IP Library Granted Patent US 12,349,190
Granted Patent B2
US 12,349,190 · App. 17/441,314 · Granted Jul 1, 2025

Unlicensed spectrum frame based equipment channel sensing techniques

Inventors: Hong He (San Jose, CA); Chunhai Yao (Beijing, CN); Chunxuan Ye (San Diego, CA); Dawei Zhang (Saratoga, CA); Haitong Sun (Cupertino, CA); Jie Cui (San Jose, CA); Oghenekome Oteri (San Diego, CA); Sigen Ye (Whitehouse Station, NJ); Wei Zeng (Saratoga, CA); Weidong Yang (San Jose, CA); Yang Tang (San Jose, CA); Yushu Zhang (Beijing, CN)
Assignee: Apple Inc.
H04W74/0808H04W72/56
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,349,190
App. No.
17/441,314
Granted
Jul 1, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

Methods, circuitries, and systems are provided for performing frame based equipment channel sensing in unlicensed spectrum. In one example, a user equipment (UE) device includes a processor configured to perform operations including receiving, from a base station (BS), a plurality of UE-Initiated channel occupancy time (COT) frame based equipment (FBE) configurations; performing UE-Initiated COT FBE channel sensing based on a selected one of the received plurality of UE-Initiated COT FBE configurations to acquire a COT; and transmitting data during the COT.

Claims (40)

1. A baseband processor configured to perform operations comprising:

receiving a first system information block (SIB1) indicating that a base station supports (UE)-Initiated channel occupancy time (COT);

receiving, in radio resource control (RRC) signaling dedicated to a UE, a plurality of UE-Initiated COT frame based equipment (FBE) channel sensing configurations, wherein different UE-Initiated COT FBE channel sensing configurations of the plurality are associated with different listen-before-talk (LBT) bandwidths;

in response to uplink data for transmission,

selecting, based on a bandwidth in which the UE performs LBT, one of the received plurality of UE-Initiated COT FBE channel sensing configurations;

controlling a transceiver to perform UE-Initiated COT FBE channel sensing based on the selected UE-Initiated COT FBE channel sensing configuration to acquire a COT; and

controlling the transceiver to transmit the uplink data during the COT.

2. The baseband processor of claim 1 , further configured to perform operations comprising:

identifying, in the selected UE-Initiated COT FBE channel sensing configuration, an energy level threshold; and

performing UE-Initiated COT FBE channel sensing based on the identified energy level threshold.

3. The baseband processor of claim 1 , further configured to perform operations comprising:

identifying, in the selected UE-Initiated COT FBE channel sensing configuration, a first value of an FBE configuration parameter mapped to a first resource block (RB) set and a second value of the FBE configuration parameter mapped to a second RB set; and

based on a configured RB set, performing UE-Initiated COT FBE channel sensing in the first RB set based on the first FBE configuration parameter value or in the second RB set based on the second FBE configuration parameter value.

4. The baseband processor of claim 1 , wherein each UE-Initiated COT FBE channel sensing configuration indicates an offset value.

5. The baseband processor of claim 1 , wherein each UE-Initiated COT FBE channel sensing configuration indicates a fixed frame period value.

6. A baseband processor configured to perform operations comprising:

controlling a transceiver to transmit a first system information block (SIB1) that indicates support for user equipment (UE)-Initiated channel occupancy time (COT); and

user equipment (UE)-dedicated radio resource control (RRC) signaling indicative of a plurality of UE-Initiated COT frame based equipment (FBE) channel sensing configurations, wherein different UE-Initiated COT FBE channel sensing configurations of the plurality are associated with different channel access priority classes, different sets of 5G quality of service indicators (5QIs), and different listen-before-talk (LBT) bandwidths; and

receiving data from the UE during a UE-Initiated COT.

7. The baseband processor of claim 6 , further configured to perform operations comprising:

monitoring for data from the UE during a configured UE-Initiated COT, wherein the UE-Initiated COT is not related to a UL grant.

8. The baseband processor of claim 6 , wherein each UE-Initiated COT FBE channel sensing configuration includes an energy level threshold.

9. The baseband processor of claim 6 , wherein each UE-Initiated COT FBE channel sensing configuration includes a first value of an FBE configuration parameter mapped to a first resource block (RB) set and a second value of the FBE configuration parameter mapped to a second RB set.

10. The baseband processor of claim 6 , wherein each UE-Initiated COT FBE channel sensing configuration indicates an offset value.

11. The baseband processor of claim 6 , wherein each UE-Initiated COT FBE channel sensing configuration indicates a fixed frame period value.

12. A user equipment (UE) comprising a memory to store information, and a baseband processor configured to, when executing instructions stored in the memory, cause the UE to:

receive a first system information block (SIB1) indicating that a base station supports (UE)-Initiated channel occupancy time (COT);

receive, in radio resource control (RRC) signaling dedicated to a UE, a plurality of UE-Initiated COT frame based equipment (FBE) channel sensing configurations, wherein different UE-Initiated COT FBE channel sensing configurations of the plurality are associated with different channel access priority classes (CAPCs), different 5G quality of service indicators (5QIs), and different listen-before-talk (LBT) bandwidths; and

in response to uplink data for transmission,

selecting, based on a CAPC or 5QI associated with the uplink data and a bandwidth in which the UE performs LBT, one of the received plurality of UE-Initiated COT FBE channel sensing configurations;

controlling a transceiver to perform UE-Initiated COT FBE channel sensing based on the selected UE-Initiated COT FBE channel sensing configuration to acquire a COT; and

controlling the transceiver to transmit the uplink data during the COT.

13. The UE of claim 12 , wherein the baseband processor is further configured to perform operations comprising:

identifying, in the selected UE-Initiated COT FBE channel sensing configuration, an energy level threshold; and

performing UE-Initiated COT FBE channel sensing based on the identified energy level threshold.

14. The UE of claim 12 , wherein the baseband processor is further configured to perform operations comprising:

identifying, in the selected UE-Initiated COT FBE channel sensing configuration, a first value of an FBE configuration parameter mapped to a first resource block (RB) set and a second value of the FBE configuration parameter mapped to a second RB set; and

based on a configured RB set, performing UE-Initiated COT FBE channel sensing in the first RB set based on the first FBE configuration parameter value or in the second RB set based on the second FBE configuration parameter value.

15. The UE of claim 12 , wherein respective UE-Initiated COT FBE channel sensing configurations indicate an offset value.

16. The UE of claim 12 , wherein respective UE-Initiated COT FBE channel sensing configurations indicate a fixed frame period value.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 21, 2021
From: HE, HONG; YAO, CHUNHAI; YE, CHUNXUAN; ZHANG, DAWEI; SUN, HAITONG; CUI, JIE; OTERI, OGHENEKOME; YE, SIGEN; ZENG, WEI; YANG, WEIDONG; TANG, YANG; ZHANG, YUSHU
To: APPLE INC.
Reel/Frame 057539/0621 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20230189334A1 · Jun 15, 2023
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