Method and product for coordinating information exchange between network devices for sidelink communication

Abstract

The present invention relates to communications in a wireless communication network, and particularly to sidelink communication of a user equipment (UE), such as vehicle-to-anything (V2X) communication. The present invention provides a network device and a method for the network device. The network device is configured to receive sidelink radio information (SRI) and / or sidelink quality of service (QoS) information (sidelink quality of service information, SQI) from another network device. The SRI and / or SQI includes at least one measurement result related to the sidelink of the user equipment (UE). The network device is further configured to configure the sidelink according to the received SRI and / or SQI.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to communications in a wireless communication network, and more particularly to sidelink communication of a user equipment (UE), such as vehicle-to-anything (V2X) communication. The present invention provides a network device and a method for the network device. The network device may receive from or exchange with at least one other network device information including one or more sidelink-related measurement results to enhance coordination of sidelink communication. Background Art

[0002] In a wireless communication network, when a UE (such as a vehicle) is out of coverage, or when the UE autonomously selects resources (e.g., mode 2 in 5G PC5, or mode 4 in LTE PC5), a set of Tx and Rx sidelink resource pools are pre-configured in the UE and used for sidelink control information and sidelink data exchange [3GPP TS 36.331].

[0003] Proper configuration of these sidelink resource pools and other Tx / Rx parameters is very important for efficient sidelink communication, e.g., for sidelink quality of service (QoS) and sidelink service continuity, especially in V2X use cases.

[0004] In particular, dynamic configuration of sidelink resource pools is required due to dynamic environments (such as UE mobility, road and radio conditions, etc.). A base station (BS) or a radio access network (RAN) can be used to configure sidelink resource pools [R3-190382]. The sidelink resource pools and Tx / Rx configuration (mode 2 in NR PC5) of the UE should be dynamically updated to improve sidelink capacity and QoS performance.

[0005] 3GPP defines two metrics that characterize the sidelink channel state and support the UE to take necessary configuration actions:

[0006] · Channel busy ratio (CBR): the portion of subchannels in the resource pool where the received signal strength indication (RSSI) measured exceeds a pre-configured threshold.

[0007] · Channel Occupancy Ratio (CR): An indication of the channel utilization of the transmitter itself, defined as the total number of sub-channels used for transmission in sub-frame [n–k,n–1] and authorized in sub-frame [n,n+b] divided by the total number of sub-channels within [n–k,n+b].

[0008] The CBR and CR values are reported to the BS periodically [36.331]. However, CBR, CR, and other sidelink radio measurement results are only reported from the UE to the BS, and there is no exchange between BSs (inter-cell).

[0009] As Figure 1 shown, the cells served by the BS can cover more than one area (here Area 1, Area 2, Area 3) or resource pool. An area refers to the geographical area where a certain resource pool is valid. An area or resource pool can span two or more cells. CBR information from only one cell may not be sufficient for the BS to make good decisions on the required configuration of the resources of the resource pool and / or the appropriate size of the resource pool. However, a sub-optimal configuration (e.g., due to partial information from a single cell) will have a negative impact on interference, data rate, reliability, etc.

[0010] A region-based resource pool configuration has been proposed in LTE V2X (Mode 4) and seems to be applicable to NR V2X (Mode 2) as well. The sidelink is divided into geographical'regions'. The UE selects a radio resource pool according to the region it is in. The UE obtains the identifier of the region it is in based on its location. If two UEs are far enough apart from each other, they determine that they are in different regions, so they will use orthogonal resource pools, thus minimizing the impact of the near-far effect.

[0011] The Operations, Administration and Maintenance (OAM) system or the V2X application server can define the regions (this is called "region planning"), the resources of each region, and the resource pools of the regions. However, both have specific drawbacks:

[0012] · OAM: First is the reporting overhead, because in this case, all radio and QoS sidelink reports of the BS must be forwarded to the OAM. Second is that the RAN function (radio resource management) needs to be transferred to the network management entity. Third is that the adaptation / reconfiguration speed of the sidelink resource pool is slower compared to the RAN scheme, especially in a highly dynamic environment.

[0013] · V2X application server: First, it has the same drawbacks as the OAM scheme. Second, the V2X application does not have any resource management functions and has no direct interface with the BS (such as CBR) that collects sidelink radio and QoS information.

[0014] System Information Block Type 21 contains the V2X sidelink communication configuration (sl-V2X-ConfigCommon), in particular:

[0015] · The resource pool to be used for V2X reception (the resource pool indicated by v2x-CommRxPool in sl-V2X-ConfigCommon).

[0016] · The resource pool to be used for V2X transmission (the resource pool indicated by v2x-CommTxPoolNormalCommon, etc.).

[0017] · Perform CBR measurement on the Tx pool.

[0018] However, this semi-static configuration (e.g., of SIB21) is suboptimal, and OAM may not be fast enough to adapt to the region or resource pool in high mobility scenarios.

[0019] In LTE V2X, cbr-pssch-TxConfig is applied to the resource pool for V2X sidelink communication transmission. It adjusts the transmission parameters, which include: PPP, the range of the number of retransmissions per TB, the range of PSSCH RB numbers, the MCS range, the maximum limit of channel occupancy rate, etc. The UE can adjust these parameters of the resource pool according to the CBR measurement results and the serving PPP. However, due to the lack of information on neighboring cells and / or resource pools, the adaptation efficiency of Tx parameters based on single-cell measurement results is not high.

[0020] According to the SA2 V2X analysis [3GPP, TR 23.786] and RAN2 discussions, the 5G QoS indicator (5G QoS indicator, 5QI) or QoS flow ID (QoS flow ID, QFI) framework can be used as the basis for QoS support in NR V2X for sidelink. PC5 5QI (PQI) has been proposed for the NR sidelink and supports the complete QoS framework for PC5, which includes QoS parameters such as latency, reliability, priority, data rate, etc. Sidelink QoS monitoring [3GPP R2-1904877] is discussed in RAN2, enabling the UE to monitor, measure, and report the QoS metrics it actually experiences in the sidelink: thus enabling the optimization of V2X communication (e.g., RRM), more guaranteed and reliable sidelink communication, and network feedback for potential adjustment of QoS-related configurations and / or policies.

[0021] The AS-Config IE contains information about the RRC configuration information in the source eNodeB (eNB), and the target eNB can utilize this information to determine the necessity of changing the radio resource control (RRC) configuration during the handover (HO) preparation phase. This information can also be used after successful execution of HO or during RRC connection reestablishment or restoration. The RRC messages regarding sidelink PC5 (mode 1 / 3 and mode 2 / 4) sent to or from the eNB via the X2 interface or S1 interface are as follows: SL-CommConfig-r12, SL-DiscConfig-r12, SL-V2X-ConfigDedicated-r14 (specifying dedicated configuration information for V2X sidelink communication). However, sidelink V2X (mode 2) does not exchange BS / inter-node measurement reports. Summary of the Invention

[0022] In view of the above disadvantages, embodiments of the present invention aim to improve the current implementation. The objective is to provide a network device and method that can improve the sidelink communication of UEs in a wireless communication network, particularly improve sidelink V2X communication. In particular, the coordination of sidelink communication of UEs in the wireless communication network should be enhanced. In addition, the sidelink communication should support the required QoS. In addition, the interference on the sidelink of NR mode 2 communication should be reduced. In addition, the security and service continuity in V2X application cases should also be improved.

[0023] This objective is achieved by the embodiments of the present invention described in the appended independent claims. Advantageous implementations of the embodiments of the present invention are further defined in the dependent claims.

[0024] A first aspect of the present invention provides a network device for: receiving sidelink radio information (SRI) and / or sidelink QoS information (SQI) from another network device, the SRI and / or SQI including at least one measurement result related to the sidelink of a UE; and configuring the sidelink according to the received SRI and / or SQI.

[0025] The network device of the first aspect may be a RAN device, BS, gNB, small cell, cloud RAN device, or mobile edge computing (MEC) device. Configuring the sidelink may include configuring sidelink parameters. Configuring the sidelink may include initial configuring the sidelink, reconfiguring the sidelink, or determining the sidelink. As will be discussed below, configuring the sidelink may include configuring a sidelink resource pool, configuring a validity area associated with the sidelink resource pool, configuring sidelink Tx parameters, configuring a scheduling duration for communication via the sidelink, and / or configuring resources for communication via the sidelink.

[0026] One or more measurement results included in the SRI and / or SQI are related to the sidelink of the UE. These measurement results may be provided by the UE (and possibly by one or more other UEs). Alternatively, these measurement results may be provided by the one or more UEs described above and may be subject to some additional processing / combination at the network device. Alternatively, these measurement results may be obtained by the network device (and / or possibly by another network device). For example, the one or more network devices described above may estimate the amount of resources scheduled by the network device (BS) for the UE to perform sidelink communication. Configuring the sidelink according to the received SRI and / or SQI may include: configuring the sidelink according to at least one measurement result included in the received SRI and / or SQI. Configuring the sidelink may also include configuring the sidelink according to other information included in the SRI and / or SQI (which will be further described below).

[0027] The network device of the first aspect supports the exchange of information between two or more network devices in a wireless communication network, particularly information on one or more sidelink-related measurement results. Thus, the coordination of sidelink communication in the network can be enhanced. For example, the QoS required for sidelink V2X communication can be supported in the network, interference on the sidelink can be reduced (particularly for NR mode 2 communication), and security and service continuity in V2X use cases can be supported. Overall, the network device of the first aspect is thus able to improve the sidelink communication of UEs in the network, particularly improve sidelink V2X communication.

[0028] In one implementation of the first aspect, the received SRI and / or SQI includes at least one measurement result of the sidelink resource pool used by the UE, and the network device is used to configure the sidelink resource pool according to the received SRI and / or SQI.

[0029] The network device may provide one or more resource pools to the UE (and possibly other UEs). The UE / these UEs may use these sidelink resource pools, i.e., select sidelink resources from these resource pools. The network device may configure these sidelink resource pools using SRI and / or SQI. A sidelink resource pool includes one or more sidelink resources. A sidelink resource may include or may be a frequency resource such as a subcarrier, and / or a time resource such as a symbol, and / or a frequency-time resource, and / or a spatial resource such as a beam or a spatial filter. Configuring a sidelink resource pool may include initially configuring the sidelink resource pool, reconfiguring or adapting the sidelink resource pool, or determining the sidelink resource pool.

[0030] In one implementation of the first aspect, the network device is further configured to configure, according to the received SRI and / or SQI, the geographical validity area in which the UE may use the sidelink resource pool.

[0031] Multiple validity areas may also be configured. A validity area may also be an area without a sidelink resource pool. Different validity areas may have the same sidelink resource pool. A validity area may be an area as described above. Configuring a validity area may include initially configuring the validity area, reconfiguring or adapting (e.g., resizing) the validity area, or determining the validity area.

[0032] In one implementation of the first aspect, the received SRI and / or SQI includes at least one measurement result of the sidelink Tx parameters used by the UE, and / or the network device is configured to configure the sidelink Tx parameters used by the UE according to the received SRI and / or SQI.

[0033] The network device may in particular configure the Tx parameters, where at least one measurement result is included in the SRI and / or SQI. Configuring the Tx parameters may include initially configuring the Tx parameters, reconfiguring or adapting the Tx parameters, or determining the Tx parameters. The Tx parameters may include at least one of the following: a threshold, (maximum) Tx power, modulation and coding scheme (MCS), and a range of the number of retransmissions.

[0034] In one implementation of the first aspect, the network device is further configured to configure, according to the received SRI and / or SQI, the duration of semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) for communication over the sidelink.

[0035] Configuring the SPS duration may include initially setting the SPS duration, changing the SPS duration, or determining the SPS duration.

[0036] In one implementation of the first aspect, the network device is further configured to configure one or more resources for communication allocation via the sidelink according to the received SRI and / or SQI.

[0037] One or more sidelink resources can be specifically allocated by a scheduler (network device), which is, for example, arranged on the BS. Using the SRI and / or SQI, the scheduler can accordingly configure its allocation / grant for sidelink communication, such as multiple frequency resources, multiple time resources, multiple time-frequency resources, multiple spatial resources, etc.

[0038] In one implementation of the first aspect, the received SRI includes at least one measurement result of sidelink radio metrics, and the at least one measurement result indicates the state of the sidelink channel.

[0039] In one implementation of the first aspect, the at least one measurement result of the sidelink radio metrics includes at least one of the following: the average value of the metric over a specific area or a part of the area; the maximum value of the metric in a specific area or a part of the area; all values of the at least one measurement result of the metric.

[0040] The SRI can include monitored / measured values of sidelink radio metrics, or can include expected / estimated / predicted values of sidelink radio metrics.

[0041] In one implementation of the first aspect, the sidelink radio metrics include at least one of the following: CBR; CR; sidelink reference signal received power (SL-RSRP); sidelink received signal strength indicator (SL-RSSI); load level.

[0042] Optionally or additionally, the sidelink metrics can include at least one of the following: sidelink signal-to-noise plus interference ratio; sidelink reference signal reception quality; block error rate.

[0043] In one implementation of the first aspect, the SRI further includes at least one of the following: the cell ID of a cell served by another network device; the area ID of an area associated with the sidelink resource pool used by the UE for the sidelink; the resource pool ID of the sidelink resource pool used by the UE for the sidelink; a geographical area where the at least one measurement is performed; the resource identifier and / or time unit used by the UE for sidelink communication; the channel and / or subchannel identifier used by the UE for sidelink communication; or the radio frequency used by the UE for sidelink communication.

[0044] In one implementation of the first aspect, the SQI includes at least one measurement result of the sidelink QoS parameter, and the at least one measurement result includes at least one of the following: sidelink data rate; sidelink latency; sidelink packet error rate; sidelink packet reception rate; sidelink inter-packet reception.

[0045] The SQI may include the monitored / measured value of the sidelink QoS parameter, or may also include the expected / estimated / predicted value of the sidelink QoS parameter.

[0046] In one implementation of the first aspect, the at least one measurement result of the sidelink QoS parameter includes at least one of the following: the average value of the parameter over a specific area or a part of the area; the maximum value of the parameter in a specific area or a part of the area; all values of the at least one measurement result of the parameter.

[0047] In one implementation of the first aspect, the received SQI further includes at least one of the following: the cell ID of a cell served by another network device; the area ID of an area associated with the sidelink resource pool used by the UE for the sidelink; the resource pool ID of the sidelink resource pool used by the UE for the sidelink; a geographical area where the at least one measurement is performed; the resource identifier and / or time unit used by the UE for sidelink communication; the channel and / or subchannel identifier used by the UE for sidelink communication; the radio frequency used by the UE for sidelink communication.

[0048] In one implementation of the first aspect, the network device is further configured to send the received SRI and / or SQI to another network device.

[0049] In one implementation of the first aspect, the network device is further configured to receive at least one measurement result related to the sidelink used by the UE from the UE, and send an SRI and / or SQI including the at least one measurement result received from the UE to another network device.

[0050] The UE from which the network device receives at least one measurement result may be different from the UE in which at least one sidelink-related measurement result is included in the SRI and / or SQI received from another network device.

[0051] In one implementation of the first aspect, the network device is further configured to receive information about the sidelink from the other network device; and / or send information about the sidelink to the other network device.

[0052] In particular, the network device may exchange information about the configuration of the sidelink (e.g., sidelink resource pool configuration, frequency information, bandwidth information, sidelink resource configuration, UE Tx / Rx configuration for sidelink transmission) with another network device.

[0053] In one implementation of the first aspect, the network device is further configured to receive a request for configuring the sidelink from a management device, and further configure the sidelink according to the received request.

[0054] The network device may also provide the SRI and / or SQI to a network management device (or a core network entity or an application server) for sidelink reconfiguration (e.g., resource pool optimization). The management device may configure the sidelink (e.g., sidelink resource pool, validity area, etc.) according to the received SRI and / or SQI.

[0055] In one implementation of the first aspect, the received SRI and / or SQI includes at least one measurement result, and information about the time period and / or specific geographical area in which the UE records the measurement result is provided for the at least one measurement result.

[0056] A second aspect of the present invention provides a method for a network device, the method comprising: receiving an SRI and / or SQI from another network device, the SRI and / or SQI including at least one measurement result related to a sidelink of a UE; and configuring the sidelink according to the received SRI and / or SQI.

[0057] In one implementation of the second aspect, the received SRI and / or SQI includes at least one measurement result of a sidelink resource pool used by the UE, and the method includes configuring the sidelink resource pool according to the received SRI and / or SQI.

[0058] In one implementation of the second aspect, the method further includes configuring a geographical validity area in which the UE may use the sidelink resource pool according to the received SRI and / or SQI.

[0059] In an implementation of the second aspect, the received SRI and / or SQI includes at least one measurement result of the sidelink Tx parameters used by the UE, and / or the method includes configuring the sidelink Tx parameters used by the UE according to the received SRI and / or SQI.

[0060] In an implementation of the second aspect, the method further includes: configuring the duration of semi-static scheduling for communication via the sidelink according to the received SRI and / or SQI.

[0061] In an implementation of the second aspect, the method further includes: configuring one or more resources allocated for communication via the sidelink according to the received SRI and / or SQI.

[0062] In an implementation of the second aspect, the received SRI includes at least one measurement result of sidelink radio metrics, and the at least one measurement result indicates the state of the channel of the sidelink.

[0063] In an implementation of the second aspect, the at least one measurement result of the sidelink radio metrics includes at least one of the following: the average value of the metric over a specific area or a part of the area; the maximum value of the metric in a specific area or a part of the area; all values of the at least one measurement result of the metric.

[0064] In an implementation of the second aspect, the sidelink radio metrics includes at least one of the following: CBR; CR; sidelink reference signal received power (SL-RSRP); sidelink received signal strength indicator (SL-RSSI); load level.

[0065] In an implementation of the second aspect, the SRI further includes at least one of the following: the cell ID of a cell served by another network device; the area ID of an area associated with the sidelink resource pool used by the UE for the sidelink; the resource pool ID of the sidelink resource pool used by the UE for the sidelink; the geographical area where the at least one measurement is performed; the resource identifier and / or time unit used by the UE for sidelink communication; the channel and / or sub-channel identifier used by the UE for sidelink communication; the radio frequency used by the UE for sidelink communication.

[0066] In one implementation of the second aspect, the SQI includes at least one measurement result of sidelink QoS parameters, and the at least one measurement result includes at least one of the following: sidelink data rate; sidelink latency; sidelink packet error rate; sidelink packet reception rate; sidelink packet inter - reception.

[0067] In one implementation of the second aspect, the at least one measurement result of the sidelink QoS parameters includes at least one of the following: the average value of the parameter over a specific area or a part of the area; the maximum value of the parameter in a specific area or a part of the area; all values of the at least one measurement result of the parameter.

[0068] In one implementation of the second aspect, the received SQI further includes at least one of the following: the cell ID of the cell served by another network device; the area ID of the area associated with the sidelink resource pool used by the UE for the sidelink; the resource pool ID of the sidelink resource pool used by the UE for the sidelink; the geographical area where the at least one measurement is performed; the resource identifier and / or time unit used by the UE for sidelink communication; the channel and / or sub - channel identifier used by the UE for sidelink communication; the radio frequency used by the UE for sidelink communication.

[0069] In one implementation of the second aspect, the method further includes sending the received SRI and / or SQI to another network device.

[0070] In one implementation of the second aspect, the method further includes receiving at least one measurement result related to the sidelink used by the UE from the UE, and sending an SRI and / or SQI including the at least one measurement result received from the UE to another network device.

[0071] In one implementation of the second aspect, the method further includes receiving information about the sidelink from the other network device; and / or sending information about the sidelink to the other network device.

[0072] In one implementation of the second aspect, the method further includes receiving a request to configure the sidelink from a management device, and further configuring the sidelink according to the received request.

[0073] In one implementation of the second aspect, the received SRI and / or SQI includes at least one measurement result, and the at least one measurement result is provided with information on the time period and / or specific geographical area in which the UE records the measurement result.

[0074] The method of the second aspect and its implementation realizes the same advantages and effects as those described above for the network device of the first aspect and its corresponding implementation. In addition, the same definitions, explanations, and variations given above for the network device of the first aspect apply to the method of the second aspect and its implementation.

[0075] A third aspect of the present invention provides a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, causes the method of the second aspect or any implementation of the second aspect to be executed.

[0076] In the above aspects and implementations, the communication between network devices (i.e., the exchange of SRI and / or SQI) can be carried out through any interface, for example, directly through an interface (e.g., Xn in 5G, X2 in LTE), or any core network interface.

[0077] It should be noted that all devices, elements, units, and components described in this application can be implemented in software or hardware elements or any type of combination thereof. All steps performed by various entities described in this application and the functions described to be performed by various entities are intended to indicate that the corresponding entities are suitable or used to perform the corresponding steps and functions. Although in the description of the following specific embodiments, the specific functions or steps to be performed by external entities are not reflected in the description of the specific detailed elements of the entity performing the specific step or function, those skilled in the art should clearly understand that these methods and functions can be implemented in the corresponding hardware or software elements or any combination thereof. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0078] The following description of specific embodiments related to the accompanying drawings elaborates on the above aspects and implementations of the present invention, where:

[0079] Figure 1 Illustrates how a cell covers more than one area or resource pool, and an area or resource pool can span two or more cells;

[0080] Figure 2 Illustrates the network device provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0081] Figure 3 Illustrates an example of SRI / SQI exchanged between network devices provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0082] Figure 4 Illustrates the general framework of information exchange between network devices provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0083] Figure 5 Illustrates an example of the interaction between a management device and a network device for resource pool optimization provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0084] Figure 6 shows the information exchange between network devices provided by the embodiments of the present invention when the UE is out of coverage;

[0085] Figure 7 shows the method provided by the embodiments of the present invention. Detailed implementation manners

[0086] Figure 2 shows the network device 200 provided by the embodiments of the present invention. Generally, the network device 200 may be a RAN device or a RAN entity. In particular, the network device 200 may be a BS, a small base station, a cloud RAN device, a MEC device, etc. The network device 200 is used to support the coordination between sidelink communications (especially sidelink V2X communications in a wireless communication network).

[0087] In particular, the network device 200 may include a processing circuit ( Figure 2 not shown in the figure), and the processing circuit is used to execute, implement, or initiate various operations of the network device 200 described herein. The processing circuit may include hardware and software. The hardware may include an analog circuit or a digital circuit, or both an analog circuit and a digital circuit. The digital circuit may include components such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a digital signal processor (DSP), or a multi-purpose processor. In one embodiment, the processing circuit includes one or more processors and a non-transitory memory connected to the one or more processors. The non-transitory memory may carry executable program code, and when the executable program code is executed by the one or more processors, it causes the network device 200 to execute, implement, or initiate the operations or methods described herein.

[0088] The network device 200 is used to receive an SRI 201 and / or an SQI 202 from another network device 200' (whose configuration may be exactly the same as that of the network device 200, that is, the network device 200 and the network device 200' can be interchanged). For this purpose, the network device 200 may include a receiving unit, and the receiving unit is used to receive the SRI and / or the SQI. The SRI 201 and / or the SQI 202 include at least one measurement result 203 related to the sidelink 204 of the UE 205.

[0089] The network device 200 is also used to configure (or adapt or reconfigure or determine) the sidelink 204 according to the received SRI 201 and / or SQI 202, in particular according to at least one measurement result 203. For this purpose, the network device 200 may include a configuration unit for configuring the sidelink 204. The configuration unit may be implemented by a processing circuit (such as described above).

[0090] Multiple network devices 200 / 200' may exchange one or more SRIs 201 and / or SQIs 202 in a wireless communication network, where each SRI 201 and / or SQI 202 may include at least one sidelink-related measurement result 203. That is, inter-cell exchange of SRIs 201 and / or SQIs 202 may be performed. Therefore, at least one measurement result 203 of one or more sidelinks 204 (for example, the measurement results 203 of one or more sidelink resource pools) may be exchanged between adjacent cells / network devices 200 / 200' (or other RAN entities).

[0091] One or more sidelink-related measurement results 203 may include:

[0092] · Such as CBR, CR included in the SRI 201

[0093] · Such as latency, data rate included in the SQI 202

[0094] The inter-cell exchange of sidelink-related measurement results 203 may be used for RAN-based sidelink configuration, in particular for RAN-based resource pool (re)configuration (mode 2 in NR V2X), for example:

[0095] · Resource pool and area 301 adaptation (such as resource, geographical area planning). For example, the network device 200 may be used to configure one or more sidelink resource pools according to the received SRI 201 and / or SQI 202, in particular according to at least one measurement result 203. The network device 200 may also configure the geographical validity area according to the received SRI 201 and / or SQI 202, in which one or more sidelink resource pools may be used by the UE 205. The network device 200 may also be configured to allocate one or more resources for communication via the sidelink 204 according to the received SRI 201 and / or SQI 202.

[0096] · UE sidelink Tx parameter optimization or scheduling optimization. For example, the network device 200 may configure one or more Tx parameters used by the UE 205 according to the received SRI 201 and / or SQI 202, particularly according to at least one measurement result 203. The network device 200 may also configure the duration of the SPS for communication via the sidelink according to the received SRI 201 and / or SQI 202.

[0097] Figure 3 An example of the exchange of SRI 201 and / or SQI 202 between network devices 200 / 200' provided by an embodiment of the present invention is shown. The SRI 201 and / or SQI 202 includes at least one measurement result 203 related to the sidelink 204 (e.g., between two UEs 205), such as sidelink radio measurement results (e.g., CBR and / or CR of the sidelink 204), and / or QoS measurement results of the sidelink 204 (e.g., latency and / or reliability). One or more measurement results 203 may be measurement results of the sidelink resource pool between neighboring network devices 200 / 200' (of neighboring cells). Each sidelink resource pool may correspond to a region 301. The region 301 may span more than one cell (served by one network device 200 / 200'). One cell may cover more than one region 301. One or more measurement results 203 can be used for region 301 and / or sidelink resource pool configuration, such as:

[0098] · Configuration or reconfiguration of one or more sidelink resource pools (e.g., adapting the number of resources allocated in the sidelink resource pool or region 301; or performing (new) region 301 planning, or resizing, etc.).

[0099] · Adjusting one or more UE 205 sidelink Tx parameters (e.g., adjusting thresholds, (maximum) Tx power, MCS, number of sub-channels, and / or range of retransmission times, etc.).

[0100] Figure 4 A general framework for the information exchange (i.e., the exchange of SRI 201 and / or SQI 202) between network devices 200 / 200' provided by an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0101] The SRI 201 exchanged between network devices 200 / 200' (exemplarily a BS here) via Xn or S1 may include any of the following fields:

[0102] · Cell ID

[0103] · Region ID

[0104] · Resource pool ID

[0105] · Geographic area of the collected measurement results 203 of the cell (e.g., subset of an area or resource pool)

[0106] · Resource ID and / or time unit

[0107] · Channel and / or sub-channel ID

[0108] · Sidelink radio frequency

[0109] · CBR PSSCH

[0110] · CBR PSCCH

[0111] · CR

[0112] · SL-RSRP

[0113] · SL-RSSI

[0114] · Load level

[0115] Different reporting configurations can be considered for inter-cell exchange for CBR and / or CR, etc. For example, the center of the area grid / resource pool or the average value of a part of the area grid / resource pool can be exchanged; and / or the center of the area grid or the maximum value of a part of the area grid can be exchanged; and / or all the collected values at the cell (e.g., through UE measurement reports) can be exchanged.

[0116] The SQI 202 exchanged between network devices 200 / 200' (exemplarily BS here) via Xn or S1 can include any of the following fields:

[0117] · Cell ID

[0118] · Area ID

[0119] · Resource pool ID

[0120] · Geographic area of the collected measurement results 203 of the cell (e.g., subset of an area or resource pool)

[0121] · Resource ID and / or time unit

[0122] · Channel and / or sub-channel ID

[0123] · Sidelink radio frequency, sidelink data rate (e.g., per PQI)

[0124] · Sidelink latency (e.g., per PQI)

[0125] · Sidelink packet error rate (e.g., per PQI)

[0126] · Sidelink PRR

[0127] · Sidelink PIR

[0128] For any of the above parameters, different reporting configurations can be considered for inter-cell QoS exchange. For example, the average value of the center of the area grid / resource pool or a part of the area grid / resource pool can be exchanged; and / or the maximum value of the center of the area grid or a part of the area grid can be exchanged; and / or all the collected values at the cell (e.g., via UE measurement reports) can be exchanged.

[0129] In addition, the monitored (detected, measured) or expected QoS values can be exchanged (e.g., the latter is based on prediction, statistical analysis, etc.).

[0130] Figure 5 An example of the interaction between the management device 500 (e.g., OAM or V2X application server / AF or any other core network entity) provided by an embodiment of the present invention and the network device 200 (e.g., RAN device or entity) is shown. Generally, the network device 200 can receive a request 501 for configuring the sidelink 204 from the management device 500 (see the left side of Figure 5 ), and then can further configure the sidelink 204 according to the received request 501 (e.g., according to parameters such as the area ID, pool ID, etc. included in the request 501; in addition to configuring the sidelink 204 according to the SRI 201 and / or SQI 202). This interaction can be specifically used for sidelink resource pool optimization. The network device 200 can reply to the request 501 of the management device 500 with ACK or NACK.

[0131] The network device 200 can also send a request 502 for enabling the RAN-based sidelink resource pool to the management device 500 (see the right side of Figure 5 ). The request 502 can include the area ID, pool ID, etc. The management device 500 can reply to this request 502 of the network device 200 with ACK or NACK or STOP.

[0132] The interaction / coordination between the network device 200 and the management device 500 can be performed to activate the RAN-level sidelink resource pool configuration or reconfiguration and / or V2X optimization to avoid concurrent optimization. The inter-cell SRI 201 and / or SQI 202 exchange can be enabled / after this interaction. For the sidelink-related measurement results 203 of one or more sidelink resource pools between adjacent network devices 200 / 200', the coordination / interaction between the network device 200 and the management device 500 can be introduced, that is:

[0133] · Enable and configure the exchange of inter-cell sidelink measurement results 203

[0134] · Exchange the measurement results 203 of the sidelink 204 between the network devices 200 / 200' participating in the validity area.

[0135] Figure 6 Shows the information exchange between the network devices 200 provided by the embodiments of the present invention for the case where the UE 205 is out of coverage (mode 2 in NR V2X communication - out-of-coverage case).

[0136] The information exchange between the network devices 200 (i.e., the information exchange of SRI 201 and / or SQI 202 (e.g., including one or more measurement results 203 of the sidelink resource pool)) can be exchanged between the network devices 200 even in a specific scenario where the UE 205 is not within the coverage of any network device 200 (here, the BS). For example, for a smaller or larger uncovered area. In such a scenario, the network device 200 can receive the recorded (i.e., out-of-coverage) reports from the UE 205 and can (re)configure the sidelink 204 in the uncovered area. For example, these network devices can (re)configure one or more sidelink resource pools assigned to the uncovered area (e.g., size, resources). In particular, the SRI 201 and / or SQI 202 can include at least one measurement result 203, and the at least one measurement result provides information on the measurement results 203 recorded by the UE 205 within a certain amount of time and / or within a specific geographical area (the measurement results 203 are received from the UE 205). That is, the SRI 201 and / or SQI 202 can respectively include the recorded measurement results 203 and the online (in-coverage) measurement results 203. The mode 2 of sidelink communication can be used.

[0137] According to the RAN2 105 protocol, RAN2 supports the mode 2 resource configuration of a given validity area, where the UE 205 does not need to obtain a new mode 2 resource configuration when moving in the validity area, at least not when the configuration is provided by the system information block (SIB), for example, to reuse the validity area of the new radio (NR) SIB. The purpose of the validity area is to keep the sidelink resources unchanged in order to achieve stable performance and reduce latency when the UE 205 moves within a specific area. The validity area can also be the area 301 as described above.

[0138] The exchange of radio measurement results 203 and QoS information via SRI 201 and / or SQI 202 can be used to adapt the configuration of the validity area, for example, to increase the resources of the resource pool allocated to the validity area. This means that the network device 200 can configure the (geographical) validity area in which the UE 205 can use the sidelink resource pool according to SRI 201 and / or SQI 202, in particular according to at least one measurement result 103 included in SRI 201 and / or SQI 202.

[0139] Figure 7 Fig. 700 shows a method 700 provided by an embodiment of the present invention. The method 700 can be executed by or in the network device 200 or the network device 200'. The method 700 includes step 701: receiving SRI 201 and / or SQI 202 from another network device 200', wherein the SRI 201 and / or SQI 202 includes at least one measurement result 203 related to the sidelink 204 of the UE 205. In addition, the method 700 includes step 702: configuring (including initial configuration, reconfiguration, or adaptation, or determination) the sidelink 204 according to the received SRI 201 and / or SQI 202, in particular according to at least one measurement result 203.

[0140] The present invention has been described in connection with different embodiments and implementations by way of example. However, other variations can be understood and implemented by those skilled in the art when practicing the claimed invention, based on a study of the drawings, the present disclosure, and the independent claims. In the claims as well as in the specification, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. A single element or other unit may fulfill the functions of several entities or items recited in the claims. Stating some measures in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used in an advantageous implementation.

Claims

1. A method (700) for a network device (200), characterized in that, The method (700) includes: Receiving (701) sidelink radio information SRI (201) and / or sidelink quality of service QoS information SQI (202) from another network device (200'), where the SRI (201) and / or SQI (202) includes at least one measurement result (203) related to a sidelink (204) of a user equipment UE (205), the SRI (201) and / or SQI (202) includes a geographical area, and the at least one measurement result (203) is measured in the geographical area; and Configuring (702) the sidelink (204) according to the received SRI (201) and / or SQI (202).

2. The method (700) for a network device (200) according to claim 1, characterized in that: The received SRI (201) and / or SQI (202) includes at least one measurement result (203) of a sidelink resource pool used by the UE (205), and the method (700) includes: Configuring the sidelink resource pool according to the received SRI (201) and / or SQI (202).

3. The method (700) for a network device (200) according to claim 2, characterized in that, Further includes: Configuring, according to the received SRI (201) and / or SQI (202), a geographical validity area in which the UE (205) can use the sidelink resource pool.

4. The method (700) for a network device (200) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The received SRI (201) and / or SQI (202) includes at least one measurement result (203) of sidelink Tx parameters used by the UE (205), and / or the method (700) includes: Configuring the sidelink Tx parameters used by the UE (205) according to the received SRI (201) and / or SQI (202).

5. The method (700) for a network device (200) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, Further includes: Configuring, according to the received SRI (201) and / or SQI (202), a duration of semi-static scheduling for communication via the sidelink (204).

6. The method (700) for a network device (200) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that Further includes: Configuring, according to the received SRI (201) and / or SQI (202), one or more resources allocated for communication via the sidelink (204).

7. The method (700) for a network device (200) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The received SRI (201) includes at least one measurement result (203) of sidelink radio metrics, and the at least one measurement result indicates a state of a channel of the sidelink (204).

8. The method (700) for a network device (200) according to claim 7, characterized in that: The at least one measurement result (203) of the sidelink radio metrics includes at least one of the following: – An average value of the metric over a specific area (301) or a part of the area (301); – The maximum value of the metric in a specific area (301) or a part of the area (301); and – All values of the at least one measurement result of the metric.

9. The method (700) for a network device (200) according to claim 7, characterized in that: The sidelink radio metric includes at least one of the following: – Channel Busy Ratio CBR; – Channel Occupancy Ratio CR; – Sidelink Reference Signal Receiving Power SL-RSRP; – Sidelink Received Signal Strength Indicator SL-RSSI; and – Load level.

10. The method (700) for a network device (200) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The SRI (201) further includes at least one of the following: – The cell ID of the cell served by the other network device (200'); – The area ID of the area (301) associated with the sidelink resource pool used by the UE (205) for the sidelink (204); – The resource pool ID of the sidelink resource pool used by the UE (205) for the sidelink (204); – The resource identifier and / or time unit used by the UE (205) for the sidelink communication; – The channel and / or subchannel identifier used by the UE (205) for the sidelink (204) communication; and – The radio frequency used by the UE (205) for the sidelink communication.

11. The method (700) for a network device (200) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The SQI (202) includes at least one measurement result (203) of sidelink QoS parameters, and the at least one measurement result includes at least one of the following: – Sidelink data rate; – Sidelink latency; – Sidelink packet error rate; – Sidelink packet reception rate; and – Sidelink inter-packet reception.

12. The method (700) for a network device (200) according to claim 11, characterized in that: The at least one measurement result (203) of the sidelink QoS parameters includes at least one of the following: – The average value of the parameter over a specific area (301) or a part of the area (301); – The maximum value of the parameter in a specific area (301) or a part of the area (301); and – All values of the at least one measurement result of the parameter.

13. The method (700) for a network device (200) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The received SQI (202) further includes at least one of the following: – The cell ID of the cell served by the other network device (200'); – The area ID of the area (301) associated with the sidelink resource pool used by the UE (205) for the sidelink (204); – The resource pool ID of the sidelink resource pool used by the UE (205) for the sidelink (204); – A resource identifier and / or time unit used by the UE (205) for the sidelink communication; – A channel and / or sub-channel identifier used by the UE (205) for the sidelink communication; and – The radio frequency used by the UE (205) for the sidelink communication.

14. The method (700) for a network device (200) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, It is also used for: Sending the received SRI (201) and / or SQI (202) to another network device (200').

15. The method (700) for a network device (200) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, It also includes: Receiving at least one measurement result (203) related to the sidelink (204) used by the UE (205) from the UE (205); and Sending an SRI (201) and / or SQI (202) including the at least one measurement result (203) received from the UE (205) to another network device (200').

16. The method (700) for a network device (200) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, It also includes: Receiving information about the sidelink (204) from the other network device (200'); And / or Sending information about the sidelink (204) to the other network device (200').

17. The method (700) for a network device (200) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, It also includes: Receiving a request (501) for configuring the sidelink (204) from a management device (500); And Further configuring the sidelink (204) according to the received request (501).

18. The method (700) for a network device (200) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The received SRI (201) and / or SQI (202) includes at least one measurement result (203), and the at least one measurement result is provided with information on the UE (205) recording the measurement result (203) within a certain amount of time and / or within a specific geographical area.

19. A network device (200), characterized in that, It includes: A processing circuit; The processing circuit is used to execute the method (700) according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

20. A computer storage medium, characterized in that, Computer program code is stored on the computer storage medium, and when the computer program code is executed by a processor, the method (700) according to any one of claims 1 - 18 is executed.

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