CN117397178A - Beam coverage assessment for channel access - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of wireless communication comprising: the first wireless communication device receives one or more signals for each of a plurality of candidate sensing beams and a transmit beam from the second wireless communication device. The method further includes determining, for each candidate sensing beam of the plurality of candidate sensing beams, a first signal measurement based on at least one signal of the one or more signals for the respective candidate sensing beam. The method further includes determining, based on at least one of the one or more signals for the transmit beam, a second signal measurement regarding a direction of the transmit beam, and, for each candidate sense beam of the plurality of candidate sense beams, determining beam coverage information regarding the transmit beam direction based on the respective first signal measurement and the second signal measurement.

Description

Beam coverage assessment for channel access

Cross Reference to Related Applications

The present application claims priority and benefit from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/691,536, filed on day 3, month 10 of 2022, and U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 63/187,257, filed on day 5, month 11 of 2021, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth below and for all applicable purposes.

Technical Field

The present application relates to wireless communication systems, and more particularly to beam coverage assessment for channel access for communications in wireless communication networks operating on unlicensed spectrum.

Background

Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, and so on. These systems may be able to support communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). A wireless multiple-access communication system may include multiple Base Stations (BSs), each supporting communication for multiple communication devices, which may be otherwise referred to as User Equipment (UE), simultaneously.

To meet the increasing demand for extended mobile broadband connections, wireless communication technology is evolving from Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology to next generation New Radio (NR) technology, which may be referred to as generation 5 (5G). For example, NR is designed to provide lower latency, higher bandwidth or higher throughput, and higher reliability than LTE. NR is designed to operate on a broadband array, for example, from a low frequency band below about 1 gigahertz (GHz) and an intermediate frequency band from about 1GHz to about 6GHz to a high frequency band such as a millimeter wave (mmWave) frequency band. NR is also designed to operate across different spectrum types, from licensed spectrum to unlicensed spectrum and shared spectrum. Spectrum sharing enables operators to opportunistically aggregate spectrum to dynamically support high bandwidth services. Spectrum sharing may extend the benefits of NR technology to operational entities that may not be able to access licensed spectrum.

One way to avoid collisions when communicating in the shared spectrum or unlicensed spectrum is to use a Listen Before Talk (LBT) procedure to ensure that the shared channel is clear before transmitting signals in the shared channel. For example, the transmitting node may listen to the channel to determine if there is an active transmission in the channel. When the channel is idle, the transmitting node may transmit a preamble to reserve a transmission opportunity (TXOP) in the shared channel and may communicate with the receiving node during the TXOP. Channel access technology improvements may also yield benefits as use cases and diverse deployment scenarios continue to expand in wireless communications.

Disclosure of Invention

The following outlines some aspects of the disclosure to provide a basic understanding of the techniques discussed. This summary is not an extensive overview of all contemplated features of the disclosure, and is intended to neither identify key or critical elements of all aspects of the disclosure nor delineate the scope of any or all aspects of the disclosure. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects of the disclosure in a summarized form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

One aspect of the present disclosure includes a method of wireless communication performed by a first wireless communication device. The method includes receiving one or more signals for each of a plurality of candidate sensing beams and a transmit beam from a second wireless communication device. The method further includes determining, for each candidate sensing beam of the plurality of candidate sensing beams, a first signal measurement for at least one of a direction of the transmit beam or a direction of the respective candidate sensing beam based on at least one signal of the one or more signals for the respective candidate sensing beam. The method further includes determining a second signal measurement regarding a direction of the transmit beam based on at least one of the one or more signals for the transmit beam. The method further includes determining, for each candidate sensing beam of the plurality of candidate sensing beams, beam coverage information regarding the transmit beam direction based on the respective first signal measurement and the second signal measurement.

Another aspect of the present disclosure includes a method of wireless communication performed by a wireless communication device. The method includes selecting a sensing beam from a plurality of candidate sensing beams based on beam coverage information associated with the plurality of candidate sensing beams and one or more first transmit beams. The method also includes sensing channels in the shared frequency band based on the selected sensing beam. The method also includes determining, based on the sensing, whether to transmit a communication signal in the one or more first transmit beams.

Other aspects, features and embodiments will become apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of the following description of specific exemplary aspects in conjunction with the accompanying figures. While features may be discussed below with respect to certain embodiments and figures, all aspects may include one or more of the advantageous features discussed herein. In other words, while one or more aspects may be discussed as having certain advantageous features, one or more of these features may also be used in accordance with the various embodiments discussed herein. In a similar manner, although exemplary aspects may be discussed below as device, system, or method aspects, it should be understood that such exemplary aspects may be implemented in a variety of devices, systems, and methods.

Drawings

Fig. 1 illustrates a wireless communication network in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 illustrates a communication scenario in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 3 illustrates a channel access method in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 4 illustrates a Direct Far Field (DFF) measurement setup of a wireless device in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5A illustrates a DFF measurement setting for a wireless device in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5B illustrates a DFF measurement setting for a wireless device in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 6 illustrates a wireless communication scenario for beam-based transmission and channel sensing in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 7 illustrates a wireless communication scenario including performing channel sensing for multiple desired transmit beams using a single sense beam, in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 8A illustrates a scheme for evaluating beam coverage of a plurality of candidate sensing beams relative to a desired transmit beam in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 8B illustrates a scheme for evaluating beam coverage of a plurality of candidate sensing beams relative to a desired transmit beam in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 9A illustrates a scheme for evaluating beam coverage of a plurality of candidate sensing beams relative to a desired transmit beam in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 9B illustrates a scheme for evaluating beam coverage of a plurality of candidate sensing beams relative to a desired transmit beam in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 10 illustrates a scheme for evaluating beam coverage of a plurality of candidate sensing beams relative to a plurality of desired transmit beams in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 11 illustrates a channel access method in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 12 illustrates a block diagram of a Base Station (BS) in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 13 illustrates a block diagram of a User Equipment (UE) in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 14 is a flow chart of a wireless communication method in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 15 is a flow chart of a wireless communication method in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of various configurations and is not intended to represent the only configurations in which the concepts described herein may be practiced. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of the various concepts. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that the concepts may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring such concepts.

The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communication systems, which are also referred to as wireless communication networks. In various aspects, the techniques and apparatuses may be used for wireless communication networks such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) networks, time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) networks, frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) networks, orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) networks, single carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) networks, LTE networks, global system for mobile communications (GSM) networks, fifth generation (5G) or New Radio (NR) networks, among others. As described herein, the terms "network" and "system" may be used interchangeably.

OFDMA networks may implement radio technologies such as evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, IEEE802.16, IEEE802.20, flash-OFDM, and the like. UTRA, E-UTRA and GSM are parts of Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). In particular, long Term Evolution (LTE) is a version of UMTS that uses E-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, GSM, UMTS and LTE are described in documents provided from an organization named "third generation partnership project" (3 GPP), and cdma2000 is described in documents from an organization named "third generation partnership project 2" (3 GPP 2). These various radio technologies and standards are known or are being developed. For example, the third generation partnership project (3 GPP) is a collaboration between groups of telecommunications associations that are targeted to define the globally applicable third generation (3G) mobile phone specifications. 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) is a 3GPP project that aims to improve UMTS mobile telephony standards. The 3GPP may define specifications for next generation mobile networks, mobile systems and mobile devices. The present disclosure relates to evolution from LTE, 4G, 5G, NR and higher versions of wireless technology, where access to the wireless spectrum is shared between networks using new and different radio access technologies or sets of radio air interfaces.

In particular, 5G networks contemplate a wide variety of deployments, a wide variety of spectrum, and a wide variety of services and devices that may be implemented using a unified air interface based on OFDM. To achieve these goals, further enhancements to LTE and LTE-a are considered in addition to developing new radio technologies for 5G NR networks. The NR will be able to scale to provide the following coverage: (1) Have ultra-high density (e.g., -1M node/km 2), ultra-low complexity (e.g., -10 s bits/second), ultra-low energy (e.g., -10 years or more of battery life), and deep-covered large internet of things (IoT) capable of reaching challenging locations; (2) Including mission critical controls, having strong security to protect sensitive personal, financial, or confidential information, ultra-high reliability (e.g., -99.9999% reliability), ultra-low latency (e.g., -1 ms), and broad mobility or lack of mobility users; (3) With enhanced mobile broadband including extremely high capacity (e.g., -10 Tbps/km 2), extreme data rates (e.g., multiple Gbps rates, 100+mbps user experience rates), and advanced discovery and optimized depth perception.

The 5G NR may be implemented to use an optimized OFDM-based waveform with a scalable digital scheme (numerology) and Transmission Time Interval (TTI); has a common, flexible framework to efficiently multiplex services and features with a dynamic, low-latency Time Division Duplex (TDD) design/Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) design; and advanced wireless technologies such as massive Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO), robust millimeter wave (mmWave) transmission, advanced channel coding, and device-centric mobility. Scalability of the digital scheme in NR and scaling of the subcarrier spacing can effectively address operating different services across different spectrums and different deployments. For example, in various outdoor and macro coverage deployments of less than 3GHz FDD/TDD implementations, the subcarrier spacing may be 15kHz, e.g., over a Bandwidth (BW) of 5, 10, 20MHz, etc. For other various outdoor and small cell coverage deployments of TDD greater than 3GHz, the subcarrier spacing may be 30kHz on 80/100MHz BW. For other various indoor wideband embodiments, using TDD on the unlicensed portion of the 5GHz band, the subcarrier spacing may be 60kHz on 160mhz bw. Finally, for various deployments using millimeter wave components to transmit at 28GHz TDD, the subcarrier spacing may be 120kHz over 500MHz BW. In certain aspects, the frequency band for 5G NR is divided into a plurality of different frequency ranges, frequency range one (FR 1), frequency range two (FR 2), and FR2x. The FR1 band includes a band of 7GHz or less (e.g., between about 410MHz to about 7125 MHz). The FR2 band includes a band in the millimeter wave range between about 24.25GHz and about 52.6 GHz. The FR2x frequency band includes a frequency band in the millimeter wave range between about 52.6GHz to about 71 GHz. The millimeter wave band may have a shorter range than the FR1 band, but a higher bandwidth. In addition, the 5G NR may support different sets of subcarrier spacings for different frequency ranges.

The scalable digital scheme of 5G NR facilitates scalable TTI for different delay and quality of service (QoS) requirements. For example, shorter TTIs may be used for low latency and high reliability, while longer TTIs may be used for higher spectral efficiency. Efficient multiplexing of long and short TTIs allows transmission to begin on symbol boundaries. The 5G NR also contemplates a self-contained integrated subframe design with UL/downlink scheduling information, data and acknowledgements in the same subframe. The self-contained integrated subframes support communication in unlicensed or contention-based shared spectrum, adaptive UL/downlink (which may be flexibly configured on a per cell basis to dynamically switch between UL and downlink to meet current traffic demands).

Various aspects and features of the disclosure are described further below. It should be apparent that the teachings herein may be embodied in a wide variety of forms and that any specific structure, function, or both being disclosed herein is merely representative and not limiting. Based on the teachings herein one of ordinary skill in the art should appreciate that an aspect disclosed herein may be implemented independently of any other aspects and that two or more of these aspects may be combined in various ways. For example, an apparatus may be implemented or a method may be practiced using any number of the aspects set forth herein. Furthermore, such an apparatus may be implemented or such a method may be practiced using other structure, functionality, or both in addition to or other than one or more of the aspects set forth herein. For example, the methods may be implemented as part of a system, apparatus, device, and/or as instructions stored on a computer-readable medium for execution on a processor or computer. Furthermore, an aspect may comprise at least one element of a claim.

To enable coexistence between multiple devices in a shared or unlicensed spectrum, a Listen Before Talk (LBT) procedure may be used to evaluate whether a shared channel is clear before transmitting a signal in the channel. During the LBT procedure, a device may perform a Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) for a predetermined duration to contend for a Channel Occupancy Time (COT). During CCA, the device may compare the energy level detected in the channel to a threshold value. If the energy level exceeds the threshold, the device may determine that the channel is occupied, refrain from transmitting signals in the channel, and repeat the CCA after a period of time, or the device may reduce its transmit power to avoid interfering with other devices that may be using the channel. If the energy level is below the threshold, the device may determine that the channel is unoccupied (indicating that the device wins contention) and continue to transmit signals in the COT.

Unlicensed spectrum useful for wireless communications may include the 5 gigahertz (GHz) band, the 6GHz band, and the 60GHz band. One of the key drivers for LBT in the 60GHz band is the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). To this end, in a first ETSI mode of operation, a mobile or fixed wireless communication device or node is forced to perform LBT before accessing an unlicensed frequency band in the 60GHz range. Devices or nodes communicating over the 60GHz band may use the beamformed signals to compensate for high signal attenuation at high frequencies. The beamformed signals may concentrate their signal energy in a particular beam direction towards the intended receiver and thus multiple transmitters may transmit simultaneously in different spatial directions without or with minimal interference from each other.

As used herein, the term "transmit beam" may refer to a transmitter that transmits a beamformed signal in a certain spatial direction or beam direction and/or with a certain beam width covering a certain spatial angle sector. The transmit beam may have characteristics such as beam direction and beam width. The term "receive beam" may refer to a receiver that uses beamforming to receive signals from a particular spatial direction or beam direction and/or within a particular beam width that covers a certain spatial angle sector. The receive beam may have characteristics such as beam direction and beam width. Furthermore, the transmit beam or the receive beam may have a specific radiation power pattern in the corresponding beam direction. The radiated power pattern is a combination of the beam gain pattern and the conducted power. The conducted power is the power at the Radio Frequency (RF) front end output of the transmitter or receiver (e.g., at a connector to an antenna array). The beam gain pattern may depend on the antenna array gain.

When operating in a shared frequency band using beamforming, it may be desirable to determine whether the shared frequency band is available in one or more desired transmit beam directions. For example, the wireless communication device may select or determine one or more transmit beam directions for transmitting one or more communication signals or reference signals. Thus, the wireless communication device may desire to know whether a shared frequency band is available in each transmit beam direction. However, performing LBT for each of a plurality of different transmit beam directions may be an inefficient use of network resources.

Accordingly, the present disclosure describes systems and mechanisms for performing channel sensing (e.g., LBT) using a sensing beam that does not match one or more desired transmit beams. Mismatch may refer to differences in beam characteristics (e.g., beam direction, radiation power pattern, and/or beam gain pattern) between the sensing beam and the transmitting beam. Because the sensing beam may not be the same as the transmit beam used for transmission, signal measurements obtained in the sensing beam direction from channel sensing may not provide the same sensitivity (e.g., receive sensitivity) as the transmit beam. That is, the sensing beam may be less sensitive or more sensitive than the transmit beam in the transmit beam direction. In the case where the sensing beam is less sensitive than the transmitting beam, channel sensing may be too aggressive (in terms of obtaining channel access), while in the case where the sensing beam is more sensitive than the transmitting beam, channel sensing may be too conservative (in terms of obtaining channel access). Accordingly, the present disclosure provides techniques for determining whether a sensing beam is suitable for channel sensing in a transmit beam direction of a desired transmission when the sensing beam direction is different from the transmit beam direction. Furthermore, the present disclosure provides techniques for adjusting an energy detection threshold for channel sensing using a sensing beam to better match the sensitivity of the transmit beam in the transmit beam direction.

For example, aspects of the present disclosure include sensing a channel using a single sense beam direction to obtain signal measurements associated with each of a plurality of transmit beam directions. Further, the present disclosure describes systems and mechanisms for evaluating or verifying candidate sense beam directions for channel sensing in a multiple transmit beam communication scenario. In some aspects, the first wireless communication device may be configured to: obtaining signal measurements for the second wireless communication device for each of a plurality of candidate sensing beam directions for the second wireless communication device relative to each of a plurality of transmit beam directions for the second wireless communication device; and determining a spatial beam coverage of each sensing beam direction relative to each of the plurality of transmit beam directions. The spatial beam coverage may correspond to a radiation power pattern and/or a beam gain pattern of the sensing beam. Wherein the second wireless communication device being measured for beam signals may be a BS or a UE. In some aspects, the first wireless communication device may be a manufacturing/calibration device or a test device used in a manufacturing and/or calibration phase of the second wireless communication device. The first wireless communication device may save and/or record beam coverage information, for example, in one or more lists or look-up tables. The beam coverage information may be stored at the second wireless communication, and the second wireless communication device may utilize the beam coverage information for channel sensing during operation. In some aspects, the first wireless communication device may transmit the beam coverage information to the second wireless communication device, and the second wireless communication device may store the beam coverage information (e.g., at a memory of the second wireless communication device) for later use. In other aspects, the beam coverage information may be transmitted to another device that may configure the beam coverage information at a memory of the second wireless communication device.

To determine the beam coverage information, the manufacturing/calibration device may determine whether the sensed beam direction of the second wireless communication device is eligible for one or more transmit beam directions of the second wireless communication device by comparing a beam coverage parameter, such as a signal power difference or a beam pattern gain difference, to a corresponding threshold. For example, the manufacturing/calibration device may be configured to determine a signal power difference of the sensing beam relative to the transmit beam direction and a desired maximum signal power of the transmit beam in the transmit beam direction. If the candidate sensing beam meets the threshold criteria, the manufacturing/calibration device may indicate in the beam coverage information that the candidate sensing beam is eligible for channel sensing of the desired transmit beam. In some aspects, the manufacturing/calibration apparatus may also determine an energy detection threshold adjustment based on the signal power difference and/or the beam pattern gain difference, and may include the energy detection threshold adjustment in the beam coverage information. The energy detection threshold adjustment may be used by the second wireless communication device to adjust the reference energy detection threshold for use in determining whether the channel is clear for transmission during channel sensing in real-time operation. The reference energy detection threshold may be a predetermined value and may be defined by, for example, a specification. Additionally or alternatively, the second wireless communication device may apply adjustments to the reference energy detection threshold based on other parameters in the beam coverage information (e.g., signal power difference, beam gain difference, etc.).

Aspects of the present disclosure may provide several benefits. For example, utilizing a different sensing beam than the intended or desired transmit beam may allow the wireless communication device to obtain channel sensing results for multiple transmit beams from one channel sensing (e.g., performing a single LBT procedure) rather than performing multiple channel sensing in each intended or desired transmit beam direction, respectively. Thus, channel sensing overhead may be reduced. Storing the sensing beam coverage information at the wireless communication device allows the wireless communication device to select an appropriate sensing beam for channel sensing during real-time operation. The inclusion of parameters (such as signal power difference, beam gain difference, spatial angle difference, etc.) in the sensing beam coverage information allows the wireless communication device to adjust the channel sensing detection threshold so that sensitivity differences between the sensing beam and the transmission can be compensated. Thus, channel sensing and/or spectrum sharing performance may not be affected by using a different sensing beam than the transmit beam.

Fig. 1 illustrates a wireless communication network 100 in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure. Network 100 may be a 5G network. The network 100 includes a plurality of Base Stations (BSs) 105 (labeled 105a, 105b, 105c, 105d, 105e, and 105f, respectively) and other network entities. BS105 may be a station in communication with UEs 115 (individually labeled 115a, 115B, 115c, 115d, 115e, 115f, 115g, 115h, and 115 k) and may also be referred to as an evolved node B (eNB), a next generation eNB (gNB), an access point, and the like. Each BS105 may provide communication coverage for a particular geographic area. In 3GPP, the term "cell" can refer to this particular geographic coverage area of BS105 and/or a BS subsystem serving this coverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used.

BS105 may provide communication coverage for a macrocell or a small cell (such as a pico cell or a femto cell), and/or other types of cells. A macro cell typically covers a relatively large geographical area (e.g., a few kilometers in radius) and may allow unrestricted access by UEs with service subscription with the network provider. A small cell (e.g., a pico cell) will typically cover a relatively small geographic area and may allow unrestricted access by UEs with service subscriptions with the network provider. A small cell (e.g., a femto cell) will typically also cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a home), and may provide limited access by UEs having an association with the femto cell (e.g., UEs in a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG), UEs for users in the home, etc.), in addition to unrestricted access. The BS for the macro cell may be referred to as a macro BS. The BS for the small cell may be referred to as a small cell BS, a pico BS, a femto BS, or a home BS. In the example shown in fig. 1, BSs 105D and 105e may be conventional macro BSs, while BSs 105a-105c may be macro BSs having the capability of one of three-dimensional (3D), full-dimensional (FD), or massive MIMO. BSs 105a-105c may utilize their higher dimensional MIMO capabilities to utilize 3D beamforming in both elevation and azimuth beamforming to increase coverage and capacity. The BS may be a small cell BS, which may be a home node or a portable access point. The BS may support one or more (e.g., two, three, four, etc.) cells.

The wireless network 100 may support synchronous or asynchronous operation. For synchronous operation, BSs may have similar frame timing, and transmissions from different BSs may be approximately aligned in time. For asynchronous operation, BSs may have different frame timings, and transmissions from different BSs may not be aligned in time.

The UEs 115 are dispersed throughout the wireless network 100, and each UE 115 may be fixed or mobile. UE 115 may also be referred to as a terminal, mobile station, subscriber unit, station, or the like. UE 115 may be a cellular telephone, personal Digital Assistant (PDA), wireless modem, wireless communication device, handheld device, tablet, laptop, cordless telephone, wireless Local Loop (WLL) station, or the like. In one aspect, the UE 115 may be a device that includes a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC). In another aspect, the UE may be a device that does not include a UICC. In some aspects, UEs 115 that do not include UICCs may also be referred to as IoT devices or internet of everything (IoE) devices. UEs 115a-115d are examples of mobile smart phone type devices that access network 100. UE 115 may also be a machine specifically configured for connection communications, including Machine Type Communications (MTC), enhanced MTC (eMTC), narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), and so forth. UEs 115e-115h are examples of various machines configured for communication with access network 100. UEs 115i-115k are examples of vehicles equipped with wireless communication devices configured for communication that access the network 100. The UE 115 may be capable of communicating with any type of BS, whether macro BS, small cell, etc. In fig. 1, lightning (e.g., a communication link) indicates a wireless transmission between the UE 115 and the serving BS105 (which is a BS designated to serve the UE 115 on the Downlink (DL) and/or Uplink (UL)), a desired transmission between the BSs 105, a backhaul transmission between BSs, or a side-downlink transmission between the UEs 115.

In operation, BSs 105a-105c use 3D beamforming and collaborative space techniques (e.g., coordinated multipoint (CoMP) or multiple connections) to serve UEs 115a and 115 b. The macro BS105d may perform backhaul communications with BSs 105a-105c and the small cell BS105 f. The macro BS105d also transmits multicast services that UEs 115c and 115d subscribe to and receive. Such multicast services may include mobile television or streaming video, or may include other services for providing community information, such as weather emergency or alerts (such as Amber alerts or gray alerts).

BS105 may also communicate with a core network. The core network may provide user authentication, access authorization, tracking, internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. At least some of the BSs 105 (which may be, for example, gnbs or an example of an Access Node Controller (ANC)) may interface with the core network over a backhaul link (e.g., NG-C, NG-U, etc.), and may perform radio configuration and scheduling for communication with the UE 115. In various examples, BSs 105 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., through a core network) over a backhaul link (e.g., X1, X2, etc.), which may be a wired or wireless communication link.

Network 100 may also support time-critical communications for time-critical devices such as UE115 e having ultra-reliable and redundant links. The redundant communication links with UE115 e may include links from macro BSs 105d and 105e, as well as from small cell BSs. Other machine type devices, such as a UE (e.g., thermometer), a UE (smart meter), and a UE115h (e.g., wearable device), may communicate with a BS, such as a small cell BS, through the network 100 or communicate through the network 100 in a multi-action size configuration by communicating with another user device that relays its information to the network, e.g., the UE communicates temperature measurement information to the smart meter, which then reports to the network through the small cell BS. The network 100 may also provide additional network efficiency through dynamic, low latency TDD/FDD communications, such as V2V, V2X, C-V2X communications between the UE 115I, 115j, or 115k and other UEs 115 and/or vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications between the UE 115I, 115j, or 115k and the BS 105.

In some implementations, the network 100 uses OFDM-based waveforms for communication. An OFDM-based system may divide the system BW into a plurality (K) of orthogonal subcarriers, which are also commonly referred to as subcarriers, tones, bins, etc. Each subcarrier may be modulated with data. In some aspects, the subcarrier spacing between adjacent subcarriers may be fixed and the total number of subcarriers (K) may depend on the system BW. The system BW may also be divided into sub-bands. In other aspects, the subcarrier spacing and/or the duration of the TTI may be scalable.

In some aspects, BS105 may allocate or schedule transmission resources (e.g., in the form of time-frequency Resource Blocks (RBs)) for Downlink (DL) and Uplink (UL) transmissions in network 100. DL refers to a transmission direction from the BS105 to the UE 115, and UL refers to a transmission direction from the UE 115 to the BS 105. The communication may take the form of a radio frame. The radio frame may be divided into a plurality of subframes or slots, e.g., about 10 subframes or slots. Each time slot may be further divided into minislots. In FDD mode, simultaneous UL and DL transmissions may occur in different frequency bands. For example, each subframe includes UL subframes in the UL band and DL subframes in the DL band. In TDD mode, UL and DL transmissions occur in different time periods using the same frequency band. For example, a subset of subframes in a radio frame (e.g., DL subframes) may be used for DL transmissions and another subset of subframes in a radio frame (e.g., UL subframes) may be used for UL transmissions.

The DL subframe and the UL subframe may be further divided into several regions. For example, each DL or UL subframe may have predefined areas for transmission of reference signals, control information, and data. The reference signal is a predetermined signal that facilitates communication between the BS105 and the UE 115. For example, the reference signal may have a particular pilot pattern or structure in which multiple pilot tones may span the operating BW or band, each pilot tone being located at a predefined time and a predefined frequency. For example, BS105 may transmit cell-specific reference signals (CRSs) and/or channel state information-reference signals (CSI-RSs) to enable UE 115 to estimate DL channels. Similarly, UE 115 may transmit Sounding Reference Signals (SRS) to enable BS105 to estimate UL channels. The control information may include resource assignments and protocol control. The data may include protocol data and/or operational data. In some aspects, BS105 and UE 115 may communicate using self-contained subframes. The self-contained subframe may include a portion for DL communication and a portion for UL communication. The self-contained subframes may be DL-centric or UL-centric. The DL-centric sub-frame may comprise a longer duration for DL communication than for DL communication. UL-centric subframes may include a longer duration for UL communication than for DL communication.

In some aspects, network 100 may be an NR network deployed over a licensed spectrum. BS105 may transmit synchronization signals (e.g., including a Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS) and a Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS)) in network 100 to facilitate synchronization. BS105 may broadcast system information associated with network 100, including, for example, a Master Information Block (MIB), remaining system information (RMSI), and Other System Information (OSI), to facilitate initial network access. In some aspects, BS105 may broadcast PSS, SSS, and/or MIB in the form of a Synchronization Signal Block (SSB), and may broadcast RMSI and/or OSI over a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH). The MIB may be transmitted through a Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH).

In some aspects, a UE 115 attempting to access the network 100 may perform an initial cell search by detecting PSS from the BS 105. The PSS may enable synchronization of the cycle timing and may indicate the physical layer identity value. Subsequently, UE 115 may receive the SSS. The SSS may enable radio frame synchronization and may provide a cell identity value that may be combined with a physical layer identity value to identify a cell. The PSS and SSS may be located in the center portion of the carrier or at any suitable frequency within the carrier.

After receiving the PSS and SSS, the UE 115 may receive the MIB. The MIB may include system information for initial network access and scheduling information for RMSI and/or OSI. After decoding the MIB, the UE 115 may receive RMSI and/or OSI. RMSI and/or OSI may include Radio Resource Control (RRC) information related to Random Access Channel (RACH) procedure, paging, control resource set for Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) monitoring (CORESET), physical UL Control Channel (PUCCH), physical UL Shared Channel (PUSCH), power control, and SRS.

After obtaining the MIB, RMSI, and/or OSI, the UE 115 may perform a random access procedure to establish a connection with the BS 105. In some examples, the random access procedure may be a four-step random access procedure. For example, the UE 115 may transmit a random access preamble and the BS105 may respond with a random access response. The Random Access Response (RAR) may include a detected random access preamble Identifier (ID) corresponding to the random access preamble, timing Advance (TA) information, UL grant, temporary cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI), and/or a back-off indicator. After receiving the random access response, the UE 115 may send a connection request to the BS105, and the BS105 may respond with a connection response. The connection response may indicate a contention resolution scheme. In some examples, the random access preamble, RAR, connection request, and connection response may be referred to as message 1 (MSG 1), message 2 (MSG 2), message 3 (MSG 3), and message 4 (MSG 4), respectively. In some examples, the random access procedure may be a two-step random access procedure in which the UE 115 may send the random access preamble and the connection request in a single transmission, and the BS105 may respond by sending a random access response and a connection response in a single transmission.

After establishing the connection, the UE 115 and BS105 may enter a normal operation phase in which operation data may be exchanged. For example, BS105 may schedule UE 115 for UL and/or DL communications. BS105 may send UL and/or DL scheduling grants to UE 115 via the PDCCH. The scheduling grant may be transmitted in the form of DL Control Information (DCI). The BS105 may transmit DL communication signals (e.g., carry data) to the UE 115 via the PDSCH according to the DL scheduling grant. UE 115 may transmit UL communication signals to BS105 via PUSCH and/or PUCCH according to the UL scheduling grant. The connection may be referred to as an RRC connection. The UE 115 is in an RRC connected state when the UE 115 is actively exchanging data with the BS 105.

In one example, after establishing a connection with BS105, UE 115 may initiate an initial network attach procedure with network 100. BS105 may coordinate with various network entities or fifth generation core (5 GC) entities, such as Access and Mobility Functions (AMFs), serving Gateways (SGWs), and/or packet data network gateways (PGWs), to complete the network attachment process. For example, BS105 may coordinate with network entities in 5GC to identify UEs, authenticate UEs, and/or authorize UEs to transmit and/or receive data in network 100. Further, the AMF may assign a set of Tracking Areas (TAs) to the UE. Once the network attach procedure is successful, a context is established in the AMF for the UE 115. After successful attachment to the network, the UE 115 may move around the current TA. For Tracking Area Updates (TAU), the BS105 may request the UE 115 to periodically update the network 100 with the location of the UE 115. Alternatively, the UE 115 may report the location of the UE 115 to the network 100 only when a new TA is entered. TAU allows network 100 to quickly locate UE 115 and page UE 115 when an incoming data packet or call is received for UE 115.

In some aspects, BS105 may communicate with UE 115 using HARQ techniques to improve communication reliability, e.g., provide URLLC services. BS105 may schedule UE 115 for PDSCH communication by sending DL grants in the PDCCH. The BS105 may transmit DL data packets to the UE 115 according to the schedule in the PDSCH. DL data packets may be transmitted in the form of Transport Blocks (TBs). If the UE 115 successfully receives the DL data packet, the UE 115 may send a HARQ ACK to the BS 105. In contrast, if the UE 115 fails to receive the DL transmission, the UE 115 may send a HARQ NACK to the BS 105. Upon receiving the HARQ NACK from the UE 115, the BS105 may retransmit the DL data packet to the UE 115. The retransmission may include the same encoded version of the DL data as the initial transmission. Alternatively, the retransmission may comprise a different encoded version of the DL data than the initial transmission. UE 115 may apply soft combining to combine encoded data received from the initial transmission and retransmission for decoding. BS105 and UE 115 may also apply HARQ for UL communications using a substantially similar mechanism as DL HARQ.

In some aspects, the network 100 may operate on a system BW or a Component Carrier (CC) BW. Network 100 may divide system BW into multiple BWP (e.g., portions). BS105 may dynamically allocate UEs 115 to operate on a certain BWP (e.g., a certain portion of the system BW). The assigned BWP may be referred to as an active BWP. UE 115 may monitor active BWP for signaling information from BS 105. BS105 may schedule UE 115 for UL or DL communications in the active BWP. In some aspects, BS105 may allocate a pair of BWP within a CC to UE 115 for UL and DL communications. For example, the BWP pair may include one BWP for UL communication and one BWP for DL communication.

In some aspects, network 100 may operate on shared channels, which may include shared frequency bands and/or unlicensed frequency bands. For example, network 100 may be an NR-U network operating on an unlicensed frequency band. In such aspects, BS105 and UE 115 may be operated by multiple network operating entities. To avoid collisions, BS105 and UE 115 may employ a Listen Before Talk (LBT) procedure to monitor transmission opportunities (TXOPs) in the shared channel. The TXOP may also be referred to as COT. The goal of LBT is to protect the receiver's reception from interference. For example, a transmitting node (e.g., BS105 or UE 115) may perform LBT before transmitting in a channel. When LBT passes, the transmitting node may continue transmitting. When LBT fails, the transmitting node may refrain from transmitting in the channel.

LBT may be based on Energy Detection (ED) or signal detection. For energy detection based LBT, the result of LBT is a pass when the signal energy measured from the channel is below a threshold. Conversely, when the signal energy measured from the channel exceeds the threshold, the result of LBT is failure. For LBT based on signal detection, when a channel reservation signal (e.g., a predetermined preamble signal) is not detected in the channel, the result of LBT is a pass. Furthermore, LBT may be in multiple modes. The LBT pattern may be, for example, a type 4 (CAT 4) LBT, a type 2 (CAT 2) LBT, or a type 1 (CAT 1) LBT. CAT1 LBT is referred to as LBT-free mode, in which LBT is not performed prior to transmission. CAT2 LBT refers to LBT without a random backoff period. For example, the transmitting node may determine channel measurements in the time interval and determine whether a channel is available based on a comparison of the channel measurements to the ED threshold. CAT4 LBT refers to LBT with random back-off and variable Contention Window (CW). For example, the transmitting node may extract a random number and fall back for a period of time in a particular time unit based on the extracted random number.

In some aspects, network 100 may operate in the millimeter wave band (e.g., 60 GHz). Due to the high path loss in the millimeter wave band, BS105 and UE 115 may communicate with each other using directional beams. For example, BS105 and/or UE 115 may be equipped with one or more antenna panels or antenna arrays having antenna elements that may be configured to focus transmit signal energy and/or receive signal energy in a certain spatial direction and within a certain spatial angular sector or width. In general, BS105 and/or UE 115 can generate transmit beams or receive beams for transmission or reception in various spatial directions or beam directions.

Fig. 2 illustrates a communication scenario 200 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The communication scenario 200 may correspond to a communication scenario between the BS105 and/or the UE 115 in the network 100. For simplicity, fig. 2 shows one BS205 and two UEs 215 (shown as 215a and 215 b), but a greater number of UEs 215 (e.g., about 3, 4, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, or more) and/or BSs 205 (e.g., about 2, 3, 4, or more) may be supported. BS205 and UE 215 may be similar to BS105 and UE 115, respectively.

In scenario 200, BS205 may serve UE 215a. In some cases, UE 215b may be served by BS 205. In other cases, UE 215b may be served by another BS (e.g., another BS105 or 205). In such examples, UE 215b and the other BS may be operated by the same network operating entity as BS205 or a different network operating entity than BS 205. Further, in some cases, UE 215b and other BSs may utilize the same RAT as BS205 and UE 215a. In other cases, UE 215b and other BSs may utilize different RATs than BS205 and UE 215a. For example, BS205 and UE 215a may be NR-U devices while other BSs and UE 215b may be WiFi devices. NR-U may refer to the deployment of NR over unlicensed spectrum.

BS205 and UE 215 may communicate over the millimeter wave band. The millimeter wave band may be at any millimeter wave frequency (e.g., at 20GHz, 30GHz, 60GHz, or higher). As described above, high millimeter-wave frequencies may have high path loss, and devices operating at such frequencies may transmit and/or receive using beamforming to compensate for high signal attenuation. For example, BS205 may be capable of generating a plurality of directional transmit beams in a plurality of beams or spatial directions (e.g., approximately 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, or more), and may select a particular transmit beam or beam direction to communicate with UE 215a based on the location of UE 215a relative to the location of BS205 and/or any other environmental factors such as surrounding scatterers. For example, BS205 may select the transmit beam that provides the best quality (e.g., with the highest received signal strength) for communication with UE 215a. UE 215a may also be capable of generating multiple directional transmit beams in multiple beams or spatial directions (e.g., about 2, 4, 8, or more) and may select the particular transmit beam that provides the best quality (e.g., has the highest received signal strength) to communicate with BS 205. In some cases, BS205 and UE 215a may perform a beam selection procedure with each other to determine the best UL beam and the best DL beam for communication.

In the example shown in fig. 2, BS205 may send a transmission to UE 215a using transmit beam 202 in a direction 206 along line-of-sight (LOS) path 204, and UE 215a may receive the transmission using receive beam in a reverse direction (of direction 206). When the transmit beam 202 is narrow, the transmit beam 202 from BS205 to UE 215a may not cause any or minimal interference to nearby UE 215 b.

Fig. 3 illustrates a channel access method 300 in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure. The method 300 may be employed by a BS, such as BS105, and/or a UE, such as UE 115. In particular, a wireless communication device (e.g., BS or UE) may use method 300 to determine channel access procedure(s) to be used for channel access in an unlicensed frequency band (e.g., in the millimeter wave range or the sub-THz range). In some aspects, the wireless communication device may be a BS similar to BS105, 205, and/or 1200, and may utilize one or more components (such as processor 1202, memory 1204, beam coverage module 1208, transceiver 1210, modem 1212, and one or more antennas 1216 with reference to fig. 12) to perform the actions of method 300. In other aspects, the wireless communication device may be similar to a UE (such as UE 115) and/or wireless communication device 1300, and may utilize one or more components (such as processor 1302, memory 1304, beam-covering module 1308, transceiver 1310, modem 1312, and one or more antennas 1316, see fig. 13) to perform the actions of method 300.

At block 310, a wireless communication device (e.g., BS105, 1200, UE 115, or wireless communication device 1300) performs channel sensing in a sense beam direction. The wireless communication device may perform channel sensing using receive beamforming. In some aspects, performing channel sensing includes performing directional LBT. In this regard, performing channel sensing may include obtaining signal energy measurements in the sense beam direction for a predetermined amount of time.

At block 320, the wireless communication device determines whether to transmit in a transmit beam direction based on the channel sensing performed at block 310. For example, the wireless communication device may compare the signal energy measurements obtained at block 310 to a threshold and determine whether a channel is available in the transmit beam direction based on the comparison.

Fig. 4 illustrates a Direct Far Field (DFF) measurement setup 400 for a wireless device in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure. The measurement setup 400 may be employed by a BS, such as BS105, and a UE, such as UE 115, in a network, such as network 100 for communication. The description of the arrangement 400 described below relates to measuring RF radiated from a Device Under Test (DUT), such as the UE 115. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the measurement setup 400 may be applied to any wireless device. For example, the measurement setup 400 may be applied to the BS105. The measurement setup 400 may be applied to measure a transmit beam 524 generated by the UE 115. For example, the measurement setup 400 may measure the Effective Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP) of the transmit beam 524 at a plurality of spatial locations relative to the UE 115. In some cases, EIRP may be measured according to the method described in 3GPP specification TR 38.810.

In some cases, measurement setup 400 may be configured as sphere 520 as shown in fig. 4. Measurement setup 400 may include a plurality of RF sensors (e.g., receive antennas and RF processors) 522 (1) … (n) configured at a set of locations on sphere 520 to measure EIRP (e.g., RF energy) radiated from UE 115. As will be described in detail below with reference to fig. 6 and 7, RF sensors 522 (1) … (n) may be positioned (e.g., distributed) on sphere 520 using different spacing configurations. In some aspects, RF sensor 522 (1) … 522 (n) may include a discrete receive antenna array and RF processor disposed in sphere 520. In other aspects, the RF sensor 522 (1) … 522 (n) may include a discrete receive antenna array, an RF front end, and a processor. In some cases, the RF sensor 522 (1) … 522 (n) may be part of a wireless device such as the BS105 or the UE 115. The RF sensor 522 (1) … 522 (n) may record measurements of signals associated with the transmit beam 524. The recorded measurements may be processed to determine whether the UE 115 satisfies the interference condition based on the recorded signal measurements. Each measurement may be recorded at a location on sphere 520. For example, each location may be defined by an azimuth angle relative to axis N and an elevation angle relative to axis Z.

Fig. 5A illustrates a Direct Far Field (DFF) measurement setup 500a for a wireless device in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure. The measurement setup 500a may be employed by a BS, such as BS105, and a UE, such as UE 115, in a network, such as network 100 for communication. The description of measurement setup 500a described below relates to measuring RF radiated from a Device Under Test (DUT), such as UE 115. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the measurement setup 500a may be applied to any wireless device. The measurement setup 500a may be applied to measure a transmit beam 524 associated with the UE 115. For example, measurement setup 500a may measure the EIRP of transmit beam 524. In some cases, measurement setup 500a may be spatially configured as sphere 520, as shown in fig. 5A. The measurement setup 500a may include a plurality of RF sensors (e.g., receive antennas and RF processors) 522 (1) … (n) configured at a set of locations to measure RF energy radiated from a wireless device.

RF sensors 522 (1) … 522 (n) may be located on (e.g., distributed on) the surface of sphere 520. RF sensor 522 (1) … 522 (n) may include a discrete receive antenna array and RF processor disposed in sphere 520. Each measurement may be recorded at a location on sphere 520. For example, each location may be defined by an azimuth angle relative to axis N and an elevation angle relative to axis Z (e.g., discrete elevation angles, each elevation angle defining a plane). The constant step grid type has evenly distributed azimuth and elevation angles. For example, the RF sensors 522 (1) … 522 (N) may be distributed in a uniform planar manner (e.g., constant step size) such that for each configuration plane (X-N plane) along the Z-axis, the RF sensors 522 (1) … 522 (N) may be located within each configuration plane (each configuration plane having the same elevation angle) and have different azimuth angles. The difference in azimuth between the RF sensors 522 (1) … 522 (n) can be the same (e.g., uniformly spaced). In some cases, the RF sensor 522 (1) … 522 (n) may be part of a wireless device such as the BS 105. The RF sensor 522 (1) … 522 (n) can record a measurement (e.g., EIRP) of a signal associated with a transmit beam (e.g., transmit beam 524). The recorded measurements may be processed to determine whether the wireless device (e.g., UE 115) satisfies the interference condition based on the recorded signal measurements.

Fig. 5B illustrates a Direct Far Field (DFF) measurement setup 500B for a wireless device in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure. The measurement setup 500b may be employed by a BS, such as BS105, and a UE, such as UE 115, in a network, such as network 100 for communication. The description of measurement setup 500b relates to measuring RF radiated from a Device Under Test (DUT), such as UE 115. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the measurement setup 500b may be applied to any wireless device. For example, the measurement setup 500b may be applied to the BS105. The measurement setup 500b may be applied to measure the transmit beam 524 associated with the UE 115. For example, measurement setup 500b may measure the EIRP of transmit beam 524. In some cases, measurement setup 500B may be configured as sphere 520 as shown in fig. 5B. The measurement setup 500b may include a plurality of RF sensors 522 (1) … (n) (e.g., receive antennas and RF processors) 522 configured at a set of locations to measure RF energy radiated from the UE 115. Tile 525 (1) … (n) may represent a tile (e.g., region) within which RF sensors 522 (1) … 522 (n) respectively measure RF parameters associated with a transmit beam (e.g., transmit beam 524) radiated from a wireless device. Tile 525 (1) … (n) may be shaped as a polygon and configured as a Voronoi region.

Fig. 6 illustrates a wireless communication scenario 600 configured for beam-based transmission and channel sensing, in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure. Scheme 600 is performed by wireless communication device 110, and wireless communication device 110 may include a test device. For example, the wireless communication device 110 may include a manufacturing/calibration device that includes measurement settings, such as one or more of the settings 400, 500a, 500b described above. Wireless communication device 110 may be configured to determine beam coverage information for use in a channel sensing procedure (e.g., LBT). For example, the second wireless communication device may utilize one or more sensing beams from the set of candidate sensing beams for channel sensing based on the beam coverage information provided by the wireless communication device 110. The one or more sensing beams may be the same or different from the transmit beam for which the transmission for channel sensing is to be performed.

In the scenario 600, the illustrated pattern 602 may represent a distribution or pattern of signal energy or signal power of the sensing beam pattern 602. For example, after applying a conductive power factor to a signal received using pattern 602, pattern 602 may represent the received signal energy distribution. That is, the pattern 602 is a signal power pattern. The transmit beam pattern 604 may represent a distribution of signal power, such as Effective Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP) based on the signal transmitted by the pattern 604. Further, fig. 6 shows a signal gain pattern 606 associated with the transmit beam pattern 604. In the illustrated scenario, the sensing beam pattern 602 and the transmit beam patterns 604, 606 are associated with the same beam direction 608. In some aspects, beam direction 608 may be described as an angle 610 relative to axis 609. For example, the angle of direction 608 may be referred to as θ.

The scenario 600 may be associated with a scheme for verifying or confirming that the sensing beam pattern 602 is suitable for sensing channels in a shared frequency band before transmitting the beam direction 608 based on the transmit beam pattern 604. In some aspects, determining whether the sensing beam pattern 602 is suitable for channel sensing includes determining a difference between a maximum signal power 612 of the transmit beam pattern 604 and a signal power 614 of the sensing beam pattern 602 in a direction of the transmit beam pattern 604 that is the same as a beam direction of the sensing beam pattern 602. For example, the signal power difference 616 may be determined by subtracting the signal power 614 of the sensing beam pattern 602 in the direction of the transmit beam pattern 604 from the maximum signal power 612. In other aspects, verifying the sensing beam pattern 602 may include comparing a maximum signal gain of the gain pattern 606 to a gain pattern associated with the sensing beam pattern 602. In some aspects, the gain pattern associated with the sensing beam pattern 602 may be different from the sensing beam pattern 602.

In some aspects, a beam coverage determination scheme similar to scheme 600 may be used to check or validate a candidate sensing beam for a desired transmit beam associated with a different beam direction than the candidate sensing beam. When the sensing beam and the desired transmit beam are associated with different beam directions, the beams may be described as not matching. For example, in some aspects, it may be desirable to identify or verify a single sensing beam or a pattern that may be used for channel sensing for a plurality of different desired transmit beam directions. For example, a wireless communication device may desire to transmit using two or more transmit beam directions. Instead of performing an LBT procedure for each of two or more desired transmit beam directions, it may be advantageous to perform a single LBT procedure using a sense beam pattern or sense beam direction suitable for use in sensing channels to transmit in the two or more desired transmit beam directions. As similarly described above with respect to scenario 600, determining whether a candidate sense beam or pattern thereof is suitable for channel sensing (e.g., LBT) may include, for each of a plurality of transmit beam directions, comparing a maximum signal power and/or signal gain of a desired transmit beam direction pattern in the desired transmit beam direction to the candidate sense beam signal power and/or signal gain in the desired transmit beam direction.

Fig. 7 illustrates a scheme 700 for verifying candidate sensing beam patterns 702 for a plurality of transmit beam patterns 704a, 704b. In some aspects, the sense beam pattern 702 may be more generally described as a sense beam direction 702. Similarly, the transmit beam patterns 704a, 704b may be more generally described as transmit beam directions 704a, 704b. However, it should be understood that the beam patterns 702, 704a, 704b may be associated with beam widths other than directions.

In scheme 700, wireless communication device 110 may generate one or more sensing beams for channel sensing and one or more transmit beams for transmission. The one or more sensing beams may be referred to as candidate sensing beams, wherein wireless communication device 110 may select for channel sensing (e.g., in the beam direction of the one or more transmit beams). In fig. 7, a candidate sensing beam pattern 702, a first transmit beam pattern 704a, and a second transmit beam pattern 704b of the wireless communication device 110 are shown. In some aspects, the manufacturing/calibration apparatus may utilize the scheme 700 to determine whether the candidate sensing beam pattern 702 is suitable for channel sensing for the first desired transmit beam pattern 704a and the second desired transmit beam pattern 704b. The first transmit beam pattern 704a is associated with a first transmit beam direction 708a and the second transmit beam pattern 704b is associated with a second transmit beam direction 708 b. The second transmit beam direction 708b is aligned with the sense beam direction of the sense beam pattern 702 and the first transmit beam direction 708a is not aligned with the beam direction of the sense beam pattern 702.

The manufacturing/calibration device (e.g., a test device) may determine whether the sensing beam pattern 702 is a valid sensing beam for the first transmit beam pattern 704a based on the maximum signal power 712a of the first transmit beam pattern 704a in the first transmit beam direction 708a and the signal power of the sensing beam pattern 702 in the first transmit beam direction 708 a. As an example, the beam patterns 702, 704a, 704b may represent signal power patterns in the corresponding beam directions. Thus, the signal power of the sensing beam pattern 702 in the first transmit beam direction 708a is shown as the intersection of the sensing beam pattern 702 and the first transmit beam direction 708 a. For example, the manufacturing/calibration device may determine the signal power difference 716a by comparing (e.g., subtracting) the signal power of the sensing beam pattern 702 in the first transmit beam direction 708a with the first maximum transmit signal power 712a of the first transmit beam pattern 704 a. In some aspects, the manufacturing/calibration apparatus may compare the signal power difference 716a, which may be referred to as incremental signal power, to a threshold signal power difference. In some aspects, the first maximum signal power 712a and the signal power of the sensing beam pattern 702 in the first transmit beam direction 708a may be Effective Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP) measurements, and the signal power difference 716a may be a difference in EIRP. However, it should also be appreciated that beam gain may be used instead of or in addition to signal power.

As similarly performed for the first transmit beam pattern 704a, the wireless communication device 110 determines whether the sense beam pattern 702 is a valid sense beam for the second transmit beam pattern 704b based on the maximum signal power 712b of the second transmit beam pattern 704b in the second transmit beam direction 708b and the signal power of the sense beam pattern 702 in the second transmit beam direction 708 b. For example, the wireless communication device 110 can determine the signal power difference 716b by comparing (e.g., subtracting) the signal power of the sensing beam pattern 702 in the second transmit beam direction 708b with the second maximum transmit signal power 712b of the second transmit beam pattern 704 b.

As another example, the beam patterns 702, 704a, 704b may represent gain patterns in the corresponding beam directions. For example, the wireless communication device 110 can determine the signal gain difference 716a by comparing (e.g., subtracting) the signal gain of the sensing beam pattern 702 in the first transmit beam direction 708a with the first maximum transmit signal gain 712a of the first transmit beam pattern 704 a. In another example, the wireless communication device 110 can determine the signal gain difference 716b by comparing (e.g., subtracting) the signal gain of the sensing beam pattern 702 in the second transmit beam direction 708b with the second maximum transmit signal gain 712b of the second transmit beam pattern 704 b.

These processes may be used for each of a plurality of desired transmit beam directions, which may include fewer or more transmit beam directions than those shown in fig. 7. In this regard, the wireless communication device 110 may use a logical AND operation based on the results of comparing each of the signal power differences 716a, 716b to the respective thresholds. If the sensing beam pattern 702 meets a threshold criterion for each of the desired transmit beam patterns 704a, 704b, the wireless communication device 110 can use the sensing beam pattern 702 to sense a channel and determine whether to transmit in the first transmit beam direction 708a or the second transmit beam direction 708b based on the sensing.

In some aspects, the manufacturing and/or calibration apparatus may be used to obtain beam coverage information including signal power, signal gain, signal power difference, and/or signal gain difference measurements for each of a plurality of candidate sensing beam directions relative to each of a plurality of desired transmit beam directions. In some aspects, the manufacturing and/or calibration device may include in the beam coverage information a sensed beam qualification or validation indication for each of a plurality of sensed beams for each of a plurality of desired transmit beams. Thus, the wireless communication device 110 can select a sensing beam by examining beam coverage information, including a sensing beam qualification or validation indication for a particular sensing beam. The beam coverage information may be provided in one or more lists, look-up tables, or other data entities and may be stored in the memory of wireless communication device 110.

Fig. 8A and 8B illustrate schemes 800a, 800B for evaluating beam coverage of a plurality of candidate sensing beams relative to a desired transmit beam, in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure. In schemes 800a, 800b, wireless communication device 110 can generate one or more sensing beams for channel sensing and one or more transmit beams for transmission. The one or more sensing beams may be referred to as candidate sensing beams, wherein wireless communication device 110 may select for channel sensing (e.g., in the beam direction of the one or more transmit beams). A plurality of candidate sensing beam patterns 801, 802, 803 and a transmit beam pattern 804 are shown. In some aspects, the manufacturing/calibration apparatus may utilize schemes 800a, 800b to evaluate a plurality of candidate sensing beam patterns (e.g., 801, 802, 803) with respect to a transmit beam pattern 804 associated with a transmit beam direction 806. Based on the evaluation of each candidate sensing beam, the manufacturing/calibration device is configured to update or populate a list 820 that includes beam coverage information for each candidate sensing beam relative to the transmit beam pattern 804. The beam coverage information stored in the list 820 may include a maximum signal power 812 (or maximum signal gain 812) of the transmit beam pattern 804 in the transmit beam direction 806, a signal power (or signal gain) of the candidate sense beams 801, 802, 803 in the transmit beam direction 806, a signal power difference (e.g., 815, 816, 817), and an angle associated with the candidate sense beam direction (e.g., 808, 810), and an angle associated with the transmit beam direction 806, a quasi co-location (QCL) relationship of each of the candidate sense beam patterns 801, 802, 803 relative to the transmit beam pattern 804, an Energy Detection Threshold (EDT), EDT adjustments, a result of a beam coverage test or evaluation, and/or any other suitable beam related parameter or combination thereof. For example, the beam coverage information may indicate whether the candidate sensing beam satisfies one or more conditions for one or more transmit beams (e.g., a difference in signal power from a maximum transmit signal power).

For example, referring to scheme 800a, the manufacturing/calibration device updates the beam coverage information list 820 to include: first beam coverage information 822 for the first candidate sensing beam pattern 801, second beam coverage information 824 for the second candidate sensing beam pattern 802, and third beam coverage information 826 for the third candidate sensing beam pattern 803. The list 820 is associated with the same transmit beam pattern 804 and/or the same transmit beam direction 806. However, it should be understood that list 820 may also include beam coverage information for other transmit beam direction patterns and/or other transmit beam directions. In other words, the manufacturing/calibration device may be configured to generate a plurality of lists of beam coverage information, wherein each list is associated with a different transmit beam direction pattern and/or a different transmit beam direction. The manufacturing or calibration device may store the beam coverage information at the wireless communication device 210 at the end of the test. In some cases, the manufacturing or calibration device may communicate the beam coverage information to a device that may utilize the beam coverage information to configure the wireless communication device 210. The beam coverage information list 820 may be provided to wireless communication devices communicating in the network, such as BS105 and/or UE 115 in network 100, for evaluating or verifying candidate sensing beams for directional channel sensing.

In the scheme 800a shown in fig. 8A, the signal power differences 815, 816, 817 (alternatively or additionally, signal gain differences) are determined based on the signal powers (or beam gains) of the candidate sensing beam patterns in the transmit beam direction 806. In other aspects, the signal power difference or signal gain difference may be determined based on the projection of the signal power (or signal gain) of the candidate sensing beam pattern in the transmit beam direction 806. In other words, instead of determining the signal power of the candidate sense beam directed in the sense beam direction, the manufacturing/calibration device may determine the signal power difference based on the maximum signal power of the transmit beam in the transmit beam direction 806 and the maximum signal power of the sense beam pattern in the corresponding sense beam direction (e.g., 808).

In this regard, fig. 8B illustrates a scheme 800B in which the signal power difference (e.g., 815, 816, 817) is determined based on a comparison of the maximum signal power of the transmit beam pattern 804 relative to the transmit beam direction 806 and the maximum signal power of the sense beam pattern (e.g., 801, 803) projected onto the transmit beam direction 806 relative to the sense beam direction (e.g., 808, 810). That is, the manufacturing/calibration device may measure a first received signal power of the transmit beam pattern 804 along the beam direction 806, measure a second received signal power of the sense beam pattern (e.g., 801 or 803) along the corresponding sense beam direction (e.g., 808, 810), project the second received signal power of the sense beam pattern onto the transmit beam direction 806 to obtain a third received signal power, and compare the first received signal power to the third received power (e.g., calculate a signal power difference by subtracting the first received signal power from the third received power). Thus, in some aspects, the comparison shown in scheme 800b may be described as comparing the projection of the signal power (or signal gain or other signal measurement) of each candidate sensing beam pattern 801, 802, 803 in the transmit beam direction 806 with the corresponding signal power (or signal gain or other signal measurement) of the transmit beam pattern 804.

In this regard, fig. 9A and 9B illustrate schemes 900a, 900B for correcting or adjusting signal energy measurements based on the results of beam coverage tests. The schemes 900a, 900B are performed, for example, by a manufacturing or calibration device configured to perform the actions described with respect to fig. 4-5B. Referring to scheme 900a, the manufacturing/calibration device determines a signal power difference (or beam gain difference) 916 based on candidate sensing beam patterns 902 and transmit beam patterns 904 of the wireless communication device 210, wherein the sensing beam patterns 902 and the transmit beam patterns 904 are associated with the same beam direction 906. In some aspects, the signal power difference 916 may be a difference in EIRP. The signal power difference 916 is determined by subtracting the maximum signal power 912 of the transmit beam pattern 904 relative to the transmit beam direction 906 from the signal power of the sense beam pattern 902 in the direction 906. Thus, because the transmit beam pattern 904 is narrower and longer than the sense beam pattern 902, the signal power difference may be non-positive or negative, as shown in the line graph of fig. 9A. The wireless communication device 210 compares the signal power difference (or signal gain difference), referred to in the figure as delta, to a non-positive threshold X1. The manufacturing/calibration apparatus determines that the sensing beam pattern 902 is valid or qualified for a channel sensing procedure associated with the transmit beam direction 906 and/or the transmit beam pattern 904 based on the signal power difference 916 (delta) being greater than the non-positive threshold X1.

Further, the wireless communication device 210 can determine to adjust a signal energy threshold (e.g., EDT) for channel sensing based on the signal power difference. For example, during real-time operation, the wireless communication device 210 may perform LBT using an adjusted EDT that is adjusted by an amount equal to or related to the signal power difference 916. In some aspects, the manufacturing/calibration device may save the adjusted EDT as beam coverage information, as described above. For example, the wireless communication device 210 may save or record the adjusted EDT values in a beam coverage information list or look-up table such that the adjusted EDT values correspond to a given candidate sensing beam direction and one or more transmit beam directions. The manufacturing or calibration device may store the beam coverage information at the wireless communication device 210 at the end of the test. In some cases, the manufacturing or calibration device may communicate the beam coverage information to a device that may utilize the beam coverage information to configure the wireless communication device 210. A wireless communication device 210 operating in a network (e.g., BS, UE, etc.) may invoke or retrieve the adjusted EDT values from the configured beam coverage information (e.g., look-up table) and perform channel sensing based on the adjusted EDT values.

In the schemes 600, 700, 800a, 800b, 900a shown above, the candidate sensing beams are shown to be wider (e.g., wider beamwidth) and shorter (e.g., weaker signal power) than the corresponding desired transmit beam patterns. Thus, in the schemes 600, 700, 800a, 800b, 900a, the threshold value for comparing the signal power difference (or signal gain difference) for a given candidate sensing beam pattern may be negative (e.g., X1), and comparing the signal power difference to the threshold may include determining whether the signal power difference is greater than a negative threshold value. Thus, if the signal power difference for a given candidate sensing beam is greater than a negative threshold, the candidate sensing beam may be verified or determined by the wireless communication device to be eligible for channel sensing before the wireless communication device transmits in the desired transmit beam direction. However, in some scenarios, the candidate sensing beam patterns may be narrower (e.g., narrower beam width) and longer (e.g., stronger signal power) than the corresponding desired transmit beam patterns. In these scenarios, the candidate sensing beam may exceed a negative signal power or beam gain threshold. However, it may be undesirable for the signal power difference or the beam gain difference to substantially exceed the negative threshold value. For example, if the candidate sensing beam is very narrow relative to the desired transmit beam, there may be one or more problems with channel sensing using the sensing beam pattern. For example, when the sensing beam is narrower than the transmitting beam, the sensing beam may be more sensitive than the transmitting beam. That is, the sensing beam may detect signals from the device at a greater range than the transmitting beam can reach. In this way, channel sensing results from channel sensing using the sensing beam may indicate that the channel is occupied such that the wireless communication device does not access the channel even though transmissions using the transmit beam may not cause interference to the device at a greater distance. Thus, when the sensing beam is narrower or more sensitive than the transmitting beam, channel sensing from the sensing beam may be too conservative.

In this regard, fig. 9B illustrates a scheme 900B for evaluating beam coverage of a plurality of candidate sensing beams relative to a desired transmit beam in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure. In particular, in scheme 900b, the wireless communication device 210 is configured to evaluate candidate sensing beam patterns 902 for channel sensing relative to a desired transmit beam pattern 904, wherein the channel sensing beam pattern 902 is narrower than the desired transmit beam pattern 904. Thus, in scheme 900b, the wireless communication device 210 is configured to compare the maximum signal power (or signal gain) 912 of the transmit beam pattern 904 with the signal power of the candidate sense beam pattern 902 to determine the signal power difference 918 (e.g., by subtracting the maximum signal power (or signal gain) 912 of the transmit beam pattern 904 from the signal power of the candidate sense beam pattern 902). Because the candidate sense beam 902 is narrower and longer (e.g., stronger signal power) than the transmit beam pattern 904, the signal power difference 918 may be a positive value. The positive signal power difference 918 ensures that the first threshold X1 is met. However, as described above, it may also be desirable to use a positive threshold value to determine whether the signal power difference exceeds a second positive threshold X2. In scheme 900b, the signal power difference 918 exceeds the positive threshold X2. Accordingly, the wireless communication device 210 can determine that the candidate sensing beam pattern 902 is not eligible for channel sensing based on the transmit beam pattern 904. However, in some aspects, the wireless communication device 210 may be configured to determine the signal energy threshold adjustment based on a difference between the signal power difference (or signal gain difference) and the positive threshold X2. Thus, the wireless communication device 210 may indicate a signal energy threshold adjustment in the beam coverage information and the network wireless communication device (e.g., BS, UE) may be configured to use the sensing beam pattern 902 for channel sensing prior to transmitting in the transmit beam direction 906 and apply the signal energy threshold adjustment indicated in the corresponding beam coverage information.

Fig. 10 illustrates a scheme 1000 for evaluating beam coverage of a plurality of candidate sensing beams relative to a plurality of desired transmit beams, in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure. Some aspects of scheme 1000 may be performed by a manufacturing/calibration device configured to perform one or more actions such as those described in fig. 4-5B. For example, the manufacturing/calibration device may be configured to generate the beam coverage information 1020, 1030 based on a plurality of sensing beam patterns (e.g., 1001, 1002, 1003) of the wireless communication device (e.g., UE 115, BS105, wireless communication device 110, wireless communication device 210) relative to the first transmit beam pattern 1004 and the second transmit beam pattern 1024 of the wireless communication device. The beam coverage information 1020 is determined or generated based on the first transmit beam pattern 1004 and the beam coverage information 1030 is determined or generated based on the second transmit beam pattern 1024. Similar to the above, the beam coverage information 1020, 1030 may include signal power and/or signal gain measurements for the respective candidate sensing beam pattern relative to the transmit beam pattern, signal power difference measurements for the respective beam candidate pattern and the transmit beam pattern, signal gain difference measurements for the respective beam candidate and the transmit beam pattern, differences in pointing angles between the respective candidate sensing beam pattern and the transmit beam pattern, QCL relationships between the respective candidate sensing beam pattern and the transmit beam pattern, signal energy thresholds, signal energy threshold adjustments, beam coverage test results, sensing beam qualification indications, and/or any other suitable beam coverage parameter or combination thereof.

For example, the beam coverage information 1020 includes beam coverage information about the first, second, and third candidate sensing beam patterns 1001, 1002, and 1003 of the same transmission beam pattern 1004. The candidate sensing beam patterns are associated with respective candidate sensing beam directions (e.g., 1007, 1009), and the transmit beam patterns 1004, 1024 are associated with the transmit beam directions 1006, 1007. The manufacturing/calibration device may be configured to determine a signal energy difference (1015, 1016, 1017, 1035, 1036, 1037) for each of the candidate sensing beam patterns 1001, 1002, 1003 relative to each of the transmit beam patterns 1004, 1024 and record each signal energy difference to a corresponding beam coverage information list 1020, 1030.

In some aspects, the manufacturing/calibration apparatus may be configured to perform a beam coverage test for each of the plurality of candidate sensing beam patterns 1001, 1002, 1003 with respect to both the first transmit beam pattern 1004 and the second transmit beam pattern 1005. For example, the manufacturing/calibration device may be configured to apply a logical and operation to the corresponding entries of the beam coverage information lists 1020, 1030 to determine whether each of the candidate sensing beam patterns qualifies or is suitable for channel sensing for both the first transmission beam direction 1006 and the second transmission beam direction 1007. For example, if the signal power difference 1017 of the candidate sensing beam pattern 1003 meets a threshold (e.g., X1), but the signal power difference 1037 of the candidate sensing beam pattern 1003 does not meet the threshold, the manufacturing/calibration apparatus may determine that the candidate sensing beam pattern 1003 does not qualify for a channel sensing operation associated with a multi-beam channel access operation in which both the first transmit beam direction 1006 and the second transmit beam direction 1007 are used. Wherein the method comprises the steps of

In some aspects, a wireless communication device using the beam coverage information 1020, 1030 may be configured to apply signal energy threshold adjustment for channel sensing based on the beam coverage test described above. For example, if the candidate sensing beam does not meet the threshold, a signal energy threshold adjustment may be determined that is equal to a difference between a corresponding signal power difference of the candidate sensing beam pattern and the transmit beam pattern and the threshold. For example, the signal energy threshold adjustment may be determined based on the following relationship:

Adj＝Δ-X (1)

where delta is the signal power difference and X is the threshold. In the event that the candidate sensing beam fails to meet a threshold criterion for each of the plurality of transmit beam directions, the wireless communication device may be configured to determine a signal energy threshold adjustment for each transmit beam direction and select the signal energy threshold adjustment with the largest absolute value. In other words, regarding signal energy threshold adjustment for candidate sensing beams that fail to meet the threshold criteria for two or more transmit beam directions (i), it may be determined based on the following relationship:

while aspects of the schemes 800a, 800b, 900a, 900b, 1000 are described as being performed by a manufacturing/calibration apparatus, including performing beam coverage testing by comparing a signal power difference (or signal gain difference) to a threshold, it should be understood that some of these aspects may be performed by a network wireless communication device, such as a BS or UE. For example, the manufacturing/calibration device may be configured to generate beam coverage information to include signal power and/or signal gain measurements for each of a plurality of sensing beam patterns relative to each of a plurality of transmitting beam patterns. The network wireless communication device may then be configured to perform a beam coverage test based on the signal power and/or signal gain measurements (or other beam coverage parameters) prior to performing channel sensing (such as LBT). For example, the network wireless communication device may be configured to determine a signal power difference and/or compare the signal power difference to a threshold. In other aspects, the manufacturing/calibration device determines a signal power difference (and/or a signal gain difference) and the network wireless communication device compares the signal power difference to a threshold to verify a given candidate sensing beam pattern.

Fig. 11 illustrates a channel access method 1100 in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure. Method 1100 may be employed by a BS, such as BS105 and/or 205, and/or a UE, such as UE 115 and/or 215. In particular, a wireless communication device (e.g., BS or UE) may use method 1100 to determine which channel access procedure to use in an unlicensed frequency band (e.g., in the millimeter wave range or the sub-THz range). In some aspects, the wireless communication device may be a BS similar to BS105, 205, and/or 1200, and may utilize one or more components (such as processor 1202, memory 1204, beam coverage module 1208, transceiver 1210, modem 1212, and one or more antennas 1216 with reference to fig. 12) to perform the actions of method 1100. In other aspects, the wireless communication device may be similar to a UE (such as UE 115, 215, and/or 1300) and may utilize one or more components (such as processor 1302, memory 1304, beam-covering module 1308, transceiver 1310, modem 1312, and one or more antennas 1316, referring to fig. 13) to perform the actions of method 1100.

At a high level, in method 1100, the wireless communication device can utilize similar metrics (e.g., signal power difference, signal gain difference, pointing angle difference, QCL relationship, EDT adjustment) and threshold conditions discussed in schemes 700-1000 to verify candidate sensing beam patterns or directions for the channel sensing process during operation (e.g., in real time).

At block 1110, a wireless communication device (e.g., BS105, 205, 1200, UE 115, 215, or wireless communication device 1300) selects a sensing beam from a plurality of candidate sensing beams that satisfies a beam coverage condition. The beam coverage condition may relate to a difference in signal power and/or signal between a candidate sensing beam associated with the first beam direction and a desired transmit beam associated with the second beam direction. In particular, the wireless communication device can determine whether a beam coverage condition is met based on the beam coverage information 1102 and the one or more thresholds 1104. As described above, the beam coverage information may include signal power or signal gain measurements, signal power difference measurements (such as differences in EIRP, signal energy thresholds, signal energy threshold adjustments, beam coverage test results, or any other suitable beam coverage parameters and/or combinations thereof). The beam coverage information may be organized into a list, table, link list, or any suitable data structure such that a particular portion of the beam coverage information (e.g., signal power difference) is associated with the candidate sensing beam direction and the desired transmit beam direction. In particular, the beam coverage information may comprise a sensing configuration indicating, for each candidate sensing beam direction of the plurality of candidate sensing beam directions, the beam coverage information relative to one or more transmit beam directions.

In some aspects, block 1110 may include selecting a sensing beam from a plurality of candidate sensing beams that satisfies a beam coverage condition. For example, the wireless communication device may determine whether a given candidate sensing beam direction is valid or qualified for performing channel sensing prior to communicating in the given transmit beam direction. In some aspects, the wireless communication device selects the sensing beam based on beam coverage information (e.g., list, table) determined or generated by a manufacturing or calibration device (e.g., test device). For example, the beam coverage information may be stored in a memory of the wireless communication device and may indicate whether the sensing beam is eligible or valid for one or more transmit beam directions. In other aspects, the wireless communication device may be configured to compare the signal power difference or the signal gain difference to a threshold, wherein the signal power difference or the signal gain difference is associated with the candidate sensing beam direction and the transmit beam direction. In some aspects, the comparison of beam coverage information (such as signal power differences) may be constrained by one or more other beam coverage parameters, such as an angular difference between the candidate sensing beam direction and the transmit beam direction. For example, a given candidate sensing beam may only be considered to be qualified if it meets a respective threshold and is within a range of angular differences. The additional criteria may improve selection of candidate sense beam directions to avoid a poorly matched candidate sense beam for channel sensing prior to transmission in a desired transmit beam direction. In another aspect, the comparison of beam coverage information may be constrained by QCL relationships.

In some aspects, block 1110 includes determining an adjustment to a signal energy threshold (e.g., EDT) based on the beam coverage information. For example, the wireless communication device may be configured to determine and apply a first adjustment to EDT based on the signal power difference to compensate for the power difference between the sensing beam and the transmit beam. In another aspect, the wireless communication device may be configured to determine and apply a second adjustment to the EDT based on a difference between the signal power difference and the corresponding threshold. For example, the wireless communication device may be configured to determine a second adjustment to EDT based on equations (1) and/or (2). The wireless communication apparatus may be configured to apply either or both of the first and second EDT adjustments to compensate for the signal power difference. In other aspects, adjustments to EDT may be based on beam gain differences instead of or in addition to signal power differences.

At block 1120, if the candidate sense beam direction is determined to be valid at block 1110, the wireless communication device performs channel sensing using the sense beam direction. If the result of channel sensing (LBT) is a pass, the wireless communication device may continue to communicate in one or more desired transmit beam directions. In some aspects, block 1110 includes determining a signal energy threshold adjustment based on a comparison of the beam coverage information to a threshold. For example, to better match the sensitivity of the transmission in the desired transmit beam direction, the wireless communication device may determine and/or apply adjustments to the EDT. Thus, the wireless communication device may determine whether a channel is available in one or more desired transmit beam directions based on the adjusted signal energy threshold. In some aspects, a signal energy threshold adjustment may be determined based on the signal power difference. In other aspects, the signal energy threshold adjustment may be determined based on a difference between the signal power difference and the threshold. In some aspects, if the given candidate sensing beam does not meet the threshold criteria, the wireless communication device is configured to apply at least a first signal energy threshold adjustment, wherein the first signal energy threshold adjustment is associated with a difference between the signal power difference and the threshold, as described above. In other aspects, the wireless communication device may be configured to apply both a first signal energy threshold adjustment and a second signal energy threshold adjustment, wherein the second signal energy threshold adjustment is associated with a signal power difference.

Fig. 12 is a block diagram of an exemplary wireless communication device 1200 in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure. In some aspects, the wireless communication device 1200 may be a manufacturing/calibration device, which may also be referred to as the test device discussed with reference to fig. 4-10. As shown, the wireless communication device 1200 may include a processor 1202, a memory 1204, a beam coverage module 1208, a transceiver 1210 including a modem subsystem 1212 and an RF unit 1214, and one or more antennas 1216. These elements may be coupled to each other. The term "coupled" may mean directly or indirectly coupled or connected to one or more intervening elements. For example, the elements may communicate with each other directly or indirectly, e.g., via one or more buses.

The processor 1202 may have various features as a particular type of processor. For example, these may include CPU, DSP, ASIC, a controller, an FPGA apparatus, another hardware apparatus, a firmware apparatus, or any combination thereof configured to perform the operations described herein. The processor 1202 may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

Memory 1204 may include cache memory (e.g., of processor 1202), RAM, MRAM, ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, a solid state memory device, one or more hard disk drives, a memristor-based array, other forms of volatile and non-volatile memory, or a combination of different types of memory. In some aspects, memory 1204 may include a non-transitory computer readable medium. Memory 1204 may store instructions 1206. The instructions 1206 may include instructions that, when executed by the processor 1202, cause the processor 1202 to perform the operations described herein (e.g., aspects of fig. 4-10). The instructions 1206 may also be referred to as program code. Program code may be used to cause a wireless communication device to perform such operations, for example, by causing one or more processors (such as processor 1202) to control or command the wireless communication device to do so. The terms "instructions" and "code" should be construed broadly to include any type of computer-readable statement. For example, the terms "instructions" and "code" may refer to one or more programs, routines, subroutines, functions, procedures, and the like.

The beam coverage module 1208 may be implemented via hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, beam coverage module 1208 can be implemented as a processor, circuitry, and/or instructions 1206 stored in memory 1204 and executed by processor 1202. In some examples, beam coverage module 1208 may be integrated within modem subsystem 1212. For example, beam coverage module 1208 can be implemented by a combination of software components (e.g., executed by a DSP or general purpose processor) and hardware components (e.g., logic gates and circuitry) within modem subsystem 1212. The beam coverage module 1208 can communicate with one or more components of the wireless communication device 1200 to implement aspects of the disclosure, e.g., aspects of fig. 4-10.

In some aspects, the beam coverage module 1208 is configured to: receiving one or more signals for each of a plurality of candidate sensing beams and a transmit beam from a second wireless communication device; for each candidate sensing beam of the plurality of candidate sensing beams, determining a first signal measurement regarding at least one of a direction of the transmit beam or a direction of the respective candidate sensing beam based on at least one signal of the respective candidate sensing beam of the one or more signals; determining a second signal measurement for the transmit beam direction based on at least one of the one or more signals for the transmit beam; and determining, for each candidate sensing beam of the plurality of candidate sensing beams, beam coverage information regarding the transmit beam direction based on the respective first signal measurement and the second signal measurement.

In some aspects, the beam coverage module 1208 is configured to determine a first signal measurement with respect to a respective candidate sense beam direction. In some aspects, the beam coverage module 1208 is configured to determine a third signal measurement regarding the transmit beam direction based on the first respective signal measurement, wherein determining the beam coverage information is based on the third signal measurement. In some aspects, the beam coverage module 1208 is configured to determine, for at least a first candidate sensing beam direction of the plurality of candidate sensing beam directions, a signal power difference between the respective first signal measurement and the second signal measurement. In some aspects, the beam coverage module 1208 is configured to determine an EIRP difference between the respective first and second signal measurements.

In some aspects, the beam coverage module 1208 is configured to determine, for at least a first candidate sensing beam direction of the plurality of candidate sensing beam directions, a beam gain difference between the respective first signal measurement and the second signal. In some aspects, the beam coverage module 1208 is configured to determine, for at least a first candidate sensing beam of the plurality of candidate sensing beam directions, a spatial angle difference of the respective candidate sensing beam direction relative to the transmit beam direction.

In some aspects, the beam coverage module 1208 is configured to determine, for at least a first candidate sensing beam of the plurality of candidate sensing beam directions, a quasi co-location (QCL) relationship of the respective candidate sensing beam direction relative to the transmit beam direction. In some aspects, the beam coverage module 1208 is configured to determine whether the first candidate sensed beam direction satisfies the beam coverage condition based on a comparison of: at least one of a signal power difference, a beam gain difference, a spatial angle difference, or an EDT adjustment based on the respective first and second signal measurements and the corresponding threshold. In some aspects, the beam coverage module 1208 is configured to determine whether at least one of the signal power difference, the beam gain difference, the spatial angle difference, or the EDT adjustment is greater than a non-positive threshold. In some aspects, the beam coverage module 1208 is configured to determine whether at least one of the signal power difference, the beam gain difference, the spatial angle difference, or the EDT adjustment is less than a positive threshold. In some aspects, the beam coverage module 1208 is configured to receive an indication of a transmit beam. In some aspects, the beam coverage module 1208 is configured to select a sensing beam based on the indication. In some aspects, the indication of the transmit beam is used to indicate at least one of a sounding reference Signal Resource Indicator (SRI) associated with the transmit beam, or a Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) associated with the transmit beam. For example, in some aspects, the beam coverage module 1208 may determine the sensing beam based on a QCL type D relationship between the transmit beam indication and the sensing beam.

In some aspects, the beam coverage module 1208 is configured to: for at least a first candidate sensing beam of the plurality of candidate sensing beam directions, determining a second signal energy threshold adjustment based on at least one of: a signal power difference and a signal power difference threshold; or a beam gain difference and a beam gain difference threshold. In some aspects, the beam coverage module 1208 is configured to: for at least a first candidate sensing beam of the plurality of candidate sensing beam directions, a second signal energy threshold adjustment is determined based on at least one of the signal power difference or the beam gain difference, wherein the second signal energy threshold adjustment is associated with a difference between the corresponding threshold and the signal power difference.

In some aspects, the beam coverage module 1208 is configured to generate a sensing configuration comprising: an indication of each candidate sensing beam direction of the plurality of candidate sensing beam directions; and an association between each candidate sensing beam direction of the plurality of candidate sensing beam directions and at least one of: signal power differences, beam gain differences, QCL relationships, spatial angle differences, results of beam coverage conditions, or EDT adjustments based on the respective first and second signal measurements.

As shown, transceiver 1210 may include a modem subsystem 1212 and an RF unit 1214. The transceiver 1210 may be configured to bi-directionally communicate with other devices, such as the UE 115 and/or the wireless communication device 1300 and/or another core network element. Modem subsystem 1212 may be configured to modulate and/or encode data according to an MCS (e.g., an LDPC coding scheme, a turbo coding scheme, a convolutional coding scheme, a digital beamforming scheme, etc.). The RF unit 1214 may also be configured to perform analog beamforming in conjunction with digital beamforming. Although shown as being integrated together in transceiver 1210, modem subsystem 1212 and/or RF unit 1214 may be separate devices coupled together at wireless communication device 1200 to enable wireless communication device 1200 to communicate with other devices.

The RF unit 1214 can provide modulated and/or processed data, such as data packets (or more generally, data messages that can include one or more data packets and other information), to an antenna 1216 for transmission to one or more other devices. The antenna 1216 may also receive data messages sent from other devices and provide received data messages for processing and/or demodulation at the transceiver 1210. The transceiver 1210 may provide demodulated and decoded data (e.g., narrow transmit beams, interference test results, PUSCH data, PUCCH UCI, MSG1, MSG3, etc.) to the beam coverage module 1208 for processing. The antenna 1216 may include multiple antennas of similar or different design to maintain multiple transmission links.

In an aspect, the wireless communication device 1200 may include multiple transceivers 1210 that implement different RATs (e.g., NR and LTE). In an aspect, the wireless communication device 1200 may include a single transceiver 1210 that implements multiple RATs (e.g., NR and LTE). In an aspect, the transceiver 1210 may include various components, where different combinations of components may implement different RATs.

Fig. 13 is a block diagram of an exemplary wireless communication device 1300 in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure. In some aspects, the wireless communication device 1300 may be configured to communicate in a network, such as network 100. In some aspects, the wireless communication device 1300 may be a BS or UE, such as one of BS105 or UE 115 in network 100. As shown, the wireless communication device 1300 may include a processor 1302, a memory 1304, a beam coverage module 1308, a transceiver 1310 including a modem subsystem 1312 and a Radio Frequency (RF) unit 1314, and one or more antennas 1316. These elements may be coupled to each other. The term "coupled" may mean directly or indirectly coupled or connected to one or more intervening elements. For example, the elements may communicate with each other directly or indirectly, e.g., via one or more buses.

The processor 1302 may include a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a controller, a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) device, another hardware device, a firmware device, or any combination thereof configured to perform the operations described herein. The processor 1302 may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

The memory 1304 may include cache memory (e.g., cache memory of the processor 1302), random Access Memory (RAM), magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, a solid state memory device, a hard disk drive, other forms of volatile and non-volatile memory, or a combination of different types of memory. In one aspect, the memory 1304 includes a non-transitory computer-readable medium. Memory 1304 may store or record instructions 1306 thereon. The instructions 1306 may include instructions that, when executed by the processor 1302, cause the processor 1302 to perform operations described herein with reference to the UE115 or aspects of the disclosure (e.g., aspects of fig. 3-11 and 14-17). The instructions 1306 may also be referred to as code, which may be broadly interpreted to include any type of computer-readable statement, as discussed above with respect to fig. 14.

The beam coverage module 1308 may be implemented via hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, beam coverage module 1308 can be implemented as a processor, circuitry, and/or instructions 1306 stored in memory 1304 and executed by processor 1302. In some aspects, beam cover module 1308 may be integrated within modem subsystem 1312. For example, beam-covering module 1308 may be implemented by a combination of software components (e.g., executed by a DSP or general-purpose processor) and hardware components (e.g., logic gates and circuitry) within modem subsystem 1312. The beam coverage module 1308 can communicate with one or more components of the wireless communication device 1300 to implement various aspects of the present disclosure, e.g., aspects of fig. 3-11.

In some aspects, the beam coverage module 1308 is configured to select a sensing beam direction from the plurality of candidate sensing beam directions based on beam coverage information associated with the plurality of candidate sensing beam directions and the one or more first sending beam directions. The beam coverage module 1308 is further configured to sense channels in the shared frequency band based on the selected sensing beam directions, and to determine whether to transmit communication signals in one or more first transmit beam directions based on the sensing.

In some aspects, for each candidate sensing beam direction of the plurality of candidate sensing beam directions, the beam coverage information indicates at least one of: a signal power difference associated with the respective candidate sensing beam direction and the one or more first transmit beam directions; a beam gain difference associated with the respective candidate sensing beam direction and the one or more first transmit beam directions; QCL relationships associated with respective candidate sensing beam directions and one or more transmit beam directions; a spatial angular difference associated with the respective candidate sensing beam direction and the one or more first transmit beam directions; or Energy Detection Threshold (EDT) adjustment.

In some aspects, the beam coverage information indicates a respective EDT adjustment for the selected sensed beam direction, and wherein the sensing is further based on a reference energy detection threshold adjusted by the respective EDT adjustment. In some aspects, the beam coverage information indicates respective signal power differences for the selected sensed beam directions, and wherein sensing is further based on a reference energy detection threshold adjusted by a value that is based on the respective signal power differences and the comparison threshold. In some aspects, the beam coverage information indicates respective beam gain differences for the selected sensed beam directions, and wherein the sensing is further based on a reference energy detection threshold adjusted by a value that is based on the respective beam gain differences and the comparison threshold. In some aspects, the beam coverage information indicates a respective spatial angle difference of the selected sensed beam direction, and wherein the sensing is further based on a reference energy detection threshold adjusted by a value that is based on the respective spatial angle difference and the comparison threshold.

In another aspect, the beam coverage module 1308 may be further configured to: determining a failure to select a sensing beam direction from the plurality of sensing beam directions that satisfies a sensing condition for the plurality of second transmit beam directions; and dividing the plurality of second transmit beam directions into subsets, wherein the one or more first transmit beams correspond to one of the subsets, wherein selecting a sense beam direction for the one or more first transmit beam directions is responsive to the failure. In another aspect, the beam coverage module 1308 is configured to obtain beam coverage information from the memory 1304 of the wireless communication device 1300.

As shown, transceiver 1310 may include a modem subsystem 1312 and an RF unit 1314. The transceiver 1310 may be configured to bi-directionally communicate with other devices such as BSs 105 and 1420. The modem subsystem 1312 may be configured to modulate and/or encode data from the memory 1304 and/or the beam coverage module 1308 in accordance with a Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS) (e.g., a low-density parity-check (LDPC) coding scheme, a turbo coding scheme, a convolutional coding scheme, a digital beam forming scheme, etc.). The RF unit 1314 may also be configured to perform analog beamforming in conjunction with digital beamforming. Although shown as being integrated together in transceiver 1310, modem subsystem 1312 and RF unit 1314 may be separate devices that are coupled together at wireless communication device 1300 to enable wireless communication device 1300 to communicate with other devices.

The RF unit 1314 can provide modulated and/or processed data, e.g., data packets (or more generally, data messages that can include one or more data packets and other information), to the antenna 1316 for transmission to one or more other devices. Antenna 1316 may also receive data messages transmitted from other devices. Antenna 1316 may provide received data messages for processing and/or demodulation at transceiver 1310. The transceiver 1310 may provide demodulated and decoded data (e.g., channel access procedure configuration, interference test results, RRC configuration, MIB, SIB, PDSCH data, and/or PDCCH DCI, etc.) to the beam coverage module 1308 for processing. The antenna 1316 may include multiple antennas of similar or different design in order to maintain multiple transmission links.

In an aspect, the wireless communication device 1300 may include multiple transceivers 1310 implementing different RATs (e.g., NR and LTE). In an aspect, the wireless communication device 1300 may include a single transceiver 1310 that implements multiple RATs (e.g., NR and LTE). In an aspect, the transceiver 1310 may include various components, wherein different combinations of components may implement different RATs.

Fig. 14 is a flow chart illustrating a wireless communication method 1400 in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure. Aspects of the method 1400 may be performed by a computing device (e.g., a processor, processing circuitry, and/or other suitable components) of a wireless communication device or other suitable unit for performing these blocks. For example, the manufacturing/calibration apparatus described above may perform one or more actions of method 1400. In one aspect, a wireless communication device, such as wireless communication device 1200, may utilize one or more components, such as processor 1202, memory 1204, beam coverage module 1208, transceiver 1210, modem 1212, RF unit 1214, and one or more antennas 1216, to perform the blocks of method 1400. In some aspects, the one or more antennas 1216 may include an array of antenna elements positioned at different locations and configured to obtain spherical coverage information for a second wireless communication device (such as a UE and/or BS). Method 1400 may employ similar mechanisms as described in fig. 3-11. As shown, method 1400 includes a plurality of enumerated blocks, although aspects of method 1400 may include additional actions before, after, and between the enumerated blocks. In some aspects, one or more steps in the enumerated blocks may be omitted or performed in a different order.

At block 1410, the first wireless communication device receives one or more signals for each of a plurality of candidate sensing beam directions and a transmit beam direction from the second wireless communication device. In some aspects, receiving one or more signals may include receiving one or more signals from a Device Under Test (DUT) using a spherical beam coverage test setup (similar to measurement setup 400, measurement setup 500 described above in fig. 4-5B). In this regard, the first wireless communication device may include an array of antenna elements configured to receive one or more signals from the DUT and to receive and process signals with respect to one or more beam directions using beamforming techniques. In some aspects, the means for performing the functions of block 1410 may include, but are not necessarily limited to, for example, the beam coverage module 1208, the transceiver 1210, the antenna 1216, the processor 1202, and/or the memory 1204 with reference to fig. 12.

At block 1420, the first wireless communication device determines, for each of the plurality of candidate sensing beams, a first signal measurement for at least one of a transmit beam direction or a respective candidate sensing beam direction based on at least one of the one or more signals for the respective candidate sensing beam. For example, the first wireless communication device may obtain signal power measurements and/or signal beam measurements as described above. In some aspects, block 1420 includes the first wireless communication device using beamforming techniques to obtain EIRP measurements of one or more signals with respect to one or more beam directions. For example, at least some of the one or more beam directions may be associated with a beam direction that is different from the direction of DUT transmission. In some aspects, the means for performing the functions of block 1420 may, but need not, include, for example, the beam coverage module 1208, the transceiver 1210, the antenna 1216, the processor 1202, and/or the memory 1204 with reference to fig. 12.

At block 1430, the first wireless communication device determines a second signal measurement for the transmit beam direction based on at least one of the one or more signals in the transmit beam direction. In this regard, block 1420 may include using beamforming to determine a second signal measurement with respect to a transmit beam direction of the DUT. As described above, the second signal measurements may include signal power measurements (e.g., EIRP) and/or beam gain measurements. In some aspects, the means for performing the functions of block 1430 may include, but are not necessarily limited to, for example, the beam coverage module 1208, the transceiver 1210, the antenna 1216, the processor 1202, and/or the memory 1204 with reference to fig. 12.

At block 1440, the first wireless communication device determines, for each candidate sensing beam of the plurality of candidate sensing beams, beam coverage information for the transmit beam based on the respective first and second signal measurements. Block 1440 may include, for example, comparing the first and second signal measurements described above to determine a difference between the signal measurements. For example, the second signal measurement may indicate a maximum signal power in the transmit beam direction, and the first signal measurement may indicate a signal power measurement determined using a sense beam direction different from the transmit beam direction. Accordingly, block 1440 may include comparing the signal power of the transmit beam of the DUT received using the sense beam with a maximum signal power in the transmit beam direction. In some aspects, method 1400 includes receiving an indication of a transmit beam. In some aspects, the method 1400 further includes selecting a sensing beam based on the indication. In some aspects, the indication of the transmit beam is used to indicate at least one of a sounding reference Signal Resource Indicator (SRI) associated with the transmit beam, or a Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) associated with the transmit beam. For example, in some aspects, the method 1400 may include determining the sensing beam based on a QCL type D relationship between the transmit beam indication and the sensing beam. In some aspects, the means for performing the functions of block 1440 may include, but are not necessarily limited to, for example, the beam coverage module 1208, the transceiver 1210, the antenna 1216, the processor 1202, and/or the memory 1204 with reference to fig. 12.

Fig. 15 illustrates a flow chart of a wireless communication method 1500 in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Aspects of method 1500 may be performed by a computing device (e.g., a processor, processing circuitry, and/or other suitable components) of a wireless communication device or other suitable unit for performing the steps. In one aspect, a wireless communication device (such as UE 115, BS105, or wireless communication device 1300) may utilize one or more components (such as processor 1302, memory 1304, beam coverage module 1308, transceiver 1310, modem 1312, RF unit 1314, and one or more antennas 1316) to perform the blocks of method 1500. Method 1500 may employ a similar mechanism as described in fig. 3-11. As shown, method 1500 includes a plurality of enumerated blocks, but aspects of method 1500 may include additional acts before, after, and between the enumerated blocks. In some aspects, one or more steps in the enumerated blocks may be omitted or performed in a different order.

At block 1510, the wireless communication device selects a sensing beam from the plurality of candidate sensing beams based on beam coverage information associated with the plurality of candidate sensing beams and the one or more transmit beams. For example, the beam coverage information may indicate, for each candidate sensing beam, whether the beam is eligible to sense channels of one or more transmit beams. In this regard, the beam coverage information may indicate whether each sensing beam satisfies one or more conditions. In some aspects, the means for performing the functions of block 1510 may include, but is not necessarily not limited to, for example, the beam coverage module 1308, the transceiver 1310, the antenna 1316, the processor 1302, and/or the memory 1304, with reference to fig. 13.

At block 1520, the wireless communication device senses a channel in the shared frequency band based on the selected sensing beam. In this regard, block 1520 may include the wireless communication device performing directional LBT using a receive beamforming technique. In some aspects, block 1520 further comprises applying a signal energy threshold adjustment based on the beam coverage information. In some aspects, the means for performing the functions of block 1520 may, but need not, include, for example, the beam coverage module 1308, the transceiver 1310, the antenna 1316, the processor 1302, and/or the memory 1304 with reference to fig. 13.

At block 1530, the wireless communication device determines whether to transmit communication signals in one or more transmit beams based on the sensing. In some aspects, the means for performing the functions of block 1530 may include, but are not necessarily not limited to, for example, the beam coverage module 1308, the transceiver 1310, the antenna 1316, the processor 1302, and/or the memory 1304, with reference to fig. 13.

In some aspects, the method 1500 may further include sending an indication of the transmit beam to the second wireless communication device. In some aspects, the indication of the transmit beam may include an indication of TCI and/or SRI. In some aspects, TCI may indicate QCL relationships. In some aspects, the TCI may indicate a QCL type D relationship.

Other aspects of the disclosure include the following:

aspect 1, a method for wireless communication performed by a first wireless communication device, the method comprising:

receiving one or more signals for each of a plurality of candidate sensing beams and a transmit beam from a second wireless communication device;

for each candidate sensing beam of the plurality of candidate sensing beams, determining a first signal measurement regarding at least one of a direction of the transmit beam or a direction of the respective candidate sensing beam based on at least one of the one or more signals;

determining a second signal measurement regarding a direction of the transmit beam based on at least one of the one or more signals for the transmit beam; and

for each candidate sensing beam of the plurality of candidate sensing beams, beam coverage information regarding a direction of the transmit beam is determined based on the respective first signal measurement and the second signal measurement.

Aspect 2, the method of aspect 1, wherein the first signal measurement comprises a received signal power of at least one of the one or more signals for the respective candidate sense beams, wherein the second signal measurement comprises a received signal power of at least one of the one or more signals for the transmit beams, and wherein the determining the beam coverage information comprises:

A signal power difference between the respective first signal measurement and the second signal measurement is determined for at least a first candidate sensing beam of the plurality of candidate sensing beams.

Aspect 3, the method of aspect 2, wherein the received signal power of at least one of the one or more signals for the respective candidate sense beam and the received signal power of at least one of the one or more signals for the transmit beam are Effective Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP), and wherein determining the signal power difference comprises determining an EIRP difference between the respective first signal measurement and the second signal measurement.

Aspect 4, the method of any one of aspects 1-3, wherein the first signal measurement comprises a beam gain associated with at least one of the one or more signals for the respective candidate sensing beam, wherein the second signal measurement comprises a beam gain associated with at least one of the one or more signals for the transmit beam, and wherein the determining the beam coverage information comprises:

A beam gain difference between the respective first signal measurement and the second signal measurement is determined for at least a first candidate sensing beam of the plurality of candidate sensing beams.

Aspect 5, the method according to any one of aspects 1-4, wherein determining the beam coverage information comprises:

for at least a first candidate sensing beam of the plurality of candidate sensing beams, determining a spatial angular difference of a respective direction of the candidate sensing beam relative to a direction of the transmit beam.

Aspect 6, the method according to any one of aspects 1-5, wherein determining the beam coverage information comprises:

for at least a first candidate sensing beam of the plurality of candidate sensing beam directions, a quasi co-location (QCL) relationship between the respective candidate sensing beam direction relative to the transmit beam direction is determined.

Aspect 7, the method of aspect 6, further comprising:

receiving an indication of a transmit beam from the second wireless communication device; and

a sensing beam is selected based on the indication.

The method of aspect 8, aspect 7, wherein the indication of the transmit beam is used to indicate at least one of a sounding reference Signal Resource Indicator (SRI) associated with the transmit beam, or a Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) associated with the transmit beam.

Aspect 9, the method of any one of aspects 6-8, wherein determining the beam coverage information includes determining whether the first candidate sensed beam direction satisfies a beam coverage condition based on the following comparison:

at least one of a signal power difference, a beam gain difference, a spatial angle difference, a QCL relationship, or an EDT adjustment based on the respective first and second signal measurements under the beam coverage condition.

Aspect 10, the method according to aspect 9,

wherein the beam coverage condition comprises a non-positive threshold, and wherein the determining whether the first candidate sensing beam satisfies the beam coverage condition comprises:

determining whether at least one of the signal power difference, the beam gain difference, the spatial angle difference, or the EDT adjustment is greater than the non-positive threshold.

Aspect 11, the method according to aspect 9,

wherein the beam coverage condition is a positive threshold, and wherein the determining whether the first candidate sensed beam direction satisfies the beam coverage condition comprises:

determining whether at least one of the signal power difference, the beam gain difference, or the spatial angle difference is less than the positive threshold.

Aspect 12, the method of aspect 9, wherein the determining the beam coverage information includes:

for at least the first candidate sensing beam of the plurality of candidate sensing beams, determining a second energy threshold adjustment based on at least one of:

a signal power difference and a signal power difference threshold; or,

a beam gain difference and a beam gain difference threshold.

Aspect 13, the method according to any one of aspects 1-12, further comprising:

dividing the plurality of transmit beams into subsets, wherein one or more first transmit beams correspond to one of the subsets,

wherein the beam coverage information indicates the subset.

Aspect 14, the method according to any one of aspects 1-13, wherein the beam coverage information comprises:

an indication of each candidate sensing beam direction of the plurality of candidate sensing beam directions; and

based on the respective first and second signal measurements, an association between each candidate sensing beam direction of the plurality of candidate sensing beam directions and at least one of a signal power difference, a beam gain difference, a QCL relationship, a spatial angle difference, a result of a beam coverage condition, or an EDT adjustment.

Aspect 15, a method of wireless communication performed by a wireless communication device, the method comprising:

selecting a sensing beam for one or more first transmission beams from a plurality of candidate sensing beams based on beam coverage information associated with the one or more first transmission beams;

sensing channels in the shared frequency band based on the selected sensing beam; and

based on the sensing, it is determined whether to transmit a communication signal in the one or more first transmit beams.

The method of aspect 16, according to aspect 15, wherein the beam coverage information includes:

an indication of each candidate sensing beam of the plurality of candidate sensing beams; and

based on the respective first signal measurements and the second signal measurements, an association between each candidate sensing beam of the plurality of candidate sensing beams and at least one of a signal power difference, a beam gain difference, a QCL relationship, a spatial angle difference, a result of a beam coverage condition, or an EDT adjustment.

Aspect 17, the method of aspect 16, wherein the beam coverage information indicates that at least a subset of one or more candidate sensing beams of the plurality of candidate sensing beams passes a beam coverage condition associated with the one or more first transmit beam directions, and

Wherein the selecting comprises selecting the sensing beam from the subset of the one or more candidate sensing beams of the plurality of candidate sensing beams.

The method of aspect 18, any one of aspects 15-17, wherein, for each candidate sensing beam of the plurality of candidate sensing beams, the beam coverage information indicates at least one of:

a signal power difference associated with the respective candidate sensing beam and the one or more first transmit beams;

a beam gain difference associated with the respective candidate sensing beam and the one or more first transmit beams;

QCL relationships associated with the respective candidate sensing beams and the one or more transmit beams;

a spatial angle difference associated with the respective candidate sensing beam and the one or more first transmit beams;

results of the beam coverage test; or alternatively

Energy Detection Threshold (EDT) adjustment.

The method of aspect 19, aspect 18, wherein the beam coverage information indicates EDT adjustments for the selected sensing beam, and wherein the sensing is further based on a reference energy detection threshold adjusted by the respective EDT adjustment.

Aspect 20, the method of aspect 19, wherein the beam coverage information indicates a signal power difference for the selected sensing beam, and wherein the sensing is further based on a reference energy detection threshold adjusted by a value based on the respective signal power difference and a comparison threshold.

Aspect 21, the method according to any of aspects 18-20, wherein the beam coverage information indicates a respective beam gain difference for a selected sensed beam direction, and wherein the sensing is further based on a reference energy detection threshold adjusted by a value that is based on the respective beam gain difference and a comparison threshold.

The method of aspect 22, according to any of aspects 18-20, wherein the beam coverage information indicates a spatial angle difference for the selected sensing beam, and wherein the sensing is further based on a reference energy detection threshold adjusted by a value, the value being based on the respective spatial angle difference and a comparison threshold.

Aspect 23, the method of any one of aspects 15-22, further comprising:

the beam coverage information is retrieved from a memory of the wireless communication device.

Aspect 24, the method of any one of aspects 15-24, further comprising:

An indication of a transmit beam is transmitted, wherein the indication is used to indicate at least one of a Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) or a sounding reference Signal Resource Indicator (SRI) associated with the transmit beam.

Information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

The various illustrative blocks and modules described in connection with the disclosure herein may be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration).

The functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software for execution by a processor, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Other examples and implementations are within the scope of the present disclosure and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, the functions described above may be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwired or any combination of these. Features that implement the functions may also be physically located at various locations, including being distributed such that portions of the functions are implemented at different physical locations. Furthermore, as used herein (including in the claims), an "or" as used in a list of items (e.g., an "or" as used in a list of items ending with at least one of such as "or one or more of such) indicates an inclusive list, such that, for example, a list of [ A, B or at least one of C ] means: a or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., a and B and C).

As will be understood by those skilled in the art so far and depending upon the particular application at hand, many modifications, substitutions and changes may be made to the material, apparatus, arrangement and method of use of the apparatus of the present disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, the scope of the present disclosure should not be limited to the particular aspects shown and described herein, as they are by way of example only, and should be fully commensurate with the scope of the following appended claims and functional equivalents thereto.

Claims (26)

1. A method for wireless communication performed by a first wireless communication device, the method comprising:

receiving one or more signals for each of a plurality of candidate sensing beams and a transmit beam from a second wireless communication device;

for each candidate sensing beam of the plurality of candidate sensing beams, determining a first signal measurement regarding at least one of a direction of the transmit beam or a direction of the respective candidate sensing beam based on at least one of the one or more signals;

determining a second signal measurement regarding a direction of the transmit beam based on at least one of the one or more signals for the transmit beam; and

For each candidate sensing beam of the plurality of candidate sensing beams, beam coverage information regarding a direction of the transmit beam is determined based on the respective first signal measurement and the second signal measurement.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first signal measurement comprises a received signal power of at least one of the one or more signals for the respective candidate sense beams, wherein the second signal measurement comprises a received signal power of at least one of the one or more signals for the transmit beams, and wherein the determining the beam coverage information comprises:

a signal power difference between the respective first signal measurement and the second signal measurement is determined for at least a first candidate sensing beam of the plurality of candidate sensing beams.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the received signal power for at least one of the one or more signals and the received signal power for at least one of the one or more signals for the transmit beam is an Effective Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP), and wherein determining the signal power difference comprises determining an EIRP difference between the respective first signal measurement and the second signal measurement.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first signal measurement comprises a beam gain associated with at least one of the one or more signals for the respective candidate sensing beam, wherein the second signal measurement comprises a beam gain associated with at least one of the one or more signals for the transmit beam, and wherein the determining the beam coverage information comprises:

a beam gain difference between the respective first signal measurement and the second signal measurement is determined for at least a first candidate sensing beam of the plurality of candidate sensing beams.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the beam coverage information comprises:

for at least a first candidate sensing beam of the plurality of candidate sensing beams, a spatial angular difference of a respective direction of the candidate sensing beam relative to a direction of the transmit beam is determined.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the beam coverage information comprises:

for at least a first candidate sensing beam of the plurality of candidate sensing beam directions, a quasi co-location (QCL) relationship between the respective candidate sensing beam direction relative to the transmit beam direction is determined.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving an indication of a transmit beam from the second wireless communication device; and

a sensing beam is selected based on the indication.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the indication of the transmit beam is used to indicate at least one of a sounding reference Signal Resource Indicator (SRI) associated with the transmit beam or a Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) associated with the transmit beam.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein determining the beam coverage information comprises determining whether the first candidate sensed beam direction satisfies a beam coverage condition based on the following comparison:

at least one of a signal power difference, a beam gain difference, a spatial angle difference, a QCL relationship, or an EDT adjustment based on the respective first and second signal measurements under the beam coverage condition.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the method comprises,

wherein the beam coverage condition comprises a non-positive threshold, and wherein the determining whether the first candidate sensing beam satisfies the beam coverage condition comprises:

determining whether at least one of the signal power difference, the beam gain difference, the spatial angle difference, or the EDT adjustment is greater than the non-positive threshold.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the method comprises,

wherein the beam coverage condition is a positive threshold, and wherein the determining whether the first candidate sensed beam direction satisfies the beam coverage condition comprises:

determining whether at least one of the signal power difference, the beam gain difference, or the spatial angle difference is less than the positive threshold.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the determining the beam coverage information comprises:

for at least the first candidate sensing beam of the plurality of candidate sensing beams, determining a second energy threshold adjustment based on at least one of:

a signal power difference and a signal power difference threshold; or,

a beam gain difference and a beam gain difference threshold.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

dividing the plurality of transmit beams into subsets, wherein one or more first transmit beams correspond to one of the subsets,

wherein the beam coverage information indicates the subset.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the beam coverage information comprises:

an indication of each candidate sensing beam direction of the plurality of candidate sensing beam directions; and

Based on the respective first and second signal measurements, an association between each candidate sensing beam direction of the plurality of candidate sensing beam directions and at least one of a signal power difference, a beam gain difference, a QCL relationship, a spatial angle difference, a result of a beam coverage condition, or an EDT adjustment.

15. A method of wireless communication performed by a wireless communication device, the method comprising:

selecting a sensing beam for one or more first transmission beams from a plurality of candidate sensing beams based on beam coverage information associated with the one or more first transmission beams;

sensing channels in the shared frequency band based on the selected sensing beam; and

based on the sensing, it is determined whether to transmit a communication signal in the one or more first transmit beams.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the beam coverage information comprises:

an indication of each candidate sensing beam of the plurality of candidate sensing beams; and

based on the respective first and second signal measurements, an association between each candidate sensing beam of the plurality of candidate sensing beams and at least one of a signal power difference, a beam gain difference, a QCL relationship, a spatial angle difference, a result of a beam coverage condition, or an EDT adjustment.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the beam coverage information indicates that at least a subset of one or more candidate sensing beams of the plurality of candidate sensing beams passes a beam coverage condition associated with the one or more first transmit beam directions, and

wherein the selecting comprises selecting the sensing beam from the subset of the one or more candidate sensing beams of the plurality of candidate sensing beams.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein, for each candidate sensing beam of the plurality of candidate sensing beams, the beam coverage information indicates at least one of:

a signal power difference associated with the respective candidate sensing beam and the one or more first transmit beams;

a beam gain difference associated with the respective candidate sensing beam and the one or more first transmit beams;

QCL relationships associated with the respective candidate sensing beams and the one or more transmit beams;

a spatial angle difference associated with the respective candidate sensing beam and the one or more first transmit beams;

results of the beam coverage test; or alternatively

Energy Detection Threshold (EDT) adjustment.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the beam coverage information indicates EDT adjustments for the selected sensing beam, and wherein the sensing is further based on a reference energy detection threshold adjusted by the respective EDT adjustment.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the beam coverage information indicates a signal power difference for the selected sensing beam, and wherein the sensing is further based on a reference energy detection threshold adjusted by a value based on the respective signal power difference and a comparison threshold.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the beam coverage information indicates a respective beam gain difference for the selected sensed beam direction, and wherein the sensing is further based on a reference energy detection threshold adjusted by a value that is based on the respective beam gain difference and a comparison threshold.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the beam coverage information indicates a spatial angle difference for the selected sensing beam, and wherein the sensing is further based on a reference energy detection threshold adjusted by a value that is based on the respective spatial angle difference and a comparison threshold.

23. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

the beam coverage information is retrieved from a memory of the wireless communication device.

24. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

an indication of a transmit beam is transmitted, wherein the indication is used to indicate at least one of a Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) or a sounding reference Signal Resource Indicator (SRI) associated with the transmit beam.

25. A first wireless communication device, comprising:

a processor; and

a transceiver in communication with the processor, wherein the first wireless communication device is configured to:

receiving one or more signals for each of a plurality of candidate sensing beams and a transmit beam from a second wireless communication device;

for each candidate sensing beam of the plurality of candidate sensing beams, determining a first signal measurement regarding at least one of a direction of the transmit beam or a direction of the respective candidate sensing beam based on at least one of the one or more signals;

determining a second signal measurement regarding a direction of the transmit beam based on at least one of the one or more signals for the transmit beam; and

For each candidate sensing beam of the plurality of candidate sensing beams, beam coverage information regarding a direction of the transmit beam is determined based on the respective first signal measurement and the second signal measurement.

26. A method of wireless communication performed by a wireless communication device, the method comprising:

a processor; and

a transceiver in communication with the processor, wherein the wireless communication device is configured to:

selecting a sensing beam for one or more first transmission beams from a plurality of candidate sensing beams based on beam coverage information associated with the one or more first transmission beams;

sensing channels in the shared frequency band based on the selected sensing beam; and

based on the sensing, it is determined whether to transmit a communication signal in the one or more first transmit beams.