Configuration for side link transmissions

Description

1 / 38 CONFIGURATION FOR SIDE LINK TRANSMISSIONS FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to the field of communication and, in particular, to a terminal device, a network device, methods and a non-transient computer-readable means for side-link communications. BACKGROUND

[0002] In telecommunications networks, such as long-term evolution (LTE) networks or new radio (NR) networks, side-link communications between user equipment (UEs) can be supported via a Proximity Services Communication (ProSe) 5 (PC5) wireless interface. In side-link (SL) communications, UEs can communicate directly with each other via a PC5 wireless interface on an SL channel. Furthermore, SL communications can achieve a plurality of advantages, such as extended coverage, increased service reliability, and potentially low latency.

[0003] In SL-U, the minimum granularity for LBT is one set of RBs for the unlicensed band, and the unlicensed band may include one or more sets of RBs. The minimum granularity for listen-before-talk (LBT) is one set of RBs for the unlicensed band. The unlicensed band may include one or more sets of RBs. A subchannel may be limited to one set of RBs. SUMMARY

[0004] In general, the methods of this disclosure provide a solution for side-link communications.

[0005] In a first aspect, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device comprises a processor and a transceiver coupled to the processor. The processor is configured to obtain configuration information indicative of at least one of (i) a minimum number and a maximum number of resource block (RB) sets for a side-link transmission, or (ii) Petition 870250089997, dated 02 / 10 / 2025, p. 10 / 65 2 / 38 Select at least one identical or different subchannel in each RB set for side-link transmission. The processor is further configured to select at least one resource for side-link transmission, performing a resource selection procedure based on configuration information. The processor is also configured to transmit, via the transceiver, side-link control (SCI) information indicating at least one resource.

[0006] In a second aspect, a network device is provided. The network device comprises a processor and a transceiver coupled to the processor. The processor is configured to determine configuration information indicative of at least one of (i) a minimum and a maximum number of RB sets for a side-link transmission, or (ii) to select at least one equal or different subchannel in each RB set for the side-link transmission. The processor is further configured to transmit, via the transceiver, the configuration information to a terminal device.

[0007] In a third aspect, a method implemented by a terminal device is provided. The method comprises obtaining configuration information indicative of at least one of (i) a minimum and a maximum number of RB sets for a side-link transmission, or (ii) selecting at least one identical or different subchannel in each RB set for the side-link transmission. The method further comprises selecting, in the terminal device, at least one resource for the side-link transmission, performing a resource selection procedure based on the configuration information. The method further comprises transmitting, in the terminal device, an SCI indicative of at least one resource.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, a method implemented by a network device is provided. The method comprises determining configuration information indicative of at least one of (i) a minimum number and a maximum number of resource block (RB) sets. Petition 870250089997, dated 02 / 10 / 2025, page 11 / 65 3 / 38 for a side-link transmission, or (ii) selecting at least one identical or different subchannel in each RB set for side-link transmission. The method further comprises transmitting, on the network device, the configuration information to a terminal device.

[0009] In a fifth aspect, a non-transient computer-readable medium is provided. The non-transient computer-readable medium has program instructions stored in it. The program instructions, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the methods of the third or fourth aspect.

[0010] It is important to emphasize that the summary section is not intended to identify key or essential features of the modalities of this disclosure, nor to be used to limit the scope of this disclosure. Other features of this disclosure will become easily understandable through the description below. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Some embodiments will now be described with reference to the attached drawings, in which: Fig. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of a communication environment in which some modalities of the present dissemination can be implemented; Fig. 2A illustrates an example of a signaling process for configuring side-link transmissions according to some embodiments of this disclosure; Fig. 2B illustrates another example of a signaling process for configuration for side-link transmissions according to some embodiments of this disclosure; Figures 3A-3F illustrate some examples of configuration information related to the RB numbers defined for side link transmissions according to some embodiments of this disclosure; Figures 4A-4B illustrate some examples of information from Petition 870250089997, dated 02 / 10 / 2025, p. 12 / 65 4 / 38 configuration related to selecting the same or different subchannels for side link transmissions according to some modalities of this disclosure; Figures 5A-5B illustrate some examples of bitmaps related to the RB sets and subchannels selected for side-link transmissions according to some embodiments of this disclosure; Fig. 6 illustrates a flowchart of an example method for configuring side-link transmissions according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure; Figure 7 illustrates another flowchart of an example method for configuring side-link transmissions according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure; and Fig. 8 illustrates a simplified block diagram of a device that is suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0012] In all drawings, the same or similar reference numbers represent the same or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013] The principles of this disclosure will now be described with reference to some embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and assist those skilled in the art in understanding and implementing this disclosure, without suggesting any limitation as to its scope. The disclosure described in this document can be implemented in a variety of ways beyond those described below.

[0014] In the description and claims that follow, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in this document have the same meaning commonly understood by a person with common knowledge in the field to which this disclosure pertains.

[0015] References in this publication to “a modality”, “an example modality”, “a modality”, “some Petition 870250089997, dated 02 / 10 / 2025, p. 13 / 65 5 / 38 modalities, and similar terms indicate that the described modality(ies) may include a specific feature, structure, or characteristic, but it is not necessary that every modality includes the specific feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same modality(ies). Moreover, when a specific feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with a modality, it is understood that it is within the knowledge of a person skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other modalities, whether explicitly described or not.

[0016] It should be understood that, although the terms “first” and “second” or similar terms may be used in this document to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element may also be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may also be referred to as a first element, without departing from the scope of the modalities. As used in this document, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the terms listed.

[0017] The terminology used in this document is intended only for the description of specific modalities and is not intended to limit exemplary modalities. As used in this document, the singular forms a, an and the should also include the plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the terms includes, comprising, has, having, includes and / or including, when used in this document, specify the presence of the stated resources, elements and / or components etc., but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other resources, elements, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0018] As used herein, the term “communication network” refers to a network that follows any communication standards. Petition 870250089997, dated 02 / 10 / 2025, p. 14 / 65 Suitable technologies include 5G NR, Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), and so forth. Furthermore, communications between a terminal device and a network device on the communication network may be carried out in accordance with any suitable generation communication protocols, including but not limited to first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth-generation (5G) communication protocols and / or any other protocols currently known or to be developed in the future. The embodiments of this disclosure may be applied in various communication systems. Given the rapid development in communications, there will also be future-type communication technologies and systems into which this disclosure may be incorporated.This should not be seen as limiting the scope of this disclosure to the systems mentioned above.

[0019] As used in this document, the term network device generally refers to a node in a communication network through which a terminal device can access the communication network and receive services from it. The network device may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP), for example, a Node B (NodeB or NB), a radio access network (RAN) node, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), an NR NB (also known as gNB), a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio header (RH), a V2X (vehicle-to-everything) communication infrastructure device, a transmit and receive point (TRP), a receive point (RP), a remote radio head (RRH), a relay, an integrated access and backhaul node (IAB), a low-power node such as a femto BS, a pico BS, and so on, depending on the terminology and technology applied.

[0020] As used in this document, the term terminal device generally refers to any device of Petition 870250089997, dated 02 / 10 / 2025, p. 15 / 65 7 / 38 end that is capable of wireless communication. By way of example, and not limitation, a terminal device may also be called a communication device, a user equipment (UE), an end-user device, a subscriber station (SS), an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), a portable subscriber station, a mobile station (MS), or an access terminal (AT). The terminal device may include, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smartphone, a voice over IP (VoIP) phone, a wireless local loop phone, a tablet, a wearable terminal device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a laptop computer, a desktop computer, an image capture terminal device such as a digital camera, a gaming terminal device, a music storage and playback device, a vehicle-mounted wireless terminal device, a wireless endpoint, a mobile station,Laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), a USB dongle, a smart device, wireless customer-premises equipment (CPE), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a watch or other wearable device, a head-mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, a medical device (e.g., a remote surgery device), an industrial device (e.g., a robot and / or other wireless devices operating in industrial and / or automated process chain contexts), a consumer electronic device, a device operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, and the like. In the following description, the terms: terminal device, communication device, terminal, user equipment, and UE, may be used interchangeably.

[0021] As used herein, the term resource, transmission resource, resource block, physical resource block, uplink resource, downlink resource, or sidelink resource may refer to any resource, Petition 870250089997, dated 02 / 10 / 2025, page 16 / 65 8 / 38 For example, a time-domain resource, a frequency-domain resource, a space-domain resource, a code-domain resource, or any other resource that enables communication, and the like, used to perform communication between a terminal device and a network device or between terminal devices. Hereafter, a resource in both the frequency domain and the time domain will be used as an example of a transmission resource to describe some embodiments of this disclosure. Note that the embodiments of this disclosure apply equally to other resources in other domains.

[0022] As used herein, an interweaving may refer to a plurality of RBs in a set of RBs, and the plurality of RBs may be distributed in the set of RBs, for example, in a comb shape. In this disclosure, the terms interweaving, common feature interweaving, and common interweaving may be used interchangeably without any limitation.

[0023] As mentioned above, in SL-U, a resource selected for side-link transmission may not only include multiple subchannels or interleaving, but also encompass multiple sets of RBs. The minimum granularity of LBT is one set of RBs for unlicensed band, and unlicensed band may include one or more sets of RBs. Therefore, the UE procedure for determining the subset of resources to be reported to upper layers in the selection of physical side-link shared channel (PSSCH) resources in side-link resource allocation mode 2 should be enhanced by considering one or more sets of selected or available RBs.

[0024] In one solution, based on the current agreement, the subchannel is limited to a set of RBs, so that the legacy upper-layer indication of the number of subchannels cannot restrict frequency resource size. For example, a subchannel is defined and indexed within a set of RBs, as shown in Table 1. Petition 870250089997, dated 02 / 10 / 2025, p. 17 / 65 9 / 38 Agreement For PSCCH / PSSCH transmission based on interleaved RB in SL-U: • Regarding the mapping between subchannel and interleaving, a subchannel is defined and indexed within 1 set of RBs and is periodically indexed in different sets of RBs within the resource pool. TABLE 1

[0025] In the current technical specification (TS) 38.214, 8.1.4, the UE procedure for determining the subset of resources to be reported to upper layers in PSSCH resource selection in side-link resource allocation mode 2 is discussed. When an upper layer triggers a resource selection, a number of subchannels are provided by the upper layer, as shown in Table 2, but information related to the RB set is not reported to the physical layer. Thus, for SL-U, the information related to the RB set must be provided from the upper layer to the physical layer. In resource allocation mode 2, the upper layer can request that the UE determine a subset of resources from which the upper layer will select resources for PSSCH / PSCCH transmission. To trigger this procedure, in slot n, the upper layer provides the following parameters for this PSSCH / PSCCH transmission, as shown in Table 2. To trigger this procedure, in slot n, the upper layer provides the following parameters for this PSSCH / PSCCH transmission: - the resource pool from which resources should be reported; - Priority L1, prioTX; - the remaining package delay budget; - the number of subchannels to be used for transmission of Petition 870250089997, dated 02 / 10 / 2025, page 18 / 65 10 / 38 PSSCH / PSCCH in an LsubCH slot; - optionally, the resource reservation interval, í'rsvp_TX, in ms units. TABLE 2

[0026] In current TS 38.321 5.22.1.1, SL Grant reception and SCI transmission are shown in table 3. If the MAC entity has been configured with Side Link 2 resource allocation mode to transmit using resource pools on a carrier, as indicated in TS 38.331 [5] or TS 36.331

[21] , based on full detection, or partial detection, or random selection, or any combination, the MAC entity must, for each Side Link process: NOTE 1: If the MAC entity is configured with Side Link resource allocation mode 2 to transmit using a resource pool on a carrier, as indicated in TS 38.331 [5] or TS 36.331

[21] , the MAC entity can create a selected side link lease in the resource pool based on random selection, or partial detection, or full detection only after releasing the configured side link lease(s), if any. NOTE 2: The MAC entity expects PSFCH to always be configured by the RRC for at least one resource pool in sl-TxPoolSelectedNormal and for the resource pool in sl-TxPoolExceptional if at least one logical channel configured with sl-HARQ-FeedbackEnabled is set to enabled. 1> If the MAC entity has selected to create a selected side link lease corresponding to the transmissions of multiple MAC PDUs, and SL data is available in a Petition 870250089997, dated 02 / 10 / 2025, p. 19 / 65 11 / 38 logical channel: 2> If the MAC entity has not selected an allowed resource pool for the logical channel: If SL data is available on the logical channel for side link discovery: 4> if sl-BWP-DiscPoolConfig or sl-BWP-DiscPoolConfigCommon is configured according to TS 38.331 [5]: > Select the sl-DiscTxPoolSelected configured in sl-BWP-DiscPoolConfig or sl-BWP-DiscPoolConfigCommon for transmitting the side link discovery message. 4> otherwise: Select any resource pool from among the configured resource pools. 3> Otherwise, if sl-HARQ-FeedbackEnabled is set to enabled for the logical channel: 4> Select any resource pool configured with PSFCH resources from among the resource pools, except the pool(s) in sl-BWP-DiscPoolConfig or sl-BWP-DiscPoolConfigCommon, if configured. 3> otherwise: 4> Select any resource pool from among the resource pools, except the pool(s) in sl-BWP-DiscPoolConfig or sl-BWP-DiscPoolConfigCommon, if configured. 2> Perform the (re)selection verification of TX resources in the selected resource pool, as specified in clause 5.22.1.2; NOTE 3: The MAC entity continuously performs TX resource (re)selection verification until the corresponding set of resources is released by the RRC or the entity. Petition 870250089997, dated 02 / 10 / 2025, p. 20 / 65 12 / 38 of MAC decides to cancel the creation of a selected side link lease corresponding to the transmissions of several MAC PDUs. 2> If the (re)selection of the TX resource is triggered as a result of the TX resource (re)selection check: 3> If one or multiple SL DRXs are configured in the target UE(s) that receive SL-SCH data: 4> indicate to the physical layer Active Time of SL DRX in the destination UE(s) that receive SL-SCH data, as specified in clause 5.28.2. 3> Select one of the allowed values ​​configured by the RRC in sl-ResourceReservePeriodList and set the resource reservation interval, / JsvpTX, to the selected value; NOTE 3A: The MAC entity selects a value for the resource reservation range that is greater than the remaining PDB of SL data available in the logical channel. 3> Randomly select, with equal probability, an integer value in the interval [5, 15] for the resource reservation interval greater than or equal to 100 ms or in the interval 5 x 100, 15 x 100 for the reservation interval max(20, Prsvp_Tx) max(20, Prsvp_Tx) of resources less than 100 ms and set SL_RESOURCE_RESELETION_COUNTER for the selected value; 3> Select the number of HARQ retransmissions from the allowed numbers, if configured by the RRC, in sl-MaxTxTransNumPSSCH included in sl-PSSCH-TxConfigList and, if configured by the RRC, overridden in sl-MaxTxTransNumPSSCH indicated in sl-CBR-PriorityTxConfigList for the highest priority of the allowed logical channel(s) on the carrier Petition 870250089997, dated 02 / 10 / 2025, p. 21 / 65 13 / 38 and the CBR measured by lower layers in accordance with clause 5.1.27 of TS 38.215

[24] if CBR measurement results are available or the corresponding sl-defaultTxConfigIndex configured by RRC if CBR measurement results are not available; 3> select a number of frequency resources within the range, if configured by RRC, between sl-MinSubChannelNumPSSCH and sl-MaxSubchannelNumPSSCH included in sl-PSSCH-TxConfigList and, if configured by RRC, overlapped between MinSubChannelNumPSSCH and MaxSubchannelNumPSSCH indicated in sl-CBR-PriorityTxConfigList for the highest priority of the allowed logical channel(s) on the carrier and the CBR measured by lower layers according to clause 5.1.27 of TS 38.215

[24] if CBR measurement results are available or the corresponding sl-defaultTxConfigIndex configured by RRC if CBR measurement results are not available; TABLE 3

[0027] In an agreement from RAN1#112, a subchannel is defined and indexed within a set of RB, as shown in table 4. Agreement For PSCCH / PSSCH transmission based on interleaved RB in SL-U: • Regarding the mapping between subchannel and interleaving, 1 subchannel is defined and indexed within 1 set of RBs and is periodically indexed in different sets of RBs within the resource pool. TABLE 4

[0028] In view of the above, in the current agreement, a subchannel is limited to a set of RBs, therefore, the layer indication Petition 870250089997, dated 02 / 10 / 2025, page 22 / 65 Legacy 14 / 38 superior subchannel numbering cannot restrict frequency resource size. Therefore, to improve consideration of one or more selected / available RB sets, a new upper-layer indication is needed. This disclosure proposes upper-layer parameters for resource indication selection in an SL-U. The upper-layer parameters relate to RB sets and subchannels. This disclosure further proposes an upper-layer selection parameter procedure. This disclosure also provides upper-layer information supplied to the physical layer for resource selection and an indication stored in SCI to indicate equal or different subchannels or subchannel index in each RB set.

[0029] In this way, the subchannel is not limited to one set of RBs. The resource selected for SL transmission can include multiple subchannels or interleaving, and also encompass multiple sets of RBs. A new upper layer indication is also provided. Thus, the upper layer indication in the number of subchannels does not restrict the size of the frequency resource and resource reporting requests for SL-U can be extended to multiple sets of RBs.

[0030] The principle and methods of this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Example Environment

[0031] Fig. 1 illustrates an example of a communication environment 100 in which examples of embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented. The communication environment 100, which may be part of a communication network, includes a terminal device and a network device.

[0032] As illustrated in Fig. 1, the communication environment 100 may comprise a terminal device 102 and a terminal device 106. The terminal device 102 may also be referred to as Petition 870250089997, dated 02 / 10 / 2025, page 23 / 65 15 / 38 User equipment 102 or UE 102. Terminal device 106 may also be referred to as user equipment 106 or UE 106. Terminal device 102 can communicate with terminal device 106 via side link channels. For example, terminal device 102 can transmit an acknowledgment (ACK) or non-ACK message for a data transmission to terminal device 106.

[0033] The communication environment 100 may comprise a network device 104. The network device 104 may also be referred to as gNB 104. The network device 104 may communicate with the terminal device 102. The network device 104 may determine configuration information indicating a minimum and a maximum number of RB sets for a side-link transmission. The network device 104 may determine configuration information indicating the selection of at least one identical or different subchannel in each RB set for the side-link transmission. The network device 104 may transmit the configuration information to the terminal device 102.

[0034] Terminal device 102 can obtain configuration information. For example, the configuration information is pre-configured. In another example, terminal device 102 can receive configuration information.

[0035] Terminal device 102 can select, based on configuration information, at least one resource for side-link transmission, performing a resource selection procedure. Terminal device 102 can transmit an SCI indicating at least one resource.

[0036] It should be understood that the number of terminal devices is provided for illustrative purposes only, without suggesting any limitations. The communication environment 100 may include any suitable number of network devices and / or terminal devices adapted to implement embodiments of this disclosure.

[0037] Communications in the communication environment 100 can Petition 870250089997, dated 02 / 10 / 2025, page 24 / 65 16 / 38 to be implemented in accordance with any suitable communication protocol, including but not limited to third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), fifth-generation (5G), 5G-Advanced or higher (6G) wireless local area network communication protocols, such as the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 and similar protocols, and / or any other protocols currently known or to be developed in the future.Furthermore, communication may utilize any suitable wireless communication technology, including but not limited to: orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), time division multiplexing (TDM), frequency division multiplexing (FDM), code division multiplexing (CDM), space division multiplexing (SDM) via beamforming or multiple input / output transmission (MIMO), carrier aggregation (CA), dual connectivity (DC), new unlicensed radio communication (NR-U), Bluetooth, ZigBee, etc. Communication may be of any type, including but not limited to: machine-type communication (MTC), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine-type communication (mMTC), ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC), etc.

[0038] At least to solve the above problems, this disclosure provided a method for side-link communications. It should be understood that, although the modalities are discussed primarily with reference to PSSCH, they can also be applied to any other communication channels or links. Example Communication Process

[0039] Fig. 2A illustrates an example of the 200A signaling process for configuration for side-link transmissions according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For discussion purposes, the 200A signaling process will be described with reference to Fig. 1. It would be expected that, although the 200A signaling process has been described in the communication environment 100 of Fig. 1, this 200A signaling process can be equally Petition 870250089997, dated 02 / 10 / 2025, page 25 / 65 17 / 38 applied to other communication scenarios.

[0040] As shown in Fig. 2A, terminal device 102 obtains (202) configuration information. In some example embodiments, the configuration information may indicate a minimum and a maximum number of RB sets for a side link transmission. In some other embodiments, the configuration information may indicate selecting at least one equal or different subchannel in each RB set for side link transmission. In some other embodiments, the configuration information may indicate both items. As an example, terminal device 102 may receive configuration information from network device 104. As another example, terminal device 102 may be configured with configuration information.

[0041] For example, terminal device 102 may receive configuration information that is configured or pre-configured by resource pooling via RRC signaling. The configuration information may include two parameters, which are sl-MinRBsetNumPSSCH and sl-MaxRBsetNumPSSCH. The two parameters may indicate the minimum and maximum number of RB sets that can be used for PSSCH transmissions.

[0042] For another example, terminal device 102 may receive configuration information that is configured or pre-configured by resource pool via RRC signaling. The configuration information may comprise a SubchannelinRBset parameter, which indicates that terminal device 102 should select the same subchannels or subchannel indices, or terminal device 102 should select different subchannels or subchannel indices in each RB set.

[0043] Terminal device 102 selects (204) at least one resource for side link transmission, performing a resource selection procedure based on configuration information. For example, if the configuration information indicates that the minimum number and maximum number of RB sets Petition 870250089997, dated 02 / 10 / 2025, p. 26 / 65 18 / 38 is one and three, and if the configuration information indicates the selection of the same subchannel in each RB set, terminal device 102 can determine that the number of available RB sets is two, which is within a range between the minimum and maximum number of RB sets. Terminal device 102 can select two subchannels in each RB set and periodically in different RB sets within the resource pool.

[0044] For example, the upper layer of terminal device 102 can select or determine the number of RB sets for PSSCH transmission for resource selection procedure based on sl-MinRBsetNumPSSCH and sl-MaxRBsetNumPSSCH. The upper layer of terminal device 102 can provide the selected or determined number of RB sets to the physical layer for resource selection triggered in slot n. For example, the upper layer can provide parameters to indicate the number of RB sets to be used for PSSCH / PSCCH transmission in a slot.

[0045] In some embodiments, terminal device 102 may select or determine the available RB sets for PSSCH transmission for the resource selection procedure. Meanwhile, the available RB sets may be selected or determined based on the consistent result of LBT fault detection. The upper layer may provide the available RB sets or RB set indices to the physical layer for resource selection triggered in slot n. For example, the upper layer may provide parameters for this PSSCH / PSCCH transmission, which indicate the available RB sets or RB set indices to be used for PSSCH / PSCCH transmission in a slot based on consistent LBT fault detection results.

[0046] For better understanding, reference is made to Figs. 3A-3F, which illustrate some examples of configuration information related to the RB numbers defined for side link transmissions according to some modalities of this disclosure. Petition 870250089997, dated 02 / 10 / 2025, p. 27 / 65 19 / 38

[0047] In some example embodiments, if the upper layer provides the selected or determined number of RB sets to the physical layer for feature selection triggered in slot n, the terminal device 102 must select the candidate feature within contiguous RB sets in the frequency domain. For example, if the number of RB sets is two, the terminal device must select features from one of: {RB Set 0}, {RB Set 1}, {RB Set 2}, {RB Set 3}, {RB Set 0, RB Set 1}, {RB Set 1, RB Set 2} or {RB Set 2, RB Set 3}. This can be understood with reference to Figs. 3A and 3B. As shown in FIG. In Figure 3A, subchannels 0 and 3 are selected from sets of RBs 0 and 1. As shown in Figure 3B, subchannels 0 to 3 are selected from sets of RBs 0.

[0048] In some example embodiments, if the upper layer of the terminal device provides the available RB sets or RB set indices to the physical layer for feature selection triggered in slot n. The terminal device must select candidate feature within contiguous RB sets in the frequency domain.

[0049] For example, the available RB sets are {RB set 0, RB set 1, RB set 2}, the terminal device must select features from one of the following: {RB set 0, RB set 1, RB set 2}, {RB set 0, RB set 1}, {RB set 1, RB set 2}, {RB set 0}, {RB set 1}, {RB set 2}. As shown in Fig. 3C, continuous RB sets 0-2 are selected.

[0050] As another example, the available RB sets are {RB set 0, RB set 1, RB set 3}. Terminal device 102 must select features from the following: {RB set 0, RB set 1}, {RB set 1}, {RB set 2}, or {RB set 3}. As shown in Fig. 3D, continuous RB sets 0-1 are selected. Petition 870250089997, dated 02 / 10 / 2025, p. 28 / 65 20 / 38

[0051] For another example, the available RB sets are {RB set 0, RB set 1, RB set 3}, terminal device 102 must select resources from one of the following: {RB set 0, RB set 1}, {RB set 1}, {RB set 2}, or {RB set 3}. As shown in Fig. 3E, RB set 3 is selected; this is because RB 2 is not available and RB 1 is not adjacent to RB 3.

[0052] In some example embodiments, if the upper layer provides the available RB sets or RB set indexes to the physical layer for resource selection triggered in slot n. Terminal device 102 is indicated or configured to select non-continuous RB sets (i.e., additional pre-configuration information or configuration by resource pool or upper layer indication) and terminal device 102 can select a candidate resource within non-continuous RB sets in the frequency domain. For example, if the available RB sets are {RB set 0, RB set 1, RB set 3}, the terminal device 102 must select resources from one of the following: {RB set 0, RB set 1, RB set 3}, {RB set 0, RB set 1}, {RB set 1, RB set 3}, {RB set 0, RB set 3}, {RB set 0}, {RB set 1} or {RB set 3}. As shown in Fig.In 3F, non-continuous RB sets 0 and 3 are selected. In some example modes, although the configuration information indicates that non-continuous RB sets should be selected, continuous RB sets may be selected.

[0053] Returning to Fig. 2A. The configuration information may indicate that a terminal device can select the same or different subchannels in each set of RBs. To achieve this, a SubchannelinRBset parameter is proposed. SubchannelinRBset can indicate that a terminal device should select the same subchannels or subchannel indices in each set of RBs.

[0054] In some example modes, the top layer Petition 870250089997, dated 02 / 10 / 2025, p. 29 / 65 21 / 38 of the terminal device can select or determine the selection of the same subchannels or subchannel indices in each RB set for PSSCH transmission for the resource selection procedure. To trigger this procedure, in slot n, the upper layer can provide parameters indicating that the same subchannels or subchannel indices are selected in each RB set.

[0055] For better understanding, reference is made to Figs. 4A-4B, which illustrate some examples of configuration information related to the selection of equal or different subchannels for side link transmissions according to some embodiments of this disclosure.

[0056] For example, the terminal device may receive configuration information that is configured by resource pooling via RRC signaling. The configuration information may indicate that terminal device 102 should select the same subchannels in each RB set when resource selection is performed and the selected resources span multiple RB sets.

[0057] If the upper layer instructs the physical layer to select the same subchannels in each RB set, during the feature selection procedure, terminal device 102 must report the candidate feature with the same subchannels or subchannel indices in each RB set. As shown in Fig. 4A, the same subchannels 0 and 3 are selected in each of the RB sets 0-2.

[0058] In some example embodiments, the upper layer of terminal device 102 may select or determine the selection of equal or different subchannels or index subchannels in each RB set for PSSCH transmission for resource selection procedure. Furthermore, to select equal or different subchannels or index subchannels in each RB set, a number may be selected or determined within a range of numbers. Petition 870250089997, dated 02 / 10 / 2025, p. 30 / 65 22 / 38 maximum and minimum.

[0059] For example, the upper layer may allow the selection of equal or different subchannels or subchannel indexes in each RB defined for the physical layer for feature selection triggered in slot n. If the upper layer instructs the physical layer to select the same subchannels in each set of RBs, during the feature selection procedure, terminal device 102 must report the candidate feature with the same subchannels or subchannel indices in each set of RBs. As shown in Fig. 4A, the same subchannels 0 and 3 are selected in each of the RB sets 0-2.

[0060] If the upper layer indicates that the physical layer can select different subchannels in each RB set, during the feature selection procedure, the terminal device can report the candidate feature with the same or different subchannels or subchannel indices in each RB set. As shown in Fig. 4B, subchannels 0 and 2 are selected in RB set 0, and subchannels 1 and 3 are selected in RB set 1, and subchannels 0 and 3 are selected in RB set 2.

[0061] In some example modes, the configuration information may indicate the channel occupancy rate (CBR) limit or the channel occupancy rate (CR) limit. In this case, the configuration information may comprise a SubchannelinRBset CBR limit parameter or a SubchannelinRBset CR limit parameter. The SubchannelinRBset CBR limit parameter or the SubchannelinRBset CR limit parameter indicates that the UE may select equal or different subchannels or subchannel indices in each RB set based on a configured or pre-configured CBR limit or CR limit.

[0062] After receiving the SubchannelinRBset CBR limit parameter or the SubchannelinRBset CR limit parameter, if the measured CBR of the resource pool is equal to or greater than the pre-configured CBR limit (i.e., traffic load is high in this Petition 870250089997, dated 02 / 10 / 2025, page 31 / 65 23 / 38 resource pool), the upper layer of the terminal device can select or determine different subchannels or subchannel indices in each RB set. Otherwise, if the measured CBR of the resource pool is less than a pre-configured CBR threshold (i.e., the traffic load is low in this resource pool), the upper layer can select or determine the same subchannels or subchannel indices in each RB set.

[0063] If the measured CBR of the resource pool is greater than the pre-configured or configured CBR limit (i.e., traffic load is high in this resource pool), the upper layer may select or determine different subchannels or subchannel indices in each RB set. Otherwise, if the measured CBR of the resource pool is equal to or less than the pre-configured or configured CBR limit (i.e., traffic load is low in this resource pool), the upper layer may select or determine the same subchannel or subchannel indices in each RB set.

[0064] In some example embodiments, the upper layer of terminal device 102 may select different subchannels or subchannel indices in each RB set. To trigger this procedure, in slot n, the upper layer may provide parameters for this PSSCH / PSCCH transmission, which indicate that the UE may select different subchannels or subchannel indices in each RB set.

[0065] For example, if the upper layer indicates that the physical layer can select different subchannels in each RB set, during the feature selection procedure, UE can report the candidate feature with the same or different subchannels or subchannel indices in each RB set.

[0066] In some example embodiments, the upper layer of terminal device 102 may provide the number of subchannels to be used for PSSCH / PSCCH transmission per RB set and the selected or determined number of RB sets or RB set indices for the physical layer for resource selection. Petition 870250089997, dated 02 / 10 / 2025, p. 32 / 65 24 / 38 triggered in a slot. For example, to trigger this procedure, in slot n, the upper layer can provide parameters for this PSSCH / PSCCH transmission. The parameters indicate the number of RB sets or RB set indices to be used for PSSCH / PSCCH transmission in a slot and the number of subchannels to be used for PSSCH / PSCCH transmission per RB set in a slot. The number of subchannels is provided for each RB set and the number of subchannels for each RB set is the same.

[0067] In some example embodiments, the upper layer of the terminal device may provide a set of subchannels to be used for PSSCH / PSCCH transmission corresponding to multiple sets of RB and the selected or determined number of RB sets or RB set indices for the physical layer for feature selection triggered in a slot. To trigger this procedure, in slot n, the upper layer can provide parameters for this PSSCH / PSCCH transmission that indicate the following (i) to (iv), where (i): the number of RB sets or RB set indices to be used for PSSCH / PSCCH transmission in a slot, (ii): the number of subchannels to be used for PSSCH / PSCCH transmission for RB set 1 in a slot, (iii): the number of subchannels to be used for PSSCH / PSCCH transmission for RB set 2 in a slot, (iv): the number of subchannels to be used for PSSCH / PSCCH transmission for RB set 3 in a slot.Similarly, the number of subchannels to be used for PSSCH / PSCCH transmission for RB set n in a slot, where n is an integer greater than three. Here, a set of subchannel numbers is provided from the upper layer and the number of subchannels is provided separately for each RB set.

[0068] Returning to Fig. 2A. Terminal device 102 transmits (206), via a transceiver, SCI 210 indicating at least one resource. Network device 104 receives (208) SCI 210 from terminal device 102. As in the example above, terminal device 102 can transmit SCI indicating Petition 870250089997, dated 02 / 10 / 2025, p. 33 / 65 25 / 38 of the two available RB sets selected.

[0069] In some example embodiments, an SCI field determination based on configuration information is indicated by a bitmap. For better understanding, this scenario is described with reference to Figs. 5A-5B, which illustrate some examples of bitmaps related to the RB sets and subchannels selected for side-link transmissions according to some embodiments of this disclosure.

[0070] In some example embodiments, the configuration information indicates that the same subchannels are selected in each RB set. The RB set index indicates the RB sets used for PSSCH / PSCCH transmission, and the subchannel index indicates the subchannel index used for PSSCH / PSCCH transmission.

[0071] For example, as shown in Fig. 5A, the indication field includes 9 bits in a bitmap manner (the bit length of the indication field = number of RB sets + number of subchannels). For example, bits '1100' represent which RB sets 0 and 1 from RB sets {0,1,2,3} are used. Bits '11100' represent which subchannels 0, 1, and 2 from subchannels {0,1,2,3,4} are used. As shown in Fig. 5A, subchannels 0-2 are selected together from RB 0, and subchannels 0-2 are selected together from RB 1.

[0072] In some example embodiments, the indication field may include a first indication field to indicate the number of RB sets allocated, for example, using 2 bits to indicate the number of RB sets used in the case of a maximum of 4 RB sets on the carrier. Bits 00 represent that 1 RB set is used. Bits 01 represent that 2 RB sets are used. Bits 10 represent that 3 RB sets are used. Bits 11 represent that 4 RB sets are used. The first RB set allocated among the allocated RB sets is the RB set where the SCI is transmitted or the smallest RB set among the RB sets allocated for PSCCH / PSSCH transmission. Petition 870250089997, dated 02 / 10 / 2025, p. 34 / 65 26 / 38

[0073] In some example embodiments, the indication field may include a second indication field to indicate the index of the initial RB set and the number of RB sets allocated contiguously in the manner of SLIV (start and length indication value).

[0074] In some example modes, the configuration information may indicate that different subchannels must be selected in each RB set. The SCI field may include an indication field that indicates a set of subchannel indices and a set of RB set indices. In some example modes, if the configuration information indicates that a terminal device can select different subchannels in each RB set, the terminal device can select the same or different subchannels or subchannel indices in each RB set.

[0075] In this case, the subchannel index in each RB set can be the same. For example, as shown in FIG. 5A, the indication field can include 20 bits (11000 11000 00000 00000) in a bitmap manner, with the first bit portion '11100' representing that subchannels {0,1,2} in RB set 1 are used, the second bit portion '11100' representing that subchannels {0,1,2} in RB set 2 are used, and the third bit portion '00000' and the fourth bit portion '00000' representing that none of the subchannels in RB sets 3 and 4 are used. As shown in Fig. 5A, subchannels 0-2 are selected together from RB 0, and subchannels 0-2 are selected together from RB 1.

[0076] In this case, the subchannel index in each RB set can be the same. For example, as shown in Fig. 5B, the indication field can include 20 bits (10100 01010 10010 00000) in bitmap mode. As shown in Fig. 5B, subchannels 0 and 2 are selected together from RB 0, and subchannels 1 and 3 are selected together from RB 1, and subchannels 0 and 3 are selected in the RB 2 set. Petition 870250089997, dated 02 / 10 / 2025, p. 35 / 65 27 / 38

[0077] Fig. 2B illustrates another example signaling process 200B for configuration for side-link transmissions according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For discussion purposes, the signaling process 200B will be described with reference to Fig. 1. It should be appreciated that although the signaling process 200B has been described in the communication environment 100 of Fig. 1, this signaling process 200B can equally be applied to other communication scenarios.

[0078] As shown in Fig. 2B, network device 102 determines (212) configuration information. In some example embodiments, the configuration information may indicate a minimum and a maximum number of RB sets for a side link transmission. Alternatively or additionally, the configuration information may indicate selecting at least one equal or different subchannel in each RB set for side link transmission. In some other embodiments, the configuration information may indicate both items.

[0079] Network device 104 transmits (216), via a transceiver, configuration information 218 to terminal device 102. Terminal device 102 receives (214) configuration information 218 from network device 104.

[0080] In some example embodiments, network device 104 may determine configuration information indicating that the terminal device is permitted to select non-contiguous RB sets in a resource selection procedure. Network device 104 may transmit the determined additional configuration information.

[0081] In some example embodiments, network device 104 may determine configuration information indicating a CBR limit or a CR limit for terminal device 102, in order to determine whether to select at least one equal or different subchannel in each RB set. Network device 104 may transmit additional configuration information. Petition 870250089997, dated 02 / 10 / 2025, page 36 / 65 28 / 38 determined.

[0082] In some example modes, network device 104 may transmit configuration information via higher-layer signaling by resource pooling, for example, via RRC signaling. To summarize, other corresponding actions performed by network device 104 will not be discussed here.

[0083] As such, through the implementation of Figs. 2A and 2B, the subchannel is not limited to a set of RBs. The resource selected for side link transmission can include multiple subchannels or interleaving, and also encompass multiple sets of RBs. Example Method

[0084] Fig. 6 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 600 for configuring side-link transmissions according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in Fig. 6, in block 602, the terminal device 102 obtains configuration information indicating at least one of (i) a minimum and a maximum number of RB sets for a side-link transmission, or (ii) the selection of at least one equal or different subchannel in each RB set for the side-link transmission.

[0085] In block 604, terminal device 102 selects at least one resource for side-link transmission, performing a resource selection procedure based on configuration information. In block 606, terminal device 102 transmits, via a transceiver, an SCI indicating at least one resource.

[0086] In some example embodiments, terminal device 102 may perform the resource selection procedure by determining, through an upper layer of terminal device 102, a number of RB sets for side-link transmission within a range from the minimum to the maximum number of RB sets. Terminal device 102 may also perform Petition 870250089997, dated 02 / 10 / 2025, page 37 / 65 29 / 38 the resource selection procedure providing, by the layer above a physical layer of the terminal device 102, a parameter indicating the determined number of RB sets.

[0087] In some example embodiments, terminal device 102 may perform the resource selection procedure by determining, through an upper layer of terminal device 102, at least one set of RBs available for side link transmission within a range from the minimum to the maximum number of RB sets. Terminal device 102 may also perform the resource selection procedure by providing, through the upper layer to a physical layer of terminal device 102, a parameter indicating the determined at least one set of available RBs.

[0088] In some example embodiments, the at least one available RB set can be determined based on a consistent LBT fault detection result related to RB sets within the range from the minimum number to the maximum number of RB sets.

[0089] In some example embodiments, terminal device 102 may perform the resource selection procedure by selecting at least one candidate resource from contiguous RB sets in the frequency domain. In some example embodiments, terminal device 102 may obtain additional configuration information indicating that terminal device 102 is permitted to select non-contiguous RB sets in the resource selection procedure.

[0090] In some example embodiments, performing the feature selection procedure may also include selecting at least one candidate feature from sets of non-continuous RB in the frequency domain. In some example embodiments, performing the feature selection procedure may also include selecting at least one candidate feature from sets of continuous RB in the frequency domain. Petition 870250089997, dated 02 / 10 / 2025, page 38 / 65 30 / 38

[0091] In some example embodiments, performing the resource selection procedure may involve determining, by an upper layer of the terminal device 102 and based on configuration information, the selection of at least one same subchannel in each set of RBs for side link transmission. In some example embodiments, performing the resource selection procedure may also involve providing, by the upper layer to a physical layer of the terminal device 102, a parameter indicating the selection of at least one same subchannel in each set of RBs for side link transmission. In some example embodiments, performing the resource selection procedure may also involve reporting, by the physical layer to the upper layer, at least one candidate resource with at least one same subchannel index in each set of RBs.

[0092] In some example embodiments, performing the resource selection procedure may comprise determining, by an upper layer of the terminal device 102 and based on configuration information, the selection of at least one different subchannel in each RB set for side link transmission. In some example embodiments, performing the resource selection procedure may further comprise providing, by the upper layer to a physical layer of the terminal device, a parameter indicating that the terminal device 102 is permitted to select at least one different subchannel in each RB set for side link transmission. In some example embodiments, performing the resource selection procedure may further comprise reporting, by the physical layer to the upper layer, at least one candidate resource with at least one equal or different subchannel index in each RB set.

[0093] In some example embodiments, the configuration information may be an additional indicator of a channel occupancy rate (CBR) limit or a channel occupancy rate (CR) limit for terminal device 102, in order to determine whether it should Petition 870250089997, dated 02 / 10 / 2025, p. 39 / 65 31 / 38 select at least one identical or different subchannel in each RB set.

[0094] In some example embodiments, performing the resource selection procedure may comprise determining, by an upper layer of the terminal device 102, the selection of at least one different subchannel in each RB set for side link transmission, in the case where a measured CBR or measured CR of an associated resource pool is equal to or greater than the CBR limit or the CR limit. In some example embodiments, performing the resource selection procedure may further comprise the determination, by the upper layer, of the selection of at least one of the same subchannels in each RB set for side link transmission, in the case where the measured CBR or measured CR is less than the CBR limit or the CR limit.

[0095] In some example embodiments, performing the resource selection procedure may involve determining, by an upper layer of the terminal device 102, the selection of at least one different subchannel in each RB set for side link transmission, in the case where a measured CBR or a measured CR of an associated resource pool is greater than the CBR limit or the CR limit. In some example embodiments, performing the resource selection procedure may further involve determining, by the upper layer, the selection of at least one of the same subchannels in each RB set for side link transmission, in the case where the measured CBR or the measured CR is equal to or less than the CBR limit or the CR limit.

[0096] In some example embodiments, performing the resource selection procedure may comprise providing, by a layer higher than a physical layer of the terminal device 102, a number of RB sets or at least an RB set index to be used for side link transmission in a slot. In some example embodiments, performing the resource selection procedure may further comprise providing, by a layer Petition 870250089997, dated 02 / 10 / 2025, p. 40 / 65 32 / 38 superior to a physical layer of the terminal device 102, a number of subchannels to be used for side link transmission per RB set in the slot.

[0097] In some example embodiments, performing the resource selection procedure may comprise providing, by a layer above a physical layer of terminal device 102, a number of RB sets or at least an RB set index to be used for side-link transmission in a slot. In some example embodiments, performing the resource selection procedure may further comprise providing, by a layer above a physical layer of terminal device 102, one or more subchannel numbers to be used for side-link transmission corresponding to one or more RB sets in the slot.

[0098] In some example embodiments, the SCI may further indicate at least one set of RBs used for side-link transmission and at least one subchannel in each set of RBs used for side-link transmission. In some example embodiments, the SCI may comprise a bitmap, a first part of the bitmap may indicate at least one set of RBs and a second part of the bitmap may indicate at least one subchannel in each set of RBs.

[0099] In some example embodiments, the SCI may further be indicative of a set of RB sets and subchannels within the RB set used for side link transmission. In some example embodiments, the SCI may comprise a bitmap including multiple parts corresponding to the RB set, and a part among the multiple parts may be indicative of a set of subchannels within an RB set corresponding to the part.

[00100] In some example modes, the configuration information may be configuration information pre-configured by resource pool. In some example modes, the configuration information may be configuration information by Petition 870250089997, dated 02 / 10 / 2025, page 41 / 65 33 / 38 resource pool configured via upper-layer signaling.

[00101] Fig. 7 illustrates another flowchart of an example method 700 for configuring side-link transmissions according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in Fig. 7, in block 702, network device 104 determines configuration information indicating at least one of (i) a minimum and a maximum number of resource block (RB) sets for a side-link transmission, or (ii) selecting at least one equal or different subchannel in each RB set for the side-link transmission. In block 704, network device 104 transmits, via a transceiver, the configuration information to a terminal device.

[00102] In some example embodiments, network device 104 may transmit, via the transceiver to terminal device 102, additional configuration information indicating that terminal device 102 is permitted to select non-contiguous RB sets in a resource selection procedure.

[00103] In some example embodiments, the configuration information may be an additional indicator of a channel occupancy rate limit (CBR) or a channel occupancy rate limit (CR) for the terminal device 102, in order to determine whether to select at least one equal or different subchannel in each RB set. In some example embodiments, the configuration information may be transmitted via resource pooling upper layer signaling.

[00104] Thus, when implementing methods 600 and 700, subchannel is not limited to a set of RB. The resource selected for SL transmission can include multiple subchannels or interleaving, and also encompass multiple sets of RB.

[00105] In view of the above, a subchannel is not limited to a set of RB. The resource selected for SL transmission may include multiple subchannels or interleaving, and may also encompass Petition 870250089997, dated 02 / 10 / 2025, p. 42 / 65 34 / 38 multiple RB sets. A new upper layer indication is provided. The new upper layer indication in the number of subchannels is allowed to cover frequency feature size, and candidate feature reporting for SL-U can be extended to multiple RB sets. Example Device

[00106] FIG. 8 illustrates a simplified block diagram of a device 800 suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 800 can be considered as a further example implementation of terminal device 102 or network device 104, as shown in Fig. 1. Consequently, the device 800 can be implemented in or as at least a part of terminal device 102 or network device 104.

[00107] As shown, the device 800 includes a processor 810, a memory 820 coupled to the processor 810, a suitable transmitter (TX) and receiver (RX) 840 coupled to the processor 810, and a communication interface coupled to the TX / RX 840. The memory 810 stores at least part of a program 830. The TX / RX 840 is for bidirectional communications. The TX / RX 840 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication, although in practice an Access Node mentioned in this application may have multiple antennas. The communication interface can represent any interface necessary for communication with other network elements, such as the X2 interface for bidirectional communication between eNBs or gNBs, the S1 interface for communication between a Mobility Management Entity (MME) / Service Gateway (S-GW) and the eNB or gNB, the Un interface for communication between the eNB or gNB and a relay node (RN), or the Uu interface for communication between the eNB or gNB and a terminal device.

[00108] It is assumed that program 830 includes program instructions that, when executed by the associated processor 810, allow device 800 to operate according to the modes Petition 870250089997, dated 02 / 10 / 2025, p. 43 / 65 35 / 38 of this disclosure, as discussed herein with reference to Figs. 1 to 6. 1-7. The embodiments described herein may be implemented by software executable by the processor 810 of the device 800, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. The processor 810 may be configured to implement various embodiments of this disclosure. Furthermore, a combination of the processor 810 and the memory 820 may form processing media 850 adapted to implement various embodiments of this disclosure.

[00109] The 820 memory can be of any type suitable for the local technical network and can be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as a non-transient computer-readable storage medium, semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory, and removable memory, as non-limiting examples. Although only one 820 memory is shown in the 800 device, there may be several physically distinct memory modules in the 800 device. The 810 processor can be of any type suitable for the local technical network and may include one or more general-purpose computers, special-purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), and multi-core processor architecture-based processors, as non-limiting examples.The 800 series device can have multiple processors, such as an application-specific integrated circuit chip that is time-slave to a clock that synchronizes with the main processor.

[00110] Generally, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or purpose-built circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software, which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various aspects of the embodiments Petition 870250089997, dated 02 / 10 / 2025, page 44 / 65 If sections 36 / 38 of this disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other pictorial representation, it will be appreciated that the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein can be implemented in, as non-limiting examples, hardware, software, firmware, special-purpose circuits or logic, general-purpose hardware or controllers, or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[00111] This disclosure also provides at least one computer program product stored tangibly on a non-transient, computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as those included in program modules, executed on a device on a target real or virtual processor, to perform the process or method described above. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, or the like that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. The functionality of program modules may be combined or divided among program modules, as desired, in various ways. Machine-executable instructions for program modules may be executed on a local or distributed device.In a distributed device, program modules can be located on both local and remote storage media.

[00112] Program code for executing methods of this disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. Such program code may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device, such that the program code, when executed by the processor or controller, causes the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or Petition 870250089997, dated 02 / 10 / 2025, page 45 / 65 37 / 38 block diagrams are implemented. The program code can run entirely on one machine, partially on the machine as a standalone software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on the remote machine or server.

[00113] The above program code may be incorporated into a machine-readable medium, which may be any tangible medium that can contain or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction-executing system, apparatus, or device. The machine-readable medium may be a machine-readable signal medium or a machine-readable storage medium. A machine-readable medium may include, among others, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination thereof.More specific examples of machine-readable storage media include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a laptop floppy disk, a hard disk drive, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc (CD-ROM) read-only memory, an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination thereof.

[00114] Furthermore, although operations are described in a specific order, this should not be understood as a requirement that such operations be performed in the specific order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desired results. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although several specific implementation details are contained in the discussions above, these should not be interpreted as limitations to the scope of this disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be Petition 870250089997, dated 02 / 10 / 2025, page 46 / 65 38 / 38 specific to certain modalities. Certain features described in the context of separate modalities may also be implemented in combination within a single modality. Conversely, several features described in the context of a single modality may also be implemented in multiple modalities separately or in any suitable subcombination.

[00115] Although the present disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it should be understood that the present disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Instead, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as exemplary ways of implementing the claims. Petition 870250089997, dated 02 / 10 / 2025, page 47 / 65

Claims

1 / 7 CLAIMS 1. Terminal device, characterized in that it comprises: a processor; and a transceiver coupled to the processor, wherein the processor is configured to: obtain configuration information indicative of at least one of (i) a minimum number and a maximum number of resource block (RB) sets for a side-link transmission, or (ii) select at least one equal or different subchannel in each RB set for the side-link transmission; select at least one resource for the side-link transmission by performing a resource selection procedure based on the configuration information; and transmit, through the transceiver, side-link control (SCI) information indicative of at least one resource.

2. Terminal device, according to claim 1, characterized in that the implementation of the resource selection procedure comprises: determining, by an upper layer of the terminal device, a number of RB sets for side-link transmission within a range from the minimum number to the maximum number of RB sets; and providing, by the upper layer to a physical layer of the terminal device, a parameter indicating the determined number of RB sets.

3. Terminal device, according to claim 1, characterized in that the implementation of the resource selection procedure comprises: determining, by an upper layer of the terminal device, at least one set of RB available for side-link transmission within a range from the minimum number to the maximum number of RB sets; and providing, by the upper layer to a physical layer of the terminal device, a parameter indicative of the at least one set of available RB determined.

4. Terminal device, according to claim 3, characterized in that the at least one available RB set is determined based on a consistent LBT fault detection result related to RB sets within the range from the minimum number to the maximum number of RB sets.

5. Terminal device, according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that carrying out the feature selection procedure further comprises: selecting at least one candidate feature from sets of continuous RB in the frequency domain.

6. Terminal device, according to claim 3, characterized in that the processor is further configured to: obtain additional configuration information indicating that the terminal device is permitted to select non-contiguous RB sets in the resource selection procedure.

7. Terminal device, according to claim 6, characterized in that carrying out the feature selection procedure further comprises one of the following: selecting at least one candidate feature from sets of non-continuous RB in the frequency domain; or selecting at least one candidate feature from sets of continuous RB in the frequency domain.

8. Terminal device, according to claim 1, characterized in that the implementation of the resource selection procedure comprises: determining, by an upper layer of the terminal device and based on configuration information, selecting at least one same subchannel in each set of RBs for lateral link transmission; providing, by the upper layer to a physical layer of the terminal device, a parameter indicating the selection of at least one same subchannel in each set of RBs for lateral link transmission; and reporting, by the physical layer to the upper layer, at least one candidate resource with at least one same subchannel index in each set of RBs.

9. Terminal device, according to claim 1, characterized in that the implementation of the resource selection procedure comprises: determining, by an upper layer of the terminal device and based on configuration information, the selection of at least one different subchannel in each set of RB for side-link transmission; providing, by the upper layer to a physical layer of the terminal device, a parameter indicating that the terminal device is allowed to select at least one different subchannel in each set of RB for side-link transmission; and reporting, by the physical layer to the upper layer, at least one candidate resource with at least one equal or different subchannel index in each set of RB.

10. Terminal device, according to claim 1, characterized in that the configuration information is further indicative of a channel occupancy rate (CBR) limit or a channel occupancy rate (CR) limit for the terminal device to determine whether to select at least one equal or different subchannel in each RB set.

11. Terminal device, according to claim 10, characterized in that the implementation of the resource selection procedure comprises: determining, by an upper layer of the terminal device, Petition 870250089997, 02 / 10 / 2025, p. 50 / 65 4 / 7 the selection of at least one different subchannel in each RB set for side link transmission, in the case where a measured CBR or a measured CR of an associated resource pool is equal to or greater than the CBR limit or the CR limit; and determining, by the upper layer, the selection of at least one of the same subchannels in each RB set for side link transmission, in the case where the measured CBR or the measured CR is less than the CBR limit or the CR limit.

12. Terminal device, according to claim 10, characterized in that the implementation of the resource selection procedure comprises: determining, by an upper layer of the terminal device, the selection of at least one different subchannel in each set of RB for side-link transmission, in the case where a measured CBR or a measured CR of an associated resource pool is greater than the CBR limit or the CR limit; and determining, by the upper layer, the selection of at least one of the same subchannels in each set of RB for side-link transmission, in the case where the measured CBR or the measured CR is equal to or less than the CBR limit or the CR limit.

13. Terminal device according to claim 1, characterized in that the implementation of the resource selection procedure comprises: providing, by a layer above a physical layer of the terminal device, (i) a number of RB sets or at least an RB set index to be used for side-link transmission in a slot, and (ii) a number of subchannels to be used for side-link transmission per RB set in the slot.

14. Terminal device according to claim 1, characterized in that carrying out the feature selection procedure comprises: providing, by a layer above a physical layer of the terminal device, (i) a number of RB sets or at least an RB set index to be used for side-link transmission in a slot, and (ii) one or more subchannel numbers to be used for side-link transmission corresponding to one or more RB sets in the slot.

15. Terminal device, according to claim 8, characterized in that the SCI is further indicative of at least one set of RB used for side-link transmission and at least one subchannel in each set of RB used for side-link transmission.

16. Terminal device, according to claim 15, characterized in that the SCI comprises a bitmap, a first part of the bitmap is indicative of at least one set of RB and a second part of the bitmap is indicative of at least one subchannel in each set of RB.

17. Terminal device, according to claim 9, characterized in that the SCI is further indicative of a set of RB sets and subchannels in the set of RB sets used for side link transmission.

18. Terminal device, according to claim 17, characterized in that the SCI comprises a bitmap including multiple parts corresponding to the set of RB sets, and one part among the multiple parts is indicative of a set of subchannels in an RB set corresponding to the part.

19. Terminal device, according to any one of claims 1 to 18, characterized in that the configuration information is one of the following: configuration information pre-configured by resource pool; or configuration information by resource pool configured by means of upper-layer signaling.

20. Network device, characterized in that it comprises: a processor; and Petition 870250089997, of 02 / 10 / 2025, page 52 / 65 6 / 7 a transceiver coupled to the processor, wherein the processor is configured to: determine configuration information indicative of at least one of (i) a minimum number and a maximum number of resource block (RB) sets for a side-link transmission, or (ii) select at least one equal or different subchannel in each RB set for the side-link transmission; and transmit, through the transceiver, the configuration information to a terminal device.

21. Network device according to claim 20, characterized in that the processor is further configured to: transmit, via the transceiver to the terminal device, additional configuration information indicating that the terminal device is permitted to select non-contiguous RB sets in a resource selection procedure.

22. Network device according to claim 20, characterized in that the configuration information is further indicative of a channel occupancy rate limit (CBR) or a channel occupancy rate limit (CR) for the terminal device to determine whether to select at least one equal or different subchannel in each set of RB.

23. Network device according to any one of claims 20 to 22, characterized in that configuration information is transmitted via upper-layer signaling by resource pooling.

24. A method implemented by a terminal device, characterized in that it comprises: obtaining configuration information indicative of at least one of (i) a minimum number and a maximum number of resource block (RB) sets for a side-link transmission, or (ii) selecting at least one equal or different subchannel in each RB set for the side-link transmission; selecting at least one resource for the side-link transmission by performing a resource selection procedure based on the configuration information; and transmitting side-link control (SCI) information indicative of at least one resource.

25. A method performed by a network device, characterized in that it comprises: determining configuration information indicative of at least one of (i) a minimum number and a maximum number of resource block (RB) sets for a side-link transmission, or (ii) selecting at least one identical or different subchannel in each RB set for the side-link transmission; and transmitting the configuration information to a terminal device.

26. Non-transient computer-readable medium, characterized in that it comprises program instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the methods as defined in claim 24 or 25. Petition 870250089997, dated 10 / 02 / 2025, pp. 54 / 65

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