CN109565692B

CN109565692B - Uplink transmission method using unlicensed spectrum, resource allocation method, user equipment and base station

Info

Publication number: CN109565692B
Application number: CN201680085168.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 陈翔; 孙春华; 招溢利
Original assignee: Huizhou TCL Mobile Communication Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huizhou TCL Mobile Communication Co Ltd
Priority date: 2016-05-13
Filing date: 2016-05-13
Publication date: 2022-10-21
Anticipated expiration: 2036-05-13
Also published as: WO2017193365A1; CN109565692A

Abstract

The invention discloses an uplink transmission method using an unlicensed spectrum, which comprises the following steps: performing idle channel assessment on at least one sub-channel corresponding to at least one frequency resource fragment in the allocated frequency resource fragment group; determining whether at least one sub-channel is idle, wherein the allocated frequency resource fragment group is formed by segmenting and grouping an unlicensed spectrum, and each sub-channel corresponds to only one frequency resource fragment; and when at least one sub-channel corresponding to at least one frequency resource segment is idle, using at least one sub-channel to carry out uplink transmission. The invention also discloses a resource allocation method, user equipment and a base station using the unlicensed spectrum. Through the method, the invention can reduce the blocking rate of the LBT process between UEs in the same cell and different cells in the LAA uplink transmission and improve the access probability of the sub-channel.

Description

Uplink transmission method using unlicensed spectrum, resource allocation method, user equipment and base station

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of communications, and in particular, to an uplink transmission method using an unlicensed spectrum, a resource allocation method, a user equipment, and a base station.

Background

With the rapid development of wireless communication and the increasing demand of communication, the scarcity of spectrum resources, especially licensed spectrum resources, becomes a significant challenge for mobile communication. In order to meet the demand of users for continuous increase of speed, traffic and bandwidth, and to solve the crisis of the current spectrum scarcity, 3GPP starts research on Licensed Assisted Access (LAA) of unlicensed spectrum.

LAA is a secondary access technology that offloads cellular communication traffic to unlicensed spectrum. By means of carrier aggregation, the carriers in the authorized frequency band are used for carrying important information to ensure Quality of Service (QOS), and the carriers in the unauthorized frequency band are used for improving transmission rate.

LAA technology may cause interference to other wireless communication technologies currently operating on the frequency band, such as Wi-Fi. While LAA networks deployed by different operators may also interfere with each other. Therefore, one of the main design objectives of LAA is to establish an effective and fair resource contention mechanism between different transmitting nodes deployed on the same unlicensed frequency band, including LAA networks of Wi-Fi and different operators.

A listen-before-talk (LBT) procedure refers to a mechanism for a device to perform a Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) on a sub-channel before using it. The LBT procedure is an important factor for achieving unlicensed spectrum fair and friendly operation. Furthermore, european and japanese regulations mandate the use of LBT in unlicensed bands, which needs to be taken into account when building a single, global solution for LAA.

In a mobile communication system, frequency-division multiplexing (FDM) is generally used in uplink transmission, that is, different User Equipments (UEs) in the same cell are respectively allocated to a part of the whole bandwidth, and can upload data at the same time. When this technique is applied to LAA, it may result in uplink transmissions of one UE blocking the LBT procedure of the other UE even if two neighboring UEs are allocated different portions of the bandwidth.

Disclosure of Invention

The technical problem mainly solved by the invention is to provide an uplink transmission method using an unlicensed spectrum, a resource allocation method, user equipment and a base station, which can solve the problem of high blocking rate in an LBT process between UEs in the same cell and different cells in LAA uplink transmission in the prior art.

In order to solve the technical problems, the invention adopts a technical scheme that: provided is an uplink transmission method using an unlicensed spectrum, including: performing idle channel assessment on at least one sub-channel corresponding to at least one frequency resource fragment in the allocated frequency resource fragment group; determining whether at least one sub-channel is idle, wherein the allocated frequency resource fragment group is formed by segmenting and grouping an unlicensed spectrum, and each sub-channel corresponds to only one frequency resource fragment; and when at least one sub-channel corresponding to at least one frequency resource segment is idle, using at least one idle sub-channel to perform uplink transmission.

Wherein, the idle channel assessment of at least one sub-channel corresponding to at least one frequency resource segment comprises: and performing idle channel assessment on at least one sub-channel within a preset detection time before the allocated transmission period.

Wherein, before using at least one idle sub-channel for uplink transmission, further comprising: if a time interval exists between the ending time of the at least one subchannel evaluated as idle and the starting time of the allocated transmission period, transmitting a reservation signal by using the at least one idle subchannel within the time interval, wherein the reservation signal is used for indicating that the at least one idle subchannel is occupied or will be occupied.

Wherein the performing idle channel assessment for at least one sub-channel within a preset detection time before the allocated transmission period comprises: selecting a random number within the contention window; continuously performing idle channel assessment on at least one sub-channel within a preset detection time before the allocated transmission time period; and if the duration of the unoccupied time of at least one sub-channel detected as being greater than or equal to the duration represented by the random number, determining that at least one sub-channel is idle.

Wherein, the size of the competition window is determined according to at least one of the importance of the data to be uploaded, the uploading waiting time, the traffic load condition and the historical listen-before-talk failure rate.

Wherein, the performing idle channel assessment on at least one sub-channel corresponding to at least one frequency resource segment further comprises: and if the quantity of the at least one frequency resource fragment corresponding to the at least one sub-channel which is evaluated to be non-idle in the preset detection time before the previous transmission period is greater than the preset value, re-evaluating the idle channel for the at least one sub-channel corresponding to the at least one frequency resource fragment in the preset detection time before the next transmission period.

And the competition of the detection parameters used for the idle channel assessment in the next transmission period is stronger than or equal to the detection parameters used for the idle channel assessment in the previous transmission period.

The detection parameters include the size of the contention window and/or a preset detection time.

Wherein, the detection parameter is obtained from the control signaling sent by the base station or is decided by the user.

Wherein, the performing idle channel estimation on at least one sub-channel corresponding to at least one frequency resource segment further comprises: if the number of the at least one frequency resource fragment corresponding to the at least one sub-channel evaluated as non-idle within the preset detection time before the allocated transmission time interval is larger than the preset value, idle channel evaluation is continuously performed on the at least one sub-channel corresponding to the at least one frequency resource fragment within the allocated transmission time interval.

Wherein, further include: and acquiring the allocated at least one frequency resource fragment and the allocated transmission period information from the control signaling sent by the base station.

Wherein, the performing idle channel assessment on at least one sub-channel corresponding to at least one frequency resource fragment in the allocated frequency resource fragment group comprises: performing energy detection on at least one subchannel; acquiring signal energy on at least one sub-channel; and if the signal energy is less than or equal to the preset threshold value, judging that at least one sub-channel is not occupied.

In order to solve the technical problem, the invention adopts another technical scheme that: provided is a resource allocation method using an unlicensed spectrum, including: receiving a Frequency Resource Segmentation Indicator (FRSI) transmitted by at least one neighboring cell, the FRSI being used for indicating allocation information of frequency resources of an unlicensed spectrum in the at least one neighboring cell; and allocating the frequency resources of the unlicensed spectrum of the cell according to the related information provided by the FRSI of at least one adjacent cell.

Wherein, further include: periodically or aperiodically transmitting the FRSI of the cell to at least one neighboring cell.

Wherein the allocation information comprises segmentation and/or grouping information of frequency resources of the unlicensed spectrum; the allocation of the frequency resources of the unlicensed spectrum of the cell according to the relevant information provided by the FRSI of at least one neighboring cell comprises: and segmenting and/or grouping the frequency resources of the unlicensed spectrum of the cell according to the related information provided by the FRSI of at least one adjacent cell to obtain the frequency resource segments or frequency resource segment groups of the cell.

Wherein, allocating the frequency resource of the unlicensed spectrum of the cell according to the related information provided by the FRSI of at least one neighboring cell further comprises: allocating a frequency resource segment or a frequency resource segment group to at least one user equipment in the cell; ensuring that the frequency resource segment or the frequency resource segment group allocated to at least one user equipment in the local cell is not overlapped with the frequency resource segment or the frequency resource segment group allocated to at least one user equipment in the adjacent cell.

Wherein, further include: obtaining a listen before talk failure rate index LFRI, wherein the LFRI is used for representing the failure rate of a listen before talk process corresponding to a frequency resource fragment or a frequency resource fragment group; reallocating the frequency resources in the cell according to the related information provided by the LFRI; and/or adjusting the transmission power or detection parameters of the user equipment in the cell.

Wherein, further include: periodically or aperiodically transmitting the LFRI of the own cell to at least one neighboring cell.

Wherein, the re-allocating the frequency resources in the cell according to the relevant information provided by the LFRI includes: segmenting and/or grouping the frequency resources in the cell again according to the related information provided by the LFRI; and/or reallocating the frequency resource fragments or the frequency resource fragment groups to the user equipment in the cell according to the related information provided by the LFRI.

In order to solve the technical problem, the invention adopts another technical scheme that: there is provided a user equipment comprising: a detection module, configured to perform idle channel estimation on at least one sub-channel corresponding to at least one frequency resource segment in the allocated frequency resource segment group; determining whether at least one sub-channel is idle, wherein a frequency resource fragment group is formed by segmenting and grouping an unauthorized frequency spectrum, and each sub-channel corresponds to a unique frequency resource fragment; and the uploading module is used for performing uplink transmission by using at least one idle sub-channel when at least one sub-channel corresponding to at least one frequency resource segment is idle.

The detection module comprises a preposed detection unit used for carrying out idle channel evaluation on at least one sub-channel in a preset detection time before the allocated transmission time interval.

Wherein, leading detecting element includes: a selecting subunit, configured to select a random number within the contention window; a detection subunit, configured to continuously perform idle channel estimation on at least one sub-channel within a preset detection time before the allocated transmission period; and the judging subunit is used for judging that at least one sub-channel is idle if the duration of the detection of the at least one sub-channel as unoccupied is greater than or equal to the duration represented by the random number.

The detection module further includes a re-detection unit, configured to re-perform idle channel estimation on at least one sub-channel corresponding to at least one frequency resource segment within preset detection time before a next transmission period when the number of at least one frequency resource segment corresponding to at least one sub-channel estimated to be non-idle within preset detection time before a previous transmission period is greater than a preset value.

The detection parameters used for the idle channel assessment in the next transmission period have stronger competitiveness than or equal to the detection parameters used for the idle channel assessment in the previous transmission period, and the detection parameters include the size of a contention window and/or preset detection time.

The detection module further comprises a continuous detection unit, which is used for continuously carrying out idle channel evaluation on at least one sub-channel corresponding to at least one frequency resource segment within the allocated transmission time period when the quantity of the at least one frequency resource segment corresponding to the at least one sub-channel which is evaluated to be non-idle within the preset detection time before the allocated transmission time period is greater than the preset value.

Wherein, further include: an obtaining module, configured to obtain the allocated at least one frequency resource segment and the allocated transmission period information from a control signaling sent by the base station.

In order to solve the technical problem, the invention adopts another technical scheme that: there is provided a base station including: a receiving module, configured to receive a frequency resource segmentation indicator FRSI sent by at least one neighboring cell, where the FRSI is used to indicate allocation information of frequency resources of an unlicensed spectrum in the at least one neighboring cell; and the allocation module is used for allocating the frequency resources of the unlicensed spectrum of the cell according to the related information provided by the FRSI of at least one adjacent cell.

Wherein, further include: and a sending module, configured to send the FRSI of the local cell to at least one neighboring cell periodically or aperiodically.

Wherein the allocation information comprises segmentation and/or grouping information of frequency resources of the unlicensed spectrum; the allocation module comprises a first allocation unit, configured to segment and/or group frequency resources of the unlicensed spectrum of the local cell according to relevant information provided by the FRSI of at least one neighboring cell to obtain a frequency resource segment or a frequency resource segment group of the local cell.

The allocation module further includes a second allocation unit, configured to allocate the frequency resource segments or the frequency resource segment groups to at least one user equipment in the local cell, and ensure that the frequency resource segments or the frequency resource segment groups allocated to the at least one user equipment in the local cell do not overlap with the frequency resource segments or the frequency resource segment groups allocated to the at least one user equipment in the neighboring cell.

Wherein, further include: the acquisition module is used for acquiring a listen before talk failure rate index LFRI, wherein the LFRI is used for indicating the failure rate of a listen before talk process corresponding to a frequency resource fragment or a frequency resource fragment group; the adjusting module is used for reallocating the frequency resources in the cell according to the relevant information provided by the LFRI; and/or adjusting the transmission power or detection parameters of the user equipment in the cell.

Wherein, the sending module is further used for periodically or aperiodically sending the LFRI of the local cell to at least one adjacent cell.

In order to solve the technical problem, the invention adopts another technical scheme that: there is provided a user equipment comprising: the processor is connected with the communication circuit; the processor is configured to perform idle channel assessment on at least one sub-channel corresponding to at least one frequency resource segment in an allocated frequency resource segment group through the communication circuit, and determine whether the at least one sub-channel is idle, where the frequency resource segment group is formed by segmenting and grouping an unlicensed spectrum; and when at least one sub-channel corresponding to at least one frequency resource segment is idle, the communication circuit uses at least one idle sub-channel to perform uplink transmission.

Wherein the processor is configured to perform, by the communication circuit, clear channel assessment for at least one sub-channel within a preset detection time prior to the allocated transmission period.

Wherein the processor is configured to transmit a reservation signal with the at least one free sub-channel within a time interval by the communication circuit when the time interval exists between an end time at which the at least one sub-channel is assessed as free and a start time of the allocated transmission period, the reservation signal being configured to indicate that the at least one free sub-channel is occupied or will be occupied.

Wherein the processor is configured to select a random number within the contention window; continuously performing, by the communication circuit, clear channel assessment for at least one sub-channel within a preset detection time prior to the allocated transmission period; and if the duration of the unoccupied time of at least one sub-channel is detected to be greater than or equal to the duration represented by the random number, determining that at least one sub-channel is idle.

Wherein, the size of the contention window is determined according to at least one of the importance of the data to be uploaded, the uploading waiting time, the traffic load condition and the historical listen-before-talk failure rate.

The processor is configured to perform idle channel assessment again on at least one sub-channel corresponding to at least one frequency resource segment within preset detection time before a next transmission period through the communication circuit when the number of at least one frequency resource segment corresponding to at least one sub-channel assessed as non-idle within preset detection time before the current transmission period is greater than a preset value.

Wherein the processor is further configured to obtain the detection parameter or to decide on its own the detection parameter from the base station via the communication circuit.

The processor is configured to, when the number of the at least one frequency resource segment corresponding to the at least one sub-channel evaluated as non-idle within a preset detection time before the allocated transmission period is greater than a preset value, continue to perform idle channel evaluation on the at least one sub-channel corresponding to the at least one frequency resource segment through the communication circuit within the allocated transmission period.

Wherein, the processor is further configured to obtain the allocated frequency resource segments and the allocated transmission period information from the control signaling sent by the base station.

The processor is used for detecting the energy of at least one sub-channel through the communication circuit so as to obtain the signal energy on the at least one sub-channel; and if the signal energy is less than or equal to the preset threshold value, judging that at least one sub-channel is not occupied.

In order to solve the technical problem, the invention adopts another technical scheme that: there is provided a base station including: the processor is connected with the transceiver; the processor is used for receiving a Frequency Resource Segmentation Indicator (FRSI) transmitted by at least one adjacent cell through the transceiver, wherein the FRSI is used for representing allocation information of frequency resources of an unlicensed spectrum in the at least one adjacent cell; and allocating the frequency resources of the unlicensed spectrum of the cell according to the related information provided by the FRSI of at least one adjacent cell.

Wherein the processor is further configured to transmit the FRSI of the local cell to the at least one neighboring cell periodically or aperiodically through the transceiver.

Wherein the allocation information comprises segmentation and/or grouping information of frequency resources of the unlicensed spectrum; the processor is used for segmenting and/or grouping frequency resources of the unlicensed spectrum of the cell according to relevant information provided by the FRSI of at least one adjacent cell to obtain frequency resource segments or frequency resource segment groups of the cell.

Wherein the processor is further configured to allocate, by the transceiver, the frequency resource segment or the frequency resource segment group to at least one user equipment in the cell; ensuring that the frequency resource segment or the frequency resource segment group allocated to at least one user equipment in the local cell is not overlapped with the frequency resource segment or the frequency resource segment group allocated to at least one user equipment in the adjacent cell.

The processor is further configured to obtain a listen before talk failure rate index LFRI, where the LBT failure rate index is used to indicate a failure rate of a listen before talk process corresponding to a frequency resource segment or a frequency resource segment group; reallocating the frequency resources in the cell according to the related information provided by the LFRI; and/or adjusting the transmission power or detection parameters of the user equipment in the cell through the transceiver.

Wherein the processor is further configured to transmit the LFRI of the local cell to at least one neighboring cell periodically or aperiodically through the transceiver.

The processor is used for segmenting and/or grouping the frequency resources in the cell again according to the relevant information provided by the LFRI; and/or reallocating the frequency resource fragments or the frequency resource fragment groups to the user equipment in the cell through the transceiver according to the relevant information provided by the LFRI.

The invention has the beneficial effects that: the user equipment only performs CCA on the sub-channel corresponding to the frequency resource fragment in the allocated frequency resource fragment group, but not performs CCA on the whole bandwidth of the unlicensed spectrum used by the cell where the user equipment is located in the prior art, so that the bandwidth needing CCA detection is reduced, the blocking rate of an LBT process between UEs in the same cell and UEs in different cells in LAA uplink transmission is reduced, and FDM of uplink transmission in the same cell can be further realized.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a flowchart of a first embodiment of an uplink transmission method using unlicensed spectrum according to the present invention;

fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of CCA performed on a frequency resource segment in a first embodiment of an uplink transmission method using an unlicensed spectrum according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a diagram of a prior art CCA for a full bandwidth;

fig. 4 is a flowchart of a second embodiment of the uplink transmission method using unlicensed spectrum according to the present invention;

fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a transmission reservation signal in an embodiment of the uplink transmission method using unlicensed spectrum according to the present invention;

fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of CCA re-performed after transmission fails in an embodiment of an uplink transmission method using an unlicensed spectrum according to the present invention;

fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of CCA continuing after transmission fails in an embodiment of an uplink transmission method using an unlicensed spectrum according to the present invention;

fig. 8 is a flowchart of a first embodiment of a resource allocation method using unlicensed spectrum according to the present invention;

fig. 9 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a resource allocation method using unlicensed spectrum according to the present invention;

fig. 10 is a diagram illustrating the allocation of frequency resources of an unlicensed spectrum of a local cell according to FRSIs of neighboring cells in the prior art;

fig. 11 is a schematic diagram of allocating frequency resources of an unlicensed spectrum of a local cell according to related information provided by FRSIs of at least one neighboring cell in a first embodiment of the resource allocation method using the unlicensed spectrum of the present invention;

fig. 12 is a flowchart of a second embodiment of the resource allocation method using unlicensed spectrum according to the present invention;

fig. 13 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a resource allocation method using unlicensed spectrum according to the present invention;

fig. 14 is a schematic structural diagram of a first embodiment of a user equipment of the present invention;

fig. 15 is a schematic structural diagram of a second embodiment of the user equipment of the present invention;

FIG. 16 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a UE of the present invention;

fig. 17 is a schematic structural diagram of another embodiment of the ue of the present invention;

fig. 18 is a schematic structural diagram of another embodiment of the ue of the present invention;

fig. 19 is a schematic structural diagram of a base station according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 20 is a schematic structural diagram of a second embodiment of the base station of the present invention;

FIG. 21 is a block diagram of a base station according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 22 is a schematic structural diagram of a base station according to a third embodiment of the present invention; .

Detailed Description

As shown in fig. 1, the main execution entity of the first embodiment of the uplink transmission method using unlicensed spectrum according to the present invention is a user equipment. The user equipment may be fixed or mobile and may be a cellular phone, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a cordless phone, etc. The uplink transmission method comprises a listen-before-talk (LBT) process, and comprises the following steps:

s11: performing Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) on the sub-channels corresponding to the frequency resource segments in the allocated frequency resource segment group to determine whether the sub-channels corresponding to the frequency resource segments are clear. Each subchannel corresponds to only one frequency resource segment.

The group of frequency resource segments is formed by segmenting and grouping the unlicensed spectrum and includes at least two frequency resource segments. Each frequency Resource segment includes at least one Resource Block (RB) or subcarrier in a frequency domain. When the frequency resource segment includes at least two RBs or subcarriers, the RBs or subcarriers are contiguous in the frequency domain. Each frequency resource segment group may include at least one frequency resource segment, and when the frequency resource segment group includes at least two frequency resource segments, the frequency resource segments may be continuous or discontinuous in the frequency domain.

Generally, the UE acquires the allocated frequency resource segment information from the control signaling sent by the base station. The base station is connected with the core network and performs wireless communication with the user equipment to provide communication coverage for a corresponding geographic area. The base stations may include, but are not limited to, macro, micro, or pico (pico) base stations. In some embodiments, a base station may also be referred to as a radio base station, access point, node B, evolved node B (eNodeB, eNB), or other suitable terminology.

CCA may be performed for all or a portion of the frequency resource segments in the allocated group of frequency resource segments. An idle subchannel means that the subchannel can be used by the UE for transmitting data. If the CCA result of the UE indicates that a certain sub-channel is occupied, judging that the sub-channel is not idle; otherwise, if the CCA result indicates that the sub-channel is not occupied, the UE may directly determine that the sub-channel is a clear sub-channel, or may determine that the sub-channel is not clear, and continue CCA until a preset condition is met, and then determine that the sub-channel is a clear sub-channel. The predetermined condition may be that the duration of time that the sub-channel is unoccupied is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold, or that an allocated transmission period starts, etc.

In an embodiment of the uplink transmission method using the unlicensed spectrum, CCA may be performed in an energy detection manner, that is, signal energy on a sub-channel to be detected is detected; if the signal energy is less than or equal to the preset threshold value, the sub-channel is not occupied, otherwise, the sub-channel is occupied. In the CCA process, only whether a signal is transmitted on the sub-channel to be tested is considered, and the type of the transmitted signal is not considered.

To obtain accurate detection results, a longer duration CCA may be performed. For example, each RB typically comprises 180KHz in the frequency domain, so that the detection time should be greater than or equal to 5.6 μ s, i.e., 1/180KHz, when energy detection is performed for each RB. A filter, such as a notch filter or a Finite Impulse Response (FIR) filter, may be used to obtain the signal energy on the sub-channel under test. Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) may also be used to obtain the signal energy on the sub-channel corresponding to each frequency resource segment.

In other embodiments of the uplink transmission method using the unlicensed spectrum according to the present invention, a CCA may also be performed in a carrier sense manner, that is, whether a signal including preset information exists on a sub-channel to be detected is detected, and if not, the sub-channel is not occupied, otherwise, the sub-channel is occupied. The preset information may be information for indicating the type of the signal. The carrier sensing process requires processing and identification of the detected signal. Certainly, CCA may also be performed in a hybrid manner of energy detection and carrier sensing, that is, signal energy on a sub-channel to be detected and whether a signal including preset information exists are detected at the same time, if the signal energy is less than or equal to a preset threshold and the signal including the preset information is not detected, the sub-channel is not occupied, otherwise the sub-channel is occupied. It may proceed to S12.

S12: and when the sub-channel corresponding to the at least one frequency resource segment is idle, using the at least one idle sub-channel for uplink transmission.

All or part of the idle sub-channels may be used for uplink transmission.

The following description is given by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings. As shown in fig. 2, the frequency resource fragment group a allocated to UE1 includes frequency resource fragments A1, A2, and A3, and the frequency resource fragment group B allocated to UE2 includes frequency resource fragments B1, B2, and B3. The frequency resource fragment groups allocated to UE1 and UE2 do not overlap with each other, and CCA is performed on the frequency resource fragments in the frequency resource fragment groups a and B allocated thereto, respectively. UE1 is transmitting data using frequency resource segment group a while UE2 is CCA. Since UE2 only performs the segment CCA on the frequency resource segment group B, it is not affected by UE1, and may use the frequency resource segment group B to transmit data.

In the prior art, as shown in fig. 3, a frequency resource fragment group C allocated to the UE3 includes frequency resource fragments C1, C2, and C3, and a frequency resource fragment group D allocated to the UE4 includes frequency resource fragments D1, D2, and D3. The frequency resource fragment groups allocated to the UE3 and the UE4 do not overlap with each other, and perform CCA on the entire bandwidth of the unlicensed spectrum used by the cell in which the UE is located. The frequency band of the UE4 performing CCA includes the frequency band allocated to the UE3, when the UE4 performs CCA, the UE3 is transmitting data using the frequency resource segment group C, and the UE4 detects a signal sent by the UE3, and considers that a sub-channel is occupied and cannot transmit data.

In the prior art, a Frame-Based sub-channel detection mechanism (FBE) is proposed, that is, a period (e.g., a subframe) is set, and an LBT process is performed once at a fixed position of each period, where a transmission subject may immediately occupy a sub-channel if the sub-channel is detected as unoccupied, or else, if the sub-channel is detected as occupied, the transmission subject may not occupy the sub-channel within the period, and another LBT process is started until the fixed position of the next period. The FBE mechanism is easy to implement and has good frame structure compatibility with existing cellular communication systems. For uplink transmission, different UEs in the same cell perform LBT synchronously, so that frequency-division multiplexing (FDM) can be realized, and the blocking rate in the cell is reduced. But cannot resolve the congestion between UEs in the situation shown in fig. 3. Although it has been proposed that the UE does not transmit or transmits a special signal during a transmission period corresponding to the LBT procedure to provide other UEs in the same cell with LBT opportunities, this reduces the actual transmission period and reduces the transmission efficiency. In addition, the FBE mechanism cannot solve the LBT blocking problem between UEs belonging to unsynchronized cells, and the fixed and limited LBT execution time reduces the contention of UEs belonging to other cells and other wireless communication devices in the unlicensed spectrum, which affects the uplink subchannel access probability of UEs.

Through the implementation of the above embodiment, the UE performs CCA only on the sub-channel corresponding to the frequency resource segment in the allocated frequency resource segment group, instead of performing CCA on the entire bandwidth of the unlicensed spectrum used by the cell where the user equipment is located as in the prior art. Therefore, the bandwidth of CCA detection is reduced. The CCA process of the UE cannot be influenced by the occupied frequency resources outside the allocated frequency resource fragment group, so that the blocking rate of the LBT process between the UEs in the same cell and different cells is reduced, and the access probability of the sub-channel is improved. Furthermore, if FDM technique is used in LAA uplink transmission and the base station allocates non-overlapping frequency resource segment groups for each UE, the blocking of LBT procedure between UEs in a cell will not exist.

As shown in fig. 4, a second embodiment of the uplink transmission method using unlicensed spectrum according to the present invention is based on the first embodiment of the uplink transmission method using unlicensed spectrum according to the present invention, and the step S11 is further defined to include:

s110: a random number is selected within the contention window.

The size of the contention window is represented by the maximum and minimum values of the random number, e.g., [1,3]. The size of the contention window may be determined according to at least one of the importance of the data to be uploaded, the upload latency, the traffic load conditions, and the historical LBT failure rate. The size of the contention window may be fixed or adjustable. The smaller the size of the contention window, the stronger the contention and the greater the probability of subchannel access.

The random number may be used directly to indicate the length of time, for example 20 to 20 μ s, or may be multiplied by a unit duration to indicate the length of time, for example 2 to 2 unit durations.

S120: the CCA procedure is performed within a preset detection time before the allocated transmission period.

The UE may be allocated one or more transmission periods, and when the UE is allocated at least two transmission periods, the different transmission periods may be continuous or discontinuous in the time domain. Each transmission period may include, but is not limited to, one subframe, slot, or symbol. Generally, the UE acquires the allocated transmission period information from control signaling transmitted by the base station.

The UE may obtain the preset detection time from the control signaling sent by the base station, or may set the preset detection time by itself. The preset detection time may be determined according to at least one of importance of data to be uploaded, upload wait time, traffic load condition, and historical LBT failure rate. If the CCA is performed by carrier sense and the detected signal includes the signal transmission duration information, the signal transmission duration information may be further taken into consideration when the preset detection time is set.

It can be seen that the longer the preset detection time is, the earlier the time for starting CCA is, the stronger the competitiveness is, and the greater the probability of subchannel access is.

S130: and if the duration of the unoccupied sub-channel is detected to be greater than or equal to the duration corresponding to the random number, the sub-channel is idle.

In general, if the UE CCA a sub-channel and determines that the sub-channel is unoccupied, the time taken for this CCA is added to the duration; if the sub-channel is occupied, the duration is maintained or cleared. And repeatedly executing the steps until the duration time is greater than or equal to the duration time corresponding to the random number, stopping CCA and judging the sub-channel to be a free sub-channel.

If the time for each CCA is fixed, the random number may be an integer used to indicate the number of times the subchannel is detected as unoccupied. For example, a cyclic flag bit is set, the value of the cyclic flag bit is initialized to a random number, the sub-channel is CCA-enabled, if the sub-channel is detected as unoccupied, the value of the cyclic flag bit is decremented by one, and if the sub-channel is occupied, the value of the cyclic flag bit is maintained or reinitialized to a random number. And repeating the steps until the value of the cyclic mark bit is zero, stopping the CCA and judging the sub-channel to be a free sub-channel. Of course, the value of the cyclic flag bit may also be initialized to zero, and the CCA is stopped and the subchannel is determined to be a clear subchannel when the value thereof is greater than or equal to the random number.

Through the implementation of the above embodiment, an LBT procedure with random backoff is implemented, and compared with an FBE mechanism for performing the LBT procedure periodically, the contention of UEs and other wireless communication devices belonging to other cells in an unlicensed spectrum is improved. In addition, the competitiveness of uplink transmission can be flexibly adjusted by changing the preset detection time and/or the size of the contention window. Since a Carrier Sense multiple Access/Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA) mechanism used by Wi-Fi is substantially the same as an LBT procedure with random backoff, fair and friendly coexistence of LAA with Wi-Fi in unlicensed spectrum can be achieved.

In other embodiments of the present invention, an LBT procedure without random backoff may be used, that is, when the duration of time during which the subchannel is detected as unoccupied is greater than or equal to a preset threshold, the subchannel is determined to be an idle subchannel.

As shown in fig. 5, in an embodiment of the resource allocation method using the unlicensed spectrum according to the present invention, if a subchannel is evaluated to have a time interval between the end time of a free subchannel and the start time of an allocated transmission period, the UE transmits a reservation signal using the subchannel within the time interval. This embodiment can be combined with any of the embodiments of the resource allocation method using unlicensed spectrum of the present invention.

The reservation signal may be used to indicate that a subchannel is occupied or is to be occupied. The reservation signal may not be used to transmit data or may contain a portion of data to be uploaded or other information that needs to be sent to the base station.

Therefore, the UE may transmit the reservation signal to occupy the sub-channel before the start of the transmission period after determining that the sub-channel is idle, preventing the sub-channel from being occupied by other devices before the start of the transmission period so that the UE cannot transmit data. The embodiment can further improve the sub-channel access probability of the UE.

In one embodiment of the resource allocation method using unlicensed spectrum according to the present invention, the UE is allocated with at least two transmission periods, and the transmission periods may be continuous or discontinuous. And the UE performs CCA on the sub-channels corresponding to the frequency resource fragments in the allocated frequency resource fragment group within a preset detection time before the previous transmission time period, wherein each sub-channel corresponds to a unique frequency resource fragment. If the number of the frequency resource segments corresponding to the sub-channels evaluated as non-idle is greater than the preset value, the UE fails to transmit in the previous transmission period, i.e., cannot transmit data in the previous transmission period. The preset value may be determined by the base station, and the UE may obtain the preset value from a control signaling sent by the base station, or may be determined by the UE. The smaller the preset value is, the lower the access probability of the sub-channel is.

Then, the UE may perform CCA again on the sub-channel corresponding to the frequency resource segment within a preset detection time before the next transmission period to determine whether the sub-channel is idle. The sub-channel for performing CCA in the next transmission period may be the same as or different from the sub-channel for performing CCA corresponding to the previous transmission period. For example, if the UE confirms that part of the sub-channels are idle in the previous transmission period and transmits the reservation signal using the idle sub-channels, the sub-channels that have been confirmed to be idle in the previous transmission period may not be evaluated any more in the CCA of the next transmission period. Or the UE does not evaluate the sub-channel evaluated as non-idle in the idle channel evaluation corresponding to the previous transmission period in the idle channel evaluation corresponding to the next transmission period. Or the UE evaluates the sub-channels which are not evaluated in the idle channel evaluation corresponding to the previous transmission period in the idle channel evaluation corresponding to the next transmission period.

The detection parameters used for idle channel assessment in the next transmission period may be the same as or different from the detection parameters used for idle channel assessment corresponding to the previous transmission period. The detection parameters include the size of the contention window and/or a preset detection time. The UE may receive the control signaling sent by the base station and obtain new detection parameters from the control signaling, or modify the detection parameters by itself. Generally, in order to improve the sub-channel access probability, the contention of the detection parameters used for the idle channel assessment corresponding to the next transmission period is stronger than the detection parameters used for the idle channel assessment corresponding to the previous transmission period, i.e., the contention window used for the idle channel assessment corresponding to the next transmission period is smaller in size and/or the preset detection time is longer than the contention window used for the idle channel assessment corresponding to the previous transmission period.

As illustrated in fig. 6, the UE5 is allocated 3 consecutive subframes in the time domain and three frequency resource segments E1, E2 and E3 in the frequency domain. CCA is carried out on sub-channels corresponding to E1, E2 and E3 in the preset detection time before the first subframe, E1 and E2 are idle sub-channels, E3 is not an idle sub-channel, the preset value for judging whether the UE5 can transmit data is 0, the fact that the UE5 can transmit data only when the sub-channels corresponding to all allocated frequency resource segments are idle is shown, the UE5 fails to transmit in the first subframe, namely cannot transmit data in the first subframe, then whether the sub-channels corresponding to all the frequency resource segments are idle is judged again in the preset detection time before the second subframe, the sub-channels corresponding to E1, E2 and E3 are idle at this time, and the UE5 can transmit data by using the second subframe and the third subframe.

In another embodiment of the resource allocation method using the unlicensed spectrum according to the present invention, the UE performs CCA on sub-channels corresponding to frequency resource segments in the allocated frequency resource segment group within a preset detection time before a transmission time period, where each sub-channel corresponds to a unique frequency resource segment. If the number of the frequency resource segments corresponding to the sub-channels evaluated as non-idle is greater than the preset value, the UE fails to transmit in the current transmission time period, that is, cannot upload data at the beginning of the current transmission time period. The preset value may be determined by the base station, and the UE may obtain the preset value from a control signaling sent by the base station, or the UE may determine the preset value. The smaller the preset value is, the lower the access probability of the sub-channel is. And if the number of the frequency resource fragments corresponding to the sub-channels assessed as non-idle is less than or equal to a preset value, the UE can transmit data by using the rest part of the current transmission time period or transmit a reserved signal on the idle sub-channels until the next transmission time period starts.

For example, referring to fig. 7, in the diagram, the UE6 is allocated 3 consecutive subframes in the time domain, and is allocated three frequency resource segments F1, F2, and F3 in the frequency domain, CCA is performed on subchannels corresponding to the F1, F2, and F3 in a preset detection time before a first subframe, where F1 is a free subchannel, and F2 and F3 are not free subchannels, and a preset value for determining whether the UE6 can transmit data is 0, which indicates that the UE6 must transmit data only when subchannels corresponding to all allocated frequency resource segments are free, and the UE6 fails to transmit initially in the first subframe, that is, cannot transmit data at the beginning of the first subframe. The UE6 continues CCA in the first subframe, detects that the sub-channels corresponding to F1, F2, and F3 are all idle at time t1, and transmits the reservation signal from time t1 to the beginning of the second subframe, and then transmits data using the second and third subframes.

As shown in fig. 8, the main implementation of the first embodiment of the resource allocation method using unlicensed spectrum according to the present invention is a base station. The embodiment comprises the following steps:

s21: the base station receives a Frequency Resource Segment Indicator (FRSI) transmitted by at least one neighboring cell.

The base station receives FRSI through X2 procedure from the base stations of the neighboring cells, the FRSI being used to represent allocation information of frequency resources of an unlicensed spectrum of the relevant neighboring cells. Generally, the allocation information includes segmentation and/or grouping information of frequency resources of the unlicensed spectrum. The allocation information may further include information of UEs to which the segmented and/or grouped frequency resource segments or frequency resource segment groups are allocated. May proceed to S22.

S22: and the base station allocates the frequency resources of the unlicensed spectrum of the cell according to the related information provided by the FRSI of at least one adjacent cell.

As shown in fig. 9, an embodiment of the resource allocation method using unlicensed spectrum further includes: s211: the base station periodically or aperiodically transmits the FRSI of the own cell to at least one neighboring cell. S211 may be executed simultaneously with S21, or at any time before/after S21. In general, the base station segments and/or groups the frequency resources of the unlicensed spectrum used by the cell according to the relevant information provided by the FRSI to obtain frequency resource segments or frequency resource segment groups, so as to eliminate or at least reduce the overlapping portion of the frequency resource segments or frequency resource segment groups of the cell and the frequency resource segments or frequency resource segment groups of at least one neighboring cell. Typically, the frequency resources are segmented and/or grouped in the same way as at least one neighboring cell, either completely or partially.

Further, the base station allocates the frequency resource segments or the frequency resource segment groups to the user equipments in the local cell, so as to ensure that the frequency resource segments or the frequency resource segment groups allocated to at least one user equipment in the local cell do not overlap with the frequency resource segments or the frequency resource segment groups allocated to at least one user equipment in an adjacent cell.

For example, referring to the drawings, in fig. 10, the unlicensed spectrum frequency resources of cell 1 are divided into three groups G, H, and I, and the unlicensed spectrum frequency resources of cell 2 are divided into three groups J, K, and L. The cell 2 does not allocate the frequency resources of the unlicensed spectrum of the cell according to the related information provided by the FRSI of the cell 1, so that each group of the G, H, and I of the frequency resource segment groups overlaps with the group of the frequency resource segment J, K, or L, and thus when the UE to which any one group of the G, H, and I of the frequency resource segment groups is allocated performs data transmission, the LBT process of the UE to which any one group of the J, K, and L of the frequency resource segment groups is allocated is interfered, and vice versa.

In fig. 11, the unlicensed spectrum frequency resources of cell 1 are still divided into three groups G, H, and I, the unlicensed spectrum frequency resources of cell 3 are divided into three groups M, N, and O, and the unlicensed spectrum frequency resources of cell 4 are divided into two groups P and Q. The cells 3 and 4 respectively allocate the frequency resources according to the related information provided by the FRSI of the cell 1, so that the group G is not overlapped with any one of the groups N, O and Q, and therefore, when the UE allocated with the group G of frequency resource fragment groups carries out data transmission, only the LBT process of the UE allocated with the group M of frequency resource fragment groups and the group P of frequency resource fragment groups is interfered, the LBT process of the UE allocated with other frequency resource fragment groups is not influenced, and the conditions of other groups of frequency resource fragment groups can be obtained by analogy.

Through the implementation of the above embodiments, the base station allocates the frequency resources of the unlicensed spectrum of the local cell according to the relevant information provided by the FRSI of the at least one neighboring cell, so as to at least reduce the overlapping portion of the frequency resource segment or the group of frequency resource segments of the local cell and the frequency resource segment or the group of frequency resource segments of the at least one neighboring cell, thereby reducing the blocking rate of the LBT procedure between UEs among cells.

As shown in fig. 12, the second embodiment of the resource allocation method using unlicensed spectrum according to the present invention is based on the first embodiment of the resource allocation method using unlicensed spectrum according to the present invention, and further includes:

s23: an LBT Failure Rate Indicator (LFRI) is obtained.

The LFRI is used to indicate the failure rate of the LBT process corresponding to a frequency resource segment or a frequency resource segment group. The LFRI may be the LFRI of the own cell and/or the LFRI of the neighboring cell received through the X2 procedure.

S24: reallocating the frequency resources in the cell according to the relevant information provided by the LFRI, and/or adjusting the transmission power or detection parameters of the user equipment in the cell.

As shown in fig. 13, an embodiment of the resource allocation method using unlicensed spectrum further includes: s231: the base station periodically or aperiodically transmits the LFRI of the own cell to at least one neighboring cell. S231 may be performed simultaneously with S23, or at any time before/after S21.

The base station can perform segmentation and/or grouping again on the frequency resources in the cell according to the relevant information provided by the LFRI; reallocating the frequency resource fragment group or the frequency resource fragment to the user equipment in the cell and adjusting at least one of the transmission power or the detection parameter of the user equipment in the cell.

For example, if the base station finds that a certain frequency resource segment or group of frequency resource segments has an unusually high uplink LBT failure rate compared to the same frequency resource segments or groups of frequency resource segments in neighboring cells, it may be that the frequency resource segment or group of frequency resource segments is allocated to neighboring UEs, causing LBT blocking. The base station may perform three measures: re-segmenting and/or grouping frequency resources, re-allocating groups or segments of frequency resources to user equipments in the cell, and reducing transmission power of the corresponding UEs. In addition, if the base station finds only a certain frequency resource segment or a group of frequency resource segments of the current cell with an unusually high uplink LBT failure rate (including the case where the base station can receive the LFRI of the neighboring cell and cannot receive the LFRI of the neighboring cell), there may be other wireless communication devices (e.g., wi-Fi devices) using the same frequency resource segment or group of frequency resource segments, or other UEs whose timing slightly precedes that of the current cell, which may cause blocking of the LBT procedure for the UEs in the current cell. The base station can modify the detection parameters of the corresponding UE, so that the competitiveness is stronger. For example, the base station may decrease the size of the contention window and/or increase the preset detection time, so as to improve the sub-channel access probability of the corresponding UE and reduce the blocking rate of LBT.

Through the implementation of the above embodiment, the base station reallocates the frequency resources in the cell according to the relevant information provided by the LFRI, thereby improving the competitiveness of the UE in the cell and further reducing the blocking rate of LBT.

As shown in fig. 14, the first embodiment of the user equipment includes a detection module 11 and an upload module 12.

The detecting module 11 is configured to perform Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) on at least one sub-channel corresponding to at least one frequency resource segment in the allocated frequency resource segment group to determine whether the sub-channel is clear, where the frequency resource segment group is formed by segmenting and grouping an unlicensed spectrum, and includes at least two frequency resource segments, and each sub-channel corresponds to a unique frequency resource segment.

The uploading module 12 is configured to use at least one idle subchannel for uplink transmission when at least one subchannel corresponding to at least one frequency resource segment is idle.

The user equipment of this embodiment includes modules for executing steps in the first embodiment of the resource allocation method using unlicensed spectrum according to the present invention shown in fig. 1 and fig. 1, and please refer to fig. 1 and the related description corresponding to fig. 1 for specific content.

Through the implementation of the above embodiment, the UE only performs CCA on the sub-channel corresponding to the frequency resource segment in the allocated frequency resource segment group, instead of performing CCA on the entire bandwidth of the unlicensed spectrum used by the cell where the UE is located, as in the prior art. Therefore, the application reduces the bandwidth of CCA detection. The CCA process of the UE cannot be influenced by the occupied frequency resources outside the allocated frequency resource fragment group, so that the blocking rate of the LBT process between the UEs in the same cell and different cells is reduced, and the access probability of the sub-channel is improved. Furthermore, if FDM technique is used in LAA uplink transmission and the base station allocates non-overlapping frequency resource segment groups for each UE, the blocking of LBT procedure between UEs in a cell will not exist.

As shown in fig. 15, the second embodiment of the user equipment of the present invention is based on the first embodiment of the user equipment of the present invention, and further includes an obtaining module 13, configured to obtain the allocated frequency resource segments and the allocated transmission time periods from the control signaling sent by the base station.

The detection module 11 comprises a preamble detection unit 111 for performing a clear channel assessment within a preset detection time before the allocated transmission period. The front detection unit 111 includes:

a selecting subunit 121, configured to select a random number within the contention window.

A detection subunit 122, configured to perform idle channel estimation on the sub-channel continuously within a preset detection time before the allocated transmission period.

And a determining subunit 123, configured to determine that the sub-channel is idle when the duration of the detected sub-channel that is not occupied is greater than or equal to the duration represented by the random number.

For specific content, please refer to fig. 4 and fig. 4 for the second embodiment of the resource allocation method using unlicensed spectrum of the present invention, and details thereof are not described herein again.

Through the implementation of the above embodiment, an LBT procedure with random backoff is implemented, and compared with an FBE mechanism for performing the LBT procedure periodically, the contention of UEs and other wireless communication devices belonging to other cells in an unlicensed spectrum is improved. In addition, the competitiveness of uplink transmission can be flexibly changed by adjusting the preset detection time and/or the size of the contention window. Since a Carrier Sense multiple Access/Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA) mechanism used by Wi-Fi is substantially the same as an LBT procedure with random backoff, the above-described embodiment may implement fair and friendly coexistence of LAA and Wi-Fi in unlicensed spectrum.

As shown in fig. 16, in an embodiment of the ue of the present invention, the detecting module 11 further includes a re-detecting unit 112, configured to re-perform idle channel estimation on a sub-channel corresponding to a frequency resource segment within a preset detecting time before a next transmission period, when the number of frequency resource segments corresponding to sub-channels estimated as non-idle sub-channels in a frequency resource segment group within a preset detecting time before a previous transmission period is greater than a preset value.

Generally, the detection parameters used for idle channel estimation in the next transmission period have stronger competitiveness than or equal to the detection parameters used for idle channel estimation in the previous transmission period, and the detection parameters include the size of a contention window and/or a preset detection time. The more competitive means that the size of the contention window used for the idle channel assessment of the next transmission period is smaller and/or the preset detection time is longer than that used for the idle channel assessment of the previous transmission period. The detection parameters may be obtained from control signaling sent by the base station or may be self-determined.

As shown in fig. 17, in another embodiment of the ue of the present invention, the detecting module 11 further includes a continuing detecting unit 113, configured to continue to evaluate the idle channel for the sub-channel corresponding to the frequency resource segment within the transmission period when the number of the frequency resource segments corresponding to the sub-channel evaluated as non-idle in the frequency resource segment group within the preset detection time before the transmission period is greater than the preset value. If the number of frequency resource segments corresponding to the sub-channel evaluated as non-idle is less than or equal to the preset value, the UE may transmit data using the remaining part of the current transmission period, or may transmit a reservation signal on the idle sub-channel until the next transmission period begins.

As shown in fig. 18, the third embodiment of the user equipment of the present invention includes: processor 110 and communication circuit 120, processor 110 is connected to communication circuit 120 through a bus.

The communication circuit 120 is used for transmitting and receiving data, and is an interface for the user equipment to communicate with other communication devices.

The processor 110 controls the operation of the user equipment, and the processor 110 may also be referred to as a Central Processing Unit (CPU). The processor 110 may be an integrated circuit chip having signal processing capabilities. The processor 110 may also be a general purpose processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), an off-the-shelf programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may be any conventional processor or the like.

The user equipment may further include a memory (not shown) for storing instructions and data necessary for the operation of the processor 110 and for storing data received by the communication circuit 120.

The processor 110 is configured to perform Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) on a sub-channel corresponding to a frequency resource segment in an allocated frequency resource segment group through the communication circuit 120 to determine whether the sub-channel corresponding to the frequency resource segment is clear, where the frequency resource segment group is formed by segmenting and grouping an unlicensed spectrum and includes at least two frequency resource segments; when the sub-channel corresponding to at least one frequency resource segment is idle, the communication circuit 120 uses at least one idle sub-channel to perform uplink transmission.

Further, the processor 110 is configured to perform clear channel assessment within a preset detection time before the allocated transmission period by the communication circuit 120.

The processor 110 may be further configured to transmit a reservation signal with the sub-channel during the time interval by the communication circuit 120 when the time interval exists between the ending time at which the sub-channel is assessed as idle and the starting time of the transmission period, the reservation signal being used to indicate that the sub-channel is occupied or will be occupied.

The processor 110 may be configured to select a random number within the contention window; CCA is performed continuously on the sub-channel by the communication circuit 120 for a preset detection time prior to the allocated transmission period; and if the duration of the unoccupied sub-channel detected by the sub-channel is greater than or equal to the duration represented by the random number, determining that the sub-channel is idle.

Further, the size of the contention window is determined according to at least one of the importance of the data to be uploaded, the upload latency, the traffic load condition, and the historical listen-before-talk failure rate.

Further, the processor 110 is configured to obtain the detection parameters or self-determine the detection parameters from the base station through the communication circuit 120.

Further, the processor 110 is configured to perform CCA again on the sub-channels corresponding to the frequency resource segments through the communication circuit 120 within a preset detection time before a next transmission time period when the number of the frequency resource segments corresponding to the sub-channels evaluated as non-idle sub-channels in the frequency resource segment group within the preset detection time before the current transmission time period is greater than a preset value.

The detection parameters used for the clear channel assessment for the next transmission period may be more competitive or equal to the detection parameters used for the clear channel assessment for the previous transmission period. The detection parameters include the size of the contention window and/or a preset detection time.

Further, the processor 110 is configured to continue to perform idle channel estimation on the sub-channels corresponding to the frequency resource segments within the transmission time period through the communication circuit 120 when the number of frequency resource segments corresponding to the sub-channels estimated to be idle in the frequency resource segment group within a preset detection time before the transmission time period is greater than a preset value.

Further, the processor 110 is configured to obtain the allocated frequency resource segment and the allocated transmission period information from the control signaling sent by the base station.

Further, the processor 110 is configured to perform energy detection on the sub-channel through the communication circuit 120 to obtain signal energy on the sub-channel; if the signal energy is less than or equal to the preset threshold, the sub-channel is not occupied.

As shown in fig. 19, the first embodiment of the base station of the present invention includes a receiving module 21 and an allocating module 22.

A receiving module 21, configured to receive a Frequency Resource Segment Indicator (FRSI) sent by at least one neighboring cell, where the FRSI is used to indicate allocation information of Frequency resources of an unlicensed spectrum in the at least one neighboring cell.

And an allocating module 22, configured to allocate frequency resources of the unlicensed spectrum of the local cell according to the FRSI.

The allocation information includes fragmentation and/or grouping information of frequency resources of the unlicensed spectrum. The allocation module 22 includes a first allocation unit 221, configured to segment and/or group the frequency resources of the unlicensed spectrum of the local cell according to the relevant information provided by the FRSI of at least one neighboring cell to obtain frequency resource segments or frequency resource segment groups.

The allocating module 22 further includes a second allocating unit 222, configured to allocate frequency resource segments or frequency resource segment groups to at least one user equipment in the local cell, and ensure that the frequency resource segments or frequency resource segment groups allocated to the at least one user equipment in the local cell do not overlap with the frequency resource segments or frequency resource segment groups allocated to the at least one user equipment in the neighboring cell.

Through the implementation of the above embodiment, the base station allocates the frequency resources of the unlicensed spectrum of the local cell according to the related information provided by the FRSI, so as to reduce the overlapping portion of the frequency resource segment or the group of the frequency resource segments of the local cell and the frequency resource segment or the group of the frequency resource segments of the neighboring cell, thereby reducing the blocking rate of the LBT process between UEs in the cells.

For specific content, please refer to fig. 8 and fig. 8 for the first embodiment of the resource allocation method using unlicensed spectrum of the present invention, and details thereof are not repeated herein.

As shown in fig. 20, the second embodiment of the base station of the present invention is based on the first embodiment of the base station of the present invention, and further includes an obtaining module 23 and an adjusting module 24.

The obtaining module 23 is configured to obtain an LBT Failure Rate Indicator (LFRI), where the LFRI is used to indicate a frequency resource segment group or a failure rate of an LBT process corresponding to a frequency resource segment.

The adjusting module 24 is configured to reallocate the frequency resources in the local cell according to the related information provided by the LFRI, and/or adjust the transmission power or the detection parameter of the user equipment in the local cell.

For details, please refer to fig. 11 and fig. 11 for the second embodiment of the resource allocation method using unlicensed spectrum in the present invention, and details are not described herein again.

Through the implementation of the above embodiment, the base station reallocates the frequency resources in the cell according to the relevant information provided by the LFRI, so as to improve the competitiveness of the UE in the cell by reducing the interference between the UE in the cell and other UEs, and further reduce the blocking rate of LBT.

As shown in fig. 21, in an embodiment of the base station of the present invention, the base station further includes a transmitting module 25, configured to periodically or aperiodically transmit the FRSI and/or LFRI of the local cell to at least one neighboring cell.

As shown in fig. 22, a third embodiment of the base station of the present invention includes: a processor 210 and a transceiver 220, the processor 210 being connected to the transceiver 220 by a bus.

The transceiver 220 is used for transmitting and receiving data and is an interface for the base station to communicate with other communication devices.

The processor 210 controls the operation of the base station, and the processor 210 may also be referred to as a Central Processing Unit (CPU). Processor 210 may be an integrated circuit chip having signal processing capabilities. The processor 210 may also be a general purpose processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), an off-the-shelf programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may be any conventional processor or the like.

The base station may further include a memory (not shown) for storing instructions and data necessary for the operation of the processor 210 and for storing data received by the transceiver 220.

The processor 210 is configured to receive, through the transceiver 220, a Frequency Resource Segment Indicator (FRSI) transmitted by at least one neighboring cell, where the FRSI is used to indicate allocation information of Frequency resources of an unlicensed spectrum in the at least one neighboring cell; and allocating the frequency resources of the unlicensed spectrum of the cell according to the related information provided by the FRSI of at least one adjacent cell.

Further, the processor 210 is configured to periodically or aperiodically transmit the FRSI of the local cell to at least one neighboring cell through the transceiver 220.

Further, the allocation information includes segmentation and/or grouping information of frequency resources of the unlicensed spectrum; the processor 210 is configured to segment and/or group frequency resources of the unlicensed spectrum of the local cell according to the FRSI to obtain frequency resource segments or frequency resource segment groups.

Further, the processor 210 is configured to allocate, by the transceiver 220, a frequency resource segment or a frequency resource segment group to at least one user equipment in the local cell; ensuring that the frequency resource segment or the frequency resource segment group allocated to at least one user equipment in the cell does not overlap with the frequency resource segment or the frequency resource segment group allocated to at least one user equipment in the adjacent cell.

Further, the processor 210 is configured to obtain an LBT Failure Rate Indicator (LFRI), where the LBT failure rate indicator is used to indicate a failure rate of an LBT process corresponding to a frequency resource segment or a frequency resource segment group; reallocating the frequency resources in the cell according to the related information provided by the LFRI; and/or adjust transmission power or detection parameters of the user equipment in the cell via the transceiver 220.

Further, the processor 210 is configured to periodically or aperiodically transmit the LFRI of the local cell to at least one neighboring cell through the transceiver 220.

Further, the processor 210 is configured to segment and/or group the frequency resources in the local cell again according to the relevant information provided by the LFRI; and/or reallocate the frequency resource segments or the frequency resource segment groups to the user equipments in the local cell through the transceiver 220 according to the related information provided by the LFRI.

In the several embodiments provided in the present invention, it should be understood that the disclosed user equipment, base station and method may be implemented in other manners. For example, the above-described embodiments of the user equipment and the base station are merely illustrative, and for example, the division of the modules or units is only one logical function division, and other division manners may be provided in actual implementation, for example, a plurality of units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be omitted, or not executed. In addition, the shown or discussed mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection may be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or units, and may be in an electrical, mechanical or other form.

The units described as separate parts may or may not be physically separate, and parts displayed as units may or may not be physical units, may be located in one place, or may be distributed on a plurality of network units. Some or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the embodiment.

In addition, functional units in the embodiments of the present invention may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist alone physically, or two or more units are integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be realized in a form of hardware, and can also be realized in a form of a software functional unit.

The integrated unit, if implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as a stand-alone product, may be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on such understanding, the technical solution of the present invention may be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for causing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, a network device, or the like) or a processor (processor) to execute all or part of the steps of the method according to the embodiments of the present invention. And the aforementioned storage medium includes: a U-disk, a removable hard disk, a Read-Only Memory (ROM), a Random Access Memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk, and other various media capable of storing program codes.

The above description is only an embodiment of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, and all equivalent structures or equivalent processes performed by the present specification and the attached drawings, or directly or indirectly applied to other related technical fields, are included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An uplink transmission method using an unlicensed spectrum, comprising:

performing idle channel assessment on at least one sub-channel corresponding to at least one frequency resource fragment in the allocated frequency resource fragment group;

determining whether the at least one sub-channel is idle, wherein the allocated frequency resource fragment group is formed by segmenting and grouping an unlicensed spectrum, and each sub-channel corresponds to a unique one of the frequency resource fragments;

and when the at least one sub-channel corresponding to the at least one frequency resource segment is idle, using the at least one sub-channel for uplink transmission.

2. The uplink transmission method according to claim 1,

the performing idle channel assessment on at least one sub-channel corresponding to at least one frequency resource segment includes:

and performing idle channel assessment on the at least one sub-channel within a preset detection time before the allocated transmission period.

3. The uplink transmission method according to claim 2,

the using the at least one idle sub-channel for uplink transmission further comprises:

if a time interval exists between the ending time when the at least one sub-channel is evaluated to be idle and the starting time of the allocated transmission period, transmitting a reservation signal by using the at least one idle sub-channel in the time interval, wherein the reservation signal is used for indicating that the at least one idle sub-channel is occupied or will be occupied.

4. The uplink transmission method according to claim 2,

the performing idle channel assessment on the at least one sub-channel within a preset detection time before the allocated transmission period comprises:

selecting a random number within the contention window;

continuously performing idle channel assessment on the at least one sub-channel within a preset detection time before the allocated transmission period;

and if the duration of the at least one subchannel detected as unoccupied is greater than or equal to the duration represented by the random number, determining that the at least one subchannel is idle.

5. The uplink transmission method according to claim 4,

the size of the contention window is determined according to at least one of the importance of the data to be uploaded, the upload latency, the traffic load condition, and the historical listen-before-talk failure rate.

6. The uplink transmission method according to claim 4,

the performing idle channel estimation on at least one sub-channel corresponding to at least one frequency resource segment further includes:

if the number of at least one frequency resource segment corresponding to at least one sub-channel which is evaluated as non-idle within the preset detection time before the previous transmission period is greater than the preset value, the idle channel evaluation is carried out again on the at least one sub-channel corresponding to the at least one frequency resource segment within the preset detection time before the next transmission period.

7. The uplink transmission method according to claim 6,

the competition of the detection parameters used for the idle channel assessment of the next transmission period is stronger than or equal to the detection parameters used for the idle channel assessment of the previous transmission period.

8. The uplink transmission method according to claim 7,

the detection parameters comprise the size of the contention window and/or the preset detection time.

9. The uplink transmission method according to claim 7,

the detection parameters are obtained from control signaling sent by the base station or are decided by self.

10. The uplink transmission method according to claim 2,

the performing idle channel assessment on at least one sub-channel corresponding to at least one frequency resource segment further includes:

if the number of at least one frequency resource fragment corresponding to at least one sub-channel which is evaluated as non-idle within a preset detection time before the allocated transmission time interval is larger than a preset value, continuously carrying out idle channel evaluation on the at least one sub-channel corresponding to the at least one frequency resource fragment within the allocated transmission time interval.

11. The uplink transmission method according to claim 2, further comprising:

and acquiring the allocated at least one frequency resource fragment and the allocated transmission period information from a control signaling sent by a base station.

12. The uplink transmission method according to any one of claims 1 to 11,

the performing idle channel assessment on at least one sub-channel corresponding to at least one frequency resource fragment in the allocated frequency resource fragment group includes:

performing energy detection on the at least one sub-channel;

acquiring signal energy on the at least one sub-channel;

and if the signal energy is less than or equal to a preset threshold value, judging that the at least one sub-channel is not occupied.

13. A method for resource allocation using unlicensed spectrum, comprising:

receiving a frequency resource segmentation indicator, FRSI, transmitted by at least one neighboring cell, the FRSI being indicative of allocation information of frequency resources of the unlicensed spectrum in the at least one neighboring cell;

allocating frequency resources of the unlicensed spectrum of the own cell according to related information provided by the FRSI of the at least one neighboring cell,

wherein the allocating frequency resources of the unlicensed spectrum of the own cell according to the related information provided by the FRSI of the at least one neighboring cell comprises:

segmenting and/or grouping frequency resources of the unlicensed spectrum of the local cell according to related information provided by the FRSI of the at least one neighboring cell to obtain frequency resource segments or frequency resource segment groups of the local cell,

allocating the frequency resource segment or the frequency resource segment group of the local cell to at least one user equipment in the local cell,

wherein the at least one UE performs idle channel assessment on the sub-channels corresponding to the frequency resource segments or the frequency resource segments in the frequency resource segment group to determine whether the sub-channels are idle,

and each sub-channel corresponds to one unique frequency resource fragment.

14. The method for resource allocation according to claim 13, further comprising:

periodically or aperiodically transmitting the FRSI of the own cell to the at least one neighboring cell.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the allocation information comprises segmentation and/or grouping information of the frequency resources of the unlicensed spectrum.

16. The method of claim 15,

the allocating frequency resources of the unlicensed spectrum of the own cell according to the related information provided by the FRSI of the at least one neighboring cell further comprises:

ensuring that the frequency resource segment or the frequency resource segment group allocated to at least one user equipment in the local cell is not overlapped with the frequency resource segment or the frequency resource segment group allocated to at least one user equipment in the adjacent cell.

17. The method for allocating resources of claim 13, further comprising:

obtaining a listen before talk failure rate index LFRI, wherein the LFRI is used for representing the failure rate of the listen before talk process corresponding to the frequency resource fragment or the frequency resource fragment group;

reallocating the frequency resources in the local cell according to the related information provided by the LFRI; and/or adjusting the transmission power or detection parameters of the user equipment in the local cell.

18. The method for allocating resources of claim 17, further comprising:

periodically or aperiodically transmitting the LFRI of the local cell to the at least one neighboring cell.

19. The resource allocation method according to claim 17,

the re-allocating the frequency resources in the local cell according to the relevant information provided by the LFRI includes:

segmenting and/or grouping the frequency resources in the local cell again according to the related information provided by the LFRI;

and/or reallocating the frequency resource fragments or the frequency resource fragment groups to the user equipment in the local cell according to the related information provided by the LFRI.

20. A user device, comprising:

a detection module, configured to perform idle channel assessment on at least one sub-channel corresponding to at least one frequency resource segment in the allocated frequency resource segment group; determining whether the at least one sub-channel is idle, wherein the frequency resource fragment group is formed by segmenting and grouping an unlicensed spectrum, and each sub-channel corresponds to only one frequency resource fragment;

and an uploading module, configured to use the at least one idle subchannel for uplink transmission when the at least one subchannel corresponding to the at least one frequency resource segment is idle.

21. The user equipment of claim 20,

the detection module comprises a pre-detection unit for performing idle channel assessment on the at least one sub-channel within a preset detection time before the allocated transmission period.

22. The user equipment of claim 21,

the front detection unit includes:

a selecting subunit, configured to select a random number within the contention window;

a detection subunit, configured to continuously perform idle channel estimation on the at least one sub-channel within a preset detection time before the allocated transmission period;

a determining subunit, configured to determine that the at least one sub-channel is idle when the duration of time during which the at least one sub-channel is detected as unoccupied is greater than or equal to the duration of time represented by the random number.

23. The user equipment of claim 22,

the detection module further includes a re-detection unit, configured to re-perform idle channel estimation on at least one sub-channel corresponding to at least one frequency resource segment that is estimated to be non-idle within a preset detection time before a previous transmission period, when the number of the at least one frequency resource segment is greater than a preset value, within a preset detection time before a next transmission period.

24. The user equipment as recited in claim 23,

the detection parameters used for the idle channel assessment in the next transmission period have stronger competitiveness than or equal to the detection parameters used for the idle channel assessment in the previous transmission period, and the detection parameters include the size of the contention window and/or the preset detection time.

25. The user equipment of claim 22,

the detection module further includes a continuous detection unit, configured to continue to perform idle channel estimation on the at least one sub-channel corresponding to the at least one frequency resource segment within the allocated transmission period when the number of the at least one frequency resource segment corresponding to the at least one sub-channel estimated to be non-idle within a preset detection time before the allocated transmission period is greater than a preset value.

26. The UE of claim 21, wherein the UE further comprises:

an obtaining module, configured to obtain the allocated at least one frequency resource segment and the allocated transmission period information from a control signaling sent by the base station.

27. A base station, comprising:

a receiving module, configured to receive a frequency resource segment indicator FRSI transmitted by at least one neighboring cell, where the FRSI is used to indicate allocation information of frequency resources of an unlicensed spectrum in the at least one neighboring cell;

an allocating module, configured to allocate frequency resources of the unlicensed spectrum of the local cell according to the related information provided by the FRSI of the at least one neighboring cell,

wherein the allocation module comprises:

a first allocation unit, configured to segment and/or group frequency resources of the unlicensed spectrum of a local cell according to related information provided by the FRSI of the at least one neighboring cell to obtain a frequency resource segment or a frequency resource segment group of the local cell;

a second allocating unit, configured to allocate the frequency resource segment or the frequency resource segment group to at least one user equipment in the local cell,

wherein the at least one user equipment performs idle channel assessment on the sub-channels corresponding to the frequency resource segments or the frequency resource segments in the frequency resource segment group, and determines whether the sub-channels are idle or not,

wherein each of the sub-channels corresponds to a unique one of the frequency resource segments.

28. The base station of claim 27, wherein the base station further comprises:

a sending module, configured to send the FRSI of the local cell to the at least one neighboring cell periodically or aperiodically.

29. The base station of claim 27,

the allocation information includes fragmentation and/or grouping information of frequency resources of the unlicensed spectrum.

30. The base station of claim 29,

the allocation module further includes a second allocation unit, and the second allocation unit is further configured to ensure that the frequency resource segments or the frequency resource segment groups allocated to the at least one user equipment in the local cell do not overlap with the frequency resource segments or the frequency resource segment groups allocated to the at least one user equipment in the neighboring cell.

31. The base station of claim 27, wherein the base station further comprises:

an obtaining module, configured to obtain a listen before talk failure rate index LFRI, where the LFRI is used to indicate a failure rate of a listen before talk process corresponding to the frequency resource segment or the frequency resource segment group;

an adjusting module, configured to reallocate the frequency resources in the local cell according to the relevant information provided by the LFRI; and/or adjusting the transmission power or detection parameters of the user equipment in the cell.

32. The base station of claim 31, wherein the base station further comprises:

a transmitting module, configured to periodically or aperiodically transmit the FRSI of the local cell to the at least one neighboring cell.

33. A user device, comprising:

the processor is connected with the communication circuit;

the processor is configured to perform, by the communication circuit, clear channel assessment on at least one sub-channel corresponding to at least one frequency resource segment in an allocated frequency resource segment group, and determine whether the at least one sub-channel is clear, where the frequency resource segment group is formed by segmenting and grouping an unlicensed spectrum; and when the at least one subchannel corresponding to the at least one frequency resource segment is idle, performing uplink transmission by using the at least one idle subchannel through the communication circuit.

34. The user equipment of claim 33,

the processor is configured to perform, by the communication circuit, clear channel assessment for the at least one sub-channel within a preset detection time prior to the allocated transmission period.

35. The user equipment of claim 34,

the processor is configured to transmit a reservation signal with at least one idle sub-channel during a time interval between an end time when the at least one sub-channel is assessed as idle and a start time of the allocated transmission period, the reservation signal indicating that the at least one idle sub-channel is occupied or will be occupied.

36. The user equipment as recited in claim 34,

the processor is configured to select a random number within a contention window; continuously performing clear channel assessment on the at least one sub-channel by the communication circuit within a preset detection time prior to the allocated transmission period; and if the duration of the at least one subchannel detected as unoccupied is greater than or equal to the duration represented by the random number, determining that the at least one subchannel is idle.

37. The user equipment of claim 36,

38. The user equipment as recited in claim 36,

the processor is configured to, when the number of at least one frequency resource segment corresponding to at least one sub-channel assessed as non-idle within a preset detection time before a current transmission period is greater than a preset value, re-perform idle channel assessment on the at least one sub-channel corresponding to the at least one frequency resource segment through the communication circuit within a preset detection time before a next transmission period.

39. The user equipment of claim 38,

40. The user equipment of claim 39,

41. The user equipment as recited in claim 39,

the processor is further configured to obtain the detection parameter from a base station or to autonomously determine the detection parameter via the communication circuit.

42. The user equipment of claim 36,

the processor is configured to, when the number of at least one frequency resource segment corresponding to at least one sub-channel assessed as non-idle within a preset detection time before the allocated transmission period is greater than a preset value, continue to perform idle channel assessment on the at least one sub-channel corresponding to the at least one frequency resource segment through the communication circuit within the allocated transmission period.

43. The user equipment of claim 34,

the processor is further configured to obtain the allocated frequency resource segments and the allocated transmission period information from a control signaling sent by a base station.

44. The user equipment according to any of claims 33-43,

the processor is configured to perform energy detection on the at least one sub-channel through the communication circuit to obtain signal energy on the at least one sub-channel; and if the signal energy is less than or equal to a preset threshold value, judging that the at least one sub-channel is not occupied.

45. A base station, comprising:

the processor is connected with the transceiver;

the processor is configured to receive, by the transceiver, a Frequency Resource Segmentation Indicator (FRSI) transmitted by at least one neighboring cell, the FRSI being used to represent allocation information of frequency resources of an unlicensed spectrum in the at least one neighboring cell; allocating frequency resources of the unlicensed spectrum of the own cell according to related information provided by the FRSI of the at least one neighboring cell,

wherein the processor is configured to segment and/or group frequency resources of the unlicensed spectrum of the local cell according to related information provided by the FRSI of the at least one neighboring cell to obtain a frequency resource segment or a frequency resource segment group of the local cell,

the processor is further configured to allocate, by the transceiver, the frequency resource segment or the group of frequency resource segments to at least one user equipment within the local cell,

46. The base station of claim 45,

the processor is further configured to periodically or aperiodically transmit the FRSI of the local cell to the at least one neighboring cell through the transceiver.

47. The base station of claim 45,

the allocation information includes segmentation and/or grouping information of frequency resources of the unlicensed spectrum.

48. The base station of claim 47,

the processor is further configured to ensure that a frequency resource segment or a group of frequency resource segments allocated to at least one user equipment in the local cell does not overlap with a frequency resource segment or a group of frequency resource segments allocated to at least one user equipment in the neighboring cell.

49. The base station of claim 47,

the processor is further configured to obtain a listen before talk failure rate indicator LFRI, where the failure rate indicator of LBT is used to indicate a failure rate of a listen before talk process corresponding to the frequency resource segment or the group of frequency resource segments; reallocating the frequency resources in the local cell according to the relevant information provided by the LFRI; and/or adjusting the transmission power or detection parameters of the user equipment in the local cell through the transceiver.

50. The base station of claim 49,

the processor is further configured to transmit, by the transceiver, the LFRI of the own cell to the at least one neighboring cell periodically or aperiodically.

51. The base station of claim 49,

the processor is used for segmenting and/or grouping the frequency resources in the local cell again according to the relevant information provided by the LFRI;

and/or reallocating the frequency resource fragment or the frequency resource fragment group to the user equipment in the local cell through the transceiver according to the relevant information provided by the LFRI.