Method and apparatuses for accessing unlicensed and licensed frequency bands

Abstract

Various types of communication may switch from an unlicensed spectrum to a licensed spectrum. MiCr communication may be synchronized based on transmission time intervals (TTIs), which may improve the duration required to switch between bands. A MiCr system may transmit a signal to temporarily suspend other traffic in a licensed band so that MiCr communication may occur. For example, an apparatus may be configured to determine synchronization between a first radio access technology (RAT) and a second RAT based on transmission time intervals associated with the first RAT and transmission time intervals associated with the second RAT, switch from the first RAT to the second RAT after the determined synchronization between the first RAT the second RAT; and transmit, during a TTI associated with the second RAT, a first packet using the second RAT based on the switch from the first RAT to the second RAT.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), the method comprising:
 receiving, from a wireless device, on at least a portion of a resource of a licensed frequency band, a silencing signal; and   suspending transmission in the licensed frequency band based on the silencing signal.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising monitoring for the silencing signal on one or more resources reserved for the silencing signal. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the suspending the transmission comprises refraining from transmitting data other than mission critical (MiCr) data. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the receiving the silencing signal comprises receiving the silencing signal periodically for a duration that the transmission is suspended in the licensed frequency band. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising receiving a signal indicating to the UE to resume the transmission in the licensed frequency band. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the silencing signal is associated with a predetermined duration, wherein the transmission in the licensed frequency band is resumed at expiration of the predetermined duration. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the silencing signal corresponds to at least one-half of an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol carried on the at least a portion of the resource. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the silencing signal is received from the wireless device that intends to transition from an unlicensed frequency band associated with a first radio access technology (RAT) to the licensed frequency band associated with a second RAT based on a synchronization at the wireless device between a first boundary of a first transmission time interval (TTI) associated with the first RAT aligning simultaneous in time with a second boundary of a second TTI associated with the second RAT. 
     
     
         9 . An apparatus for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising:
 a transceiver;   at least one processor; and   a memory, coupled to the at least one processor and the transceiver, storing computer executable code, which when executed by the at least one processor, causes the apparatus to:
 receive, from a wireless device, via the transceiver, on at least a portion of a resource of a licensed frequency band, a silencing signal; and 
 suspend transmission in the licensed frequency band based on the silencing signal. 
   
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , further comprising monitoring for the silencing signal on one or more resources reserved for the silencing signal. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the suspending the transmission comprises refraining from transmitting data other than mission critical (MiCr) data. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the receiving the silencing signal comprises receiving, via the transceiver, the silencing signal periodically for a duration that the transmission is suspended in the licensed frequency band. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , further comprising receiving, via the transceiver, a signal indicating to the UE to resume the transmission in the licensed frequency band. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the silencing signal is associated with a predetermined duration, wherein the transmission in the licensed frequency band is resumed at expiration of the predetermined duration. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the silencing signal corresponds to at least one-half of an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol carried on the at least a portion of the resource. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the silencing signal is received from the wireless device that intends to transition from an unlicensed frequency band associated with a first radio access technology (RAT) to the licensed frequency band associated with a second RAT based on a synchronization at the wireless device between a first boundary of a first transmission time interval (TTI) associated with the first RAT aligning simultaneous in time with a second boundary of a second TTI associated with the second RAT. 
     
     
         17 . A method of wireless communication at a base station, the method comprising:
 monitoring for a silencing signal on one or more resources of a licensed frequency band;   detecting the silencing signal on at least a portion of a resource in the one or more resources based on the monitoring; and   suspending transmission in the licensed frequency band based on the silencing signal.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the detecting the silencing signal comprises receiving the silencing signal from a wireless device that intends to transition from an unlicensed frequency band associated with a first radio access technology (RAT) to the licensed frequency band associated with a second RAT based on a synchronization at the wireless device between a first boundary of a first transmission time interval (TTI) associated with the first RAT aligning simultaneous in time with a second boundary of a second TTI associated with the second RAT. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the detecting the silencing signal comprises receiving the silencing signal at each time occurrence of a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH). 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the suspending the transmission further comprises refraining from scheduling an uplink grant for uplink communication with a wireless device. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the suspending the transmission comprises muting communication on a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) to a wireless device. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the suspending the transmission comprises refraining from transmitting data on one or more of a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) or a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH). 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the suspending the transmission comprises refraining from transmitting data on a plurality of occurrences of the PDCCH or the PDSCH following detection of the silencing signal. 
     
     
         24 . An apparatus for wireless communication at a base station, the apparatus comprising:
 a transceiver;   at least one processor; and   a memory, coupled to the at least one processor and the transceiver, storing computer executable code, which when executed by the at least one processor, causes the apparatus to:
 monitor for a silencing signal on one or more resources of a licensed frequency band; 
 detect the silencing signal on at least a portion of a resource in the one or more resources based on the monitoring; and 
 suspend transmission in the licensed frequency band based on the silencing signal. 
   
     
     
         25 . The apparatus of  claim 24 , wherein the code causing the apparatus to detect the silencing signal further causes the apparatus to receive, from a wireless device, via the transceiver, on at least a portion of a resource in the one or more resources, the silencing signal. 
     
     
         26 . The apparatus of  claim 25 , wherein the code causing the apparatus to receive the silencing signal further causes the apparatus to receive, via the transceiver, the silencing signal on a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH). 
     
     
         27 . The apparatus of  claim 25 , wherein the wireless device intends to transition from an unlicensed frequency band associated with a first radio access technology (RAT) to the licensed frequency band associated with a second RAT based on a synchronization at the wireless device between a first boundary of a first transmission time interval (TTI) associated with the first RAT aligning simultaneous in time with a second boundary of a second TTI associated with the second RAT. 
     
     
         28 . The apparatus of  claim 25 , wherein the code causing the apparatus to suspend the transmission further causes the apparatus to refrain from transmitting data on one or more of a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) or a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), wherein the code causing the apparatus to suspend the transmission further causes the apparatus to refrain from transmitting data on a plurality of occurrences of the PDCCH or the PDSCH following reception of the silencing signal. 
     
     
         29 . The apparatus of  claim 24 , wherein the code causing the apparatus to suspend the transmission further causes the apparatus to refrain from scheduling an uplink grant for uplink communication with a wireless device. 
     
     
         30 . The apparatus of  claim 24 , wherein the code causing the apparatus to suspend the transmission further causes the apparatus to mute communication on a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) to a wireless device.