PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-12101805-B2
Application Number: US-202117441241-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Channel occupancy rate determination in unlicensed spectrum

Abstract:
Some aspects of this disclosure relate to apparatuses and methods for implementing techniques for channel occupancy rate determination of a channel between a user equipment (UE) and a base station in an unlicensed spectrum. A UE can perform measurements based on a measurement configuration from the base station, and further determine a channel occupancy rate of the channel based on the performed measurements. The measurement configuration indicates to the UE to perform an omni measurement or a directional measurement by using an antenna element of the UE. The UE can further transmit a report to the base station to indicate the channel occupancy rate.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A user equipment (UE), comprising:
 one or more antenna panels, wherein an antenna panel of the one or more antenna panels includes a plurality of antenna elements configured to wirelessly communicate with a base station over a channel in an unlicensed spectrum; and 
 a processor communicatively coupled to the one or more antenna panels and configured to: 
 receive a measurement configuration from the base station, wherein the measurement configuration includes an explicit identification to select an omni measurement or a directional measurement by using an antenna element of the antenna panel; 
 perform a measurement based on the measurement configuration; 
 determine a channel occupancy rate of the channel based on the performed measurement, wherein the measurement configuration indicates to perform a measurement of received signal strength indicator (RSSI) within a reference signal measurement window, and the channel occupancy rate is determined as a quotient of the measurement of the RSSI divided by a channel occupancy threshold value; and 
 transmit a report to the base station to indicate the channel occupancy rate. 
 
     
     
       2. The UE of  claim 1 , wherein the measurement configuration indicates to the UE to sense a first number of slots that are busy among a total number of slots within a sliding window of slots configured by the base station, and the processor is configured to determine the channel occupancy rate by a quotient of the first number divided by the total number of slots. 
     
     
       3. The UE of  claim 1 , wherein the antenna element is a pseudo-omni antenna element or a quasi-sector-omni antenna element including a phase shifter, and wherein a directional receiving beam is formed by adjusting the phase shifter of the antenna element for performing the directional measurement. 
     
     
       4. The UE of  claim 1 , wherein the unlicensed spectrum includes a frequency band higher than 52.6 Ghz. 
     
     
       5. The UE of  claim 1 , wherein the antenna element includes a dipole antenna element, a monopole antenna element, a patch antenna element, a loop antenna element, a microstrip antenna element, a single antenna element with multiple apertures, or an antenna element for transmission of radio frequency (RF) signal. 
     
     
       6. The UE of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more antenna panels include 3 antenna panels, and an antenna panel of the 3 antenna panels includes 2, 4, 8, or 16 antenna elements. 
     
     
       7. The UE of  claim 1 , wherein the channel occupancy threshold value is selected by the UE based on a channel bandwidth of the channel. 
     
     
       8. The UE of  claim 1 , wherein the reference signal measurement window has a periodicity of 5 ms, 10 ms, or 20 ms. 
     
     
       9. The UE of  claim 1 , wherein the measurement configuration includes a configuration to perform the omni measurement of the RSSI, or the directional measurement of the RSSI with configured transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state information of the base station. 
     
     
       10. The UE of  claim 1 , wherein the measurement configuration indicates to perform the omni measurement of the RSSI when the measurement configuration does not include transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state information of the base station, and to perform the directional measurement of the RSSI when the measurement configuration includes the TCI state information of the base station. 
     
     
       11. The UE of  claim 10 , wherein the report transmitted to the base station includes the measurement of RSSI, the channel occupancy rate, an update to the TCI state information, an average of a plurality of measurements of the RSSI over a period of time, and an average of a plurality of channel occupancy rates over the period of time. 
     
     
       12. A base station, comprising:
 a transceiver configured to wirelessly communicate with a user equipment (UE) over a channel in an unlicensed spectrum; and 
 a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver and configured to: 
 determine a measurement configuration for reporting a channel occupancy rate by the UE, wherein the measurement configuration includes an explicit identification to select an omni measurement or a directional measurement by using an antenna element of the UE; 
 transmit, to the UE, the determined measurement configuration; and 
 receive, from the UE, a report to indicate the channel occupancy rate for the channel between the UE and the base station determined based on the measurement configuration, wherein the measurement configuration indicates to perform a measurement of received signal strength indicator (RSSI) within a reference signal measurement window, and the channel occupancy rate is determined as a quotient of the measurement of the RSSI divided by a channel occupancy threshold value. 
 
     
     
       13. The base station of  claim 12 , wherein the measurement configuration indicates to the UE to perform the omni measurement of the RSSI, or perform the directional measurement of the RSSI with transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state information of the base station. 
     
     
       14. The base station of  claim 13 , wherein the TCI state information of the base station is configured and updated by medium access control (MAC) control element (CE). 
     
     
       15. The base station of  claim 12 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
 adjust the channel between the UE and the base station to use a carrier that has a smaller channel occupancy rate than the channel occupancy rate determined by the UE, when the UE is capable of supporting component carrier (CA); 
 adjust the channel between the UE and the base station to use another carrier in a frequency range different from a current frequency range of the channel between the UE and the base station, when the UE supports two different frequency ranges; 
 enable clear channel assessment (CCA) to control interference in a current cell that includes the UE caused from operations in a neighboring cell of the current cell; or 
 enable receiver side CCA to control interference in the current cell caused from operations in the neighboring cell. 
 
     
     
       16. The base station of  claim 15 , wherein the received report includes the measurement of the RSSI, and the processor is further configured to adjust a maximum value used in a Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) check to generate a random number for deferred transmission. 
     
     
       17. A method for a user equipment (UE), comprising:
 receiving a measurement configuration from a base station, wherein the measurement configuration indicates to perform a measurement of received signal strength indicator (RSSI) within a reference signal measurement window by using an antenna element of the UE configured to wirelessly communicate with the base station over a channel in an unlicensed spectrum, wherein the measurement of the RSSI is an omni measurement or a directional measurement; 
 performing the measurement of the RSSI based on the measurement configuration; 
 determining a channel occupancy rate based on the performed measurement, wherein the channel occupancy rate is determined as a quotient of the measurement of the RSSI divided by a channel occupancy threshold value; and 
 transmitting a report to the base station to indicate the channel occupancy rate, wherein the report includes the measurement of the RSSI. 
 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 17 , wherein the measurement configuration indicates to the UE to perform the omni measurement of the RSSI when there is no transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state information of the base station included in the measurement configuration, or perform the directional measurement of the RSSI when the TCI state information of the base station is included in the measurement configuration.

Description:
This application is a U.S. National Phase of International Application No. PCT/CN2021/071763, filed Jan. 14, 2021, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Field 
     The described aspects generally relate to wireless communication in unlicensed spectrum. 
     Related Art 
     The fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR) in unlicensed spectrum (NR-U) provides the technology for cellular operators to fully integrate the unlicensed spectrum into 5G networks. NR-U enables both uplink and downlink operations in unlicensed bands, supporting 5G new features such as wideband carriers. In NR-U, channel access in both downlink and uplink relies on the listen-before-talk (LBT) feature. A wireless device or a base station must first “sense” the communication channel to be “free” prior to any transmission. 
     SUMMARY 
     Some aspects of this disclosure relate to apparatuses and methods for implementing techniques for channel occupancy rate determination of a channel between a user equipment (UE) and a base station in an unlicensed spectrum, e.g., new radio unlicensed spectrum (e.g., 60 GHz), or an unlicensed spectrum in other wireless systems. A UE can perform various measurements based on a measurement configuration from the base station, and further determine a channel occupancy rate of the channel based on the performed measurements. The channel occupancy rate can be defined in various ways. e.g., as a quotient of a number of busy slots with respect to a total number of slots within a sliding window, or as a quotient of a measurement of received signal strength indicator (RSSI) within a reference signal measurement window with respect to a channel occupancy threshold value. The measurement of RSSI can be an omni measurement or a directional measurement. The UE can further transmit a report to the base station to indicate both the measurement of RSSI and the channel occupancy rate. 
     Some aspects of this disclosure relate to a UE. The UE can include one or more antenna panels, and a processor communicatively coupled to the one or more antenna panels. The one or more antenna panels can be configured to wirelessly communicate with a base station over a channel in an unlicensed spectrum. e.g., a frequency band higher than 52.6 Ghz. An antenna element of the one or more antenna panels can be a pseudo-omni antenna element or a quasi-sector-omni antenna element including a phase shifter, where a directional receiving beam can be formed by adjusting the phase shifter of the antenna element for performing the directional measurement. The one or more antenna panels can include 3 antenna panels, and an antenna panel can include 2, 4, 8, or 16 antenna elements. The antenna element can include a dipole antenna element, a monopole antenna element, a patch antenna element, a loop antenna element, a microstrip antenna element, a single antenna element with multiple apertures, or an antenna element for transmission of radio frequency (RF) signal. 
     According to some aspects, the processor of the UE is configured to receive a measurement configuration from the base station. The measurement configuration can indicate to the UE to perform an omni measurement or a directional measurement by using an antenna element of the antenna panel. Afterwards, the processor is configured to perform, or cause to perform, the omni measurement or the directional measurement based on the measurement configuration, and further determine a channel occupancy rate of the channel based on the performed measurement. In addition, the processor is configured to transmit a report to the base station to indicate the channel occupancy rate. 
     According to some aspects, the measurement configuration can indicate to the UE to sense a first number of slots that are busy among a total number of slots within a sliding window of slots configured by the base station. The channel occupancy rate can be determined by a quotient of the first number divided by the total number of slots. 
     According to some aspects, the measurement configuration can indicate to the UE to perform a measurement of received signal strength indicator (RSSI) within a reference signal measurement window. The measurement configuration can also indicate to the UE the RSSI measurement period and location. The channel occupancy rate is determined as a quotient of the measurement of RSSI divided by a channel occupancy threshold value. The channel occupancy threshold value can be selected by the UE based on a channel bandwidth of the channel. The reference signal measurement window can have a periodicity of 5 ms, 10 ms, or 20 ms. 
     According to some aspects, the measurement configuration can include a configuration to perform the omni measurement of RSSI or the directional measurement of RSSI with configured transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state information of the base station. The report transmitted to the base station can include the measurement of RSSI, the channel occupancy rate, an update to the TC state information, an average of a plurality of measurements of RSSI over a period of time, and an average of a plurality of channel occupancy rates over the period of time. 
     According to some aspects, the measurement configuration can indicate for the UE to perform the omni measurement of RSSI when the measurement configuration does not include transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state information, and to perform the directional measurement of RSSI when the measurement configuration includes the TC state information of the base station. 
     Some aspects of this disclosure relate to a base station. A base station can include a transceiver configured to wirelessly communicate with a UE over a channel in an unlicensed spectrum, and a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver. The processor can be configured to determine a measurement configuration for reporting a channel occupancy rate by the UE. The measurement configuration can indicate to the UE to perform an omni measurement or a directional measurement by using an antenna element of the UE. The processor can be further configured to transmit, to the UE, the determined measurement configuration. Afterwards, the processor can be configured to receive, from the UE, a report to indicate the channel occupancy rate for the channel between the UE and the base station determined based on the measurement configuration. 
     According to some aspects, the measurement configuration indicates to the UE to perform a measurement of RSSI within a reference signal measurement window, where the channel occupancy rate is determined as a quotient of the measurement of RSSI divided by a channel occupancy threshold value. The measurement configuration can also indicate to the UE to perform the omni measurement or the directional measurement of received signal strength indicator (RSSI) within a reference signal measurement window. The directional measurement of RSSI is performed with TC state information of the base station. The TCI state information of the base station can be configured by medium access control (MAC) control element (CE). 
     According to some aspects, the processor of the base station is further configured to adjust the channel between the UE and the base station to use another carrier that has a smaller channel occupancy rate than the channel occupancy rate received from the UE, when the UE is capable to support component carrier (CA). Similarly, the processor of the base station can be configured to adjust the channel between the UE and the base station to use a carrier in a frequency range different from a current frequency range of the channel between the UE and the base station, when the UE supports two different frequency ranges. Furthermore, the processor of the base station can enable clear channel assessment (CCA) to control interference in a current cell that includes the UE caused from operations in a neighboring cell of the current cell, or enable receiver side CCA to control interference to the current cell caused from operations in the neighboring cell. 
     According to some aspects, the received report can include the measurement of RSSI, and the processor of the base station can be further configured to adjust a maximum value used in a CCA check to generate a random number for deferred transmission. 
     This Summary is provided merely for purposes of illustrating some aspects to provide an understanding of the subject matter described herein. Accordingly, the above-described features are merely examples and should not be construed to narrow the scope or spirit of the subject matter in this disclosure. Other features, aspects, and advantages of this disclosure will become apparent from the following Detailed Description, Figures, and Claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
       The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form part of the specification, illustrate the present disclosure and, together with the description, further serve to explain the principles of the disclosure and enable a person of skill in the relevant art(s) to make and use the disclosure. 
         FIG.  1    illustrates a wireless system including a user equipment (UE) to wirelessly communicate with a base station over a channel in an unlicensed spectrum, where the UE has at least an antenna panel including multiple antenna elements, according to some aspects of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  2    illustrates a block diagram of a UE having at least an antenna panel including multiple antenna elements, according to some aspects of the disclosure. 
         FIGS.  3 - 4    illustrate example methods performed by a UE or a base station for determining a channel occupancy rate based on measurements performed by an antenna element of an antenna panel, according to some aspects of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  5    illustrates an example channel occupancy rate based on measurements performed by an antenna element of an antenna panel, according to some aspects of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  6    is an example computer system for implementing some aspects or portion(s) thereof of the disclosure provided herein. 
     
    
    
     The present disclosure is described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, generally, like reference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar elements. Additionally, generally, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the drawing in which the reference number first appears. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     New Radio (NR) in unlicensed spectrum (NR-U) can have a variety of options for flexibly utilizing unlicensed spectrum, such as license-assisted access (LAA), or standalone mode. The unlicensed spectrum can include the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, or millimeter-wave (mmWave) carrier frequencies (30-300 GHz) bands, e.g., above 52.6 GHz. Millimeter-wave frequencies above 52.6 GHz have a great potential for various services. For example, the frequency range from 57-71 GHz can be used for unlicensed wireless communication and intelligent transportation system (ITS) applications. In mmWave bands, directional communications using directional antenna elements are desirable due to propagation conditions. In some examples, a smart antenna system can be used, where all antenna elements are considered as pseudo-omni or quasi-sector-omni antenna elements including a phase shifter. A directional receiving beam can be formed by adjusting the phase shifter of the antenna element. Directional beamforming can be used to overcome propagation limits like severe pathloss, blocking, and oxygen absorption. In addition, it is important to enable a fair and harmonious coexistence between NR-U and other wireless systems in the unlicensed spectrum, such as Wi-Fi in the 5 GHz band (IEEE 802.11a/n/ac/ax) and directional multi-Gigabit Wi-Fi in the 60 GHz band (IEEE 802.11ad/ay, also known as Wireless Gigabit (WiGig)). 
     In an unlicensed spectrum, a Listen-Before-Talk (LBT) mechanism can be used to sense the channel occupancy using a Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) check before utilizing the channel. CCA uses energy detection (ED) to detect the presence (i.e., channel is busy) or absence (i.e., channel is free) of other signals on the channel. If the detected energy during an initial CCA period is lower than a certain threshold, the channel is deemed to be free, and the device can utilize the channel for a period called channel occupancy time (COT). On the other hand, when the detected energy during an initial CCA period is higher than the threshold, the channel is deemed to be busy, and the device cannot utilize the channel. Hence, under LBT, the channel is determined to be in a binary state, either busy or free. In addition, LBT can suffer from the hidden node and exposed node problems due to the differences in the sensing, transmission, and reception ranges. 
     Some aspects of this disclosure provide mechanisms to extend the LBT. Instead of determining a channel to be busy or free as a binary state, a UE can perform an omni measurement or a directional measurement, and determine a channel occupancy rate of the channel based on the performed measurement. A channel occupancy rate can be defined as a real number ranging from 0 to a number larger than 1, instead of a binary value representing busy or free. In addition, the measurements used to calculate the channel occupancy rate can be measured by an omni measurement, or a directional measurement. Furthermore, since the channel occupancy rate for a channel is a real number, based on such a channel occupancy rate, a first channel can be less busy than a second channel when the channel occupancy rate of the first channel is smaller than the channel occupancy rate of the second channel. Accordingly, a base station can move or adjust the channel between the UE and the base station to use another carrier that has a smaller channel occupancy rate than the channel occupancy rate received from the UE, when the UE is capable to support component carrier (CA). If LBT is used, a base station would not be able to determine one channel to be less busy than another, hence not be able to move the channel to a less busy channel. 
       FIG.  1    illustrates a wireless system  100  including a UE  101  to wirelessly communicate with a base station  103  over a channel in an unlicensed spectrum, where UE  101  has at least an antenna panel including multiple antenna elements, according to some aspects of the disclosure.  FIG.  2    illustrates a block diagram of a UE, e.g., UE  101 , having at least an antenna panel including multiple antenna elements. Wireless system  100  is provided for the purpose of illustration only and does not limit the disclosed aspects. Wireless system  100  can include, but is not limited to, UE  101 , base station  103 , and a base station  105 . UE  101  communicates with base station  103  over channel  106  in an unlicensed spectrum, and communicates with base station  105  over channel  108 , which can be an unlicensed spectrum or a licensed spectrum. In some embodiments, wireless system  100  can be a standalone system including only base station  103  and UE  101 , without base station  105 . In some examples, wireless system  100  can be a NR-U system, a LTE system, a 5G system, or some other wireless system. There can be other network entities, e.g., network controller, a relay station, not shown. 
     According to some aspects, channel  106  can be in various unlicensed spectrum, e.g., sub 7 GHz, or mmWave bands, e.g., 37 Ghz band, 60 GHz bands, or any frequency band higher than 52.6 Ghz. Accordingly, wireless system  100  can be any wireless system, e.g., an indoor sub 7 GHz system, an indoor mmWave system, an outdoor sub 7 GHz system, or an outdoor mmWave system. 
     According to some aspects, channel  108  can be in an unlicensed spectrum or a licensed spectrum. Accordingly, wireless system  100  can be a wireless system having carrier aggregation (CA) between licensed band NR and unlicensed band NR-U. Similarly, wireless system  100  can be a wireless system having dual connectivity between licensed band LTE and unlicensed band NR-U, standalone unlicensed band NR-U, NR with downlink in unlicensed band and uplink in licensed band, dual connectivity between licensed band NR and unlicensed band NR-U. In addition, wireless system  100  can support a wide range of use cases such as enhanced mobile broad band (eMBB), massive machine type communications (mMTC), ultra-reliable and low-latency communications (URLLC), and enhanced vehicle to anything communications (eV2X). 
     According to some aspects, base station  103  and base station  105  can be a fixed station or a mobile station. Base station  103  and base station  105  can also be called other names, such as a base transceiver system (BTS), an access point (AP), a transmission/reception point (TRP), an evolved NodeB (eNB), a next generation node B (gNB), a 5G node B (NB), or some other equivalent terminology. 
     According to some aspects, base station  103  can provide wireless coverage for a cell  102 , while base station  105  can wireless coverage for a cell  104  contained within cell  102 . In some other embodiments, cell  102  can overlap partially with cell  104 . Cell  102  or cell  104  can be a macro cell, a pico cell, a femto cell, and/or another type of cell. For comparison, a macro cell can cover a relatively large geographic area, e.g., several kilometers in radius, a femto cell can cover a relatively small geographic area. e.g., a home, while a pico cell covers an area smaller than the area covered by a macro cell but larger than the area covered by a femto cell. For example, cell  102  can be a macro cell, while cell  104  can be a pico cell or a femto cell. In addition, cell  102  can be a pico cell and cell  104  can be a femto cell. In some examples, the geographic area of a cell can move according to the location of a mobile base station. In some examples, base station  103  and base station  105  can be interconnected to one another and/or to other base station or network nodes in a network through various types of backhaul interfaces such as a direct physical connection, a virtual network, and/or the like, not shown. 
     According to some aspects, UE  101  can be stationary or mobile. UE  101  can be a cellular phone (e.g., a smart phone), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, a wireless communication device, a handheld device, a laptop, a desktop, a cordless phone, a wireless local loop station, a tablet, a camera, a gaming device, a netbook, an ultrabook, a medical device or equipment, a biometric sensor or device, a wearable device (smart watch, smart clothing, smart glasses, smart wrist band, smart jewelry such as smart ring or smart bracelet), an entertainment device (e.g., a music or video device, or a satellite radio), a vehicular component, a smart meter, an industrial manufacturing equipment, a global positioning system device, an Internet-of-Things (IoT) device, a machine-type communication (MTC) device, an evolved or enhanced machine-type communication (eMTC) device, or any other suitable device that is configured to communicate via a wireless medium. For example, a MTC and eMTC device can include, a robot, a drone, a location tag, and/or the like. 
     According to some aspects, UE  101  can include an antenna  107  having a plurality of antenna panels, e.g., an antenna panel  117 , and an antenna panel  118 . In general, antenna  107  can include one or more antenna panels. An antenna panel can include an array of antenna elements that can be located in close physical location. For example, antenna panel  118  can include antenna element  112 , antenna element  114 , and antenna element  116 , while antenna panel  117  can include antenna element  111 , antenna element  113 , and antenna element  115 . Any antenna element, e.g., antenna element  111 , antenna element  113 , and antenna element  115 , antenna element  112 , antenna element  114 , and antenna element  116 , can be an omnidirectional antenna element, a quasi-omnidirectional antenna element, or a directional antenna element. In some examples, antenna  107  can be a smart antenna system, where all antenna elements are considered as pseudo-omni or quasi-sector-omni antenna elements including a phase shifter. A directional receiving beam can be formed by adjusting the phase shifter of the antenna element. Antenna panel  117  and antenna panel  118  are only shown as examples. In some examples, there can be 3 antenna panels, and an antenna panel of the 3 antenna panels includes 2, 4, 8, or 16 antenna elements. Antenna element  111 , antenna element  113 , antenna element  115 , antenna element  112 , antenna element  114 , and antenna element  116  can include a dipole antenna element, a monopole antenna element, a patch antenna element, a loop antenna element, a microstrip antenna element, or any other type of antenna elements suitable for transmission of RF signals. 
       FIG.  2    illustrates a block diagram of UE  101 , having antenna panel  117  including antenna element  111 , antenna element  113 , antenna element  115 . Antenna element  111 , antenna element  113 , antenna element  115  share a same transceiver  203  and controlled by processor  201 . In detail, transceiver  203  can include radio frequency (RF) circuitry  216 , transmission circuitry  212 , and reception circuitry  214 . RF circuitry  216  can include multiple parallel RF chains for one or more of transmit or receive functions, each connected to one or more antenna elements of the antenna panel. In addition, processor  201  can be coupled to a memory device  211 , where measurement configuration  109  can be stored. Processor  201 , alone or in combination with instructions stored in memory device  211  and the transceiver  203 , can perform or cause to per perform, the channel occupancy rate determinations and functionality described herein. 
     Furthermore, antenna element  111 , antenna element  113 , antenna element  115  of antenna panel  117  can share common power procedures (e.g., that may be collectively powered on or powered off), can be used to form a shared beam (e.g., by controlling a gain, phase shift of individual antenna element). In some multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) embodiments, one or more of the antennas elements can be effectively separated to take advantage of spatial diversity and the different channel characteristics.  FIG.  2    only shows the circuitry for one antenna panel, e.g., antenna panel  117 . Additional circuitry for other antenna panels, e.g., antenna panel  118  can have additional circuitry similar to that shown in  FIG.  2   . In some embodiments, circuitry for antenna panel  117  and circuitry for antenna panel  118  can share some components. 
     According to some aspects, UE  101  can communicate with base station  103  using a single antenna panel for both uplink and downlink transmission. Base station  103  can transmit a panel configuration message to identify a default antenna panel for UE  101 , and a secondary antenna panel for UE  101 . For example, antenna panel  117  can be a default antenna panel for communication between UE  101  and base station  103 , while antenna panel  118  can be a secondary antenna panel. Additionally and alternatively, UE  101  can communicate with base station  103  using multiple antenna panels, having a first antenna panel for uplink, and a second antenna panel for downlink. Similarly. UE  101  can communicate with base station  103  and base station  105  using a single antenna panel, or multiple antenna panels. 
     According to some aspects, UE  101  or processor  201  can be configured to receive a measurement configuration  109  from base station  101 . The measurement configuration  109  can indicate to UE  101  to perform an omni measurement or a directional measurement by using an antenna element of the antenna panel. More detailed operations to be performed by UE  101  or processor  201  are illustrated in  FIG.  3   , while operations performed by base station  103  are illustrated in  FIG.  4   . 
       FIGS.  3 - 4    illustrates example methods for determining a channel occupancy rate based on measurements performed by an antenna element of an antenna panel, according to some aspects of the disclosure.  FIG.  5    illustrates an example channel occupancy rate based on measurements performed by an antenna element of an antenna panel. 
     According to some aspects, as shown in  FIG.  3   , method  300  can be performed by UE  101  to determine a channel occupancy rate based on measurements performed by an antenna element of an antenna panel. 
     At  302 , UE  101  can receive a measurement configuration  109  from base station  103 . Measurement configuration  109  indicates to UE  101  to perform an omni measurement or a directional measurement by using an antenna element of the antenna panel. Measurement configuration  109  can be configured by a higher layer signaling, e.g., RRC signaling, and can be configured on a per cell or per UE basis. In detail, measurement configuration  109  can be configured for cell  102 . When UE  101  moves out cell  102 , anew measurement configuration can be used by UE  101 . Additionally and alternatively, measurement configuration  109  can be configured specifically for UE  101 . When UE  101  moves out cell  102  to another cell, measurement configuration  109  can still be valid for UE  101 . 
     According to some aspects, measurement configuration  109  is received from base station  103 , and indicates to UE  101  to perform measurements by using an antenna element selected from antenna element  111 , antenna element  113 , or antenna element  115  of antenna panel  117 . Measurement configuration  109  can indicate to perform an omni measurement or a directional measurement by using an antenna element of the antenna panel. The antenna element can be a pseudo-omni antenna element or a quasi-sector-omni antenna element including a phase shifter. A directional receiving beam can be formed by adjusting the phase shifter of the antenna element for performing the directional measurement. In addition, measurement configuration  109  can indicate to select multiple antenna elements to perform the measurements. 
     When performing an omni measurement, UE  101  can measure inferences or signals from all directions of nearby operations of a neighbor cell, other operators or other wireless network, e.g., wireless LAN such as IEEE 802.11ad/11ay activity. When perform a directional measurement, UE  101  can measure interference in only the receiving direction (of the directional antenna) from nearby operations of a neighbor cell, other operators or other wireless network, e.g., wireless LAN such as IEEE 802.11ad/11ay activity. Accordingly, the omni measurement results may be different from directional measurement results. Base station  103  can determine and configure whether an omni measurement or a directional measurement is to be performed. In order to make such a determination, base station  103  can maintain a historically accumulated database to determine whether omni measurement or a directional measurement is to be performed. 
     According to some aspects, there can be various measurement configuration. Measurement configuration  109  can indicate to UE  101  to sense a first number of slots that are busy among a total number of slots within a sliding window of slots configured by the base station. As shown in  FIG.  5   , a window  551 , a window  553 , and a window  555  illustrate a sliding window of slots. Each of the windows contains total 15 slots. Window  551  is a first sliding window starting from slot  501  ending at slot  509 . Window  553  is a second sliding window starting from slot  511  ending at slot  520 , moving forward 4 slots from window  551 . Window  555  is a third sliding window starting from slot  515  ending at slot  531 , moving forward 4 slots from window  553 . Window  510  is for data transmission. Within window  551 , UE  101  can sense 6 slots (slot  511  to slot  516 ) that are busy, and 9 slots (slot  501  to slot  504 , slot  505  to slot  509 ) that are free. Within window  553 , UE  101  can sense 10 slots (slot  511  to slot  516 , slot  517  to slot  520 ) that are busy, and 5 slots (slot  505  to slot  509 ) that are free. 
     According to some aspects, measurement configuration  109  can indicate to UE  101  to perform a measurement of received signal strength indicator (RSSI) within a reference signal measurement window. In some examples, the reference signal measurement window can have a periodicity of 5 ms, 10 ms, or 20 ms. In some embodiments, measurement configuration  109  can include a configuration to perform the omni measurement of RSSI, or the directional measurement of RSSI. For example, such a configuration can include an explicit identification to select the omni measurement of RSSI or the directional measurement of RSSI. When the directional measurement of RSSI is to performed, the measurement can be performed with a configured transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state information of base station  103 . Additionally and alternatively, measurement configuration  109  can implicitly indicate to UE  101  to perform the omni measurement of RSSI when the measurement configuration  109  does not include TCI state information, and to perform the directional measurement of RSSI when the measurement configuration includes TC state information of the base station. A TCI state information can specify the source reference signal to be used for the measurement, e.g., synchronization signal blocks (SSB), sounding reference signal (SRS), or channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS). Base station  103  can configure a set of TC state information by a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) transmission, and use a downlink control information (DCI) transmission to down-select one of the TCI states. As a further extension, with regard to multi-TRP operation, base station  103  can indicate multiple TC states. 
     Referring back to  FIG.  3   , at  304 , UE  101  can perform the measurements based on the measurement configuration  109  using the selected antenna element. 
     At  306 , UE  101  can determine a channel occupancy rate of the channel based on the performed measurement. According to some aspects, a channel occupancy rate is a real number ranging from 0 to a number larger than 1, instead of a binary value representing busy or free. In some example, when UE  101  is configured to sense a first number of slots that are busy or free among a total number of slots within a sliding window of slots, UE  101  can determine the channel occupancy rate by a quotient of the first number divided by the total number of slots. For example, as shown in  FIG.  5   , within window  511 . UE  101  can sense 6 busy slots (slot  511  to slot  516 ), and 9 free slots (slot  501  to slot  504 , slot  505  to slot  509 ). Within window  553 , UE  101  can sense 10 busy slots (slot  511  to slot  516 , slot  517  to slot  520 ) and 5 free slots. Hence, the channel occupancy rate during window  551  is 6/15=0.4, and the channel occupancy rate during window  553  is 10/15=0.66. Hence, the channel between UE  101  and base station  103  is busier during window  553  (0.66) than window  551 . 
     In some other examples, UE  101  can determine the channel occupancy rate to be a quotient of the measurement of RSSI divided by a channel occupancy threshold value. The channel occupancy threshold value is selected by the UE or the base station based on a channel bandwidth of the channel. When the measurement of RSSI is larger than the channel occupancy threshold value, the channel occupancy rate can be larger than 1. The larger the channel occupancy rate, the busier the channel is. 
     In some other examples, the channel occupancy rate can be calculated in different ways based on the measurement of RSSI. For example, there can be multiple measurements of RSSI performed during a reporting interval, which can be provided by physical layer functions. Each measurement of RSSI is compared to a channel occupancy threshold value to determine the measurement of RSSI is larger or not than the channel occupancy threshold value. The channel occupancy rate can be calculated as a percentage of the number of measurements of RSSI that is larger than the channel occupancy threshold value divided by the total number of measurements of RSSI within the reporting interval. For example, during a certain report interval, based on RSSI measurement time configuration (RMTC) configuration, there can be a total of 10 measurements of RSSI obtained. Six of the 10 measurements of RSSI obtained are larger than the channel occupancy threshold value. Accordingly, the channel occupancy rate can be 6/10=60%. 
     Based on such a channel occupancy rate, a first channel can be less busy than a second channel when the channel occupancy rate of the first channel is smaller than the channel occupancy rate of the second channel. In a wireless system, when LBT is applied, one channel is either free or busy, and cannot be anything in between. Hence, for LBT mechanism, it is not defined that one channel is less busy than another channel. Accordingly, the channel occupancy rate used in the current disclosure can provide more options for scheduling of communication between UE  101  and base station  103 . For example, when UE  101  is capable to support component carrier (CA), base station  103  can move or adjust the channel between UE  101  and base station  103  to use another carrier that has a smaller channel occupancy rate than the channel occupancy rate measured by UE  101 . 
     At  308 , UE  101  can transmit a report to base station  103  to indicate the channel occupancy rate. In some examples, the report transmitted to base station  103  can include the measurement of RSSI, the channel occupancy rate, and an update to the TC state information. 
     According to some aspects,  FIG.  4    illustrates the operations of method  400  performed by a base station, e.g., base station  103 , to determine a channel occupancy rate based on measurements performed by an antenna element of an antenna panel of UE  101 . 
     At  402 , base station  103  can determine a measurement configuration for reporting a channel occupancy rate by UE  101 . The measurement configuration, e.g., measurement configuration  109 , can indicate to the UE to perform an omni measurement or a directional measurement by using an antenna element of the UE. The measurement configuration can indicate to UE  101  to perform a measurement of RSSI within a reference signal measurement window, where the channel occupancy rate is determined as a quotient of the measurement of RSSI divided by a channel occupancy threshold value. Other ways to calculate the channel occupancy rate based on the measurement of RSSI can be used as well. The measurement configuration can indicate to the UE to perform an omni measurement or a directional measurement by using an antenna element of the UE. When a directional measurement of RSSI is to be performed, the measurement is performed with TCI state information of base station  103 . In some examples, the TCI state information of base station  103  can be configured by medium access control (MAC) control element (CE). 
     At  404 , base station  103  can transmit, to UE  101 , the determined measurement configuration, which can be saved by UE  101  as measurement configuration  109 . 
     At  406 , base station  103  can receive, from UE  101 , a report to indicate the channel occupancy rate for the channel between UE  101  and base station  103  determined based on the measurements performed by UE  101  based on measurement configuration  109 . 
     Based on such a channel occupancy rate, a first channel can be less busy than a second channel when the channel occupancy rate of the first channel is smaller than the channel occupancy rate of the second channel. Accordingly, a base station can adjust the channel between the UE and the base station to use another carrier that has a smaller channel occupancy rate than the channel occupancy rate received from the UE, when the UE is capable to support component carrier (CA). Additional operations can be performed, e.g., moving the channel between the UE and the base station to use a carrier in a frequency range different from a current frequency range of the channel between the UE and the base station, when the UE supports two different frequency ranges, enabling clear channel assessment (CCA) to control interference in a current cell that includes the UE caused from operations in a neighboring cell of the current cell; or enabling receiver side CCA to control interference to the current cell caused from operations in the neighboring cell. For example, the received report includes the RSSI measurement, and the processor is further configured to adjust a maximum value used in a Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) check to generate a random number for deferred transmission. 
     Various aspects can be implemented, for example, using one or more computer systems, such as computer system  600  shown in  FIG.  6   . Computer system  600  can be any computer capable of performing the functions described herein such as UE  101 , base station  103 , or base station  105  as shown in  FIG.  1    and  FIG.  2   . Computer system  600  includes one or more processors (also called central processing units, or CPUs), such as a processor  604 . Processor  604  is connected to a communication infrastructure  606  (e.g., a bus). Computer system  600  also includes user input/output device(s)  603 , such as monitors, keyboards, pointing devices, etc., that communicate with communication infrastructure  606  through user input/output interface(s)  602 . Computer system  600  also includes a main or primary memory  608 , such as random access memory (RAM). Main memory  608  may include one or more levels of cache. Main memory  608  has stored therein control logic (e.g., computer software) and/or data. 
     Computer system  600  may also include one or more secondary storage devices or memory  610 . Secondary memory  610  may include, for example, a hard disk drive  612  and/or a removable storage device or drive  614 . Removable storage drive  614  may be a floppy disk drive, a magnetic tape drive, a compact disk drive, an optical storage device, tape backup device, and/or any other storage device/drive. 
     Removable storage drive  614  may interact with a removable storage unit  618 . Removable storage unit  618  includes a computer usable or readable storage device having stored thereon computer software (control logic) and/or data. Removable storage unit  618  may be a floppy disk, magnetic tape, compact disk, DVD, optical storage disk, and/any other computer data storage device. Removable storage drive  614  reads from and/or writes to removable storage unit  618  in a well-known manner. 
     According to some aspects, secondary memory  610  may include other means, instrumentalities or other approaches for allowing computer programs and/or other instructions and/or data to be accessed by computer system  600 . Such means, instrumentalities or other approaches may include, for example, a removable storage unit  622  and an interface  620 . Examples of the removable storage unit  622  and the interface  620  may include a program cartridge and cartridge interface (such as that found in video game devices), a removable memory chip (such as an EPROM or PROM) and associated socket, a memory stick and USB port, a memory card and associated memory card slot, and/or any other removable storage unit and associated interface. 
     In some examples, main memory  608 , the removable storage unit  618 , the removable storage unit  622  can store instructions that, when executed by processor  604 , cause processor  604  to perform operations for a UE or a base station, e.g., UE  101 , base station  103 , or base station  105  as shown in  FIG.  1    and  FIG.  2   . In some examples, the operations include those operations illustrated and described in  FIGS.  3 - 4   . 
     Computer system  600  may further include a communication or network interface  624 . Communication interface  624  enables computer system  600  to communicate and interact with any combination of remote devices, remote networks, remote entities, etc. (individually and collectively referenced by reference number  628 ). For example, communication interface  624  may allow computer system  600  to communicate with remote devices  628  over communications path  626 , which may be wired and/or wireless, and which may include any combination of LANs, WANs, the Internet, etc. Control logic and/or data may be transmitted to and from computer system  600  via communication path  626 . Operations of the communication interface  624  can be performed by a wireless controller, and/or a cellular controller. The cellular controller can be a separate controller to manage communications according to a different wireless communication technology. The operations in the preceding aspects can be implemented in a wide variety of configurations and architectures. Therefore, some or all of the operations in the preceding aspects may be performed in hardware, in software or both. In some aspects, a tangible, non-transitory apparatus or article of manufacture includes a tangible, non-transitory computer useable or readable medium having control logic (software) stored thereon is also referred to herein as a computer program product or program storage device. This includes, but is not limited to, computer system  600 , main memory  608 , secondary memory  610  and removable storage units  618  and  622 , as well as tangible articles of manufacture embodying any combination of the foregoing. Such control logic, when executed by one or more data processing devices (such as computer system  600 ), causes such data processing devices to operate as described herein. 
     Based on the teachings contained in this disclosure, it will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art(s) how to make and use aspects of the disclosure using data processing devices, computer systems and/or computer architectures other than that shown in  FIG.  6   . In particular, aspects may operate with software, hardware, and/or operating system implementations other than those described herein. 
     It is to be appreciated that the Detailed Description section, and not the Summary and Abstract sections, is intended to be used to interpret the claims. The Summary and Abstract sections may set forth one or more, but not all, exemplary aspects of the disclosure as contemplated by the inventor(s), and thus, are not intended to limit the disclosure or the appended claims in any way. 
     While the disclosure has been described herein with reference to exemplary aspects for exemplary fields and applications, it should be understood that the disclosure is not limited thereto. Other aspects and modifications thereto are possible, and are within the scope and spirit of the disclosure. For example, and without limiting the generality of this paragraph, aspects are not limited to the software, hardware, firmware, and/or entities illustrated in the figures and/or described herein. Further, aspects (whether or not explicitly described herein) have significant utility to fields and applications beyond the examples described herein. 
     Aspects have been described herein with the aid of functional building blocks illustrating the implementation of specified functions and relationships thereof. The boundaries of these functional building blocks have been arbitrarily defined herein for the convenience of the description. Alternate boundaries can be defined as long as the specified functions and relationships (or equivalents thereof) are appropriately performed. In addition, alternative aspects may perform functional blocks, steps, operations, methods, etc. using orderings different from those described herein. 
     References herein to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “an example embodiment,” or similar phrases, indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it would be within the knowledge of persons skilled in the relevant art(s) to incorporate such feature, structure, or characteristic into other aspects whether or not explicitly mentioned or described herein. 
     The breadth and scope of the disclosure should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary aspects, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents. 
     It is well understood that the use of personally identifiable information should follow privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmental requirements for maintaining the privacy of users. In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and handled so as to minimize risks of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly indicated to users. 
     For one or more embodiments or examples, at least one of the components set forth in one or more of the preceding figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes, and/or methods as set forth in the example section below. For example, circuitry associated with a thread device, routers, network element, etc. as described above in connection with one or more of the preceding figures may be configured to operate in accordance with one or more of the examples set forth below in the example section.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20210114
Publication Date: 20240924
Grant Date: 20240924
Priority Date: 20210114
Inventors: FAKOORIAN, SEYED ALI AKBAR
ZHANG, DAWEI
YE, CHUNXUAN
OTERI, OGHENEKOME
ZENG, WEI
ZHANG, YUSHU
YANG, WEIDONG
HE, HONG
YAO, CHUNHAI
NIU, HUANING
YE, SIGEN
SUN, HAITONG
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H04W16/14", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B7/0691", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W16/14", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W74/0808", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B7/0404", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W16/14", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W74/0808", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 82447772