CN109842944B

CN109842944B - Method, apparatus, and computer-readable storage medium for resource allocation on unlicensed spectrum

Info

Publication number: CN109842944B
Application number: CN201711215772.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 骆喆; 陶涛; 刘建国; 沈钢; 王钧
Original assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co Ltd; Nokia Networks Oy
Current assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co Ltd; Nokia Oyj
Priority date: 2017-11-28
Filing date: 2017-11-28
Publication date: 2021-03-19
Anticipated expiration: 2037-11-28
Also published as: CN109842944A; WO2019105255A1

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to methods, devices, and computer-readable storage media for resource allocation on unlicensed spectrum. For example, a method includes determining a first resource allocation for communication between a network device and a terminal device over an unlicensed spectrum. The method also includes determining resource usage on the unlicensed spectrum. The method also includes determining a second resource allocation for the communication over the unlicensed spectrum based on the first resource allocation and the resource usage. Moreover, the method includes communicating over the unlicensed spectrum based on the second resource allocation.

Description

Method, apparatus, and computer-readable storage medium for resource allocation on unlicensed spectrum

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to wireless communication technology and, more particularly, relate to a method, apparatus, and computer-readable storage medium for resource allocation over unlicensed spectrum.

Background

In New Radio (NR) access, higher channel bandwidths over unlicensed spectrum are allowed to be used to provide higher throughput rates. In general, the unlicensed spectrum may be divided into a plurality of operating channels. At any one time, some of the plurality of operating channels may be occupied by the communication device while other operating channels may be idle. The operating channels for different communication devices may be separated by guard bands (i.e., bands without transmission functionality) to avoid mutual interference. For a communication device, the available operating channels in the unlicensed spectrum may change over time.

In general, a network device indicates resources for uplink/downlink transmission to a terminal device in an uplink/downlink grant, and the terminal device performs uplink/downlink transmission with the network device on the allocated resources. The resources indicated in the uplink/downlink grant are typically allocated in units of Physical Resource Blocks (PRBs). However, in the unlicensed spectrum, the available operating channels may vary with the channel access result, and the bandwidth of the operating channels may not be an integer multiple of the bandwidth of one PRB. Thus, the guard band for the actual operating channel of a terminal device may overlap with the physical resource blocks allocated for that terminal device. Transmitting on overlapping physical resource blocks will cause interference to transmissions on adjacent operating channels.

Disclosure of Invention

The following presents a simplified summary of various embodiments in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of various embodiments. Note that this summary is not intended to identify key elements or to delineate the scope of the various embodiments. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is discussed later.

In a first aspect of the disclosure, a method for resource allocation on unlicensed spectrum is provided. The method includes determining a first resource allocation for communication between a network device and a terminal device over an unlicensed spectrum. The method also includes determining resource usage on the unlicensed spectrum. The method also includes determining a second resource allocation for the communication over the unlicensed spectrum based on the first resource allocation and the resource usage. Moreover, the method includes communicating over the unlicensed spectrum based on the second resource allocation.

In a second aspect of the disclosure, a communication device is provided. The communication device includes a processor and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the communication device to perform actions. The actions include: determining a first resource allocation for communication between a network device and a terminal device over an unlicensed spectrum; determining resource usage on an unlicensed spectrum; determining a second resource allocation for the communication over the unlicensed spectrum based on the first resource allocation and the resource usage; and performing the communication over the unlicensed spectrum based on the second resource allocation.

In a third aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium comprising machine executable instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform the method according to the first aspect of the present disclosure.

As will be understood from the following description, embodiments of the present disclosure determine a frequency range available for uplink/downlink transmission based on actual resource usage on an unlicensed spectrum, and determine physical resources for actual uplink/downlink transmission from physical resource blocks indicated in an uplink/downlink grant based on the determined available frequency range. In this way, a scheme for resource allocation on unlicensed spectrum according to embodiments of the present disclosure can effectively avoid interference to transmissions on adjacent operating channels. Furthermore, by utilizing a guard band between two consecutively occupied operating channels, this scheme enables a higher frequency utilization.

It should be understood that the statements herein reciting aspects are not intended to limit the critical or essential features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor are they intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description.

Drawings

The objects, advantages and other features of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following disclosure and appended claims. A non-limiting description of the preferred embodiments is given herein, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of an example communication system 100 in which methods of embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented;

fig. 2 shows an example of an actual guard band overlapping with an allocated physical resource block;

fig. 3 illustrates a process 300 for resource allocation on unlicensed spectrum according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 4 illustrates an example for resource allocation on unlicensed spectrum according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 5A and 5B illustrate examples for resource allocation on unlicensed spectrum according to embodiments of the present disclosure;

fig. 6 illustrates a process 600 for resource allocation on unlicensed spectrum according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 7 illustrates an example for resource allocation on unlicensed spectrum according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 8 illustrates an example for resource allocation on unlicensed spectrum according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 9 shows a flow diagram of a method 900 for resource allocation on unlicensed spectrum according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

fig. 10 shows a block diagram of a communication device 1000 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Like or corresponding reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views.

Detailed Description

In the following description, numerous details are set forth for the purpose of explanation. However, one of ordinary skill in the art will realize that the invention may be practiced without the use of these specific details. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features described herein.

It will be understood that the terms "first," "second," and the like, are used merely to distinguish one element from another. And in fact, a first element can also be referred to as a second element and vice versa. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises" and "comprising," when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, elements, functions, or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, functions, or components.

For ease of explanation, some embodiments of the present invention are described herein in the context of wireless communications, such as cellular communications, and using terms such as long term evolution/long term evolution-advanced (LTE/LTE-a) or 5G as specified by the 3 GPP. However, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, embodiments of the present invention are by no means limited to wireless communication systems that follow the wireless communication protocols established by the 3GPP, but may be applied to any communication system in which similar problems exist, such as WLANs, wired communication systems, or other communication systems developed in the future, and so on.

Also, the terminal device in the present disclosure may be a User Equipment (UE), and may also be any terminal having a wired or wireless communication function, including but not limited to a cell phone, a computer, a personal digital assistant, a game machine, a wearable device, an in-vehicle communication device, a Machine Type Communication (MTC) device, a device-to-device (D2D) communication device, a vehicle-to-outside (V2X) communication device, and a sensor, etc. The term terminal device can be used interchangeably with UE, mobile station, subscriber station, mobile terminal, user terminal, or wireless device. In addition, the network device may be a network Node, such as a Node B (or NB), AN evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), a next generation Node B (gnb), a Base Transceiver Station (BTS), a Base Station (BS), or a base station subsystem (BSs), a relay, a remote radio head (RRF), AN Access Node (AN), AN Access Point (AP), and so on.

A schematic diagram of an example communication system 100 in which the methods of embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented is shown in fig. 1. Communication system 100 may include one or more network devices 101. For example, in communication system 100, network device 101 may be embodied as a base station, e.g., a gNB. It should be understood that the network device 101 may also be embodied in other forms, such as NB, eNB, BTS, BS, BSs, relay, and the like. Network device 101 provides wireless connectivity to a plurality of terminal devices 110-1 and 110-2 (hereinafter collectively referred to as terminal devices 110) within its coverage area. Terminal devices 110-1 and 110-2 may communicate with network device 101 via

wireless transport channels

131 and 132, respectively, and/or with each other via transport channel 133.

In some embodiments,

wireless transmission channels

131 and 132 may be operating channels in an unlicensed spectrum. The bandwidth of the unlicensed spectrum is defined in the corresponding communication standard. Furthermore, as technology evolves, it may have different values. In general, the unlicensed spectrum may be divided into multiple operating channels, and each terminal device 110 may simultaneously occupy one or more continuous or discontinuous operating channels. For example, in standard ETSIEN 301893, the unlicensed spectrum, which ranges from 5150MHz to 5350MHz, is divided into 10 operating channels, where each operating channel has a 20MHz bandwidth. The operating channels for different terminal devices 110 may be separated by guard bands (i.e., bands without transmission capability) to avoid mutual interference. At any one time, some of the plurality of operating channels may be occupied by the communication device while other operating channels may be idle. The idle operating channels in the unlicensed spectrum may change over time.

In conventional licensed spectrum based communication, a network device typically indicates resources for UL/DL transmission to a terminal device in an Uplink (UL)/Downlink (DL) grant. The UL/DL grant may be included in Downlink Control Information (DCI) transmitted to the terminal device, and the terminal device makes UL/DL transmission with the network device on the allocated resources. For example, a network device and its associated terminal device may use a common PRB grid (a conventional common PRB grid-based resource allocation approach is further described below in connection with the example in fig. 2). That is, resources indicated in the UL/DL grant are allocated in units of PRBs. Such a resource allocation approach may have several advantages. For example, for DL transmissions, the terminal device may monitor the reference signal on the common PRB grid regardless of the actual bandwidth usage. For UL transmission, multiple terminal devices may operate in a frequency division multiplexed manner on a common PRB grid.

However, in unlicensed spectrum, such resource allocation may be problematic. For example, the preparation and transmission of UL/DL grants is typically completed before the channel access results are obtained. Furthermore, the available operating channels in the unlicensed spectrum may change depending on the channel access results. When resource allocation is performed based on a common PRB grid, the allocated PRBs do not change as the available operating channels change, and the bandwidth of the operating channels may not be an integer multiple of the bandwidth of one PRB. In this case, the guard band for the actual operating channel of the terminal device may partially overlap with the physical resource block allocated for the terminal device.

Fig. 2 shows an example of the overlapping of the guard bands of the actual operating channels with the allocated physical resource blocks. In fig. 2, the total unlicensed spectrum bandwidth of 80MHz is taken as an example, and it includes 4 operating channels of 20 MHz. As shown in fig. 2, for example, the terminal device 201 occupies an operating channel 210, i.e., an operating channel having a frequency range of 0MHz to 20 MHz. The terminal device 202 occupies an operating channel 220, i.e. an operating channel with a frequency range of 20MHz to 40 MHz. Further, the operating channels 210 and 220 are separated by a guard band 230 (i.e., a band without transmission function) to avoid interference. For purposes of illustration, 2 additional operating channels other than operating channels 210 and 220 are not shown in fig. 2.

It is assumed that resources for

terminal devices

201 and 202 are allocated based on a common PRB grid starting from 1MHz and SCS at 60 kHz. That is, the 0 th PRB (also denoted as "PRB # 0") has a frequency range from 1MHz to 1.72MHz, the 1 st PRB (also denoted as "PRB # 1") has a frequency range from 1.72MHz to 2.44MHz … …, and so on. As shown in fig. 2, for example, the network device allocates PRB #0 to PRB #24 to terminal device 201 and PRB #27 to PRB #51 to terminal device 202 in the UL/DL grant. It can be seen that for terminal device 201 there is no overlap between the guard band of the occupied operating channel 210 and the allocated PRBs. However, for terminal device 202, allocated PRB #27 and PRB #51 partially overlap with the guard band of operating channel 220, respectively. In particular, PRB #27 overlaps guard band 230 between operating channel 210 and operating channel 220. In this case, the transmission on the operating channel 210 may be interfered with when UL/DL transmission is performed on PRB # 27.

Embodiments of the present disclosure propose a scheme for resource allocation on unlicensed frequencies. As will be understood from the following description, the scheme may determine the frequency ranges available for UL/DL transmission based on actual resource usage over the unlicensed spectrum, and determine the physical resources actually used for UL/DL transmission from the PRBs indicated in the UL/DL grant based on the determined available frequency ranges. In this way, the solution is able to effectively solve the problem as shown in fig. 2, for example. Furthermore, by utilizing a guard band between two consecutively occupied operating channels, this scheme enables a higher frequency utilization.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail below with further reference to the accompanying drawings. For ease of discussion, the following description will be developed with reference to the example communication system 100 shown in fig. 1. Furthermore, for the purpose of convenience of description, it is assumed in the following description that the total unlicensed spectrum bandwidth is 80MHz and includes 4 operating channels of 20 MHz. Wherein, the frequency range of the 0 th operation channel is 0 MHz-20 MHz, the frequency range of the 1 st operation channel is 20 MHz-40 MHz, the frequency range of the 2 nd operation channel is 40 MHz-60 MHz, and the frequency range of the 3 rd operation channel is 60 MHz-80 MHz.

Further, it is also assumed that the common PRB grid starts from 0MHz and SCS is 60 kHz. That is, the 0 th PRB (also denoted "PRB # 0") has a frequency range from 0MHz to 0.72MHz (1 PRB contains 12 subcarriers), the 1 st PRB (also denoted "PRB # 1") has a frequency range from 0.72MHz to 1.44MHz … …, and so on. These PRBs may be divided into 10 interleaved units (interlaces), and the ith interleaved unit (also denoted as "interleaved unit # i", where i ∈ [0,9]) includes PRB # i, PRB # i +10, PRB # i +20, and so on.

It should be understood that the above assumptions are for convenience of description only and do not imply any limitations on the scope of the disclosure.

Fig. 3 shows a schematic diagram of a process 300 for resource allocation on unlicensed spectrum according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For example, process 300 may be used for resource allocation for DL transmissions. For ease of discussion, the description of process 300 will be in conjunction with network device 101 and terminal device 110 (e.g., terminal device 110-1 or 110-2) as shown in fig. 1.

As shown in fig. 3, network device 101 may determine 301 a resource allocation (also referred to herein as a "first resource allocation") for DL transmissions from network device 101 to terminal device 110 over an unlicensed spectrum. Network device 101 may send 302 a DL grant indicating the first resource allocation to terminal device 110. In some embodiments, the DL grant may be sent to terminal device 110 through DCI. In response to receiving the DL grant, terminal device 110 may determine 303 a first resource allocation for DL transmission based on the DL grant.

In some embodiments, the first resource allocation for DL transmission may indicate to terminal device 110 at least one PRB available for DL transmission. For example, fig. 4 illustrates an example of resource allocation for DL transmission on unlicensed spectrum according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 4, for example, in the DL grant, the network device 101 may allocate PRB #55, PRB #60, PRB #65 … …, PRB #100, and PRB #105 to the terminal device 110.

Returning to fig. 3, prior to actual DL transmissions, network device 101 may determine 304 resource usage on the unlicensed spectrum. In some embodiments, network device 101 may acquire resource usage on the unlicensed spectrum by performing a Listen Before Talk (LBT) procedure. For example, the resource usage may indicate to network device 101 a free operating channel of the multiple operating channels of the unlicensed spectrum. In the example shown in fig. 4, network device 101 may determine, for example, based on the results of the LBT procedure, that a free operating channel 410 of the 4 operating channels on the unlicensed spectrum is a 1 st operating channel and a 2 nd operating channel (i.e., a frequency range of 20MHz to 60 MHz).

Network device 101 may determine 305 a resource allocation (also referred to herein as a "second resource allocation") actually used for the DL transmission based on the first resource allocation indicated in the DL grant and the determined resource usage.

In some embodiments, network device 101 may determine an available frequency range for DL transmission based on the determined idle operating channel. For example, network device 101 may determine a guard band boundary for the idle operating channel based on the determined idle operating channel, which may indicate an available frequency range with transmission capabilities in the idle operating channel.

In some embodiments, the minimum guard band required for the operating channel may be determined based on the bandwidth of the operating channel. For example, for an operating channel with a bandwidth of 20MHz, the required single-sided minimum guard band bandwidth is 1.36 MHz. For an operating channel with a bandwidth of 40MHz, the required single-sided minimum guard band bandwidth is 1.64 MHz. For an operating channel with a bandwidth of 80MHz, the required single-sided minimum guard band bandwidth is 1.48 MHz. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, when multiple continuously operating channels are used for the same device, guard bands between the multiple continuously operating channels may be used for transmission to improve frequency utilization.

Still referring to the example shown in fig. 4, network device 101 has determined that the free operating channels 410 of the 4 operating channels of the unlicensed spectrum that are available for DL transmissions are the 1 st operating channel and the 2 nd operating channel (i.e., the frequency range is 20MHz to 60 MHz). Thus, the guard band between the 1 st operating channel and the 2 nd operating channel may be used for transmission. Since the idle operating channel 410 is 40MHz in bandwidth, the required single-sided minimum guard band bandwidth is 1.64 MHz. Network device 101 may thus determine that available frequency range 420 for DL transmissions is between 21.64MHz and 58.36 MHz.

In some embodiments, network device 101 may determine the physical resources actually used for DL transmission from the at least one PRB indicated by the DL grant based on the determined available frequency range. In some cases, each PRB of the at least one PRB indicated by the DL grant does not overlap with a guard band of an idle operating channel. In some embodiments, when each PRB of the at least one PRB does not overlap with the guard band of the idle operating channel, network device 101 may select one or more PRBs from the at least one PRB that fall within the determined available frequency range.

For example, in the example shown in fig. 4, the network device 101 may select those PRBs that are within the available frequency range 420 (i.e., 21.64MHz 58.36MHz) from the allocated plurality of PRBs (i.e., PRB #55, PRB #60, PRB #65 … …, PRB #100, and PRB # 105). That is, the network device 101 may determine that the PRB actually used for the DL transmission is PRB #55, PRB #60, PRB #65 … … PRB #80, and PRB #85, PRB #90 … … PRB #105 is also not used for the actual DL transmission.

In other cases, there may be PRBs that overlap with the guard band of the idle operating channel in the at least one PRB indicated by the DL grant. In some embodiments, when there are PRBs that overlap with the guard band of the idle operating channel in the at least one PRB, the network device 101 may select one or more PRBs from the at least one PRB that fall within the determined available frequency range, and the one or more PRBs do not include a PRB that overlaps with the guard band of the idle operating channel. For example, fig. 5A shows such an example.

As shown in fig. 5A, for example, the at least one PRB indicated in the DCI by the network device 101 includes

PRBs

510 and 520, and the

PRBs

510 and 520 partially overlap with

guard bands

530 and 540, respectively. For example, the PRB 510 includes a portion 511 located within the available frequency range 550 and a portion 512 located outside the available frequency range 550. The PRB520 includes a portion 521 located within the available frequency range 550 and a portion 522 located outside the available frequency range 550. In this case, the portion 511 of the PRB 510 that lies within the available frequency range 550 and the portion 521 of the PRB520 that lies within the available frequency range 550 will be the additional guard band. That is, the

PRBs

510 and 520 will not have transmission capabilities.

Alternatively, in further embodiments, when there are PRBs that partially overlap the guard band of the idle operating channel in the at least one PRB indicated by the DL grant, the network device 101 may select a physical resource that falls within the determined available frequency range from the at least one PRB, and the physical resource may include a portion of the PRB that partially overlaps the guard band of the idle operating channel. For example, fig. 5B illustrates such an example.

As shown in fig. 5B,

PRBs

510 and 520 partially overlap

guard bands

530 and 540, respectively. The PRB 510 includes a portion 511 located within the available frequency range 550 and a portion 512 located outside the available frequency range 550. The PRB520 includes a portion 521 located within the available frequency range 550 and a portion 522 located outside the available frequency range 550. In this case, the portion 511 of the PRB 510 that lies within the available frequency range 550 and the portion 521 of the PRB520 that lies within the available frequency range 550 may be selected as the physical resource actually used for transmission, while the portion 512 of the PRB 510 that lies outside the available frequency range 550 and the portion 522 of the PRB520 that lies outside the available frequency range 550 still serve as guard bands.

The two resource determination approaches shown in fig. 5A and 5B may have various advantages. For example, the resource determination scheme shown in fig. 5A is compatible with existing resource allocation schemes, and thus no additional modifications to the communication standard are required. The resource determination manner as shown in fig. 5B can utilize all available subcarriers, so that frequency utilization can be improved, and gain can be larger as SCS increases. Furthermore, the resource determination as shown in fig. 5B can always meet the requirements in the standard ETSIEN 301893 regarding the center frequency of the transmission.

Returning to fig. 3, network device 101 may conduct 306 a DL transmission on the unlicensed spectrum based on the determined second resource allocation. For example, network device 101 may make the DL transmission on the determined physical resources actually used for the DL transmission.

On the other side, the terminal device 110 may determine 307 resource usage on the unlicensed spectrum. In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may obtain resource usage on the unlicensed spectrum by performing downlink channel measurements. For example, terminal device 110 may measure Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) of a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) of a downlink channel to determine an operating channel on which network device 101 conducts DL transmissions.

Terminal device 110 may then determine 308 a second resource allocation actually used for DL transmission based on the first resource allocation indicated in the DL grant and the determined operating channel. In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may determine an available frequency range for DL transmission based on the determined operating channel. Terminal device 110 may also determine physical resources for DL transmission from at least one PRB indicated by the DL grant based on the determined available frequency range. For example, terminal device 110 may determine physical resources for DL transmissions in a similar manner as network device 101. For the sake of simplicity, no further description is provided herein.

In this way, terminal device 110 may engage in subsequent DL communications with network device 101 based on the determined second resource allocation actually used for DL transmission.

Fig. 6 shows a schematic diagram of a process 600 for resource allocation on unlicensed spectrum according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For example, process 600 may be used for resource allocation for UL transmissions. For ease of discussion, the description of process 600 will be in conjunction with network device 101 and terminal device 110 (e.g., terminal device 110-1 or 110-2) as shown in fig. 1.

As shown in fig. 6, network device 101 may determine 601 a resource allocation (also referred to herein as a "first resource allocation") for UL transmissions from terminal device 110 to network device 101 over the unlicensed spectrum. Network device 101 may send 602 an UL grant indicating the first resource allocation to terminal device 110. In some embodiments, the UL grant may be sent to terminal device 110 through DCI. In response to receiving the UL grant, terminal device 110 may determine 603 a first resource allocation from based on the UL grant. In some embodiments, the first resource allocation for UL transmission may indicate to terminal device 110 at least one PRB available for UL transmission. For example, fig. 7 illustrates an example of resource allocation for UL transmissions on unlicensed spectrum according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 7, for example, in the UL grant, the network device 101 may allocate PRB #1, PRB #5, PRB #11, PRB #15 … …, PRB #101, and PRB #105 to the terminal device 110.

Returning to fig. 6, prior to actual UL transmission, terminal device 110 may determine 604 resource usage on the unlicensed spectrum. In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may obtain resource usage on the unlicensed spectrum by performing a Listen Before Talk (LBT) procedure. For example, the resource usage may indicate to terminal device 110 a free operating channel of the multiple operating channels of the unlicensed spectrum. In the example shown in fig. 7, for example, according to the result of the LBT procedure, terminal device 110 may determine that a free channel 710 of 4 operating channels of the unlicensed spectrum is a 0 th operating channel (i.e., the frequency range is 0MHz to 20 MHz).

Terminal device 110 may determine 605 a resource allocation (also referred to herein as a "second resource allocation") actually used for the UL transmission based on the first resource allocation indicated in the UL grant and the determined resource usage.

In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may determine an available frequency range for UL transmissions based on the determined idle operating channel. For example, terminal device 110 may determine a guard band boundary for the idle operating channel based on the determined idle operating channel, and the guard band boundary may indicate an available frequency range with transmission capabilities in the idle operating channel.

For example, in the example shown in fig. 7, terminal device 110 has determined that a free operating channel 710 available for UL transmission among 4 operating channels of the unlicensed spectrum is the 0 th operating channel (i.e., the frequency range is 0 MHz-20 MHz). Since the bandwidth of the clear channel 710 is 20MHz, the required single-sided minimum guard band bandwidth is 1.36 MHz. Terminal device 110 may thus determine that the available frequency range 720 for UL transmissions is between 1.36MHz and 18.64 MHz.

In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may determine the physical resources actually used for UL transmission from the at least one PRB indicated by the UL grant based on the determined available frequency range. In some cases, each PRB of the at least one PRB indicated by the UL grant does not overlap with a guard band of the idle operating channel. In some embodiments, when each PRB of the at least one PRB does not overlap with the guard band of the idle operating channel, terminal device 110 may select one or more PRBs from the at least one PRB that fall within the determined available frequency range.

In other cases, there may be PRBs that overlap with the guard band of the idle operating channel in the at least one PRB indicated by the UL grant. In some embodiments, when there are PRBs that overlap with the guard band of the idle operating channel in the at least one PRB, terminal device 110 may select one or more PRBs from the at least one PRB that fall within the determined available frequency range, and the one or more PRBs do not include a PRB that overlaps with the guard band of the idle operating channel. An example of this is shown in fig. 5A, for example.

Alternatively, in further embodiments, when there are PRBs that partially overlap the guard band of the idle operating channel in the at least one PRB indicated by the UL grant, terminal device 110 may select a physical resource that falls within the determined available frequency range from the at least one PRB, and the physical resource may include a portion of the PRB that partially overlaps the guard band of the idle operating channel. An example of this is shown in fig. 5B, for example.

In the example shown in fig. 7, it is assumed that the resource determination manner shown in fig. 5B is employed. For the available frequency range 720, PRB # 2-PRB #24 fall within this range 720, while PRB #1 and PRB #25 partially overlap with the guard band of the idle operating channel 710. For example, for PRB #1, a portion 701 in the frequency range of 1.36MHz to 1.44MHz falls within the available frequency range 720; whereas for PRB #25, the portion 702 with the frequency range of 18MHz to 18.64MHz falls within the available frequency range 720. As described previously, in the case of a SCS of 60kHz, 1 PRB may include 12 subcarriers (e.g., 0 ~ 11 th subcarriers). The portion 701 in the PRB #1 may correspond to the 11 th subcarrier in the PRB #1, and the portion 702 in the PRB #25 may correspond to the 0 th to 9 th subcarriers in the PRB # 25. Thus, terminal device 110 may select PRB #5, PRB #11, PRB #15, PRB #21, part 701 of PRB #1 (i.e., the 11 th subcarrier in PRB # 1), and part 702 of PRB #25 (i.e., the 0 th to 9 th subcarriers in PRB # 25) for actual UL transmission.

Fig. 8 illustrates another example of resource allocation for UL transmission on unlicensed spectrum according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 8, for example, in the UL grant, network device 101 allocates interlace unit #2 and interlace unit #3 to terminal device 110. That is, network device 101 indicates to terminal device 110 in the UL grant the PRBs available for UL transmission include: PRB #2, PRB #3, PRB #12, PRB #13 … … PRB #102 and PRB # 103. By performing the LBT procedure, terminal device 110 may determine idle channel 810 of the 4 operating channels of the unlicensed spectrum to be the 0 th operating channel and the 1 st operating channel (i.e., frequency range of 0MHz to 40 MHz). Accordingly, the guard band between the 0 th operating channel and the 1 st operating channel may have a transmission function. Since the bandwidth of the idle operating channel 810 is 40MHz, the required single-sided minimum guard band bandwidth is 1.64 MHz. Terminal device 110 may thus determine that the available frequency range 820 for UL transmissions is between 1.64MHz and 38.36 MHz. For the available frequency range 820, PRB # 3-PRB #52 fall within this range, while PRB #2 and PRB #53 partially overlap with the guard band of the idle operating channel 810. For example, for PRB #2, a portion 801 with a frequency range of 1.64MHz to 2.16MHz falls within the available frequency range 820; whereas for PRB #53, the portion 802, which has a frequency range of 38.16 MHz-38.36 MHz, falls within the available frequency range 820. The portion 801 in PRB #2 may correspond to the 4 th to 11 th subcarriers in PRB #2, and the portion 802 in PRB #53 may correspond to the 0 th to 2 nd subcarriers in PRB # 53. Thus, the terminal device 110 may select the PRB #3, the PRB #12, the PRB #13, the PRB #22, the PRB #23 … …, the PRB #42, the PRB #43, the PRB #52, the portion 801 of the PRB #2 (i.e., the 4 th to 11 th subcarriers in the PRB # 2), and the portion 802 of the PRB #53 (i.e., the 0 th to 2 th subcarriers in the PRB # 53) for the actual UL transmission.

Returning to fig. 6, terminal device 110 may conduct 606UL transmissions on the unlicensed spectrum based on the determined second resource allocation. For example, terminal device 110 may make the UL transmission on the determined physical resources actually used for the UL transmission.

On the other side, the network device 101 may determine 607 resource usage on the unlicensed spectrum. In some embodiments, network device 101 may obtain resource usage on the unlicensed spectrum by performing uplink channel measurements. For example, network device 101 may measure Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) of a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) of an uplink channel to determine an operating channel on which terminal device 110 is making UL transmissions.

Network device 101 may then determine 608 a second resource allocation actually used for UL transmission based on the first resource allocation indicated in the UL grant and the determined operating channel. In some embodiments, network device 101 may determine an available frequency range for UL transmissions based on the determined operating channel. Network device 101 may also determine physical resources for UL transmission from at least one PRB indicated by the UL grant based on the determined available frequency range. For example, network device 101 may determine physical resources for DL transmissions in a similar manner as terminal device 110. For the sake of simplicity, no further description is provided herein.

In this way, network device 101 may engage in subsequent UL communications with terminal device 110 based on the determined second resource allocation that is actually used for UL transmissions.

As can be seen from the above description, embodiments of the present disclosure are able to determine a frequency range available for UL/DL transmission based on actual resource usage on unlicensed spectrum, and determine physical resources for actual UL/DL transmission from PRBs indicated in UL/DL grants based on the determined available frequency range. In this way, embodiments of the present disclosure can effectively solve the problem, for example, as shown in fig. 2. Furthermore, by utilizing a guard band between two consecutively occupied operating channels, embodiments of the present disclosure enable higher frequency utilization.

Fig. 9 shows a flow diagram of a method 900 for resource allocation on unlicensed spectrum according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Method 900 may be performed at a communication device, such as network device 101 and/or terminal device 110 as shown in fig. 1. In particular, in some embodiments, method 900 may be performed in parallel at network device 101 and at terminal device 110 as shown in fig. 1. For ease of description, method 900 is described below in conjunction with network device 101 and terminal device 110 of fig. 1. It should be understood that method 900 may also include additional steps not shown and/or may omit steps shown, as the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

At block 910, a first resource allocation for communication between network device 101 and terminal device 110 over an unlicensed spectrum is determined.

In some embodiments, the communication may include a DL transmission from network device 101 to terminal device 110, and the first resource allocation may be determined based on a DL grant sent by network device 101 to terminal device 110.

In other embodiments, the communication may include a UL transmission from terminal device 110 to network device 101, and the first resource allocation may be determined based on a UL grant sent by network device 101 to terminal device 110.

At block 920, resource usage on the unlicensed spectrum is determined.

In some embodiments, for example for DL transmissions, when method 900 is performed at network device 101, network device 101 may obtain the resource usage by performing an LBT procedure.

In some embodiments, for example for DL transmissions, when method 900 is performed at terminal device 110, terminal device 110 may obtain the resource usage by performing downlink channel measurements.

In some embodiments, for example for UL transmissions, when method 900 is performed at terminal device 110, terminal device 110 may obtain the resource usage by performing an LBT procedure.

In some embodiments, for example for UL transmissions, when method 900 is performed at network device 101, network device 101 may perform uplink channel measurements to obtain the resource usage.

At block 930, a second resource allocation for communicating over the unlicensed spectrum is determined based on the first resource allocation and the resource usage.

In some embodiments, the resource usage may indicate at least one of a plurality of operating channels on the unlicensed spectrum for communication, and the first resource allocation indicates at least one PRB available for the communication. The second resource allocation may be determined by: determining an available frequency range for the communication based on the at least one operating channel; and determining physical resources for the communication from the at least one PRB based on the available frequency range.

In some embodiments, the at least one PRB may include a first PRB including a portion located within an available frequency range and another portion located outside the available frequency range. The physical resources for the communication may be determined by selecting PRBs other than the first PRB from the at least one PRB.

Alternatively, in further embodiments, the at least one PRB may include a second PRB including a first portion located within the available frequency range and a second portion located outside the available frequency range. The physical resources used for the communication may be determined by including the first portion of the second PRB in the physical resources without including the second portion of the second PRB.

At block 940, communication between network device 101 and terminal device 110 is conducted over the unlicensed spectrum based on the second resource allocation.

For clarity, certain optional blocks of method 900 are not shown in fig. 9. However, it should be understood that the various features described above with reference to fig. 3-8 apply equally to the method 900.

Fig. 10 illustrates a block diagram of a communication device 1000 suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. Device 1000 may be used to implement, for example, network device 101 or terminal device 110 shown in fig. 1.

As shown in the example in fig. 10, device 1000 includes a processor 1010. Processor 1010 controls the operation and functions of device 1000. For example, in certain embodiments, the processor 1010 may perform various operations by way of instructions 1030 stored in a memory 1020 coupled thereto. The memory 1020 may be of any suitable type suitable to the local technical environment and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, including but not limited to semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems. Although only one memory unit is shown in FIG. 10, there may be multiple physically distinct memory units within device 1000.

The processor 1010 may be of any suitable type suitable to the local technical environment, and may include, but is not limited to, general purpose computers, special purpose computers, microcontrollers, digital signal controllers (DSPs), and one or more cores in a controller-based multi-core controller architecture. The device 1000 may also include multiple processors 1010. The processor 1010 may also be coupled with a transceiver 1040, which transceiver 1040 may enable the reception and transmission of information by way of one or more antennas 1050 and/or other components.

In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, the processor 1010 and the memory 1020 may cooperate to implement the method 900 described above with reference to fig. 9. In particular, when the communication device 1000 is acting as a network device, the instructions 1030 in the memory 1020, when executed by the processor 1010, may cause the communication device 1000 to perform the method 900. When the communication device 1000 is acting as a terminal device, the instructions 1030 in the memory 1020, when executed by the processor 1010, may cause the communication device 1000 to perform the method 900. It will be appreciated that all of the features described above apply to the device 1000 and are not described in detail herein.

In general, the various example embodiments of this disclosure may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic or any combination thereof. Certain aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor or other computing device. While aspects of embodiments of the disclosure have been illustrated or described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other pictorial representation, it is well understood that the blocks, apparatus, systems, techniques or methods described herein may be implemented in, as non-limiting examples, hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

By way of example, embodiments of the disclosure may also be described in the context of machine-executable instructions, such as those included in program modules, being executed in devices on target real or virtual processors. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functionality of the program modules may be combined or divided between program modules as described. Machine-executable instructions for program modules may be executed within local or distributed devices. In a distributed facility, program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage media.

Computer program code for implementing the methods of the present disclosure may be written in one or more programming languages. These computer program codes may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that the program codes, when executed by the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, cause the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks to be performed. The program code may execute entirely on the computer, partly on the computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server.

In the context of this disclosure, a machine-readable medium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The machine-readable medium may be a machine-readable signal medium or a machine-readable storage medium. A machine-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination thereof. More detailed examples of a machine-readable storage medium include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a Random Access Memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination thereof.

Additionally, while operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In some cases, multitasking or parallel processing may be beneficial. Likewise, while the above discussion contains certain specific implementation details, this should not be construed as limiting the scope of any invention or claims, but rather as describing particular embodiments that may be directed to particular inventions. Certain features that are described in this specification in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination.

Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A method for resource allocation over unlicensed spectrum, comprising:

determining a first resource allocation for communication between a network device and a terminal device over an unlicensed spectrum, the first resource allocation indicating at least one physical resource block available for the communication;

determining a resource usage on the unlicensed spectrum, the resource usage indicating at least one operating channel of a plurality of operating channels that is idle on the unlicensed spectrum;

determining an available frequency range for the communication based on the at least one operating channel, the available frequency range including guard bands between successive ones of the at least one operating channel;

determining a second resource allocation for the communication over the unlicensed spectrum based on the first resource allocation and the available frequency range, the second resource allocation indicating at least a portion of the at least one physical resource block that is within the available frequency range; and

performing the communication over the unlicensed spectrum based on the second resource allocation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication comprises a downlink transmission from the network device to the terminal device, and determining the first resource allocation comprises:

determining the first resource allocation based on a downlink grant sent by the network device to the terminal device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the method is performed at the network device, and determining the resource usage comprises:

the resource usage is obtained by performing a Listen Before Talk (LBT) procedure.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the method is performed at the terminal device, and determining the resource usage comprises:

and acquiring the resource use condition by performing downlink channel measurement.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication comprises an uplink transmission from the terminal device to the network device, and determining the first resource allocation comprises:

determining the first resource allocation based on an uplink grant sent by the network device to the terminal device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the method is performed at the network device, and determining the resource usage comprises:

obtaining the resource usage by performing uplink channel measurements.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the method is performed at the terminal device, and determining the resource usage comprises:

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one physical resource block comprises a first physical resource block comprising a portion located within the available frequency range and another portion located outside the available frequency range, and determining the second resource allocation comprises:

selecting physical resource blocks other than the first physical resource block from the at least one physical resource block as the at least partial physical resource block.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one physical resource block comprises a second physical resource block comprising a first portion located within the available frequency range and a second portion located outside the available frequency range, and determining the second resource allocation comprises:

including the first portion of the second physical resource block in the at least partial physical resource block and not the second portion of the second physical resource block.

10. A communication device, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the communication device to perform acts comprising:

11. The communication device of claim 10, wherein the communication comprises a downlink transmission from the network device to the terminal device, and determining the first resource allocation comprises:

12. The communication device of claim 11, wherein the communication device is the network device, and determining the resource usage comprises:

13. The communication device of claim 11, wherein the communication device is the terminal device, and determining the resource usage comprises:

14. The communication device of claim 10, wherein the communication comprises an uplink transmission from the terminal device to the network device, and determining the first resource allocation comprises:

15. The communication device of claim 14, wherein the communication device is the network device, and determining the resource usage comprises:

obtaining the resource usage by performing uplink channel measurements.

16. The communication device of claim 14, wherein the communication device is the terminal device, and determining the resource usage comprises:

17. The communications device of claim 10, wherein the at least one physical resource block comprises a first physical resource block comprising a portion located within the available frequency range and another portion located outside the available frequency range, and determining the second resource allocation comprises:

18. The communications device of claim 10, wherein the at least one physical resource block comprises a second physical resource block comprising a first portion located within the available frequency range and a second portion located outside the available frequency range, and determining the second resource allocation comprises:

19. A computer-readable storage medium storing machine-executable instructions that, when executed by a device, cause the device to perform the method of any one of claims 1-9.