Method and device for transmission beam control in wireless communication system

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for transmission beam steering in data communication performed by an electronic device includes: scheduling periodic data transmission to a second electronic device on a first resource using at least a first beam and a second beam in a first time period. The electronic device transmits data to the second electronic device on the first resource using at least the first beam and the second beam in the first time period via a sidelink between the electronic device and the second electronic device.

Description

[0001] Priority Claim

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 62 / 878,443, filed on July 25, 2019, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present invention relates to a method and a device for transmission beam control in a wireless communication system, and is particularly used for sidelink communication. Background Art

[0004] In Long Term Evolution (LTE), direct communication between user equipment (UE) is required. Unlike uplink or downlink, sidelink can be specifically defined for direct UE-to-UE communication without passing through a serving base station. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present invention describes a method and apparatus for transmission beam steering in a wireless communication system.

[0006] In a first implementation, a method for transmission beam control in data communication performed by an electronic device includes: scheduling periodic data transmission to a second electronic device on a first resource using at least a first beam and a second beam within a first time period; and sending data to the second electronic device on the first resource using at least the first beam and the second beam within the first time period via a side link between the electronic device and the second electronic device.

[0007] In a second implementation, an electronic device includes: a non-volatile memory containing instructions; one or more hardware processors communicating with the memory, wherein the one or more hardware processors execute the instructions to perform operations including: scheduling periodic data transmission to a second electronic device on a first resource using at least a first beam and a second beam within a first time period; and sending data to the second electronic device on the first resource using at least the first beam and the second beam within the first time period via a side link between the electronic device and the second electronic device.

[0008] In a third implementation, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer instructions for transmission beam control in data communication. When the computer instructions are executed by one or more hardware processors, the one or more hardware processors perform operations including: scheduling periodic data transmission to a second electronic device on a first resource using at least a first beam and a second beam within a first time period; and sending data to the second electronic device on the first resource using at least the first beam and the second beam within the first time period via a side link.

[0009] In a fourth implementation, a method for transmission beam control in data communication performed by an electronic device includes: measuring the channel quality of multiple candidate resources for the data communication using a first beam; determining a first resource from the multiple candidate resources, wherein the channel quality measured for the first resource is greater than a first threshold; scheduling periodic data transmission to a second electronic device on the first resource within a first time period; and sending data to the second electronic device on the first resource using a second beam within the first time period, wherein the beam width of the first beam is greater than the beam width of the second beam.

[0010] In a fifth implementation, an electronic device includes: a non-volatile memory containing instructions; one or more hardware processors communicating with the memory, wherein the one or more hardware processors execute the instructions to perform operations including the following: measuring channel qualities of multiple candidate resources for data communication using a first beam; determining a first resource from the multiple candidate resources, wherein the channel quality measured for the first resource is greater than a first threshold; scheduling periodic data transmission to a second electronic device on the first resource within a first time period; and sending data to the second electronic device on the first resource using a second beam within the first time period, wherein the beam width of the first beam is greater than the beam width of the second beam.

[0011] In a sixth implementation, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer instructions for transmission beam control in data communication. When the computer instructions are executed by one or more hardware processors, the one or more hardware processors perform operations including the following: measuring channel qualities of multiple candidate resources for the data communication using a first beam; determining a first resource from the multiple candidate resources, wherein the channel quality measured for the first resource is greater than a first threshold; scheduling periodic data transmission to a second electronic device on the first resource within a first time period; and sending data to the second electronic device on the first resource using a second beam within the first time period, wherein the beam width of the first beam is greater than the beam width of the second beam.

[0012] In a seventh implementation, a method for transmission beam control in data communication performed by an electronic device includes: measuring channel quality of a first plurality of candidate resources and a second plurality of feedback resources for the data communication, wherein each candidate resource in the first plurality of candidate resources corresponds to a specific feedback resource in the second plurality of feedback resources; determining a first resource from the first plurality of candidate resources based on the channel quality measured for the first plurality of candidate resources and the second plurality of feedback resources; and sending data to a second electronic device on the first resource.

[0013] In an eighth implementation, an electronic device includes: a non-volatile memory containing instructions; one or more hardware processors communicating with the memory, wherein the one or more hardware processors execute the instructions to perform operations including the following: measuring channel quality of a first plurality of candidate resources and a second plurality of feedback resources for data communication, wherein each candidate resource in the first plurality of candidate resources corresponds to a specific feedback resource in the second plurality of feedback resources; determining a first resource from the first plurality of candidate resources based on the channel quality measured for the first plurality of candidate resources and the second plurality of feedback resources; and sending data to a second electronic device on the first resource.

[0014] In a ninth implementation, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer instructions for transmission beam control in data communication. When the computer instructions are executed by one or more hardware processors, the one or more hardware processors perform operations including the following: measuring channel quality of a first plurality of candidate resources and a second plurality of feedback resources for the data communication, wherein each candidate resource in the first plurality of candidate resources corresponds to a specific feedback resource in the second plurality of feedback resources; determining a first resource from the first plurality of candidate resources based on the channel quality measured for the first plurality of candidate resources and the second plurality of feedback resources; and sending data to a second electronic device on the first resource.

[0015] The above implementation can be implemented using the following: a computer-implemented method; a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions to execute the computer-implemented method; and a computer system comprising a computer memory interoperably coupled to a hardware processor, wherein the hardware processor is used to execute the computer-implemented method or the instructions stored in the non-transitory computer-readable medium.

[0016] The details of one or more implementations of the subject matter of this specification are set forth in the drawings and the detailed description. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter are apparent in the detailed description, the drawings, and the claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 A block diagram of data communication between multiple UEs is provided for one implementation.

[0018] Figure 2 A block diagram of using two beam patterns for transmission in data communication is provided for one implementation.

[0019] Figure 3 A block diagram of data communication between multiple UEs and a UE transmitting using two beam patterns is provided for one implementation.

[0020] Figure 4 A block diagram of data communication between multiple UEs and one UE that transmits and monitors using two beam patterns is provided for one implementation.

[0021] Figure 5 A flow chart of an exemplary method for transmit beam steering in data communications is provided for one implementation.

[0022] Figure 6 A flow chart of another exemplary method for transmit beam steering in data communications is provided for one implementation.

[0023] Figure 7 A flow chart of another exemplary method for transmit beam steering in data communications is provided for one implementation.

[0024] Figure 8 A block diagram of an exemplary computer system provided for one implementation is provided for providing computing functions associated with the algorithms, methods, functions, processes and procedures described in the present invention.

[0025] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of an exemplary structure of a terminal described in the present invention is provided for an implementation manner.

[0026] Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings represent like elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The following detailed description describes transmit beam steering in a wireless communication system and is intended to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the disclosed subject matter in the context of one or more specific implementations.

[0028] Various modifications, alterations, and permutations of the disclosed implementations may be made, which will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, and the general principles defined may be applied to other implementations and applications without departing from the scope of the invention. In some cases, details not necessary for understanding the described subject matter may be omitted so as not to obscure one or more of the described implementations with unnecessary detail, as such details are within the capabilities of those of ordinary skill in the art. The invention is not limited to the implementations described or illustrated, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features described.

[0029] In Long Term Evolution (LTE), a sidelink may be specifically defined for direct UE-to-UE communications without passing through a serving base station (e.g., an evolved NodeB (eNB)). In order to allocate resources such as time resources or frequency resources for sidelink communications, a UE may monitor previous activities of candidate resources and select resources that have not been used within a time period for sidelink communications. The activity of candidate resources may be monitored based on the received signal quality of the candidate resources (e.g., Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP)). However, in other systems such as New Radio Vehicle-to-Everything (NR-V2X), especially when NR-V2X operates in the mmWave band and the UE operates in beamforming mode, the above resource allocation mechanism does not work properly.

[0030] The present invention describes transmission beam control for sidelink communication in a wireless communication system. In the present invention, a first electronic device may schedule periodic sidelink data transmission to a second electronic device on a first resource within a first time period; transmit data to the second electronic device on the first resource using at least a first beam and a second beam via a sidelink between the first electronic device and the second electronic device within the first time period. In some implementations, the first electronic device may measure the channel quality of multiple candidate resources for sidelink data communication using a first beam; determine a first resource from the multiple candidate resources, wherein the channel quality measured for the first resource is greater than a first threshold; schedule periodic data transmission to the second electronic device on the first resource within a first time period; transmit data to the second electronic device on the first resource using a second beam within the first time period, wherein the beam width of the first beam is greater than the beam width of the second beam. In some implementations, a first electronic device may measure channel qualities of multiple candidate resources and multiple feedback resources for sidelink data communication, wherein each of the multiple candidate resources corresponds to a specific feedback resource among the multiple feedback resources; determine a first resource from the multiple candidate resources based on the channel qualities measured for the multiple candidate resources and the multiple feedback resources; and send data to a second electronic device on the first resource.

[0031] The subject matter described in the present invention can be implemented in a specific implementation to obtain one or more of the following advantages. First, the described method can reduce the possibility of selecting another UE for a resource being used for a sounding-based semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) transmission. Second, the described method can reduce interference caused by another UE's transmission, thereby improving the overall device-to-device (D2D) data rate. Other advantages will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art.

[0032] Figure 1 A block diagram 100 of data communication between multiple UEs is provided for one implementation. The block diagram 100 includes UE1 102, UE2 104, UE3 106, and UE4 108. For example, UE1 102 communicates with UE2 104 via a sidelink 110, and UE3 106 communicates with UE4 108 via a sidelink 120. In some implementations, the block diagram 100 may include more UEs, different UEs, or fewer UEs.

[0033] like Figure 1 As shown, UE1 102 uses resource R1 (e.g., time resource, frequency resource, space resource) to send data frame to UE2 104 on sidelink 110. UE1 102 uses transmit beam pattern 112 for transmission, and UE2 104 uses receive beam pattern 114 for reception. When UE1 102 sends data frame to UE2 104, UE3 106 is triggered to send data frame to UE4 108 on sidelink 120. In the sidelink communication between UE3 106 and UE4 108, UE3 106 uses transmit beam pattern 122 for transmission, and UE4 108 uses receive beam pattern 124 for reception.

[0034] To allocate one or more resource allocations for sidelink communication between UE3 106 and UE4 108, UE3 106 may detect the availability of candidate resources. 13 116) and the receiving beam (g) of UE3 106 toward UE1 102 31118) is of low intensity (e.g., the direction from UE1 102 to UE3 106 is not covered by the transmit beam of UE1 102 and the receive beam of UE3 106), so even if UE1 102 is using resource R1, UE3 106 can determine that resource R1 is available (and not being used). Therefore, UE3 106 can decide to use resource R1 for sidelink transmission from UE3 106 to UE4 108. In the present invention, if a large amount of transmission power of the beam can be delivered to a direction, the direction is considered to be covered. For example, if a direction is within a range where the beam gain is greater than the peak beam gain -X dB (e.g., X=3), the direction is considered to be covered, and the direction is considered to be within the beam width of the beam.

[0035] like Figure 1 As shown, when UE3 106 starts to send a data frame to UE4 108 using resource R1 on the sidelink 120, the transmit beam (g 32 126) and the receiving beam (g) of UE2 104 toward UE3 106 23 128) is high. Therefore, the transmission of UE3 106 to UE4 108 has a significant impact on UE2 104 receiving the transmission of UE1 102. In other words, the sidelink communication between UE3 106 and UE4 108 will interfere with the sidelink communication between UE1 102 and UE2 104.

[0036] Figure 2 A block diagram 200 for transmission in data communication using two beam patterns is provided for one implementation. The block diagram 200 includes UE1 202 and UE2 204. For example, UE1 202 transmits a data frame to UE2 204 using two beam patterns 208 and 210 on a sidelink 206. In some implementations, the block diagram 200 may include more UEs, different UEs, or fewer UEs.

[0037] To avoid Figure 1 In order to solve the interference problem described in , when a UE sends data frames to another UE on a resource periodically within a time period, the UE can use multiple transmit beams. Figure 1 In addition to the transmit beam with transmit beam pattern 112 shown, the UE may also form another transmit beam to occasionally send data frames during this time period. The formed transmit beam may be larger than the one with transmit beam pattern 112. Figure 1The transmit beam width of the transmit beam pattern 112 is shown. For example, the formed transmit beam can be an omni-directional beam or similar to an omni-directional beam. When a nearby UE detects a candidate resource for a sidelink transmission, the received signal strength of the resource can be high at least occasionally (i.e., when the UE is transmitting using a wider beam), thereby preventing the nearby UE from scheduling a sidelink data transmission on the resource.

[0038] like Figure 2 As shown, UE1 202 sends a data frame to UE2 204 on a sidelink 206. UE1 202 may use at least two transmit beams having beam patterns 208 and 210 for sidelink communication. For example, a first beam having beam pattern 208 has a higher beam gain toward UE2 204 than a second beam having beam pattern 210. The second beam having beam pattern 210 is an omni-directional beam. In a time period 216, UE1 202 schedules resource R 212 N1 times with a period of time T 214, and sends a data frame on resource R 212. For example, UE1 202 may use the second beam having beam pattern 210 at least once in a cycle of every N2*T period 218 within an N1*T period 216. N1 and N2 are positive integers, and N2 is less than N1. In addition, UE1 202 may use the first beam with beam pattern 208 for the remaining sidelink transmissions within the N1*T period 216. In some implementations, the actual beam pattern of the first beam used for each different transmission within the N1*T period 216 may be different from each other according to the real-time channel status between UE1 202 and UE2 204, etc.

[0039] In some implementations, when scheduling resource R 212, UE1 202 may consider the signal quality of each of the multiple candidate resources in the previous time period (e.g., a time period with the same or similar length as time period 218). Then, UE1 202 may periodically use the second beam with beam pattern 210 within N1*T period 216. UE1 202 may determine the number of occurrences of the second beam based on the signal quality of each candidate resource. For example, if the received signal strength of the candidate resource is greater than a first threshold (e.g., the signal strength of another transmission that has been performed on the candidate resource is high), UE1 202 may determine that the candidate resource is being used by another UE. The calculation of the received signal strength may be based on the reference signal received power (RSRP). The first threshold may be set to -100 decibel-milliwatt (dBm), etc. If the RSRP of the candidate resource is greater than -100 dBm, UE1 202 may determine that another UE is transmitting on the candidate resource and considers that the candidate resource is occupied.

[0040] If the number of occupied resources is greater than the second threshold, UE1 202 may use the second beam N3 times within the N1*T period 216. However, if the number of occupied resources is less than the second threshold, UE1 202 may use the second beam N4 times within the N1*T period 216. N3 and N4 are positive integers, and N3 is greater than N4. When there are 100 candidate resources, the second threshold may be set to 10, etc. In other words, if the proportion of occupied resources is large, there are relatively more UEs performing sidelink communications. Therefore, it is better to use wide beams more frequently to avoid interference (e.g., to avoid another UE from considering resource R212 to be an available resource). However, if the proportion of occupied resources is small, there are relatively fewer UEs performing sidelink communications. Therefore, since the possibility of conflict is relatively low, it is better to use beamforming signals more frequently to improve data throughput.

[0041] Figure 3 A block diagram 300 of data communication between multiple UEs and one UE transmitting using two beam modes is provided for one implementation. The block diagram 300 includes UE1 302, UE2 304, UE3 306, and UE4 308. For example, UE1 302 transmits data frames to UE2 304 using two different beam modes (b1 312 and b0 314) on a sidelink 310, and UE3 306 transmits data frames to UE4 308 on a sidelink 320. In some implementations, the block diagram 300 may include more UEs, different UEs, or fewer UEs.

[0042] and Figure 1 A transmit beam pattern 112 is used in different Figure 3 Two different beam modes are used for sidelink communication between UE1 302 and UE2 304. Figure 3 As shown, UE1 302 transmits a data frame to UE2 304 using resource R1 on the sidelink 310. UE1 302 may transmit using two different transmit beam patterns (b1 312 and b0 314). For example, UE1 302 may use beam pattern b1 312 most of the time and occasionally use beam pattern b0 314 in the sidelink transmission to UE2 304. Beam pattern b1 312 has a greater beam gain toward UE2 304 than beam pattern b0 314. Beam pattern b0 314 is an omnidirectional beam pattern. Beam pattern b0 314 has a greater beam gain toward UE3 306 than beam pattern b1 312 (i.e., g0 318 is greater than g0 318). 13 316).

[0043] When UE1 302 sends a data frame to UE2 304, UE3 306 is triggered to send a data frame to UE4 308 on the sidelink 320. In order to allocate one or more resources for sidelink communication between UE3 306 and UE4 308, UE3 306 can detect the availability of candidate resources. Since UE1 302 occasionally uses beam pattern b0 314 for transmission, UE3 306 can detect g0 318 on resource R1 (e.g., the antenna gain toward UE3 306 is greater than a threshold) and considers that resource R1 is occupied by another UE. Therefore, UE3 306 does not consider using resource R1 for sidelink transmission from UE3 306 to UE4 308. In other words, UE3 306 selects another resource R2 (i.e., not resource R1) and transmits to UE4 308 on resource R2. Since R2 is different from R1, there is no cross interference between the transmission of UE3 306 and the transmission of UE1 302.

[0044] Figure 4A block diagram 400 of data communication between multiple UEs and a UE that uses two beam modes for transmission and monitoring is provided for one implementation. The block diagram 400 includes UE1 402, UE2 404, UE3 406, and UE4 408. For example, UE1 402 sends a data frame to UE2 404 on a sidelink 410, and UE3 406 sends a data frame to UE4 408 on a sidelink 420. UE3 406 can use different beam modes for data transmission and channel monitoring (e.g., use b3 412 for data transmission and b0 414 for channel monitoring). In some implementations, the block diagram 400 can include more UEs, different UEs, or fewer UEs.

[0045] When a UE needs to send a data frame to another UE on a resource periodically within a time period on a sidelink, the UE can use a first beam to monitor the signal quality of a candidate resource. After the UE determines the first resource for sidelink transmission based at least on the signal quality monitored for the candidate resource, the UE can use a second beam to transmit on the first resource. The first beam can be wider than the second beam. For example, the UE can use beamforming signals to send data frames to improve data throughput. When probing candidate resources, the UE can use omnidirectional receive beams, etc. to improve the accuracy of determining the occupancy of the candidate resource by another UE.

[0046] like Figure 4 As shown, UE1 402 transmits a data frame to UE2 404 using resource R1 on the sidelink 410. When UE1 402 transmits a data frame to UE2 404, UE3 406 is triggered to transmit a data frame to UE4 408 on the sidelink 420. UE3 406 may use beam pattern b3 412 for sidelink transmission to UE4 408 and monitor the availability of candidate resources using beam pattern b0 414. Beam pattern b0 414 is an omni-directional beam pattern and has a beam gain g0 416 toward UE1 402.

[0047] To allocate one or more resources for sidelink communication between UE3 406 and UE4 408, UE3 406 may detect the availability of candidate resources using beam pattern b0 414. Since UE3 406 monitors candidate resources using beam pattern b0 414, UE3 406 may detect g0 416 on resource R1 (e.g., the antenna gain toward UE1 402 is greater than a threshold) and considers resource R1 to be occupied by another UE. Therefore, UE3 406 does not consider resource R1 for sidelink transmission from UE3 406 to UE4 408. In other words, UE3 406 selects another resource R2 (i.e., not resource R1) and transmits to UE4 408 on resource R2. Since R2 is different from R1, even though UE3 406's transmit beam (g0 416) toward UE2 404 is not 13 418) is of high intensity, and there is no cross interference between the transmission of UE3 406 on resource R2 and the transmission of UE1 402 on resource R1.

[0048] In some implementations, a UE may select resources for sidelink transmission to avoid cross-interference caused by other sidelink communications. For example, when a UE periodically sends data frames on a resource to another UE on a sidelink within a time period, the UE may monitor the signal quality of the candidate resource. The UE may determine a first resource that is not occupied by another UE for sidelink transmission based at least on the signal quality monitored for the candidate resource. The UE may then transmit on the first resource.

[0049] If the received signal strength of a resource is greater than a first threshold and / or the received signal strength of a second resource corresponding to a resource is greater than a second threshold, the resource is considered to be occupied by another UE. For example, the resource may be a resource that the UE is monitoring for sidelink transmission (e.g., a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH)). The second resource may be a feedback resource corresponding to the resource (e.g., a physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH)). Since the resource and the second resource have different channel structures, the first threshold and the second threshold are determined separately. In some implementations, the first threshold and the second threshold may be the same (e.g., -100dBm). In some implementations, the first threshold and the second threshold may be different.

[0050] In some implementations, one or more of the following signals may be transmitted in the second resource: reference signals for channel measurement (e.g., demodulation reference signal (DMRS), channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), and sounding reference signal (SRS)), hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) confirmation (e.g., ACK / NACK), channel measurement feedback (e.g., channel quality indication (CQI), rank indication (RI), pre-coding matrix indication (PMI)), and separate data transmission from a receiving UE to a sending UE.

[0051] The UE can use a variety of mechanisms to determine the information on the second resource. For example, the mapping relationship between a resource for sidelink transmission and another resource for response can be predetermined. Therefore, no additional indication is required. In some implementations, the serving base station to which the sender UE belongs can configure the mapping relationship between a resource for sidelink transmission and another resource for response, and indicate the mapping information to one or more UEs within the coverage of the sender UE. In some implementations, a UE sending a data frame on the sidelink can use sidelink control information (SCI) to indicate information on the resources used for response. In some implementations, a UE sending a data frame on the sidelink can indicate the location information of the receiving UE of the UE, so that one or more nearby UEs can estimate the location of the receiving UE. For example, the UE may occasionally indicate the location information of the receiving UE of the UE.

[0052] Figure 5 A block diagram of an exemplary method 500 for transmission beam steering in data communication is provided for one implementation. For clarity of presentation, the following description generally describes the method 500 in the context of other figures in this specification. The method 500 may be performed by an electronic device (e.g., Figure 3However, it should be understood that method 500 can be performed by any suitable system, environment, software and hardware or a combination of systems, environments, software and hardware, as appropriate. In some implementations, the various steps of method 500 can be performed in parallel, combined, cyclically or in any order.

[0053] Method 500 begins at 502. In 502, an electronic device schedules a periodic data transmission to a second electronic device on a first resource within a first time period. In some implementations, the data communication between the electronic device and the second electronic device may be a sidelink data communication (e.g., not passing through a base station). In some implementations, the periodic data transmission may be pre-scheduled or arranged using a plurality of transmit beams, further description of which is provided below.

[0054] In 504, the electronic device transmits data to the second electronic device on the first resource using at least the first beam and the second beam during the first time period via a sidelink between the electronic device and the second electronic device. For example, during the first time period, one or more data frames may be transmitted to the second electronic device on the first resource using the first beam, and one or more data frames may be transmitted to the second electronic device on the first resource using the second beam. The beam width of the first beam may be smaller than the beam width of the second beam. In some implementations, the second beam may be an omnidirectional beam, and the first beam may have a higher beam gain toward the second electronic device than the second beam. In some implementations, the first beam and the second beam may be scheduled in step 502.

[0055] In some implementations, in every N consecutive transmissions to the second electronic device during the first time period, N2 transmissions may use the second beam and N1 transmissions may use the first beam. N, N1, and N2 are positive integers. N1+N2=N. N2 may be less than N1. In some implementations, N2=1. In some implementations, at least 2N consecutive transmissions occur during the first time period.

[0056] In some implementations, before scheduling the periodic data transmission, the electronic device may measure the channel quality of multiple candidate resources for the data communication. Then, the electronic device may determine the first resource from the multiple candidate resources. The channel quality measured for the first resource may be greater than a first threshold. For example, the reference signal received power (RSRP) measured for the first resource is greater than -100dBm.

[0057] Figure 6 A flowchart of another exemplary method 600 for transmission beam steering in data communication is provided for one implementation. For clarity of presentation, the following description generally describes the method 600 in the context of other figures in this specification. The method 600 may be performed by an electronic device (e.g., Figure 4 However, it should be understood that method 600 can be performed by any suitable system, environment, software and hardware or by a combination of systems, environments, software and hardware, as appropriate. In some implementations, the various steps of method 600 can be performed in parallel, combined, cyclically or in any order.

[0058] Method 600 begins at 602. At 602, an electronic device measures channel quality of a plurality of candidate resources for data communication using a first beam. For example, the electronic device may measure RSRP of each candidate resource. In some implementations, the first beam may be an omni-directional beam. In some implementations, the data communication is a sidelink data communication.

[0059] In 604, the electronic device determines a first resource from the plurality of candidate resources. In some implementations, the first resource may be determined based on a channel quality measured for the first resource being greater than a first threshold. For example, an RSRP measured for the first resource is greater than -100 dBm.

[0060] In 606, the electronic device schedules periodic data transmission to a second electronic device on the first resource within a first time period.

[0061] In 608, the electronic device transmits data to the second electronic device on the first resource using a second beam in the first time period. The beam width of the first beam may be greater than the beam width of the second beam.

[0062] Figure 7 A flowchart of another exemplary method 700 for transmission beam steering in data communication is provided for one implementation. For clarity of presentation, the following description generally describes the method 700 in the context of other figures in this specification. The method 700 may be performed by an electronic device (e.g., Figure 4 However, it should be understood that method 700 can be performed by any suitable system, environment, software and hardware or a combination of systems, environments, software and hardware, as appropriate. In some implementations, the various steps of method 700 can be performed in parallel, combined, cyclically or in any order.

[0063] Method 700 starts at 702. In 702, the electronic device measures channel quality of a first plurality of candidate resources and a second plurality of feedback resources for data communication. Each candidate resource in the first plurality of candidate resources may correspond to a specific feedback resource in the second plurality of feedback resources. In some implementations, the specific candidate resource may be a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), and the feedback resource corresponding to the specific candidate resource may be a physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH).

[0064] In 704, the electronic device determines a first resource from the first plurality of candidate resources according to the channel quality measured for the first plurality of candidate resources and the second plurality of feedback resources. In some implementations, the first resource may be a candidate resource that is not occupied by other electronic devices. In some implementations, if the received signal strength of a specific candidate resource is greater than a first threshold and / or the received signal strength of a feedback resource corresponding to a specific candidate resource is greater than a second threshold, the specific candidate resource is occupied by other electronic devices. In some implementations, the first threshold and the second threshold may be the same (e.g., -100 dBm). In some implementations, the first threshold and the second threshold may be different.

[0065] In 706, the electronic device sends data to the second electronic device on the first resource. In some implementations, the electronic device may send data to the second electronic device on the first resource via a sidelink.

[0066] Figure 8 A block diagram of an exemplary computer system 800 is provided for one implementation. The computer system 800 is used to provide computing functions related to the algorithms, methods, functions, processes and procedures described in the present invention. The computer system 800 or multiple computer systems 800 can be used to implement the electronic devices described previously in the present invention, for example, Figure 3 UE1 302 is shown.

[0067] In some aspects, the computer 802 may include a computer. The computer includes an input device and an output device. The input device may be a numeric keypad, a keyboard, a touch screen, or other device that can receive user information, and the output device transmits information related to the operation of the computer 802, including digital data, visual or audio information (or a combination of information), or a graphical user interface (GUI).

[0068] The computer 802 can act as a client, a network component, a server, a database or other persistent storage, or any other component (or combination thereof) in a computer system for performing the subject matter described herein. The computer 802 is shown to be communicatively coupled to a network 830. In some implementations, one or more components in the computer 802 can be configured to operate in an environment such as a cloud computing-based environment, a local environment, a global environment, or other environments (or a combination of these environments).

[0069] At a high level, the computer 802 is an electronic computing device that can be used to receive, send, process, store or manage data and information related to the subject matter described. According to some implementations, the computer 802 may also include or be communicatively coupled to an application server, an email server, a World Wide Web server, a cache server, a streaming data server or other server (or a combination of these servers).

[0070] Computer 802 may receive requests from client applications (e.g., executed on another computer 802) over network 830 and respond to received requests by processing the received requests using an appropriate software application or applications. In addition, requests may also be sent to computer 802 from internal users (e.g., from a command console or through other suitable access methods), external or third parties, other automated applications, and any other suitable entity, person, system, or computer.

[0071] Each component in the computer 802 can communicate using the system bus 803. In some implementations, any or all components, hardware or software (or a combination of both hardware and software) in the computer 802 can be connected to each other or to the interface 804 through the system bus 803 using an application programming interface (API) 812 or a business layer 813 (or a combination of API 812 and business layer 813). The API 812 may include specifications for routines, data structures, and object classes. The API 812 may be computer language independent or computer language dependent and refer to a complete interface, a single function, or even a set of APIs. The business layer 813 provides software services to the computer 802 or to other components (whether or not shown) that are communicatively coupled to the computer 802. All business consumers can access the functions of the computer 802 using the business layer. Software services, such as those provided by the business layer 813, provide reusable defined functions through defined interfaces. For example, the interface may be software written in JAVA, C++ or other suitable languages, thereby providing data in an extensible markup language (XML) format or other suitable format. Although the API 812 or business layer 813 is shown as an integrated component in the computer 802, an alternative implementation may show the API 812 or business layer 813 as an independent component separate from other components in the computer 802 or other components communicatively coupled to the computer 802. In addition, any or all parts of the API 812 or business layer 813 may be implemented as a submodule of another software module, enterprise application or hardware module without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0072] Computer 802 includes interface 804. Although Figure 8 One interface 804 is shown, but two or more interfaces 804 may be used depending on the particular needs, requirements, or particular implementation of the computer 802. The interface 804 is used by the computer 802 to communicate with other systems connected to a network 830 (whether or not shown) in a distributed environment. Generally, the interface 804 includes logic encoded in software or hardware (or a combination of software and hardware) and can be used to communicate with the network 830. More specifically, the interface 804 may include software that supports one or more communication protocols related to the communication, so that the network 830 or the hardware of the interface can be used to transmit physical signals within and outside the computer 802 shown.

[0073] Computer 802 includes processor 805. Although Figure 8One processor 805 is shown, but two or more processors may be used depending on the particular needs, requirements, or particular implementation of the computer 802. Generally, the processor 805 executes instructions and operates on data to perform the operations of the computer 802 and any algorithms, methods, functions, procedures, and flows described herein.

[0074] Computer 802 also includes a database 806 that can store data for computer 802 or for other components that can be connected to network 830 (whether or not shown) (or a combination of both). For example, database 806 can be an in-memory database, a traditional database, or another type of database that stores data consistent with the present invention. In some implementations, database 806 can be a combination of two or more different database types (e.g., a hybrid in-memory and traditional database) depending on the specific needs, requirements, or specific implementation of computer 802 and the described functionality. Although Figure 8 One database 806 is shown, but two or more databases (of the same type or a combination of types) may be used depending on the particular needs, requirements, or particular implementation of the computer 802 and the functionality described. Although the database 806 is shown as being integral to the computer 802, in alternative implementations, the database 806 may be external to the computer 802.

[0075] The computer 802 also includes a memory 807, which can store data for the computer 802 or other components that can be connected to the network 830 (whether shown or not) (or a combination of both). For example, the memory 807 can be a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, etc., which stores data consistent with the present invention. In some implementations, the memory 807 can be a combination of two or more different types of memory (e.g., a combination of RAM and magnetic storage devices) based on the specific needs, requirements, or specific implementation of the computer 802 and the described functions. Although Figure 8 One memory 807 is shown, but two or more memories 807 (of the same type or a combination of types) may be used depending on the particular needs, requirements, or particular implementation and described functionality of the computer 802. Although the memory 807 is shown as being integral to the computer 802, in alternative implementations, the memory 807 may be external to the computer 802.

[0076] Application 808 is an algorithmic software engine that provides functionality, particularly functionality described herein, in accordance with the specific needs, requirements, or specific implementation of computer 802. For example, application 808 may be implemented as one or more components, modules, or applications. Furthermore, although one application 808 is shown, application 808 may be implemented as multiple applications 808 on computer 802. Additionally, although application 808 is shown as an integral part of computer 802, in alternative implementations, application 808 may be external to computer 802.

[0077] The computer 802 may also include a power supply 814. The power supply 814 may include rechargeable or non-rechargeable batteries, which may be configured to be user-replaceable or non-user-replaceable. In some implementations, the power supply 814 may include power conversion or management circuitry (including recharging, standby, or other power management functions). In some implementations, the power supply 814 may include a power plug to allow the computer 802 to be plugged into a wall outlet, may include other power sources to power the computer 802 or charge rechargeable batteries, and so on.

[0078] There may be any number of computers 802 associated with or external to the computer system including computer 802, each of which communicates via network 830. In addition, the terms "client," "user," and other appropriate terms may be used interchangeably as appropriate without departing from the scope of the present invention. In addition, the present invention contemplates that many users may use one computer 802, or that one user may use multiple computers 802.

[0079] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of an exemplary structure of a terminal 900 described in the present invention is provided for one implementation. The terminal 900 includes a receiving circuit 902, a scheduling circuit 904, and a sending circuit 906. In some implementations, the terminal 900 may also include one or more circuits to perform any step or combination of steps described in the present invention.

[0080] The receiving circuit 902 is configured to receive a signal from a candidate resource.

[0081] The scheduling circuit 904 is configured to schedule periodic data transmission to the second terminal on the first resource within a first time period.

[0082] The transmitting circuit 906 is used to send data to the second terminal on the first resource using at least the first beam and the second beam during the first time period through a sidelink between the terminal and the second terminal.

[0083] The described implementations of the present subject matter may include one or more features, alone or in combination.

[0084] In a first implementation, a method for transmission beam control in data communication performed by an electronic device includes: scheduling periodic data transmission to a second electronic device on a first resource using at least a first beam and a second beam within a first time period; and sending data to the second electronic device on the first resource using at least the first beam and the second beam within the first time period via a side link between the electronic device and the second electronic device.

[0085] The above and other described implementations may each optionally include one or more of the following features:

[0086] A first feature that can be combined with any of the following features, wherein the sending of data to the second electronic device on the first resource using at least the first beam and the second beam within the first time period comprises: sending one or more data frames to the second electronic device on the first resource using the first beam within the first time period; sending one or more data frames to the second electronic device on the first resource using the second beam within the first time period, wherein the beam width of the first beam is smaller than the beam width of the second beam.

[0087] A second feature combinable with any one of the above or following features, wherein the second beam is an omnidirectional beam, and the first beam has a higher beam gain toward the second electronic device than the second beam.

[0088] A third feature that can be combined with any of the above or following features, wherein, in the first time period, in every N consecutive transmissions to the second electronic device, N2 transmissions use the second beam, N1 transmissions use the first beam, N1+N2=N, N2 is less than N1; at least 2N consecutive transmissions occur in the first time period.

[0089] A fourth feature that can be combined with any of the above or following features, wherein, before scheduling the periodic data transmission, the method also includes: measuring the channel quality of multiple candidate resources for the data communication; determining the first resource from the multiple candidate resources, wherein the channel quality measured for the first resource is greater than a first threshold.

[0090] A fifth feature combinable with any of the above or following features, wherein the data communication is a sidelink data communication.

[0091] In a second implementation, an electronic device includes: a non-volatile memory containing instructions; one or more hardware processors communicating with the memory, wherein the one or more hardware processors execute the instructions to perform operations including: scheduling periodic data transmission to a second electronic device on a first resource using at least a first beam and a second beam within a first time period; and sending data to the second electronic device on the first resource using at least the first beam and the second beam within the first time period via a side link between the electronic device and the second electronic device.

[0092] The above and other described implementations may each optionally include one or more of the following features:

[0093] A first feature that can be combined with any of the following features, wherein the sending of data to the second electronic device on the first resource using at least the first beam and the second beam within the first time period comprises: sending one or more data frames to the second electronic device on the first resource using the first beam within the first time period; sending one or more data frames to the second electronic device on the first resource using the second beam within the first time period, wherein the beam width of the first beam is smaller than the beam width of the second beam.

[0094] A second feature combinable with any one of the above or following features, wherein the second beam is an omnidirectional beam, and the first beam has a higher beam gain toward the second electronic device than the second beam.

[0095] A third feature that can be combined with any of the above or following features, wherein, in the first time period, in every N consecutive transmissions to the second electronic device, N2 transmissions use the second beam, N1 transmissions use the first beam, N1+N2=N, N2 is less than N1; at least 2N consecutive transmissions occur in the first time period.

[0096] A fourth feature that can be combined with any of the above or following features, wherein, before scheduling the periodic data transmission, the operation also includes: measuring the channel quality of multiple candidate resources for the data communication; determining the first resource from the multiple candidate resources, wherein the channel quality measured for the first resource is greater than a first threshold.

[0097] A fifth feature combinable with any of the above or following features, wherein the data communication is a sidelink data communication.

[0098] In a third implementation, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer instructions for transmission beam control in data communication. When the computer instructions are executed by one or more hardware processors, the one or more hardware processors perform operations including: scheduling periodic data transmission to a second electronic device on a first resource using at least a first beam and a second beam within a first time period; and sending data to the second electronic device on the first resource using at least the first beam and the second beam within the first time period via a side link.

[0099] The above and other described implementations may each optionally include one or more of the following features:

[0100] A first feature that can be combined with any of the following features, wherein the sending of data to the second electronic device on the first resource using at least the first beam and the second beam within the first time period comprises: sending one or more data frames to the second electronic device on the first resource using the first beam within the first time period; sending one or more data frames to the second electronic device on the first resource using the second beam within the first time period, wherein the beam width of the first beam is smaller than the beam width of the second beam.

[0101] A second feature combinable with any one of the above or following features, wherein the second beam is an omnidirectional beam, and the first beam has a higher beam gain toward the second electronic device than the second beam.

[0102] A third feature that can be combined with any of the above or following features, wherein, in the first time period, in every N consecutive transmissions to the second electronic device, N2 transmissions use the second beam, N1 transmissions use the first beam, N1+N2=N, N2 is less than N1; at least 2N consecutive transmissions occur in the first time period.

[0103] A fourth feature that can be combined with any of the above or following features, wherein, before scheduling the periodic data transmission, the operation also includes: measuring the channel quality of multiple candidate resources for the data communication; determining the first resource from the multiple candidate resources, wherein the channel quality measured for the first resource is greater than a first threshold.

[0104] A fifth feature combinable with any of the above or following features, wherein the data communication is a sidelink data communication.

[0105] In a fourth implementation, a method for transmission beam control in data communication performed by an electronic device includes: measuring the channel quality of multiple candidate resources for the data communication using a first beam; determining a first resource from the multiple candidate resources, wherein the channel quality measured for the first resource is greater than a first threshold; scheduling periodic data transmission to a second electronic device on the first resource within a first time period; and sending data to the second electronic device on the first resource using a second beam within the first time period, wherein the beam width of the first beam is greater than the beam width of the second beam.

[0106] The above and other described implementations may each optionally include one or more of the following features:

[0107] The first feature combinable with any of the following features, wherein the first beam is an omnidirectional beam.

[0108] A second feature combinable with any of the above or following features, wherein the data communication is a sidelink data communication.

[0109] In a fifth implementation, an electronic device includes: a non-volatile memory containing instructions; one or more hardware processors communicating with the memory, wherein the one or more hardware processors execute the instructions to perform operations including the following: measuring channel qualities of multiple candidate resources for data communication using a first beam; determining a first resource from the multiple candidate resources, wherein the channel quality measured for the first resource is greater than a first threshold; scheduling periodic data transmission to a second electronic device on the first resource within a first time period; and sending data to the second electronic device on the first resource using a second beam within the first time period, wherein the beam width of the first beam is greater than the beam width of the second beam.

[0110] The above and other described implementations may each optionally include one or more of the following features:

[0111] The first feature combinable with any of the following features, wherein the first beam is an omnidirectional beam.

[0112] A second feature combinable with any of the above or following features, wherein the data communication is a sidelink data communication.

[0113] In a sixth implementation, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer instructions for transmission beam control in data communication. When the computer instructions are executed by one or more hardware processors, the one or more hardware processors perform operations including the following: measuring channel qualities of multiple candidate resources for the data communication using a first beam; determining a first resource from the multiple candidate resources, wherein the channel quality measured for the first resource is greater than a first threshold; scheduling periodic data transmission to a second electronic device on the first resource within a first time period; and sending data to the second electronic device on the first resource using a second beam within the first time period, wherein the beam width of the first beam is greater than the beam width of the second beam.

[0114] The above and other described implementations may each optionally include one or more of the following features:

[0115] The first feature combinable with any of the following features, wherein the first beam is an omnidirectional beam.

[0116] A second feature combinable with any of the above or following features, wherein the data communication is a sidelink data communication.

[0117] In a seventh implementation, a method for transmission beam control in data communication performed by an electronic device includes: measuring channel quality of a first plurality of candidate resources and a second plurality of feedback resources for the data communication, wherein each candidate resource in the first plurality of candidate resources corresponds to a specific feedback resource in the second plurality of feedback resources; determining a first resource from the first plurality of candidate resources based on the channel quality measured for the first plurality of candidate resources and the second plurality of feedback resources; and sending data to a second electronic device on the first resource.

[0118] The above and other described implementations may each optionally include one or more of the following features:

[0119] A first feature that can be combined with any of the following features, wherein determining the first resource includes determining: a received signal strength of the first resource is less than a first threshold; and / or a received signal strength of a feedback resource corresponding to the first resource is less than a second threshold.

[0120] A second feature that can be combined with any of the above or following features, wherein the first resource is a physical sidelink shared channel (Physical Sidelink Shared Channel, PSSCH), and the feedback resource corresponding to the first resource is a physical sidelink feedback channel (Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel, PSFCH).

[0121] In an eighth implementation, an electronic device includes: a non-volatile memory containing instructions; one or more hardware processors communicating with the memory, wherein the one or more hardware processors execute the instructions to perform operations including the following: measuring channel quality of a first plurality of candidate resources and a second plurality of feedback resources for data communication, wherein each candidate resource in the first plurality of candidate resources corresponds to a specific feedback resource in the second plurality of feedback resources; determining a first resource from the first plurality of candidate resources based on the channel quality measured for the first plurality of candidate resources and the second plurality of feedback resources; and sending data to a second electronic device on the first resource.

[0122] The above and other described implementations may each optionally include one or more of the following features:

[0123] A first feature that can be combined with any of the following features, wherein determining the first resource includes determining: a received signal strength of the first resource is less than a first threshold; and / or a received signal strength of a feedback resource corresponding to the first resource is less than a second threshold.

[0124] A second feature that can be combined with any of the above or following features, wherein the first resource is a physical sidelink shared channel (Physical Sidelink Shared Channel, PSSCH), and the feedback resource corresponding to the first resource is a physical sidelink feedback channel (Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel, PSFCH).

[0125] In a ninth implementation, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer instructions for transmission beam control in data communication. When the computer instructions are executed by one or more hardware processors, the one or more hardware processors perform operations including the following: measuring channel quality of a first plurality of candidate resources and a second plurality of feedback resources for the data communication, wherein each candidate resource in the first plurality of candidate resources corresponds to a specific feedback resource in the second plurality of feedback resources; determining a first resource from the first plurality of candidate resources based on the channel quality measured for the first plurality of candidate resources and the second plurality of feedback resources; and sending data to a second electronic device on the first resource.

[0126] The above and other described implementations may each optionally include one or more of the following features:

[0127] A first feature that can be combined with any of the following features, wherein determining the first resource includes determining: a received signal strength of the first resource is less than a first threshold; and / or a received signal strength of a feedback resource corresponding to the first resource is less than a second threshold.

[0128] A second feature that can be combined with any of the above or following features, wherein the first resource is a physical sidelink shared channel (Physical Sidelink Shared Channel, PSSCH), and the feedback resource corresponding to the first resource is a physical sidelink feedback channel (Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel, PSFCH).

[0129] The implementation of the subject matter and functional operations described in this specification can be implemented in digital electronic circuits, tangibly embodied computer software or firmware, computer hardware, including in the structures disclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents, or in a combination of one or more of them. The implementation of the subject matter described in this specification can be implemented as one or more computer programs, i.e., one or more modules of computer program instructions, which are encoded in a tangible non-transitory computer-readable computer storage medium to be executed by a data processing device or to control the operation of the data processing device. Alternatively or in addition, the program instructions can be encoded in an artificially generated propagation signal (e.g., a machine-generated electrical, optical, or electromagnetic signal), which is generated to encode information so as to send the information to a suitable receiver device for execution by the data processing device. The computer storage medium can be a machine-readable storage device, a machine-readable storage substrate, a random or serial access storage device, or a combination of computer storage media.

[0130] The terms "real-time / real time / realtime", "real(fast) time (RFT)", "near(ly) real-time (NRT)", "quasi-real-time" or similar terms (as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art) indicate that an action and a response are close in time such that an individual perceives the action and the response to occur substantially simultaneously. For example, the time difference in the display (or display initiation) of response data following an individual's action to access data may be less than 1 millisecond, less than 1 second, or less than 5 seconds. Although the requested data need not be displayed (or initiated to be displayed) immediately, the data is displayed (or initiated to be displayed) without any intentional delay, taking into account the processing limitations of the computing system and the time required to collect, accurately measure, analyze, process, store or transmit the data.

[0131] The term "data processing device", "computer" or "electronic computer equipment" (or equivalents understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art) refers to data processing hardware and covers various types of devices, equipment and machines for processing data, including programmable processors, computers or multiple processors or computers, etc. The device may also be or also include a dedicated logic circuit, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASICA). In some implementations, the data processing device or the dedicated logic circuit (or a combination of data processing devices or dedicated logic circuits) may be based on hardware or software (or based on a combination of hardware and software). The device may optionally include code for creating an execution environment for a computer program, such as code constituting a processor firmware, a protocol stack, a database management system, an operating system or a combination of an execution environment. The present invention contemplates the use of a data processing device with or without a traditional operating system, which may be LINUX, UNIX, WINDOWS, MAC OS, ANDROID, IOS or any other suitable traditional operating system.

[0132] A computer program (which may also be referred to or described as a program, software, software application, module, software module, script or code) may be written in any form of programming language, including compiled or interpreted languages, or declarative languages ​​or procedural languages, and may be deployed in any form, including as a standalone program or as a module, component, subroutine or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment. A computer program may (but need not) correspond to a file in a file system. A program may be stored in a portion of a file that stores other programs or data (e.g., one or more scripts stored in a markup language document), in a single file dedicated to a related program, or in multiple coordination files (e.g., a file storing one or more modules, subroutines or partial codes). A computer program may be deployed to be executed in one computer, or in multiple computers located at one site or distributed at multiple sites and interconnected by a communication network. Although the various parts of the program shown in the various figures are shown as separate modules that implement various features and functions through various objects, methods or other processes, the program may also include multiple submodules, third-party services, components, libraries, etc. as appropriate. In turn, the features and functions of various components may be combined into a single component as appropriate. The thresholds used to make computational decisions may be determined statically, dynamically, or a combination of statically and dynamically.

[0133] The methods, processes or logic flows described in this specification can be performed by one or more programmable computers executing one or more computer programs to perform functions by operating on input data and generating output. The methods, processes or logic flows can also be performed by dedicated logic circuits, and the apparatus can also be implemented as dedicated logic circuits, such as CPUs, FPGAs or ASICs.

[0134] Computers suitable for executing computer programs can be based on general or special microprocessors, based on general and special microprocessors, or any other type of CPU. Typically, the CPU receives instructions and data from a ROM and / or a random access memory (Random Access Memory, RAM). The essential elements of a computer are a CPU for executing instructions and one or more memory devices for storing instructions and data. Typically, a computer also includes one or more large-capacity storage devices (such as magnetic disks, magneto-optical disks, or optical disks) for storing data, or is operably coupled to one or more large-capacity storage devices for storing data to receive data from the large-capacity storage device and / or to transmit data to the large-capacity storage device. However, a computer does not have to have such a device. In addition, a computer can be embedded in other devices, such as a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (Personal Digital Assistant, PDA), a mobile audio or video player, a game console, a global positioning system (Global Positioning System, GPS) receiver, or a portable storage device (for example, a universal serial bus (Universal Serial Bus, USB) flash drive), etc.

[0135] Computer-readable media (transient or non-transient) suitable for storing computer program instructions and data include non-volatile memory, media and storage devices, such as semiconductor memory devices, such as Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM) and flash memory devices; disks, such as internal hard disks or removable disks; magneto-optical disks; CD-ROM, DVD+ / –R, DVD-RAM, DVD-ROM disks. The memory can store a variety of objects or data, including caches, categories, frameworks, applications, backup data, tasks, web pages, web page templates, database tables, repositories for storing dynamic information, and any other suitable information including any parameters, variables, algorithms, instructions, rules, constraints or references. In addition, the memory may include any other suitable data, such as logs, policies, security or access data, report files, and other data. The processor and memory can be supplemented by or incorporated into special-purpose logic circuits.

[0136] To interact with a user, implementations of the subject matter described in this specification may be implemented in a computer having a display device, such as a cathode ray tube (CRT), liquid crystal display (LCD), light emitting diode (LED), or plasma monitor, for displaying information to the user, as well as a keyboard and a pointing device (such as a mouse, trackball, or trackpad) by which the user can provide input to the computer. Input may also be provided to the computer using a touch screen, such as a tablet computer surface with pressure sensitivity, a multi-touch screen using capacitance or electrical sensing, or other types of touch screens. Other types of devices may also be used to provide interaction with the user; for example, feedback provided to the user may be any form of sensory feedback, such as visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback; and input from the user may be received in any form, including acoustic, voice, or tactile input. In addition, the computer may interact with the user by sending documents to and receiving documents from a device used by the user; for example, by sending a web page to a web browser on a user's client device in response to a request received from the web browser.

[0137] The term "graphical user interface" or "GUI" may be one or more to describe one or more graphical user interfaces and each display of a particular graphical user interface. Thus, a GUI may represent any graphical user interface that processes information and effectively presents the information results to a user, including but not limited to a web browser, a touch screen, or a command line interface (CLI). Typically, a GUI may include many user interface (UI) elements, some or all of which are related to a web browser, such as interactive fields, drop-down lists, and buttons. These and other UI elements may be related to or represent the functionality of a web browser.

[0138] Implementations of the subject matter described in this specification may be implemented in a computing system that includes a back-end component (e.g., as a data server), or includes a middleware component (e.g., an application server), or includes a front-end component (e.g., a client computer with a graphical user interface or a web browser), through which a user may interact with the implementation of the subject matter described in this specification, or any combination of one or more such back-end, middleware, or front-end components. The components of the system may be interconnected by any form or medium of wired or wireless digital data communication (or combination of data communications), such as a communications network. Examples of communication networks include a Local Area Network (LAN), a Radio Access Network (RAN), a Metropolitan Area Network (MAN), a Wide Area Network (WAN), a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WIMAX), a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) (e.g., using 802.11a / b / g / n or 802.20 (or a combination of 802.11x and 802.20 or other protocols consistent with the present invention)), all or a portion of the Internet, or any other communication system (or combination of communication networks) at one or more locations. For example, a network can communicate with Internet Protocol (IP) packets, frame relay frames, asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) cells, voice, video, data, or other suitable information (or a combination of communication types) between network addresses.

[0139] A computing system may include clients and servers. Clients and servers are generally remote from each other and typically interact through a communication network. The relationship of client and server arises from computer programs running in the respective computers and having a client-server relationship to each other.

[0140] Although this specification includes many specific implementation details, these details should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of any invention or the scope of what is claimed, but rather as descriptions of features that may be unique to a particular implementation of a particular invention. Certain features described in this specification in the context of separate implementations may also be implemented in combination in a single implementation. Conversely, various features described in the context of a single implementation may also be implemented separately in multiple implementations or in any suitable subcombination. In addition, although previously described features may be described as working in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, in some cases one or more features in the claimed combination may be removed from the combination, and the claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination or a variation of a subcombination.

[0141] A specific implementation of the subject matter has been described. Other implementations, modifications, and permutations of the described implementations are within the scope of the appended claims and will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Although operations are described in a particular order in the drawings or claims, this should not be construed as requiring that the operations be performed in the particular order shown or in a sequential order, or that all operations shown (some operations may be considered optional) be performed to obtain the desired results. In some cases, multitasking or parallel processing (or a combination of multitasking and parallel processing) may be advantageous and may be performed as appropriate.

[0142] In addition, the separation or integration of various system modules and components in the previously described implementations should not be understood as requiring such separation or integration for all implementations, and it should be understood that the described program components and systems can generally be integrated together in a single software product or packaged into multiple software products.

[0143] Therefore, the exemplary implementations described above do not define or restrict the present invention. Other changes, substitutions and modifications are also possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0144] Furthermore, any claimed implementation is considered applicable to at least one computer-implemented method; a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions to perform the computer-implemented method; and a computer system comprising a computer memory interoperably coupled to a hardware processor, wherein the hardware processor is used to perform the computer-implemented method or the instructions stored in the non-transitory computer-readable medium.

Claims

1. A method for transmission beam steering in data communication performed by an electronic device, characterized in that: The method comprises: Schedule periodic data transmission to a second electronic device on a first resource using at least a first beam and a second beam in a first time period; wherein a beam width of the first beam is smaller than a beam width of the second beam, and the first beam has a higher beam gain toward the second electronic device than the second beam; in every N consecutive transmissions to the second electronic device in the first time period, N2 transmissions use the second beam, and N1 transmissions use the first beam, N1+N2=N, and N2 is smaller than N1; Data is transmitted to the second electronic device on the first resource using at least the first beam and the second beam during the first time period via a sidelink between the electronic device and the second electronic device.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The sending data to the second electronic device on the first resource using at least the first beam and the second beam in the first time period includes: transmitting one or more data frames to the second electronic device on the first resource using the first beam during the first time period; One or more data frames are transmitted to the second electronic device on the first resource using the second beam during the first time period.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The second beam is an omnidirectional beam.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: During the first time period, at least 2N consecutive transmissions occur during the first time period.

5. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: Before scheduling the periodic data transmission, the method further includes: measuring channel qualities of a plurality of candidate resources for the data communication; The first resource is determined from the multiple candidate resources, wherein a channel quality measured for the first resource is greater than a first threshold.

6. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The data communication is a sidelink data communication.

7. An electronic device, characterized in that: The electronic device comprises: Non-transitory memory containing instructions; One or more hardware processors in communication with the memory, wherein the one or more hardware processors execute the instructions to perform operations including: Schedule periodic data transmission to a second electronic device on a first resource using at least a first beam and a second beam in a first time period; wherein a beam width of the first beam is smaller than a beam width of the second beam, and the first beam has a higher beam gain toward the second electronic device than the second beam; in every N consecutive transmissions to the second electronic device in the first time period, N2 transmissions use the second beam, and N1 transmissions use the first beam, N1+N2=N, and N2 is smaller than N1; Data is transmitted to the second electronic device on the first resource using at least the first beam and the second beam during the first time period via a sidelink between the electronic device and the second electronic device.

8. The electronic device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The sending data to the second electronic device on the first resource using at least the first beam and the second beam in the first time period includes: transmitting one or more data frames to the second electronic device on the first resource using the first beam during the first time period; One or more data frames are transmitted to the second electronic device on the first resource using the second beam during the first time period.

9. The electronic device according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that: The second beam is an omnidirectional beam.

10. The electronic device according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that: At least 2N consecutive transmissions occur within the first time period.

11. The electronic device according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that: Before scheduling the periodic data transmission, the operation further includes: measuring channel qualities of a plurality of candidate resources for data communication; The first resource is determined from the multiple candidate resources, wherein a channel quality measured for the first resource is greater than a first threshold.

12. The electronic device according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that: The data communication is a sidelink data communication.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer instructions, characterized in that: The computer instructions are used for transmission beam control in data communication. When the computer instructions are executed by one or more hardware processors, the one or more hardware processors perform operations including the following: Schedule periodic data transmission to a second electronic device on a first resource using at least a first beam and a second beam in a first time period; wherein a beam width of the first beam is smaller than a beam width of the second beam, and the first beam has a higher beam gain toward the second electronic device than the second beam; in every N consecutive transmissions to the second electronic device in the first time period, N2 transmissions use the second beam, and N1 transmissions use the first beam, N1+N2=N, and N2 is smaller than N1; Data is transmitted to the second electronic device via a sidelink on the first resource using at least the first beam and the second beam during the first time period.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein: The sending data to the second electronic device on the first resource using at least the first beam and the second beam in the first time period includes: transmitting one or more data frames to the second electronic device on the first resource using the first beam during the first time period; One or more data frames are transmitted to the second electronic device on the first resource using the second beam during the first time period.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that: The second beam is an omnidirectional beam.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that: During the first time period, at least 2N consecutive transmissions occur during the first time period.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 13 or 14, wherein: Before scheduling the periodic data transmission, the operation further includes: measuring channel qualities of a plurality of candidate resources for the data communication; The first resource is determined from the multiple candidate resources, wherein a channel quality measured for the first resource is greater than a first threshold.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 13 or 14, wherein: The data communication is a sidelink data communication.

19. A method for transmission beam steering in data communication performed by an electronic device, characterized in that: The method comprises: measuring channel qualities of a plurality of candidate resources for communicating the data using the first beam; Determine a first resource from the plurality of candidate resources, wherein a channel quality measured for the first resource is greater than a first threshold; scheduling a periodic data transmission to a second electronic device on the first resource during a first time period; Data is sent to the second electronic device on the first resource using a second beam during the first time period, wherein a beam width of the first beam is greater than a beam width of the second beam, and the first beam has a higher beam gain toward the second electronic device than the second beam; in every N consecutive transmissions to the second electronic device during the first time period, N2 transmissions use the second beam and N1 transmissions use the first beam, N1+N2=N, and N2 is less than N1.

20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that The first beam is an omnidirectional beam.

21. The method according to claim 19 or 20, characterized in that The data communication is a sidelink data communication.

22. An electronic device, characterized in that: The electronic device comprises: Non-transitory memory containing instructions; One or more hardware processors in communication with the memory, wherein the one or more hardware processors execute the instructions to perform operations including: measuring channel qualities of a plurality of candidate resources for data communication using the first beam; Determine a first resource from the plurality of candidate resources, wherein a channel quality measured for the first resource is greater than a first threshold; scheduling a periodic data transmission to a second electronic device on the first resource during a first time period; Data is sent to the second electronic device on the first resource using a second beam during the first time period, wherein a beam width of the first beam is greater than a beam width of the second beam, and the first beam has a higher beam gain toward the second electronic device than the second beam; in every N consecutive transmissions to the second electronic device during the first time period, N2 transmissions use the second beam and N1 transmissions use the first beam, N1+N2=N, and N2 is less than N1.

23. The electronic device according to claim 22, characterized in that: The first beam is an omnidirectional beam.

24. The electronic device according to claim 22 or 23, characterized in that: The data communication is a sidelink data communication.

25. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer instructions, characterized in that: The computer instructions are used for transmission beam control in data communication. When the computer instructions are executed by one or more hardware processors, the one or more hardware processors perform operations including the following: measuring channel qualities of a plurality of candidate resources for communicating the data using the first beam; Determine a first resource from the plurality of candidate resources, wherein a channel quality measured for the first resource is greater than a first threshold; scheduling a periodic data transmission to a second electronic device on the first resource during a first time period; Data is sent to the second electronic device on the first resource using a second beam during the first time period, wherein a beam width of the first beam is greater than a beam width of the second beam, and the first beam has a higher beam gain toward the second electronic device than the second beam; in every N consecutive transmissions to the second electronic device during the first time period, N2 transmissions use the second beam and N1 transmissions use the first beam, N1+N2=N, and N2 is less than N1.

26. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 25, wherein: The first beam is an omnidirectional beam.

27. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 25 or 26, wherein: The data communication is a sidelink data communication.

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