# US 2018/0324604 A1 · Clear channel assessment detection method and device

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- Number: US 2018/0324604 A1
- Document ID: US20180324604A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 15/773,741
- Filed: 2016-11-04
- Published: 2018-11-08
- Earliest claimed: 2015-11-05
- Assignees: Zte Corporation
- Applicants: Zte Corporation
- Inventors: Ling YANG; Wei GOU; Focai PENG; Yajun ZHAO; Xincai LI; Feng BI; Chenchen ZHANG
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180324604A1

## CPC

- H04W 24/02: Arrangements for optimising operational condition
- H04L 5/001: {the frequencies being arranged in component carriers}
- H04W 74/0808: using carrier sensing, e.g. carrier sense multiple access [CSMA]
- H04W 16/14: Spectrum sharing arrangements {between different networks}
- H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72)
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)

## Abstract

The present disclosure provides a clear channel assessment detection method and apparatus. The method includes: acquiring a clear channel assessment (CCA) detection pattern or a Muting pattern; and performing a CCA detection to an unlicensed carrier channel on resources corresponding to one of the CCA detection pattern or the Muting pattern.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A clear channel assessment detection method, comprising:
acquiring a clear channel assessment (CCA) detection pattern or a Muting pattern; and
performing a CCA detection to an unlicensed carrier channel on resources corresponding to one of the CCA detection pattern or the Muting pattern.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the acquiring the CCA detection pattern or the Muting pattern comprises:
acquiring the CCA detection pattern or the Muting pattern according to a parameter, wherein the parameter comprises at least one of the following: a starting position of a time domain, a starting position of a frequency domain, a length of consecutive resources of the time domain, a length of consecutive resources of the frequency domain, an interval between time domain resources, an interval between frequency domain resources, the number of subframes of the time domain or a length of transmission burst, or a bandwidth of the frequency domain.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method according to claim 2, wherein the starting position of the time domain comprises at least one of the following:
an index number of a starting subframe of the time domain, an index number of an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbol in a subframe corresponding to the index number of the starting subframe of the time domain, an index number of a time slot in the subframe corresponding to the index number of the starting subframe of the time domain, or an index number of an OFDM symbol in the time slot in the subframe corresponding to the index number of the starting subframe of the time domain.

### Claim 4

(canceled)

### Claim 5

(canceled)

### Claim 6 (depends on 2)

The method according to claim 2, wherein the starting position of the frequency domain comprises at least one of the following:
an index number of a starting physical resource block (PRB) of the frequency domain, an index number of a starting resource element (RE) in each PRB of the frequency domain, an index number of a starting position of an RE in the whole frequency domain bandwidth, an index number of a starting resource block group (RBG) of the frequency domain, an index number of a starting resource element group (REG) of the frequency domain, or an index of a starting sub-band of the frequency domain.

### Claim 7

(canceled)

### Claim 8

(canceled)

### Claim 9 (depends on 2)

The method according to claim 2, wherein the interval between time domain resources comprises at least one of the following:
the number of OFDM symbols or subframes or frames between a previous resource and a next resource on the time domain,
the number of OFDM symbols or subframes or frames between a previous resource and a next resource block on the time domain,
the number of OFDM symbols or subframes or frames between a previous resource block and a next resource on the time domain, or
the number of OFDM symbols or subframes or frames between a previous resource block and a next resource block on the time domain.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method according to claim 9, wherein the number of OFDM symbols refers to at least one of the following:
the number of OFDM symbols between a previous resource and a next resource on the time domain, refers to the number of symbols from an ending symbol position of the previous resource to a starting symbol of the next resource;
the number of OFDM symbols between a previous resource and a next resource block on the time domain, refers to the number of symbols from an ending symbol position of the previous resource to a starting symbol of the next resource block;
the number of OFDM symbols between a previous resource block and a next resource on the time domain, refers to the number of symbols from an ending symbol position of the previous resource block to a starting symbol of the next resource; or
the number of OFDM symbols between a previous resource block and a next resource block on the time domain, refers to the number of symbols from an ending symbol position of the previous resource block to a starting symbol of the next resource block.

### Claim 11

(canceled)

### Claim 12

(canceled)

### Claim 13 (depends on 2)

The method according to claim 2, wherein the interval between frequency domain resources comprises at least one of the following:
the number of PRBs contained between a previous PRB and a next PRB on the frequency domain;
the number of PRBs contained between a previous PRB block and a next PRB block on the frequency domain;
the number of PRBs contained between a previous PRB and a next PRB block on the frequency domain;
the number of PRBs contained between a previous PRB block and a next PRB on the frequency domain;
the number of REs contained between a previous RE and a next RE on the frequency domain;
the number of REs contained between a previous RE block and a next RE block on the frequency domain;
the number of REs contained between a previous RE and a next RE block on the frequency domain;
the number of REs contained between a previous RE block and a next RE on the frequency domain;
the number of RBGs or RBs contained between a previous RBG and a next RBG on the frequency domain;
the number of RBGs or RBs contained between a previous RBG and a next RBG block on the frequency domain;
the number of RBGs or RBs contained between a previous RBG block and a next RBG on the frequency domain;
the number of RBGs or RBs contained between a previous RBG block and a next RBG block on the frequency domain; or
the number of RBs or sub-bands contained between a previous sub-band and a next sub-band on the frequency domain.

### Claim 14

(canceled)

### Claim 15

(canceled)

### Claim 16

(canceled)

### Claim 17 (depends on 2)

The method according to claim 2, wherein the number of subframes of the time domain or a length of transmission burst comprises at least one of the following: the number of frames, the number of subframes, the number of OFDM symbols, the number of consecutively occupied subframes, the number of consecutively occupied OFDM symbols, the number of consecutively used subframes started at the time of executing the CCA successfully, or a length of consecutively used time durations started at the time of executing the CCA successfully.

### Claim 18

(canceled)

### Claim 19

(canceled)

### Claim 20 (depends on 2)

The method according to claim 2, wherein the CCA detection pattern or the Muting pattern is formed by at least one of the following frequency domain parameters and at least one of the following time domain parameters, wherein
the at least one of the frequency domain parameters by which a frequency domain pattern is formed comprises at least one of the following:
a whole bandwidth of the frequency domain, an index of a starting PRB on the frequency domain, the number of consecutive PRBs on the frequency domain, an interval between PRBs and/or PRB blocks on the frequency domain, an index of a starting RE in the starting PRB on the frequency domain, an index of a starting RE on the frequency domain, the number of consecutive REs on the frequency domain, an interval between REs and/or RE blocks on the frequency domain, an index of a starting RBG on the frequency domain, the number of consecutive RBGs on the frequency domain, an interval between RBGs and/or RBG blocks on the frequency domain, an index of a starting sub-band on the frequency domain, a sub-band bandwidth, or an interval between sub-bands on the frequency domain;
the at least one of the time domain parameters by which a time domain pattern is formed comprises at least one of the following:
a whole resource of the time domain, an index of a starting frame on the time domain, an index of a starting subframe in the starting frame on the time domain, indexes of time slots of the starting subframe in the starting frame on the time domain, a length of consecutive OFDM symbols on the time domain, a length of consecutive subframes on the time domain, indexes of consecutive frames on the time domain, or an interval between OFDM symbols and/or OFDM symbol blocks on the time domain.

### Claim 21 (depends on 20)

The method according to claim 20, wherein
at least one of the following patterns is determined according to the at least one of the parameters by which the frequency domain pattern is formed: an RE-level frequency domain pattern, a PRB-level frequency domain pattern, an RBG-level frequency domain pattern, or a sub-band-level frequency domain pattern; and/or,
at least one of the following patterns is determined according to the at least one of the parameters by which the time domain pattern is formed: a whole time domain; a pattern of a consecutive resource block on the time domain; a time domain pattern of which intervals on the time domain are the same and sizes of resources or resource blocks on the time domain are the same; a time domain pattern of which the intervals on the time domain are the same and sizes of resources or resource blocks on the time domain are different; a time domain pattern of which intervals on the time domain are different and sizes of resources or resource on the time domain blocks are the same; or a time domain pattern of which intervals on the time domain are different and sizes of resources or resource blocks on the time domain are different.

### Claim 22 (depends on 21)

The method according to claim 21, wherein the RE-level frequency domain pattern comprises at least one of the following:
a frequency domain pattern of which an RE pattern on each PRB is the same and which is composed of one RE in one PRB;
a frequency domain pattern of which an RE pattern on each PRB is the same and which is composed of multiple consecutive REs in one PRB;
a frequency domain pattern of which an RE pattern on each PRB is the same and which is composed of REs or RE blocks with the same size and equal interval in one PRB;
a frequency domain pattern of which an RE pattern on each PRB is the same and which is composed of REs or RE blocks with different sizes and equal interval in one PRB;
a frequency domain pattern of which an RE pattern on each PRB is the same and which is composed of REs or RE blocks with the same size and unequal intervals in one PRB;
a frequency domain pattern of which an RE pattern on each PRB is the same and which is composed of RE or RE blocks with different sizes and unequal intervals in one PRB;
a frequency domain pattern which is composed of REs or RE blocks with the same size and equal interval in the whole bandwidth;
a frequency domain pattern which is composed of REs or RE blocks with different sizes and equal interval in the whole bandwidth;
a frequency domain pattern which is composed of REs or RE blocks with the same size and unequal intervals in the whole bandwidth; or
a frequency domain pattern which is composed of REs or RE blocks with different sizes and unequal intervals in the whole bandwidth;
wherein the PRB-level frequency domain pattern comprises at least one of the following:
a frequency domain pattern which is composed of PRBs or PRB blocks with the same size and equal interval in the whole frequency domain;
a frequency domain pattern which is composed of PRBs or PRB blocks with different sizes and equal interval in the whole bandwidth domain;
a frequency domain pattern which is composed of PRBs or PRB blocks with the same size and unequal intervals in the whole bandwidth domain; or
a frequency domain pattern which is composed of PRBs or PRB blocks with different sizes and unequal intervals in the whole bandwidth domain;
wherein the RBG-level frequency domain pattern comprises at least one of the following:
a frequency domain pattern which is composed of RBGs or RBG blocks with the same size and equal interval in the whole frequency domain;
a frequency domain pattern which is composed of RBGs or RBG blocks with different sizes and equal interval in the whole bandwidth;
a frequency domain pattern which is composed of RBGs or RBG blocks with the same size and unequal intervals in the whole bandwidth; or
a frequency domain pattern which is composed of RBGs or RBG blocks with different sizes and unequal intervals in the whole bandwidth;
wherein the sub-band-level frequency domain pattern comprises at least one of the following:
a frequency domain pattern which is composed of sub-bands with the same bandwidth and equal interval in the whole frequency domain;
a frequency domain pattern which is composed of sub-bands with different bandwidths and equal interval in the whole frequency domain;
a frequency domain pattern which is composed of sub-bands with the same bandwidth and unequal intervals in the whole frequency domain; or
a frequency domain pattern which is composed of sub-bands with different bandwidths and unequal intervals in the whole frequency domain.

### Claim at position 23

23-27. (canceled)

### Claim 28 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of performing the CCA detection to the unlicensed carrier channel on resources corresponding to one of the CCA detection pattern or the Muting pattern comprises at least one of:
configuring different CCA detection patterns or Muting patterns for different operators;
configuring the same CCA detection pattern or Muting pattern on transmission equipments in a same system under a same operator; or
configuring different CCA detection patterns or Muting patterns on different transmission equipments in the same system under the same operator.

### Claim 29 (depends on 28)

The method according to claim 28, further comprising: a transmission equipment performing the CCA detection on the resources corresponding to one of the configured CCA detection pattern or Muting pattern, which comprises at least one of:
determining at least one of the following under a condition that energy detected on the resources corresponding to the corresponding CCA detection pattern or Muting pattern is less than a first threshold value: the unlicensed carrier channel is in an idle state, an equipment in the same operator occupies the unlicensed carrier channel already, or there is no inter-system on the unlicensed carrier channel; or
determining at least one of the following under a condition that energy detected on the resources corresponding to the corresponding CCA detection pattern or Muting pattern is greater than the first threshold value: there is an inter-system on the unlicensed carrier channel, the unlicensed carrier channel is unavailable, or the unlicensed carrier channel is occupied by an equipment in another system or in an inter-operator;
wherein the first threshold value is capable of being adjusted when the energy on the CCA detection pattern or the Muting pattern is less than the first threshold value.

### Claim 30

(canceled)

### Claim 31 (depends on 28)

The method according to claim 28, further comprising: the transmission equipment in the same system under the same operator performing the CCA detection on the whole bandwidth or on resources beyond the configured CCA detection pattern or Muting pattern, which comprises:
determining that the transmission equipment is capable of performing multiplexing with another transmission equipment that is in the same operator and occupies a channel already or the transmission equipment determines that the unlicensed carrier channel is available under a condition that energy detected on the whole bandwidth or on resources corresponding to a complementary set of the corresponding CCA detection pattern or Muting pattern is greater than a first threshold value and less than a second threshold value;
determining that the unlicensed carrier channel is in an idle state under a condition that the energy detected on the whole bandwidth or on the resources corresponding to the complementary set of the corresponding CCA detection pattern or Muting pattern is less than the first threshold value;
determining one of the following under a condition that the energy detected on the resources corresponding to the complementary set of the corresponding CCA detection pattern or Muting pattern is greater than the second threshold value: the unlicensed carrier is in an unavailable state, or the unlicensed carrier is being used by another transmission equipment or an equipment in the inter-operator.

### Claim 32 (depends on 31)

The method according to claim 31, wherein
if the energy detected by the transmission equipment on the resources corresponding to the CCA detection pattern or Muting pattern is less than the first threshold value and the energy detected on the resources corresponding to the complementary set of the corresponding CCA detection pattern or Muting pattern is greater than the first threshold value and less than the second threshold value, a current LBT process is stopped for the transmission equipment that executes the LBT process with random back-off, and a random back-off value N is reconfigured according to a time domain duration of the Muting pattern, or an LBT Cat2 mechanism is executed immediately, wherein N is an integer which is greater than and/or equal to 0.

### Claim 33

(canceled)

### Claim 34

(canceled)

### Claim 35 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, further comprising:
adopting the same CCA detection pattern or Muting pattern among base stations in a same operator.

### Claim 36 (depends on 35)

The method according to claim 35, wherein the adopting the same CCA detection pattern or Muting pattern among the base stations in the same operator comprises one of the following steps:
selecting or determining, by at least one of a plurality of base stations of the operator, at least one pattern to be used for the CCA detection from a set of CCA patterns, and notifying, by the at least one of the plurality of the base stations, the at least one pattern or parameter(s) adopted for forming the pattern to other base stations via an interface X2, wherein the at least one pattern serves as the CCA detection pattern or the Muting pattern;
determining in a predefined manner the same CCA detection pattern or Muting pattern adopted by the base stations in the same operator; or,
configuring, by the at least one base station, parameter(s) which is used for acquiring the CCA pattern by an OAM background, thereby acquiring the pattern adopted during the CCA detection or the Muting pattern.

### Claim 37 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, further comprising one of the following steps:
acquiring, by a transmission equipment, the CCA detection pattern or the Muting pattern through a broadcast notification of a base station connected with a user equipment;
acquiring, by the transmission equipment, the CCA detection pattern or the Muting pattern through a downlink control information (DCI) instruction;
acquiring, by the transmission equipment, the CCA detection pattern or the Muting pattern by inserting a parameter configuration of a CCA pattern into a SIM card; or
acquiring, by the transmission equipment, the CCA detection pattern or the Muting pattern in a predefined manner.

### Claim 38 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein one of the CCA detection pattern, the Muting pattern, or parameter(s) that forms the CCA detection pattern or the Muting pattern is acquired by at least one of the following:
a predefined manner, a physical layer DCI signaling, a high-level radio resource control (RRC) signaling, a negotiation between base stations, or an appointment between a base station and a UE.

### Claim 39

A clear channel assessment (CCA) detection apparatus, comprising:
an acquisition module, configured to acquire a CCA detection pattern or a Muting pattern; and
a detection module, configured to perform a CCA detection to an unlicensed carrier channel on resources corresponding to one of the CCA detection pattern or the Muting pattern.

### Claim 40

(canceled)