IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,495,447
Granted Patent B2
US 12,495,447 · App. 18/137,341 · Granted Dec 9, 2025

User equipment fixed frame period for frame based equipment mode in unlicensed spectrum

Inventors: Jing Sun (San Diego, CA); Xiaoxia Zhang (San Diego, CA); Tao Luo (San Diego, CA); Aleksandar Damnjanovic (Del Mar, CA); Juan Montojo (San Diego, CA); Rajat Prakash (San Diego, CA); Andrei Dragos Radulescu (La Jolla, CA)
Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
H04W74/0816H04W72/1263H04W74/002
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,495,447
App. No.
18/137,341
Granted
Dec 9, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

Various aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communication. In some aspects, a user equipment (UE) may determine a fixed frame period (FFP) configured for the UE in a frame based equipment mode. The FFP configured for the UE includes one or more idle periods and a channel occupancy time that is offset from an FFP configured for a base station communicating with the UE over an unlicensed channel. The UE may refrain from transmitting over the unlicensed channel during the one or more idle periods. The one or more idle periods may at least partially overlap with a time period in which the base station refrains from transmitting over the unlicensed channel. Numerous other aspects are provided.

Claims (67)

1 . A user equipment (UE) for wireless communication, comprising:

one or more memories; and

one or more processors coupled to the one or more memories, the one or more processors configured to:

determine a fixed frame period (FFP) configured for the UE in a frame based equipment (FBE) mode, wherein the FFP configured for the UE includes:

a first idle period different than a second idle period associated with an FFP configured for a network node communicating with the UE over an unlicensed channel, and

a channel occupancy time configured for the UE that is offset from the FFP configured for the network node,

wherein the first idle period is at an end of the FFP configured for the UE and the second idle period is at an end of the FFP configured for network node; and

refrain from transmitting over the unlicensed channel during the first idle period and based at least in part on a channel occupancy time configured for the network node.

2 . The UE of claim 1 , wherein the first idle period and the second idle period are each configured by the network node.

3 . The UE of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors, to refrain from transmitting over the unlicensed channel during the first idle period, are configured to:

refrain from transmitting over the unlicensed channel during only the first idle period.

4 . The UE of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors, to refrain from transmitting over the unlicensed channel during the first idle period, are configured to:

refrain from transmitting over the unlicensed channel during the first idle period based at least in part on a determination that a downlink signal from the network node is not detected during the channel occupancy time configured for the network node.

5 . The UE of claim 1 , wherein the first idle period is aligned with a third idle period configured for the network node.

6 . The UE of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

initiate a listen-before-talk (LBT) procedure to start the channel occupancy time configured for the UE.

7 . The UE of claim 1 , wherein the first idle period and the second idle period at least partially overlap.

8 . The UE of claim 1 , wherein, to determine the FFP configured for the UE, the one or more processors are configured to:

receive configuration information indicating the first idle period and the channel occupancy time.

9 . The UE of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

receive system information indicating the second idle period.

10 . The UE of claim 1 , wherein a start of the first idle period is aligned with a start of the second idle period.

11 . The UE of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

receive an indication of the channel occupancy time for the network node.

12 . A method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising:

determining a fixed frame period (FFP) configured for the UE in a frame based equipment (FBE) mode, wherein the FFP configured for the UE includes:

a first idle period, different than a second idle period associated with an FFP configured for a network node communicating with the UE over an unlicensed channel, and

a channel occupancy time configured for the UE that is offset from the FFP configured for the network node,

wherein the first idle period is at an end of the FFP configured for the UE and the second idle period is at an end of the FFP configured for the network node; and

refraining from transmitting over the unlicensed channel during the first idle period and based at least in part on a channel occupancy time configured for the network node.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the first idle period and the second idle period are each configured by the network node.

14 . The method of claim 12 , wherein refraining from transmitting over the unlicensed channel during the first idle period comprises:

refraining from transmitting over the unlicensed channel during only the first idle period.

15 . The method of claim 12 , wherein refraining from transmitting over the unlicensed channel during the first idle period comprises:

refraining from transmitting over the unlicensed channel during the first idle period based at least in part on a determination that a downlink signal from the network node is not detected during the channel occupancy time configured for the network node.

16 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the first idle period is aligned across multiple UEs communicating with the network node over the unlicensed channel.

17 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the first idle period is aligned with a third idle period configured for the network node.

18 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising:

initiating a listen-before-talk (LBT) procedure to start the channel occupancy time configured for the UE.

19 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising:

receiving an indication of the channel occupancy time for the network node.

20 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of instructions for wireless communication, the set of instructions comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to:

determine a fixed frame period (FFP) configured for the UE in a frame based equipment (FBE) mode, wherein the FFP configured for the UE includes:

a first idle period, different than a second idle period associated with an FFP configured for a network node communicating with the UE over an unlicensed channel, and

a channel occupancy time configured for the UE that is offset from the FFP configured for the network node,

wherein the first idle period is at an end of the FFP configured for the UE and the second idle period is at an end of the FFP configured for network node; and

refrain from transmitting over the unlicensed channel during the second idle period and based at least in part on a channel occupancy time configured for the network node.

21 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 20 , wherein the first idle period and the second idle period are each configured by the network node.

22 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 20 , wherein the one or more instructions, that cause the UE to refrain from transmitting over the unlicensed channel during the first idle period, cause the UE to:

refrain from transmitting over the unlicensed channel during only the first idle period.

23 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 20 , wherein the one or more instructions, that cause the UE to refrain from transmitting over the unlicensed channel during the first idle period, cause the UE to:

refrain from transmitting over the unlicensed channel during the first idle period based at least in part on a determination that a downlink signal from the network node is not detected during the channel occupancy time configured for the network node.

24 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 20 , wherein the first idle period is aligned with a third idle period configured for the network node.

25 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 20 , wherein the one or more instructions further cause the UE to:

initiate a listen-before-talk (LBT) procedure to start the channel occupancy time configured for the UE.

26 . An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

means for determining a fixed frame period (FFP) configured for the apparatus in a frame based equipment (FBE) mode, wherein the FFP configured for the apparatus includes:

a first idle period, different than a second idle period associated with an FFP configured for a network node communicating with the apparatus over an unlicensed channel, and

a channel occupancy time configured for the apparatus that is offset from the FFP configured for the network node,

wherein the first idle period is at an end of the FFP configured for the apparatus and the second idle period is at an end of the FFP configured for the network node; and

means for refraining from transmitting over the unlicensed channel during the first idle period and based at least in part on a channel occupancy time configured for the network node.

27 . The apparatus of claim 26 , wherein the first idle period and the second idle period are each configured by the network node.

28 . The apparatus of claim 26 , wherein the means for refraining from transmitting over the unlicensed channel during the second idle period comprises:

means for refraining from transmitting over the unlicensed channel during only the first idle period.

29 . The apparatus of claim 26 , wherein the means for refraining from transmitting over the unlicensed channel during the first idle period comprises:

means for refraining from transmitting over the unlicensed channel during the first idle period based at least in part on a determination that a downlink signal from the network node is not detected during the channel occupancy time configured for the network node.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 6, 2023
From: SUN, JING; ZHANG, XIAOXIA; LUO, TAO; DAMNJANOVIC, ALEKSANDAR; MONTOJO, JUAN; PRAKASH, RAJAT; RADULESCU, ANDREI DRAGOS
To: QUALCOMM INCORPORATED
Reel/Frame 064172/0538 →
Continuity (3)
Continuation 17302006 · Apr 21, 2021
Provisional Application 62706179 · Aug 4, 2020
Related Publication 20230379968A1 · Nov 23, 2023
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