WO2021212256A1

WO2021212256A1 - Quality of service (qos) -based channel occupancy time (cot) sharing

Info

Publication number: WO2021212256A1
Application number: PCT/CN2020/085524
Authority: WO
Inventors: Xiaoxia Zhang; Yisheng Xue; Changlong Xu; Jing Sun; Ozcan Ozturk; Chih-Hao Liu
Original assignee: Qualcomm Incorporated
Priority date: 2020-04-20
Filing date: 2020-04-20
Publication date: 2021-10-28

Abstract

This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for quality of service (QoS) -based channel occupancy time (COT) sharing. In one aspect, a first device, such as a user equipment (UE), may determine a quality of service (QoS) characteristic of a communications link with a second device. The first device may receive a channel occupancy time (COT) sharing configuration including a set of COT sharing parameters for sharing a COT of the communications link with the second device based on the QoS characteristic of the communications link. The first device may determine conditions for sharing the COT based on the COT sharing configuration and the QoS characteristic of the communications link.

Description

QUALITY OF SERVICE (QOS) -BASED CHANNEL OCCUPANCY TIME (COT) SHARING

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to wireless communications and more specifically to quality of service (QoS) -based channel occupancy time (COT) sharing.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED TECHNOLOGY

Wireless communications 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 capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing the available system resources (such as time, frequency, and power) . Examples of such multiple-access systems include fourth generation (4G) systems such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) systems, or LTE-A Pro systems, and fifth generation (5G) systems which may be referred to as New Radio (NR) systems. These systems may employ technologies such as code division multiple access (CDMA) , time division multiple access (TDMA) , frequency division multiple access (FDMA) , orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) , or discrete Fourier transform spread orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DFT-S-OFDM) . A wireless multiple-access communications system may include one or more base stations or one or more network access nodes, each simultaneously supporting communication for multiple communication devices, which may be otherwise known as user equipment (UE) .

A UE may communicate with other UEs on a sidelink in a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) wireless communications system. Some techniques for allocating resources on a sidelink in V2X system without introducing significant network congestion can be improved.

SUMMARY

The systems, methods and devices of this disclosure each have several innovative aspects, no single one of which is solely responsible for the desirable attributes disclosed herein.

One innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure may be implemented in an apparatus for wireless communications at a first device. The apparatus may include a first interface, a second interface, and a processor system. The processor system may be configured to determine a quality of service (QoS) characteristic of a communications link with a second device. The first interface may be configured to obtain a channel occupancy time (COT) sharing configuration including a set of COT sharing parameters for sharing a COT of the communications link with the second device based on the QoS characteristic and the communications link. The processor may be configured to determine conditions for sharing the COT based on the COT sharing configuration and the QoS characteristic of the communications link.

Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure may be implemented in a method of wireless communications at a first device. The method may include determining a QoS characteristic of a communications link with a second device, receiving a COT sharing configuration including a set of COT sharing parameters for sharing a COT of the communications link with the second device based on the QoS characteristic of the communications link, and determining conditions for sharing the COT based on the COT sharing configuration and the QoS characteristic of the communications link.

Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure may be implemented in an apparatus for wireless communications at a first device. The apparatus may include means for determining a QoS characteristic of a communications link with a second device, means for receiving a COT sharing configuration including a set of COT sharing parameters for sharing a COT of the communications link with the second device based on the QoS characteristic of the communications link, and means for determining conditions for sharing the COT based on the COT sharing configuration and the QoS characteristic of the communications link.

Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure may be implemented in a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communications at a first device. The code may include instructions executable by a processor to determine a QoS characteristic of a communications link with a second device, receive a COT sharing configuration including a set of COT sharing parameters for sharing a COT of the communications link with the second device based on the QoS characteristic of the communications link, and determine conditions for sharing the COT based on the COT sharing configuration and the QoS characteristic of the communications link.

In some implementation of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, determining the QoS characteristic can include operations, configurations, features, means, or instructions for measuring a channel busy ratio of the communications link, a channel occupancy of the communications link, a speed of the second device, or any combination thereof.

In some implementation of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the channel busy ratio of the communications link can be measured based on a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) measurement of the communications link.

In some implementation, the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, configurations features, means, or instructions for receiving, from a base station, an indication of an RSSI measurement timing configuration (RMTC) window for the RSSI measurement and measuring the channel occupancy.

In some implementation of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, receiving the COT sharing configuration can include operations, configurations, features, means, or instructions for receiving the COT sharing configuration from a base station.

In some implementation of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the COT sharing configuration may be received via semi-static signaling.

In some implementation, the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, configurations, features, means, or instructions for reporting the QoS characteristic to the base station, where the COT sharing configuration may be received from the base station based on the reporting.

In some implementation of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, receiving the occupancy time sharing configuration may include operations, configurations, features, means, or instructions for receiving a grant for the COT, where the grant includes the COT sharing configuration.

In some implementations, the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein can include operations, configurations, features, means, or instructions for determining the set of COT sharing parameters based on the QoS characteristic of the communications link.

In some implementation of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, determining the conditions for sharing the COT can include operations, configurations, features, means, or instructions for determining a transmission type that can be shared within the COT, a shared duration of the COT, an energy detection (ED) threshold to share the COT, an allowed transmit power for sharing the COT, a maximum transmit layer for sharing the COT, a maximum modulation and coding scheme (MCS) for sharing the COT, a type of listen-before-talk procedure performed supported in the COT, a type of device that can share the COT, or a combination thereof.

Some implementation of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein can include operations, configurations, features, means, or instructions for receiving, from the second device, an indication of one or more COT sharing parameters based on transmitting the indication of the conditions.

In some implementations, the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein can include operations, configurations, features, means, or instructions for sharing the COT with the second device, where a configuration of the second device may be based on indicating the conditions for sharing the COT.

In some implementations, the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, configurations, features, means, or instructions for sharing the COT with a set of devices, the set of devices including at least the second device.

In some implementation of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the COT sharing configuration may be designed for a relay operation.

In some implementation of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the communications link can include a PC5 interface link, a sidelink, or a combination thereof.

In some implementation of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the first device and the second device can include a UE, an access point, a base station, or a combination thereof.

Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure may be implemented in an apparatus for wireless communications at a second device. The apparatus may include a first interface, a second interface, and a processor system. The processor system may be configured to determine a QoS characteristic of a communications link with a first device. The first interface may be configured to obtain a COT sharing configuration including a set of COT sharing parameters for sharing a COT of the communications link with the first device based on the QoS characteristic and the communications link. The first interface may be configured to obtain an indication of conditions for sharing the COT based on the COT sharing configuration and the QoS characteristic.

Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure may be implemented in a method of wireless communications at a second device. The method may include determining a QoS characteristic of a communications link with a first device, receiving a COT sharing configuration including a set of COT sharing parameters for sharing a COT of the communications link with the first device based on the QoS characteristic of the communications link, and receiving an indication of conditions for sharing the COT based on the COT sharing configuration and the QoS characteristic.

Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure may be implemented in an apparatus for wireless communications at a second device. The apparatus may include means for determining a QoS characteristic of a communications link with a first device, means for receiving a COT sharing configuration including a set of COT sharing parameters for sharing a COT of the communications link with the first device based on the QoS characteristic of the communications link, and means for receiving an indication of conditions for sharing the COT based on the COT sharing configuration and the QoS characteristic.

Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure may be implemented in a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communications at a second device. The code may include instructions executable by a processor to determine a QoS characteristic of a communications link with a first device, receive a COT sharing configuration including a set of COT sharing parameters for sharing a COT of the communications link with the first device based on the QoS characteristic of the communications link, and receive an indication of conditions for sharing the COT based on the COT sharing configuration and the QoS characteristic.

In some implementations, the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein can include operations, configurations, features, means, or instructions for reporting a channel busy ratio of the communications link, a channel occupancy of the communications link, a speed of the second device, or any combination thereof.

In some implementations, the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein can include operations, configurations, features, means, or instructions for determining, based on the indication of the conditions, one or more COT sharing parameters to enable to use the COT after the first device may be finished using the COT.

In some implementations of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the one or more COT sharing parameters include a transmission type, a shared duration, a starting time for the shared duration, an ED threshold, an allowed transmit power, a maximum transmit layer, a maximum MCS, a supported type of listen-before-talk procedure in the COT, a type of device that can share the COT, or a combination thereof, to share the COT with the first device.

In some implementations, the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein can include operations, configurations, features, means, or instructions for indicating, to the first device, the one or more COT sharing parameters.

In some implementations of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, receiving the COT sharing configuration can include operations, configurations, features, means, or instructions for receiving the COT sharing configuration from a base station.

In some implementations of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the COT sharing configuration can be received via semi-static signaling.

In some implementations of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, receiving the COT sharing configuration can include operations, configurations, features, means, or instructions for receiving the COT sharing configuration from the first device.

In some implementations of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the COT sharing configuration can be designed for a relay operation.

In some implementations of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the communications link can include a PC5 interface link, a sidelink, or a combination thereof.

In some implementations of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the first device and the second device can include a UE, an access point, a base station, or a combination thereof.

Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure may be implemented in an apparatus for wireless communications at a base station. The apparatus may include a first interface, a second interface, and a processor system. The processor system may be configured to determine a COT sharing configuration including a set of COT sharing parameters for sharing a COT of a communications link between a first device and a second device based on a QoS characteristic of the communications link. The first interface may be configured to transmit an indication of the COT sharing configuration.

Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure may be implemented in a method of wireless communications at a base station. The method may include determining a COT sharing configuration including a set of COT sharing parameters for sharing a COT of a communications link between a first device and a second device based on a QoS characteristic of the communications link and transmitting an indication of the COT sharing configuration.

Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure may be implemented in an apparatus for wireless communications at a base station. The apparatus may include means for determining a COT sharing configuration including a set of COT sharing parameters for sharing a COT of a communications link between a first device and a second device based on a QoS characteristic of the communications link and means for transmitting an indication of the COT sharing configuration.

Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure may be implemented in a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communications at a base station. The code may include instructions executable by a processor to determine a COT sharing configuration including a set of COT sharing parameters for sharing a COT of a communications link between a first device and a second device based on a QoS characteristic of the communications link and transmit an indication of the COT sharing configuration.

In some implementations, the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein can include operations, configurations, features, means, or instructions for transmitting, to the first device, the second device, or both, the COT sharing configuration via semi-static signaling.

In some implementations of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the one or more COT sharing parameters can include a transmission type, a shared duration, a starting time for the shared duration, an ED threshold, an allowed transmit power, a maximum transmit layer, a maximum MCS, a supported type of listen-before-talk procedure in the COT, a type of device that can share the COT, or a combination thereof, to share the COT with the first device.

Details of one or more implementations of the subject matter described in this disclosure are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, aspects, and advantages will become apparent from the description, the drawings and the claims. Note that the relative dimensions of the following figures may not be drawn to scale.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 shows an example of a system for wireless communications that supports quality of service (QoS) -based channel occupancy time (COT) sharing.

Figure 2 shows an example of a wireless communications system.

Figure 3 shows an example of a COT sharing scheme.

Figure 4 illustrates an example of a process flow diagram.

Figures 5 and 6 show block diagrams of example devices.

Figure 7 shows a block diagram of an example communications manager.

Figure 8 shows a diagram of an example system including a user equipment (UE) .

Figure 9 shows a diagram of an example system including a base station (BS) .

Figures 10–15 show flowcharts of example methods for operating the devices.

Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description is directed to certain implementations for the purposes of describing the innovative aspects of this disclosure. However, a person having ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that the teachings herein can be applied in a multitude of different ways. The described implementations may be implemented in any device, system or network that is capable of transmitting and receiving RF signals according to any of the IEEE 16.11 standards, or any of the IEEE 802.11 standards, the

standard, code division multiple access (CDMA) , frequency division multiple access (FDMA) , time division multiple access (TDMA) , Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) , GSM/General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) , Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE) , Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA) , Wideband-CDMA (W-CDMA) , Evolution Data Optimized (EV-DO) , 1xEV-DO, EV-DO Rev A, EV-DO Rev B, High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) , High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) , High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA) , Evolved High Speed Packet Access (HSPA+) , Long Term Evolution (LTE) , AMPS, or other known signals that are used to communicate within a wireless, cellular or internet of things (IOT) network, such as a system utilizing 3G, 4G or 5G, or further implementations thereof, technology.

Some wireless communications systems may support device-to-device (D2D) communications, such as vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications, etc. Some of these wireless communications systems may use a sidelink for the D2D and V2X communications. For example, some wireless communications systems may use a sidelink to send public safety messages, such as sending a warning if two vehicles are predicted to collide in a V2X system. In some implementations, a sidelink may enable relay operation to send signaling along one or more wireless nodes to a recipient. For example, sidelink communications via a PC5 interface may be used to convey data and control signaling between user equipments (UEs) . Some wireless communications systems may support communications using unlicensed radio frequency spectrum bands. Using unlicensed radio frequency spectrum bands may enable sidelink communications between two devices without incurring the usage of licensed spectrum. In unlicensed systems, a wireless node may perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) , such as a listen-before-talk (LBT) and be granted a channel occupancy time (COT) to transmit if the CCA is successful.

In some implementations, a wireless communications system may support sharing a COT, such that multiple nodes may transmit during a single COT. For example, a wireless communications system may support UE-to-UE COT sharing, which may provide enhanced medium access for sidelink communications. However, in some implementations, the wireless communications system may already have a high channel occupancy and be congested. In some implementations, COT sharing techniques, such as the UE-to-UE COT sharing, may result in additional transmissions, further increasing medium congestion.

To support multiple device-to-device COT sharing techniques without greatly increasing network congestion, a wireless communications system may support the techniques described herein for quality of service (QoS) -based COT sharing. The QoS-based COT sharing may be implemented for multiple different types of COT sharing, such as UE-to-UE COT sharing, base station-and-UE COT sharing, UE-to-base station COT sharing, base station-to-base station COT sharing, as well as relay node operation. By considering a QoS characteristic of the communications link used for the shared COT, the devices sharing the COT may modify transmission parameters to mitigate added congestion for the wireless communications system. The QoS characteristic may be based on a channel busy ratio (CBR) of the communications link, channel occupancy, device speed (such as of the devices sharing the COT) , or a combination thereof.

In some implementations, a first device may obtain the COT and determine a QoS characteristic for a wireless link. The first device may determine parameters for a COT sharing configuration based on the QoS characteristic. For example, based on the CBR, channel occupancy, UE speed measurements, or a combination thereof, the first device may determine how long another device can share the COT, a type of traffic that can be communicated by another device sharing the COT, an applicable energy detection (ED) threshold for another device to share the COT, the allowed transmit power for another device to transmit in the COT, the maximum transmit layer for another device to transmit in the COT, the maximum MCS for another device to transmit in the COT, or a combination thereof. The first device may select one or more of these parameters as sharing conditions for a second device to share the COT. The first device may indicate a condition for sharing the COT to the second device, and the second device may determine whether to share the COT based on the condition. In some implementations, the second device may determine other parameters to apply in order to share the COT with the first device once the first device finishes transmitting.

Particular implementations of the subject matter described in this disclosure may be implemented to realize one or more of the following potential advantages. Providing additional techniques for COT sharing may increase utilization of a wireless communications spectrum. However, in some implementations, increasing a number of transmissions that occur in a wireless communications system may increase the network congestion. By considering a QoS characteristic when determining whether to share a COT, devices in the wireless communications network may apply transmission parameters which may ameliorate any additional network congestion introduced by sharing the COT.

Aspects of the disclosure are initially described in the context of wireless communications systems. Aspects of the disclosure are further illustrated by and described with reference to apparatus diagrams, system diagrams, and flowcharts that relate to QoS-based COT sharing.

Figure 1 illustrates an example of a wireless communications system 100 that supports QoS-based COT sharing. The wireless communications system 100 may include one or more base stations 105, one or more UEs 115, and a core network 130. In some examples, the wireless communications system 100 may be a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, an LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) network, an LTE-A Pro network, or a New Radio (NR) network. In some examples, the wireless communications system 100 may support enhanced broadband communications, ultra-reliable (such as mission critical) communications, low latency communications, communications with low-cost and low-complexity devices, or any combination thereof.

The base stations 105 may be dispersed throughout a geographic area to form the wireless communications system 100 and may be devices in different forms or having different capabilities. The base stations 105 and the UEs 115 may wirelessly communicate via one or more communication links 125. Each base station 105 may provide a coverage area 110 over which the UEs 115 and the base station 105 may establish one or more communication links 125. The coverage area 110 may be an example of a geographic area over which a base station 105 and a UE 115 may support the communication of signals according to one or more radio access technologies.

The UEs 115 may be dispersed throughout a coverage area 110 of the wireless communications system 100, and each UE 115 may be stationary, or mobile, or both at different times. The UEs 115 may be devices in different forms or having different capabilities. Some example UEs 115 are illustrated in Figure 1. The UEs 115 described herein may be able to communicate with various types of devices, such as other UEs 115, the base stations 105, or network equipment (such as core network nodes, relay devices, integrated access and backhaul (IAB) nodes, or other network equipment) , as shown in Figure 1.

The base stations 105 may communicate with the core network 130, or with one another, or both. For example, the base stations 105 may interface with the core network 130 through one or more backhaul links 120 (such as via an S1, N2, N3, or another interface) . The base stations 105 may communicate with one another over the backhaul links 120 (such as via an X2, Xn, or other interface) either directly (such as directly between base stations 105) , or indirectly (such as via core network 130) , or both. In some examples, the backhaul links 120 may be or include one or more wireless links.

One or more of the base stations 105 described herein may include or may be referred to by a person having ordinary skill in the art as a base transceiver station, a radio base station, an access point, a radio transceiver, a NodeB, an eNodeB (eNB) , a next-generation NodeB or a giga-NodeB (either of which may be referred to as a gNB) , a Home NodeB, a Home eNodeB, or other suitable terminology.

A UE 115 may include or may be referred to as a mobile device, a wireless device, a remote device, a handheld device, or a subscriber device, or some other suitable terminology, where the “device” also may be referred to as a unit, a station, a terminal, or a client, among other examples. A UE 115 also may include or may be referred to as a personal electronic device such as a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA) , a tablet computer, a laptop computer, or a personal computer. In some examples, a UE 115 may include or be referred to as a wireless local loop (WLL) station, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, an Internet of Everything (IoE) device, or a machine type communications (MTC) device, among other examples, which may be implemented in various objects such as appliances, or vehicles, meters, among other examples.

The UEs 115 described herein may be able to communicate with various types of devices, such as other UEs 115 that may sometimes act as relays as well as the base stations 105 and the network equipment including macro eNBs or gNBs, small cell eNBs or gNBs, or relay base stations, among other examples, as shown in Figure 1.

The UEs 115 and the base stations 105 may wirelessly communicate with one another via one or more communication links 125 over one or more carriers. The term “carrier” may refer to a set of radio frequency spectrum resources having a defined physical layer structure for supporting the communication links 125. For example, a carrier used for a communication link 125 may include a portion of a radio frequency spectrum band (such as a bandwidth part (BWP) ) that is operated according to one or more physical layer channels for a given radio access technology (such as LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR) . Each physical layer channel may carry acquisition signaling (such as synchronization signals, system information) , control signaling that coordinates operation for the carrier, user data, or other signaling. The wireless communications system 100 may support communication with a UE 115 using carrier aggregation or multi-carrier operation. A UE 115 may be configured with multiple downlink component carriers and one or more uplink component carriers according to a carrier aggregation configuration. Carrier aggregation may be used with both frequency division duplexing (FDD) and time division duplexing (TDD) component carriers.

In some examples (such as in a carrier aggregation configuration) , a carrier also may have acquisition signaling or control signaling that coordinates operations for other carriers. A carrier may be associated with a frequency channel (such as an evolved universal mobile telecommunication system terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) absolute radio frequency channel number (EARFCN) ) and may be positioned according to a channel raster for discovery by the UEs 115. A carrier may be operated in a standalone mode where initial acquisition and connection may be conducted by the UEs 115 via the carrier, or the carrier may be operated in a non-standalone mode where a connection is anchored using a different carrier (such as of the same or a different radio access technology) .

The communication links 125 shown in the wireless communications system 100 may include uplink transmissions from a UE 115 to a base station 105, or downlink transmissions from a base station 105 to a UE 115. Carriers may carry downlink or uplink communications (such as in an FDD mode) or may be configured to carry downlink and uplink communications (such as in a TDD mode) .

A carrier may be associated with a particular bandwidth of the radio frequency spectrum, and in some examples the carrier bandwidth may be referred to as a “system bandwidth” of the carrier or the wireless communications system 100. For example, the carrier bandwidth may be one of a number of determined bandwidths for carriers of a particular radio access technology (such as 1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 40, or 80 megahertz (MHz) ) . Devices of the wireless communications system 100 (such as the base stations 105, the UEs 115, or both) may have hardware configurations that support communications over a particular carrier bandwidth or may be configurable to support communications over one of a set of carrier bandwidths. In some examples, the wireless communications system 100 may include base stations 105 or UEs 115 that support simultaneous communications via carriers associated with multiple carrier bandwidths. In some examples, each served UE 115 may be configured for operating over portions (such as a sub-band, a BWP) or all of a carrier bandwidth.

Signal waveforms transmitted over a carrier may be made up of multiple subcarriers (such as using multi-carrier modulation (MCM) techniques such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) or discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-S-OFDM) ) . In a system employing MCM techniques, a resource element may consist of one symbol period (such as a duration of one modulation symbol) and one subcarrier, where the symbol period and subcarrier spacing are inversely related. The number of bits carried by each resource element may depend on the modulation scheme (such as the order of the modulation scheme, the coding rate of the modulation scheme, or both) . Thus, the more resource elements that a UE 115 receives and the higher the order of the modulation scheme, the higher the data rate may be for the UE 115. A wireless communications resource may refer to a combination of a radio frequency spectrum resource, a time resource, and a spatial resource (such as spatial layers or beams) , and the use of multiple spatial layers may further increase the data rate or data integrity for communications with a UE 115.

One or more numerologies for a carrier may be supported, where a numerology may include a subcarrier spacing (Δf) and a cyclic prefix. A carrier may be divided into one or more BWPs having the same or different numerologies. In some examples, a UE 115 may be configured with multiple BWPs. In some examples, a single BWP for a carrier may be active at a given time and communications for the UE 115 may be restricted to one or more active BWPs.

The time intervals for the base stations 105 or the UEs 115 may be expressed in multiples of a basic time unit which may, for example, refer to a sampling period of T _s=1/ (Δf _max·N _f) seconds, where Δf _max may represent the maximum supported subcarrier spacing, and N _f may represent the maximum supported discrete Fourier transform (DFT) size. Time intervals of a communications resource may be organized according to radio frames each having a specified duration (such as 10 milliseconds (ms) ) . Each radio frame may be identified by a system frame number (SFN) (such as ranging from 0 to 1023) .

Each frame may include multiple consecutively numbered subframes or slots, and each subframe or slot may have the same duration. In some examples, a frame may be divided (such as in the time domain) into subframes, and each subframe may be further divided into a number of slots. Alternatively, each frame may include a variable number of slots, and the number of slots may depend on subcarrier spacing. Each slot may include a number of symbol periods (such as depending on the length of the cyclic prefix prepended to each symbol period) . In some wireless communications systems 100, a slot may further be divided into multiple mini-slots containing one or more symbols. Excluding the cyclic prefix, each symbol period may contain one or more (such as N _f) sampling periods. The duration of a symbol period may depend on the subcarrier spacing or frequency band of operation.

A subframe, a slot, a mini-slot, or a symbol may be the smallest scheduling unit (such as in the time domain) of the wireless communications system 100 and may be referred to as a transmission time interval (TTI) . In some examples, the TTI duration (such as the number of symbol periods in a TTI) may be variable. Additionally, or alternatively, the smallest scheduling unit of the wireless communications system 100 may be dynamically selected (such as in bursts of shortened TTIs (sTTIs) ) .

Physical channels may be multiplexed on a carrier according to various techniques. A physical control channel and a physical data channel may be multiplexed on a downlink carrier, for example, using one or more of time division multiplexing (TDM) techniques, frequency division multiplexing (FDM) techniques, or hybrid TDM-FDM techniques. A control region (such as a control resource set (CORESET) ) for a physical control channel may be defined by a number of symbol periods and may extend across the system bandwidth or a subset of the system bandwidth of the carrier. One or more control regions (such as CORESETs) may be configured for a set of the UEs 115. For example, one or more of the UEs 115 may monitor or search control regions for control information according to one or more search space sets, and each search space set may include one or multiple control channel candidates in one or more aggregation levels arranged in a cascaded manner. An aggregation level for a control channel candidate may refer to a number of control channel resources (such as control channel elements (CCEs) ) associated with encoded information for a control information format having a given payload size. Search space sets may include common search space sets configured for sending control information to multiple UEs 115 and UE-specific search space sets for sending control information to a specific UE 115.

Each base station 105 may provide communication coverage via one or more cells, for example a macro cell, a small cell, a hot spot, or other types of cells, or any combination thereof. The term “cell” may refer to a logical communication entity used for communication with a base station 105 (such as over a carrier) and may be associated with an identifier for distinguishing neighboring cells (such as a physical cell identifier (PCID) , a virtual cell identifier (VCID) , or others) . In some examples, a cell also may refer to a geographic coverage area 110 or a portion of a geographic coverage area 110 (such as a sector) over which the logical communication entity operates. Such cells may range from smaller areas (such as a structure, a subset of structure) to larger areas depending on various factors such as the capabilities of the base station 105. For example, a cell may be or include a building, a subset of a building, or exterior spaces between or overlapping with geographic coverage areas 110, among other examples.

A macro cell generally covers a relatively large geographic area (such as several kilometers in radius) and may allow unrestricted access by the UEs 115 with service subscriptions with the network provider supporting the macro cell. A small cell may be associated with a lower-powered base station 105, as compared with a macro cell, and a small cell may operate in the same or different (such as licensed, unlicensed) frequency bands as macro cells. Small cells may provide unrestricted access to the UEs 115 with service subscriptions with the network provider or may provide restricted access to the UEs 115 having an association with the small cell (such as the UEs 115 in a closed subscriber group (CSG) , the UEs 115 associated with users in a home or office) . A base station 105 may support one or multiple cells and also may support communications over the one or more cells using one or multiple component carriers.

In some examples, a carrier may support multiple cells, and different cells may be configured according to different protocol types (such as MTC, narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) , enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) ) that may provide access for different types of devices.

In some examples, a base station 105 may be movable and therefore provide communication coverage for a moving geographic coverage area 110. In some examples, different geographic coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies may overlap, but the different geographic coverage areas 110 may be supported by the same base station 105. In some other examples, the overlapping geographic coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies may be supported by different base stations 105. The wireless communications system 100 may include, for example, a heterogeneous network in which different types of the base stations 105 provide coverage for various geographic coverage areas 110 using the same or different radio access technologies.

The wireless communications system 100 may support synchronous or asynchronous operation. For synchronous operation, the base stations 105 may have similar frame timings, and transmissions from different base stations 105 may be approximately aligned in time. For asynchronous operation, the base stations 105 may have different frame timings, and transmissions from different base stations 105 may, in some examples, not be aligned in time. The techniques described herein may be used for either synchronous or asynchronous operations.

Some UEs 115, such as MTC or IoT devices, may be low cost or low complexity devices and may provide for automated communication between machines (such as via Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication) . M2M communication or MTC may refer to data communication technologies that allow devices to communicate with one another or a base station 105 without human intervention. In some examples, M2M communication or MTC may include communications from devices that integrate sensors or meters to measure or capture information and relay such information to a central server or application program that makes use of the information or presents the information to humans interacting with the application program. Some UEs 115 may be designed to collect information or enable automated behavior of machines or other devices. Examples of applications for MTC devices include smart metering, inventory monitoring, water level monitoring, equipment monitoring, healthcare monitoring, wildlife monitoring, weather and geological event monitoring, fleet management and tracking, remote security sensing, physical access control, and transaction-based business charging.

Some UEs 115 may be configured to employ operating modes that reduce power consumption, such as half-duplex communications (such as a mode that supports one-way communication via transmission or reception, but not transmission and reception simultaneously) . In some examples, half-duplex communications may be performed at a reduced peak rate. Other power conservation techniques for the UEs 115 include entering a power saving deep sleep mode when not engaging in active communications, operating over a limited bandwidth (such as according to narrowband communications) , or a combination of these techniques. For example, some UEs 115 may be configured for operation using a narrowband protocol type that is associated with a defined portion or range (such as set of subcarriers or resource blocks (RBs) ) within a carrier, within a guard-band of a carrier, or outside of a carrier.

The wireless communications system 100 may be configured to support ultra-reliable communications or low-latency communications, or various combinations thereof. For example, the wireless communications system 100 may be configured to support ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC) or mission critical communications. The UEs 115 may be designed to support ultra-reliable, low-latency, or critical functions (such as mission critical functions) . Ultra-reliable communications may include private communication or group communication and may be supported by one or more mission critical services such as mission critical push-to-talk (MCPTT) , mission critical video (MCVideo) , or mission critical data (MCData) . Support for mission critical functions may include prioritization of services, and mission critical services may be used for public safety or general commercial applications. The terms ultra-reliable, low-latency, mission critical, and ultra-reliable low-latency may be used interchangeably herein.

In some examples, a UE 115 also may be able to communicate directly with other UEs 115 over a device-to-device (D2D) communication link 135 (such as using a peer-to-peer (P2P) or D2D protocol) . One or more UEs 115 utilizing D2D communications may be within the geographic coverage area 110 of a base station 105. Other UEs 115 in such a group may be outside the geographic coverage area 110 of a base station 105 or be otherwise unable to receive transmissions from a base station 105. In some examples, groups of the UEs 115 communicating via D2D communications may utilize a one-to-many (1: M) system in which each UE 115 transmits to every other UE 115 in the group. In some examples, a base station 105 facilitates the scheduling of resources for D2D communications. In other implementations, D2D communications are carried out between the UEs 115 without the involvement of a base station 105.

In some systems, the D2D communication link 135 may be an example of a communication channel, such as a sidelink communication channel, between vehicles (such as UEs 115) . In some examples, vehicles may communicate using vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications, or some combination of these. A vehicle may signal information related to traffic conditions, signal scheduling, weather, safety, emergencies, or any other information relevant to a V2X system. In some examples, vehicles in a V2X system may communicate with roadside infrastructure, such as roadside units, or with the network via one or more network nodes (such as base stations 105) using vehicle-to-network (V2N) communications, or with both.

The core network 130 may provide user authentication, access authorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. The core network 130 may be an evolved packet core (EPC) or 5G core (5GC) , which may include at least one control plane entity that manages access and mobility (such as a mobility management entity (MME) , an access and mobility management function (AMF) ) and at least one user plane entity that routes packets or interconnects to external networks (such as a serving gateway (S-GW) , a Packet Data Network (PDN) gateway (P-GW) , or a user plane function (UPF) ) . The control plane entity may manage non-access stratum (NAS) functions such as mobility, authentication, and bearer management for the UEs 115 served by the base stations 105 associated with the core network 130. User IP packets may be transferred through the user plane entity, which may provide IP address allocation as well as other functions. The user plane entity may be connected to the network operators IP services 150. The operators IP services 150 may include access to the Internet, Intranet (s) , an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) , or a Packet-Switched Streaming Service.

Some of the network devices, such as a base station 105, may include subcomponents such as an access network entity 140, which may be an example of an access node controller (ANC) . Each access network entity 140 may communicate with the UEs 115 through one or more other access network transmission entities 145, which may be referred to as radio heads, smart radio heads, or transmission/reception points (TRPs) . Each access network transmission entity 145 may include one or more antenna panels. In some configurations, various functions of each access network entity 140 or base station 105 may be distributed across various network devices (such as radio heads and ANCs) or consolidated into a single network device (such as a base station 105) .

The wireless communications system 100 may operate using one or more frequency bands, typically in the range of 300 megahertz (MHz) to 300 gigahertz (GHz) . Generally, the region from 300 MHz to 3 GHz is known as the ultra-high frequency (UHF) region or decimeter band because the wavelengths range from approximately one decimeter to one meter in length. The UHF waves may be blocked or redirected by buildings and environmental features, but the waves may penetrate structures sufficiently for a macro cell to provide service to the UEs 115 located indoors. The transmission of UHF waves may be associated with smaller antennas and shorter ranges (such as less than 100 kilometers) compared to transmission using the smaller frequencies and longer waves of the high frequency (HF) or very high frequency (VHF) portion of the spectrum below 300 MHz.

The wireless communications system 100 also may operate in a super high frequency (SHF) region using frequency bands from 3 GHz to 30 GHz, also known as the centimeter band, or in an extremely high frequency (EHF) region of the spectrum (such as from 30 GHz to 300 GHz) , also known as the millimeter band. In some examples, the wireless communications system 100 may support millimeter wave (mmW) communications between the UEs 115 and the base stations 105, and EHF antennas of the respective devices may be smaller and more closely spaced than UHF antennas. In some examples, this may facilitate use of antenna arrays within a device. The propagation of EHF transmissions, however, may be subject to even greater atmospheric attenuation and shorter range than SHF or UHF transmissions. The techniques disclosed herein may be employed across transmissions that use one or more different frequency regions, and designated use of bands across these frequency regions may differ by country or regulating body.

The wireless communications system 100 may utilize both licensed and unlicensed radio frequency spectrum bands. For example, the wireless communications system 100 may employ License Assisted Access (LAA) , LTE-Unlicensed (LTE-U) radio access technology, or NR technology in an unlicensed band such as the 5 GHz industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) band. When operating in unlicensed radio frequency spectrum bands, devices such as the base stations 105 and the UEs 115 may employ carrier sensing for collision detection and avoidance. In some examples, operations in unlicensed bands may be based on a carrier aggregation configuration in conjunction with component carriers operating in a licensed band (such as LAA) . Operations in unlicensed spectrum may include downlink transmissions, uplink transmissions, P2P transmissions, or D2D transmissions, among other examples.

A base station 105 or a UE 115 may be equipped with multiple antennas, which may be used to employ techniques such as transmit diversity, receive diversity, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communications, or beamforming. The antennas of a base station 105 or a UE 115 may be located within one or more antenna arrays or antenna panels, which may support MIMO operations or transmit or receive beamforming. For example, one or more base station antennas or antenna arrays may be co-located at an antenna assembly, such as an antenna tower. In some examples, antennas or antenna arrays associated with a base station 105 may be located in diverse geographic locations. A base station 105 may have an antenna array with a number of rows and columns of antenna ports that the base station 105 may use to support beamforming of communications with a UE 115. Likewise, a UE 115 may have one or more antenna arrays that may support various MIMO or beamforming operations. Additionally, or alternatively, an antenna panel may support radio frequency beamforming for a signal transmitted via an antenna port.

The base stations 105 or the UEs 115 may use MIMO communications to exploit multipath signal propagation and increase the spectral efficiency by transmitting or receiving multiple signals via different spatial layers. Such techniques may be referred to as spatial multiplexing. The multiple signals may, for example, be transmitted by the transmitting device via different antennas or different combinations of antennas. Likewise, the multiple signals may be received by the receiving device via different antennas or different combinations of antennas. Each of the multiple signals may be referred to as a separate spatial stream and may carry bits associated with the same data stream (such as the same codeword) or different data streams (such as different codewords) . Different spatial layers may be associated with different antenna ports used for channel measurement and reporting. MIMO techniques include single-user MIMO (SU-MIMO) , where multiple spatial layers are transmitted to the same receiving device, and multiple-user MIMO (MU-MIMO) , where multiple spatial layers are transmitted to multiple devices.

Beamforming, which also may be referred to as spatial filtering, directional transmission, or directional reception, is a signal processing technique that may be used at a transmitting device or a receiving device (such as a base station 105, a UE 115) to shape or steer an antenna beam (such as a transmit beam, a receive beam) along a spatial path between the transmitting device and the receiving device. Beamforming may be achieved by combining the signals communicated via antenna elements of an antenna array such that some signals propagating at particular orientations with respect to an antenna array experience constructive interference while others experience destructive interference. The adjustment of signals communicated via the antenna elements may include a transmitting device or a receiving device applying amplitude offsets, phase offsets, or both to signals carried via the antenna elements associated with the device. The adjustments associated with each of the antenna elements may be defined by a beamforming weight set associated with a particular orientation (such as with respect to the antenna array of the transmitting device or receiving device, or with respect to some other orientation) .

A base station 105 or a UE 115 may use beam sweeping techniques as part of beam forming operations. For example, a base station 105 may use multiple antennas or antenna arrays (such as antenna panels) to conduct beamforming operations for directional communications with a UE 115. Some signals (such as synchronization signals, reference signals, beam selection signals, or other control signals) may be transmitted by a base station 105 multiple times in different directions. For example, the base station 105 may transmit a signal according to different beamforming weight sets associated with different directions of transmission. Transmissions in different beam directions may be used to identify (such as by a transmitting device, such as a base station 105, or by a receiving device, such as a UE 115) a beam direction for later transmission or reception by the base station 105.

Some signals, such as data signals associated with a particular receiving device, may be transmitted by a base station 105 in a single beam direction (such as a direction associated with the receiving device, such as a UE 115) . In some examples, the beam direction associated with transmissions along a single beam direction may be determined based on a signal that was transmitted in one or more beam directions. For example, a UE 115 may receive one or more of the signals transmitted by the base station 105 in different directions and may report to the base station 105 an indication of the signal that the UE 115 received with a highest signal quality or an otherwise acceptable signal quality.

In some examples, transmissions by a device (such as by a base station 105 or a UE 115) may be performed using multiple beam directions, and the device may use a combination of digital precoding or radio frequency beamforming to generate a combined beam for transmission (such as from a base station 105 to a UE 115) . The UE 115 may report feedback that indicates precoding weights for one or more beam directions, and the feedback may correspond to a configured number of beams across a system bandwidth or one or more sub-bands. The base station 105 may transmit a reference signal (such as a cell-specific reference signal (CRS) , a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) ) , which may be precoded or unprecoded. The UE 115 may provide feedback for beam selection, which may be a precoding matrix indicator (PMI) or codebook-based feedback (such as a multi-panel type codebook, a linear combination type codebook, a port selection type codebook) . Although these techniques are described with reference to signals transmitted in one or more directions by a base station 105, a UE 115 may employ similar techniques for transmitting signals multiple times in different directions (such as for identifying a beam direction for subsequent transmission or reception by the UE 115) or for transmitting a signal in a single direction (such as for transmitting data to a receiving device) .

A receiving device (such as a UE 115) may try multiple receive configurations (such as directional listening) when receiving various signals from the base station 105, such as synchronization signals, reference signals, beam selection signals, or other control signals. For example, a receiving device may try multiple receive directions by receiving via different antenna subarrays, by processing received signals according to different antenna subarrays, by receiving according to different receive beamforming weight sets (such as different directional listening weight sets) applied to signals received at multiple antenna elements of an antenna array, or by processing received signals according to different receive beamforming weight sets applied to signals received at multiple antenna elements of an antenna array, any of which may be referred to as “listening” according to different receive configurations or receive directions. In some examples, a receiving device may use a single receive configuration to receive along a single beam direction (such as when receiving a data signal) . The single receive configuration may be aligned in a beam direction determined based on listening according to different receive configuration directions (such as a beam direction determined to have a highest signal strength, highest signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) , or otherwise acceptable signal quality based on listening according to multiple beam directions) .

The wireless communications system 100 may be a packet-based network that operates according to a layered protocol stack. In the user plane, communications at the bearer or Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer may be IP-based. A Radio Link Control (RLC) layer may perform packet segmentation and reassembly to communicate over logical channels. A Medium Access Control (MAC) layer may perform priority handling and multiplexing of logical channels into transport channels. The MAC layer also may use error detection techniques, error correction techniques, or both to support retransmissions at the MAC layer to improve link efficiency. In the control plane, the Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol layer may provide establishment, configuration, and maintenance of an RRC connection between a UE 115 and a base station 105 or a core network 130 supporting radio bearers for user plane data. At the physical layer, transport channels may be mapped to physical channels.

The UEs 115 and the base stations 105 may support retransmissions of data to increase the likelihood that data is received successfully. Hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback is one technique for increasing the likelihood that data is received correctly over a communication link 125. HARQ may include a combination of error detection (such as using a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) ) , forward error correction (FEC) , and retransmission (such as automatic repeat request (ARQ) ) . HARQ may improve throughput at the MAC layer in poor radio conditions (such as low signal-to-noise conditions) . In some examples, a device may support same-slot HARQ feedback, where the device may provide HARQ feedback in a specific slot for data received in a previous symbol in the slot. In other implementations, the device may provide HARQ feedback in a subsequent slot, or according to some other time interval.

In some implementations, a wireless communications system using unlicensed radio frequency spectrum bands may support devices to share a COT. When a wireless device (such as a UE 115) successfully performs a clear channel assessment (CCA) , such as an LBT, the wireless device is given a COT to perform wireless communications. The wireless device may share the COT with another wireless device, which may improve medium access within the COT from one node to another node.

For example, the wireless communications system 100 may support uplink and downlink COT sharing. A base station 105 may acquire a COT with an extended CCA and share the COT with multiple UEs 115 for the UEs 115 to transmit uplink signals. Within the COT acquired by the base station 105, a UE 115 may use a single shot CCA for the uplink transmission. In some implementations, a UE 115 may not perform an LBT to begin an uplink transmission in the shared COT. In some implementations, the type of LBT performed by the UE 115 may be based on certain conditions. For example, a Category 2 LBT may be used for a certain durations of downlink-to-uplink gaps (such as between gaps of approximately 16 microseconds and 25 microseconds or gaps beyond 25us within a gNB or base station acquired COT) , and a Category 1 LBT may be used for smaller downlink-to-uplink gaps (such as gaps shorter than approximately 16 microseconds) .

In some implementations, the wireless communications system 100 may support uplink-to-downlink COT sharing. For example, a UE 115 may acquire the COT and share the COT with a base station 105. In some implementations, the channel occupancy acquired by the UE 115 may be for a group common uplink shared channel or a scheduled uplink transmission. The base station 105 may transmit control signaling, broadcast signals, or various channels for multiple UEs 115, including at least the UE 115 that initiated the channel occupancy. The UE 115 may apply an ED threshold configured by the base station 105 when initiating a channel occupancy that is to be shared with the base station 105. In some implementations, the ED threshold may be configured via RRC signaling. If the ED threshold is not configured, the transmission of a base station 105 in a UE-initiated COT may include a limited number of OFDM symbols. For example, the base station 105 may send up to 2, 4, or 8 OFDM symbols for, respectively, 15 kHz, 30 kHz, and 60 kHz subcarrier spacing for control signaling, broadcast signaling, or data or control channels. If the base station 105 cannot determine the presence, or lack there-of, of Wi-Fi, the ED threshold configured by the base station 105 may be determined based on the maximum transmit power of the base station 105. In some implementations, similar to downlink-to-uplink COT sharing, a Category 2 LBT may be used by a base station 105, for uplink-to-downlink gap durations between approximately 16 microseconds and 25 microseconds or gaps beyond 25us within UE acquired COT, and a Category 1 LBT may be used for uplink-to-downlink gap durations less than or equal to approximately 16 microseconds.

An LBT procedure may include different Categories for attempting to access an unlicensed frequency band. For example, a Category 1 LBT may enable a UE 115 (or a different device) to transmit a message on the unlicensed frequency band after a switching gap of approximately 16 μs. A Category 2 LBT may include an LBT without a random back-off, in which a CCA period (that is, a time duration where a device listens to the unlicensed frequency band to determine if signaling is present or not) is deterministic (for example, a duration of time that the channel is sensed to be idle or not before a transmitting entity transmits may be deterministic, such as fixed to 25 μs) . A Category 3 LBT may include an LBT with a random back-off with a contention window of a fixed size, in which an extended CCA period is drawn by a random number within a fixed contention window (that is, a random number is used in the LBT procedure to determine the duration of time that the channel is sensed to be idle or not before the transmitting entity transmits on the channel) . A Category 4 LBT may include an LBT with a random back-off with a contention window of a variable size, in which an extended CCA period is drawn by a random number within a contention window, whose size can vary based on channel dynamics (that is, the transmitting entity can vary the size of the contention window when drawing a random number, and the random number is used in the LBT procedure to determine the duration of time that the channel is sensed to be idle before the transmitting entity transmits on the channel) . The different Categories may be used for different scenarios. For example, the Category 4 LBT may be used by a base station 105 or a UE 115 to initiate a COT for data transmissions, while a base station 105 may use the Category 2 LBT for signaling such as discovery reference signals.

In some implementations, the wireless communications system 100 may support group common uplink-to-downlink COT sharing. When an uplink-to-downlink sharing ED threshold is configured, the base station 105 also may configure a table for sharing parameters. Each row of the table may include a number of slots where downlink transmissions can be assumed within the UE-initiated COT, a downlink offset (such as in a number of slots) from the end of the slot indicating a starting slot of the downlink transmission, and a channel access priority class of the traffic. In some implementations, one row of the table may indicate no COT sharing information. In some implementations, the UE 115 may include an indication in UCI for the COT sharing. If the uplink-to-downlink COT sharing ED threshold is not configured, group common uplink control information may include a one-bit COT sharing indication. The one-bit COT sharing indication may indicate if TTI (such as a slot or symbol) n+X is an applicable slot for uplink-to-downlink sharing. In some implementations, the value for X may be configured by the base station 105 as part of RRC configuration. X may be a number of symbols from the end of the slot where the group common uplink control information is transmitted.

In some implementations, the wireless communications system 100 may support V2X communications. In some V2X systems, there may be two resource allocation modes for sidelink communications (such as over a PC5 interface) . In a first mode, a base station 105 may allocate resources for sidelink communications between UEs 115. In a second mode, the UEs 115 may autonomously select sidelink resources. The signaling on the sidelink may be the same between the two modes. In some implementations, from the receiver perspective, there may not be a difference between the modes, as the transmitter or base station 105 may select the resources. In the first mode, a base station 105 may provide a dynamic grant or activate a configured sidelink grant for sidelink communications. In the first mode, sidelink feedback may be reported back to the base station 105 by the transmitting UE 115.

In the second mode, sidelink communications may be scheduled by sidelink control information (SCI) . SCI may be implemented to have one or more stages. For example, in a first stage, SCI is transmitted on a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) and includes information for resource allocation and decoding second stage SCI. First stage SCI may include at least priority, a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) resource assignment, a resource reservation period (such as if enabled) , a PSSCH demodulation reference signal pattern (such as if multiple patterns are configured) , second stage SCI format (such as size of the second SCI) , an amount of resources for the second SCI, a number of PSSCH demodulation reference signal ports, a modulation and coding scheme, etc. The second stage SCI may be transmitted on PSCCH and include information for decoding PSSCH. The second stage SCI may include a 16-bit L1 destination ID, an 8-bit L1 source ID, a HARQ process ID, a new data indicator, redundancy version, etc.

In some implementations, a UE 115 may measure channel occupancy of a wireless channel. The channel occupancy may indicate whether, for example, Wi-Fi devices are on an unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band, whether the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band is overloaded, etc. In some implementations, the UE 115 may measure a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) of the wireless channel. RSSI may include the linear average of total received power (such as in Watts) from all sources over a configured measurement resource. For example, the measurement resource may span a set of configured OFDM symbols and a configured measurement bandwidth over N resource blocks (such as the LBT bandwidth) with the center frequency of the configured absolute radio frequency channel number. In some implementations, the RSSI measurement may measure co-channel serving and non-serving cells, adjacent channel interference, thermal noise, etc. Higher layers may configure the measurement bandwidth, measurement duration, and which OFDM symbols are to be measured by the UE 115. The channel occupancy may be measured by comparing the RSSI with a configured threshold.

A UE 115 may take the RSSI and channel occupancy measurements and report the RSSI and channel occupancy measurements to the base station 105. Based on the measurements and reports, the base station 105 may determine whether a channel is congested or not and may configure the UE 115 to a different bandwidth part or handover the UE 115 to a different frequency. In some implementations, such as for NR unlicensed systems, handover or mobility decisions for the UE 115 may be determined by the base station 105.

Some V2X systems may use a channel busy ratio (CBR) as a metric for congestion control. Sidelink RSSI measurements may be used for CBR estimation. In some implementations, idelink RSSI may be the linear average of the total received power observed in the configured sub-channel in OFDM symbols of a slot configured for PSCCH and PSSCH, starting from the second OFDM symbol. The sidelink CBR measured in slot n may be the portion of sub-channels in the resource pool whose sidelink RSSI measured by the UE 115 exceed a configured threshold sensed over a CBR measurement window. The CBR measurement window may span from [n-a, n-1] , where a is equal to 100 or 100*2 ^μ slots, according to higher layer parameter “timeWindowSize-CBR. ”

In some implementations, congestion control in V2X systems may restrict one or more transmission parameters. For example, congestion control may restrict MCS indices and MCS tables, a number of sub-channels per transmission, a number of retransmissions, a transmission power, or any combination thereof. For example, if the base station 105, or in some implementations the transmitting UE 115, determines that a channel is too congested, the base station 105, or transmitting UE 115, may change one of these parameters to reduce congestion on the channel. For example, by reducing a number of retransmissions, each device may perform fewer transmissions, reducing the congestion. In some implementations, UE speed (such as absolute UE speed) may restrict transmission parameters.

The wireless communications system 100 may support QoS-based COT sharing. A wireless node, such as a UE 115, may perform a CBR measurement obtained from sidelink RSSI. A device (such as a base station 105 if operating in mode one or a UE 115 if operating in mode two) may determine a set of QoS-based COT sharing parameters. For example, based on the CBR, channel occupancy, or UE speed measurements, the device may determine a shared duration, a type of traffic that can be communicated during the shared duration, an applicable ED threshold for a UE 115 to share the COT, an allowed maximum transmit power for a UE 115 to transmit in another UE’s COT, a maximum transmit layer for a UE 115 to transmit in another UE’s COT, the maximum MCS for one UE 115 to use in another UE’s COT, etc. The first node, which has acquired a COT, can decide on a sharing condition for a second node to share the COT. The second node may determine other parameter constraints to share the COT acquired by the first node. For example, the first node may use a lower ED threshold (such as corresponding to a more congested QoS) if the first node wants to share with the second node. The second node, given the ED threshold, may use a low MCS or single layer transmission or low transmit power to share the node according to the indicated constraint.

Figure 2 illustrates an example of a wireless communications system 200 that supports QoS-based COT sharing. In some examples, the wireless communications system 200 may implement aspects of wireless communications system 100. The wireless communications system 200 may include base station 105-a, which may be an example of a base station 105 as described herein, and UE 115-a and UE 115-b, which may each be an example of a UE 115 described herein. While some examples of techniques for QoS-based COT sharing described herein are described as UE-to-UE QoS-based COT sharing, other devices may implement these techniques as well. For example, base stations 105, access points, relay nodes, or other types of wireless nodes, may implement techniques similar to UE 115-a and UE 115-b.

The wireless communications system 200 may support communications over unlicensed radio frequency spectrum. Using unlicensed radio frequency spectrum bands may enable sidelink communications between two devices without incurring the usage of licensed spectrum. In some implementations, the wireless communications system 200 may support COT sharing, such as uplink-to-downlink or downlink-to-uplink COT sharing and group common uplink-to-downlink COT sharing.

UE 115-a and UE 115-b may communicate on a sidelink 205. Some wireless communications systems may use a sidelink, such as the sidelink 205, for D2D communications, V2X communications, etc. For example, some wireless communications systems may use a sidelink to send public safety messages, such as sending a warning if two vehicles are predicted to collide in a V2X system. Some sidelinks, such as the sidelink 205, may enable relay operation. For example, sidelink communications on PC5 may be used to convey data and control signaling along nodes. For example, base station 105-a may send, to UE 115-a, information for UE 115-b, and UE 115-a may operate as a relay node to send the information to UE 115-b on the sidelink 205.

In some implementations, the wireless communications system 200 may support UE-to-UE COT sharing, which may provide enhanced medium access for sidelink communications. For example, for load-based equipment (LBE) , COT sharing may enable one node to share a COT with other nodes so the other nodes do not perform a category 4 LBT. This can improve the chances of transmitting for the other nodes. For frame-based equipment (FBE) , a second node may join a COT acquired by a first node without accessing the medium in the beginning of each fixed frame period (FFP) , which may provide the second node additional transmission opportunities. However, in some implementations, the wireless communications system 200 may already have a high channel occupancy and be congested. In some implementations, COT sharing techniques, such as the UE-to-UE COT sharing, may result in additional transmissions, further increasing medium congestion.

To support multiple device-to-device COT sharing techniques without greatly increasing network congestion, the wireless communications system 200 may support techniques for QoS-based COT sharing. The QoS-based COT sharing may be implemented for multiple different types of COT sharing, such as UE-to-UE COT sharing, base station-and-UE COT sharing, UE-to-base station COT sharing, base station-to-base station COT sharing, as well as relay node operation.

In an example, UE 115-a may determine a QoS characteristic of the sidelink 205. In some implementations, UE 115-a may measure an RSSI of the sidelink 205 and perform CBR measurements from the sidelink RSSI. The QoS characteristic may be based on the sidelink CBR, channel occupancy, UE speed (such as of UE 115-b) , a combination thereof, or determined based on a function of the combination. In some implementations, such as for mode one scheduling, base station 105-a may configure an RSSI measurement timing configuration (RMTC) window for UE 115-a to measure the RSSI and channel occupancy. In this example, UE 115-a may measure RSSI for the sidelink 205 during the RMTC window.

UE 115-a may determine parameters for a COT sharing configuration 210 based on the QoS characteristic. For example, based on the CBR, channel occupancy, UE speed measurements, or a combination thereof, UE 115-a may determine how long another UE 115 can share the COT, a type of traffic that can be communicated by another UE 115 sharing the COT, an applicable ED threshold for another UE 115 to share the COT, the allowed transmit power for another UE 115 to transmit in the COT, the maximum transmit layer for another UE 115 to transmit in the COT, the maximum MCS for another UE 115 to transmit in the COT, or a combination thereof. In some implementations, determining the type of traffic may include determining whether the COT sharing is just for feedback information, high priority traffic, etc.

UE 115-a may select one or more of these parameters as conditions for UE 115-b to share the COT acquired by UE 115-a. For example, UE 115-a may use a much lower ED threshold corresponding to a more congested QoS if UE 115-a is to make the COT more accessible for UE 115-b. UE 115-b may decide other parameter constraints in order to share the COT with UE 115-a. For example, given the ED threshold indicated by UE 115-a, UE 115-b may use a low MCS, single layer transmission, low transmit power, or a combination thereof. Therefore, while UE 115-b may gain access to the transmission medium, using a lower MCS, single layer transmission, or low transmit power may still mitigate increases to the network congestion.

In some implementations, UE 115-a and UE 115-b may receive COT sharing configurations 210 from respective serving cells. For example, base station 105-a may transmit a COT sharing configuration 210 to UE 115-a on a link 215. In some implementations, base station 105-a may be the serving cell of UE 115-b, and base station 105-a may send the COT sharing configuration 210 to UE 115-b on a link 220. In some implementations, the COT sharing configuration 210 may include the COT sharing parameters. In some implementations, the COT sharing configuration 210 may indicate a QoS level to be maintained by the devices sharing a COT. The UE 115-a may select a sharing condition based on the COT sharing configuration 210, and UE 115-b may select other transmission parameters based on the indicated sharing condition and the COT sharing configuration 210. In some examples, parameters for the COT sharing configuration 210 may be selected by base station 105-a and indicated to the UEs 115. In some examples, the UEs 115 may select the parameters for the COT sharing configuration 210, such as by autonomous behavior according to the QoS metric.

While some examples herein are described with reference to UE-to-UE COT sharing, the QoS-based techniques may be applied for various COT sharing scenarios. For example, base station 105-a may restrict UE 115-a to using a Category 2 LBT within a COT acquired by base station 105-a for high priority, or high channel access priority class, uplink traffic. Once configured, UE 115-a may upgrade Category 4 LBT to Category 2 LBT for high priority traffic. In another example, base station 105-a may restrict other base stations 105 from transmitting in a COT acquired by base station 105-a. In some implementations, base station 105-a may configure a conservative ED threshold for a UE 115 to share a COT (such as acquired by a UE 115) with other nodes, including base stations 105 or UEs 115.

In some implementations, such as for Layer 3 relay, a relay node may make the determination on sharing parameters for COT sharing between the relay node and a UE 115 based on QoS measurements. In some implementations, such as for Layer 2 relay, a base station 105 may configure the COT sharing parameters between a relay node and a UE 115 based on the QoS measurements.

Figure 3 illustrates an example of a COT sharing scheme 300 that supports QoS-based COT sharing. In some examples, the COT sharing scheme 300 may implement aspects of wireless communications system 100.

The COT sharing scheme 300 may include a COT 305. The COT 305 may be acquired by a first wireless device, such as a UE 115, a base station 105, an access point, or a relay node. The first wireless device may implement techniques described herein for QoS-based COT sharing. In an example, the first wireless device may be a first UE 115, and the first wireless device may share the COT 305 with a second UE 115 over a sidelink.

The first UE 115 may determine a QoS characteristic of the sidelink. For example, the QoS characteristic may be based on a CBR, channel occupancy, UE speed measurements, or a combination thereof. Based on the QoS characteristic, the first UE 115 may determine a sharing condition for sharing the COT 305 with the second UE 115. For example, the first UE 115 may determine a duration of a shared period and that the second UE 115 is to use a low ED threshold to share the COT 305. The duration of the shared period may correspond to a second transmission opportunity 325 of the COT 305.

The first UE 115 may transmit on the sidelink for a first transmission opportunity 310. Once the first UE 115 finishes the transmission, the first UE 115 may idle 315, and the wireless resources on the sidelink may not be used. At 320, the second UE 115 may perform an LBT to determine whether the second UE 115 can transmit during the second transmission opportunity 325. The second UE 115 may perform an LBT at 315, using the ED threshold as indicated by the first UE 115. The second UE 115 may transmit during the second transmission opportunity 325. In some implementations, the second UE 115 may use a lower MCS, single transmit layer, or lower transmit power based on the QoS characteristic and the indicated sharing parameter. This may mitigate further congestion to the wireless network.

Figure 4 illustrates an example of a process flow 400 that supports QoS-based COT sharing. In some examples, the process flow 400 may implement aspects of wireless communications system 100. The process flow 400 may include base station 105-b, UE 115-c, and UE 115-d.

At 405, UE 115-c and UE 115-d may determine a QoS characteristic of a communications link. The communications link may be, for example, a sidelink between UE 115-c and UE 115-d. In some implementations, the sidelink may use a PC5 interface. The QoS characteristic may be based on, for example, RSSI measurements, channel occupancy measurements, or a channel busy ratio of the communications link. In some implementations, the QoS characteristic may be based on absolute speeds of UE 115-c, UE 115-d, or both.

At 410, base station 105-b may determine a COT sharing configuration including a set of COT sharing parameters for sharing a COT of a communications link between a first device (such as UE 115-c) and a second device (such as UE 115-d) based on a QoS characteristic of the communications link. At 415, UE 115-d may receive the COT sharing configuration including the set of COT sharing parameters for sharing the COT of the communications link. At 420, UE 115-c may receive the COT sharing configuration including the set of COT sharing parameters for sharing the COT of the communications link.

At 425, UE 115-c may determine conditions or sharing a COT based on the COT sharing configuration and the QoS characteristic of the communications link. For example, UE 115-c may perform a CCA and acquire a COT, or UE 115-c may have been granted a COT for uplink transmission. UE 115-c may determine a condition for sharing the COT based on the COT sharing configuration and the set of COT sharing parameters. In some implementations, UE 115-c may indicate the condition for sharing the COT to UE 115-c.

In an example, UE 115-c may determine that another UE 115 (such as UE 115-d) may share the COT if the other UE 115 uses a much lower ED threshold. UE 115-c may indicate the condition for sharing the COT to UE 115-d at 430, and UE 115-d may determine whether to share the COT based on the condition. UE 115-d may determine to use the lower ED threshold, but UE 115-d may determine that the network is congested based on the indicated condition and also use a lower transmit power, single transmit layer, or lower MCS. Therefore, at 435, UE 115-d may determine one or more COT sharing parameters to enable to use the COT after UE 115-c is finished using the COT.

Figure 5 shows a block diagram 500 of an example device 505 that supports QoS-based COT sharing. The device 505 may be an example of aspects of a UE 115 or base station 105 as described herein. The device 505 may include a receiver 510, a communications manager 515, and a transmitter 520. The device 505 also may include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with one another (such as via one or more buses) .

The receiver 510 may receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (such as control channels, data channels, and information related to QoS-based COT sharing, etc. ) . Information may be passed on to other components of the device 505. The receiver 510 may be an example of aspects of the

transceiver

820 or 920 as described with reference to Figures 8 and 9. The receiver 510 may utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas.

The communications manager 515 may determine a QoS characteristic of a communications link with a second device, receive a COT sharing configuration including a set of COT sharing parameters for sharing a COT of the communications link with the second device based on the QoS characteristic of the communications link, and determine conditions for sharing the COT based on the COT sharing configuration and the QoS characteristic of the communications link. The communications manager 515 also may determine a QoS characteristic of a communications link with a first device, receive a COT sharing configuration including a set of COT sharing parameters for sharing a COT of the communications link with the first device based on the QoS characteristic of the communications link, and receive an indication of conditions for sharing the COT based on the COT sharing configuration and the QoS characteristic. The communications manager 515 may be an example of aspects of the

communications manager

810 or 910 as described herein.

The communications manager 515, or its sub-components, may be implemented in hardware, code (such as software or firmware) executed by a processor, or any combination thereof. If implemented in code executed by a processor, the functions of the communications manager 515, or its sub-components may be executed by a general-purpose processor, a DSP, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) , a FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described in the present disclosure.

The communications manager 515, or its sub-components, may be physically located at various positions, including being distributed such that portions of functions are implemented at different physical locations by one or more physical components. In some examples, the communications manager 515, or its sub-components, may be a separate and distinct component in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. In some examples, the communications manager 515, or its sub-components, may be combined with one or more other hardware components, including but not limited to an input/output (I/O) component, a transceiver, a network server, another computing device, one or more other components described in the present disclosure, or a combination thereof in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

The transmitter 520 may transmit signals generated by other components of the device 505. In some examples, the transmitter 520 may be collocated with a receiver 510 in a transceiver module. For example, the transmitter 520 may be an example of aspects of the

transceiver

820 or 920 as described with reference to Figures 8 and 9. The transmitter 520 may utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas.

Figure 6 shows a block diagram 600 of an example device 605 that supports QoS-based COT sharing. The device 605 may be an example of aspects of a device 505, a UE 115, or a base station 105 as described herein. The device 605 may include a receiver 610, a communications manager 615, and a transmitter 640. The device 605 also may include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with one another (such as via one or more buses) .

The receiver 610 may receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (such as control channels, data channels, and information related to QoS-based COT sharing, etc. ) . Information may be passed on to other components of the device 605. The receiver 610 may be an example of aspects of the

transceiver

820 or 920 as described with reference to Figures 8 and 9. The receiver 610 may utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas.

The communications manager 615 may be an example of aspects of the communications manager 515 as described herein. The communications manager 615 may include a QoS component 620, a COT sharing configuration component 625, a sharing conditions determining component 630, and a sharing conditions indication component 635. The communications manager 615 may be an example of aspects of the

communications manager

810 or 910 as described herein.

The QoS component 620 may determine a QoS characteristic of a communications link with a second device. The COT sharing configuration component 625 may receive a COT sharing configuration including a set of COT sharing parameters for sharing a COT of the communications link with the second device based on the QoS characteristic of the communications link. The sharing conditions determining component 630 may determine conditions for sharing the COT based on the COT sharing configuration and the QoS characteristic of the communications link.

The QoS component 620 may determine a QoS characteristic of a communications link with a first device. The COT sharing configuration component 625 may receive a COT sharing configuration including a set of COT sharing parameters for sharing a COT of the communications link with the first device based on the QoS characteristic of the communications link. The sharing conditions indication component 635 may receive an indication of conditions for sharing the COT based on the COT sharing configuration and the QoS characteristic.

The COT sharing configuration determining component 640 may determine a COT sharing configuration including a set of COT sharing parameters for sharing a COT of a communications link between a first device and a second device based on a QoS characteristic of the communications link. The COT sharing configuration indicating component 645 may transmit an indication of the COT sharing configuration.

The transmitter 640 may transmit signals generated by other components of the device 605. In some examples, the transmitter 640 may be collocated with a receiver 610 in a transceiver module. For example, the transmitter 640 may be an example of aspects of the

transceiver

820 or 920 as described with reference to Figures 8 and 9. The transmitter 640 may utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas.

Figure 7 shows a block diagram 700 of an example communications manager 705 that supports QoS-based COT sharing. The communications manager 705 may be an example of aspects of a communications manager 515, a communications manager 615, or a communications manager 810 described herein. The communications manager 705 may include a QoS component 710, a COT sharing configuration component 715, a sharing conditions determining component 720, a sharing parameter component 725, a COT sharing component 730, and a sharing conditions indication component 735. Each of these modules may communicate, directly or indirectly, with one another (such as via one or more buses) .

The QoS component 710 may determine a QoS characteristic of a communications link with a second device. In some examples, the QoS component 710 may determine a QoS characteristic of a communications link with a first device.

In some examples, the QoS component 710 may measure a channel busy ratio of the communications link, a channel occupancy of the communications link, a speed of the second device, or any combination thereof. In some implementations, the channel busy ratio of the communications link is measured based on an RSSI measurement of the communications link. In some examples, the QoS component 710 may receive, from a base station, an indication of an RMTC window for the RSSI measurement and measuring the channel occupancy. In some examples, the QoS component 710 may report a channel busy ratio of the communications link, a channel occupancy of the communications link, a speed of the second device, or any combination thereof.

The COT sharing configuration component 715 may receive a COT sharing configuration including a set of COT sharing parameters for sharing a COT of the communications link with the second device based on the QoS characteristic of the communications link. In some examples, the COT sharing configuration component 715 may receive a COT sharing configuration including a set of COT sharing parameters for sharing a COT of the communications link with the first device based on the QoS characteristic of the communications link. In some examples, the COT sharing configuration component 715 may receive the COT sharing configuration from a base station.

In some examples, the COT sharing configuration component 715 may report the QoS characteristic to the base station, where the COT sharing configuration is received from the base station based on the reporting. In some examples, the COT sharing configuration component 715 may receive a grant for the COT, where the grant includes the COT sharing configuration.

In some examples, the COT sharing configuration component 715 may receive the COT sharing configuration from a base station. In some examples, the COT sharing configuration component 715 may receive the COT sharing configuration from the first device. In some implementations, the COT sharing configuration is received via semi-static signaling. In some implementations, the COT sharing configuration is designed for a relay operation. In some implementations, the communications link includes a PC5 interface link, a sidelink, or a combination thereof. In some implementations, the first device and the second device include a UE, an access point, a base station, or a combination thereof. In some implementations, the COT sharing configuration is received via semi-static signaling.

The sharing conditions determining component 720 may determine conditions for sharing the COT based on the COT sharing configuration and the QoS characteristic of the communications link. In some examples, the sharing conditions determining component 720 may determine a transmission type that can be shared within the COT, a shared duration of the COT, an ED threshold to share the COT, an allowed transmit power for sharing the COT, a maximum transmit layer for sharing the COT, a maximum MCS for sharing the COT, a type of listen-before-talk procedure performed supported in the COT, a type of device that can share the COT, or a combination thereof. The sharing conditions indication component 735 may receive an indication of conditions for sharing the COT based on the COT sharing configuration and the QoS characteristic.

The sharing parameter component 725 may determine the set of COT sharing parameters based on the QoS characteristic of the communications link. In some examples, the sharing parameter component 725 may receive, from the second device, an indication of one or more COT sharing parameters based on transmitting the indication of the sharing conditions. In some examples, the sharing parameter component 725 may determine, based on the indication of the sharing conditions, one or more COT sharing parameters to enable to use the COT after the first device is finished using the COT. In some examples, the sharing parameter component 725 may indicate, to the first device, the one or more COT sharing parameters. In some implementations, the one or more COT sharing parameters include a transmission type, a shared duration, a starting time for the shared duration, an ED threshold, an allowed transmit power, a maximum transmit layer, a maximum MCS, a supported type of listen-before-talk procedure in the COT, a type of device that can share the COT, or a combination thereof, to share the COT with the first device.

The COT sharing component 730 may share the COT with the second device, where a configuration of the second device is based on indicating the conditions for sharing the COT. In some examples, the COT sharing component 730 may share the COT with a set of devices, the set of devices including at least the second device.

The COT sharing configuration determining component 740 may determine a COT sharing configuration including a set of COT sharing parameters for sharing a COT of a communications link between a first device and a second device based on a QoS characteristic of the communications link. In some implementations, the COT sharing configuration is designed for a relay operation.

In some implementations, the one or more COT sharing parameters include a transmission type, a shared duration, a starting time for the shared duration, an ED threshold, an allowed transmit power, a maximum transmit layer, a maximum modulation and coding scheme (MCS) , a supported type of listen-before-talk procedure in the COT, a type of device that can share the COT, or a combination thereof, to share the COT with the first device. In some implementations, the first device and the second device include a UE, an access point, a base station, or a combination thereof.

The COT sharing configuration indicating component 745 may transmit an indication of the COT sharing configuration. In some examples, the COT sharing configuration indicating component 745 may transmit, to the first device, the second device, or both, the COT sharing configuration via semi-static signaling.

Figure 8 shows a diagram of an example system 800 including a device 805 that supports QoS-based COT sharing. The device 805 may be an example of or include the components of device 505, device 605, or a UE 115 as described herein. The device 805 may include components for bi-directional voice and data communications including components for transmitting and receiving communications, including a communications manager 810, a transceiver 820, an antenna 825, memory 830, a processor 840, and an I/O controller 850. These components may be in electronic communication via one or more buses (such as bus 855) .

The communications manager 810 may determine a QoS characteristic of a communications link with a second device, receive a COT sharing configuration including a set of COT sharing parameters for sharing a COT of the communications link with the second device based on the QoS characteristic of the communications link, and determine conditions for sharing the COT based on the COT sharing configuration and the QoS characteristic of the communications link. The communications manager 810 also may determine a QoS characteristic of a communications link with a first device, receive a COT sharing configuration including a set of COT sharing parameters for sharing a COT of the communications link with the first device based on the QoS characteristic of the communications link, and receive an indication of conditions for sharing the COT based on the COT sharing configuration and the QoS characteristic.

The transceiver 820 may communicate bi-directionally, via one or more antennas, wired, or wireless links as described above. For example, the transceiver 820 may represent a wireless transceiver and may communicate bi-directionally with another wireless transceiver. The transceiver 820 also may include a modem to modulate the packets and provide the modulated packets to the antennas for transmission, and to demodulate packets received from the antennas.

In some implementations, the wireless device may include a single antenna 825. However, in some implementations the device may have more than one antenna 825, which may be capable of concurrently transmitting or receiving multiple wireless transmissions.

The I/O controller 850 may manage input and output signals for the device 805. The I/O controller 850 also may manage peripherals not integrated into the device 805. In some implementations, the I/O controller 850 may represent a physical connection or port to an external peripheral. In some implementations, the I/O controller 850 may utilize an operating system such as

or another known operating system. In other implementations, the I/O controller 850 may represent or interact with a modem, a keyboard, a mouse, a touchscreen, or a similar device. In some implementations, the I/O controller 850 may be implemented as part of a processor. In some implementations, a user may interact with the device 805 via the I/O controller 850 or via hardware components controlled by the I/O controller 850.

The processor 840 of the device 805 may interface with other components of the device 805, and may process information received from other components (such as inputs or signals) , output information to other components, etc. For example, a chip or modem of the device 805 may include a processing system, a first interface to receive information, and a second interface to transmit information. In some implementations, the first interface may refer to an interface between the processing system of the chip or modem and the transceiver 820, such that the device 805 may receive information or signal inputs, and the information may be passed to the processing system. In some implementations, the second interface may refer to an interface between the processing system of the chip or modem and the transceiver 820, may transmit information output from the chip or modem.

In some implementations, the processor 840 may be a component of a processing system. A processing system may generally refer to a system or series of machines or components that receives inputs and processes the inputs to produce a set of outputs (which may be passed to other systems or components of, for example, the device 805, such as a UE 115, a base station 105, an access point, a station, or different device) . For example, a processing system of the device 805 may refer to a system including the various other components or subcomponents of the device 805.

The processing system of the device 805 may interface with other components of the device 805, and may process information received from other components (such as inputs or signals) , output information to other components, etc. For example, a chip or modem of the device 805 may include a processing system, a first interface to output information, and a second interface to receive information. In some implementations, the first interface may refer to an interface between the processing system of the chip or modem and a transmitter, such that the device 805 may transmit information output from the chip or modem. In some implementations, the second interface may refer to an interface between the processing system of the chip or modem and a receiver, such that the device 805 may receive information or signal inputs, and the information may be passed to the processing system. A person having ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that the first interface also may receive information or signal inputs, and the second interface also may transmit information.

The code 835 may include instructions to implement aspects of the present disclosure, including instructions to support wireless communications. The code 835 may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as system memory or other type of memory. In some implementations, the code 835 may not be directly executable by the processor 840 but may cause a computer (such as when compiled and executed) to perform functions described herein.

Figure 9 shows a diagram of an example system 900 including a device 905 that supports QoS-based COT sharing. The device 905 may be an example of or include the components of device 505, device 605, or a base station 105 as described herein. The device 905 may include components for bi-directional voice and data communications including components for transmitting and receiving communications, including a communications manager 910, a network communications manager 915, a transceiver 920, an antenna 925, memory 930, a processor 940, and an inter-station communications manager 945. These components may be in electronic communication via one or more buses (such as bus 955) .

The communications manager 910 may determine a QoS characteristic of a communications link with a second device, receive a COT sharing configuration including a set of COT sharing parameters for sharing a COT of the communications link with the second device based on the QoS characteristic of the communications link, and determine conditions for sharing the COT based on the COT sharing configuration and the QoS characteristic of the communications link. The communications manager 910 also may determine a QoS characteristic of a communications link with a first device, receive a COT sharing configuration including a set of COT sharing parameters for sharing a COT of the communications link with the first device based on the QoS characteristic of the communications link, and receive an indication of conditions for sharing the COT based on the COT sharing configuration and the QoS characteristic.

A network communications manager 915 may manage communications with the core network (such as via one or more wired backhaul links) . For example, the network communications manager 915 may manage the transfer of data communications for client devices, such as one or more UEs 115.

The transceiver 920 may communicate bi-directionally, via one or more antennas, wired, or wireless links as described above. For example, the transceiver 920 may represent a wireless transceiver and may communicate bi-directionally with another wireless transceiver. The transceiver 920 also may include a modem to modulate the packets and provide the modulated packets to the antennas for transmission, and to demodulate packets received from the antennas.

In some implementations, the wireless device may include a single antenna 925. However, in some implementations the device may have more than one antenna 925, which may be capable of concurrently transmitting or receiving multiple wireless transmissions.

The processor 940 of the device 905 may interface with other components of the device 905, and may process information received from other components (such as inputs or signals) , output information to other components, etc. For example, a chip or modem of the device 905 may include a processing system, a first interface to transmit information, and a second interface for monitoring for information. In some implementations, the first interface may refer to an interface between the processing system of the chip or modem and the transceiver 920, such that the device 905 may transmit information output from the chip or modem. In some implementations, the second interface may refer to an interface between the processing system of the chip or modem and the transceiver 920, such that the device 1105 may monitor for information or signal inputs, and the information may be passed to the processing system.

Inter-station communications manager 945 may manage communications with other base station 105, and may include a controller or scheduler for controlling communications with UEs 115 in cooperation with other base stations 105. For example, the inter-station communications manager 945 may coordinate scheduling for transmissions to UEs 115 for various interference mitigation techniques such as beamforming or joint transmission. In some examples, inter-station communications manager 945 may provide an X2 interface within an LTE/LTE-A wireless communication network technology to provide communication between base stations 105.

In some implementations, the processor 940 may be a component of a processing system. A processing system may generally refer to a system or series of machines or components that receives inputs and processes the inputs to produce a set of outputs (which may be passed to other systems or components of, for example, the device 905, such as a UE 115, a base station 105, an access point, a station, or different device) . For example, a processing system of the device 905 may refer to a system including the various other components or subcomponents of the device 905.

The processing system of the device 905 may interface with other components of the device 905, and may process information received from other components (such as inputs or signals) , output information to other components, etc. For example, a chip or modem of the device 905 may include a processing system, a first interface to output information, and a second interface to receive information. In some implementations, the first interface may refer to an interface between the processing system of the chip or modem and a transmitter, such that the device 905 may transmit information output from the chip or modem. In some implementations, the second interface may refer to an interface between the processing system of the chip or modem and a receiver, such that the device 905 may receive information or signal inputs, and the information may be passed to the processing system. A person having ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that the first interface also may receive information or signal inputs, and the second interface also may transmit information.

The code 935 may include instructions to implement aspects of the present disclosure, including instructions to support wireless communications. The code 935 may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as system memory or other type of memory. In some implementations, the code 935 may not be directly executable by the processor 940 but may cause a computer (such as when compiled and executed) to perform functions described herein.

Figure 10 shows a flowchart illustrating an example method 1000 that supports QoS-based COT sharing. The operations of method 1000 may be implemented by a UE 115 or base station 105 or its components as described herein. For example, the operations of method 1000 may be performed by a communications manager as described with reference to Figures 5–9. In some examples, a UE or base station may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the UE or base station to perform the functions described below. Additionally, or alternatively, a UE or base station may perform aspects of the functions described below using special-purpose hardware.

At 1005, the UE or base station may determine a QoS characteristic of a communications link with a second device. The operations of 1005 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1005 may be performed by a QoS component as described with reference to Figures 5–9.

At 1010, the UE or base station may receive a COT sharing configuration including a set of COT sharing parameters for sharing a COT of the communications link with the second device based on the QoS characteristic of the communications link. The operations of 1010 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1010 may be performed by a COT sharing configuration component as described with reference to Figures 5–9.

At 1015, the UE or base station may determine conditions for sharing the COT based on the COT sharing configuration and the QoS characteristic of the communications link. The operations of 1015 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1015 may be performed by a sharing conditions determining component as described with reference to Figures 5–9.

Figure 11 shows a flowchart illustrating an example method 1100 that supports QoS-based COT sharing. The operations of method 1100 may be implemented by a UE 115 or base station 105 or its components as described herein. For example, the operations of method 1100 may be performed by a communications manager as described with reference to Figures 5–9. In some examples, a UE 115 or base station 105 may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the UE 115 or base station 105 to perform the functions described below. Additionally, or alternatively, a UE 115 or base station 105 may perform aspects of the functions described below using special-purpose hardware.

At 1105, the UE 115 or base station 105 may measure a channel busy ratio of the communications link, a channel occupancy of the communications link, a speed of the second device, or any combination thereof. The operations of 1105 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1105 may be performed by a QoS component as described with reference to Figures 5–9.

At 1110, the UE 115 or base station 105 may determine a QoS characteristic of a communications link with a second device. The operations of 1110 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1110 may be performed by a QoS component as described with reference to Figures 5–9.

At 1115, the UE 115 or base station 105 may receive a COT sharing configuration including a set of COT sharing parameters for sharing a COT of the communications link with the second device based on the QoS characteristic of the communications link. The operations of 1115 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1115 may be performed by a COT sharing configuration component as described with reference to Figures 5–9.

At 1120, the UE 115 or base station 105 may determine conditions for sharing the COT based on the COT sharing configuration and the QoS characteristic of the communications link. The operations of 1120 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1120 may be performed by a sharing conditions determining component as described with reference to Figures 5–9.

Figure 12 shows a flowchart illustrating an example method 1200 that supports QoS-based COT sharing. The operations of method 1200 may be implemented by a UE 115 or base station 105 or its components as described herein. For example, the operations of method 1200 may be performed by a communications manager as described with reference to Figures 5–9. In some examples, a UE 115 or base station 105 may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the UE 115 or base station 105 to perform the functions described below. Additionally, or alternatively, a UE 115 or base station 105 may perform aspects of the functions described below using special-purpose hardware.

At 1205, the UE 115 or base station 105 may determine a QoS characteristic of a communications link with a second device. The operations of 1205 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1205 may be performed by a QoS component as described with reference to Figures 5–9.

At 1210, the UE 115 or base station 105 may receive a COT sharing configuration including a set of COT sharing parameters for sharing a COT of the communications link with the second device based on the QoS characteristic of the communications link. The operations of 1210 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1210 may be performed by a COT sharing configuration component as described with reference to Figures 5–9.

At 1215, the UE 115 or base station 105 may determine the set of COT sharing parameters based on the QoS characteristic of the communications link. The operations of 1215 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1215 may be performed by a sharing parameter component as described with reference to Figures 5–9.

At 1220, the UE 115 or base station 105 may determine conditions for sharing the COT based on the COT sharing configuration and the QoS characteristic of the communications link. The operations of 1220 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1220 may be performed by a sharing conditions determining component as described with reference to Figures 5–9.

Figure 13 shows a flowchart illustrating an example method 1300 that supports QoS-based COT sharing. The operations of method 1300 may be implemented by a UE 115 or base station 105 or its components as described herein. For example, the operations of method 1300 may be performed by a communications manager as described with reference to Figures 5–9. In some examples, a UE 115 or base station 105 may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the UE 115 or base station 105 to perform the functions described below. Additionally, or alternatively, a UE 115 or base station 105 may perform aspects of the functions described below using special-purpose hardware.

At 1305, the UE 115 or base station 105 may determine a QoS characteristic of a communications link with a first device. The operations of 1305 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1305 may be performed by a QoS component as described with reference to Figures 5–9.

At 1310, the UE 115 or base station 105 may receive a COT sharing configuration including a set of COT sharing parameters for sharing a COT of the communications link with the first device based on the QoS characteristic of the communications link. The operations of 1310 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1310 may be performed by a COT sharing configuration component as described with reference to Figures 5–9.

At 1315, the UE 115 or base station 105 may receive an indication of conditions for sharing the COT based on the COT sharing configuration and the QoS characteristic. The operations of 1315 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1315 may be performed by a sharing conditions indication component as described with reference to Figures 5–9.

Figure 14 shows a flowchart illustrating an example method 1400 that supports QoS-based COT sharing. The operations of method 1400 may be implemented by a UE 115 or base station 105 or its components as described herein. For example, the operations of method 1400 may be performed by a communications manager as described with reference to Figures 5–9. In some examples, a UE 115 or base station 105 may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the UE 115 or base station 105 to perform the functions described below. Additionally, or alternatively, a UE 115 or base station 105 may perform aspects of the functions described below using special-purpose hardware.

At 1405, the UE 115 or base station 105 may report a channel busy ratio of the communications link, a channel occupancy of the communications link, a speed of the second device, or any combination thereof. The operations of 1405 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1405 may be performed by a QoS component as described with reference to Figures 5–9.

At 1410, the UE 115 or base station 105 may determine a QoS characteristic of a communications link with a first device. The operations of 1410 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1410 may be performed by a QoS component as described with reference to Figures 5–9.

At 1415, the UE 115 or base station 105 may receive a COT sharing configuration including a set of COT sharing parameters for sharing a COT of the communications link with the first device based on the QoS characteristic of the communications link. The operations of 1415 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1415 may be performed by a COT sharing configuration component as described with reference to Figures 5–9.

At 1420, the UE 115 or base station 105 may receive an indication of conditions for sharing the COT based on the COT sharing configuration and the QoS characteristic. The operations of 1420 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1420 may be performed by a sharing conditions indication component as described with reference to Figures 5–9.

Figure 15 shows a flowchart illustrating an example method 1500 that supports QoS-based COT sharing. The operations of method 1500 may be implemented by a base station 105 or its components as described herein. For example, the operations of method 1500 may be performed by a communications manager as described with reference to Figures 5–9. In some examples, a base station 105 may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the base station to perform the functions described below. Additionally, or alternatively, a base station may perform aspects of the functions described below using special-purpose hardware.

At 1505, the base station 105 may determine a COT sharing configuration including a set of COT sharing parameters for sharing a COT of a communications link between a first device and a second device based on a QoS characteristic of the communications link. The operations of 1505 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1505 may be performed by a COT sharing configuration determining component as described with reference to Figures 5–9.

At 1510, the base station 105 may transmit an indication of the COT sharing configuration. The operations of 1510 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1510 may be performed by a COT sharing configuration indicating component as described with reference to Figures 5–9.

It should be noted that the methods described herein describe possible implementations, and that the operations and the steps may be rearranged or otherwise modified and that other implementations are possible. Further, aspects from two or more of the methods may be combined.

Although aspects of an LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR system may be described for purposes of example, and LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR terminology may be used in much of the description, the techniques described herein are applicable beyond LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR networks. For example, the described techniques may be applicable to various other wireless communications systems such as Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB) , Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 (Wi-Fi) , IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX) , IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDM, as well as other systems and radio technologies not explicitly mentioned herein.

Information and signals described herein 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 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 components described in connection with the disclosure herein may be implemented or performed with a general-purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, a CPU, an 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 processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor also may be implemented as a combination of computing devices (such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple 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 executed 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 disclosure and appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, functions described herein may be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, or combinations of any of these. Features implementing functions also may be physically located at various positions, including being distributed such that portions of functions are implemented at different physical locations.

Computer-readable media includes both non-transitory computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A non-transitory storage medium may be any available medium that may be accessed by a general-purpose or special purpose computer. By way of example, and not limitation, non-transitory computer-readable media may include random-access memory (RAM) , read-only memory (ROM) , electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM) , flash memory, compact disk (CD) ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transitory medium that may be used to carry or store desired program code means in the form of instructions or data structures and that may be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer, or a general-purpose or special-purpose processor. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL) , or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of computer-readable medium. Disk and disc, as used herein, include CD, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD) , floppy disk and Blu-ray disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above are also included within the scope of computer-readable media.

The description herein is provided to enable a person having ordinary skill in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be apparent to a person having ordinary skill in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein, but is to be accorded the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

As used herein, a phrase referring to “at least one of” a list of items refers to any combination of those items, including single members. As an example, “at least one of: a, b, or c” is intended to cover: a, b, c, a-b, a-c, b-c, and a-b-c.

The various illustrative logics, logical blocks, modules, circuits and algorithm processes described in connection with the implementations disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. The interchangeability of hardware and software has been described generally, in terms of functionality, and illustrated in the various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits and processes described above. Whether such functionality is implemented in hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system.

The hardware and data processing apparatus used to implement the various illustrative logics, logical blocks, modules and circuits described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented or performed with a general purpose single-or multi-chip processor, a digital signal processor (DSP) , an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) , a field programmable gate array (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, or, any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor also may be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as 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. In some implementations, particular processes and methods may be performed by circuitry that is specific to a given function.

In one or more aspects, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, digital electronic circuitry, computer software, firmware, including the structures disclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents thereof, or in any combination thereof. Implementations of the subject matter described in this specification also can be implemented as one or more computer programs, i.e., one or more modules of computer program instructions, encoded on a computer storage media for execution by, or to control the operation of, data processing apparatus.

If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. The processes of a method or algorithm disclosed herein may be implemented in a processor-executable software module which may reside on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media including any medium that can be enabled to transfer a computer program from one place to another. A storage media may be any available media that may be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that may be used to store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that may be accessed by a computer. Also, any connection can be properly termed a computer-readable medium. Disk and disc, as used herein, includes compact disc (CD) , laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD) , floppy disk, and Blu-ray disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media. Additionally, the operations of a method or algorithm may reside as one or any combination or set of codes and instructions on a machine readable medium and computer-readable medium, which may be incorporated into a computer program product.

Various modifications to the implementations described in this disclosure may be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other implementations without departing from the spirit or scope of this disclosure. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the implementations shown herein, but are to be accorded the widest scope consistent with this disclosure, the principles and the novel features disclosed herein.

Additionally, a person having ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate, the terms “upper” and “lower” are sometimes used for ease of describing the figures, and indicate relative positions corresponding to the orientation of the figure on a properly oriented page, and may not reflect the proper orientation of any device as implemented.

Certain features that are described in this specification in the context of separate implementations also can be implemented in combination in a single implementation. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single implementation also can be implemented in multiple implementations separately or in any suitable subcombination. Moreover, although features may be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more features from a claimed combination can in some implementations be excised from the combination, and the claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination or variation of a subcombination.

Similarly, while operations are depicted in the drawings in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. Further, the drawings may schematically depict one more example processes in the form of a flow diagram. However, other operations that are not depicted can be incorporated in the example processes that are schematically illustrated. For example, one or more additional operations can be performed before, after, simultaneously, or between any of the illustrated operations. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Moreover, the separation of various system components in the implementations described above should not be understood as requiring such separation in all implementations, and it should be understood that the described program components and systems can generally be integrated together in a single software product or packaged into multiple software products. Additionally, other implementations are within the scope of the following claims. In some implementations, the actions recited in the claims can be performed in a different order and still achieve desirable results.

Claims

An apparatus for wireless communications at a first device, comprising:

a processing system configured to:

determine a quality of service (QoS) characteristic of a communications link with a second device;

a first interface configured to:

obtain, over the first interface, a channel occupancy time (COT) sharing configuration comprising a plurality of COT sharing parameters for sharing a COT of the communications link with the second device based at least in part on the QoS characteristic of the communications link; and

wherein the processing system is further configured to:

determine conditions for sharing the COT based at least in part on the COT sharing configuration and the QoS characteristic of the communications link.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein determining the QoS characteristic comprises:

measuring a channel busy ratio of the communications link, a channel occupancy of the communications link, a speed of the second device, or any combination thereof.
The apparatus of claim 2, wherein:

the channel busy ratio of the communications link is measured based at least in part on a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) measurement of the communications link.
The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the first interface is further configured to:

obtain an indication of an RSSI measurement timing configuration (RMTC) window for the RSSI measurement and measuring the channel occupancy.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first interface is further configured to:

obtain the COT sharing configuration from a base station.
The apparatus of claim 5, wherein:

the COT sharing configuration is obtained via semi-static signaling.
The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the apparatus further comprises:

a second interface configured to:

report the QoS characteristic to the base station, wherein the COT sharing configuration is obtained from the base station based at least in part on the reporting.
The apparatus of claim 5, wherein obtaining the COT sharing configuration further comprises:

obtaining a grant for the COT, wherein the grant comprises the COT sharing configuration.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing system is further configured to:

determine the plurality of COT sharing parameters based at least in part on the QoS characteristic of the communications link.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein determining the conditions for sharing the COT further comprises:

determining a transmission type that can be shared within the COT, a shared duration of the COT, an energy detection (ED) threshold to share the COT, an allowed transmit power for sharing the COT, a maximum transmit layer for sharing the COT, a maximum modulation and coding scheme (MCS) for sharing the COT, a type of listen-before-talk procedure performed supported in the COT, a type of device that can share the COT, or a combination thereof.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first interface is further configured to:

obtain, from the second device, an indication of one or more COT sharing parameters.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing system is further configured to:

share the COT with the second device, wherein a configuration of the second device is based at least in part on indicating the conditions for sharing the COT.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing system is further configured to:

share the COT with a plurality of devices, the plurality of devices comprising at least the second device.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the COT sharing configuration is designed for a relay operation.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the communications link comprises a PC5 interface link, a sidelink, or a combination thereof.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the first device and the second device comprise a user equipment (UE) , an access point, a base station, or a combination thereof.
An apparatus for wireless communications at a second device, comprising:

a processing system configured to:

determine a quality of service (QoS) characteristic of a communications link with a first device; and

a first interface configured to:

obtain a channel occupancy time (COT) sharing configuration comprising a plurality of COT sharing parameters for sharing a COT of the communications link with the first device based at least in part on the QoS characteristic of the communications link; and

obtain an indication of conditions for sharing the COT based at least in part on the COT sharing configuration and the QoS characteristic.
The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the apparatus further comprises:

a second interface configured to:

report, over the second interface, a channel busy ratio of the communications link, a channel occupancy of the communications link, a speed of the second device, or any combination thereof.
The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the processing system is further configured to to:

determine, based at least in part on the indication of the conditions, one or more COT sharing parameters to enable to use the COT after the first device is finished using the COT.
The apparatus of claim 19, wherein:

the one or more COT sharing parameters comprise a transmission type, a shared duration, a starting time for the shared duration, an energy detection (ED) threshold, an allowed transmit power, a maximum transmit layer, a maximum modulation and coding scheme (MCS) , a supported type of listen-before-talk procedure in the COT, a type of device that can share the COT, or a combination thereof, to share the COT with the first device.
The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the apparatus further comprises:

a second interface configured to:

indicate, to the first device, the one or more COT sharing parameters.
The apparatus of claim 17, wherein obtaining the COT sharing configuration further comprises:

obtain the COT sharing configuration from a base station.
The apparatus of claim 22, wherein:

the COT sharing configuration is obtained via semi-static signaling.
The apparatus of claim 17, wherein obtaining the COT sharing configuration further comprises:

obtain the COT sharing configuration from the first device.
The apparatus of claim 17, wherein:

the COT sharing configuration is designed for a relay operation.
The apparatus of claim 17, wherein:

the communications link comprises a PC5 interface link, a sidelink, or a combination thereof.
The apparatus of claim 17, wherein:

the first device and the second device comprise a user equipment (UE) , an access point, a base station, or a combination thereof.
An apparatus for wireless communications, comprising:

a processing system configured to:

determine a channel occupancy time (COT) sharing configuration comprising a plurality of COT sharing parameters for sharing a COT of a communications link between a first device and a second device based at least in part on a quality of service (QoS) characteristic of the communications link; and

a first interface configured to:

output an indication of the COT sharing configuration.
The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the first interface is further configured to:

output the COT sharing configuration via semi-static signaling for transmission to the first device, the second device, or both.
The apparatus of claim 28, wherein:

the COT sharing configuration is designed for a relay operation.
The apparatus of claim 28, wherein:

the one or more COT sharing parameters comprise a transmission type, a shared duration, a starting time for the shared duration, an energy detection (ED) threshold, an allowed transmit power, a maximum transmit layer, a maximum modulation and coding scheme (MCS) , a supported type of listen-before-talk procedure in the COT, a type of device that can share the COT, or a combination thereof, to share the COT with the first device.
The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the first device and the second device comprise a user equipment (UE) , an access point, a base station, or a combination thereof.
A method for wireless communications at a first device, comprising:

determining a quality of service (QoS) characteristic of a communications link with a second device;

receiving a channel occupancy time (COT) sharing configuration comprising a plurality of COT sharing parameters for sharing a COT of the communications link with the second device based at least in part on the QoS characteristic of the communications link; and

determining conditions for sharing the COT based at least in part on the COT sharing configuration and the QoS characteristic of the communications link.
The method of claim 33, wherein determining the QoS characteristic comprises:

measuring a channel busy ratio of the communications link, a channel occupancy of the communications link, a speed of the second device, or any combination thereof.
The method of claim 34, wherein:

the channel busy ratio of the communications link is measured based at least in part on a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) measurement of the communications link.
The method of claim 35, further comprising:

receiving, from a base station, an indication of an RSSI measurement timing configuration (RMTC) window for the RSSI measurement and measuring the channel occupancy.
The method of claim 33, wherein receiving the COT sharing configuration comprises:

receiving the COT sharing configuration from a base station.
The method of claim 37, wherein:

the COT sharing configuration is received via semi-static signaling.
The method of claim 37, further comprising:

reporting the QoS characteristic to the base station, wherein the COT sharing configuration is received from the base station based at least in part on the reporting.
The method of claim 37, wherein receiving the occupancy time sharing configuration comprises:

receiving a grant for the COT, wherein the grant comprises the COT sharing configuration.
The method of claim 33, further comprising:

determining the plurality of COT sharing parameters based at least in part on the QoS characteristic of the communications link.
The method of claim 33, wherein determining the conditions for sharing the COT further comprises:

determining a transmission type that can be shared within the COT, a shared duration of the COT, an energy detection (ED) threshold to share the COT, an allowed transmit power for sharing the COT, a maximum transmit layer for sharing the COT, a maximum modulation and coding scheme (MCS) for sharing the COT, a type of listen-before-talk procedure performed supported in the COT, a type of device that can share the COT, or a combination thereof.
The method of claim 33, further comprising:

receiving, from the second device, an indication of one or more COT sharing parameters based at least in part on transmitting the indication of the conditions.
The method of claim 33, further comprising:

sharing the COT with the second device, wherein a configuration of the second device is based at least in part on indicating the conditions for sharing the COT.
The method of claim 33, further comprising:

sharing the COT with a plurality of devices, the plurality of devices comprising at least the second device.
The method of claim 33, wherein:

the COT sharing configuration is designed for a relay operation.
The method of claim 33, wherein:

the communications link comprises a PC5 interface link, a sidelink, or a combination thereof.
The method of claim 33, wherein:

the first device and the second device comprise a user equipment (UE) , an access point, a base station, or a combination thereof.
A method for wireless communications at a second device, comprising:

determining a quality of service (QoS) characteristic of a communications link with a first device;

receiving a channel occupancy time (COT) sharing configuration comprising a plurality of COT sharing parameters for sharing a COT of the communications link with the first device based at least in part on the QoS characteristic of the communications link; and

receiving an indication of conditions for sharing the COT based at least in part on the COT sharing configuration and the QoS characteristic.
The method of claim 49, further comprising:

reporting a channel busy ratio of the communications link, a channel occupancy of the communications link, a speed of the second device, or any combination thereof.
The method of claim 49, further comprising:

determining, based at least in part on the indication of the conditions, one or more COT sharing parameters to enable to use the COT after the first device is finished using the COT.
The method of claim 51, wherein:

the one or more COT sharing parameters comprise a transmission type, a shared duration, a starting time for the shared duration, an energy detection (ED) threshold, an allowed transmit power, a maximum transmit layer, a maximum modulation and coding scheme (MCS) , a supported type of listen-before-talk procedure in the COT, a type of device that can share the COT, or a combination thereof, to share the COT with the first device.
The method of claim 51, further comprising:

indicating, to the first device, the one or more COT sharing parameters.
The method of claim 49, wherein receiving the COT sharing configuration comprises:

receiving the COT sharing configuration from a base station.
The method of claim 54, wherein the COT sharing configuration is received via semi-static signaling.
The method of claim 49, wherein receiving the COT sharing configuration comprises:

receiving the COT sharing configuration from the first device.
The method of claim 49, wherein:

the COT sharing configuration is designed for a relay operation.
The method of claim 49, wherein:

the communications link comprises a PC5 interface link, a sidelink, or a combination thereof.
The method of claim 49, wherein:

the first device and the second device comprise a user equipment (UE) , an access point, a base station, or a combination thereof.
A method for wireless communications, comprising:

determining a channel occupancy time (COT) sharing configuration comprising a plurality of COT sharing parameters for sharing a COT of a communications link between a first device and a second device based at least in part on a quality of service (QoS) characteristic of the communications link; and

transmitting an indication of the COT sharing configuration.
The method of claim 60, further comprising:

transmitting, to the first device, the second device, or both, the COT sharing configuration via semi-static signaling.
The method of claim 60, wherein:

the COT sharing configuration is designed for a relay operation.
The method of claim 60, wherein:

the one or more COT sharing parameters comprise a transmission type, a shared duration, a starting time for the shared duration, an energy detection (ED) threshold, an allowed transmit power, a maximum transmit layer, a maximum modulation and coding scheme (MCS) , a supported type of listen-before-talk procedure in the COT, a type of device that can share the COT, or a combination thereof, to share the COT with the first device.
The method of claim 60, wherein:

the first device and the second device comprise a user equipment (UE) , an access point, a base station, or a combination thereof.
An apparatus for wireless communications at a first device, comprising:

means for determining a quality of service (QoS) characteristic of a communications link with a second device;

means for receiving a channel occupancy time (COT) sharing configuration comprising a plurality of COT sharing parameters for sharing a COT of the communications link with the second device based at least in part on the QoS characteristic of the communications link; and

means for determining conditions for sharing the COT based at least in part on the COT sharing configuration and the QoS characteristic of the communications link.
An apparatus for wireless communications, comprising:

means for determining a quality of service (QoS) characteristic of a communications link with a first device;

means for receiving a channel occupancy time (COT) sharing configuration comprising a plurality of COT sharing parameters for sharing a COT of the communications link with the first device based at least in part on the QoS characteristic of the communications link; and

means for receiving an indication of conditions for sharing the COT based at least in part on the COT sharing configuration and the QoS characteristic.
An apparatus for wireless communications, comprising:

means for determining a channel occupancy time (COT) sharing configuration comprising a plurality of COT sharing parameters for sharing a COT of a communications link between a first device and a second device based at least in part on a quality of service (QoS) characteristic of the communications link; and

means for transmitting an indication of the COT sharing configuration.
A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communications at a first device, the code comprising instructions executable by a processor to:

determine a quality of service (QoS) characteristic of a communications link with a second device;

receive a channel occupancy time (COT) sharing configuration comprising a plurality of COT sharing parameters for sharing a COT of the communications link with the second device based at least in part on the QoS characteristic of the communications link; and

determine conditions for sharing the COT based at least in part on the COT sharing configuration and the QoS characteristic of the communications link.
A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communications, the code comprising instructions executable by a processor to:

determine a quality of service (QoS) characteristic of a communications link with a first device;

receive a channel occupancy time (COT) sharing configuration comprising a plurality of COT sharing parameters for sharing a COT of the communications link with the first device based at least in part on the QoS characteristic of the communications link; and

receive an indication of conditions for sharing the COT based at least in part on the COT sharing configuration and the QoS characteristic.
A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communications, the code comprising instructions executable by a processor to:

determine a channel occupancy time (COT) sharing configuration comprising a plurality of COT sharing parameters for sharing a COT of a communications link between a first device and a second device based at least in part on a quality of service (QoS) characteristic of the communications link; and

transmit an indication of the COT sharing configuration.