Techniques for identifying resources to transmit a channel reservation signal

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016183296-A1
Application number	US-201514964136-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 9, 2015
Priority date	Dec 18, 2014
Publication date	Jun 23, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Techniques are described for wireless communication. A first method includes winning, at a UE, contention for access to a channel of a shared radio frequency spectrum band; identifying a number of frequency resources of the band that are allocated to the UE for at least one uplink transmission following the winning contention for access; and transmitting a channel reservation signal using a set of frequency resources associated with the identified number of frequency resources. A second method includes winning, at a UE, contention for access to a channel of a shared radio frequency spectrum band; identifying a number of frequency resources of the band that are pre-designated by a base station for transmission of a channel reservation signal; and transmitting the channel reservation signal, after the winning contention for access, using a set of frequency resources associated with the identified number of pre-designated frequency resources.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method for wireless communications, comprising:
winning, at a user equipment (UE), contention for access to a channel of a shared radio frequency spectrum band; identifying a number of frequency resources of the channel of the shared radio frequency spectrum band that are allocated to the UE for at least one uplink transmission following the winning contention for access; and transmitting a channel reservation signal using a set of frequency resources associated with the identified number of frequency resources.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the channel reservation signal comprises an uplink channel usage beacon signal (U-CUBS).

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the U-CUBS is transmitted between the winning contention for access to the channel of the shared radio frequency spectrum band and the at least one uplink transmission.

4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the U-CUBS is transmitted during a first subframe, and the at least one uplink transmission is transmitted during at least one subframe following the first subframe.

5 . The method of claim 2 , wherein at least one physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) is scheduled for transmission following the winning contention for access, and wherein identifying the number of frequency resources that are allocated to the UE for the at least one uplink transmission comprises:
identifying at least one frequency resource allocated to a first PUSCH.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the first PUSCH is scheduled for transmission on a first number of frequency resources in a first slot of a subframe.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the first PUSCH is further scheduled for transmission on a second number of frequency resources in a second slot of the subframe.

8 . The method of claim 2 , wherein at least one physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) and at least one physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) are scheduled to be transmitted following the winning contention for access, and wherein identifying the number of frequency resources that are allocated to the UE for the at least one uplink transmission comprises:
identifying at least one frequency resource allocated for transmission of the at least one PUSCH but not identifying a frequency resource allocated to the at least one PUCCH.

9 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the number of frequency resources is identified in at least one uplink grant or at least one control signal.

10 . The method of claim 2 , wherein:
identifying the number of frequency resources that are allocated to the UE for the at least one uplink transmission comprises identifying a number of resource blocks including the number of frequency resources; and transmitting the U-CUBS comprises transmitting the U-CUBS on the identified number of resource blocks.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the number of resource blocks are identified in at least one PUSCH.

12 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the number of resource blocks are identified in a subframe in which the winning contention for access occurs.

13 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the at least one uplink transmission comprises a sounding reference signal (SRS).

14 . The method of claim 2 , wherein a sounding reference signal (SRS) and at least one physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) are scheduled for transmission following the winning contention for access, and wherein the SRS is scheduled for transmission in a first symbol of a subframe.

15 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
identifying a first number of resource blocks allocated for transmission of the SRS and a second number of resource blocks allocated for transmission of the at least one PUSCH; wherein identifying the number of frequency resources that are allocated to the UE for the at least one uplink transmission comprises: identifying at least one frequency resource allocated for transmission of the at least one PUSCH when the second number of resource blocks exceeds the first number of resource blocks; and identifying at least one frequency resource allocated for transmission of the SRS when the first number of resource blocks exceeds the second number of resource blocks.

16 . The method of claim 14 , wherein identifying the number of frequency resources that are allocated to the UE for the at least one uplink transmission comprises:
identifying at least one frequency resource allocated for transmission of the at least one PUSCH; and identifying at least one frequency resource allocated for transmission of the SRS.

17 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the U-CUBS comprises a copy of a demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) scheduled to be transmitted in at least one of: a first subframe in which the winning contention for access occurs, a second subframe following the first subframe, or a combination thereof.

18 . An apparatus for wireless communications, comprising:
a processor; memory in electronic communication with the processor; and instructions stored in the memory, the instructions being executable by the processor to: win, at a user equipment (UE), contention for access to a channel of a shared radio frequency spectrum band; identify a number of frequency resources of the channel of the shared radio frequency spectrum band that are allocated to the UE for at least one uplink transmission following the winning contention for access; and transmit a channel reservation signal using a set of frequency resources associated with the identified number of frequency resources.

19 . The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the channel reservation signal comprises an uplink channel usage beacon signal (U-CUBS).

20 . The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the U-CUBS is transmitted between the winning contention for access to the channel of the shared radio frequency spectrum band and the at least one uplink transmission.

21 . The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the U-CUBS is transmitted during a first subframe, and the at least one uplink transmission is transmitted during at least one subframe following the first subframe.

22 . A method for wireless communications, comprising:
winning, at a user equipment (UE), contention for access to a channel of a shared radio frequency spectrum band; identifying a number of frequency resources of the channel of the shared radio frequency spectrum band that are pre-designated by a base station for transmission of a channel reservation signal; and transmitting the channel reservation signal, after the winning contention for access, using a set of frequency resources associated with the identified number of pre-designated frequency resources.

23 . The method of claim 22 , wherein the number of frequency resources pre-designated by the base station comprise at least one of: a cyclic shift per resource block of a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), a code per resource block of the PUCCH, or a combination thereof.

24 . The method of claim 22 , wherein the channel reservation signal comprises an uplink channel usage beacon signal (U-CUBS).

25 . The method of claim 24 , wherein the U-CUBS is transmitted between the winning contention for access to the channel of the shared radio frequency spectrum band and at least one uplink transmission.

26 . The method of claim 22 , wherein the channel reservation signal comprises a junk transmission.

27 .

Assignees

• Qualcomm Inc

Inventors

• Yerramalli Srinivas
• Luo Tao

Classifications

• H04W72/23

  in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal · CPC title

• H04W72/21

  in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network · CPC title

• H04W74/004 Primary

  in the uplink, i.e. towards network · CPC title

• H04W16/14

  Spectrum sharing arrangements {between different networks} · CPC title

• H04W74/08

  Non-scheduled access, e.g. ALOHA (hybrid access H04W74/02) · CPC title