Patent Description:
The following relates to wireless communications, and more specifically to managing resources for wireless communications.

Some wireless communications systems may support direct communications between wireless communications devices (e.g., direct communications between multiple UEs). Examples of direct communications may include, but are not limited to, device-to-device (D2D) communications, vehicle-based communications, which may also be referred to as vehicle-to-everything (V2X) networks, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) networks, cellular V2X (C-V2X) networks, and the like. Some wireless communications systems that support direct communications may transmit a reservation signal, prior to a packet transmission, to one or more additional wireless communications devices in a wireless communications system. The reservation signal may provide an indication to the one or more additional wireless communications devices of reserved resources for the packet transmission. As a result, any wireless communication device that receives the reservation signal may refrain from using resources that overlap with reserved resources. Prior art document <NPL> et al. relates to analyzing the RTS/CTS mechanism. The document further discloses to consider the fact that under low load condition in the network the few collisions caused by a hidden terminal scenario do not harm the overall performance as much as under high load condition, it seems to be reasonable only to use RTS/CTS ("Request To Send" / "Clear To Send") when load is high. Prior art document <NPL>et al. relates to a centralized MAC protocol with QoS support for wireless LANs. The document discloses a MAC protocol, based on MC-CDMA that uses an Access Point (AP) to centrally control the network and provide QoS support. Extensive simulation results and a comparison with the standard IEEE <NUM>. 11e prove the efficiency of the proposed protocol.

A method of wireless communications according to claim <NUM>.

An apparatus for wireless communications according to claim <NUM>.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim <NUM>.

Transmission of a reservation signal may be in accordance to a packet size. Although transmission of a reservation signal may reduce interference in wireless communications systems, there may be occasions where resource allocation related to reservation signals is wasted. For example, when a packet transmission is below a packet size threshold, the wireless communications device may determine to refrain from transmitting a reservation signal. That is, because a reservation signal may have a fixed overhead (e.g., resource allocation) per packet transmission, there may be occasions where resources may be unused. As a result, wireless communications devices may experience inefficient management of resources related to reservation signaling.

The described techniques relate to improved methods, systems, devices, and apparatuses that support pre-reservation resource management. The described techniques may enable a wireless communications device in a wireless communications system that supports in-direct or direct communications between wireless communications devices (e.g., direct communications between multiple UEs), such as a D2D system, a V2X system (or other systems such as V2V networks, C-V2X networks), and the like to reliably determine when to transmit a reservation signal and select resources for the reservation signal using resources either from a same resource pool as resources for normal packet transmission or in a dedicated pool.

A reservation signal may be a short transmission that reserves the resource for one or many subsequent data transmissions. These special transmissions require a small amount of time and frequency resources (e.g., a resource block, a slot, a transmission time interval, etc.) that may be sent separately ahead of the main data transmissions. The present disclosure addresses managing resources used for reservation signals in coexistence with the resource pool used for normal data transmissions. This may be achieved by having UEs select resources for transmitting reservation signals from a shared resource pool. The shared resource pool may be related to resources allocated, reserved, and selected for packet transmissions (e.g., normal traffic). In another aspect, a separated resource pool may be dedicated for the transmission of reservation signals. In some cases, the resources dedicated for reservation signals may include unoccupied resources (e.g., when the reservation signals do not occupy all of the resources dedicated for the reservation signals). Accordingly, in some example implementations of the techniques described herein, UEs may use the unoccupied resources of the resources dedicated for reservation signals for their own transmissions (e.g., data transmissions), which may result in more efficient use of resources.

Aspects of the disclosure are initially described in the context of wireless communications systems. Aspects are then described with respect to a process flow that supports pre-reservation resource management. Aspects of the disclosure are further illustrated by and described with reference to apparatus diagrams, system diagrams, and flowcharts that relate to pre-reservation resource management for wireless communications.

<FIG> illustrates an example of a wireless communications system <NUM> that supports pre-reservation resource management in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The wireless communications system <NUM> includes base stations <NUM> (e.g., gNodeBs (gNBs), and/or radio heads (RHs)), UEs <NUM>, and a core network <NUM>. In some examples, the wireless communications system <NUM> may be an LTE network, an LTE-A network, an LTE-A Pro network, or a NR network. In some cases, wireless communications system <NUM> may support enhanced broadband communications, ultra-reliable (e.g., mission critical) communications, low latency communications, or communications with low-cost and low-complexity devices.

In some cases, a UE <NUM> may also be able to communicate directly with other UEs <NUM> (e.g., using a peer-to-peer (P2P) or D2D protocol).

A UE <NUM> may communicate with the core network <NUM> through communication link <NUM>.

Wireless communications system <NUM> may operate using one or more frequency bands, for example, in the range of <NUM> megahertz (MHz) to <NUM> gigahertz (GHz). The region from <NUM> to <NUM> is known as the ultra-high frequency (UHF) region or decimeter band, since the wavelengths range from approximately one decimeter to one meter in length.

For example, wireless communications system <NUM> may use a transmission scheme between a transmitting device (e.g., a base station <NUM>) and a receiving device (e.g., a UE <NUM>), where the transmitting device is equipped with multiple antennas and the receiving device is equipped with one or more antennas.

In one example, a base station <NUM> may use multiple antennas or antenna arrays to conduct beamforming operations for directional communications with a UE <NUM>. For instance, some signals (e.g., synchronization signals, reference signals, beam selection signals, or other control signals) may be transmitted by a base station <NUM> multiple times in different directions, which may include a signal being transmitted according to different beamforming weight sets associated with different directions of transmission. Transmissions in different beam directions may be used to determine (e.g., by the base station <NUM> or a receiving device, such as a UE <NUM>) a beam direction for subsequent transmission and/or reception by the base station <NUM>.

Some signals, such as data signals associated with a particular receiving device, may be transmitted by a base station <NUM> in a single beam direction (e.g., a direction associated with the receiving device, such as a UE <NUM>). In some examples, the beam direction associated with transmissions along a single beam direction may be determined based at least in in part on a signal that was transmitted in different beam directions. For example, a UE <NUM> may receive one or more of the signals transmitted by the base station <NUM> in different directions, and the UE <NUM> may report to the base station <NUM> an indication of the signal it received with a highest signal quality, or an otherwise acceptable signal quality. Although these techniques are described with reference to signals transmitted in one or more directions by a base station <NUM>, a UE <NUM> may employ similar techniques for transmitting signals multiple times in different directions (e.g., for determining a beam direction for subsequent transmission or reception by the UE <NUM>), or transmitting a signal in a single direction (e.g., for transmitting data to a receiving device).

In some cases, a subframe may be the smallest scheduling unit of the wireless communications system <NUM>, and may be referred to as a transmission time interval. In other cases, a smallest scheduling unit of the wireless communications system <NUM> may be shorter than a subframe or may be dynamically selected (e.g., in bursts of shortened transmission time intervals) or in selected component carriers using shortened transmission time intervals).

A carrier may be associated with a pre-defined frequency channel (e.g., an evolved universal mobile telecommunication system terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) absolute radio frequency channel number (EARFCN)), and may be positioned according to a channel raster for discovery by UEs <NUM>. In some examples, signal waveforms transmitted over a carrier may be made up of multiple sub-carriers (e.g., using multi-carrier modulation (MCM) techniques such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) or DFT-S-OFDM).

The organizational structure of the carriers may be different for different radio access technologies (e.g., LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR). For example, communications over a carrier may be organized according to transmission time intervals or slots, each of which may include user data as well as control information or signaling to support decoding the user data.

Devices of the wireless communications system <NUM> (e.g., base stations <NUM> or UEs <NUM>) may have a hardware configuration that supports communications over a particular carrier bandwidth, or may be configurable to support communications over one of a set of carrier bandwidths. In some examples, the wireless communications system <NUM> may include base stations <NUM> and/or UEs <NUM> that support simultaneous communications via carriers associated with more than one different carrier bandwidth. The wireless communications system <NUM> may support communication with a UE <NUM> on multiple cells or carriers, a feature which may be referred to as carrier aggregation or multi-carrier operation.

An eCC may be characterized by one or more features including wider carrier or frequency channel bandwidth, shorter symbol duration, shorter transmission time interval duration, or modified control channel configuration.

In some cases, an eCC may utilize a different symbol duration than other component carriers, which may include use of a reduced symbol duration as compared with symbol durations of the other component carriers. A transmission time interval in eCC may consist of one or multiple symbol periods. In some cases, the transmission time interval duration (that is, the number of symbol periods in a transmission time interval) may be variable.

Wireless communications system <NUM> may be an NR system that may utilize any combination of licensed, shared, and unlicensed spectrum bands, among others. The flexibility of eCC symbol duration and subcarrier spacing may allow for the use of eCC across multiple spectrums. In some examples, NR shared spectrum may increase spectrum utilization and spectral efficiency, specifically through dynamic vertical (e.g., across the frequency domain) and horizontal (e.g., across the time domain) sharing of resources.

In some wireless communications system <NUM>, such as a V2X system (or other systems such as V2V networks, C-V2X networks, and the like), wireless communications devices may perform pre-reservation resource management. These wireless communications devices may be examples of UEs <NUM>. For example, a UE <NUM> may support direct communications with other UEs <NUM>, and may transmit a reservation signal, prior to a packet transmission, to UEs <NUM> in the wireless communications system <NUM>. A reservation signal may also be referred to herein as a pre-reservation signal. The reservation signal may provide an indication to the UEs <NUM> in the wireless communications system <NUM> of reserved resources for the packet transmission. As a result, any UE <NUM> that may be within a threshold range (e.g., distance) that receives the reservation signal may refrain from using resources that overlap with the reserved resources of the packet transmission.

A reservation signal may consume a small amount of time and frequency resources (e.g., a resource block, a slot, a transmission time interval, etc.). That is, a reservation signal may have a dedicated (e.g., a fixed) resource pool for selecting resources for transmission of the reservation signal. In some examples, UEs <NUM> may determine whether to transmit a reservation signal based in part on a parameter (e.g., a packet size, a packet priority, and the like). Therefore, in some examples, UEs <NUM> may refrain from transmitting a reservation signal when one or more packets for a packet transmission are below a packet size, a packet priority, and the like. In this example, UEs <NUM> may experience inefficient management of resources (e.g., wasted resources) related to reservation signaling because resources allocated for reservation signaling may go unused. By way of example, if a fixed resource pool is allocated for reservation signaling (e.g., transmission of a reservation signal), the allocated pool will be wasted when transmissions from UEs <NUM> is low (e.g., low traffic) or congested when transmissions from UEs <NUM> is high (e.g., high traffic). In some examples, overall resources for UEs <NUM> in the wireless communications system <NUM> may also be fragmented.

To address challenges related to pre-reservation resource management, such as inefficiencies, among others, UEs <NUM> may select resources for transmitting reservation signals from a shared resource pool. The shared resource pool may be related to resources allocated, reserved, and selected for packet transmissions (e.g., normal traffic). As a result, UEs <NUM> in the wireless communications system <NUM> may benefit from improved efficiency and reduced latency associated with processes related to scheduling resources for packet transmission or packet re-transmission because UEs <NUM> may use resources otherwise dedicated largely for reservation signaling. In addition, selecting resources for transmitting reservation signals from a shared resource pool may not have any adverse properties on normal packet transmissions since they may use limited resources. For example, each reservation signal may occupy one transmission time interval and less than one subchannel. In this example, one subchannel may be capable of fitting multiple nonoverlapping reservation signals. Therefore, each UE <NUM> searching to transmit a reservation signal may search for a subchannel and a transmission time interval (e.g., <NUM> subchannel by <NUM> transmission time interval) resource that is non-overlapping with any reserved resources (e.g., of other reservation signals associated with other UEs <NUM>, or packet transmissions of other UEs <NUM>). The UEs <NUM> may then select a resource location (e.g., a resource block) randomly within the subchannel and the transmission time interval resource.

One or more of the base stations <NUM> may include a base station communication manager <NUM>, which may support distance based resource exclusion. UEs <NUM> may include a UE communication manager <NUM>, which may support distance based resource exclusion. For example, a UE communication manager <NUM> may determine a packet for transmission, determine whether to transmit a reservation signal prior to the transmission of the packet based in part on a condition, the reservation signal reserving resources for the transmission of the packet, and the reservation signal sharing resources from a same resource pool as the resources for the transmission of the packet, and refraining from transmitting the reservation signal based in part on determining whether to transmit the reservation signal prior to the transmission of the packet based in part on the condition. The UE communication manager <NUM> may additionally, or alternatively, determine to transmit a reservation signal prior to a transmission of a packet based in part on a condition, allocate resources for the reservation signal from a same resource pool associated with the transmission of the packet or a dedicated resource pool based in part on a pre-reservation resource pattern, the reservation signal reserving one or more resources for the transmission of the packet, and determine whether to transmit the reservation signal using the allocated resources. The pre-reservation resource pattern may be a pattern of resource block locations where reservation signals can start. A dedicated resource pool may also be referred to herein as one or more resources dedicated for pre-reservation (e.g., a reservation signal).

Accordingly, pre-reservation resource management may provide benefits and enhancements to the operation of UEs <NUM>. For example, by enabling UEs <NUM> to reliably determine when to transmit a reservation signal and select resources for the reservation signal using resources from a same resource pool as resources for normal packet transmission, operational characteristics, such as power consumption, processor utilization, and memory usage related to packet transmission may be reduced. The pre-reservation resource management may also provide efficiency to UEs <NUM> by reducing latency associated with processes related to scheduling resources for packet transmission or packet re-transmission, and more specifically avoiding unexploited resources in the wireless communications system <NUM>. For example, UEs <NUM> may improve latency when packet transmissions can be transmitted directly with a reservation signal, or improve reliability when there is pre-reservation and the packet transmission is protected from interference.

<FIG> illustrates an example of a wireless communications system <NUM> that supports pre-reservation resource management for wireless communications in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The wireless communications system <NUM> may include a base station <NUM>-a, a UE <NUM>-a, and a UE <NUM>-b, which may be examples of the corresponding devices described with reference to <FIG>. In some examples, the wireless communications system <NUM> may implement aspects of the wireless communications system <NUM>. For example, the wireless communications system <NUM> may enable the UE <NUM>-a and the UE <NUM>-b to reliably determine when to transmit a reservation signal and reserve resources for the reservation signal using resources from a same resource pool as resources for normal packet transmission. As a result, the UE <NUM>-a and the UE <NUM>-b may experience improved efficiency by reducing latency associated with processes related to scheduling resources for packet transmission or packet re-transmission, and more specifically avoiding unexploited resources in the wireless communications system <NUM>.

In some examples the wireless communications system <NUM> may be a <NUM> systems such as LTE systems, LTE-A systems, or LTE-A Pro systems, and <NUM> systems which may be referred to as NR systems. In this example, base station <NUM>-a may perform a connection procedure (e.g., an RRC procedure, such as a cell acquisition procedure, a random access procedure, an RRC connection procedure, an RRC configuration procedure) with the UE <NUM>-a, and establish a communication link <NUM>. Base station <NUM>-a may provide communication coverage for a respective geographic coverage area <NUM>-a. In other examples, the wireless communications system <NUM> may additionally, or alternatively, support direct communications (e.g., between multiple UEs). Examples of direct communications may include, but are not limited to, D2D communications, vehicle-based communications, which may also be referred to as V2X networks, V2V networks, C-V2X networks, and the like. In this example, UE <NUM>-a may establish a communication link <NUM> via direct communications (e.g., D2D) with the UE <NUM>-b. The UE <NUM>-a may transmit reservation signals as well as packet transmissions to the base station <NUM>-a and the UE <NUM>-b via communications links <NUM>, <NUM>.

A UE <NUM>-a may determine a packet for transmission. For example, UE <NUM>-a may have one or more packets for transmission to base station <NUM>-a, UE <NUM>-b, or one or more other UEs (not shown). Prior to transmission of the packet, UE <NUM>-a may determine whether to transmit reservation signal(s) <NUM>-a, <NUM>-b. This determination may be based in part on a condition. For example, a condition may be a congestion level. In some examples, UE <NUM>-a may enable or disable reservation signaling according to a congestion level associated with the wireless communications system <NUM>. A congestion level may be per packet. For example, a congestion level may be based in part on a packet size, a priority of a packet, a number of available resources for reservation signaling, a number of reserved resources by other UEs, a number of reserved resources for a packet, a reliability requirement of a packet (e.g., a QoS), a number of re-transmissions of a packet, or a combination thereof. UE <NUM>-a may therefore enable or disable reservation signaling based in part on the congestion level being below (or equal to) or above a threshold. For example, if a congestion level associated with the wireless communications system <NUM> is equal to or below a threshold, UE <NUM>-a may enable reservation signaling. Otherwise, if the congestion level is (equal to) or above the threshold, UE <NUM>-a may disable reservation signaling.

In further examples, a congestion level may be based in part on a traffic load in the wireless communications system <NUM>. As such, when a traffic load is high (e.g., above a threshold), transmission of the reservation signal(s) <NUM>-a, <NUM>-b may further affect the traffic load of the wireless communications system <NUM>. Because transmission of the reservation signal(s) <NUM>-a, <NUM>-b may be performed via a number of narrow band transmissions, the reservation signal(s) <NUM>-a, <NUM>-b may fragment consecutive blocks of resources, which can otherwise be used for normal packet transmissions. To improve pre-reservation resource management in the wireless communications system <NUM>, the UE <NUM>-a (and/or the UE <NUM>-b) may be configured to enable or disable reservation signaling.

Additionally, or alternatively, UE <NUM>-a may enable or disable reservation signaling according to a packet drop ratio. For example, if a packet drop ratio is equal to or above a threshold, UE <NUM>-a may disable reservation signaling. Otherwise, UE <NUM>-a may enable the reservation signaling. UE <NUM>-a may also monitor and determine a packet drop ratio based in part on a packet size, a priority of a packet, a number of available resources for reservation signaling, a number of reserved resources by other UEs, a number of reserved resources for a packet, a reliability requirement of a packet (e.g., a QoS), a number of re-transmissions of a packet, or a combination thereof. In some examples, UE <NUM>-a may be configured to continuously have reservation signaling enabled or disabled irrespective of a congestion level or a packet drop ratio associated with the wireless communications system <NUM>.

Returning to the congestion level examples, UE <NUM>-a may also determine a congestion index value according to a determined congestion level. For example, UE <NUM>-a may map a determined congestion level (e.g., based in part on a resource unavailability, a packet size, or a packet priority, and the like) to a congestion index value in a relational database, a bitmap, a table, or the like, that has a set of congestion index values. A relational database, a bitmap, a table, or the like may provide an indication to UE <NUM>-a on whether to enable or disable reservation signaling based in part on a congestion index value. For example, a first congestion level determined by UE <NUM>-a for a first packet (e.g., based in part on a resource unavailability, a packet size, or a packet priority, and the like) may map to a first congestion index value, which may indicate to UE <NUM>-a to enable reservation signaling for the first packet. In another example, a second congestion level determined by UE <NUM>-a for a second packet (e.g., based in part on a resource unavailability, a packet size, or a packet priority, and the like) may map to a second congestion index value, which may indicate to UE <NUM>-a to disable reservation signaling for the second packet.

In some examples, the relational database, a bitmap, a table, or the like may be configured to indicate enabling or disabling reservation signaling when a congestion level is within a congestion level range. For example, the relational database, a bitmap, a table, or the like may be configured with a set of congestion level ranges (e.g., a first range including a first set of congestion index values, a second range including a second set of congestion index values, and the like). In this example, a determined congestion level mapped by the UE <NUM>-a to a congestion index value that is within a range may coincide with whether the UE <NUM>-a enables or disables reservation signaling.

After UE <NUM>-a determines to enable reservation signaling (e.g., that UE <NUM>-a may proceed with transmitting reservation signal(s) <NUM>-a, <NUM>-b), UE <NUM>-a may determine (e.g., identify) and select resources (e.g., time and frequency resources) for the reservation signaling. To address standing challenges related to pre-reservation resource management, such as inefficiencies, among others, UE <NUM>-a may determine and select resources for reservation signaling from a shared resource pool. The shared resource pool may be related to resources allocated, reserved, and selected for packet transmissions (e.g., normal traffic) for UE <NUM>-a or one or more other UEs <NUM> (e.g., UE <NUM>-b). As a result, UE <NUM>-a may benefit from improved efficiency and reduced latency associated with processes related to scheduling resources for packet transmission or packet re-transmission because UE <NUM>-a may use resources originally dedicated largely for reservation signaling (when reservation signaling is disabled). In addition, selecting resources for reservation signaling from a shared resource pool may not have any adverse properties on packet transmissions (e.g., normal traffic) since reservation signaling use fewer resources compared to packet transmissions. UE <NUM>-a may subsequently select one or more resources for future data transmissions. Selection of the one or more resources for a future data transmission may occur after a resource for pre-reservation has been identified. This prevents the possibility of a resource being stale by the time UE <NUM>-a performs the data transmission. That is, there may be an occasion that by the time the resource for pre-reservation is identified, the selected one or more resources for the data transmission may have become stale because another UE (e.g., UE <NUM>-b) may have already claimed those resources.

In some examples, because each reservation signal may occupy one transmission time interval and less than one subchannel, to reduce (receiver) complexity for blind-decoding reservation signaling, resource selection for reservation signaling may be bound to at most one subchannel and one transmission time interval according to a pre-reservation resource pattern. In the wireless communications system <NUM>, UE <NUM>-a (and UE <NUM>-b) may be configured with resource (start) positions (e.g., resource block locations). For example, UE <NUM>-a may determine a resource start position for resource allocation of reservation signaling according to a resource allocation map (e.g., a bitmap). Therefore if resource blocks coinciding to the resource start position for resource allocation of reservation signaling is unavailable, UE <NUM>-a may buffer and select resources for resource allocation for the reservation signaling in a subsequent resource (e.g., a subsequent slot or transmission time interval).

In some examples, the pre-reservation resource pattern may hop from slot to slot to provide a randomness for reservation signaling. Thereby by having UE <NUM>-a subsequently select one or more resources for future data transmissions. Selection of the one or more resources for a future data transmission may occur after a resource for pre-reservation has been identified. This prevents the possibility of a resource being stale by the time UE <NUM>-a performs the data transmission. That is, there may be an occasion that by the time the resource for pre-reservation is identified, the selected one or more resources for the data transmission may have become stale because another UE (e.g., UE <NUM>-b) may have already claimed those resources. UE <NUM>-a may be configured with the pre-reservation resource pattern or a network device (e.g., base station <NUM>-a) may configure the UE <NUM>-a with it. As such, UE <NUM>-a may be aware of resource locations to use for reservation signaling. In return, UEs receiving reservation signaling (e.g., UE <NUM>-b from UE <NUM>-a) may perform blind decoding to detect and receive the reservation signaling according to the configured resource locations. In some examples, UE <NUM>-a may use resources reserved for a reservation signal according to the pre-reservation resource pattern for the packet transmission when a congestion level or packet drop ratio satisfies a threshold (e.g., is above a threshold). Otherwise, UE <NUM>-a may refrain from using configured resources associated with reservation signaling for packet transmission.

By way of example, UE <NUM>-a may determine that a congestion level or a packet drop ratio, or both, are below a first threshold, and refrain from allocating resources for the packet transmission from resources dedicated to the reservation signal in the shared (or dedicated) resource pool, based in part on the congestion level or the packet drop ratio, or both, being below the first threshold. Alternatively, UE <NUM>-a may determine that the congestion level or the packet drop ratio, or both, are above the first threshold, and allocate resources for the packet transmission from resources dedicated to the reservation signal in the shared (or dedicated) resource pool. In further examples, UE <NUM>-a may determine that a congestion level or a packet drop ratio, or both, are above a first threshold and below a second threshold, and allocate resources for packet transmission from resources dedicated to the reservation signal in the shared (or dedicated) resource pool. In this example, the allocated resources may be reserved based in part on a reservation signal or a preceding transmission. For example, UE <NUM>-a may determine and select a set of available resources during a transmission time interval for transmitting the reservation signals <NUM>-a, <NUM>-b, the set of available resources may follow the pre-reservation resource pattern or may be from a shared (or dedicated) resource pool. Additionally, UE <NUM>-a may determine and reserve a set of available resources during a same or different transmission time interval for the packet transmission, the set of available resources may also follow the pre-reservation resource pattern or may be from a shared (or dedicated) resource pool. UE <NUM>-a may transmit one or more packets to base station <NUM>-a, UE <NUM>-b, or one or more other UEs (not shown) using the preceding resource reservation scheme.

Hence, pre-reservation resource management in the wireless communications system <NUM> may provide benefits and enhancements to the operation of UEs <NUM>-a, <NUM>-b. For example, by enabling UEs <NUM>-a, <NUM>-b to reliably determine when to transmit a reservation signal and reserve resources for the reservation signal using resources from a same resource pool as resources for normal packet transmission, operational characteristics, such as power consumption, processor utilization, and memory usage related to packet transmission may be reduced. The pre-reservation resource management may also provide efficiency to UEs <NUM>-a, <NUM>-b by reducing latency associated with processes related to scheduling resources for packet transmission or packet re-transmission, and more specifically avoiding unexploited resources in the wireless communications system <NUM>, by allocating resources for the reservation signal from a same resource pool associated with the transmission of the packet or a dedicated resource pool based at least in part on a pre-reservation resource pattern.

<FIG> illustrates an example of a process flow <NUM> that supports pre-reservation resource management for wireless communications in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. In some examples, the process flow <NUM> may implement aspects of wireless communications systems <NUM> or <NUM>. The process flow <NUM> may include a base station <NUM>-b, a UE <NUM>-c, and a UE <NUM>-d, which may be examples of the corresponding devices described with reference to <FIG> and <FIG>. For example, process flow <NUM> may enable the UE <NUM>-c to reliably determine when to transmit a reservation signal and reserve resources for the reservation signal using resources from a same resource pool as resources for normal packet transmission. As a result, the UE <NUM>-c may experience improved efficiency by reducing latency associated with processes related to scheduling resources for packet transmission or packet re-transmission.

In the following description of the process flow <NUM>, the operations between the base station <NUM>-b, the UE <NUM>-c, and the UE <NUM>-d may be transmitted in a different order than the exemplary order shown, or the operations performed by the base station <NUM>-b, the UE <NUM>-c, and the UE <NUM>-d may be performed in different orders or at different times. Certain operations may also be omitted from the process flow <NUM>, and/or other operations may be added to the process flow <NUM>.

At <NUM>, the process flow <NUM> may (optionally) commence with the base station <NUM>-b and the UE <NUM>-c performing a connection procedure (e.g., an RRC procedure, such as a cell acquisition procedure, random access procedure, an RRC connection procedure, an RRC (re-configuration procedure) to establish a wired or wireless connection. At <NUM>, the process flow <NUM> may (optionally) commence with the UE <NUM>-c and the UE <NUM>-d performing a connection procedure to establish direction communication. Examples of direct communications may include, but are not limited to, D2D communications, vehicle-based communications, which may also be referred to as V2X networks, V2V networks, C-V2X networks, and the like.

At <NUM>, the UE <NUM>-c may determine a packet for transmission. At <NUM>, the UE <NUM>-c may determine whether to transmit a reservation signal prior to the transmission of the packet. For example, to improve pre-reservation resource management, the UE <NUM>-c may be configured to enable or disable reservation signaling. In some examples, UE <NUM>-a may enable or disable reservation signaling according to a congestion level, which may be based in part on a packet size, a priority of a packet, a number of available resources for reservation signaling, a number of reserved resources by other UEs, a number of reserved resources for a packet, a reliability requirement of a packet (e.g., a QoS), a number of re-transmissions of a packet, or a combination thereof. UE <NUM>-c may therefore enable or disable reservation signaling based in part on the congestion level being below (or equal to) or above a threshold. For example, if a congestion level is equal to or below a threshold, UE <NUM>-c may enable reservation signaling. Otherwise, if the congestion level is (equal to) or above the threshold, UE <NUM>-c may disable reservation signaling.

At <NUM>, UE <NUM>-c may allocate resources for the reservation signal from a same resource pool associated with the transmission of the packet or a dedicated resource pool (e.g., for reservation signaling). For example, UE <NUM>-c may determine a set of available resources during a transmission time interval, the set of available resources following a resource pattern or the set of available resources being from the dedicated resource pool (or shared resource pool). At <NUM>, the UE <NUM>-c may transmit signaling including the reservation signal. For example, the UE <NUM>-c transmit a reservation signal to the UE <NUM>-d via direct communications (e.g., D2D).

Therefore, the present disclosure may provide improvements to pre-reservation resource management. Furthermore, the techniques described herein may provide benefits and enhancements to the operation of the UEs <NUM>-c, <NUM>-d. For example, by enabling UEs <NUM>-c, <NUM>-d to reliably determine when to transmit a reservation signal and select resources for the reservation signal using resources from a same resource pool as resources for normal packet transmission, operational characteristics, such as power consumption, processor utilization, etc. related to packet transmission may be reduced. The pre-reservation resource management may also provide efficiency to UEs <NUM>-c, <NUM>-d by reducing latency associated with processes related to scheduling resources for packet transmission or packet re-transmission, and more specifically avoiding unexploited resources in the wireless communications system by allocating resources for the reservation signal from a same resource pool associated with the transmission of the packet or a dedicated resource pool based at least in part on a pre-reservation resource pattern. For example, UEs <NUM> may improve latency when packet transmissions can be transmitted directly with a reservation signal, or improve reliability when there is pre-reservation and the packet transmission is protected from interference.

<FIG> shows a block diagram <NUM> of a device <NUM> that supports pre-reservation resource management in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The device <NUM> may be an example of aspects of a device as described herein. The device <NUM> may include a receiver <NUM>, a communications manager <NUM>, and a transmitter <NUM>. The device <NUM> may also include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses).

The receiver <NUM> may receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to pre-reservation resource management, etc.). Information may be passed on to other components of the device <NUM>. The receiver <NUM> may be an example of aspects of the transceiver <NUM> described with reference to <FIG>. The receiver <NUM> may utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas.

The communications manager <NUM> may determine a packet for transmission, determine whether to transmit a reservation signal prior to the transmission of the packet based on a condition, the reservation signal reserving resources for the transmission of the packet, and the reservation signal sharing resources from a same resource pool as the resources for the transmission of the packet, and refrain from transmitting the reservation signal based on determining whether to transmit the reservation signal prior to the transmission of the packet based on the condition. The communications manager <NUM> may also determine whether to transmit a reservation signal prior to a transmission of a packet based on a condition and allocate, based on the determining, resources for the reservation signal from a same resource pool associated with the transmission of the packet or a dedicated resource pool according to a pre-reservation resource pattern, the reservation signal reserving one or more resources for the transmission of the packet. The communications manager <NUM> may be an example of aspects of the communications manager <NUM> described herein.

If implemented in code executed by a processor, the functions of the communications manager <NUM>, or its sub-components may be executed by a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described in the present disclosure.

In some examples, the communications manager <NUM> may be implemented as an integrated circuit or chipset for a mobile device modem, and the receiver <NUM> and transmitter <NUM> may be implemented as analog components (e.g., amplifiers, filters, antennas) coupled with the mobile device modem to enable wireless transmission and reception over one or more bands.

The communications manager <NUM> as described herein may be implemented to realize one or more potential advantages. One implementation may allow the device to transmit a packet directly with a reservation signal or use a pre-reservation signal to protect a packet from interference, which may result in increased processing efficiency as the device <NUM> may improve latency in some cases while avoiding potentially necessary retransmissions with a pre-reservation signal in other cases. Based on techniques for efficiently exploiting potential resources in the wireless communications system as described herein, a processor of a UE <NUM> (e.g., controlling the receiver <NUM>, the transmitter <NUM>, or a transceiver <NUM> as described with respect to <FIG>) may increase system efficiency and decrease unnecessary processing at a device, which may result in increased power savings and longer battery life.

<FIG> shows a block diagram <NUM> of a device <NUM> that supports pre-reservation resource management in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The device <NUM> may be an example of aspects of a device <NUM> or a device <NUM> as described herein. The device <NUM> may include a receiver <NUM>, a communications manager <NUM>, and a transmitter <NUM>. The device <NUM> may also include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses).

The communications manager <NUM> may be an example of aspects of the communications manager <NUM> as described herein. The communications manager <NUM> may include a packet component <NUM>, a condition component <NUM>, a signal component <NUM>, and a resource component <NUM>. The communications manager <NUM> may be an example of aspects of the communications manager <NUM> described herein.

The packet component <NUM> may determine a packet for transmission. The condition component <NUM> may determine whether to transmit a reservation signal prior to the transmission of the packet based on a condition, the reservation signal reserving resources for the transmission of the packet, and the reservation signal sharing resources from a same resource pool as the resources for the transmission of the packet. The signal component <NUM> may refrain from transmitting the reservation signal based on determining whether to transmit the reservation signal prior to the transmission of the packet based on the condition. The condition component <NUM> may determine whether to transmit a reservation signal prior to a transmission of a packet based on a condition. The resource component <NUM> may allocate, based on the determining, resources for the reservation signal from a same resource pool associated with the transmission of the packet or a dedicated resource pool according to a pre-reservation resource pattern, the reservation signal reserving one or more resources for the transmission of the packet.

<FIG> shows a block diagram <NUM> of a communications manager <NUM> that supports pre-reservation resource management in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The communications manager <NUM> may be an example of aspects of a communications manager <NUM>, a communications manager <NUM>, or a communications manager <NUM> described herein. The communications manager <NUM> may include a packet component <NUM>, a condition component <NUM>, a signal component <NUM>, a threshold component <NUM>, a resource component <NUM>, and a mapping component <NUM>. Each of these modules may communicate, directly or indirectly, with one another (e.g., via one or more buses).

The packet component <NUM> may determine a packet for transmission. The condition component <NUM> may determine whether to transmit a reservation signal prior to the transmission of the packet based on a condition, the reservation signal reserving resources for the transmission of the packet, and the reservation signal sharing resources from a same resource pool as the resources for the transmission of the packet. In some examples, the condition component <NUM> may determine whether to transmit a reservation signal prior to a transmission of a packet based on a condition.

The condition component <NUM> may determine a congestion level related to traffic load in the wireless communications system, where the congestion level is based on a resource unavailability, a packet size, or a packet priority, or a combination thereof. In some examples, the condition component <NUM> may monitor a packet drop ratio by the device in the wireless communications system, where the packet drop ratio is based on a resource unavailability, a packet size, or a packet priority, or a combination thereof, where refraining from transmitting the reservation signal is based on the congestion level or the packet drop ratio, or a combination thereof. In some examples, the condition component <NUM> may determine that the congestion level or the packet drop ratio, or both, are below a first threshold. In some examples, the condition component <NUM> may determine that the congestion level or the packet drop ratio, or both, are above a first threshold and below a second threshold. In some examples, the condition component <NUM> may determine that the congestion level or the packet drop ratio, or both, are above a first threshold.

The signal component <NUM> may refrain from transmitting the reservation signal based on the determining. In some examples, the signal component <NUM> may disable the transmission of the reservation signal prior to the transmission of the packet based on the congestion level or the packet drop ratio, or both, satisfying the threshold, where refraining from transmitting the reservation signal is based on the disabling. In some examples, the signal component <NUM> may include, in the reservation signal, information associated with the second set of available resources for the transmission of the packet. In some examples, the signal component <NUM> may transmit the reservation signal based on enabling the reservation signal. In some examples, the signal component <NUM> may refrain from transmitting the reservation signal based on disabling the reservation signal. In some examples, the signal component <NUM> may determine to perform the transmission of the packet using resources from the dedicated resource pool based on disabling the reservation signal.

The resource component <NUM> may allocate, based on the determining, resources for the reservation signal from a same resource pool associated with the transmission of the packet or a dedicated resource pool according to a pre-reservation resource pattern, the reservation signal reserving one or more resources for the transmission of the packet. In some examples, the resource component <NUM> may determine a first set of available resources during a transmission time interval, the first set of available resources following the pre-reservation resource pattern or the first set of available resources being from the dedicated resource pool. The resource component <NUM> may select the first set of available resources to transmit the reservation signal during the transmission time interval and prior to the transmission of the packet. In some examples, the resource component <NUM> may determine a second set of available resource during the transmission time interval or a subsequent transmission time interval. The resource component <NUM> may reserve the second set of available resources for the transmission of the packet.

In some examples, the resource component <NUM> may determine an absence of available resources during a transmission time interval. In some examples, the resource component <NUM> may determine available resources during a subsequent transmission time interval, the available resources following the pre-reservation resource pattern, and the available resources being from the dedicated resource pool. The resource component <NUM> may select the available resources to transmit the reservation signal during the transmission time interval and prior to the transmission of the packet. In some examples, the resource component <NUM> may allocate resources for the transmission of the packet from the dedicated resource pool associated with the reservation signal based on the congestion level or the packet drop ratio, or both, being above the first threshold and below the second threshold, where the allocated resources are reserved based on a reservation signal or a preceding transmission. In some examples, the resource component <NUM> may allocate resources for the transmission of the packet from the dedicated resource pool associated with the reservation signal based on the congestion level or the packet drop ratio, or both, being above the first threshold.

The threshold component <NUM> may determine that the congestion level or the packet drop ratio, or both, satisfy a threshold. The mapping component <NUM> may map the congestion level to a congestion index value in a table including a set of congestion index values, where each congestion index value correlates to a packet size, a QoS requirement, a packet priority, or a combination thereof. In some examples, the mapping component <NUM> may determine to enable the reservation signal based on the congestion index value. In some examples, the mapping component <NUM> may determine to disable the reservation signal based on the congestion index value.

<FIG> shows a diagram of a system <NUM> including a device <NUM> that supports pre-reservation resource management in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The device <NUM> may be an example of or include the components of device <NUM>, device <NUM>, or a device as described herein. The device <NUM> may include components for bidirectional voice and data communications including components for transmitting and receiving communications, including a communications manager <NUM>, an I/O controller <NUM>, a transceiver <NUM>, an antenna <NUM>, memory <NUM>, and a processor <NUM>. These components may be in electronic communication via one or more buses (e.g., bus <NUM>).

The communications manager <NUM> may determine a packet for transmission, determine whether to transmit a reservation signal prior to the transmission of the packet based on a condition, the reservation signal reserving resources for the transmission of the packet, and the reservation signal sharing resources from a same resource pool as the resources for the transmission of the packet, and refrain from transmitting the reservation signal based on determining whether to transmit the reservation signal prior to the transmission of the packet based on the condition. The communications manager <NUM> may also determine whether to transmit a reservation signal prior to a transmission of a packet based on a condition and allocate, based on the determining, resources for the reservation signal from a same resource pool associated with the transmission of the packet or a dedicated resource pool according to a pre-reservation resource pattern, the reservation signal reserving one or more resources for the transmission of the packet.

In some cases, the I/O controller <NUM> may utilize an operating system such as iOS, ANDROID, MS-DOS, MS-WINDOWS, OS/<NUM>, UNIX, LINUX, or another known operating system.

In some cases, the device <NUM> may include a single antenna <NUM>. However, in some cases the device <NUM> may have more than one antenna <NUM>, which may be capable of concurrently transmitting or receiving multiple wireless transmissions.

The processor <NUM> may include an intelligent hardware device, (e.g., a general-purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, a microcontroller, an ASIC, a FPGA, a programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic component, a discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof). In some cases, the processor <NUM> may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In other cases, a memory controller may be integrated into the processor <NUM>. The processor <NUM> may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (e.g., the memory <NUM>) to cause the device <NUM> to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting pre-reservation resource management).

<FIG> shows a flowchart illustrating a method <NUM> that supports pre-reservation resource management in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of method <NUM> may be implemented by a device or its components as described herein. For example, the operations of method <NUM> may be performed by a communications manager as described with reference to <FIG>. In some examples, a device may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the device to perform the functions described herein. Additionally or alternatively, a device may perform aspects of the functions described herein using special-purpose hardware.

At <NUM>, the device may determine a packet for transmission. The operations of <NUM> may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of <NUM> may be performed by a packet component as described with reference to <FIG>.

At <NUM>, the device may determine whether to transmit a reservation signal prior to the transmission of the packet based on a condition, the reservation signal reserving resources for the transmission of the packet, and the reservation signal sharing resources from a same resource pool as the resources for the transmission of the packet. The operations of <NUM> may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of <NUM> may be performed by a condition component as described with reference to <FIG>.

At <NUM>, the device may refrain from transmitting the reservation signal based on determining whether to transmit the reservation signal prior to the transmission of the packet based on the condition. The operations of <NUM> may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of <NUM> may be performed by a signal component as described with reference to <FIG>.

At <NUM>, the device may optionally determine a congestion level related to traffic load in a wireless communications system, where the congestion level is based on a resource unavailability, a packet size, or a packet priority, or a combination thereof. The operations of <NUM> may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of <NUM> may be performed by a condition component as described with reference to <FIG>.

At <NUM>, the device may optionally monitor a packet drop ratio by the device in the wireless communications system, where the packet drop ratio is based on a resource unavailability, a packet size, or a packet priority, or a combination thereof. The operations of <NUM> may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of <NUM> may be performed by a condition component as described with reference to <FIG>.

At <NUM>, the device may determine that the congestion level or the packet drop ratio, or both, satisfy a threshold. The operations of <NUM> may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of <NUM> may be performed by a threshold component as described with reference to <FIG>.

At <NUM>, the device may disable the transmission of the reservation signal prior to the transmission of the packet based on the congestion level or the packet drop ratio, or both, satisfying the threshold. The operations of <NUM> may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of <NUM> may be performed by a signal component as described with reference to <FIG>.

At <NUM>, the device may refrain from transmitting the reservation signal based on the disabling. The operations of <NUM> may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of <NUM> may be performed by a signal component as described with reference to <FIG>.

At <NUM>, the device may determine whether to transmit a reservation signal prior to a transmission of a packet based on a condition. The operations of <NUM> may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of <NUM> may be performed by a condition component as described with reference to <FIG>.

At <NUM>, the device may allocate, based on the determining, resources for the reservation signal from a same resource pool associated with the transmission of the packet or a dedicated resource pool according to a pre-reservation resource pattern, the reservation signal reserving one or more resources for the transmission of the packet. The operations of <NUM> may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of <NUM> may be performed by a resource component as described with reference to <FIG>.

At <NUM>, the device may determine a congestion level related to traffic load in a wireless communications system, where the congestion level is based on a resource unavailability, a packet size, or a packet priority, or a combination thereof. The operations of <NUM> may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of <NUM> may be performed by a condition component as described with reference to <FIG>.

At <NUM>, the device may optionally monitor a packet drop ratio by the device in the wireless communications system, where the packet drop ratio is based on the resource unavailability, the packet size, or the packet priority, or a combination thereof. The operations of <NUM> may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of <NUM> may be performed by a condition component as described with reference to <FIG>.

At <NUM>, the device may map the congestion level to a congestion index value in a table including a set of congestion index values, where each congestion index value correlates to a packet size, a QoS requirement, a packet priority, or a combination thereof. The operations of <NUM> may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of <NUM> may be performed by a mapping component as described with reference to <FIG>.

At <NUM>, the device may determine to enable the reservation signal based on the congestion index value. The operations of <NUM> may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of <NUM> may be performed by a mapping component as described with reference to <FIG>.

At <NUM>, the device may transmit the reservation signal based on the allocation. The operations of <NUM> may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of <NUM> may be performed by a signal component as described with reference to <FIG>.

At <NUM>, the device may determine to disable the reservation signal based on the congestion index value. The operations of <NUM> may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of <NUM> may be performed by a mapping component as described with reference to <FIG>.

At <NUM>, the device may refrain from transmitting the reservation signal based on disabling the reservation signal. The operations of <NUM> may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of <NUM> may be performed by a signal component as described with reference to <FIG>.

Example <NUM>: A method of wireless communication, comprising: determining whether to transmit a reservation signal prior to a transmission of a packet based on a condition; and allocating, based on the determining, resources for the reservation signal from a same resource pool associated with the transmission of the packet or a dedicated resource pool according to a pre-reservation resource pattern, the reservation signal reserving one or more resources for the transmission of the packet.

Example <NUM>: The method of example <NUM>, further comprising: determining a first set of available resources during a transmission time interval, the first set of available resources following the pre-reservation resource pattern or the first set of available resources being from the dedicated resource pool; and selecting the first set of available resources to transmit the reservation signal during the transmission time interval and prior to the transmission of the packet.

Example <NUM>: The method of any of examples <NUM> or <NUM>, further comprising: determining a second set of available resource during the transmission time interval or a subsequent transmission time interval; reserving the second set of available resources for the transmission of the packet; and including, in the reservation signal, information associated with the second set of available resources for the transmission of the packet.

Example <NUM>: The method of any of examples <NUM> to <NUM>, further comprising: determining an absence of available resources during a transmission time interval; determining available resources during a subsequent transmission time interval, the available resources following the pre-reservation resource pattern, and the available resources being from the dedicated resource pool; and selecting the available resources to transmit the reservation signal during the transmission time interval and prior to the transmission of the packet.

Example <NUM>: The method of example <NUM>, further comprising: determining a second set of available resource during the transmission time interval or a subsequent transmission time interval; reserving the second set of available resources for the transmission of the packet; and including, in the reservation signal, information associated with the second set of available resources for the transmission of the packet.

Example <NUM>: The method of any of examples <NUM> to <NUM>, further comprising: determining a congestion level related to traffic load in the wireless communications system, wherein the congestion level is based at least in part on a resource unavailability, a packet size, or a packet priority, or a combination thereof; and monitoring a packet drop ratio by the device in the wireless communications system, wherein the packet drop ratio is based on the resource unavailability, the packet size, or the packet priority, or a combination thereof.

Example <NUM>: The method of example <NUM>, further comprising: mapping the congestion level to a congestion index value in a table comprising a set of congestion index values, wherein each congestion index value correlates to a packet size, a QoS requirement, a packet priority, or a combination thereof; determining to enable the reservation signal based on the congestion index value; and transmitting the reservation signal based on enabling the reservation signal.

Example <NUM>: The method of example <NUM>, further comprising: mapping the congestion level to a congestion index value in a table comprising a set of congestion index values, wherein each congestion index value correlates to a packet size, a QoS requirement, a packet priority, or a combination thereof; determining to disable the reservation signal based on the congestion index value; and refraining from transmitting the reservation signal based on disabling the reservation signal.

Example <NUM>: The method of any of examples <NUM> to <NUM>, further comprising: determining to perform the transmission of the packet using resources from the dedicated resource pool based on disabling the reservation signal, wherein the dedicated resource pool comprises one or more resources dedicated for pre-reservation associated with the reservation signal.

Example <NUM>: The method of example <NUM>: further comprising: determining that the congestion level or the packet drop ratio, or both, are below a first threshold; and refraining from allocating one or more resources for the transmission of the packet from the dedicated resource pool associated with the reservation signal based on the congestion level or the packet drop ratio, or both, being below the first threshold.

Example <NUM>: The method of example <NUM>: further comprising: determining that the congestion level or the packet drop ratio, or both, are above a first threshold and below a second threshold; and allocating resources for the transmission of the packet from the dedicated resource pool associated with the reservation signal based on the congestion level or the packet drop ratio, or both, being above the first threshold and below the second threshold, wherein the allocated resources are reserved based on a reservation signal or a preceding transmission.

Example <NUM>: The method of example <NUM>, further comprising: determining that the congestion level or the packet drop ratio, or both, are above a first threshold; and allocating resources for the transmission of the packet from the dedicated resource pool associated with the reservation signal based on the congestion level or the packet drop ratio, or both, being above the first threshold.

Example <NUM>: An apparatus comprising at least one means for performing a method of any of examples <NUM> to <NUM>.

Example <NUM>: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communications, the code comprising instructions executable by a processor to perform a method of any of examples <NUM> to <NUM>.

Techniques described herein may be used for various wireless communications systems such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA), and other systems.

An OFDMA system may implement a radio technology such as Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), E-UTRA, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) <NUM> (Wi-Fi), IEEE <NUM> (WiMAX), IEEE <NUM>, Flash-OFDM, etc. UTRA and E-UTRA are part of Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS).

A macro cell may cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., several kilometers in radius) and may allow unrestricted access by UEs with service subscriptions with the network provider. A gNB for a macro cell may be referred to as a macro gNB. A gNB for a small cell may be referred to as a small cell gNB, a pico gNB, a femto gNB, or a home gNB. A gNB may support one or multiple (e.g., two, three, four, and the like) cells (e.g., component carriers).

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

As used herein, including in the claims, "or" as used in a list of items (e.g., 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). For example, an exemplary operation that is described as "based on condition A" may be based on both a condition A and a condition B without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

Claim 1:
A method for wireless communications at a device in a wireless communications system, comprising:
receiving a configuration of a pre-reservation resource pattern;
determining (<NUM>) whether to transmit a reservation signal prior to a transmission of a packet based at least in part on a condition; and
allocating (<NUM>), based at least in part on the determining and the pre-reservation resource pattern, resources for the reservation signal from a dedicated resource pool according to the pre-reservation resource pattern, the reservation signal reserving one or more resources for the transmission of the packet.