodiment shown, the third UL LBT procedure <NUM> is a CAT2 UL LBT procedure, but in alternative embodiments, a UE may attempt to resume uplink transmission using other procedures. In this example, the third UL LBT procedure <NUM> was successful, and the UE 110a resumes uplink transmission in the COT of the MCOT <NUM> by transmitting a PUSCH <NUM> in the time slot <NUM>. The PUSCH <NUM> includes a CG-UCI <NUM>, and the COT sharing information of the CG-UCI <NUM> includes a "disabling" indication that may be similar to the "disabling" indication of the CG-UCI <NUM>. Further, in the embodiment shown, in addition to the "disabling" indication, the COT sharing information of the CG-UCI <NUM> includes a "UL burst end" bit <NUM> indicating, with a bit value of '<NUM>' in this example, that the PUSCH <NUM> is the end of an uplink burst including the PUSCH <NUM>.

In the embodiment of <FIG>, each of the time slots <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> includes no more than two PUSCHs, and the PUSCH <NUM> is the only PUSCH in the time slot <NUM>. Therefore, in the embodiment of <FIG>, if the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> begins in the time slot <NUM>, then the time slot <NUM> has no capacity for another PUSCH after the PUSCH <NUM>, and the indication that l = <NUM> in the COT sharing information of the CG-UCI <NUM> of the PUSCH <NUM>, which indicates that the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> begins in the same time slot as the CG-UCI, also implies that the uplink burst <NUM> will end after the PUSCH <NUM> and that the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> begins after the PUSCH <NUM>. As a result, in the embodiment of <FIG> - and in other embodiments in which an indication, in COT sharing information of a CG-UCI of a PUSCH, that a downlink transmission opportunity begins in a same time slot as a CG-UCI implies that the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> begins after the PUSCH - the "UL burst end" may not require a separate bit and may be omitted.

<FIG> illustrates an alternative to the embodiment of <FIG>. In the embodiment of <FIG>, a time resource for configured grant by the UE 110a in an unlicensed spectrum in the cell 175a of the base station 170a includes time slots <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> in COT initiated by the UE 110a and within a MCOT of the COT, although alternative embodiments may involve different UEs, different cells, and/or different base stations.

In the example of <FIG>, during an uplink burst <NUM> in an uplink transmission from the UE 110a to the base station 170a in a time resource in the unlicensed spectrum in the cell 175a of the base station 170a, the UE 110a transmits an uplink transmission to the base station 170a in a PUSCH <NUM> in the time slot <NUM> and in a PUSCH <NUM> in the time slot <NUM>.

Again, in this example, the uplink burst <NUM> does not occupy the entire time slot <NUM>, and the uplink burst <NUM> does not extend into the time slots <NUM> and <NUM> that are also within the MCOT. Therefore, the uplink burst <NUM> includes indications of a downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> (or, more generally, a transmission opportunity). A partial-slot portion of the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> is in a portion of the time slot <NUM> that is not occupied by the uplink burst <NUM>. Another portion of the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> is in the time slots <NUM> and <NUM>. Therefore, the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> begins in the same time slot <NUM> as the PUSCHs <NUM> and <NUM>. Further, the portion of the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> that begins after the time slot <NUM> has a duration of two time slots <NUM> and <NUM>. In other words, the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> has a duration of two time slots in addition to the partial-slot portion of the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> in the same time slot <NUM> as the PUSCHs <NUM> and <NUM>.

In this example, the PUSCH <NUM> in the time slot <NUM> includes a CG-UCI <NUM>, and the COT sharing information of the CG-UCI <NUM> includes an indication that the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> begins in the same time slot <NUM> as the CG-UCI <NUM>, indicated by l = <NUM> in <FIG>. The COT sharing information of the CG-UCI <NUM> also includes an indication that the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> has a duration of two time slots, indicated by d = <NUM> in <FIG>, in addition to the partial-slot portion of the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> in the same time slot <NUM> as the PUSCHs <NUM> and <NUM>. Therefore, in the embodiment shown, the COT sharing information of the CG-UCI <NUM> includes a CIV or other identifier identifying the combination (l = <NUM>, d = <NUM>) in an ordered set of combinations of (l, d). Further, in addition to the identifier of the combination (l = <NUM>, d = <NUM>) in the ordered set of combinations of (l, d), the CG-UCI <NUM> also includes a "UL burst end" bit <NUM> indicating, with a bit value of '<NUM>' in this example, that the PUSCH <NUM> is not the end of the uplink burst <NUM>.

Further, in this example, the PUSCH <NUM> in the time slot <NUM> includes a CG-UCI <NUM>, and the COT sharing information of the CG-UCI <NUM> includes an indication that the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> begins in the same time slot <NUM> as the CG-UCI <NUM>, indicated by the DL offset l = <NUM> in <FIG>. The COT sharing information of the CG-UCI <NUM> also includes an indication that the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> has a duration of two time slots, indicated by d = <NUM> in <FIG>, in addition to the partial-slot portion of the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> in the same time slot <NUM> as the PUSCHs <NUM> and <NUM>. Therefore, in the embodiment shown, the COT sharing information of the CG-UCI <NUM> includes a CIV or other identifier identifying the combination (l = <NUM>, d = <NUM>) in an ordered set of combinations of (l, d). Further, in addition to the identifier of the combination (l = <NUM>, d = <NUM>) in the ordered set of combinations of (l, d), the CG-UCI <NUM> also includes a "UL burst end" bit <NUM> indicating, with a bit value of '<NUM>' in this example, that the PUSCH <NUM> is the end of the uplink burst <NUM>. In other words, the "UL burst end" bit <NUM> is an indication that the beginning of the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> is in the same time slot <NUM> of the COT in the MCOT as the transmission of the CG-UCI <NUM>, the "UL burst end" bit <NUM> is an indication that the beginning of the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> is in a same time slot of the COT as an end of an uplink burst including the transmission of the CG-UCI <NUM>, and the "UL burst end" bit <NUM> is an indication of a time (in this example, the time being after the PUSCH <NUM> including the CG-UCI <NUM>) of the beginning of the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM>.

The example of <FIG> may then continue with a downlink transmission in the downlink transmission opportunity from the base station 170a to the UE 110a in the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> as described above with reference to <FIG>, for example.

However, unlike the embodiment of <FIG>, in the embodiment of <FIG>, the time slot <NUM> may include, and does include, more than one PUSCH in addition to the partial-slot portion of the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> in the same time slot <NUM> as the PUSCHs <NUM> and <NUM>. Therefore, unlike the embodiment of <FIG>, the indication that l = <NUM> in the COT sharing information of the CG-UCI <NUM> of the PUSCH <NUM> does not necessarily imply that the uplink burst <NUM> will end after the PUSCH <NUM> or that the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> begins after the PUSCH <NUM>. As a result, unlike the embodiment of <FIG>, in the embodiment of <FIG> - and in some other embodiments in which an indication, in COT sharing information of a CG-UCI of a PUSCH, that a downlink transmission opportunity begins in a same time slot as a CG-UCI does not necessarily imply that the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> begins after the PUSCH - the "UL burst end" or an alternative to the "UL burst end" may be required.

Therefore, in the embodiment of <FIG>, for a particular p and for a particular µ, each of the CG-UCIs <NUM> and <NUM> includes COT sharing information in addition to any other data in the CG-UCIs, and the COT sharing information includes either an identifier of a combination in an ordered set of combinations of (l, d) or a "disabling" indication indicating no downlink transmission opportunity, and the COT sharing information of each of the CG-UCIs <NUM> and <NUM> also includes a "UL burst end" bit. Therefore, in the embodiments of <FIG>, for a particular p and for a particular µ, the number of bits required for the COT sharing information of each of the CG-UCIs <NUM> and <NUM> is <MAT>.

However, CG-UCIs according to other embodiments may differ. For example, in some embodiments, a UE may blank one or more downlink symbols based on the numerology or SCS of the active BWP after the end of the last PUSCH of an uplink burst to create a switching gap between the uplink burst and a subsequent downlink transmission, and the "UL burst end" of a CG-UCI may be two or more bits to indicate a beginning of a downlink transmission opportunity for the subsequent downlink transmission after the one or more blanked downlink symbols. Still other CG-UCIs according to other embodiments are described below.

As indicated above, the "UL burst end" bit <NUM> or <NUM> in the COT sharing information of a CG-UCI indicates a time of a beginning of a downlink transmission opportunity within a same time slot as the transmission of the CG-UCI and indicates the time of the beginning of the downlink transmission opportunity in a same time slot of the COT as an end of an uplink burst including the transmission of the CG-UCI. However, as also indicated above, the "UL burst end" bits require at least one additional bit in each of the CG-UCIs <NUM> and <NUM>.

In some embodiments, the CG-UCI may indicate an index value that may indicate a beginning of a downlink transmission opportunity within a same time slot as the transmission of the CG-UCI, or in a same time slot of the COT as an end of an uplink burst including the transmission of the CG-UCI, without necessarily requiring an additional "UL burst end" bit as in the embodiment of <FIG>.

In the example of <FIG>, the time resource <NUM> includes five time slots <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, and the UE 110a initiated a COT having a MCOT <NUM> of four time slots in the time resource <NUM>. During the COT in the MCOT <NUM>, the UE 110a transmits an uplink transmission to the base station 170a in a PUSCH <NUM> in the time slot <NUM>, in a PUSCH <NUM> in the time slot <NUM>, in a PUSCH <NUM> in the time slot <NUM>, and in a PUSCH <NUM> in the time slot <NUM>. The PUSCHs <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> therefore form an uplink burst <NUM> in an uplink transmission from the UE 110a to the base station 170a in the time resource <NUM> in the unlicensed spectrum in the cell 175a of the base station 170a.

However, in this example, the uplink burst <NUM> does not occupy the entire time slot <NUM>, and the uplink burst <NUM> does not extend into the time slots <NUM> and <NUM> that are within the MCOT <NUM>. Therefore, the uplink burst <NUM> includes indications of a downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> (or, more generally, a transmission opportunity) during the COT in the MCOT <NUM>. A partial-slot portion of the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> is in a portion of the time slot <NUM> that is not occupied by the uplink burst <NUM>. Another portion of the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> is in the time slots <NUM> and <NUM>. Therefore, the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> begins in the same time slot <NUM> as the PUSCHs <NUM> and <NUM>. Further, the portion of the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> that begins after the time slot <NUM> has a duration of two time slots <NUM> and <NUM>. In other words, the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> has a duration of two time slots in addition to the partial-slot portion of the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> in the same time slot <NUM> as the PUSCHs <NUM> and <NUM>.

In this example, the PUSCH <NUM> in the time slot <NUM> includes a CG-UCI <NUM>, and the PUSCH <NUM> in the time slot <NUM> includes a CG-UCI <NUM>. The COT sharing information of the CG-UCIs <NUM> and <NUM> each includes an indication that the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> begins one time slot after the time slot <NUM>, and indications that the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> has a duration of two time slots in addition to the partial-slot portion of the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> in the same time slot <NUM> as the PUSCHs <NUM> and <NUM>. The COT sharing information of the CG-UCIs <NUM> and <NUM> may therefore be similar to the COT sharing information of the CG-UCIs <NUM> or <NUM> as shown in <FIG>.

Further, in this example, the PUSCH <NUM> in the time slot <NUM> includes a CG-UCI <NUM>, and the COT sharing information of the CG-UCI <NUM> includes an indication that the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> begins in the same time slot <NUM> as the CG-UCI <NUM>, indicated by the DL offset l = <NUM> in <FIG>. The CG-UCI <NUM> also includes an indication that the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> has a duration of two time slots, again indicated by d = <NUM> in <FIG>, in addition to the partial-slot portion of the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> in the same time slot <NUM> as the PUSCHs <NUM> and <NUM>. Therefore, in the embodiment shown, the COT sharing information of the CG-UCI <NUM> includes a CIV or other identifier identifying the combination (l = <NUM>, d = <NUM>) in an ordered set of combinations of (l, d).

In this example, the slot <NUM> includes <NUM> symbols, the PUSCH <NUM> occupied the first four symbols of the slot <NUM>, and the PUSCH <NUM> occupied the first three symbols of the slot <NUM>. Therefore, in this example, the PUSCH <NUM> in the time slot <NUM> includes a CG-UCI <NUM>, and the COT sharing information of the CG-UCI <NUM> includes an indication that a beginning of the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> is after the first seven symbols in the time slot <NUM>, indicated by "UL burst end OS#<NUM>" in <FIG>, and the COT sharing information of the CG-UCI <NUM> includes an indication of a ending symbol of the UL burst <NUM>.

Therefore, in some embodiments, the COT sharing information of the CG-UCI <NUM> includes an indication of an uplink burst end symbol number NULE indicating a symbol in the time slot <NUM> before the beginning of the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM>. In this example, the slot <NUM> includes <NUM> symbols, and at least one PUSCH occupies at least two symbols of the slot <NUM>. Therefore, in this example, the slot <NUM> has up to <NUM> - <NUM> = <NUM> symbols (from OS#<NUM> to OS#<NUM>) when the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> could begin in the next OS. In general, the number of symbols in a slot when a uplink burst could end may be referred to as a number of uplink burst endpoints NULBEP.

In an alternative embodiment, rather than indicating an uplink burst end symbol number NULE, sharing information of a CG-UCI may indicate a PUSCH that is the last PUSCH of an uplink burst that ends in a time slot having a partial-slot downlink opportunity. For example, if a time slot includes <NUM> symbols, and if a PUSCH has a length of at least two symbols, then the time slot may include up to seven PUSCHs. In that example, if an uplink burst ends during the time slot and the time slot includes a partial-slot downlink opportunity, then the time slot may include up to six PUSCHs, and an indicator of a number from the set {<NUM>, <NUM>,. , <NUM>} may indicate which PUSCH in the time slot is the last PUSCH of the uplink burst. Such an indicator of a last PUSCH of an uplink burst may therefore, in addition to or alternatively to other indicators such as those described herein, indicate a symbol of a beginning of a downlink transmission opportunity.

As indicated above, in some embodiments, an index value identified by COT sharing information of a CG-UCI may identify both a CAPC p that the UE used to initiate the COT and an identifier of a combination in an ordered set of combinations of (l, d). However, in the embodiment of <FIG>, for example, an index value identified by COT sharing information of a CG-UCI may identify either both a CAPC p that the UE used to initiate the COT and an identifier of a combination in an ordered set of combinations of (l, d) or a time of the beginning of the downlink transmission opportunity in the same time slot of the COT as the transmission of the CG-UCI, as shown in the following example.

In this example, an index value from Δ<NUM>,µ to Δ<NUM>,µ + NULBEP indicates an uplink symbol number NULE of the NULBEP uplink burst endpoints, so Δ<NUM>,µ + NULBEP CIV values are required, the number of bits required to indicate the number of required CIV values is <MAT>, and any index values from Δ<NUM>,µ + NULBEP + <NUM> to <NUM>Bµ - <NUM> are unused, or reserved.

An example of index values is shown below in an embodiment in which µ = <NUM> (<NUM>), N<NUM>,<NUM> = <NUM>, N<NUM>,<NUM> = <NUM>, N<NUM>,<NUM> = <NUM>, N<NUM>,<NUM> = <NUM>, NULBEP = <NUM>, B<NUM> = <NUM> bits in addition to any bits that may be required for other data in the CG-UCIs, and <NUM>B<NUM> =<NUM>.

In this example, in which p ∈ {<NUM>,<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>}, a CIV identifying a combination (l, d) may be identified by <MAT>.

Again, in this example in which p ∈ {<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>}, a CIV identifying an uplink end symbol number NULE ∈ {<NUM>, <NUM>,. , NULBEP} may be identified by<MAT>.

In this example in which p ∈ {<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>}, a CIV may be decoded as follows.

In this example, the CIV indicating respective combinations (l, d) for p = <NUM> are as follows.

In the example of <FIG>, the COT sharing information of the CG-UCI <NUM> includes an indication that the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> has a duration of two time slots in addition to the partial-slot portion of the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> in the same time slot <NUM> as the PUSCHs <NUM> and <NUM>, indicated by d = <NUM> in <FIG>, and the COT sharing information of the CG-UCI <NUM> includes an indication that a beginning of the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> is after the first seven symbols in the time slot <NUM>, indicated by "UL burst end OS#<NUM>" in <FIG>. In the example of <FIG>, a duration of the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> is a number of downlink symbols <MAT> where NSS is a number of symbols in each time slot. Therefore, in the example of <FIG>, the CG-UCIs <NUM> and <NUM> collectively include indications of a duration of the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> and of the beginning of the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM>.

Again, alternative embodiments may differ. For example, in alternative embodiments, one or more index values or other indicators may indicate a CAPC p that the UE used to initiate the COT, a "disabling" indication indicating no downlink transmission opportunity, a time delay (or offset) to a beginning of a downlink transmission opportunity, a duration of the downlink transmission opportunity, a time of the beginning of the downlink transmission opportunity in the same time slot as the transmission of the CG-UCI, or a combination of two or more thereof. In some other embodiments, the order of transmitting the COT sharing information of the CG-UCIs <NUM> and <NUM> may be reversed without impacting the collective COT sharing information indicated to the base station 170a.

After the PUSCH <NUM> as described above, the example of <FIG> may then continue with a downlink transmission in the downlink transmission opportunity from the base station 170a to the UE 110a in the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> as described above with reference to <FIG>, for example.

In the example of <FIG>, the time resource <NUM> includes five time slots <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, and the UE 110a initiated a COT having a MCOT <NUM> of four time slots in the time resource <NUM>. During the COT in the MCOT <NUM>, the UE 110a transmits an uplink transmission to the base station 170a in a PUSCH <NUM> in the time slot <NUM> and in a PUSCH <NUM> in the time slot <NUM>. The PUSCHs <NUM> and <NUM> therefore form an uplink burst <NUM> in an uplink transmission from the UE 110a to the base station 170a in the time resource <NUM> in the unlicensed spectrum in the cell 175a of the base station 170a.

In this example, the PUSCH <NUM> in the time slot <NUM> includes a CG-UCI <NUM>, and the PUSCH <NUM> in the time slot <NUM> includes a CG-UCI <NUM>. Similar to the COT sharing information of the CG-UCI <NUM>, the COT sharing information of the CG-UCI <NUM> includes an indication that a beginning of a downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> (or, more generally, a transmission opportunity) is after the first seven symbols, indicated by "UL burst end OS#<NUM>" in <FIG>. The CG-UCI <NUM> is in the time slot <NUM>, and the first six symbols of the time slot <NUM> have already passed, so the CG-UCI <NUM> indicates instead that the beginning of the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> is after the first seven symbols of the next time slot, namely the time slot <NUM>, or more generally, after the first seven symbols of a subsequent slot in the UL burst. The COT sharing information of the CG-UCI <NUM> includes an indication of the DL offset (l = <NUM>) and thus confirms that the beginning of the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> is after the first seven symbols of the same time slot, namely the time slot <NUM>. The COT sharing information of the CG-UCI <NUM> further includes an indication of the duration (indicated by d = <NUM> in <FIG>) of the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM>.

In summary, in the example of <FIG>, the CG-UCI <NUM>, which includes the indication of the beginning of the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM>, may be in the PUSCH <NUM> before the PUSCH <NUM>, which is the last PUSCH of the an uplink burst <NUM> and the last PUSCH before the beginning of the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM>. Therefore, the indication of the beginning of the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> in the COT sharing information of the CG-UCI <NUM> is an indication that the beginning of the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> is in a same time slot of the COT as an end of an uplink burst including the transmission of the CG-UCI <NUM>, and the indication of the beginning of the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM> in the COT sharing information of the CG-UCI <NUM> is an indication of a time (in this example, the time being after the first seven symbols of the next time slot, namely the time slot <NUM>) of the beginning of the downlink transmission opportunity <NUM>.

In some embodiments, a base station may configure a UE to use a bit field having a configured payload size of Bp,µ bits for COT sharing information in CG-UCIs in addition to any bits that may be required for other data in the CG-UCIs.

As indicated above, in the embodiments of <FIG> and <FIG> and some other embodiments, different configured-grant resources may be used for particular respective CAPCs, and Bp,µ may be determined without any bits to indicate the CAPC p that the UE used to initiate the COT.

However, as also indicated above, COT sharing information of a CG-UCI may include two bits, or a different number of bits, to indicate a CAPC p that the UE used to initiate the COT, and Bp,µ may be determined to include any bits that indicate the CAPC p that the UE used to initiate the COT.

In other embodiments, an index value may indicate a CAPC p that the UE used to initiate the COT, in which case Bp,µ may be determined without any bits to indicate the CAPC p that the UE used to initiate the COT.

In general, in some embodiments, Bp,µ may be determined to accommodate the largest possible p, such as B<NUM>,µ for example, irrespective of the actual CAPC p that the UE used to initiate the COT, to avoid a variable size of the CG-UCI.

As indicated above, a MCOT of COT initiated by a UE has Np,µ time slots. In some embodiments, a configured payload size Bp,µ may be determined as the number of bits required for all CIV values that may be required. The number of CIV values that may be required may be determined according to one of the examples above, or in other ways. In some embodiments, when determining the number of CIV values that may be required, Np,µ may be based on the numerology or SCS µ of an active BWP, or may be based on a reference numerology or SCS µref = <NUM> (<NUM>, for example) irrespective of the numerology or SCS of the active BWP.

When Np,µ is based on a reference numerology or SCS µref, and when µ > µref, indications of time delay l and indications of duration d represent more than one time slot and therefore have coarser granularity than when Np,µ is based on a numerology or SCS µ of an active BWP.

Therefore, when Np,µ is based on a reference numerology or SCS µref, when µ > µref, and when a CIV value indicates a duration d of a downlink transmission opportunity, the actual duration of the downlink transmission opportunity in the numerology or SCS µ of an active BWP may be longer than the duration indicated by d, and the base station may transmit a downlink transmission having a duration of d × <NUM>µ-µref time slots, in addition to a partial-slot DL transmission if indicated.

However, when Np,µ is based on a reference numerology or SCS µref, and when µ > µref, the COT sharing information may require an additional slot offset adjustment value j to indicate a slot time delay in a number of slots. For example, when µ - µref = <NUM>, one bit in the COT sharing information may represent j such that j ∈ {<NUM>, <NUM>}, and l and j may collectively indicate a time delay (or offset) of l × <NUM>µ-µref + j = <NUM>l + j time slots. As another example, when µ - µref = <NUM>, two bits in the COT sharing information may represent j such that j ∈ {<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>}, and l and j may collectively indicate a time delay (or offset) of l × <NUM>µ-µref + j = <NUM>l + j time slots. Therefore, in some embodiments, µ - µref bits in the COT sharing information may represent j. Furthermore, in another example, when µ ≤ µref, no bits in the COT sharing information may be configured for the CG-UCI transmitted in the BWP configured with the numerology or SCS µ.

As indicated above, in some embodiments, d = <NUM> or another indicator may indicate a partial-slot downlink opportunity. For example, <FIG> illustrates a time resource <NUM> according to one embodiment for configured grant by the UE 110a in an unlicensed spectrum in the cell 175a of the base station 170a according to one embodiment, although alternative embodiments may involve different UEs, different cells, and/or different base stations.

In the example of <FIG>, the time resource <NUM> includes four time slots <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, and the UE 110a initiated a COT having a MCOT <NUM> of the same four time slots <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> in the time resource <NUM>. During the COT in the MCOT <NUM>, the UE 110a transmits an uplink transmission to the base station 170a in a PUSCH <NUM> in the time slot <NUM>, in a PUSCH <NUM> in the time slot <NUM>, and in a PUSCH <NUM> in the time slot <NUM>. The PUSCHs <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> therefore form an uplink burst <NUM> in an uplink transmission from the UE 110a to the base station 170a in the time resource <NUM> in the unlicensed spectrum in the cell 175a of the base station 170a.

In the embodiment shown, after the uplink burst <NUM> from the UE 110a to the base station 170a, the base station 170a initiates a downlink transmission including a PDSCH <NUM> in the time slot <NUM> by a downlink DL LBT procedure <NUM>. To accommodate the DL LBT procedure <NUM>, the base station 170a may blank one or more downlink symbols based on the numerology or SCS of the active BWP and a CP extension not exceeding one symbol duration to provide a switching gap between the uplink transmission and the downlink transmission. The switching gap between the uplink burst <NUM> and the PDSCH <NUM> may be <NUM> or <NUM> if the DL LBT procedure <NUM> is a CAT2 DL LBT procedure. Alternatively, the switching gap between the uplink burst <NUM> and the PDSCH <NUM> may be <NUM> if the DL LBT procedure <NUM> is a category <NUM> (CAT1) LBT, i.e., direct transmission without LBT performed in the switching gap.

In this example, the UE 110a resumes uplink transmission in the COT of the MCOT <NUM> after a gap <NUM> of at least <NUM> from the PDSCH <NUM> to the first PUSCH <NUM> of the resumed uplink transmission. The resumed uplink transmission may be resumed by a CAT2 UL LBT procedure <NUM> in a switching gap, which may be <NUM>, for example. However, in other embodiments, the UE 110a may resume uplink transmission according to one or more uplink grants that may have been received in the PDCCH <NUM> included in the downlink transmission including the PDSCH <NUM>. Such uplink grants may indicate an LBT type and a switching gap duration for resuming the uplink transmission.

In the example of <FIG>, the UE 110a attempted to initiate COT for an uplink transmission to the base station 170a in the time resource <NUM> by a first UL LBT procedure <NUM> and later by a second UL LBT procedure <NUM>. The UL LBT procedures <NUM> and <NUM> failed. After the UL LBT procedures <NUM> and <NUM>, the UE 110a attempted to initiate COT for an uplink transmission to the base station 170a in the time resource <NUM> by a third UL LBT procedure <NUM>, and the third UL LBT procedure <NUM> succeeded. Therefore, following UL LBT procedure <NUM>, the UE 110a initiated COT in the time resource <NUM>.

In this example, at the time of the UL LBT procedures <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, the time resource <NUM> had three (indicated by n = <NUM> in <FIG>) short four-symbol (indicated by L = <NUM> in <FIG>) mini-slot CG PUSCHs per time slot, and one mini-slot CG PUSCH per four-symbol mini-slot. However, after the UE 110a initiated the COT in the time resource <NUM>, the UE 110a switched to another configured-grant configuration, which may be a default configuration, including two seven-symbol slots per time slot, and one <NUM>-symbol PUSCH per slot. The embodiment of <FIG> is an example only, and in alternative embodiments, a UE may switch between two or more different configured-grant configurations that may differ from the two configured-grant configurations that are shown in <FIG>.

In some embodiments, a UE may be configured with a hybrid configuration including parameters for different configured-grant configurations. For example, in some embodiments, to avoid control overhead, a UE may be configured with a CG-UCI payload size accounting for COT sharing information for only CG-PUSCHs of a default configuration. In other embodiments, a UE may be configured with a first CG-UCI payload size accounting for a first COT sharing information for a default configuration, and may be configured with a second smaller CG-UCI payload size accounting for a second COT sharing information for CG-PUSCHs of an initial configuration by reducing Np,µ or eliminating some combinations of (l, d) to reflect shorter mini-slots per time slot.

In some other embodiments, if the CG time-domain resource configuration indicates that CG-PUSCHs of different length can be transmitted in accordance with the same configuration, e.g., in the same slot as in <FIG> (PUSCH <NUM> and <NUM>), or across different slots as in the hybrid configuration discussed above, the CG-UCI payload size including the COT sharing information size, along with the resource mapping beta offset value, may be determined based on the CG PUSCH of the smallest size, whereas rate matching may be used by the UE to map the CG-UCI payload bits to the larger resources on the larger CG PUSCHs as determined by the beta offset value.

The foregoing examples illustrate sharing of COT for downlink transmissions. However, in other embodiments, COT may be shared in sidelink transmissions between two UEs, such as the UEs 110a and 110b, for example. Sharing of COT in sidelink transmissions may be similar to sharing of COT for downlink transmissions as described above, except that sharing of COT in sidelink transmissions would involve sharing COT in sidelink configured grant, rather than sharing COT in configured grant from a base station. The sidelink configured grant resources may be determined by the base station or may be selected from a configured resource pool by the COT transmitting UE initiating the COT.

In embodiments such as those described herein, the base station may be using a higher transmit power level than that of the UE that initiated the UL COT. In order to improve the coexistence fairness with other nodes/radio access technologies operating in the same unlicensed spectrum, the base station may apply one or more of the following techniques:.

In embodiments such as those described herein, a UE may flexibly indicate a time delay (or offset) to a beginning of a downlink transmission opportunity during COT, and a duration of the downlink transmission opportunity. The beginning and the duration of the downlink transmission opportunity may be identified for different reasons, such as allowing a switching gap as may be appropriate between an uplink transmission and a subsequent downlink transmission, or between a downlink transmission and a subsequent uplink transmission.

COT sharing information may encode an indication of a time delay (or offset) to a beginning of a downlink transmission, a duration of the downlink transmission opportunity, a CAPC that a UE used to initiate the COT, or a combination of two or more thereof using a CIV or other indications such as those described above, for example.

Embodiments such as those described above may facilitate multiple switching points, for example uplink-downlink-uplink or uplink-downlink-uplink-downlink.

In general, embodiments such as those described above may make relatively efficient use of available resources when compared to other methods and apparatuses.

Claim 1:
A method performed by a user equipment, UE (<NUM>), for configured-grant transmission, the method comprising:
transmitting, by the UE (<NUM>), a configured-grant uplink control information, CG-UCI, to a base station (<NUM>) during a channel occupancy time, COT, initiated by the UE (<NUM>) in a shared spectrum, the CG-UCI comprising COT sharing information, the COT sharing information indicating, at least, an index value corresponding to a combination of:
an indication of an offset to a beginning of a downlink transmission opportunity during the COT; and
an indication of a duration of the downlink transmission opportunity during the COT; and
receiving, by the UE (<NUM>), a downlink transmission from the base station (<NUM>) within the downlink transmission opportunity and in accordance with the COT sharing information in the transmitted CG-UCI,
wherein the index value corresponds to a row of a configured table of COT sharing combinations, one row corresponds to one COT sharing combination of the indication of the offset and the indication of the duration, and at least one row of the configured table of COT sharing combinations indicates that COT sharing is not available.