Method and apparatus for managing feedback in sidechain communications

Abstract

Various aspects described herein relate to selecting a sidelink control information (SCI) format for indicating a minimum communication range parameter, wherein the SCI format is a common format defined for requesting both location-based feedback and signal strength-based feedback. An SCI indicating a value for the minimum communication range parameter may be generated based on the SCI format. The SCI indicating a value for the minimum communication range parameter may be sent to one or more devices.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This patent application claims priority to provisional application 62 / 826,409, filed on March 29, 2019, entitled “TECHNIQUES FOR MANAGING FEEDBACK IN SIDELINK COMMUNICATIONS,” and U.S. patent application No. 16 / 829,758, filed on March 25, 2020, entitled “TECHNIQUES FOR MANAGING FEEDBACK IN SIDELINK COMMUNICATIONS,” which are expressly incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Technical Field

[0003] Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to wireless communication systems, and particularly to sending feedback in sidelink communications. Background Art

[0004] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content, such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, etc. These systems may be multiple-access systems capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). Examples of such multiple-access systems include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, and single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) systems.

[0005] These multiple access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunication standards to provide a common protocol that enables different wireless devices to communicate at a municipal level, a national level, a regional level, and even a global level. For example, the fifth generation (5G) wireless communication technology (which may be referred to as 5G New Radio (5G NR)) is envisioned to expand and support various usage scenarios and applications relative to the current mobile network generations. In one aspect, 5G communication technology may include: enhanced mobile broadband, which addresses people-centric use cases for accessing multimedia content, services, and data; ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC), which has specific specifications for latency and reliability; and massive machine type communications, which may allow a huge number of connected devices and the transmission of relatively small amounts of non-delay sensitive information.

[0006] Some wireless communication networks include vehicle-based communication devices that can communicate with other devices based on vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) (e.g., from a vehicle-based communication device to a road infrastructure node), vehicle-to-network (V2N) (e.g., from a vehicle-based communication device to one or more network nodes, such as a base station), combinations thereof, and / or with other devices, which may be collectively referred to as vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications. In V2X, devices may communicate with each other through resources of a sidelink channel. Devices receiving sidelink communications may report feedback for the sidelink communications. Summary of the invention

[0007] The following is a simplified summary of one or more aspects in order to provide a basic understanding of these aspects. This summary is not an exhaustive overview of all contemplated aspects, and is neither intended to identify key or important elements of all aspects, nor to delineate the scope of any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as a prelude to the detailed embodiments presented later.

[0008] According to an example, a method for wireless communication is provided. The method includes: selecting a sidelink control information (SCI) format for indicating a minimum communication range parameter, wherein the SCI format is a common format defined for requesting both location-based feedback and signal strength-based feedback; generating an SCI indicating a value for the minimum communication range parameter based on the SCI format; and sending the SCI indicating the value for the minimum communication range parameter to one or more devices.

[0009] In another example, a method for wireless communication is provided. The method includes: receiving an SCI from a device, the SCI having an SCI format for indicating a minimum communication range parameter, wherein the SCI format is a common format defined for requesting both location-based feedback and signal strength-based feedback, and wherein the SCI indicates the minimum communication range parameter; determining whether to measure a location of the device or a received signal strength of the device; determining to send feedback to the device based at least in part on comparing the location or the received signal strength to the minimum communication range parameter; and sending the feedback to the device.

[0010] In another example, a method for wireless communication is provided, the method comprising: generating a configuration indicating whether a minimum communication range parameter in an SCI corresponds to a location-based value or a signal strength-based value; and sending the configuration to one or more UEs.

[0011] In another example, an apparatus for wireless communication is provided, comprising a transceiver, a memory configured to store instructions, and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory. The one or more processors are configured to: select an SCI format for indicating a minimum communication range parameter, wherein the SCI format is a common format defined for requesting both location-based feedback and signal strength-based feedback; generate an SCI indicating a value for the minimum communication range parameter based on the SCI format; and send the SCI indicating the value for the minimum communication range parameter to one or more devices.

[0012] In another example, an apparatus for wireless communication is provided, comprising a transceiver, a memory configured to store instructions, and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory. The one or more processors are configured to: receive an SCI from a device, the SCI having an SCI format for indicating a minimum communication range parameter, wherein the SCI format is a common format defined for requesting both location-based feedback and signal strength-based feedback, and wherein the SCI indicates the minimum communication range parameter; determine whether to measure a location about the device or a received signal strength of the device; determine to send feedback to the device based at least in part on comparing the location or the received signal strength to a value of the minimum communication range parameter; and send the feedback to the device.

[0013] In a further example, an apparatus for wireless communication is provided, comprising means for performing the operations of the methods described herein. In yet another aspect, a computer-readable medium is provided, comprising code executable by one or more processors to perform the operations of the methods described herein.

[0014] To accomplish the foregoing and related ends, one or more aspects include features fully described below and particularly pointed out in the claims. The following description and the accompanying drawings set forth in detail certain illustrative features of one or more aspects. However, these features are indicative of only a few of the various ways in which the principles of the various aspects may be employed, and this description is intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Hereinafter, the disclosed aspects will be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are provided to illustrate rather than limit the disclosed aspects, wherein like reference numerals denote like elements, and wherein:

[0016] Figure 1 An example of a wireless communication system according to various aspects of the present disclosure is shown;

[0017] Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a UE according to various aspects of the present disclosure;

[0018] Figure 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a base station according to various aspects of the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 4 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a method for transmitting sidelink control information (SCI) according to various aspects of the present disclosure;

[0020] Figure 5 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a method for sending feedback based on SCI according to various aspects of the present disclosure;

[0021] Figure 6 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a method for configuring a value type for a minimum communication range parameter according to various aspects of the present disclosure; and

[0022] Figure 7 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a MIMO communication system including a base station and a UE according to various aspects of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] Now, various aspects are described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, for the purpose of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of one or more aspects. However, it is apparent that these aspects can be practiced without these specific details.

[0024] The described functions are generally related to managing feedback for sidelink channel communications enabled for device-to-device (D2D) communications. Therefore, the concepts described herein, although sometimes specifically described for vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications, can be applied to substantially any D2D communication technology. For example, D2D communication technology may include vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications, vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications (e.g., from a vehicle-based communication device to a road infrastructure node), vehicle-to-network (V2N) communications (e.g., from a vehicle-based communication device to one or more network nodes, such as a base station), combinations thereof and / or communications with other devices, which may be collectively referred to as vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications. In V2X communications, vehicle-based communication devices may communicate with each other and / or with infrastructure devices via sidelink channels. Continuous support and implementation of V2X communications are provided in fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR) communication technologies and long term evolution (LTE). Although various aspects are generally described herein in terms of D2D / V2X communications, these concepts and techniques may be similarly more generally applied to substantially any type of wireless communications.

[0025] In one example, although a device receiving side chain communication from a transmitting device can send feedback for the side chain communication to the transmitting device, only devices within a specific communication range of the transmitting device can send feedback, because receiving feedback from each device receiving the side chain communication may not be necessary and may use excessive network resources. In addition, the device can only send feedback for non-confirmation (NACK). Using this strategy of sending feedback can save network resources, improve overall system efficiency and the reliability of message reception by UE within a specific communication range, etc. In one example, in order to determine the communication range for reporting feedback for side chain multicast, the network can support the use of location-based considerations (e.g., transmit (TX)-receive (RX) distance) and / or signal strength-based considerations (e.g., reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), received signal strength indicator (RSSI), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), etc.). In other words, the receiving device can decide whether to send feedback for the received multicast communication to the transmitting device based on location-based considerations and / or signal strength-based considerations. As described herein, both considerations have advantages and disadvantages in certain scenarios, and thus aspects described herein relate to allowing specification of an indication as to whether to use location-based considerations and / or signal strength-based considerations when determining whether to send feedback for sidelink communications.

[0026] In one example, a single sidelink control information (SCI) format may be defined for a receiving device to indicate a format for location-based feedback and / or signal strength-based feedback. In addition, for example, a parameter may be configured to indicate whether the minimum communication range parameter in the SCI sent based on the SCI format is to be interpreted as a location-based value (e.g., the number of zones, or a configured quantized step size (e.g., meters), etc.) or a signal strength-based value (e.g., RSRP, RSRQ, RSSI, SNR, etc.). In addition, in one example, where the configured parameter indicates a location-based value for the minimum communication range parameter, a respective signal strength threshold may be configured as an additional parameter for measurement when determining whether to send feedback for sidelink communication. Therefore, in one example, when the minimum communication range parameter is interpreted as a value based on signal strength (e.g., RSRP, RSRQ, RSSI, SNR, etc.), in this case, the location parameter / field in the SCI may not be used (e.g., to indicate the location of the UE). In another example, when the minimum communication range is interpreted as a location-based value, the receiver may utilize both the location parameter / field and the minimum communication range parameter / field to determine whether to send feedback.

[0027] The following will refer to Figure 1-Figure 7 Present the described features in detail.

[0028] As used in this application, the terms "component", "module", "system", etc. are intended to include entities related to computers, such as but not limited to hardware, firmware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. For example, a component can be but not limited to a process, a processor, an object, an executable file, a thread in execution, a program and / or a computer running on a processor. As an illustration, both applications running on a computing device and a computing device can be components. One or more components can reside in a process and / or thread in execution, and a component can be located on a computer and / or distributed between two or more computers. In addition, these components can be executed from various computer-readable media having various data structures stored thereon. A component can be, such as according to a signal having one or more data packets (such as data from a component, which interacts with another component in a local system, a distributed system), and / or across a network (such as the Internet) through the signal with other systems, through local processes and / or remote processes to communicate.

[0029] The technology described in this article can be used for various wireless communication systems, such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA and other systems. The terms "system" and "network" are usually used interchangeably. A CDMA system can implement radio technologies such as CDMA2000, Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), etc. CDMA2000 covers IS-2000, IS-95 and IS-856 standards. IS-2000 versions 0 and A are usually referred to as CDMA2000 1X, 1X, etc. IS-856 (TIA-856) is usually referred to as CDMA2000 1xEV-DO, High Speed ​​Packet Data (HRPD), etc. UTRA includes Wideband CDMA (WCDMA) and other variants of CDMA. A TDMA system can implement radio technologies such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). An OFDMA system may implement a radio technology such as Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDM TMEtc. UTRA and E-UTRA are part of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) and Advanced LTE (LTE-A) are new versions of UMTS using E-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, UMTS, LTE, LTE-A and GSM are described in documents from an organization named "3rd Generation Partnership Project" (3GPP). CDMA2000 and UMB are described in documents from an organization named "3rd Generation Partnership Project 2" (3GPP2). The technology described herein can be used for the systems and radio technologies mentioned above and other systems and radio technologies, including cellular (e.g., LTE) communications on shared radio spectrum bands. However, the following description describes an LTE / LTE-A system for example purposes, and LTE terminology is used in many of the following descriptions, but the technology is applicable outside of LTE / LTE-A applications (e.g., to fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR) networks or other next generation communication systems).

[0030] The following description provides examples and does not limit the scope, applicability or examples set forth in the claims. The functions and arrangements of the elements discussed may be changed without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Various examples may appropriately omit, replace or add various processes or components. For example, the described method may be performed in an order different from the described order, and various steps may be added, omitted or combined. Moreover, the features described with respect to some examples may be combined in other examples.

[0031] Various aspects or features will be presented in terms of systems that may include a number of devices, components, modules, etc. It should be understood and appreciated that the various systems may include additional devices, components, modules, etc., and / or may not include all of the devices, components, modules, etc. discussed in conjunction with the figures. Combinations of these methods may also be used.

[0032] Figure 1 1 is a diagram showing an example of a wireless communication system and access network 100. The wireless communication system (also referred to as a wireless wide area network (WWAN)) may include a base station 102, a UE 104, an evolved packet core (EPC) 160, and / or a 5G core (5GC) 190. The base station 102 may include a macro cell (a high-power cellular base station) and / or a small cell (a low-power cellular base station). A macro cell may include a base station. A small cell may include a femto cell, a pico cell, and a micro cell.

[0033] A base station 102 configured for 4G LTE (which may be collectively referred to as an Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN)) may interface with an EPC 160 via a backhaul link 132 (e.g., using an S1 interface). A base station 102 configured for 5G NR (which may be collectively referred to as a Next Generation RAN (NG-RAN)) may interface with a 5GC 190 via a backhaul link 184. The base station 102 may perform, among other functions, one or more of the following functions: transmission of user data, radio channel encryption and decryption, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection establishment and release, load balancing, distribution of non-access stratum (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, radio access network (RAN) sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), subscriber and device tracking, RAN information management (RIM), paging, positioning, and transmission of warning messages. The base stations 102 may communicate with each other via a backhaul link 134 (e.g., using an X2 interface) directly or indirectly (e.g., via EPC 160 or 5GC 190). The backhaul link 134 may be wired or wireless.

[0034] The base station 102 can communicate wirelessly with one or more UEs 104. Each base station 102 can provide communication coverage for a corresponding geographic coverage area 110. There can be overlapping geographic coverage areas 110. For example, a small cell 102' can have a coverage area 110' that overlaps with the coverage area 110 of one or more macro base stations 102. A network including both small cells and macro cells can be referred to as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network can also include a home evolved node B (eNB) (HeNB), which can provide services to a restricted group, which can be referred to as a closed subscriber group (CSG). The communication link 120 between the base station 102 and the UE 104 can include an uplink (UL) (also referred to as a reverse link) transmission from the UE 104 to the base station 102 and / or a downlink (DL) (also referred to as a forward link) transmission from the base station 102 to the UE 104. The communication link 120 can use multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming and / or transmit diversity. The communication link can be through one or more carriers. The base station 102 / UE 104 may use spectrum of up to Y MHz (e.g., 5, 10, 15, 20, 100, 400, etc. MHz) bandwidth per carrier allocated in carrier aggregation up to a total of Yx MHz (e.g., for x component carriers) for transmission in the DL and / or UL directions. The carriers may be adjacent or non-adjacent to each other. The allocation of carriers may be asymmetric with respect to DL and UL (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated for DL ​​than for UL). The component carrier may include a primary component carrier and one or more secondary component carriers. The primary component carrier may be referred to as a primary cell (PCell) and the secondary component carrier may be referred to as a secondary cell (SCell).

[0035] In another example, specific UEs 104 may communicate with each other using a device-to-device (D2D) communication link 158. The D2D communication link 158 may use DL / UL WWAN spectrum. The D2D communication link 158 may use one or more sidelink channels, such as a physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH), a physical sidelink discovery channel (PSDCH), a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), and a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH). The D2D communication may be performed via various wireless D2D communication systems, such as FlashLinQ, WiMedia, Bluetooth, ZigBee, Wi-Fi based on IEEE 802.11 standards, LTE, or NR.

[0036] The wireless communication system may also include a Wi-Fi access point (AP) 150 that communicates with a Wi-Fi station (STA) 152 via a communication link 154 in the 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum. When communicating in the unlicensed spectrum, the STA 152 / AP 150 may perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) to determine whether the channel is available before communicating.

[0037] The small cell 102' may operate in a licensed spectrum and / or an unlicensed spectrum. When operating in an unlicensed spectrum, the small cell 102' may employ NR and use the same 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum as used by the Wi-Fi AP 150. The small cell 102' employing NR in the unlicensed spectrum may improve coverage and / or increase capacity of the access network.

[0038] Whether a small cell 102' or a large cell (e.g., a macro base station), the base station 102 can include an eNB, a gNode B (gNB), or other types of base stations. Some base stations (e.g., gNB 180) can operate in the traditional sub 6GHz spectrum, in millimeter wave (mmW) frequencies, and / or near mmW frequencies to communicate with the UE 104. When the gNB 180 operates in mmW or near mmW frequencies, the gNB 180 can be referred to as a mmW base station. Extremely high frequency (EHF) is part of the RF in the electromagnetic spectrum. EHF ranges from 30GHz to 300GHz with wavelengths between 1 mm and 10 mm. Radio waves in the frequency band can be referred to as millimeter waves. Near mmW may extend down to 3GHz frequencies with a wavelength of 100 mm. The super high frequency (SHF) band extends between 3GHz and 30GHz and is also called centimeter waves. Communications using the millimeter wave / near millimeter wave radio frequency bands have extremely high path loss and short range. The mmW base station 180 may utilize beamforming 182 with the UE 104 to compensate for the extremely high path loss and short range.

[0039] The EPC 160 may include a mobility management entity (MME) 162, other MMEs 164, a serving gateway 166, a multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS) gateway 168, a broadcast multicast service center (BM-SC) 170, and a packet data network (PDN) gateway 172. The MME 162 may communicate with a home subscriber server (HSS) 174. The MME 162 is a control node that handles signaling between the UE 104 and the EPC 160. Typically, the MME 162 provides bearer and connection management. All user Internet Protocol (IP) data packets are transmitted through the serving gateway 166, which itself is connected to the PDN gateway 172. The PDN gateway 172 provides UE IP address allocation and other functions. The PDN gateway 172 and the BM-SC 170 are connected to IP services 176. The IP services 176 may include the Internet, an intranet, an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS), PS streaming services, and / or other IP services. The BM-SC 170 may provide functionality for MBMS user service provisioning and delivery. The BM-SC 170 may serve as an entry point for content provider MBMS transmissions, may be used to authorize and initiate MBMS bearer services within a public land mobile network (PLMN), and may be used to schedule MBMS transmissions. The MBMS Gateway 168 may be used to distribute MBMS services to base stations 102 belonging to a multicast broadcast single frequency network (MBSFN) area that broadcasts a specific service, and may be responsible for session management (start / stop) and collecting eMBMS-related billing information.

[0040] 5GC 190 may include an access and mobility management function (AMF) 192, other AMFs 193, a session management function (SMF) 194, and a user plane function (UPF) 195. AMF 192 may communicate with unified data management (UDM) 196. AMF 192 may be a control node that handles signaling between UE 104 and 5GC 190. Typically, AMF 192 may provide QoS flow and session management. User Internet Protocol (IP) packets (e.g., from one or more UEs 104) may be transmitted, for example, through UPF 195. UPF 195 may provide UE IP address allocation and other functions for one or more UEs. UPF 195 is connected to IP services 197. IP services 197 may include the Internet, an intranet, an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS), a PS streaming service, and / or other IP services.

[0041] A base station may also be referred to as a gNB, a node B, an evolved node B (eNB), an access point, a base transceiver, a radio base station, a radio transceiver, a transceiver function, a basic service set (BSS), an extended service set (ESS), a transmit receive point (TRP), or some other suitable term. The base station 102 provides an access point to the EPC 160 or the 5GC 190 for the UE 104. Examples of UE 104 include a cellular phone, a smart phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a laptop, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a satellite radio unit, a satellite positioning system, a multimedia device, a video device, a digital audio player (e.g., an MP3 player), a camera, a game console, a tablet computer, a smart device, a wearable device, a vehicle, an electric meter, a gas pump, a large or small kitchen appliance, a health device, an implant, a sensor / actuator, a display, or any other functionally similar device. Some UEs 104 may be referred to as IoT devices (e.g., parking meters, gas pumps, toasters, vehicles, heart monitors, etc.). IoT UEs may include machine type communication (MTC) / enhanced MTC (eMTC, also known as Category (CAT)-M, Cat M1) UEs, NB-IoT (also known as CAT NB1) UEs, and other types of UEs. In the present disclosure, eMTC and NB-IoT may refer to future technologies that may evolve from or may be based on these technologies. For example, eMTC may include FeMTC (further eMTC), eFeMTC (further enhanced eMTC), mMTC (massive MTC), etc., and NB-IoT may include eNB-IoT (enhanced NB-IoT), FeNB-IoT (further enhanced NB-IoT), etc. UE 104 may also be referred to as a station, a mobile station, a subscriber station, a mobile unit, a subscriber unit, a wireless unit, a remote unit, a mobile device, a wireless device, a wireless communication device, a remote device, a mobile subscriber station, an access terminal, a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a remote terminal, a mobile phone, a user agent, a mobile client, a client, or some other suitable term.

[0042] In one example, referring to the above-mentioned D2D communication, when the device is a vehicle or is vehicle-based, the D2D communication between devices (e.g., through the sidelink channel of the communication link 158) can be referred to as V2V communication, which is defined for 3GPP LTE and defined for 5G NR. When a vehicle or a vehicle-based device communicates with other infrastructure nodes for vehicle-based communication (e.g., through a sidelink), this can be referred to as V2I communication. When a vehicle or a vehicle-based device communicates with a base station 102 or other network node (e.g., through a communication link 120), this can be referred to as V2N communication. The collection of V2V, V2I, V2N and / or vehicle to everything else can be referred to as V2X communication. In one example, LTE can support V2X communication (referred to as "LTE-V2X") for safety messages communicated between vehicles and / or from vehicles to infrastructure. 5GNR can also support V2X (referred to as "NR-V2X") for communications related to autonomous driving. For example, sidelink V2X communications could occur in dedicated portions of the spectrum, such as the 5.9 GHz dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) bandwidth reserved for vehicular communications.

[0043] In various aspects described herein, UE 104 may include a modem 140 for communicating with other UEs and / or base stations in a wireless network. UE 104 may also include a transmission component 142 for transmitting sidelink communications to other UEs 104. UE 104 and / or other UEs 104 may include a modem 140 and a feedback component 144 for transmitting feedback for sidelink communications. Base station 102 may include a modem 340 for communicating with one or more UEs 104 and / or a configuration component 146 for indicating one or more configurations of parameters to be used in determining whether to transmit feedback for sidelink communications.

[0044] Now turn to Figure 2-Figure 7 , various aspects are depicted with reference to one or more components and one or more methods that can perform the actions or operations described herein, where dashed aspects may be optional. Figure 4-Figure 6 The operations described in the foregoing may be presented in a particular order and / or as being performed by example components, but it should be understood that the ordering of the actions and the components that perform the actions may vary depending on the implementation. In addition, it should be understood that the following actions, functions, and / or components described may be performed by a specially programmed processor, a processor that executes specially programmed software or computer-readable media, or any other combination of hardware components and / or software components that are capable of performing the described operations or functions.

[0045] Reference Figure 2, an example of an implementation of the UE 104 may include various components, some of which are described above and further described herein, including components such as one or more processors 212 and memory 216 communicating via one or more buses 244 and a transceiver 202, which may operate in conjunction with a modem 140, a transmit component 142 for transmitting sidelink communications to other UEs, a feedback component 144 for transmitting feedback for sidelink communications from other UEs, and the like, in accordance with one or more functions described herein.

[0046] In one aspect, the one or more processors 212 may include the modem 140 and / or may be part of the modem 140 using one or more modem processors. Thus, various functions associated with the transmit component 142 and / or the feedback component 144 may be included in the modem 140 and / or the processor 212, and in one aspect may be performed by a single processor, while in other aspects, different functions may be performed by a combination of two or more different processors. For example, in one aspect, the one or more processors 212 may include any one or any combination of a modem processor, or a baseband processor, or a digital signal processor, or a transmit processor, or a receiver processor, or a transceiver processor associated with the transceiver 202. In other aspects, some features of the one or more processors 212 and / or the modem 140 associated with the transmit component 142 and / or the feedback component 144 may be performed by the transceiver 202.

[0047] In addition, the memory 216 can be configured to store data used herein, and / or a local version of the application 275, or the sending component 142 and / or the feedback component 144 and / or one or more subcomponents thereof executed by at least one processor 212. The memory 216 may include any type of computer-readable medium usable by a computer or at least one processor 212, such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), tape, disk, optical disk, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, and any combination of these. In one aspect, for example, the memory 216 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores one or more computer-executable codes for defining the sending component 142 and / or the feedback component 144 and / or one or more subcomponents thereof, and / or data associated therewith, when the UE 104 is operating at least one processor 212 to execute the sending component 142 and / or the feedback component 144 and / or one or more subcomponents thereof.

[0048] The transceiver 202 may include at least one receiver 206 and at least one transmitter 208. The receiver 206 may include hardware, firmware, and / or software code executable by a processor for receiving data, the code including instructions and stored in a memory (e.g., a computer-readable medium). The receiver 206 may be, for example, a radio frequency (RF) receiver. In one aspect, the receiver 206 may receive a signal transmitted by at least one base station 102. In addition, the receiver 206 may process the signal received in this manner, and may also obtain measurement results of the signal, such as, but not limited to, Ec / Io, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), reference signal received power (RSRP), received signal strength indicator (RSSI), etc. The transmitter 208 may include hardware, firmware, and / or software code executable by a processor for sending data, the code including instructions and stored in a memory (e.g., a computer-readable medium). Suitable examples of the transmitter 208 may include, but are not limited to, an RF transmitter.

[0049] Additionally, in one aspect, the UE 104 may include an RF front end 288 that may communicate with the one or more antennas 265 and the transceiver 202 for receiving and transmitting radio frequency transmissions, such as wireless communications transmitted by at least one base station 102 or wireless transmissions transmitted by the UE 104. The RF front end 288 may be connected to the one or more antennas 265 and may include one or more low noise amplifiers (LNAs) 290, one or more switches 292, one or more power amplifiers (PAs) 298, and one or more filters 296 for transmitting and receiving RF signals.

[0050] In one aspect, the LNAs 290 can amplify received signals at a desired output level. In one aspect, each LNA 290 can have specified minimum and maximum gain values. In one aspect, the RF front end 288 can use one or more switches 292 to select a particular LNA 290 and its specified gain value based on the desired gain value for a particular application.

[0051] In addition, for example, the RF front end 288 can use one or more PAs 298 to amplify the signal for RF output at a desired output power level. In one aspect, each PA 298 can have a specified minimum and maximum gain value. In one aspect, based on the desired gain value for a particular application, the RF front end 288 can use one or more switches 292 to select a particular PA 298 and its specified gain value.

[0052] In addition, for example, the RF front end 288 can use one or more filters 296 to filter the received signal to obtain an input RF signal. Similarly, in one aspect, for example, a corresponding filter 296 can be used to filter the output from the corresponding PA 298 to produce an output signal for transmission. In one aspect, each filter 296 can be connected to a specific LNA 290 and / or PA 298. In one aspect, based on the configuration as specified by the transceiver 202 and / or the processor 212, the RF front end 288 can use one or more switches 292 to select a transmit path or a receive path using a specified filter 296, LNA 290, and / or PA 298.

[0053] As such, the transceiver 202 may be configured to transmit and receive wireless signals via the RF front end 288 through the one or more antennas 265. In one aspect, the transceiver may be tuned to operate at a specified frequency so that the UE 104 may communicate with, for example, one or more base stations 102 or one or more cells associated with the one or more base stations 102. In one aspect, for example, the modem 140 may configure the transceiver 202 to operate at a specified frequency and power level based on a UE configuration of the UE 104 and a communication protocol used by the modem 140.

[0054] In one aspect, the modem 140 can be a multi-band multi-mode modem that can process digital data and communicate with the transceiver 202 so that the digital data is transmitted and received using the transceiver 202. In one aspect, the modem 140 can be multi-band and configured to support multiple frequency bands for a specific communication protocol. In one aspect, the modem 140 can be multi-mode and configured to support multiple operating networks and communication protocols. In one aspect, based on the specified modem configuration, the modem 140 can control one or more components (e.g., RF front end 288, transceiver 202) of the UE 104 to enable transmission and / or reception of signals from the network. In one aspect, the modem configuration can be based on the mode of the modem and the frequency band in use. In another aspect, the modem configuration can be based on UE configuration information associated with the UE 104 as provided by the network during cell selection and / or cell reselection.

[0055] In one aspect, the sending component 142 may optionally include: a configuration processing component 252 for processing one or more configurations received from the base station 102 to determine whether to indicate a location-based value or a signal strength-based value for the minimum communication range parameter in the SCI, and / or an SCI generating component 254 for generating the SCI to include the value of the minimum communication range parameter for transmission to one or more other UEs 104. The feedback component 144 may optionally include: a configuration processing component 262 for processing one or more configurations received from the base station 102 or another device to determine whether the SCI indicates a location-based value or a signal strength-based value for the minimum communication range parameter, and / or an SCI processing component 264 for processing the SCI based on the value to determine parameters for transmitting feedback to one or more UEs from which the SCI is received.

[0056] In one aspect, processor 212 may correspond to Figure 7 Similarly, the memory 216 may correspond to the one or more processors described in conjunction with the UE. Figure 7 The memory described by the UE in .

[0057] Reference Figure 3 , an example of an implementation of a base station 102 (e.g., base station 102 and / or gNB 180 as described above) may include various components, some of which have been described above, but include components such as one or more processors 312 and memory 316 that communicate via one or more buses 344 and a transceiver 302, which may operate in conjunction with a modem 340 and a configuration component 146 for configuring one or more parameters that indicate a value type for a minimum communication range parameter sent between devices in an SCI.

[0058] Although the transceiver 302, receiver 306, transmitter 308, one or more processors 312, memory 316, application 375, bus 344, RF front end 388, LNA 390, switch 392, filter 396, PA 398 and one or more antennas 365 may be the same as or similar to the corresponding components of UE 104 as described above, they are configured or otherwise programmed for base station operation as opposed to UE operation.

[0059] In one aspect, the one or more processors 312 may correspond to a Figure 7 Similarly, the memory 316 may correspond to the one or more processors described in the base station in the embodiment of the present invention. Figure 7 The memory described by the base station in.

[0060] Figure 4A flow chart showing an example of a method 400 for sending an SCI. In one example, UE 104 may use Figure 1-Figure 2 One or more of the components described in the method 400, such as the transmitting component 142 and / or its subcomponents, may be used to perform the functions described in the method 400. For example, the UE 104 executing the method 400 may send a sidelink communication (e.g., a sidelink multicast) to one or more receiving UEs.

[0061] In method 400, in block 402, an SCI format for indicating a minimum communication range parameter may be selected. In one aspect, for example, in combination with processor 212, memory 216, transceiver 202, transmitting component 142, etc., an SCI generating component 254 may select an SCI format for indicating a minimum communication range parameter. For example, an SCI format may be defined as an SCI format in a wireless communication technology (e.g., NR), and the SCI format is defined as a parameter for indicating feedback related to sending sidelink communication. In one example, the SCI format may indicate one or more parameters for determining a coverage range, within which a receiving UE may determine to send HARQ feedback for sidelink communication. In one example, the SCI format may be a single SCI format, which may be used to indicate coverage based on location-based coverage (e.g., based on TX-RX distance) and / or based on signal strength-based coverage (e.g., based on RSRP, RSRQ, RSSI, SNR, etc.). In this example, the SCI may have a single coverage value, which may be represented based on location-based coverage or signal strength-based coverage. For example, the same SCI format may be used to indicate whether feedback for sidelink communications is to be location-based or signal strength-based (or both).

[0062] In method 400, at block 404, an SCI indicating at least a value for a minimum communication range parameter may be generated based on an SCI format. In one aspect, an SCI generation component 254 (e.g., in combination with processor 212, memory 216, transceiver 202, transmitting component 142, etc.) may generate an SCI indicating at least a value for a minimum communication range parameter based on an SCI format. In one example, the SCI generation component 254 may indicate the value as a location-based value, such as a TX-RX distance parameter described herein, for causing other UEs to send feedback for sidelink communications from UE 104 when within the location (e.g., within the TX-RX distance of UE 104). For example, one method for implementing location-based (also referred to as distance-based) feedback is to provide information about the location and reliable communication range of transmitter UE 104 to the receiver UE. The information may be part of the SCI sent by transmitter UE 104. Thus, for example, SCI generating component 254 can generate an SCI to indicate the location of UE 104 and a TX-RX distance within which the receiver UE is to report feedback.

[0063] However, in some examples, since the location information may be quite large in terms of data size, it may not be desirable to send the location information in a raw format in the SCI. In one example, in order to compress the location information, a zone identifier concept, such as the zone identifier concept defined in 3GPP Rel-14 for LTE-V2X communications, may be used. In this example, instead of sending the raw location information in the SCI, the SCI generation component 254 may generate the SCI to include a subset of the least significant bits (LSBs) of the zone ID that define the location of the transmitter UE 104. Similar to LTE-V2X, the zone size may be a configurable value that can be configured for all UEs communicating in V2X (e.g., by a base station). In one example, the entire earth is divided into multiple zones, but for the purpose of HARQ feedback, the entire zone ID does not need to be sent, and a certain number of LSBs (e.g., 10 bits of LSB) is sufficient to distinguish nearby zone IDs (e.g., after which the zone ID may be repeated). In any case, based on the location of the transmitter UE 104 (as indicated by the zone ID or the number of LSBs of the zone ID), based on determining that the minimum communication range parameter is specified based on the zone ID, and based on the receiver UE's own zone ID, the receiver UE can determine whether it is within the minimum communication range, and if it cannot successfully decode the transmission, it can accordingly determine whether to send NACK feedback, as further described herein. In another example, the location-based value can be a quantized step size configured in the SCI, such as a number of meters or other measurement starting from the location of the transmitter UE 104. In this example, the receiver UE can determine whether it is within the minimum communication range based on the location of the transmitter UE, and determine whether the location of the receiver UE is within the quantized step size value of the transmitter UE.

[0064] In another example, the SCI generation component 254 can indicate the value as a signal strength-based value, such as RSRP, RSRQ, RSSI, SNR, or similar parameters described herein, for causing other UEs to send feedback for sidelink communications from UE 104 when the signal strength (e.g., RSRP, RSRQ, RSSI, SNR, etc.) of UE 104 as measured at the receiving UE reaches a threshold. In one example, where the SCI has fields for specifying both a minimum coverage range based on signal strength and a minimum coverage range based on location, in this example, the SCI may not use or populate location-based parameters in the SCI because the location of the UE may not be helpful in determining whether to send feedback based on RSRP. In any case, for example, from an application perspective, if the receiving UE is in line-of-sight (LOS) or non-line-of-sight (NLOS) of the transmitting UE 104, the actual minimum communication range and RSRP may be very different in terms of path loss. This path loss imbalance between LOS and NLOS may result in asymmetric reliability levels for different UEs, even if they are at the same physical distance, but happen to be LOS or NLOS. For example, if RSRP is set for LOS path loss, this may result in a smaller effective communication range in urban scenarios (e.g., due to path loss caused by buildings or other structures). If RSRP is set for NLOS path loss, this may result in an excessively large effective communication range in the LOS direction. Therefore, at least in urban scenarios, RSRP-based feedback may result in feedback from a different set of UEs than location-based feedback, which may be undesirable.

[0065] In this regard, in one example, location-based or signal-strength-based feedback may be selected for a given area (e.g., for a given base station 102 to which spectrum resources may be allocated for sidelink communication). In this example, the base station 102 or another device (e.g., a transmitting UE 104) may indicate whether location-based feedback or signal-strength-based feedback is to be used. In this example, in the method 400, optionally in box 406, a configuration for indicating whether the minimum communication range parameter corresponds to a location-based value or a signal-strength-based value may be received. In one aspect, the configuration processing component 252 (e.g., together with the processor 212, the memory 216, the transceiver 202, the transmitting component 142, etc.) may receive a configuration indicating whether the minimum communication range parameter corresponds to a location-based value or a signal-strength-based value. For example, the configuration processing component 252 may receive the configuration as a radio resource control (RRC) configuration (e.g., from the base station 102) to indicate a value type parameter for the minimum communication range parameter, the value type parameter indicating whether the value is location-based or signal-strength-based. In this example, the SCI generation component 254 can use the same parameters and SCI format in both cases (e.g., where the same parameter or field in the SCI format can support a location-based minimum coverage value or a signal strength-based minimum coverage value), but can determine the value type and set the value accordingly based on the parameters received in the configuration.

[0066] In this example or other examples, when generating the SCI at block 404, optionally at block 408, a value for the minimum communication range parameter may be configured based on whether the minimum communication range parameter corresponds to a location-based value or a signal strength-based value. In one aspect, for example, in combination with the processor 212, the memory 216, the transceiver 202, the transmitting component 142, etc., the SCI generating component 254 may configure a value for the minimum communication range parameter based on whether the minimum communication range parameter corresponds to a location-based value or a signal strength-based value. For example, in the case where the minimum communication range parameter corresponds to a location-based value, the SCI generating component 254 may configure the minimum communication range parameter to a TX-RX distance value (e.g., as described, the number of zones, a list of zone IDs or their LSBs, a range of zone IDs or their LSBs, meters or other quantized steps, etc.), within which the receiving UE is to report feedback for communications from the UE 104. In another example, where the minimum communication range parameter corresponds to a signal strength based value, the SCI generation component 254 can configure the minimum communication range parameter as a threshold RSRP by which feedback is to be reported for communications from the UE 104 that reach the threshold RSRP at the receiving UE.

[0067] In method 400, at block 410, the SCI may be sent to one or more devices. In one aspect, for example, together with processor 212, memory 216, transceiver 202, etc., the sending component 142 may send the SCI to one or more devices. For example, the sending component 142 may send the SCI via a sidelink channel (e.g., PSCCH, PSSCH, etc.) and using an SCI format. In one example, the receiving UE may send feedback for the SCI and / or other transmissions (e.g., sidelink multicast) from UE 104 after the SCI, wherein the receiving UE determines that it is within a minimum communication range (determined based on location-based or signal strength-based parameters as described herein), and / or wherein the feedback is a NACK.

[0068] Thus, in one example, in method 400, optionally in block 412, feedback based on a minimum communication range parameter may be received from at least one of the one or more devices. In one aspect, for example, in combination with processor 212, memory 216, transceiver 202, etc., transmitting component 142 may receive feedback based on a minimum communication range parameter from at least one of the one or more devices. Thus, for example, at least one device may send feedback based on determining that the feedback is a NACK and / or based on determining that at least one device satisfies a minimum communication range parameter, regardless of whether the minimum communication range parameter is location-based or signal strength-based, as further described herein. For example, in the event of receiving a NACK (e.g., from one or more UEs or a certain number of UEs), transmitting component 142 may determine to retransmit sidelink communication (e.g., sidelink multicast).

[0069] Figure 5 A flow chart showing an example of a method 500 for sending SCI-based feedback. In one example, UE 104 may use Figure 1-Figure 2 One or more components described in the method 500 (e.g., feedback component 144 and / or its subcomponents) may be used to perform the functions described in the method 500. For example, the UE 104 executing the method 500 may receive sidelink communications (e.g., sidelink multicast) from a sending UE and may determine to send feedback for the received sidelink communications.

[0070] In method 500, in box 502, an SCI having an SCI format can be received from a device, and the SCI format is used to indicate a minimum communication range parameter. In one aspect, the SCI processing component 264 (e.g., together with the processor 212, the memory 216, the transceiver 202, the feedback component 144, etc.) can receive an SCI having an SCI format from a device, and the SCI format is used to indicate a minimum communication range parameter. For example, the SCI format can be defined in a wireless communication technology (e.g., NR) to indicate parameters related to sending feedback for side chain communication. In one example, the SCI format can indicate one or more parameters for determining a coverage range, within which the receiving UE can determine to send HARQ feedback for side chain communication. In one example, the SCI format can be a single SCI format, which can be used to indicate coverage based on location-based coverage (e.g., based on TX-RX distance) and / or based on signal strength-based coverage (e.g., based on RSRP, RSRQ, RSSI, SNR, etc.). In this example, the SCI may have a single coverage value that may be expressed in terms of location-based coverage or signal strength-based coverage. For example, the same SCI format may be used to indicate whether feedback for sidelink communications is location-based or signal strength-based (or both).

[0071] In method 500, in box 504, it can be determined whether to measure the location of the device or the received signal strength of the device. In one aspect, the SCI processing component 264 (e.g., in combination with the processor 212, the memory 216, the transceiver 202, the feedback component 144, etc.) can determine whether to measure the location of the device (the device sending the SCI) or measure the received signal strength of the device. In one example, the SCI processing component 264 can determine to perform the determination based on another determination to indicate feedback for communications from the device. For example, the SCI processing component 264 can determine to indicate NACK feedback for side chain communications (e.g., side chain multicast) received from the device, and then, when determining whether to send NACK feedback, it can be determined accordingly whether to measure the location of the device or measure the received signal strength of the device. As described above, in one example, determining whether to measure the location of the device or to measure the received signal strength of the device can be based on a configuration parameter indicating whether to report feedback based on a location-based or signal strength-based determination, or indicating that a single minimum communication range parameter in the SCI (which can be configured as a location-based or signal strength-based minimum coverage range) is a location-based minimum coverage range or a signal strength-based minimum coverage range.

[0072] For example, in method 500, optionally in block 506, a configuration for indicating whether the minimum communication range parameter corresponds to a location-based value or a signal strength-based value may be received. In one aspect, the configuration processing component 262 (e.g., together with the processor 212, the memory 216, the transceiver 202, the feedback component 144, etc.) may receive a configuration for indicating whether the minimum communication range parameter corresponds to a location-based value or a signal strength-based value. For example, the configuration processing component 252 may receive the configuration as a radio resource control (RRC) configuration (e.g., from the base station 102) to indicate a value type parameter for the minimum communication range parameter, the value type parameter indicating whether the value is location-based or signal strength-based. In this regard, the SCI processing component 264 may determine accordingly whether the value of the minimum communication range parameter received in the SCI is location-based or signal strength-based, so as to determine whether to report feedback.

[0073] In method 500, at block 508, a determination to send feedback to a device may be based at least in part on comparing a location or received signal strength to a minimum communication range parameter. In one aspect, feedback component 144 (e.g., together with processor 212, memory 216, transceiver 202, etc.) may determine to send feedback to a device based at least in part on comparing a location or received signal strength to a minimum communication range parameter. For example, in the case where the minimum communication range parameter is determined to have a location-based value type, feedback component 144 may compare the location-based parameter of UE 104 to the location-based value indicated by the minimum communication range parameter. For example, feedback component 144 may determine whether the zone ID of UE 104 is within a range, list, or other indication of the zone ID indicated by the minimum communication range parameter, and if so, may determine to send feedback (e.g., additionally based on determining that the feedback is NACK feedback). In another example, where the location-based value is a quantized step size configured in the SCI, the feedback component 144 can compare the locations based on determining whether the UE 104 is within the step size (e.g., meters) of the transmitting UE (e.g., based on the location information of the transmitting UE received in the SCI and the determined location of the UE 104).

[0074] In another example, where the minimum communication range parameter is determined to have a signal strength-based value type, the feedback component 144 can measure the signal strength-based parameter of the transmitting UE received by the UE 104, and can compare the signal strength-based measurement with the signal strength-based value indicated by the minimum communication range parameter in the SCI. For example, the feedback component 144 can determine whether the RSRP of the signal from the transmitting UE received at the UE 104 (e.g., a demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) or other RS ​​related to sidelink communication) reaches the threshold RSRP indicated by the minimum communication range parameter, and if so, can determine to send feedback (e.g., additionally based on determining that the feedback is NACK feedback).

[0075] In yet another example, for example, in method 500, in the case where the minimum communication range parameter is determined to have a location-based value type, optionally at block 510, an indication of a threshold for received signal strength may be received. In one aspect, for example, in combination with processor 212, memory 216, transceiver 202, etc., feedback component 144 may receive an indication of a threshold for received signal strength. For example, feedback component 144 may receive an indication in a configuration (e.g., RRC configuration) from base station 102. In this example, feedback component 144 may determine to send feedback to the device based on determining that UE 104 is within the location of the transmitting UE determined according to the minimum communication range parameter, and determining that the RSRP of the transmitting UE reaches the configured threshold (and / or based on determining that the feedback is NACK feedback). For example, even if a location-based (or zone-based) approach can be used to represent the TX-RX distance, if the configured zone size is small, the zone ID may begin to repeat within a shorter distance, and the UE may mistakenly believe that it is located within the indicated zone. To avoid this situation, the zone ID and the minimum communication range expressed in the form of the zone ID can be sent in the SCI, as described above, and the RRC-configured (or otherwise configured) RSRP (e.g., which may not be sent in the SCI) can be used in combination to decide whether HARQ feedback is to be sent by UE 104.

[0076] In any case, in method 500, at block 512, in the event that it is determined to send feedback, the feedback can be sent to the device. In one aspect, for example, in conjunction with processor 212, memory 216, transceiver 202, etc., feedback component 144 can send feedback to the device (e.g., to a sending UE). For example, feedback component 144 can send feedback via PSCCH resources, PSSCH resources, etc., which can be allocated to UE 104 by the sending UE, by base station 102, etc.

[0077] Figure 6A flow chart showing an example of a method 600 for configuring parameters for reporting SCI feedback. In one example, base station 102 may use Figure 1 and Figure 3 One or more components described in (such as configuration component 146 and / or its subcomponents) may be used to perform the functions described in method 600.

[0078] In method 600, at block 602, a configuration may be generated indicating whether a minimum communication range parameter in the SCI corresponds to a location-based value or a signal strength-based value. In one aspect, a configuration component 146 (e.g., in combination with a processor 312, a memory 316, a transceiver 302, etc.) may generate a configuration indicating whether a minimum communication range parameter in the SCI corresponds to a location-based value or a signal strength-based value. For example, the parameter may be determined by a network to which the base station 102 is connected and / or by a UE that is specifically configured for use within the coverage of the base station 102 (or that is otherwise initially connected to the base station 102). Thus, as described, a transmitting UE that receives the configuration may configure the minimum communication range parameter in the SCI to be a location-based value or a signal strength-based value accordingly, and accordingly, the receiving UE may determine the value type of the minimum communication range parameter from the transmitting UE to be a location-based value or a signal strength-based value based on the configuration.

[0079] In method 600, at block 604, the configuration can be sent to one or more UEs. In one aspect, configuration component 146 (e.g., in conjunction with processor 312, memory 316, transceiver 302, etc.) can send the configuration to one or more UEs. As described above, configuration component 146 can send the configuration as an RRC configuration, and can accordingly send the configuration based on establishing an RRC connection or otherwise in system information, etc.

[0080] In one example, when generating the configuration, a threshold value for received signal strength can be included in the configuration, optionally at block 606. In one aspect, configuration component 146 (e.g., in conjunction with processor 312, memory 316, transceiver 302, etc.) can include the threshold value for received signal strength in the configuration and / or in another configuration sent to the UE. This can allow the UE to consider signal strength measurements and location-based measurements when determining whether to send feedback, as described above.

[0081] Figure 7 1 is a block diagram of a MIMO communication system 700 including UEs 104a, 104b. The MIMO communication system 700 may be shown with reference to Figure 1 1. The UE 104-a may be a wireless communication access network 100. Figure 1-Figure 2Examples of various aspects of UE 104 are described. UE 104-a can be equipped with antennas 734 and 735, and UE 104-b can be equipped with antennas 752 and 753. In a MIMO communication system 700, UEs 104-a, 104-b can simultaneously send data via multiple communication links. Each communication link can be referred to as a "layer", and the "rank" of a communication link can indicate the number of layers used for communication. For example, in a 2x2 MIMO communication system in which UE 104-a sends two "layers", the rank of the communication link between UE 104-a and UE 104-b is 2.

[0082] At UE 104-a, a transmit (Tx) processor 720 may receive data from a data source. The transmit processor 720 may process the data. The transmit processor 720 may also generate control symbols or reference symbols. The transmit MIMO processor 730 may perform spatial processing (e.g., precoding) on ​​data symbols, control symbols, or reference symbols (if applicable), and may provide an output symbol stream to transmit modulators / demodulators 732 and 733. Each modulator / demodulator 732 to 733 may process a corresponding output symbol stream (e.g., for OFDM, etc.) to obtain an output sample stream. Each modulator / demodulator 732 to 733 may further process (e.g., convert to analog, amplify, filter, and up-convert) the output sample stream to obtain a DL signal. In one example, the DL signals from modulators / demodulators 732 and 733 may be sent via antennas 734 and 735, respectively.

[0083] UE 104-b may be a reference Figure 1-Figure 2 Examples of various aspects of the UE 104 described. At UE 104-b, UE antennas 752 and 753 can receive signals from UE 104-a (e.g., via a sidelink) and can provide received signals to modulators / demodulators 754 and 755, respectively. Each modulator / demodulator 754 to 755 can condition (e.g., filter, amplify, downconvert, and digitize) a respective received signal to obtain input samples. Each modulator / demodulator 754 to 755 can further process the input samples (e.g., for OFDM, etc.) to obtain received symbols. A MIMO detector 756 can obtain received symbols from modulators / demodulators 754 and 755, perform MIMO detection on the received symbols when applicable, and provide detected symbols. A receive (Rx) processor 758 can process (e.g., demodulate, deinterleave, and decode) the detected symbols, provide decoded data for UE104-b to a data output, and provide decoded control information to a processor 780 or a memory 782.

[0084] In some cases, processor 780 may execute stored instructions to instantiate feedback component 144 (eg, referring to Figure 1 and Figure 2 ).

[0085] At UE 104-b, a transmit processor 764 may receive and process data from a data source. The transmit processor 764 may also generate reference symbols for reference signals. The symbols from the transmit processor 764 may be precoded by a transmit MIMO processor 766 (if applicable), further processed by modulators / demodulators 754 and 755 (e.g., for SC-FDMA, etc.), and sent to UE 104-a based on communication parameters received from UE 104-a. At UE 104-a, signals from UE 104-b may be received by antennas 734 and 735, processed by modulators / demodulators 732 and 733, detected by a MIMO detector 736 when applicable, and further processed by a receive processor 738. The receive processor 738 may provide decoded data to a data output and to processor 740 or memory 742.

[0086] In some cases, processor 740 may execute stored instructions to instantiate sending component 142 (eg, referring to Figure 1 and 2 ).

[0087] The components of UE 104-a, 104-b may be implemented, individually or collectively, with one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) adapted to perform some or all applicable functions in hardware. Each of the mentioned modules may be a unit for performing one or more functions related to the operation of the MIMO communication system 700. Similarly, the components of UE 104-a may be implemented, individually or collectively, by one or more ASICs adapted to perform some or all applicable functions in hardware. Each of the mentioned components may be a unit for performing one or more functions related to the operation of the MIMO communication system 700.

[0088] Some additional examples

[0089] In one example, a method for wireless communication includes: selecting a sidelink control information (SCI) format for indicating a minimum communication range parameter, wherein the SCI format is a common format defined for requesting both location-based feedback and signal strength-based feedback; generating an SCI indicating a value for the minimum communication range parameter based on the SCI format; and sending the SCI indicating the value for the minimum communication range parameter to one or more devices.

[0090] One or more of the above examples may also include: receiving a configuration indicating whether the minimum communication range parameter corresponds to a location-based value or a signal strength-based value; and configuring a value for the minimum communication range parameter based on whether the minimum communication range parameter corresponds to a location-based value or a signal strength-based value.

[0091] One or more of the above examples may also include: wherein the configuration is a radio resource control (RRC) configuration received from a base station.

[0092] One or more of the above examples may further include: wherein the minimum communication range parameter corresponds to a location-based value, and wherein configuring the SCI includes indicating a number of zones within which feedback is to be reported.

[0093] One or more of the above examples may further include: wherein the minimum communication range parameter corresponds to a signal strength based value, and wherein configuring the SCI includes indicating a threshold received signal strength for which feedback is to be reported.

[0094] In one example, a method for wireless communication includes: receiving an SCI from a device, the SCI having an SCI format for indicating a minimum communication range parameter, wherein the SCI format is a common format defined for requesting both location-based feedback and signal strength-based feedback, and wherein the SCI indicates the minimum communication range parameter; determining whether to measure a location of the device or a received signal strength of the device; determining to send feedback to the device based at least in part on comparing the location or the received signal strength to the minimum communication range parameter; and sending the feedback to the device.

[0095] One or more of the above examples may also include receiving a configuration indicating whether the minimum communication range parameter corresponds to a location-based value or a signal strength-based value, wherein determining whether to measure the location or the received signal strength is based on the configuration.

[0096] One or more of the above examples may also include: wherein the configuration is an RRC configuration received from a base station.

[0097] One or more of the above examples may also include: wherein the minimum communication range parameter corresponds to a location-based value, and wherein determining to send feedback is based on determining that the location is within the number of zones indicated by the minimum communication range parameter.

[0098] One or more of the above examples may also include: wherein determining to send feedback is also based on determining that the received signal strength is within a threshold indicated by a different parameter.

[0099] One or more of the above examples may also include: wherein different parameters are received in the RRC configuration received from the base station.

[0100] One or more of the above examples may also include: wherein the minimum communication range parameter corresponds to a value based on signal strength, and wherein determining to send feedback is based on determining that the received signal strength is within a threshold indicated by the minimum communication range parameter.

[0101] In one example, a method for wireless communication includes generating a configuration indicating whether a minimum communication range parameter in an SCI corresponds to a location-based value or a signal strength-based value; and sending the configuration to one or more UEs.

[0102] One or more of the above examples may also include: in this configuration or a different configuration, indicating a threshold for a received signal strength corresponding to the SCI report feedback.

[0103] One or more of the above examples may also include: wherein sending the configuration includes sending an RRC message to one or more UEs.

[0104] The above detailed description set forth above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings describes examples and does not represent the only examples that may be implemented or within the scope of the claims. When used in this specification, the term "example" means "used as an example, instance, or illustration," rather than "preferred" or "better than other examples." The specific implementation includes specific details to provide an understanding of the described techniques. However, these techniques may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form to avoid making the concepts of the described examples unclear.

[0105] Information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips mentioned throughout the above description may be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, computer executable codes or instructions stored on a computer-readable medium, or any combination thereof.

[0106] The various illustrative blocks and components described in conjunction with the disclosure herein may be implemented or executed with a specially programmed device designed to perform the functions described herein, such as, but not limited to, a processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an ASIC, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof. The specially programmed processor may be a microprocessor, but alternatively, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The specially programmed processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, a combination of one or more microprocessors and a DSP core, or any other such configuration).

[0107] The functions described herein can be implemented with hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented with software executed by a processor, these functions can be stored as one or more instructions or codes on a non-transitory computer-readable medium or transmitted by a non-transitory computer-readable medium. Other examples and implementations are within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, the above functions can be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, hard wiring, or any combination of these items executed by a specially programmed processor. The features that implement the functions can also be physically located at various locations, including being distributed so that the various parts of the functions are implemented at different physical locations. In addition, as used herein, including in the claims, the "or" used in the list of items starting with "at least one" indicates a disjunctive list, so that, for example, a list of "at least one of A, B, or C" represents A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C).

[0108] Computer readable medium includes both computer storage medium and communication medium, and the communication medium includes any medium that promotes the transmission of computer program from one place to another. Storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by general or special computer. As an example and not limitation, computer readable medium can include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, disk storage or other disk storage device or can be used to carry or store desired program code unit in the form of instruction or data structure and can be accessed by general or special computer or general or special processor Any other medium. Moreover, any connection is appropriately referred to as computer readable medium. For example, if software is sent from website, server or other remote source using coaxial cable, optical cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL) or wireless technology (such as infrared, radio and microwave), then coaxial cable, optical cable, twisted pair, DSL or wireless technology such as infrared, radio and microwave are included in the definition of medium. As used herein, the disk and dish include compact disk (CD), laser disk, optical disk, digital versatile disk (DVD), floppy disk and blue-ray disk, wherein the disk usually magnetically copies data, and the dish optically copies data with laser. Combinations of the above are also included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0109] The previous description of the present disclosure is provided to enable those skilled in the art to make or use the present disclosure. Various modifications to the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the common principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. In addition, although the elements of the described aspects and / or embodiments may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural form may be contemplated unless a limitation to the singular is explicitly stated. In addition, unless otherwise stated, all or a portion of any aspect and / or embodiment may be used together with all or a portion of any other aspect and / or embodiment. Therefore, the present disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein, but should conform to the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

[0110] Other examples are outlined below:

[0111] 1. A method for wireless communication, comprising:

[0112] selecting a sidelink control information (SCI) format for indicating a minimum communication range parameter, wherein the SCI format is a common format defined for requesting both location-based feedback and signal strength-based feedback;

[0113] generating, based on the SCI format, an SCI indicating a value for the minimum communication range parameter; and

[0114] The SCI indicating the value for the minimum communication range parameter is sent to one or more devices.

[0115] 2. The method according to example 1, further comprising:

[0116] receiving a configuration indicating whether a minimum communication range parameter corresponds to a location-based value or a signal strength-based value; and

[0117] The value for the minimum communications range parameter is configured based on whether the minimum communications range parameter corresponds to a location-based value or a signal strength-based value.

[0118] 3. The method of Example 2, further comprising: receiving the configuration from the base station as a radio resource control (RRC) configuration.

[0119] 4. A method according to any one of Examples 2 or 3, wherein the configuration indicates that the minimum communication range parameter corresponds to a location-based value, and wherein generating the SCI further includes indicating the location of the transmitting device in the SCI.

[0120] 5. A method according to any one of Examples 2 to 4, wherein the configuration indicates that the minimum communication range parameter corresponds to a location-based value, and wherein generating the SCI includes indicating a number of zones within which feedback is to be reported.

[0121] 6. A method according to any one of Examples 2 to 5, wherein the configuration indicates that the minimum communication range parameter corresponds to a location-based value, and wherein generating the SCI includes indicating a configured quantized step size within which feedback is to be reported.

[0122] 7. A method according to any one of Examples 2 to 6, wherein the minimum communication range parameter corresponds to a value based on signal strength, and wherein generating the SCI includes indicating a threshold received signal strength for which feedback is to be reported.

[0123] 8. A method for wireless communication, comprising:

[0124] receiving sidelink control information (SCI) from a device, the SCI having an SCI format for indicating a minimum communication range parameter, wherein the SCI format is a common format defined for requesting both location-based feedback and signal strength-based feedback, and wherein the SCI indicates the minimum communication range parameter;

[0125] determining whether to measure a location of the device or a received signal strength of the device;

[0126] determining to send feedback to the device based at least in part on comparing the location or the received signal strength to a value of the minimum communication range parameter; and

[0127] The feedback is sent to the device.

[0128] 9. The method according to Example 8 further includes: receiving a configuration indicating whether the minimum communication range parameter corresponds to a location-based value or a signal strength-based value, wherein determining whether to measure the location or the received signal strength is based on the configuration.

[0129] 10. The method of example 9, further comprising receiving the configuration from the base station as a radio resource control (RRC) configuration.

[0130] 11. A method according to any one of Examples 9 or 10, wherein the configuration indicates that the minimum communication range parameter corresponds to a location-based value, and further includes: determining the location based on the SCI, wherein comparing the location with the minimum communication range parameter includes: comparing the location parameter of the receiving device with the location of the sending device based on the minimum communication range parameter.

[0131] 12. A method according to any one of Examples 9 to 11, wherein the configuration indicates that the minimum communication range parameter corresponds to a location-based value, and wherein the determination to send feedback is based on determining that the location is within the number of zones indicated by the minimum communication range parameter.

[0132] 13. A method according to any one of Examples 9 to 12, wherein the configuration indicates that the minimum communication range parameter corresponds to a location-based value, and wherein the determination to send feedback is based on determining that the location is within a configured quantized step size indicated by the minimum communication range parameter.

[0133] 14. A method according to any one of Examples 9 to 13, wherein the configuration indicates that the minimum communication range parameter corresponds to a location-based value, and wherein the determination to send feedback is based on determining that the received signal strength is within a threshold indicated by a different parameter.

[0134] 15. The method of Example 14, further comprising: receiving the different parameters in a radio resource control (RRC) configuration from a base station.

[0135] 16. A method according to any one of Examples 8 to 15, wherein the minimum communication range parameter corresponds to a value based on signal strength, and wherein determining to send feedback is based on determining that the received signal strength is within a threshold indicated by the minimum communication range parameter.

[0136] 17. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

[0137] Transceiver;

[0138] a memory configured to store instructions; and

[0139] One or more processors communicatively coupled to a transceiver and a memory, wherein the one or more processors are configured to perform one or more of the methods of any of Examples 1-16.

[0140] 18. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising means for performing one or more of the methods of any one of Examples 1 to 16.

[0141] 19. A computer-readable medium comprising code executable by one or more processors for wireless communication, the code comprising code for performing one or more of the methods of any of Examples 1 to 16.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication, comprising: selecting a sidelink control information (SCI) format for indicating a minimum communication range parameter, wherein the SCI format is a common format defined for requesting both location-based feedback and signal strength-based feedback, and wherein the minimum communication range parameter corresponds to one or more of: a location-based value, or a signal strength-based value; generating, based on the SCI format, an SCI indicating a value for the minimum communication range parameter; and The SCI indicating the value for the minimum communication range parameter is sent to one or more devices.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: receiving a configuration indicating whether the minimum communication range parameter corresponds to the location-based value or the signal strength-based value; as well as The value for the minimum communications range parameter is configured based on whether the minimum communications range parameter corresponds to the location-based value or the signal strength-based value.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising: The configuration is received from the base station as a radio resource control (RRC) configuration.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The configuration indicates that the minimum communication range parameter corresponds to the location-based value, and wherein generating the SCI further comprises indicating a location of a transmitting device in the SCI.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The configuration indicates that the minimum communication range parameter corresponds to the location-based value, and wherein generating the SCI includes indicating a number of zones within which feedback is to be reported.

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The configuration indicates that the minimum communication range parameter corresponds to the location-based value, and wherein generating the SCI includes indicating a configured quantized step size within which feedback is to be reported.

7. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The minimum communication range parameter corresponds to the signal strength based value, and wherein generating the SCI includes indicating a threshold received signal strength for which feedback is to be reported.

8. A method for wireless communication, comprising: receiving sidelink control information SCI from a device, the SCI having an SCI format for indicating a minimum communication range parameter, wherein the SCI format is a common format defined for requesting both location-based feedback and signal strength-based feedback, and wherein the SCI indicates the minimum communication range parameter, and wherein the minimum communication range parameter corresponds to one or more of: a location-based value, or a signal strength-based value; determining whether to measure a location of the device or a received signal strength of the device; determining to send feedback to the device based at least in part on comparing the location or the received signal strength to a value of the minimum communication range parameter; and The feedback is sent to the device.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising: A configuration is received, the configuration indicating whether the minimum communication range parameter corresponds to the location-based value or the signal strength-based value, wherein determining whether to measure the location or the received signal strength is based on the configuration.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising: The configuration is received from the base station as a radio resource control (RRC) configuration.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein: The configuration indicates that the minimum communication range parameter corresponds to the location-based value, and also includes: determining the location based on the SCI, and wherein comparing the location with the minimum communication range parameter includes: comparing the location parameter of the receiving device with the location of the device based on the minimum communication range parameter.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein: The configuration indicates that the minimum communication range parameter corresponds to the location-based value, and wherein determining to send feedback is based on determining that the location is within a number of zones indicated by the minimum communication range parameter.

13. The method according to claim 9, wherein: The configuration indicates that the minimum communication range parameter corresponds to the location-based value, and wherein determining to send feedback is based on determining that the location is within a configured quantized step size indicated by the minimum communication range parameter.

14. The method according to claim 9, wherein: The configuration indicates that the minimum communication range parameter corresponds to the location-based value, and wherein determining to send feedback is also based on determining that the received signal strength is within a threshold indicated by a different parameter.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising: The different parameters are received from a base station in a radio resource control (RRC) configuration.

16. The method according to claim 8, wherein: The minimum communication range parameter corresponds to the signal strength based value, and wherein determining to send feedback is based on determining that the received signal strength is within a threshold indicated by the minimum communication range parameter.

17. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: Transceiver; a memory configured to store instructions; as well as one or more processors communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: selecting a sidelink control information (SCI) format for indicating a minimum communication range parameter, wherein the SCI format is a common format defined for requesting both location-based feedback and signal strength-based feedback, and wherein the minimum communication range parameter corresponds to one or more of: a location-based value, or a signal strength-based value; generating, based on the SCI format, an SCI indicating a value for the minimum communication range parameter; and The SCI indicating the value for the minimum communication range parameter is sent to one or more devices.

18. The device according to claim 17, wherein: The one or more processors are further configured to: receiving a configuration indicating whether the minimum communication range parameter corresponds to the location-based value or the signal strength-based value; and The value for the minimum communications range parameter is configured based on whether the minimum communications range parameter corresponds to the location-based value or the signal strength-based value.

19. The device according to claim 18, wherein: The one or more processors are further configured to receive the configuration as a radio resource control (RRC) configuration from a base station.

20. The device according to claim 18, wherein The configuration indicates that the minimum communication range parameter corresponds to the location-based value, and wherein the one or more processors are configured to generate the SCI at least in part by indicating a location of a transmitting device in the SCI.

21. The device according to claim 18, wherein The configuration indicates that the minimum communication range parameter corresponds to the location-based value, and wherein the one or more processors are configured to generate the SCI at least in part by indicating a number of zones or a configured quantized step size within which feedback is to be reported.

22. The device according to claim 18, wherein The minimum communication range parameter corresponds to the signal strength based value, and wherein the one or more processors are configured to generate the SCI at least in part by indicating a threshold received signal strength for which feedback is to be reported.

23. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: Transceiver; a memory configured to store instructions; as well as one or more processors communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: receiving sidelink control information SCI from a device, the SCI having an SCI format for indicating a minimum communication range parameter, wherein the SCI format is a common format defined for requesting both location-based feedback and signal strength-based feedback, and wherein the SCI indicates the minimum communication range parameter, and wherein the minimum communication range parameter corresponds to one or more of: a location-based value, or a signal strength-based value; determining whether to measure a location of the device or a received signal strength of the device; determining to send feedback to the device based at least in part on comparing the location or the received signal strength to a value of the minimum communication range parameter; and The feedback is sent to the device.

24. The device according to claim 23, wherein: The one or more processors are further configured to receive a configuration indicating whether the minimum communication range parameter corresponds to the location-based value or the signal strength-based value, wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine whether to measure the location or the received signal strength based on the configuration.

25. The device according to claim 24, wherein: The one or more processors are further configured to receive the configuration as a radio resource control (RRC) configuration from a base station.

26. The device according to claim 24, wherein: The configuration indicates that the minimum communication range parameter corresponds to the location-based value, and also includes: determining the location based on the SCI, and wherein the one or more processors are configured to: compare the location with the minimum communication range parameter at least in part by comparing the location parameter of the receiving device with the location of the device based on the minimum communication range parameter.

27. The device according to claim 24, wherein: The configuration indicates that the minimum communication range parameter corresponds to the location-based value, and wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine to send feedback based on determining that the location is within the number of zones indicated by the minimum communication range parameter or within a configured quantized step size.

28. The device according to claim 24, wherein: The configuration indicates that the minimum communication range parameter corresponds to the location-based value, and wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine to send feedback further based on determining that the received signal strength is within a threshold indicated by a different parameter.

29. The device according to claim 28, wherein The one or more processors are further configured to receive the different parameters in a radio resource control (RRC) configuration from a base station.

30. The device according to claim 24, wherein: The minimum communication range parameter corresponds to the signal strength based value, and wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine to send feedback based on determining that the received signal strength is within a threshold indicated by the minimum communication range parameter.

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