阅读说明：本技术 增强的先听后说 (Enhanced listen before talk ) 是由 F.吴 于 2020-02-23 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种增强的LBT过程(200)减少在用户设备和基站之间通过未许可频谱传送传输中的不必要的延迟。UE或基站基于不同类型的传输有效载荷(例如,不同于预定义的、与QoS相关UP消息数据有效载荷或除了其之外的传输有效载荷)到不同的CAPC的智能映射,选择对应于预期传输(225)的特定CAPC。对应于不同类型的传输有效载荷的大多数(如果不是全部)映射的CAPC具有比最低优先级CAPC的优先级更高的优先级(212-222),从而导致信道接入过程与相应的传输有效载荷更加相称。智能映射还可以指示不同类型的传输有效载荷和/或不同类型的消息之间的不同优先级,和/或可以指示当多种类型的传输有效载荷被包括在单个预期传输中时,哪种类型的传输将管理CAPC的选择。(An enhanced LBT procedure (200) reduces unnecessary delay in transmitting a transmission over unlicensed spectrum between a user equipment and a base station. The UE or base station selects a particular CAPC corresponding to the intended transmission (225) based on an intelligent mapping of different types of transmission payloads (e.g., other than or in addition to the predefined QoS-related UP message data payload) to different CAPCs. Most, if not all, of the mapped CAPCs corresponding to different types of transport payloads have a higher priority (212-222) than the priority of the lowest priority CAPC, resulting in a channel access procedure that is more commensurate with the corresponding transport payload. The intelligent mapping may also indicate different types of transport payloads and/or different priorities between different types of messages, and/or may indicate which type of transport will manage the selection of CAPC when multiple types of transport payloads are included in a single expected transport.)

1. A method in a device of a wireless network system, the method comprising:

initiating, by processing hardware of the device, a process of transmitting a transmission over a wireless channel;

selecting, by processing hardware of the device, a Channel Access Priority Class (CAPC) from a plurality of CAPCs having different CAPCs, the selected CAPC having a higher channel access priority than a channel access priority of another CAPC included in the plurality of CAPCs, the selecting based on a payload of the transmission and a mapping, and the mapping indicating at least one of:

respective associations between respective ones of the plurality of CAPCs and respective random access preambles of one or more types; or

Respective associations between respective ones of the plurality of CAPCs and one or more types of Control Plane (CP) messages; and

performing, by processing hardware of the device, a Listen Before Talk (LBT) procedure in accordance with the selected CAPC corresponding to the transmission.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the mapping further indicates an association between: (i) a data content of a User Plane (UP) message, the data content of the UP message not associated with any quality of service (QoS) of the wireless network system, and (ii) a CAPC with a lowest channel access priority.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the payload of the transmission comprises a UP message having the data content not associated with any QoS class, and performing an LBT procedure in accordance with the selected CAPC corresponding to the transmission comprises performing an LBT procedure in accordance with the CAPC having a lowest channel access priority.

4. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the mapping further indicates respective associations between respective ones of the plurality of CAPCs and different types of data content of UP messages having respective associations with different quality of service (QoS) classes of the wireless network system.

5. The method of any of claims 1, 2, and 4, wherein the payload of the transmission comprises a UP message having data content associated with a particular QoS class, and performing the LBT procedure in accordance with the selected CAPC corresponding to the transmission comprises performing an LBT procedure in accordance with the CAPC associated with the particular QoS class.

6. The method of any one of claims 1, 2, and 4, wherein:

the payload of the transmission comprises a CP message;

the mapping indicates an association between the selected CAPC and the CP message; and

the selected CAPC has a channel access priority higher than a corresponding channel access priority of any CAPC associated with the UP message.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein:

the CP message has an association with a type of Signaling Radio Bearer (SRB);

the mapping indicates an association between the selected CAPC and the type of signaling radio bearer associated with the CP message; and

the selected CAPC is a particular CAPC having a type of association with the Signaling Radio Bearer (SRB) and having a channel access priority higher than a corresponding channel access priority of any CAPC associated with any CP message not associated with any type of SRB.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the respective channel access priority of any CAPC associated with any CP message that is not associated with any type of SRB is a default CAPC of CP messages, and wherein the default CAPC of CP messages has a higher channel access priority than the channel access priority of the CAPC with the lowest channel access priority.

9. The method of any of claims 6 to 8, wherein:

the CP message has an association with a first type of Signaling Radio Bearer (SRB);

the selected CAPC is a first CAPC associated with the first type of SRB and having a channel access priority level higher than a channel access priority of a second CAPC associated with a second type of SRB;

the mapping indicates an association between the first CAPC and the first type of SRB; and

the mapping indicates an association between the second CAPC and the second type of SRB.

10. The method of any preceding claim, wherein the transmission comprises a type of random access preamble and the wireless channel is a Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH).

11. The method of any of claims 1 to 9, wherein the transmission comprises an UP message or a CP message and the wireless channel is a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH).

12. The method of any of claims 1 to 9, wherein the procedure is a two-step random access channel procedure and the transmission is msgA.

13. The method of any of claims 1 to 9, wherein the procedure is a two-step random access channel procedure and the transmission is msgB.

14. A User Equipment (UE) comprising processing hardware and configured to implement the method of any of claims 1 to 13.

15. A base station comprising processing hardware and configured to implement the method of any of claims 1 to 13.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to wireless communications, and more particularly, to allocating resources for wireless communications in an unlicensed portion of a spectrum.

Background

The background description provided within this document is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.

In some cases, base stations and user equipment operating in a wireless communications network system may utilize portions of both licensed and unlicensed radio spectrum. For example, a 5G New Radio (NR) supports operation in unlicensed spectrum, commonly referred to as NR-U. One of the requirements of NR-U is to interact with other radio access technologies (such as(IEEE 802.11)) coexists.

Because base stations and User Equipment devices (UEs) cannot rely on persistent scheduling of time-frequency resources in unlicensed spectrum, base stations and UEs perform channel access procedures to determine whether a particular channel is idle prior to transmission. The channel access procedure may be, for example, a so-called listen-before-talk (LBT) procedure, which is generally a mechanism by which a device (e.g., a base station or UE) applies a Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) check before using a channel. The CCA, in turn, utilizes minimum energy detection to determine the presence or absence of other signals on the channel in order to determine whether the channel is occupied or clear (clear).

When operating in unlicensed spectrum and prior to transmission, devices of the wireless network system perform an LBT procedure according to an associated Channel Access Priority Class (CAPC). The priority range of the channel access priority class is from the highest priority (e.g., CAPC1) to the lowest priority (e.g., CAPC 4), and the channel access priority class manages the maximum size, minimum size and allowed size of the contention window, the maximum link occupancy time, the number of consecutive durations for delay (which may be indicated in milliseconds and/or may be indicated in units of time slots, where the duration of a time slot is based on the subcarrier spacing used for communicating between the UE and the base station), and other time-based parameters that the device follows when performing channel access procedures, such as LBT. For example, a higher channel access priority class may correspond to a smaller or shorter contention window, occupancy time, number of delay slots, etc., while a lower channel access priority class may correspond to a larger or longer contention window, occupancy time, number of delay slots, etc. Thus, a device performing an LBT procedure according to a higher CAPC may be able to transmit its intended transmission faster and with less delay than a device performing an LBT procedure according to a lower CAPC.

In an illustrative example, 3GPP TR 38.889v16.0.0 specifies in table 7.2.1.3.1-4 "channel access scheme for UE to initiate COT as LBE device" (copies of which are as follows), wherein a UE intending to transmit a User Plane (UP) message over PUSCH (physical uplink shared channel) should perform LBT according to CAPC corresponding to a type of UP data payload (payload) included in the UP message.

TABLE 7.2.1.3.1-4: channel access scheme for UE to initiate COT as LBE device

In general, different types of user plane payloads may correspond to different quality of service (QoS) class identifiers (QCIs), and different QCIs correspond to different CAPCs. For example, 3GPP TS 36.300v15.4.0 specifies "mapping between channel access priority classes and QCIs" (copies of which are as follows) in table 5.7.1-1, where QCI 1, QCI 3, QCI 5, QCI 65, QCI 66, QCI 69, and QCI 70 correspond to CAPC1, QCI 2 and QCI 7 correspond to CAPC 2, QCI 4, QCI 6, QCI 8, and QCI 9 correspond to CAPC3, and the other QCIs correspond to CAPC 4.

Table 5.7.1-1: mapping between channel access priority classes and QCIs

Thus, for an example message including a UP payload type with QCI of 3, the UE performs LBT according to CAPC1 before transmitting the UP message, and for an example message including a UP payload type with QCI of 8, the UE performs LBT according to CAPC3 before transmitting the UP message. The UE transmits the expected message after successfully completing each LBT procedure.

Table 7.2.1.3.1-4 of 3GPP TR 38.889v16.0.0 also indicates that a UE intending to transmit only SRS (sounding reference signal), only RACH (random access procedure) message, or only control information over PUCCH (physical uplink control channel) should perform LBT according to the lowest priority CAPC. However, for messages that do not include UP data payloads corresponding to QoS or QCI, the method of defaulting to the lowest priority CAPC is affected by unnecessary, inconsistent and incompatible delays of uplink transmissions from the UE to the base station. For example, by using this approach, during a two-step RACH procedure, the msgA transmission of User Plane (UP) messages or Control Plane (CP) messages including those associated with higher channel access priority classes may still be affected by the delay of the LBT procedure performed according to the lowest priority CAPC and its accompanying longer control window, occupancy time, etc. In another example, during the four-step RACH procedure, transmitting msg3 including the UP content payload associated with the higher channel access priority class is still subject to a delay of a previous LBT procedure performed according to the lowest priority CAPC prior to transmitting msg1 of the four-step RACH procedure. Similarly, UE transmissions comprising Control Plane (CP) messages or information are subject to unnecessary, inconsistent or even unknown delays due to the LBT procedure performed based on the lowest priority CAPC.

Furthermore, wireless network systems may also be affected by unnecessary, inconsistent and incompatible delays of downlink transmissions from the base station to the UE, since such downlink transmissions are also affected by delays introduced by LBT procedures performed according to the lowest priority CAPC before transmitting the downlink transmissions. In essence, these approaches, whether uplink or downlink, can result in an unfavorable mismatch between the channel access priority class and the priority of the payload of the intended transmission, resulting in an inappropriate, inconsistent, and unnecessary delay in transmitting the intended transmission itself.

Disclosure of Invention

Methods, systems, devices, and techniques described in this disclosure perform a Listen Before Talk (LBT) procedure in accordance with a Channel Access Priority Class (CAPC) prior to communicating an intended transmission over an unlicensed spectrum, wherein the CAPC intelligently corresponds to a different type of payload of the intended transmission than or in addition to a User Plane (UP) message data payload, wherein the UP message data payload has a predefined respective QCI or a priori corresponds to a respective QoS level. A device (e.g., a base station or UE) selects a particular CAPC corresponding to an intended transmission based on a mapping of different types of transmission payloads (e.g., transmission payloads other than or in addition to the predefined QoS-related UP message data payload) to different CAPCs. Advantageously, the mapped CAPC is commensurate with the respective priorities of the different types of transport payloads (measurements), and in some cases, such commensurate is with respect to the other types of transport payloads and/or with respect to the particular processes being performed by the UE and the base station. Most, if not all, of the mapped CAPCs corresponding to different types of transport payloads have a higher priority than that of the lowest priority CAPC, resulting in a channel access procedure that is more commensurate with the respective transport payload. The mapping may also reflect different priorities between different types of transport payloads, if desired, and/or may indicate which type of transport will govern the selection of CAPC when multiple types of transport payloads are included in the expected transport. Accordingly, the methods, systems, devices, and techniques described in this disclosure reduce unnecessary, inconsistent, and incompatible delays in communicating an intended transmission between a UE and a base station within a wireless network system.

In an example embodiment, a method in a device of a wireless network system includes: the process of transmitting a transmission over a wireless channel is initiated by the processing hardware of the device. The device may be, for example, a UE or a base station, and the transmission is an intended transmission that may include, for example, a Control Plane (CP) message, a User Plane (UP) message, a raperable (RA preamble), or other type of signal exchanged locally between the UE and the base station, etc. The wireless channel may be, for example, a PUCCH (physical uplink control channel), a PUSCH (physical uplink shared channel), a PDCCH (physical downlink control channel), a PDSCH (physical downlink shared channel), or some other uplink or downlink wireless channel used by a UE and one or more base stations of the wireless network system to communicate with each other and/or to transmit data payloads. The wireless channel may be implemented in unlicensed spectrum and is described in this document. However, it should be understood that the techniques described in this document may be readily applied to any wireless spectrum in which contention for a channel or carrier may occur, whether the wireless spectrum is licensed or unlicensed.

Furthermore, the method comprises: selecting, by processing hardware of the device, a Channel Access Priority Class (CAPC) from a plurality of CAPCs having different CAPCs, wherein the selected CAPC has a higher channel access priority than a channel access priority of another CAPC included in the plurality of CAPCs. In an example, the selected CAPC has a channel access priority higher than a lowest channel access priority of the plurality of CAPCs. The device selects CAPC based on the transferred type of payload and the mapping. The types of transport payloads upon which the device selects CAPC may include, for example, Control Plane (CP) messages, different types of CP messages, User Plane (UP) messages, different types of UP messages, different types of data payloads of UP messages, random access preambles, other types of localized signaling between the UE and the base station, and other types of transport payloads.

The mapping indicates respective associations between respective ones of the plurality of CAPCs and one or more different types of transport payloads. In an example, the mapping indicates respective associations between respective CAPCs and respective random access preambles of one or more types. Additionally or alternatively, the mapping may indicate respective associations between respective ones of the plurality of CAPCs and one or more types of Control Plane (CP) messages. The mapping may specify different default CAPCs for different types of transport payloads, if desired. The mapping may be implemented using any suitable format, such as one or more tables, rule sets, decision trees, databases, and so forth.

The method also comprises the following steps: a Listen Before Talk (LBT) procedure is performed by processing hardware of the device according to the selected CAPC corresponding to the expected transmission. After successful completion of the LBT procedure, the method comprises: the intended transmission is communicated over a wireless channel.

Another example embodiment of the described technology is a non-transitory medium storing instructions for performing at least a portion of an embodiment of the disclosed method. Yet another example embodiment of the described technology is a user equipment configured to perform at least a portion of an embodiment of the disclosed method. In an example, a UE includes an LBT enhancement unit, wherein the LBT enhancement unit is stored on a non-volatile and non-transitory medium on the UE and performs at least a portion of an embodiment of the disclosed method. Yet another example embodiment of the described technology is a base station configured to perform at least a portion of an embodiment of the disclosed method. For example, a base station accesses an LBT booster unit, wherein the LBT booster unit is stored on a non-volatile and non-transitory medium included in or accessible to the base station and performs at least a portion of embodiments of the disclosed methods.

Drawings

Fig. 1 depicts an example wireless communication network in which devices, such as base stations and User Equipment (UE), communicate using an unlicensed portion of the radio spectrum after successfully completing an enhanced LBT procedure.

Fig. 2 is a flow diagram of an example method of performing an enhanced listen-before-talk procedure.

Fig. 3 is a flow diagram of an example method of selecting a channel access priority class for an intended transmission including control plane information.

Fig. 4 is an example implementation of a mapping that may be utilized in an enhanced listen-before-talk process.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 depicts an example wireless communication network system 100 in which devices, such as base stations and user equipment (also referred to as user equipment or UEs in this disclosure), communicate using unlicensed portions of the radio spectrum. Since the following examples refer primarily (but not exclusively) to 5G NR technology, these unlicensed portions of the radio spectrum are referred to as NR-U.

The wireless communication network system 100 in the example configuration includes a UE102, where the UE102 may be any suitable device capable of wireless communication (as discussed further below). As shown in fig. 1, the wireless communication system 100 further includes a 5G NR base station 104 connected to a Core Network (CN) type 5GC core network 106. The 5G NR base station 104 operates as a next generation NodeB or G NodeB (gNB) accordingly. However, in other embodiments, the wireless communication system 100 may include one or more base stations operating according to a type of Radio Access Technology (RAT) other than NR, and these base stations may be connected to other CN types of CNs, or operate in standalone mode without being connected to any CN.

The base station 104 covers a 5G NR cell 108 where the UE may utilize NR-U and a portion of the radio spectrum specifically allocated to the service provider operating the base station 104 and the core network 106. UE102 may share NR-U with other devices when receiving data from base station 104 and transmitting data to base station 104 using a 5G NR air interface. For example, UE 110 may be a subscriber (subscriber) of a service provider operating base station 104 and core network 106 and may therefore communicate with base station 104. In another case, UE 110 is a subscriber (subscriber) of another service provider that supports NR-U and communicates with base stations (not shown to avoid confusion) other than base station 104. In this case, the user operates the base station 104, and connects the base station 104 to a data network of an Internet Service Provider (ISP). The base station 104 in this case operates in a manner similar to a WiFi Access Point (AP), but utilizes NR-U instead of one of the IEEE 802.11 standards to communicate with the UE. Further, when operating under a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) according to one of the IEEE 802.11 standards, the AP (Access Point) 112 may utilize a portion of the radio spectrum as the NR-U.

The UE102 is equipped with processing hardware 115, where the processing hardware 115 may include one or more general-purpose processors (e.g., CPUs) and one or more non-volatile computer-readable memories storing instructions for execution by the one or more general-purpose processors. Additionally or alternatively, the processing hardware 130 may include a dedicated processing unit. The processing hardware 115 in the example embodiment includes a channel access module or unit 118 and an LBT enhancement unit 120 (each of which may be implemented at least in part by a respective set of instructions stored on one or more non-transitory computer-readable memories), a controller 122, and other definitions of mappings 125 or associations of different types of transport payloads to different CAPCs. In other embodiments, the processing hardware 130 includes only some of the units 118 and 125.

The processing hardware 130 of the base station 104 may also include one or more general-purpose processors, such as a CPU and one or more non-transitory computer-readable memories storing instructions for execution by the one or more general-purpose processors. Additionally or alternatively, the processing hardware 130 may include a dedicated processing unit. The processing hardware 130 in the example embodiment includes a channel access module or unit 132 and an LBT enhancement unit 135 (each of which may be implemented at least in part by a respective set of instructions stored on one or more non-transitory computer-readable memories), a controller 138, and other definitions of mappings 140 or associations of different types of transport payloads to different CAPCs. In other embodiments, the processing hardware 130 includes only some of the units 132 and 140.

Fig. 2 is a flow diagram of an example method 200 of performing an enhanced Listen Before Talk (LBT) procedure. The enhanced LBT procedure may be, for example, an omni-directional LBT procedure or a directional LBT procedure. At least a portion of method 200 may be performed by one or more components of wireless communication network system 100 of fig. 1. For example, at least a portion of method 200 may be performed by UE102, by UE 110, by AP 112, or by base station 104. In an embodiment, at the UE102, the LBT enhancement unit 120 of the UE102 performs each instance of the method 200. In an embodiment, at base station 104, LBT enhancement unit 135 performs each instance of method 200. Additionally or alternatively, at least a portion of method 200 may be performed by one or more other components of wireless system 100. However, for purposes of illustration and not limitation, method 200 is discussed concurrently with reference to FIG. 1. Further, in embodiments, the method 200 may include more, less, or alternative functionality than that discussed with respect to fig. 2, including that discussed elsewhere in this document.

As shown in fig. 2, at block 202, method 200 includes: the process of transmitting a transmission over a wireless carrier or channel of an unlicensed spectrum is initiated by processing hardware of a device. In an example case, based on user instructions entered at the UE (such as call initiation, data access, or data transfer instructions, etc.), the UE102 initiates a process to transfer wireless transmissions to the base station 104 (block 202). In another example case, the base station 104 initiates a process to transmit wireless transmissions to the UE102 in response to a transmission received from the UE102 (block 202) or initiates a process to transmit Control Plane (CP) messages or control related information based on a User Plane (UP) content payload received from the core network 106. The CP message or control related information may be received from the core network 106 or may be generated by the base station 104.

At block 205, the method 200 includes: the type of payload expected to be transmitted is determined by the processing hardware of the device. In this document, the type of payload expected to be transmitted is interchangeably referred to as "transmitted payload" or "transmission payload," examples of which include a Control Plane (CP) message, control related information, a User Plane (UP) message including a user content payload, a Protocol Data Unit (PDU), a random access preamble or other radio access related transmission, or another type of transmission. The CP message may include, in an example, a Common Control Channel (CCCH) message of radio communication or a CCCH message related to radio communication, such as an RRC (radio resource control) request (e.g., an RRC setup request, an RRC resume request, an RRC reestablishment request, an RR early data request, etc.), an RAR (radio access response), or the like. The CP messages may include, in examples, non-access stratum (NAS) or other types of control messages of the core network 106 or other types of control messages related to the core network 106 for purposes such as access and/or mobility management.

The UP message may comprise, for example, an Internet Protocol (IP) data packet or another suitable type of data packet in which the user content payload is included.

A Protocol Data Unit (PDU) is another example of a type of expected transmission that processing hardware of a device may determine (block 205). The PDU may be, for example, a Radio Link Control (RLC) protocol data unit, a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) PDU, a Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) PDU, or the like. In some cases, the PDU includes a CP message or other control related information (e.g., which may correspond to radio resource control, or which may correspond to core network control, such as for access and/or mobility management). In some cases, the PDU includes an UP message or a user content payload.

Other types of expected transmissions that may be determined by the processing hardware of the device (block 205) include transmissions utilized in a four-step Random Access Channel (RACH) procedure. In an example case, the UE102 initiates a respective instance of the method 200 of communicating a radio transmission as part of a four-step RACH procedure (block 202). For example, as part of a four-step RACH procedure, the UE102 may intend to transmit msg1 including a random access preamble, or the UE102 may intend to transmit msg3 including a user content payload, and the UE may perform the respective instances of the method 200 with respect to the expected msg1 transmission and/or the expected msg3 transmission. On the base station side of the four-step RACH procedure initiated by the UE102, the base station 104 may perform a corresponding instance of the method 200 with respect to the expected msg2 transmission in response to the received msg1, which may include a Random Access Response (RAR) or equivalent. The RAR may include various information such as, for example, a Timing Advance (TA) command, an Uplink (UL) grant (e.g., for the UE102 to communicate with the base station 104 over a physical uplink shared control channel (PUSCH)), a temporary cell radio network identifier (C-RNTI), and so forth. Additionally or alternatively, as part of a four-step RACH procedure, the base station 104 may perform respective instances of the method 200 with respect to an expected msg4 transmission in response to a received msg 3.

Still other types of expected transmissions that may be determined by the processing hardware of the device (block 205) include transmissions utilized in a two-step Random Access Channel (RACH) procedure. In an example case, the UE102 initiates a respective instance of the method 200 of communicating radio transmissions as part of a two-step RACH procedure (block 202). The expected transmission may include msgA and thus may include both radio access preamble information as well as user content payload. On the base station side of the two-step random access channel procedure initiated by the UE102, the base station 104 may initiate a corresponding instance of the method 200 of transmitting a wireless transmission (e.g., msgB) (block 202). The msgB may include, for example, information such as a Radio Access Response (RAR) message, a non-access stratum (NAS) or other type of control message of the core network 106 or other type of control message related to the core network 106, a cell radio network identifier (C-RNTI), a Timing Advance (TA) command, a Contention Resolution Identity (ID), a Downlink (DL) grant, a MAC SDU, and the like.

In another example case, the base station 104 separately initiates respective instances of the method 200 of transmitting wireless transmissions to the UE102 (block 202). That is, the expected wireless transmission is not a response to any transmission previously received by the base station 104 from the UE 102. For example, the base station 104 may receive control information and/or content payloads to be transmitted to the UE102 from the core network 106, or the base station 104 itself may autonomously generate control information to be transmitted to the UE 102. In this example case, the base station 104 may intend to transmit Downlink Control Information (DCI) over a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) and/or over a physical downlink shared control channel (PDSCH) to configure an uplink grant for the UE102 to communicate with the base station 104 on a physical uplink shared control channel (PUSCH), and may thus perform the example of block 202 of method 200. Subsequently, when the UE102 intends to transmit user plane data on the PUSCH in accordance with the uplink grant received from the base station 104, the UE102 performs the corresponding instance of block 202. In general, the base station 104 may perform the respective examples of the method 200 of enhanced LBT when it intends to send any type of transmission to the UE102 over the unlicensed spectrum. However, when the transmission is intended to be sent to the UE102 over the licensed spectrum, the base station 104 may omit performing the method 200, or may omit performing any type of LBT.

Similarly, the UE102 may perform the respective instances of the method 200 of enhanced LBT when the UE102 intends to send any type of transmission to the base station 104 over the unlicensed spectrum. However, when the transmission is intended to be sent to the base station 104 over the licensed spectrum, the UE102 may omit performing the method 200, or may omit performing any type of LBT. Indeed, for various procedures (e.g., for a four-step RACH, for a two-step RACH, or other procedures), the set of transmissions communicated between the UE102 and the base station 104 may utilize only unlicensed spectrum, only licensed spectrum, or a combination of both unlicensed and licensed spectrum.

Thus, in general, determining the type of expected transmission by the processing hardware of the device (block 205) may include determining a particular type of message included in the expected transmission, such as a CP message, a PDU message, msg1, msg2, msg3, msg4, msgA, msgB, and so forth. Additionally or alternatively, determining the type of intended transmission (block 205) may include determining one or more types of transmission payloads included in the intended transmission, such as random access preambles, radio resource control information, core network based control information (such as access and mobility management control information), user content payloads, and so forth.

Returning now to method 200, when it is determined that the type of transmission is to exclude the user plane content payload (as indicated by the bottom branch (leg) of block 205), method 200 includes: a type of non-user payload of an expected transmission is determined (block 208), and processing by the device is based on the determined type of non-user payload of the expected transmissionThe hardware selects a Channel Access Priority Class (CAPC) from a plurality of CAPCs having different channel access priorities as the CAPC corresponding to the expected transmission (e.g., as shown in block 210, block 212, or block 215). For ease of discussion, this document uses the notation "CAPC_transm"to refer to the CAPC corresponding to the intended transmission. Accordingly, each of blocks 210, 212, 215 includes selecting a particular CAPC from the plurality of CAPCs accordingly, such that the CAPC is_transmCAPC selected, as explained in more detail below.

When the payload of the expected transmission is not determined, identified, or a priori associated with any CAPC (e.g., the right branch of block 208), method 200 includes: selecting a default CAPC for an expected transmission (block 210), e.g., selecting a CAPC_{other-default}Make CAPC_transm＝CAPC_{other-default}. The default CAPC may have a priority higher than that of the lowest priority CAPC (e.g., CAPC_{other-default}>Lowest priority CAPC), or the default CAPC may have the lowest priority among the plurality of CAPCs (e.g., CAPC)_{other-default}Lowest priority CAPC).

When it is determined that the payload of the expected transmission is to include one of certain types of transmission payloads (e.g., the left branch of block 208 and the bottom branch of block 208 corresponding to block 212 and block 215, respectively), the generally selected CAPC has a channel access priority that is higher than a channel access priority of another CAPC included in the plurality of CAPCs. That is, at block 212 or block 215, the selected CAPC is not the lowest priority CAPC of the plurality of CAPCs, e.g., CAPC_transm>The lowest priority CAPC.

In an embodiment, selecting a CAPC corresponding to the expected transmission at blocks 210, 212, 215 may be based on both the determined type of non-user transmission payload and the mapping 125 or the mapping 140. The mappings 125, 140 indicate or define respective associations between different types of transport payloads and respective CAPCs of different priorities. In an embodiment, the mappings 125, 140 indicate at least one of: (i) respective associations between respective ones of the plurality of CAPCs and respective random access preambles of one or more types, or (ii) respective associations between respective ones of the plurality of CAPCs and Control Plane (CP) messages or control plane information of one or more types.

For example, with respect to random access preambles, the maps 125, 140 may indicate that only one (e.g., the same) CAPC is associated with any type of random access preamble, or the maps 125, 140 may indicate that different CAPCs are associated with respective different types of random access preambles. Typically (but not necessarily), each CAPC associated with a respective random access preamble has a respective priority level that is greater than the priority level of the lowest priority CAPC. That is, each CAPC associated with a respective random access preamble is not the lowest priority CAPC among the plurality of CAPCs. Thus, when it is determined that the type of payload of the expected transmission is a random access preamble (e.g., left branch of block 208), selecting a CAPC that includes the expected transmission of the raperable payload (block 212) may result in selecting a CAPC that is not the lowest priority CAPC, e.g., such that the CAPC is_transm＝CAPC_RApreambWherein, CAPC_RApreamb>The lowest priority CAPC.

In another example, the mappings 125, 140 indicate that there is only one CAPC (e.g., a CAPC) relative to a transport payload that includes the CP message and/or control related information (such as, for example, radio resource control related information or core network control related information)_CP-default) Associated with any type of control related transport payload, wherein CAPC_CP-defaultIs not the lowest priority among the plurality of CAPCs, e.g., CAPC_CP-default>The lowest priority CAPC. Thus, in this example, selecting a CAPC with an expected transmission of control-related information (block 215) may result in selecting a CAPC that is not the lowest priority CAPC, e.g., such that the CAPC is_transm＝CAPC_CP-defaultWherein, CAPC_CP-default>The lowest priority CAPC. The default CAPC for controlling the relevant transport payload may be specified a priori, such as in one of the 3GPP standards or in another type of standard specification.

Alternatively, with respect to including CP cancellationInformation and/or control information, the mappings 125, 140 may indicate that different CAPCs are associated with corresponding different types of control-related transport payloads (e.g., CAPCs)_CPx) And (4) associating. For example, a radio resource control message may be associated with a first CAPC, while a core network control message may be associated with a second CAPC. Additionally or alternatively, different radio resource control messages may be associated with different CAPCs. In any case, each CAPC associated with a respective type of control-related transport payload generally has a respective priority greater than the priority of the lowest priority CAPC, e.g., a CAPC_CPx>The lowest priority CAPC. Thus, in this example case, selecting a CAPC with an expected transmission of control-related information (block 215) may result in selecting a CAPC that is not the lowest priority CAPC, e.g., such that the CAPC is_transm＝CAPC_CPxWherein, CAPC_CPx>The lowest priority CAPC.

Alternatively still, the UE102 may select CAPC in some cases, relative to a transport payload that includes CP messages and/or control information (such as, for example, radio resource control-related information or core network control-related information)_CP-defaultWherein, CAPC_CP-default>The lowest priority CAPC. For example, when the UE102 performs the method 200, the UE102 may select CAPC_CP-default. When CAPC is selected_CP-defaultUE102 may or may not utilize mapping 125.

At block 215, the CAPC corresponding to the selection to control the related transport payload may have a higher priority than the CAPC of the user content transport payload. For example, any CAPC controlling an associated transport payload may have a priority greater than that of any user plane or content transport payload, e.g., CAPC_CPx>CAPC_UP-QOSAnd CAPC_CPx>CAPC_UP-defaultAnd/or CAPC_CP-default>CAPC_UP-QOSAnd CAPC_CP-default>CAPC_UP-default. Thus, the control-related transmission payload may be for at least the purpose of communicating between the UE102 and the base station 104To be given a higher priority than the priority of the user content transmission payload in the system 100. In general, the CAPC controlling the associated transport payload also typically has a higher priority than the generic default CAPC of the system 100, e.g., CAPC_CPx>CAPC_{other-default}And CAPC_CP-default>CAPC_{other-default}。

Returning to block 205, when the type of intended transmission includes a User Plane (UP) content payload, the method 200 determines whether the user content payload included in the intended transmission is associated with any QoS level (block 218). For example, at block 218, the method 200 determines whether the type of user content payload included in the expected transmission is associated with or corresponds to a QoS level or a QCI. When a particular QoS or QCI is associated with a type of user content payload (e.g., "yes" branch of block 218), method 200 includes: the CAPC of the intended transmission is selected as the CAPC corresponding to the QCI or QoS level associated with the type of user content payload (block 220). For example, method 200 may utilize the information specified in table 5.7.1-1 of 3GPP TS 36.300v15.4.0, previously described, to determine a CAPC corresponding to a QCI associated with a determined type of user content payload.

When the type of user content payload is not associated with any QoS level or any QCI (e.g., "no" branch of block 218), method 200 defaults to assigning a default CAPC, e.g., a CAPC, to the expected transmission with an UP content payload_UP-default(block 222). The default CAPC may have a higher priority than the priority of the lowest priority class of CAPC (e.g., CAPC_UP-default>A lowest priority class of CAPC), or a default CAPC may have a lowest priority among a plurality of CAPCs (e.g., CAPC)_UP-defaultCAPC of the lowest priority class). In a standard specification such as 3GPP or other types, a default CAPC for the user plane content payload may be specified a priori. Additionally or alternatively, the UE102 may select CAPC when, for example, the UE102 performs the method 200_UP-default。

At block 215, block 220, in embodiments, asIf desired, the method 200 may include: different priorities of default CAPCs are selected for different types of transport payloads. For example, a default CAPC for intended transmission including user content payloads that are not associated with any QoS or QCI (and exclude any control-related information) may have a higher priority than a default CAPC for intended transmission including uncertain or unrecognized payloads, e.g., CAPC_UP-default>CAPC_{other-default}. In another example, a default CAPC for intended transmission including control-related information may have a higher priority than a default CAPC for intended transmission including an uncertain or unrecognized payload, and may have a higher priority than a default CAPC for intended transmission including user-plane content data, e.g., a CAPC_CP-default>CAPC_{other-default}And CAPC_CP-default>CAPC_UP-default. In a standard specification such as 3GPP or other types, one or more types of default CAPCs may be specified a priori. Additionally or alternatively, the UE102 may select one or more types of default CAPCs when, for example, the UE102 performs the method 200.

The choice of CAPC (not shown in FIG. 2) is typically governed by one of multiple types of transport payloads for a single intended transport that includes multiple types of transport payloads therein. For example, for a first expected msgA transmission that includes as its transmission payload both a user-plane content payload with an associated QCI and a raperable, the QCI of the user-plane content payload may manage the selection of CAPC for the first expected msgA transmission. In another example, for a second expected msgA transmission that includes as its transmission payload both a user-plane content payload and a raperable without an associated QCI, the raperable type can govern selection of CAPC for the second expected msgA transmission. In yet another example, when the intended transmission includes both user plane data payload with associated QCI and control plane information, the QCI of the user plane content payload may manage CAPC selection; and the control plane information may govern the selection of CAPC when the expected transmission includes both user plane data payload and control plane information that is not associated with any QCI. In embodiments, the maps 125, 140 may indicate a priority for management of expected transmissions including a plurality of different types of transmission payloads.

At block 225, the method 200 includes: determining that the CAPC associated with the intended transmission becomes the selected CAPC. For example, the method 200 may include: determining the CAPC associated with the expected transmission as the CAPC selected at block 210, block 212, block 215, block 220, or block 220, e.g., such that the CAPC is_transmCAPC selected.

At block 228, the method 200 includes: by the processing hardware of the device according to CAPC_transmA Listen Before Talk (LBT) procedure is performed (e.g., according to a selected CAPC corresponding to an expected transmission). That is, at block 228, the method 200 includes: based on CAPC_transmTo perform an enhanced LBT procedure. For example, at the UE102, the channel access unit 118 and/or the controller 122 may perform an enhanced LBT procedure in accordance with the selected CAPC corresponding to the transmission, and at the base station 104, the channel access unit 132 and/or the controller 138 may perform an enhanced LBT procedure in accordance with the selected CAPC corresponding to the transmission.

After successfully completing the enhanced LBT procedure, method 200 includes: an intended transmission is transmitted to another device over a wireless carrier or channel in the unlicensed spectrum (block 230). For example, if the method 200 is performed by the UE102, at block 230, the UE102 transmits a transmission to the base station 104 over a wireless carrier or channel, and if the method 200 is performed by the base station 104, at block 230, the base station 104 transmits a transmission to the UE102 over a wireless carrier or channel.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of selecting CAPC for an intended transmission (e.g., selecting CAPC)_transm) Wherein the intended transmission includes control-related information or Control Plane (CP) information. In an embodiment, the method 300 may be included in block 215 of the method 200 of fig. 2. However, if desired, method 300 may be performed in conjunction with methods other than method 200 that perform enhanced LBT.

When the payload intended for transmission includes Control Plane (CP) information (e.g., as determined at block 208 of fig. 2), the method 300 includes: it is determined whether the CP information is associated with a Signaling Radio Bearer (SRB) (block 302). In general, an SRB is a radio bearer between a UE (e.g., UE102) and a base station (e.g., base station 104) for carrying control plane messages or traffic between the UE and the base station. Thus, the SRB may be a logical channel or logical connection over which signaling data is communicated between the UE102 and the base station 104. The UE102 may support multiple SRBs and different types of CP information or messages may be allocated to be communicated between the UE and the base station via different respective SRBs. For example, the plurality of SRBs may include three different types, e.g., SRB0, SRB1, and SRB 2. In some cases, the plurality of SRBs may include an SRB3 type and/or an SRB4 type in addition to SRB0, SRB1, and SRB 2.

At block 302, when CP information included in an expected transmission is not associated with any SRB (e.g., the "no" branch of block 302), method 300 includes: a default CAPC is selected for the intended transmission (block 305). The default CAPC may be a default CAPC corresponding to CP messages/information, e.g., such that the CAPC_transm＝CAPC_CP-defaultOr the default CAPC may be a common default CAPC, such as for an uncertain or unrecognized transport payload, e.g., such that CAPC is_transm＝CAPC_{other-default}. As previously discussed, CAPC is typical, but not essential_CP-defaultHas a priority greater than the priority of the lowest priority CAPC of the plurality of CAPCs, and in some cases, CAPC_CP-defaultIs higher than the corresponding priority of any CAPC associated with the user plane content payload, e.g., when such as an expected transmission is included in a four-step RACH procedure_CP-default>CAPC_UP-defaultAnd CAPC_CP-default>CAPC_UP-QoS。

On the other hand, when CP information included in the intended transmission is associated with an SRB (e.g., "yes" branch of block 302), method 300 includes: a CAPC corresponding to the SRB associated with the CP information included in the intended transmission is determined (block 308). In some implementations, CAPC corresponding to SRB is determined (block 308)) Including access maps 125, 140, where maps 125, 140 store associations between various SRBs and corresponding CAPCs. Typically (but not necessarily), each CAPC associated with a respective SRB has a respective priority level that is higher than the priority level of the lowest priority CAPC of the plurality of CAPCs. That is, each CAPC associated with a respective SRB is not the lowest priority CAPC of the plurality of CAPCs. At block 310, the method 300 includes: CAPC of the SRB is selected to be CAPC of the intended transmission, e.g., such that CAPC_transm＝CAPC_SRB。

Although the method 300 is described with respect to different SRBs, the concepts and techniques are readily and equally applicable to logical channels implemented on CCCH (common control channel) and/or DCCH (dedicated control channel). For example, different logical channels with different logical channel identifications (identities) may be implemented on different CCCHs and/or DCCHs and may be associated with different CAPCs accordingly, e.g., as defined in mappings 125, 140.

Fig. 4 depicts a description (depiction) of an example mapping 400 that may be utilized in an enhanced listen-before-talk process. Map 400 may be a map 125 accessed by UE102 for purposes of enhanced LBT and/or map 400 may be a map 140 accessed by base station 104 for purposes of enhanced LBT. The representation of the mapping 400 shown in fig. 4 is but one of many possible representations or implementations. For example, mapping 400 may be represented using one or more tables, rule sets, weights, logical statements, databases, and/or any other suitable representation format.

As shown in fig. 4, the mapping 400 indicates or defines respective associations between different types of payloads 402 that may be included in an expected transmission and respective Channel Access Priority Classes (CAPCs) 405. The priority of CAPCs may range from a highest priority 405a to a lowest priority 405n, and each CAPC may be uniquely identified, such as via corresponding numbers as shown in FIG. 4. In general, each type of transport payload may be associated with a respective default CAPC. For example, in FIG. 4, RApreamble-default is associated with CAPC3, CP-default is associated with CAPC3, UP-default is associated with CAPCn or with a CAPC having a higher priority than CAPCn, and Other-default is associated with CAPCn. Of course, these and other contents of the mapping 400 are merely illustrative and are not meant to be limiting. Other mappings between the type of transport payload 402 and the CAPC 405 are also possible. Some of the content included in the mapping 400 may be defined or provided by a specification standard, such as one of the various versions of the 3GPP standard or another standard. Some of the content included in the mapping 400 may be defined or provided by a user, such as a system administrator of the system 100.

For a given type of transport payload, different subtypes of the transport payload type may be associated with respective different CAPCs. For example, in FIG. 4, different types of RApreambles (e.g., as represented by RApreamble-y) are mapped to different CAPC1 and CAPC 2; different types of Control Plane (CP) messages (e.g., as represented by CP-x) are mapped to different CAPC1, CAPC 2, and CAPC 3; and, different User Plane (UP) content payloads (e.g., as represented by UP-QoS) are mapped to different CAPC3 and CAPC n, and are mapped to CAPCs having a priority greater than that of CAPCn and less than that of CAPC3 based on the respective QCI or QoS levels associated with the subtypes of the UP content payloads.

Further, the map 400 defines or indicates a generic default CAPC for types of transport payloads that are uncertain, unrecognized, or not indicated elsewhere in the map 400. In FIG. 4, a generic default CAPC of the system 100 is associated with a lowest priority CAPC (e.g., CAPCn).

Although not shown in FIG. 4, in some embodiments, mapping 400 may store indications of associations between various SRBs and respective CAPCs and/or logical channels and respective CAPCs in a similar manner. Such an embodiment of mapping 400 may be utilized by method 300, for example.

In addition to defining or indicating an association between a particular type and/or subtype 402 of transport payload and a respective CAPC 405, mapping 400 may also specify one or more rules 408 that apply to various combinations of conditions corresponding to the type 402 of transport payload. The rules 408 may be represented by any suitable format, such as by a set of weights or priorities applied to or associated with each possible condition and/or combination of conditions. Additionally or alternatively, the rules 408 may be represented by a set of logical statements, a set of objects, one or more databases, or the like.

At least some of the rules 408 may indicate which of a plurality of types of transport payloads included in a single expected transport is to govern selection of a corresponding CAPC for the expected transport. For example, for an expected transmission that includes both (i) a user-plane content payload that does not have any associated QCI, and (ii) a raperable, the rules 408 may indicate a selection of a raperable type to manage the CAPC of the expected transmission, while for an expected transmission that includes both (i) a user-plane content payload that has an associated QCI, and (ii) a raperable, the rules 408 may indicate a selection of a QCI associated with the user-plane content payload to manage the CAPC of the expected transmission.

At least some of the rules 408 may define or indicate relative priorities between different types 402 of transport payloads. For example, a rule may indicate that a default CAPC controlling related transmissions always has a higher priority than a default CAPC of user content payload transmissions (e.g., CAPC)_CP-default>CAPC_UP-default) Or the default CAPC controlling the related transmissions always has a higher priority than the CAPC of any user content payload transmission (e.g., CAPC_CP-default>CAPC_UP-defaultAnd CAPC_CP-default>CAPC_UP-QoS). In another example, the rules 408 may indicate that a default CAPC for a particular transmission type is less than or equal to a CAPC for a subtype of the particular transmission type, e.g., CAPC_CP-default<＝CAPC_CPxAnd/or CAPC_{RApreamble-default}<＝CAPC_RApreamble-y. Of course, other relative priorities between different types 402 of transport payloads may be defined or indicated by rules 408.

At least some of rules 408 may define or indicate different associations between types of transport payloads 402 and CAPC 405 based on message type and/or communication context (communication context). For example, for a two-step RACH, rule 408 may indicate: when the msgA includes the raperable and the user plane content payload associated with the QCI, the QCI associated with the user plane content payload will govern the selection of the msgA; also, for a four-step RACH, rule 408 may indicate: the intended transmission including the raperable has a higher priority than the priority of another transmission within the four-step RACH (whose payload includes only CP information or only UP content payload).

At least some of the rules 408 may define or indicate restrictions on autonomous CAPC selection. For example, the rules 408 may define or indicate that the UE102 may autonomously select any CAPC for an intended transmission including CP information>CAPCn, or the UE102 may autonomously define or select a default UP CAPC (e.g., CAPC)_UP-default) To act as any CAPC>CAPCn. This approach allows the UE102 flexibility based on the current view of its channel usage, while also minimizing undue, inconsistent, and unnecessary delays in transmitting the intended transmission.

The following additional considerations apply to the foregoing discussion.

A user equipment or User Equipment (UE) (e.g., UE102) in which the techniques of this disclosure may be implemented may be any suitable device capable of wireless communication, such as a smartphone, tablet, laptop, mobile gaming console (mobile gaming), point-of-sale (POS) terminal, health monitoring device, drone, camera, media-dongle (media-streaming dongle) or other personal media device, wearable device such as a smart watch, wireless hotspot, home cell (femtocell), or broadband router. Furthermore, the user equipment in some cases may be embedded in an electronic system, such as a head unit of a vehicle or an Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS). Also, the user device may operate as an internet of things (IoT) device or a Mobile Internet Device (MID). Depending on the type, the user device may include one or more general purpose processors, computer readable memory, a user interface, one or more network interfaces, one or more sensors, and the like.

In this disclosure, particular embodiments are described as comprising logic or multiple components or modules. The modules may be software modules (e.g., code stored on a non-transitory machine-readable medium) or hardware modules. A hardware module is a tangible unit capable of performing certain operations and may be configured or arranged in a certain manner. A hardware module may comprise special-purpose circuitry or logic that is permanently configured (e.g., permanently configured as a special-purpose processor such as a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC)) to perform certain operations. A hardware module may also include programmable logic or circuitry that is temporarily configured by software to perform certain operations (e.g., including programmable logic or circuitry in a general-purpose processor or other programmable processor). The decision to implement a hardware module in a dedicated and permanently configured circuit or in a temporarily configured (e.g., configured by software) circuit may be driven by cost and time considerations.

When implemented in software, these techniques may be provided as part of an operating system, a library used by multiple applications, a specific software application, or the like. The software may be executed by one or more general-purpose processors or one or more special-purpose processors.

After reading this disclosure, those skilled in the art will understand that there are additional alternative structural and functional designs for enhancing the listen-before-talk process through the principles disclosed in this disclosure. Thus, while particular embodiments and applications have been illustrated and described, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are not limited to the precise construction and components disclosed. Various modifications, changes, and variations which will be apparent to those skilled in the art may be made in the arrangement, operation, and details of the methods and apparatus disclosed without departing from the spirit and scope defined in the appended claims.

The following list of aspects reflects various embodiments that are explicitly contemplated by the present disclosure.

Aspect 1 a method in a device of a wireless network system, comprising: initiating, by processing hardware of the device, a process of transmitting a transmission over a wireless channel; selecting, by processing hardware of a device, a CAPC from a plurality of Channel Access Priority Classes (CAPCs) having different channel access priorities, the selected CAPC having a higher channel access priority than a channel access priority of another CAPC included in the plurality of CAPCs, the selecting being based on a payload of the transmission and a mapping, and the mapping indicating at least one of: respective associations between respective ones of the plurality of CAPCs and respective random access preambles of one or more types; or respective associations between respective ones of the plurality of CAPCs and one or more types of Control Plane (CP) messages. The method further comprises the following steps: a Listen Before Talk (LBT) procedure is performed by processing hardware of the device according to the selected CAPC corresponding to the transmission.

Aspect 2. the method of aspect 1, wherein the mapping further indicates an association between: (i) a data content of a User Plane (UP) message that is not associated with any quality of service (QoS) of the wireless network system, and (ii) a CAPC with a lowest channel access priority.

Aspect 3. the method of aspect 2, wherein the payload of the transmission includes a UP message having data content not associated with any QoS class, and performing the LBT procedure according to the selected CAPC corresponding to the transmission includes performing the LBT procedure according to the CAPC having the lowest channel access priority.

Aspect 4 the method of any of the preceding aspects, wherein the mapping further indicates respective associations between respective ones of the plurality of CAPCs and different types of data content of the UP message having respective associations with different quality of service (QoS) classes of the wireless network system.

Aspect 5 the method of any of aspects 1, 2, and 4, wherein the payload of the transmission includes a UP message having data content associated with a particular QoS class, and performing the LBT procedure in accordance with the selected CAPC corresponding to the transmission includes performing the LBT procedure in accordance with the CAPC associated with the particular QoS class.

Aspect 6. the method of any one of aspects 1, 2, and 4, wherein: the payload of the transmission comprises a CP message; the mapping indicates an association between the selected CAPC and the CP message; and, the selected CAPC has a channel access priority higher than the corresponding channel access priority of any CAPC associated with the UP message.

Aspect 7. the method of aspect 6, wherein: the CP message has an association with a type of Signaling Radio Bearer (SRB); the mapping indicating an association between the selected CAPC and a type of signaling radio bearer associated with the CP message; and the selected CAPC is a particular CAPC having a type of association with a Signaling Radio Bearer (SRB) and having a channel access priority higher than a corresponding channel access priority of any CAPC associated with any CP message not associated with any type of SRB.

Aspect 8 the method of aspect 7, wherein the respective channel access priority of any CAPC associated with any CP message that is not associated with any type of SRB is a default CAPC of CP messages, and wherein the default CAPC of CP messages has a higher channel access priority than the channel access priority of the CAPC with the lowest channel access priority.

Aspect 9. the method of any of aspects 6 to 8, wherein: the CP message has an association with a first type of Signaling Radio Bearer (SRB); the selected CAPC is a first CAPC associated with a first type of SRB and having a channel access priority level higher than a channel access priority of a second CAPC associated with a second type of SRB; the mapping indicates an association between the first CAPC and the first type of SRB; and, the mapping indicates an association between the second CAPC and the second type of SRB.

Aspect 10 the method of any of aspects 1 to 9, wherein the device is a User Equipment (UE).

Aspect 11 the method of aspect 10, wherein the procedure is a four-step random access channel procedure including transmission.

Aspect 12 the method of aspect 11, wherein the transmission includes a type of random access preamble and the wireless channel is a Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH).

Aspect 13 the method of aspect 12, wherein the mapping indicates respective associations between different CAPCs and different types of random access preambles.

Aspect 14 the method of aspect 11, wherein the transmission comprises an UP message or a CP message and the wireless channel is a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH).

Aspect 15 the method of aspect 10, wherein the procedure is a two-step random access channel procedure and the transmission is msgA.

Aspect 16 the method of any of aspects 1 to 9, wherein the device is a base station.

Aspect 17 the method of aspect 16, wherein the procedure is a four-step random access channel procedure and the transmission comprises a random access response.

Aspect 18. the method of aspect 16, wherein the procedure is a two-step random access channel procedure and the transmission is msgB.

Aspect 19 the method of aspect 16, wherein the wireless channel is a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH).

Aspect 20 the method of aspect 19 wherein the transmission comprises an UP message or a CP message.

Aspect 21. the method of any of aspects 16, 19, and 20, further comprising: the transmitted payload is received from the core network by the processing hardware of the base station.

Aspect 22. the method of any of aspects 16 to 21, further comprising: the payload of the transmission is generated by the processing hardware of the base station.

Aspect 23 the method of any of the preceding aspects, wherein the wireless channel is included in an unlicensed spectrum.

Aspect 24. the method of any of the preceding aspects, wherein the LBT procedure is an omni-directional LBT procedure.

Aspect 25 the method according to any of the preceding aspects, wherein the LBT procedure is a directional LBT procedure.

Aspect 26. one or more non-transitory media having instructions stored thereon, respectively, wherein the instructions, when executed by processing hardware, cause a wireless network system to perform the method according to any of the preceding aspects.

Aspect 27 a system configured to perform the method of any of aspects 1 to 25.

Aspect 28. any of the preceding aspects in combination with any other of the preceding aspects.