RU2799488C1 - Method, device for indicating the state of channels in the unlicensed spectrum and information carrier - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: wireless communication.

SUBSTANCE: technical result is achieved by the fact that when the base station transmits the channel state indication information by means of the first antenna panel, the channel state indication information is used to indicate the channel state detection results received by the k antenna panels of the base station with respect to at least one BWU of the unlicensed spectrum, where k is positive integer.

EFFECT: terminal receiving results of detecting the state of the channels of various antenna panels of the base station in each block of the frequency band (BWU, Bandwidth Unit), which ensures reliable transmission between the terminal and the base station.

19 cl, 7 dwg

Description

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

The disclosure of the present invention relates to the field of communication technologies, and more specifically, to a method and device for indicating the status of channels in the unlicensed spectrum and to an information carrier.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

As communication technology has developed, the concept of unlicensed spectrum has been proposed that can be used for communications between a base station and a terminal.

If the base station wants to use a certain frequency band in the unlicensed spectrum to communicate with the terminal, the base station first performs a Listen Before Talk (LBT) process to detect if the frequency band is free. If the frequency band is free, the base station can use it to communicate with the terminal. If the frequency band is occupied, for example, by other devices, the base station cannot use this frequency band to communicate with the terminal.

In the 5G NR (New Radio) system, in order to improve the spatial diversity effect, a base station may be equipped with a plurality of antenna panels for communication with a terminal, and the channel state detection results of the plurality of antenna panels may differ. In this scenario, there is no complete solution to the problem of the base station providing the channel status indication to the terminal.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the disclosure of the present invention, a method and device for indicating the status of channels in the unlicensed spectrum, as well as an information carrier are proposed. The corresponding technical solutions are described below.

In accordance with the first aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, a method is provided for indicating the status of channels in the unlicensed spectrum, including:

the base station transmitting channel state indication information via the first antenna panel, wherein the channel state indication information is configured to indicate channel state detection results of k base station antenna panels in at least one Bandwidth Unit of the unlicensed spectrum, where k is positive integer.

In one embodiment, the k antenna panels include a first antenna panel.

In one embodiment, if a plurality of antenna panels detect an idle channel(s), the plurality of antenna panels transmit appropriate channel status indication information;

wherein the channel state indication information transmitted by the i-th antenna panel is configured to indicate a channel state detection result of the i-th antenna panel in at least one unlicensed spectrum BWU, where i is a positive integer.

In one embodiment, the k antenna panels include at least one base station antenna panel other than the first antenna panel that detects a free channel(s).

In one embodiment, the first antenna panel is an antenna panel that detects a free channel(s).

In one embodiment, if multiple antenna panels detect a free channel(s), the first antenna panel is the antenna panel with the longest remaining channel occupation time and/or with the most BWUs detected as free.

In one embodiment, the first antenna panel is an antenna panel used during channel occupancy times.

In one embodiment, if there are multiple antenna panels in use during channel occupancy time, the first antenna panel is the antenna panel with the longest remaining channel occupancy time and/or with the most BWUs found free.

In one embodiment, the channel state indication information comprises an idle state indication signal corresponding to each of the k antenna panels;

wherein the idle indication signal corresponding to the i-th antenna panel of the k antenna panels is configured to indicate the BWUs detected by the i-th antenna panel as free, where i is a positive integer less than or equal to k.

In one embodiment, the idle indication signal corresponding to the i-th antenna panel includes:

channel status indicator of each BWU detected by the i-th antenna panel;

wherein the channel status indicator is configured to indicate whether the channel status detection result determines that the channel is idle.

In one embodiment, the idle indication signal corresponding to the i-th antenna panel includes the busy time of the BWU channel detected as free by the i-th antenna panel; the format of the BWU timeslot detected by the i-th antenna panel as free during the channel occupation time period; and resource allocation of the BWU detected by the i-th antenna panel as free during the channel occupation time period.

In one embodiment, the idle indication signal corresponding to the i-th antenna panel includes:

idle indication signal transmitted for each BWU detected as free by the i-th antenna panel;

wherein the idle indication signal transmitted for the j-th BWU detected as free by the i-th antenna panel is configured to indicate that the channel state detection result of the i-th antenna panel in the j-th BWU is "idle" , where j is a positive integer.

In one embodiment, the idle indication signal corresponding to the i-th antenna panel includes:

frequency band area switching indication information (BWP, Bandwidth Part) corresponding to the i-th antenna panel, wherein the BWP switching indication information is configured to indicate a target BWP to which switching is performed if the terminal communicates with the i-th antenna panel of the base station, and the target BWP contains N BWUs of the M BWUs detected as free by the i-th antenna panel, where N is less than or equal to M, M, and N positive integers.

In one embodiment, the antenna panels share the same idle indication signal; or idle indication signals corresponding to the antenna panels are not shared.

In accordance with a second aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, a method is provided for indicating the status of channels in the unlicensed spectrum, comprising:

terminal detection according to the first cycle of channel state indication information transmitted by each base station antenna panel, wherein the channel state indication information is configured to indicate channel state detection results to the base station antenna panels in at least one frequency band unit (BWU) of unlicensed spectrum , where k is a positive integer;

after the terminal receives the channel status indication information transmitted by the first antenna panel of the base station, detection by the terminal in accordance with the second cycle of Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) signaling generated by the first antenna panel.

In one embodiment, the second cycle is greater than or equal to the first cycle.

In one embodiment, the PDCCH signaling includes uplink and downlink resources of the first antenna panel scheduled by the base station for the terminal and/or channel state detection results of antenna panels other than the first antenna panel of the base station.

In accordance with a third aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a device for indicating the status of channels in the unlicensed spectrum applicable to a base station and comprising:

an information transmission unit configured to transmit channel state indication information by the first antenna panel, wherein the channel state indication information is configured to indicate channel state detection results of k base station antenna panels in at least one frequency band unit (BWU) of the unlicensed spectrum, where k is a positive integer.

In one embodiment, the antenna panels include a first antenna panel.

In one embodiment, if a plurality of antenna panels detect an idle channel(s), the plurality of antenna panels transmit appropriate channel status indication information;

wherein the channel state indication information transmitted by the i-th antenna panel is configured to indicate a channel state detection result of the i-th antenna panel in at least one unlicensed spectrum BWU, where i is a positive integer.

In one embodiment, the k antenna panels include at least one base station antenna panel other than the first antenna panel that detects a free channel(s).

In one embodiment, the first antenna panel is an antenna panel that detects a free channel(s).

In one embodiment, if multiple antenna panels detect a free channel(s), the first antenna panel is the antenna panel with the longest remaining channel occupation time and/or with the most BWUs detected as free.

In one embodiment, the first antenna panel is an antenna panel used during channel acquisition.

In one embodiment, if there are multiple antenna panels in use during channel acquisition, the first antenna panel is the antenna panel with the longest remaining channel occupation time and/or with the most BWUs found free.

In one embodiment, the channel state indication information comprises an idle state indication signal corresponding to each of the k antenna panels;

wherein the idle indication signal corresponding to the i-th antenna panel of the k antenna panels is configured to indicate the BWUs detected by the i-th antenna panel as free, where i is a positive integer less than or equal to k.

In one embodiment, the idle indication signal corresponding to the i-th antenna panel includes:

channel status indicator of each BWU detected by the i-th antenna panel;

wherein the channel status indicator is configured to indicate whether the channel status detection result determines that the channel is idle.

In one embodiment, the idle indication signal corresponding to the i-th antenna panel also includes the busy time of the BWU channel detected as free by the i-th antenna panel; the format of the BWU timeslot detected by the i-th antenna panel as free during the channel occupation time period; and resource allocation of the BWU detected by the i-th antenna panel as free during the channel occupation time period.

In one embodiment, the idle indication signal corresponding to the i-th antenna panel includes:

idle indication signal transmitted for each BWU detected as free by the i-th antenna panel;

wherein the idle indication signal transmitted for the j-th BWU detected as free by the i-th antenna panel is configured to indicate that the channel state detection result of the i-th antenna panel in the j-th BWU is "idle" , where j is a positive integer.

In one embodiment, the idle indication signal corresponding to the i-th antenna panel includes:

BWP switching indication information corresponding to the i-th antenna panel, wherein the BWP switching indication information is configured to indicate the target BWP to which switching is performed if the terminal communicates with the ith antenna panel of the base station, and the target BWP contains N BWUs of M BWU detected by the i-th antenna panel as free, where N is less than or equal to M, M and N positive integers.

In one embodiment, the antenna panels share the same idle indication signal; or idle indication signals corresponding to the antenna panels are not shared.

In accordance with the fourth aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a device for indicating the status of channels in the unlicensed spectrum applicable to a terminal and comprising:

a first detection module configured to detect, according to the first cycle, channel state indication information transmitted by each base station antenna panel, wherein the channel state indication information is configured to indicate channel state detection results to the base station antenna panels in at least one frequency band block (BWU) unlicensed spectrum, where k is a positive integer;

a second discovery module configured to detect in accordance with a second Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) signaling cycle generated by the first antenna panel after receiving channel state indication information transmitted by the first base station antenna panel.

In one embodiment, the second cycle is greater than or equal to the first cycle.

In one embodiment, the PDCCH signaling includes uplink and downlink resources of the first antenna panel scheduled by the base station for the terminal and/or channel state detection results of antenna panels other than the first antenna panel of the base station.

In accordance with the fifth aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a device for indicating the status of channels in the unlicensed spectrum applicable to a base station and comprising:

processor and

memory that stores instructions to be executed by the processor

while the processor is configured to perform the following operations:

transmitting channel state indication information by the first antenna panel, wherein the channel state indication information is configured to indicate channel state detection results to the base station antenna panels in at least one frequency band unit (BWU) of the unlicensed spectrum, where k is a positive integer.

In accordance with the sixth aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a device for indicating the status of channels in the unlicensed spectrum applicable to a terminal and comprising:

processor and

memory that stores instructions to be executed by the processor

wherein the processor is configured to perform the following operations: detecting, in accordance with the first cycle, the channel state indication information transmitted by each base station antenna panel, wherein the channel state indication information is configured to indicate channel state detection results to the base station antenna panels in at least one unlicensed spectrum unit (BWU), where k is a positive integer;

detecting in accordance with the second signaling cycle of the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) generated by the first antenna panel, after receiving the channel state indication information transmitted by the first antenna panel of the base station.

According to a seventh aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, a computer-readable storage medium in which a computer program is stored is provided. When the computer program is executed by the processor, the method corresponding to the first aspect is implemented.

According to an eighth aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, a computer-readable storage medium in which a computer program is stored is provided. When the computer program is executed by the processor, the method corresponding to the second aspect is implemented.

According to the technical solutions presented in the framework of the present invention, the base station through the first antenna panel transmits channel state indication information, which is configured to indicate the results of detection of the channel state of at least one base station antenna panel in at least one unlicensed spectrum BWU. Thus, a channel state indication scheme in a multi-antenna panel scenario is proposed, whereby a terminal can obtain channel state detection results of different base station antenna panels in each BWU, which is convenient for realizing reliable transmission between the terminal and the base station.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute one part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the disclosure of the present invention and are used in conjunction with the description to explain the principles for carrying out the present invention.

Figure 1 shows a block diagram of a network architecture in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 shows the algorithm for performing a method for indicating the state of channels in the unlicensed spectrum in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 3 shows the algorithm of the method for indicating the status of channels in the unlicensed spectrum in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4 shows a block diagram of a device for indicating the status of channels in the unlicensed spectrum in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 5 shows a block diagram of a device for indicating the status of channels in the unlicensed spectrum in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 6 shows a block diagram of a base station in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a block diagram of a terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, embodiments and exemplary embodiments of the present invention are explained in more detail, illustrated by means of the accompanying drawings. If the following description refers to the accompanying drawings, then the same numbers in different drawings designate the same or similar elements, unless expressly indicated otherwise. Set forth in the following description, examples of implementation do not cover all embodiments that do not contradict the disclosure of the present invention. On the contrary, this description provides only examples of devices and methods consistent with some aspects of the implementation of the present invention, the essence of which is set forth in the attached claims.

The network architecture and business scenarios described by the embodiments of the present invention are used to better explain the technical solutions implemented by these embodiments, but should not be construed as limiting the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention. Those skilled in the art may be aware that as network architecture evolves and new business scenarios are introduced, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present invention are equally applicable to similar technical problems.

Figure 1 shows a block diagram of a network architecture in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The network architecture may include base stations 110 and terminals 120.

The base station 110 is located in the access network. The access network in a 5G NR system may be referred to as a new generation radio access network (NG-RAN, New Generation-Radio Access Network). Base station 110 and terminal 120 communicate with each other using some air interface technology, such as cellular technology.

Base station 110 is a device placed on an access network to perform a wireless communication function for terminal 120. Base station 110 may include various kinds of macro nodes, micro nodes, repeaters, access points, and so on. In a system using various wireless access technologies, devices that perform the functions of a base station may be designated differently, for example, in a 5G NR system, such devices are called gNodeB or gNB. As communication technology evolves, the term "base station" may change. For convenience of description, in the embodiments of the present invention, the above-mentioned devices providing the wireless communication function for the terminal 120 are collectively referred to as base stations. The base station 110 may also be a vehicle-mounted device that is applicable to vehicle-to-vehicle communication scenarios in the Internet of Vehicles environment. In the process of communication between vehicles, the channels or signaling in the disclosure of the present invention may be channels or signaling suitable for direct connection.

Typically, there are multiple terminals 120. One or more terminals 120 may be distributed in a cell controlled by each base station 110. Terminals 120 may include a variety of portable devices equipped with wireless communication, devices mounted on vehicles, wearable devices, computing devices, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, as well as various types of user equipment (UE, User Equipment), mobile stations (MS, Mobile Station), terminal devices, etc. For convenience of description, in the embodiments of the present invention, the above devices are collectively referred to as terminals. Terminal 120 may also be a vehicle-mounted device that is applicable to vehicle-to-vehicle communication scenarios in the Internet of Vehicles environment. In the process of communication between vehicles, the channels or signaling in the disclosure of the present invention may be channels or signaling suitable for direct connection.

In embodiments of the present invention, "5G NR system" may also be referred to as 5G system or NR system, terms whose meaning should be understood by those skilled in the art. The technical solutions described according to the embodiments of the present invention can be applied to a 5G NR system, as well as to a system representing a future development of a 5G NR system, and to a vehicle network system.

Figure 2 shows the algorithm for performing a method for indicating the state of channels in the unlicensed spectrum in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The method can be applied to the base station of the network architecture shown in FIG. The method may include the following steps.

In step 201, the base station transmits channel state indication information via the first antenna panel, wherein the channel state indication information is configured to indicate channel state detection results to the base station antenna panels in at least one unlicensed spectrum BWU, where k is a positive integer.

In 5G NR systems, a base station and a terminal may be equipped with multiple (i.e., two or more) antenna panels to improve the spatial diversity effect. For example, multiple base station antenna panels may belong to the same transceiver node (TRP, Transmitter Receiver Point) or different TRPs. That is, each TRP may contain one or more antenna panels. The base station may communicate with the terminal using a plurality of antenna panels, such as transmitting information to the terminal or receiving information transmitted by the terminal.

BWU denotes a bandwidth unit for channel discovery by LBT. In unlicensed spectrum, each carrier may contain multiple BWUs, and each BWP may also contain multiple BWUs. In one embodiment, each BWU may have a corresponding number and correspond to a different location in the channel.

For example, the carrier bandwidth may be 100 MHz, each BWU may be 20 MHz, and the carrier may contain 5 BWUs. For example, the carrier bandwidth may be 400 MHz, each BWU may be 20 MHz, and the carrier may contain 20 BWUs.

Note that each carrier represents one serving cell. A base station may support multiple serving cells for a terminal, and in each cell, multiple antenna panels may be used to communicate with a terminal in the cell.

In addition, for any antenna panel, the detection result of the channel state of the antenna panel in a certain BWU is configured to indicate whether the antenna panel has detected the fact that the BWU is free. The channel state detection results of different antenna panels in the same BWU may be the same or different.

According to one possible implementation, the first antenna panel is an antenna panel used during a channel occupation time period. That is, the base station can transmit channel status indication information to the terminal via the antenna panel during the channel occupation time period. The antenna panel used during the channel occupation time period refers to the antenna panel communicating with the terminal, that is, in this case, the first antenna panel detects that the channel is free, receives the channel occupation time, and the channel occupation time has not expired. For example, the base station selects the antenna panel as the first antenna panel of the antenna panels in the channel occupation time period to transmit channel status indication information to the terminal.

According to another possible implementation, the first antenna panel is the antenna panel that has detected the idle state, i.e. the first antenna panel is the antenna panel that has currently detected the idle state, and the base station has not used this antenna panel to transmit any information to the terminal. In other words, in the next channel occupation time period, the base station can transmit channel state indication information to the terminal via the antenna panel that has detected the idle state. For example, the base station selects an antenna panel as the first antenna panel among antenna panels that detect a free channel(s) to transmit channel status indication information to the terminal. In addition, if the first antenna panel is the antenna panel that has detected the free channel(s), then the first antenna panel may transmit channel status indication information in the one or more BWUs detected as free.

For example, the antenna panels above include a first antenna panel. That is, the channel state indication information transmitted by the first antenna panel is configured to indicate its own channel state detection results in at least one unlicensed spectrum BWU.

According to another example, the antenna panels above include at least one base station antenna panel other than the first antenna panel that detects a free channel(s). That is, the channel state indication information transmitted by the first antenna panel is configured to indicate channel state detection results of other antenna panels in at least one unlicensed spectrum BWU. In this case, the indication of the state of the channels among the antenna panels is implemented.

According to another example k of the antenna panels above, include a first antenna panel and at least one antenna panel other than the first antenna panel that detects a free channel(s). In other words, the channel state indication information transmitted by the first antenna panel is configured to indicate its own channel state detection result in at least one unlicensed spectrum BWU, as well as the channel state detection result of other antenna panels in at least one unlicensed spectrum BWU. In this case, indication of the status of the channels among the antenna panels is also implemented.

In one embodiment, if a plurality of antenna panels detect an idle channel(s), the plurality of antenna panels transmit their respective channel status indication information. Channel state indication information transmitted by the i-th antenna panel is configured to indicate channel state detection results of the i-th antenna panel in at least one unlicensed spectrum BWU, where i is a positive integer. That is, in the case of a plurality of antenna panels detecting a free channel(s), each antenna panel transmits channel state indication information to indicate its own channel state detection results.

According to embodiments of the present invention, the channel status indication information may be a combination of one or more of the following signals transmitted by the base station: an activation signal, such as a specific amount of surge current; synchronization signal block (SSB, Synchronization Signal Block), such as a primary synchronized signal (PSS, Primary Synchronized Signal) or a secondary synchronized signal (SSS, Secondary Synchronized Signal), and a physical broadcast channel (PBCH, Physical Broadcast Channel); discovery signal (DRS, Discovery Signal); preamble for Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity); PDCCH such as Downlink Control Information (DCI) signaling; DMRS (Demodulation Reference Signal, demodulation reference signal) or some other signal.

Finally, according to the technical solutions presented in the framework of the present invention, the base station, through the first antenna panel, transmits channel state indication information, which is used to indicate the results of detection of the channel state of at least one antenna panel of the base station in at least one BWU of the unlicensed spectrum. . Thus, a channel state indication solution is provided in a multi-antenna panel scenario, whereby a terminal can obtain channel state detection results of different base station antenna panels in each BWU, which is convenient for realizing reliable transmission between the terminal and the base station.

In addition, if the channel state indication information transmitted by the first antenna panel is also configured to indicate the channel state detection results of other antenna panels in at least one unlicensed spectrum BWU, the channel state indication among the antenna panels is realized, and the flexibility of the channel state indication is increased.

As described above within the scope of the embodiments of the present invention, the first antenna panel may be defined in two cases: 1. the first antenna panel is the antenna panel used during the channel occupation time period; 2. The first antenna panel is the antenna panel that has currently detected an idle state.

In the first case above, if there are multiple antenna panels used during channel acquisition, the first antenna panel is the antenna panel with the longest remaining channel acquisition time and/or the largest number of BWUs detected as free.

According to the example, the first antenna panel is the antenna panel with the longest remaining channel occupation time.

The base station needs to select a set of channel discovery parameters when performing the LBT procedure, including channel occupation time, contention window size, channel receive priority, and so on. The remaining channel occupation time may be determined based on the channel occupation time and the occupied channel length.

For example, during a channel occupation time period, there are three antenna panels: panel#l, panel#2, and panel#3. The remaining channel occupation time for panel#l is 1 ms, the remaining channel occupation time for panel#2 is 3 ms, and the remaining channel occupation time for panel#3 is 2 ms. Thus, the antenna panel with the longest remaining channel occupation time, namely panel#2, can be selected as the first antenna panel.

According to another example, the first antenna panel is the antenna panel that has currently found the most free BWUs.

For a plurality of antenna panels, if a certain antenna panel detects the most free BWUs, this indicates a good channel condition within the coverage of that antenna panel, and thus, according to the disclosure of the present invention, this antenna panel can be selected to transmit information, such as information channel status indication.

For example, during the period of channel occupation, three antenna panels operate: panel#l, panel#2, and panel#3. Pape1#1 found 5 free BWUs, panel#2 found 2 free BWUs, and panel#3 found 1 free BWU. In such a case, the antenna panel that found the largest number of free BWUs, namely panel#l, can be selected as the first antenna panel.

According to another example, the first antenna panel is the antenna panel with the longest remaining channel occupation time and the largest number of free BWUs detected.

For example, during a channel occupation time period, there are three antenna panels: panel#1, panel#2, and panel#3. The remaining channel occupation time for panel#1 is 3ms, the remaining channel occupation time for panel#2 is 3ms, and the remaining channel occupation time for panel#3 is 1ms. However, panel#1 detects 5 free BWUs, panel#2 detects 2 free BWUs, and panel#3 detects 1 free BWU. In such a case, the antenna panel with the longest remaining channel occupation time and the largest number of detected free BWUs, namely panel#1, can be selected as the first antenna panel.

According to other possible implementations, if there are multiple antenna panels during the channel occupation time period, the base station first selects the antenna panel with the longest remaining channel occupation time from the plurality of antenna panels. If only one antenna panel has the longest remaining channel occupation time, then that antenna panel is directly identified as the first antenna panel. If the number of antenna panels with the longest remaining channel occupation time exceeds 1, then from those antenna panels with the longest remaining channel occupation time, the antenna panel with the largest number of detected free BWUs is selected as the first antenna panel. If among the antenna panels with the longest remaining channel occupation time, the plurality of antenna panels with the largest number of free BWUs are still found, then any of the antenna panels with the largest number of detected free BWUs can be selected as the first antenna panel. Alternatively, the antenna panel may be selected as the first antenna panel according to other selection rules, for example, the antenna panel with the least load, etc., may be selected as the first antenna panel, and these rules are not limited to the disclosure of the present invention.

Alternatively, if there are multiple antenna panels during the channel occupation time period, the base station first selects from these antenna panels the antenna panel with the largest number of detected free BWUs. If only one antenna panel has the largest number of detected free BWUs, then that antenna panel is directly identified as the first antenna panel. If the number of antenna panels with the largest number of detected free BWUs exceeds 1, then from those antenna panels with the largest number of detected free BWUs, the antenna panel with the longest remaining channel occupation time is selected as the first antenna panel. If a plurality of antenna panels with the longest channel occupation time are still found among the antenna panels with the largest number of free BWUs, then any of the antenna panels with the longest channel occupation time can be selected as the first antenna panel. Alternatively, the antenna panel may be selected as the first antenna panel according to other selection rules, for example, the antenna panel with the least load, etc., may be selected as the first antenna panel, and these rules are not limited to the disclosure of the present invention.

In the second case above, if multiple antenna panels detect a free channel(s), then the first antenna panel is the antenna panel with the longest remaining channel occupation time and/or the antenna panel with the most BWUs detected as free.

According to the example, the first antenna panel is the antenna panel with the longest remaining channel occupation time.

If multiple antenna panels detect a free channel(s), then the channel occupation time they receive may differ due to different channel discovery mechanisms and/or channel discovery parameters. Some antenna arrays get longer channel hold times while others get shorter channel hold times. In addition, the remaining channel occupation time of the plurality of antenna panels may differ.

For example, if three antenna panels, panel#1, panel#2 and panel#3, detect a free channel(s) and the remaining channel occupation time for panel#l is 1 ms, the remaining channel occupation time for panel#2 is 3 ms, and the remaining channel occupation time for panel#3 is 2 ms, then the antenna panel with the longest remaining channel occupation time, namely panel #2, can be selected as the first antenna panel.

According to another example, the first antenna panel is the antenna panel that detects the largest number of free BWUs.

For example, if three antenna panels, panel#1, panel#2, and panel#3, detect a free channel(s) and panel# 1 detects 5 free BWUs, panel#2 detects 2 free BWUs, and panel#3 detects 1 free BWU, then the antenna panel with the largest number of detected free BWUs can be selected as the first antenna panel, namely: panel#1.

According to another example, the first antenna panel is the antenna panel with the longest remaining channel occupation time and the largest number of free BWUs detected.

For example, if three antenna panels, panel#1, panel#2 and panel#3, detect a free channel(s) and the remaining channel occupation time for panel#1 is 3 ms, the remaining channel occupation time for panel#2 is 3ms and the remaining channel occupation time for panel#3 is 1ms, however panel#1 detects 5 free BWUs, panel#2 detects 2 free BWUs, panel#3 detects 1 free BWU, then the first antenna panel can be selected the antenna panel with the longest remaining channel occupation time and the largest number of selected free BWUs, namely: panel#1. In other possible implementations, when there are multiple antenna panels detecting a free channel(s), the base station first selects the antenna panel with the longest remaining channel occupation time from the plurality of these antenna panels. If only one antenna panel has the longest remaining channel occupation time, then that antenna panel is directly identified as the first antenna panel. If the number of antenna panels with the longest remaining channel occupation time exceeds 1, then from those antenna panels with the longest remaining channel occupation time, the antenna panel with the largest number of detected free BWUs is selected as the first antenna panel. If a plurality of antenna panels with the largest number of free BWUs are still found among the antenna panels with the longest remaining channel occupation time, then any of the antenna panels with the largest number of detected free BWUs can be selected as the first antenna panel. Alternatively, the antenna panel may be selected as the first antenna panel according to other selection rules, for example, the antenna panel with the least load, etc., may be selected as the first antenna panel, and these rules are not limited to the disclosure of the present invention.

Alternatively, if there are multiple antenna panels detecting a free channel(s), the base station first selects from these antenna panels the antenna panel with the largest number of detected free BWUs. If only one antenna panel has the largest number of detected free BWUs, then that antenna panel is directly identified as the first antenna panel. If the number of antenna panels with the largest number of detected free BWUs exceeds 1, then from those antenna panels with the largest number of detected free BWUs, the antenna panel with the longest remaining channel occupation time is selected as the first antenna panel. If among the antenna panels with the largest number of detected free BWUs, there are still many antenna panels with the longest remaining channel occupation time, then any of the antenna panels with the longest remaining channel occupation time can be selected as the first antenna panel. Alternatively, the antenna panel may be selected as the first antenna panel according to other selection rules, for example, the antenna panel with the least load, etc., may be selected as the first antenna panel, and these rules are not limited to the disclosure of the present invention.

In one embodiment, in the first case above, if there are multiple antenna panels during the channel occupation time period, then the antenna panel with the longest remaining channel occupation time is preferably selected as the first antenna panel, and in the second case above, if there are multiple antenna panels detecting a free channel(s), then the antenna panel with the largest number of detected free BWUs is preferably selected as the first antenna panel.

In conclusion, when selecting the first antenna panel that transmits the channel status indication information to the terminal, the embodiments of the present invention provide a variety of methods for selecting the first antenna panel and increase flexibility in selecting the first antenna panel.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the channel state indication information presented above in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 comprises an idle state indication signal corresponding to each of the k antenna panels. The idle indication signal corresponding to the i-th antenna panel of the k antenna panels is configured to indicate that the i-th antenna panel detects a free BWU, where i is a positive integer less than or equal to k. That is, the free indication signal of the state corresponding to the i-th antenna panel is configured to inform the terminal which BWU or which BWUs the i-th antenna panel has detected as free.

In a first possible implementation, the idle indication signal corresponding to the i-th antenna panel includes: a channel status indicator corresponding to each BWU detected by the i-th antenna panel; wherein the channel state indicator is configured to indicate whether the channel state detection result is an "idle state" result. In one embodiment, the channel status indicator is represented by a single bit, for example, "0" indicates a busy channel and "1" is free, or "1" indicates a busy channel and "0" is free. In addition, the corresponding BWUs detected by the i-th antenna panel may belong to one carrier or a plurality of different carriers, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present invention. For example, for a certain carrier with a frequency range of 100 MHz, which is divided into 5 BWUs, and the corresponding BWU consists of a 20 MHz serial bandwidth, the free channel indication signal corresponding to 5 BWUs can be represented by 5 bits. For example, the i-th antenna panel detects the channel state for a total of 10 BWUs, in this case, the idle state indication signal corresponding to the i-th antenna panel can be represented by 10 bits, each of which is configured to indicate whether the state detection result is channels corresponding to one BWU, resulting in "idle state".

In one embodiment, the idle indication signal corresponding to the i-th antenna panel also includes at least one of the following components: occupation time of the BWU channel detected as free by the i-th antenna panel; the format of the BWU timeslot detected by the i-th antenna panel as free during the channel occupation time period; and resource allocation of the BWU detected as free by the i-th antenna panel during the channel occupation time period. The slot format is configured to indicate whether each symbol of each slot is used for the downlink (D, Downlink), uplink (U, Uplink), or to be determined (X). Resource allocation may be used for at least one of the following channels: Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH), Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) ), a common physical uplink channel (PUSCH, Physical Uplink Shared Channel), as well as for other channels.

In addition, if the idle indication signal transmitted by the base station is configured to indicate the BWUs directly detected as free, the first antenna panel may transmit the idle indication signal in one or more free BWUs. The idle indication signal transmitted by the first antenna panel in the determined idle BWU not only indicates the channel status of the idle BWU, but also indicates the channel status of other BWUs. Further, assuming that the number of BWUs detected as free by the first antenna panel is a (a is a positive integer), the first antenna panel may transmit an idle indication signal in one of the a BWUs, or transmit an idle indication signal in set of BWUs from a BWUs. For example, the same idle indication signal may be transmitted in a BWUs, respectively. Thus, after the terminal reads the idle indication signal in one of the BWUs, the terminal obtains the channel status of all BWUs for which the first antenna panel performs channel discovery.

In a second possible implementation, the idle indication signal corresponding to the i-th antenna panel includes the idle indication signals respectively transmitted in each BWU detected as idle by the i-th antenna panel. The idle indication signal at the j-th BWU detected as free by the i-th antenna panel is configured to indicate that the channel state detection result of the i-th antenna panel at the j-th BWU is "idle", where j is whole positive number.

In this case, the idle indication signal in the BWU only indicates the idle state of only its own channel, but does not indicate the channel state of other BWUs. For example, the idle indication signal at a certain BWU comprises a BWU channel occupation period and a BWU time slot format in the channel occupation time period by which the BWU channel idle state is implicitly indicated. Thus, after the terminal reads the idle indication signal in the BWU, the terminal can be aware that the BWU is in the idle state, and the terminal needs to check whether there are idle indication signals in the other BWUs to obtain the channel status of other BWUs. Alternatively, the idle indication signal at a particular BWU is a wake-up signal, SSB, etc.

According to a third possible implementation, the idle indication signal corresponding to the i-th antenna panel contains BWP switching indication information corresponding to the i-th antenna panel, wherein the BWP switching indication information is configured to indicate a target BWP to switch to if the terminal communicates. with the i-th antenna panel of the base station. The target BWP contains N BWUs of the M BWUs detected as free by the i-th antenna panel, where N is less than or equal to M and M and N are positive integers.

In one embodiment, the BWUs contained in the above target BWP may include all discovered free BWUs; or the target BWP may also denote the BWP containing the largest number of free BWUs and the smallest number of occupied BWUs in all BWPs configured by the base station for the terminal. By switching the BWP to the BWP containing the largest number of free BWUs and the smallest number of occupied BWUs, the PDCCH bandwidth control of the terminal is reduced as much as possible, and the utilization rate of the free BWUs is also increased.

In one embodiment, the above BWP switching indication information contains the ID of the target BWP. The target BWP identifier is configured to uniquely identify the target BWP. Different BWPs are assigned different IDs, and a BWP ID may be referred to as a BWP ID. If the base station configures the BWP for the terminal, it also configures the BWP ID.

In this case, if the terminal receives BWP switching indication information corresponding to the i-th antenna panel, the terminal assumes that each BWU included in the target BWP is idle. Even if there is a possibility that an individual BWU in the target BWP is in a busy state, the base station does not schedule a Resource Block (RB) for a terminal in the busy BWU. In this case, the main reason for including a BWU with a busy link state in the target BWP is that the BWU with an idle link state may not be contiguous and may not form a BWP. Thus, to form a BWP, it is required to connect BWUs with an idle link state through a BWU with a busy link state.

In one embodiment, after receiving the switching indication information of the BWP corresponding to the i-th antenna panel, the terminal switches to the target BWP for communication with the i-th antenna panel.

Within the embodiments above, three possible implementations of the idle indication signal are proposed. The channel state indication information transmitted by the first antenna panel may comprise an idle state indication signal corresponding to each of the k antenna panels. If k is greater than 1, the k antenna panels can share the same idle indication signal; or idle indication signals corresponding to the antenna panels are not shared.

According to embodiments of the present invention, a base station can indicate a channel state among antenna panels so that an antenna panel transmitting channel state indication information can be flexibly switched. For example, the base station is equipped with two antenna panels, referred to as panel#l and panel#2. Assuming that each antenna panel receives the same channel occupancy time each time, and panel#1 detects a free channel(s) in advance, if panel#2 detects a free channel(s) when panel#1 is in the channel occupancy period, the base the station may transmit a channel state detection result corresponding to panel#2 via panel#1. This is because at the beginning of the channel occupation time period received by panel#1, the terminal continues to detect the PDCCH of panel#1, therefore, compared to using panel#2 to transmit the channel state detection result, when directly using panel#1 to transmit the PDCCH in order to indicate the channel state detection result of panel#2, the terminal only needs to detect the PDCCH transmitted by panel#1, and does not need to simultaneously detect the PDCCH transmitted by panel#1 and panel#2, whereby the power consumption of the terminal can be reduced. Because panel#2 occupies a channel later than panel#1, the occupation time of panel#2 does not yet end after the end of occupation time of panel#1, and the base station starts using panel#2 to transmit the PDCCH to the terminal. Panel#1 can check if the channel is free again after the channel occupation time has elapsed. If panel#1 detects that the channel is free again and the occupation time of panel#2's channel has not expired, the base station may transmit the channel state detection result corresponding to panel#1 by panel#2, and so on. Thus, the terminal can always detect one of the antenna panels within the channel occupancy time to obtain channel state detection results of other antenna panels.

In addition, if the base station is equipped with a plurality of antenna panels that detect an idle channel(s), the plurality of antenna panels transmit the PDCCH to the terminal, and a multi-PDCCH or single PDCCH mode may be applied. The multi-PDCCH mode means that multiple antenna panels transmit PDCCHs to the terminal independently, and the single PDCCH mode means that the PDCCH is transmitted to the terminal by one antenna panel, and the PDCCH transmitted by this antenna panel is at the same time used to transmit the corresponding information from other antenna panels.

If the communication between the plurality of base station antenna panels is not an ideal backhaul, the delay in interactive communication between the plurality of antenna panels increases. In this case, the plurality of antenna panels seek to independently transmit PDCCHs to the terminal to independently perform PDSCH scheduling. That is, the base station uses the multi-PDCCH mode to transmit the PDCCHs to the terminal. If the communication between the plurality of base station antenna panels is an ideal reverse connection, there is essentially no time delay in interactive communication between the plurality of antenna panels. In this case, the base station tends to use one antenna panel to transmit to the PDCCH terminal, and the PDCCH transmitted by this antenna panel is used to simultaneously schedule multiple antenna panels for downlink data transmission. That is, the base station uses the single PDCCH mode to transmit the PDCCH to the terminal.

In the single PDCCH mode, the base station can determine the main antenna panel from the plurality of antenna panels for which the idle state is detected, and then instruct the terminal to subsequently receive only the PDCCH transmitted by the main antenna panel. The main antenna panel may be the antenna panel with the longest remaining channel occupation time, and the main antenna panel may transmit the PDCCH. Alternatively, the base station and terminal may have a common default time. From this point in time, the terminal only monitors the PDCCH transmitted by the main antenna panel, which is set using the default method, and the base station does not need to explicitly specify the antenna panel again.

In addition, regardless of whether the PDCCH is transmitted in the multi PDCCH mode or in the single PDCCH mode, the PDCCH transmitted by the base station may be a common multicast PDCCH such as a PDCCH containing a channel state and a slot format of each BWU. In addition, the common group PDCCH is periodically transmitted during the channel occupation time period, for example, every few time slots. In one embodiment, the PDCCH transmitted by the base station may also contain terminal-specific PDCCH resources used for resource scheduling.

In addition, if the base station uses the single PDCCH mode to transmit the PDCCH to the terminal, and the PDCCH contains the idle indication signals corresponding to the plurality of antenna panels, then the plurality of antenna panels may share the same idle indication signal, or the idle indication signals corresponding to multiple antenna panels are not shared.

If multiple antenna panels share the same idle indication signal, each BWU corresponds to a channel status indicator. For example, in each BWU, as long as at least one antenna panel detects a free channel(s), the channel status indicator corresponding to the BWU indicates an idle state, and only if all antenna panels detect a BWU busy, the channel status indicator corresponding to the BWU indicates employment status. In another example, in each BWU, as long as at least one antenna panel detects a busy state, the channel status indicator corresponding to the BWU indicates busy, and only if all antenna panels detect a free channel(s) in the BWU, the channel status indicator corresponding to BWU, indicates the free state. For example, if the base station is equipped with two antenna panels that use the same carrier frequency band of 100 MHz divided by 5 BWUs, then the indicator can be represented by 5 bits. This method can save overhead of the idle indication signal, but the premise is that the BWU division of each antenna panel in the carrier is the same, that is, the frequency domain position and the frequency band occupied by each BWU are the same.

If the idle indication signals corresponding to the plurality of antenna panels are not shared, each BWU of each antenna panel corresponds to a channel status indicator. For example, if the base station is equipped with two antenna panels that use the same carrier frequency band of 100 MHz divided by 5 BWUs, then the indicator can be represented by 10 bits. The advantage of this method is that the channel state detection result of each antenna panel in each BWU can be precisely specified. In addition, even if the BWU divisions of different antenna panels in a carrier are inconsistent, this method can also be used for accurate indication.

Figure 3 shows the algorithm of the method for indicating the status of channels in the unlicensed spectrum in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. This method may be applied to terminal 120 in the network architecture shown in FIG. The method may include the following steps.

In step 301, the terminal detects the channel state indication information generated by each antenna panel of the base station in accordance with the first cycle. The channel state indication information is configured to indicate channel state detection results to the base station antenna panels in at least one unlicensed spectrum BWU, where k is a positive integer.

If the terminal has not detected the channel state indication information generated by any base station antenna panel, the terminal periodically detects the channel state indication information generated by each base station antenna panel according to the first cycle. The first loop may be a mini-spacing, such as 1 character, 2 characters, 3 characters, ..., 13 characters, and so on.

In addition, for a summary and description of the channel status indication information, reference may be made to the above embodiments of the present invention, the description of which will not be repeated further within this embodiment.

In step 302, after the terminal receives the channel state indication information transmitted by the first base station antenna panel, the terminal detects the PDCCH signaling generated by the first antenna panel according to the second cycle.

After receiving the channel state indication information generated by the first antenna panel, the terminal periodically detects PDCCH signaling generated by the first antenna panel in accordance with the second cycle. In one embodiment, the second cycle is greater than or equal to the first cycle. That is, after receiving the channel status indication information generated by the first antenna panel, the terminal monitors the PDCCH signaling transmitted by the first antenna panel in a longer cycle. This reduces the power consumption of the terminal.

In one embodiment, the PDCCH signaling includes: uplink and downlink resources of the first antenna panel scheduled by the base station for the terminal, and/or channel state detection results of antenna panels other than the first antenna panel of the base station. After receiving the channel status indication information generated by the first antenna panel, the terminal continues to monitor the PDCCH signaling transmitted by the first antenna panel to obtain the above two aspects of information. The base station may use the first antenna panel to indicate channel state detection results of other antenna panels by cross-checking the antenna panels. The channel state detection results of other antenna panels can also be expressed in various ways in accordance with the above description, which is not limited to embodiments of the present invention. Similarly, the channel state detection results of other antenna panels may also include one of the following components: busy time of the BWU channel detected as free by the other antenna panel; the format of the BWU timeslot detected by the other antenna panel as free during the channel occupation time period; resource allocation of the BWU detected by the other antenna panel as free during the channel occupation time period.

It should be noted that if the channel status indication information is a DMRS sequence of the PDCCH and/or PDCCH, the terminal actually detects the PDCCH all the time, however, the detection cycles of the two phases preceding and following may differ. For example, after receiving the PDCCH to indicate the channel state indication information, the detection cycle is extended and the terminal continues to detect the PDCCH signaling in the antenna panel that generated the channel state indication information.

In general, according to the technical solutions presented within the embodiments of the present invention, a method is provided for performing PDCCH monitoring by a terminal in a scenario of having multiple antenna panels in a base station. After receiving the channel status indication information generated by a certain antenna panel, the terminal monitors the PDCCH signaling transmitted by the antenna panel in a longer cycle, which helps to save power consumption of the terminal.

Figure 4 shows a block diagram of a device for indicating the status of channels in the unlicensed spectrum in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The device performs the function of implementing an example method on the base station side, and this function can be implemented using hardware or corresponding software executed by the hardware. The device may be a base station as described above, or may be installed in a base station. As shown in figure 4, the device 400 may contain the module 410 of the information transfer.

The information transmission unit 410 is configured to transmit channel state indication information via the first antenna panel, wherein the channel state indication information is configured to indicate channel state detection results to the base station antenna panels in at least one frequency band unit (BWU) of the unlicensed spectrum, where k is a positive integer.

In one embodiment, the antenna panels include a first antenna panel.

In one embodiment, if a plurality of antenna panels detect an idle channel(s), the plurality of antenna panels transmit appropriate channel status indication information;

wherein the channel state indication information transmitted by the i-th antenna panel is configured to indicate a channel state detection result of the i-th antenna panel in at least one unlicensed spectrum BWU, where i is a positive integer.

In one embodiment, the k antenna panels include at least one base station antenna panel other than the first antenna panel that detects a free channel(s).

In one embodiment, the first antenna panel is an antenna panel that detects a free channel(s).

In one embodiment, if multiple antenna panels detect a free channel(s), the first antenna panel is the antenna panel with the longest remaining channel occupation time and/or with the most BWUs detected as free.

In one embodiment, the first antenna panel is an antenna panel used during channel acquisition.

In one embodiment, if there are multiple antenna panels in use during channel acquisition, the first antenna panel is the antenna panel with the longest remaining channel occupation time and/or with the most BWUs found free.

In one embodiment, the channel state indication information comprises an idle state indication signal corresponding to each of the k antenna panels;

wherein the idle indication signal corresponding to the i-th antenna panel of the k antenna panels is configured to indicate the BWUs detected by the i-th antenna panel as free, where i is a positive integer less than or equal to k.

In one embodiment, the idle indication signal corresponding to the i-th antenna panel includes:

channel status indicator of each BWU detected by the i-th antenna panel;

wherein the channel status indicator is configured to indicate whether the channel status detection result determines that the channel is idle.

In one embodiment, the idle indication signal corresponding to the i-th antenna panel also includes the busy time of the BWU channel detected as free by the i-th antenna panel; the format of the BWU timeslot detected by the i-th antenna panel as free during the channel occupation time period; and resource allocation of the BWU detected by the i-th antenna panel as free during the channel occupation time.

In one embodiment, the idle indication signal corresponding to the i-th antenna panel includes:

idle indication signal transmitted in each BWU detected as free by the i-th antenna panel;

wherein the idle indication signal transmitted for the j-th BWU detected as free by the i-th antenna panel is configured to indicate that the channel state detection result of the i-th antenna panel in the j-th BWU is "idle" , where] is a positive integer.

In one embodiment, the idle indication signal corresponding to the i-th antenna panel includes:

BWP switching indication information corresponding to the i-th antenna panel, wherein the BWP switching indication information is configured to indicate the target BWP to which switching is performed if the terminal communicates with the ith antenna panel of the base station, and the target BWP contains N BWUs of M BWU detected by the i-th antenna panel as free, where N is less than or equal to M, M and N are positive integers.

In one embodiment, the antenna panels share the same idle indication signal; or idle indication signals corresponding to the antenna panels are not shared.

In conclusion, according to the technical solutions presented in the framework of the present invention, the base station, through the first antenna panel, transmits channel state indication information, which is configured to indicate the results of detection of the channel state of at least one antenna panel of the base station in at least one BWU of the unlicensed spectrum. . Thus, a channel state indication solution is provided in a multi-antenna panel scenario, whereby the terminal can be aware of the channel state detection results of different base station antenna panels in each BWU, which is convenient for realizing reliable transmission between the terminal and the base station.

Figure 5 shows a block diagram of a device for indicating the status of channels in the unlicensed spectrum in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. The device performs the function of implementing the example method on the terminal side described above, and this function can be implemented using hardware or corresponding software executed by the hardware. The device may be a terminal as described above, or may be installed in a terminal. As shown in FIG. 5, the device 500 may include a first detection module 510 and a second detection module 520.

The first detection module 510 is configured to detect, according to the first cycle, channel state indication information transmitted by each base station antenna panel, wherein the channel state indication information is configured to indicate channel state detection results to the base station antenna panels in at least one frequency band block. (BWU) unlicensed spectrum, where k is a positive integer.

The second discovery module 520 is configured to detect in accordance with the second cycle of Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) signaling generated by the first antenna panel after receiving the channel state indication information transmitted by the first base station antenna panel.

In one embodiment, the second cycle is greater than or equal to the first cycle.

In one embodiment, the PDCCH signaling includes uplink and downlink resources of the first antenna panel scheduled by the base station for the terminal and/or channel state detection results of antenna panels other than the first antenna panel of the base station.

In general, according to the technical solutions presented within the embodiments of the present invention, a method is provided for performing PDCCH monitoring by a terminal in a scenario of having multiple antenna panels in a base station. After receiving the channel status indication information generated by a certain antenna panel, the terminal monitors the PDCCH signaling transmitted by the antenna panel in a longer cycle, which helps to save power consumed by the terminal.

It should be noted that, according to the above embodiments, when the device performs its functions, the division into the respective functional modules mentioned above is used as an example for illustration. In actual applications, the above functions can be distributed among other functional modules according to actual requirements. That is, the internal structure of the device is divided into various functional modules that perform all or part of the functions described above.

With regard to the devices illustrated earlier in the embodiments of the present invention, the specific method of performing operations in each module has been described in detail within the scope of the method embodiments and is not further discussed in detail.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a device is also provided for indicating the status of channels in the unlicensed spectrum. The disclosed device can be used in the base station described above and can implement a method for indicating the status of channels in the unlicensed spectrum on the side of the base station presented in the disclosure of the present invention. The device may include a processor and a memory for storing instructions to be executed by the processor. The processor is configured to perform the following operations:

transmitting channel state indication information by the first antenna panel, wherein the channel state indication information is configured to indicate channel state detection results of k base station antenna panels in at least one frequency band unit (BWU) of the unlicensed spectrum, where k is a positive integer.

In one embodiment, the antenna panels include a first antenna panel.

In one embodiment, if a plurality of antenna panels detect an idle channel(s), the plurality of antenna panels transmit appropriate channel status indication information;

wherein the channel state indication information transmitted by the i-th antenna panel is configured to indicate a channel state detection result of the i-th antenna panel in at least one unlicensed spectrum BWU, where i is a positive integer.

In one embodiment, the k antenna panels include at least one base station antenna panel other than the first antenna panel that detects a free channel(s).

In one embodiment, the first antenna panel is an antenna panel that detects a free channel(s).

In one embodiment, if multiple antenna panels detect a free channel(s), the first antenna panel is the antenna panel with the longest remaining channel occupation time and/or with the most BWUs detected as free.

In one embodiment, the first antenna panel is an antenna panel used during channel acquisition.

In one embodiment, if there are multiple antenna panels in use during channel acquisition, the first antenna panel is the antenna panel with the longest remaining channel occupation time and/or with the most BWUs found free.

In one embodiment, the channel state indication information comprises an idle state indication signal corresponding to each of the k antenna panels;

wherein the idle indication signal corresponding to the i-th antenna panel of the k antenna panels is configured to indicate the BWUs detected by the i-th antenna panel as free, where i is a positive integer less than or equal to k.

In one embodiment, the idle indication signal corresponding to the i-th antenna panel includes:

channel status indicator of each BWU detected by the i-th antenna panel;

wherein the channel status indicator is configured to indicate whether the channel status detection result determines that the channel is idle.

In one embodiment, the idle indication signal corresponding to the i-th antenna panel also includes the busy time of the BWU channel detected as free by the i-th antenna panel; the format of the BWU timeslot detected by the i-th antenna panel as free during the channel occupation time period; and resource allocation of the BWU detected by the i-th antenna panel as free during the channel occupation time period.

In one embodiment, the idle indication signal corresponding to the i-th antenna panel includes:

idle indication signal transmitted in each BWU detected as free by the i-th antenna panel;

wherein the idle indication signal transmitted for the j-th BWU detected as free by the i-th antenna panel is configured to indicate that the channel state detection result of the i-th antenna panel in the j-th BWU is "idle" , where] is a positive integer.

In one embodiment, the idle indication signal corresponding to the i-th antenna panel includes

BWP switching indication information corresponding to the i-th antenna panel, wherein the BWP switching indication information is configured to indicate the target BWP to which switching is performed if the terminal communicates with the ith antenna panel of the base station, and the target BWP contains N BWUs of M BWU detected by the i-th antenna panel as free, where N is less than or equal to M, M and N positive integers.

In one embodiment, the antenna panels share the same idle indication signal; or idle indication signals corresponding to the antenna panels are not shared.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a device is also provided for indicating the status of channels in the unlicensed spectrum. The apparatus may be applied to the terminal described above, and may implement the method for indicating the status of channels in the unlicensed spectrum at the terminal side presented in the disclosure of the present invention. The device may include a processor and a memory for storing instructions to be executed by the processor. The processor is configured to perform the following operations:

detecting, in accordance with the first cycle, the channel state indication information transmitted by each base station antenna panel, wherein the channel state indication information is configured to indicate channel state detection results to the base station antenna panels in at least one frequency band unit (BWU) of the unlicensed spectrum, where k is a positive integer;

detecting according to the second signaling cycle of the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) generated by the first antenna panel after the terminal receives the channel state indication information transmitted by the first antenna panel of the base station.

In one embodiment, the second cycle is greater than or equal to the first cycle.

In one embodiment, the PDCCH signaling includes uplink and downlink resources of the first antenna panel scheduled by the base station for the terminal and/or channel state detection results of antenna panels other than the first antenna panel of the base station.

The above description basically presents the solutions implemented by the embodiments of the present invention from the point of view of a base station and a terminal. It should be appreciated that in order to implement the above functions, the base station and the terminal are equipped with hardware structures and/or software modules to perform the respective functions. In conjunction with the blocks and steps of the algorithms of the examples described in the embodiments presented in this specification, the disclosure of the present invention may be implemented using hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. The way a certain function is performed, hardware or software, depends on the specific application and the conditions of the design constraints of the technical solution. A person skilled in the art can use various methods to implement the described functions in each particular application, however, such an implementation should not be considered as beyond the scope of the technical solutions given in the embodiments of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a block diagram of a base station according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Base station 600 includes a transceiver 601 and a processor 602. Processor 602 may also be a controller and is referred to in FIG. 6 as "controller/processor 602". The transceiver 601 is used to support transmission and reception of information between the base station and the terminal according to the above-described embodiments, as well as to support communication between the base station and other network entities. The processor 602 performs various functions for communicating with the terminal. In the uplink, the uplink signal from the terminal is received by the antenna, demodulated by the receiver 601 (eg, the high frequency signal is demodulated to a baseband signal), and further processed by the processor 602 to recover the overhead and signaling information transmitted by the terminal. In the downlink, the overhead and signaling messages are processed by the processor 602 and modulated by the transmitter 601 (eg, the baseband signal is modulated into a high frequency signal) to generate a downlink signal that is transmitted to the terminal via an antenna. It should be noted that the above demodulation or modulation function may also be performed by the processor 602. For example, the processor 602 is also configured to perform various steps at the base station side in the method embodiments described above and/or when performing other technical solution steps described in the embodiments. of the present invention.

In addition, the base station 600 may also include a memory 603 used to store program codes and data of the base station 600. In addition, the base station may also include a communication unit 604. The communication block 604 is used to support communication between the base station and other network entities (eg, network devices in the core network, etc.). For example, in a 6G NR system, communication unit 604 may be an NG-U interface to support communication between a base station and a User Plane Function (UPF); or, the communication unit 604 may be an NG-C interface used to support access to Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) for communication.

It should be appreciated that FIG. 6 shows only a simplified design of base station 600. In practice, base station 600 may include any number of transmitters, receivers, processors, controllers, memories, communication units, etc., and all base stations, which may implement the embodiments of the present invention are within the protection scope of the embodiments of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a block diagram of a terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Terminal 700 includes a transmitter 701, a receiver 702, and a processor 703. The processor 703 may also be a controller, referred to in FIG. 7 as "controller/processor 703". In one embodiment, terminal 700 may also include a modem processor 705, which may include an encoder 706, a modulator 707, a decoder 708, and a demodulator 709.

In one example, transmitter 701 tunes (eg, performs analog conversion, filtering, amplification, upconversion, etc.) output sequences and generates an uplink signal that is transmitted via an antenna to a base station. In the downlink, the antenna receives the downlink signal transmitted by the base station. The receiver 702 performs tuning (eg, filtering, amplifying, downconverting, digitizing, etc.) of the signal received from the antenna and generating input sequences. At the modem processor 705, an encoder 706 receives the overhead and signaling messages to be transmitted on the uplink and processes the overhead and signaling messages (eg, by formatting, encoding, and interleaving). Modulator 707 further processes (eg, symbol mapping and modulation) the encoded overhead and signaling messages, and generates output sequences. A demodulator 709 processes (eg, demodulates) the input sequences and provides symbol estimates. Decoder 708 processes (eg, deinterleaves and decodes) the symbol estimates and provides decoded data and signaling messages transmitted to terminal 700. Encoder 706, modulator 707, demodulator 709, and decoder 708 may be implemented by modem composite processor 705. These blocks perform processing in accordance with the radio access technology used by the radio access network (eg, 5G NR and other advanced system access technologies). It should be noted that if the terminal 700 does not include a modem processor 705, the above functions of the modem processor 705 may also be performed by the processor 703.

The processor 703 controls and controls the operations of the terminal 700 and is used to execute the processing procedure performed by the terminal 700 according to the embodiments of the present invention described above. For example, the processor 703 is also configured to perform each terminal-side step described in the method embodiments above and/or other steps of the technical solution described in the embodiments of the present invention.

In addition, the terminal 700 may also include a memory 704, and the memory 704 is configured to store program codes and data of the terminal 700.

It should be appreciated that FIG. 7 shows a simplified design of terminal 700. In practice, terminal 700 may include any number of transmitters, receivers, processors, modem processors, memories, etc., and all terminals that can implement embodiments of the present of the invention are within the protection scope of the embodiments of the present invention.

Embodiments of the present invention also provide a computer-readable storage medium on which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by the base station processor, a method for indicating the state of channels in the unlicensed spectrum is implemented on the side of the base station.

Embodiments of the present invention also provide a computer-readable storage medium on which a computer program is stored. When a computer program is executed by the terminal processor, a method for indicating the state of channels in the unlicensed spectrum is implemented on the terminal side.

It should be appreciated that the term "set" as used in this specification refers to two or more entities. The conjunction "and/or" describes a relationship of related entities indicating that three types of relationships can exist. For example, "A and/or B" could mean that only A exists, A and B exist at the same time, and only B exists. The character "/" usually indicates that the preceding and following related entities are in an "or" relationship.

After reading this description and putting it into practice for a person skilled in the art, other examples of implementation of the present invention should be obvious. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptive variations of the implementation of the present invention. These variations, uses, or adaptive changes follow the basic principles of the present application and include known knowledge or conventional techniques in this field of technology, not disclosed in this application. The description and examples are to be considered as exemplary embodiments only, and the scope and spirit of the present application is indicated in the appended claims.

It should be appreciated that the disclosure of the present invention is not limited exactly to the structure described above and illustrated in the drawings, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the protection scope of the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims (39)

1. A method for indicating the status of channels in the unlicensed spectrum, including: the base station transmitting channel state indication information via the first antenna panel, wherein the channel state indication information is configured to indicate channel state detection results of k base station antenna panels in at least one Bandwidth Unit of the unlicensed spectrum, where k is positive integer. 2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the k antenna panels include the first antenna panel. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein if the plurality of antenna panels detect a free channel(s), the plurality of antenna panels transmit corresponding channel state indication information; wherein the channel state indication information transmitted by the i-th antenna panel is configured to indicate a channel state detection result of the i-th antenna panel in at least one unlicensed spectrum BWU, where i is a positive integer. 4. Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the k antenna panels include at least one base station antenna panel in addition to the first antenna panel that detects free channel(s). 5. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the first antenna panel is an antenna panel that detects free channel(s). 6. The method of claim 5, wherein if a plurality of antenna panels detect a free channel(s), the first antenna panel is the antenna panel with the longest remaining channel occupation time and/or with the most BWUs detected. as free. 7. The method according to claim. 1, characterized in that the first antenna panel is an antenna panel during the channel occupation time period. 8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that if there are multiple antenna panels used during the channel occupation time period, the first antenna panel is the antenna panel with the longest remaining channel occupation time and/or with the largest number of BWUs detected in as free. 9. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the channel status indication information contains an idle indication signal corresponding to each of the k antenna panels; wherein the idle indication signal corresponding to the i-th antenna panel of the k antenna panels is configured to indicate the BWUs detected as free by the i-th antenna panel, where i is a positive integer less than or equal to k. 10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that the idle indication signal corresponding to the i-th antenna panel includes: a channel status indicator of each BWU detected by the i-th antenna panel; wherein the channel status indicator is configured to indicate whether the channel status detection result determines that the channel is idle. 11. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that the idle indication signal corresponding to the i-th antenna panel also includes at least one of the following: busy time of the BWU channel detected as free by the i-th antenna panel; time slot format of the BWU detected by the i-th antenna panel as free during the channel occupation time period; and allocating resources of the BWU detected by the i-th antenna panel as free during the channel occupation time period. 12. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that the idle indication signal corresponding to the i-th antenna panel includes: an idle indication signal transmitted in each BWU detected as idle by the i-th antenna panel; wherein the idle indication signal transmitted for the j-th BWU detected as free by the i-th antenna panel is configured to indicate that the channel state detection result of the i-th antenna panel in the j-th BWU is "free". state", where j is a positive integer. 13. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that the idle indication signal corresponding to the i-th antenna panel includes: Bandwidth Part (BWP) switching indication information corresponding to the i-th antenna panel, wherein the BWP area switching indication information is configured to indicate the target BWP area to which switching is performed if the terminal communicates with the i-th antenna panel of the base station, and the target BWP area contains N BWUs of the M BWUs detected as free by the i-th antenna panel, where N is less than or equal to M, M and N are positive integers. 14. The method according to p. 9, characterized in that k antenna panels share the same idle indication signal; or the idle indication signals corresponding to the k antenna panels are not shared. 15. A method for indicating the status of channels in the unlicensed spectrum, including: detection, by the terminal in accordance with the first cycle, of channel state indication information transmitted by each base station antenna panel, wherein the channel state indication information is configured to indicate channel state detection results of k base station antenna panels in at least one frequency band unit (BWU) unlicensed spectrum, where k is a positive integer; after the terminal receives the channel state indication information transmitted by the first base station antenna panel, detecting, by the terminal in accordance with the second cycle, Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) signaling generated by the first antenna panel. 16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that the second cycle is greater than or equal to the first cycle. 17. The method of claim 15, wherein the PDCCH signaling comprises uplink and downlink resources of the first antenna panel scheduled by the base station for the terminal and/or channel state detection results of antenna panels other than the first antenna panel of the base station. 18. Base station for indicating the status of channels in the unlicensed spectrum, containing: processor and a memory storing instructions executable by the processor, wherein the processor is configured to perform the following operations: transmitting channel state indication information by the first antenna panel, wherein the channel state indication information is configured to indicate channel state detection results of k base station antenna panels at least in one frequency band unit (BWU) of the unlicensed spectrum, where k is a positive integer. 19. Terminal for indicating the status of channels in the unlicensed spectrum, containing: processor and memory that stores instructions to be executed by the processor while the processor is configured to perform the following operations: detecting, according to the first cycle, channel state indication information transmitted by each base station antenna panel, wherein the channel state indication information is configured to indicate channel state detection results of k base station antenna panels in at least one frequency band unit (BWU) of the unlicensed spectrum, where k is a positive integer; detecting in accordance with the second signaling cycle of the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) generated by the first antenna panel, after receiving the channel state indication information transmitted by the first antenna panel of the base station.

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