Channel access enhancements for ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) in unlicensed spectrum

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions for execution by processing circuitry of a user equipment (UE) configurable for unlicensed band operation in a 5G NR system (5GS),

• wherein when operating in semi-static channel access mode, the processing circuitry is configured to:
• decode downlink control information (DCI) that schedules an uplink grant for a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), the DCI indicating whether the uplink grant is to be performed with a UE-initiated channel-occupancy time (COT) or with a generation Node B (gNB) initiated COT that is to be shared with the UE,
• wherein when the DCI indicates that the uplink grant is to be performed for the VE initiated COT, the processing circuitry is configured to cause the UE to transmit an uplink (UL) transmission burst carrying the PUSCH, as an initiating device, starting at a beginning of fixed frame period (FFP) and ending at a symbol before an idle period of the FFP after a successful clear-channel assessment (CCA),
• wherein when the DCI indicates that the uplink grant is to be performed with the gNB-initiated COT that is to be shared with the UE, the processing circuitry is configured to cause the UE to transmit the UL transmission burst carrying the PUSCH within a predetermined time period after detection of a downlink (DL) transmission burst within the gNB-initiated COT without first performing the CCA,
• wherein the UL transmission burst within the gNB-initiated COT indicates a time-domain resource utilization by the UE within the gNB-initiated COT.

An apparatus of a generation node B (gNB) configurable for unlicensed band operation in a 5G NR system (5GS), the apparatus comprising:

• processing circuitry;
• and memory,
• wherein the processing circuitry is configured to encode a system information block 1 (SIB1), the SIB1 encoded to include a fixed frame period (FFP) for a user equipment (UE) UE-initiated channel-occupancy time (COT) (UE FFP);
• wherein to configure the UE to operate in a semi-static channel access mode, the processing circuity is to encode the SIB1 to further indicate an FFP for a gNB-initiated COT (gNB FFP),
• wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to encode downlink control information (DCI) that schedules an uplink grant for a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), the DCI indicating whether the uplink grant is to be performed with the UE-initiated channel-occupancy time (COT) or with the gNB initiated COT that is to be shared with the UE;
• wherein when the DCI is encoded to indicate that the uplink grant is to be performed for the UE initiated COT, and when the UE is configured to operate in the semi-static channel access mode, the gNB is configured to receive an uplink (UL) transmission burst from the UE operating as an initiating device, the UL transmission burst starting at a beginning of the UE FFP after a successful clear-channel assessment (CCA) by the UE,
• wherein when the DCI is encoded to indicate that the uplink grant is to be performed with the gNB-initiated COT that is to be shared with the UE, the processing circuitry is to configure the gNB to receive the UL transmission burst carrying the PUSCH within a predetermined time period after detection of a downlink (DL) transmission burst within the gNB-initiated COT without first performing the CCA,
• wherein the UL transmission burst within the gNB-initiated COT indicates a time-domain resource utilization by the UE within the gNB-initiated COT.