Sidelink Multicast Scheduling

Abstract

Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communications are described. A first user equipment (UE) may send a sidelink scheduling request to a base station for multicast sidelink communications with a set of one or more UEs. The base station may determine one or more UEs in the set of UEs and time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communications between the first UE and the one or more UEs. The first UE may receive a multicast sidelink grant from the base station, which indicates time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communications between the first UE and the one or more UEs. The first UE may send a multicast sidelink message to the one or more UEs via the time-frequency resources indicated by the multicast sidelink grant. The one or more UEs may also receive a sidelink grant and may monitor the time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communications from the first UE.

Description

[0001] Cross-references

[0002] This patent application claims priority to U.S. patent application No. 17 / 071,877, filed by Ryu et al. on October 15, 2020, and entitled “SIDELINK GROUPCAST ​​SCHEDULING,” which claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application No. 62 / 925,706, filed by Ryu et al. on October 24, 2019, and entitled “SIDELINK GROUPCAST ​​SCHEDULING,” which is assigned to the assignee of this application. Technical Field

[0003]

[0013] The following relates generally to wireless communications, and more particularly, to managing sidelink communications. Background Art

[0004] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcasting, etc. These systems may be able to support communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). Examples of such multiple access systems include fourth generation (4G) systems (such as long term evolution (LTE) systems, improved LTE (LTE-A) systems, or LTE-A Pro systems) and fifth generation (5G) systems (which may be referred to as new radio (NR) systems). These systems may use technologies such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), or discrete Fourier transform spread orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DFT-S-OFDM). A wireless multiple access communication system may include one or more base stations or one or more network access nodes, each base station or network access node simultaneously supporting communication for multiple communication devices (which may be further referred to as user equipment (UE)). Summary of the invention

[0005] A method for wireless communication at a first UE is described. The method may include: sending a sidelink scheduling request for multicast sidelink communication with a set of UEs to a base station; receiving a multicast sidelink grant from the base station, the multicast sidelink grant indicating time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication between the first UE and one or more UEs in the set of UEs; and receiving a subset identifier of the first UE, a corresponding identifier for each of the one or more UEs, one or more transmission beams for transmission of a multicast sidelink message, or any combination thereof in the multicast sidelink grant. The method may also include: sending a multicast sidelink message to one or more UEs via the time-frequency resources indicated by the multicast sidelink grant.

[0006] An apparatus for wireless communication at a first UE is described. The apparatus may include a processor, a memory coupled to the processor, and the processor and the memory are configured to: send a sidelink scheduling request for multicast sidelink communication with a set of UEs to a base station; receive a multicast sidelink grant from the base station, the multicast sidelink grant indicating time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication between the first UE and one or more UEs in the set of UEs; and receive an identifier of the first UE, a corresponding identifier for each of the one or more UEs, one or more transmission beams for transmission of a multicast sidelink message, or any combination thereof in the multicast sidelink grant. The processor and the memory may also be configured to: send a multicast sidelink message to one or more UEs via the time-frequency resources indicated by the multicast sidelink grant.

[0007] Another apparatus for wireless communication at a first UE is described. The apparatus may include a unit for performing the following operations: sending a sidelink scheduling request for multicast sidelink communication with a set of UEs to a base station; receiving a multicast sidelink grant from the base station, the multicast sidelink grant indicating time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication between the first UE and one or more UEs in the UE set; and receiving an identifier of the first UE, a corresponding identifier for each of the one or more UEs, one or more transmission beams for transmission of a multicast sidelink message, or any combination thereof in the multicast sidelink grant. The apparatus may also include a unit for sending a multicast sidelink message to one or more UEs via the time-frequency resources indicated by the multicast sidelink grant.

[0008] A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication at a first UE is described. The code may include instructions executable by a processor to perform the following operations: sending a sidelink scheduling request for multicast sidelink communication with a set of UEs to a base station; receiving a multicast sidelink grant from the base station, the multicast sidelink grant indicating time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication between the first UE and one or more UEs in the UE set; and receiving an identifier of the first UE, a corresponding identifier for each of the one or more UEs, one or more transmission beams for transmission of a multicast sidelink message, or any combination thereof in the multicast sidelink grant. The code may also include instructions executable by a processor to perform the following operations: sending a multicast sidelink message to one or more UEs via the time-frequency resources indicated by the multicast sidelink grant.

[0009] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, units, or instructions for performing the following operations: sending a group identifier associated with the UE set and the first UE, an identifier of the first UE, one or more transmission beams for a multicast sidelink message, a corresponding identifier for each UE in the UE set, an amount of data corresponding to the multicast sidelink message, or any combination thereof in a sidelink scheduling request.

[0010] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the one or more transmission beams may be a subset of a set of transmission beams included in the sidelink scheduling request.

[0011] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, units, or instructions for performing the following operations: sending a sidelink scheduling request in a radio resource control (RRC) message, a medium access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE), a scheduling request (SR), a buffer status report (BSR), or any combination thereof.

[0012] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the BSR indicates an amount of data retained in a buffer of the first UE for transmission via the multicast sidelink communication.

[0013] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, units, or instructions for performing the following operations: receiving an indication for sending one or more multicast sidelink messages based on a size of a multicast buffer of the first UE independently of a sidelink scheduling request.

[0014] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, a size of a multicast buffer of the first UE may be above a buffer threshold.

[0015] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, units, or instructions for performing the following operations: receiving a multicast sidelink grant in an RRC message, a MAC-CE, a downlink control information (DCI) transmission, or any combination thereof.

[0016] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the set of UEs may be a subset of the group of UEs that includes the first UE.

[0017] Some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, means, or instructions for determining a set of UEs based on a beam training procedure for multicast sidelink communications.

[0018] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, units, or instructions for performing the following operations: sending a request for performing multicast sidelink communications with a set of UEs supported by a base station; and receiving an indication of one or more UEs in the set of UEs in response to the request.

[0019] A method of wireless communication at a first UE is described. The method may include: sending a sidelink scheduling request for multicast sidelink communication with a set of UEs to a base station; receiving a multicast sidelink grant from the base station, the multicast sidelink grant indicating time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication between the first UE and multiple UEs in the set of UEs; and sending a multicast sidelink message to the multiple UEs via the time-frequency resources indicated by the multicast sidelink grant.

[0020] An apparatus for wireless communication at a first UE is described. The apparatus may include a processor, a memory coupled to the processor, and the processor and the memory are configured to: send a sidelink scheduling request for multicast sidelink communication with a set of UEs to a base station; receive a multicast sidelink grant from the base station, the multicast sidelink grant indicating time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication between the first UE and multiple UEs in the set of UEs; and send a multicast sidelink message to the multiple UEs via the time-frequency resources indicated by the multicast sidelink grant.

[0021] Another apparatus for wireless communication at a first UE is described. The apparatus may include means for performing the following operations: sending a sidelink scheduling request for multicast sidelink communication with a set of UEs to a base station; receiving a multicast sidelink grant from the base station, the multicast sidelink grant indicating time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication between the first UE and multiple UEs in the set of UEs; and sending a multicast sidelink message to the multiple UEs via the time-frequency resources indicated by the multicast sidelink grant.

[0022] A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication at a first UE is described. The code may include instructions executable by a processor to perform the following operations: sending a sidelink scheduling request for multicast sidelink communication with a set of UEs to a base station; receiving a multicast sidelink grant from the base station, the multicast sidelink grant indicating time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication between the first UE and multiple UEs in the set of UEs; and sending a multicast sidelink message to the multiple UEs via the time-frequency resources indicated by the multicast sidelink grant.

[0023] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, units, or instructions for performing the following operations: sending a group identifier associated with the UE set and the first UE, an identifier of the first UE, one or more transmission beams for a multicast sidelink message, a corresponding identifier for each UE in the UE set, an amount of data corresponding to the multicast sidelink message, or any combination thereof in a sidelink scheduling request.

[0024] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, units, or instructions for performing the following operations: receiving an identifier of a first UE in a multicast sidelink grant, a corresponding identifier for each of a plurality of UEs, one or more transmission beams for transmission of a multicast sidelink message, or any combination thereof.

[0025] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the one or more transmission beams may be a subset of a set of transmission beams included in the sidelink scheduling request.

[0026] Some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, means, or instructions for sending a sidelink scheduling request in an RRC message, a MAC-CE, an SR, a BSR, or any combination thereof.

[0027] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the BSR indicates an amount of data retained in a buffer of the first UE for transmission via the multicast sidelink communication.

[0028] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, units, or instructions for performing the following operations: receiving an indication for sending one or more multicast sidelink messages based on a size of a multicast buffer of the first UE independently of a sidelink scheduling request.

[0029] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, a size of a multicast buffer of the first UE may be above a buffer threshold.

[0030] Some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, means, or instructions for receiving a multicast sidelink grant in an RRC message, a MAC-CE, a DCI transmission, or any combination thereof.

[0031] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the set of UEs may be a subset of the group of UEs that includes the first UE.

[0032] Some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, means, or instructions for determining a set of UEs based on a beam training procedure for multicast sidelink communications.

[0033] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, units, or instructions for performing the following operations: sending a request for performing multicast sidelink communications with a set of UEs supported by a base station; and receiving an indication of multiple UEs in the set of UEs in response to the request.

[0034] A method for wireless communication at a base station is described. The method may include: receiving a sidelink scheduling request for a multicast sidelink communication between the first UE and a set of UEs in the UE group supported by the base station; determining one or more UEs in the UE set and time-frequency resources for the multicast sidelink communication between the first UE and the one or more UEs based on the sidelink scheduling request; and sending a multicast sidelink grant to the first UE, the multicast sidelink grant indicating the time-frequency resources for the multicast sidelink communication between the first UE and the one or more UEs in the UE set. The method may also include: sending an identifier of the first UE, a corresponding identifier for each of the one or more UEs, one or more transmission beams for the transmission of a multicast sidelink message, or any combination thereof in the multicast sidelink grant.

[0035] A device for wireless communication at a base station is described. The device may include a processor, a memory coupled to the processor, and the processor and the memory are configured to: receive a sidelink scheduling request for a multicast sidelink communication between the first UE and a set of UEs in the UE group supported by the base station; determine one or more UEs in the UE set and time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication between the first UE and the one or more UEs based on the sidelink scheduling request; and send a multicast sidelink grant to the first UE, the multicast sidelink grant indicating the time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication between the first UE and one or more UEs in the UE set. The processor and the memory may also be configured to: send an identifier of the first UE, a corresponding identifier for each of the one or more UEs, one or more transmission beams for transmission of a multicast sidelink message, or any combination thereof in the multicast sidelink grant.

[0036] Another apparatus for wireless communication at a base station is described. The apparatus may include a unit for performing the following operations: receiving a sidelink scheduling request for a multicast sidelink communication between the first UE and a set of UEs in the UE group supported by the base station; determining one or more UEs in the UE set and time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication between the first UE and the one or more UEs based on the sidelink scheduling request; and sending a multicast sidelink grant to the first UE, the multicast sidelink grant indicating the time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication between the first UE and one or more UEs in the UE set. The apparatus may also include a unit for sending an identifier of the first UE, a corresponding identifier for each of the one or more UEs, one or more transmission beams for transmission of a multicast sidelink message, or any combination thereof in the multicast sidelink grant.

[0037] A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication at a base station is described. The code may include instructions executable by a processor to perform the following operations: receiving a sidelink scheduling request for multicast sidelink communication between the first UE and a set of UEs in the UE group supported by the base station; determining one or more UEs in the UE set and time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication between the first UE and the one or more UEs based on the sidelink scheduling request; and sending a multicast sidelink grant to the first UE, the multicast sidelink grant indicating the time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication between the first UE and one or more UEs in the UE set. The code may also include instructions executable to perform the following operations: sending an identifier of the first UE, a corresponding identifier for each of the one or more UEs, one or more transmission beams for transmission of a multicast sidelink message, or any combination thereof in the multicast sidelink grant.

[0038] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, units, or instructions for receiving in a sidelink scheduling request a group identifier associated with a UE group, an identifier of a first UE, one or more transmission beams for a multicast sidelink message, a corresponding identifier for each UE in the set of UEs, an amount of data corresponding to the multicast sidelink message for transmission by the first UE, or any combination thereof.

[0039] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, units, or instructions for performing the following operations: identifying a set of transmission beams included in a sidelink scheduling request; and determining one or more transmission beams for transmission of a multicast sidelink message, wherein the one or more transmission beams may be a subset of the set of transmission beams.

[0040] Some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, means, or instructions for sending a groupcast sidelink grant to each UE of one or more UEs.

[0041] Some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, means, or instructions for receiving a sidelink scheduling request in an RRC message, a MAC-CE, an SR, a BSR, or any combination thereof.

[0042] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the BSR indicates an amount of data retained in a buffer of the first UE for transmission via the multicast sidelink communication.

[0043] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, units, or instructions for performing the following operations: independently of the sidelink scheduling request, sending an indication to send one or more multicast sidelink messages to the first UE based on the size of the first UE's multicast buffer.

[0044] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, a size of a multicast buffer of the first UE may be above a buffer threshold.

[0045] Some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, means, or instructions for sending a multicast sidelink grant in an RRC message, a MAC-CE, a DCI transmission, or any combination thereof.

[0046] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, units, or instructions for performing the following operations: determining a transmission configuration for multicast sidelink communication between a first UE and one or more UEs in a UE set, wherein the transmission configuration indicates multiple transmission beams, a modulation and coding scheme (MCS), a transmission configuration indicator (TCI), or any combination thereof for the first UE.

[0047] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, units, or instructions for performing the following operations: receiving a request for multicast sidelink communication to a set of UEs supported by a base station; determining one or more UEs in the set of UEs based on the request; and sending an indication of one or more UEs for multicast sidelink communication in response to the request.

[0048] A method of wireless communication at a base station is described. The method may include: receiving a sidelink scheduling request for a multicast sidelink communication between a first UE of a UE group supported by the base station and a set of UEs of the UE group; determining a plurality of UEs in the set of UEs and time-frequency resources for the multicast sidelink communication between the first UE and the plurality of UEs based on the sidelink scheduling request; and sending a multicast sidelink grant to the first UE, the multicast sidelink grant indicating the time-frequency resources for the multicast sidelink communication between the first UE and the plurality of UEs in the set of UEs.

[0049] An apparatus for wireless communication at a base station is described. The apparatus may include a processor, a memory coupled to the processor, and the processor and the memory are configured to: receive a sidelink scheduling request for a multicast sidelink communication between the first UE and a set of UEs in the UE group from a first UE of a UE group supported by the base station; determine multiple UEs in the UE set and time-frequency resources for the multicast sidelink communication between the first UE and the multiple UEs based on the sidelink scheduling request; and send a multicast sidelink grant to the first UE, the multicast sidelink grant indicating the time-frequency resources for the multicast sidelink communication between the first UE and the multiple UEs in the UE set.

[0050] Another apparatus for wireless communication at a base station is described. The apparatus may include a unit for performing the following operations: receiving a sidelink scheduling request for a multicast sidelink communication between a first UE of a UE group supported by the base station and a set of UEs of the UE group; determining a plurality of UEs in the UE set and time-frequency resources for the multicast sidelink communication between the first UE and the plurality of UEs based on the sidelink scheduling request; and sending a multicast sidelink grant to the first UE, the multicast sidelink grant indicating the time-frequency resources for the multicast sidelink communication between the first UE and the plurality of UEs in the UE set.

[0051] A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication at a base station is described. The code may include instructions executable by a processor to perform the following operations: receiving a sidelink scheduling request for multicast sidelink communication between a first UE of a UE group supported by the base station and a set of UEs of the UE group; determining multiple UEs in the UE set and time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication between the first UE and the multiple UEs based on the sidelink scheduling request; and sending a multicast sidelink grant to the first UE, the multicast sidelink grant indicating the time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication between the first UE and the multiple UEs in the UE set.

[0052] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, units, or instructions for receiving in a sidelink scheduling request a group identifier associated with a UE group, an identifier of a first UE, one or more transmission beams for a multicast sidelink message, a corresponding identifier for each UE in the set of UEs, an amount of data corresponding to the multicast sidelink message for transmission by the first UE, or any combination thereof.

[0053] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, units, or instructions for performing the following operations: sending an identifier of a first UE in a multicast sidelink grant, a corresponding identifier for each of a plurality of UEs, one or more transmission beams for transmission of a multicast sidelink message, or any combination thereof.

[0054] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, units, or instructions for performing the following operations: identifying a set of transmission beams included in a sidelink scheduling request; and determining one or more transmission beams for transmission of a multicast sidelink message, wherein the one or more transmission beams may be a subset of the set of transmission beams.

[0055] Some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, means, or instructions for sending a groupcast sidelink grant to each UE of a plurality of UEs.

[0056] Some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, means, or instructions for receiving a sidelink scheduling request in an RRC message, a MAC-CE, an SR, a BSR, or any combination thereof.

[0057] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the BSR indicates an amount of data retained in a buffer of the first UE for transmission via the multicast sidelink communication.

[0058] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, units, or instructions for performing the following operations: independently of the sidelink scheduling request, sending an indication to send one or more multicast sidelink messages to the first UE based on the size of the first UE's multicast buffer.

[0059] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, a size of a multicast buffer of the first UE may be above a buffer threshold.

[0060] Some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, means, or instructions for sending a multicast sidelink grant in an RRC message, a MAC-CE, a DCI transmission, or any combination thereof.

[0061] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, units, or instructions for performing the following operations: determining a transmission configuration for multicast sidelink communication between a first UE and multiple UEs in a UE set, wherein the transmission configuration indicates multiple transmission beams, MCS, TCI, or any combination thereof for the first UE.

[0062] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, units, or instructions for performing the following operations: receiving a request for multicast sidelink communication to a set of UEs supported by a base station; determining a plurality of UEs in the set of UEs based on the request; and sending an indication of the plurality of UEs for the multicast sidelink communication in response to the request.

[0063] A method for wireless communication at a first UE is described. The method may include: establishing a connection with a base station supporting communication for a UE group including the first UE; receiving a multicast sidelink grant from the base station, the multicast sidelink grant indicating time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication between one or more UEs including the first UE and a second UE of the UE group; and receiving in the multicast sidelink grant the first UE and the one or more UEs, the corresponding identifiers of the second UE, one or more receive beams for receiving a multicast sidelink message, or any combination thereof. The method may also include: monitoring the time-frequency resources for the multicast sidelink communication from the second UE.

[0064] An apparatus for wireless communication at a first UE is described. The apparatus may include a processor, a memory coupled to the processor, the processor and the memory being configured to: establish a connection with a base station supporting communication for a UE group including the first UE; receive a multicast sidelink grant from the base station, the multicast sidelink grant indicating time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication between one or more UEs including the first UE and a second UE of the UE group; and receive in the multicast sidelink grant the first UE and one or more UEs, the corresponding identifiers of the second UE, one or more receiving beams for receiving a multicast sidelink message, or any combination thereof. The processor and the memory may also be configured to: monitor time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication from the second UE.

[0065] Another apparatus for wireless communication at a first UE is described. The apparatus may include a unit for performing the following operations: establishing a connection with a base station supporting communication for a UE group including the first UE; receiving a multicast sidelink grant from the base station, the multicast sidelink grant indicating time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication between one or more UEs including the first UE and a second UE of the UE group; and receiving in the multicast sidelink grant the first UE and one or more UEs, the corresponding identifiers of the second UE, one or more receiving beams for receiving a multicast sidelink message, or any combination thereof. The apparatus may also include a unit for monitoring time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication from the second UE.

[0066] A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication at a first UE is described. The code may include instructions executable by a processor to perform the following operations: establish a connection with a base station supporting communication for a UE group including the first UE; receive a multicast sidelink grant from the base station, the multicast sidelink grant indicating time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication between one or more UEs including the first UE and a second UE of the UE group; and receive the first UE and one or more UEs, the corresponding identifiers of the second UE, one or more receive beams for receiving a multicast sidelink message, or any combination thereof in the multicast sidelink grant. The code may also include instructions executable by the processor to perform the following operations: monitor time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication from the second UE.

[0067] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, units, or instructions for performing the following operations: identifying a receive beam for receiving multicast sidelink communications based on a multicast sidelink grant; and using the receive beam to monitor time-frequency resources.

[0068] Some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, means, or instructions for receiving a multicast sidelink grant from a base station in a multicast transmission or a dedicated transmission.

[0069] Some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, means, or instructions for receiving a multicast sidelink grant in an RRC message, a MAC-CE, a DCI transmission, or any combination thereof.

[0070] A method of wireless communication at a first UE is described. The method may include: establishing a connection with a base station supporting communication for a UE group including the first UE; receiving a multicast sidelink grant from the base station, the multicast sidelink grant indicating time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication between a plurality of UEs including the first UE and a second UE of the UE group; and monitoring the time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication from the second UE.

[0071] An apparatus for wireless communication at a first UE is described. The apparatus may include a processor, a memory coupled to the processor, the processor and the memory being configured to: establish a connection with a base station supporting communication for a UE group including the first UE; receive a multicast sidelink grant from the base station, the multicast sidelink grant indicating time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication between a plurality of UEs including the first UE and a second UE of the UE group; and monitor the time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication from the second UE.

[0072] Another apparatus for wireless communication at a first UE is described. The apparatus may include means for performing the following operations: establishing a connection with a base station supporting communication for a UE group including the first UE; receiving a multicast sidelink grant from the base station, the multicast sidelink grant indicating time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication between a plurality of UEs including the first UE and a second UE of the UE group; and monitoring the time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication from the second UE.

[0073] A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication at a first UE is described. The code may include instructions executable by a processor to: establish a connection with a base station supporting communication for a UE group including the first UE; receive a multicast sidelink grant from the base station, the multicast sidelink grant indicating time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication between a plurality of UEs including the first UE and a second UE of the UE group; and monitor the time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication from the second UE.

[0074] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, units, or instructions for performing the following operations: identifying a receive beam for receiving multicast sidelink communications based on a multicast sidelink grant; and monitoring time-frequency resources using the receive beam.

[0075] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, units, or instructions for performing the following operations: receiving a first UE and multiple UEs in a multicast sidelink grant, corresponding identifiers of a second UE, one or more transmission beams for transmission of a multicast sidelink message, or any combination thereof.

[0076] Some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, means, or instructions for receiving a multicast sidelink grant from a base station in a multicast transmission or a dedicated transmission.

[0077] Some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, means, or instructions for receiving a multicast sidelink grant in an RRC message, a MAC-CE, a DCI transmission, or any combination thereof. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0078] Figure 1 An example of a wireless communication system supporting sidelink multicast scheduling according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0079] Figure 2 An example of a wireless communication system supporting sidelink multicast scheduling according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0080] Figure 3 An example of a process flow for supporting sidelink multicast scheduling in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0081] Figure 4 and Figure 5 A block diagram of an apparatus supporting sidelink multicast scheduling according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0082] Figure 6 A block diagram of a communications manager supporting sidelink multicast scheduling in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0083] Figure 7 A diagram of a system including a device supporting sidelink multicast scheduling is shown in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.

[0084] Figure 8 and Fig. 9 A block diagram of an apparatus supporting sidelink multicast scheduling according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0085] Fig.10 A block diagram of a communications manager supporting sidelink multicast scheduling in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0086] Fig.11 A diagram of a system including a device supporting sidelink multicast scheduling is shown in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.

[0087] Figures 12 to 17 A flow chart illustrating a method of supporting sidelink multicast scheduling in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0088] The wireless communication system may support both access links and sidelinks for communication between wireless devices. The access link may refer to a communication link between a UE and a base station. For example, the access link may support uplink signaling, downlink signaling, connection procedures, etc. One or more UEs connected to a base station via an access link may derive timing from the base station. The UE may also be an example of an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node. The sidelink may refer to any communication link between similar wireless devices (e.g., a communication link between UEs, a backhaul communication link between base stations, etc.). It is noted that, although the various examples provided herein are discussed for UE sidelink devices, such sidelink technologies may be used for any type of wireless device using sidelink communication. For example, the sidelink may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) and / or vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, message relay, discovery signaling, beacon signaling, or any combination of these or other signals sent from one wireless device to one or more other wireless devices over the air.

[0089] As demand for sidelink communications increases (e.g., due to increased V2X demand for autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles, D2D communications between Internet of Things (IoT) devices, factory automation, etc.), techniques are desired for efficiently and reliably enhancing sidelink channel throughput and reliability. In some cases, sidelink multicast communications may be desired, where one transmitting device can send a signal to multiple other devices (e.g., a vehicle sending sensor data to multiple other vehicles via sidelink communications). Additionally, techniques for coordinating resources used for the sidelink and for reducing the number of sidelink retransmissions and improving efficiency at both the transmitting UE and the receiving UE.

[0090] In some cases, a UE may send a multicast message to multiple other UEs on a sidelink communication link. In order to send a multicast message, a resource pool of a sending UE may need to be aligned with a resource pool of a receiving UE. In order to reliably receive a multicast message, a receiving UE may receive an indication of which UE is sending so that the receiving UE may configure its receive beam to receive from the sending UE (i.e., direct the receive beam to the sending UE). The sending UE may determine to send a multicast message based on receiving an indication of which UE may receive the message. For example, if no UE is able to receive the message, the sending UE may determine not to send the multicast message.

[0091] During access link communications, resource pool alignment may be coordinated by the base station, but resource pools may be aligned for sidelink communications without base station assistance. A UE communicating on a sidelink may coordinate sidelink communications (e.g., including unicast communication resources and multicast communication resources) using base station assistance, because a UE communicating on a sidelink may also communicate with a base station on an access link. Multicast communication resources may also include or be examples of broadcast or multicast communications.

[0092] A UE that sends a multicast sidelink communication to other UEs may send a sidelink transmission request to the base station. The UE may send a sidelink transmission request to the base station over an access link.

[0093] The base station may receive a request from the UE and may send a sidelink transmit scheduling grant and a receive scheduling grant. The sidelink scheduling grant may be sent to a transmitting UE (e.g., a UE that sent a sidelink transmit request) and a receiving UE. The sidelink scheduling grant may specify which UE is sending the multicast sidelink communication so that the receiving UE may determine which receive beams to use and how to configure the corresponding receive beams. The sidelink scheduling grant may also indicate which UEs will receive, which transmit beam the transmitting UE may use to transmit to the receiving UE, and what resources (e.g., frequency resources and time resources) to use.

[0094] The transmitting UE may receive a transmit scheduling grant and a receive scheduling grant from the base station. Based on the sidelink scheduling grant, the designated receiving UE may configure a receive beam to receive the multicast sidelink transmission from the transmitting UE. The transmitting UE may configure a transmit beam based on the information in the sidelink scheduling grant. The transmitting UE may send a multicast sidelink message to the receiving UE.

[0095] Aspects of the present disclosure are first described in the context of a wireless communication system. Aspects of the present disclosure are further described in the context of process flow diagrams. Aspects of the present disclosure are further illustrated by and described with reference to apparatus diagrams, system diagrams, and flow diagrams relating to sidelink multicast scheduling.

[0096] Figure 1 An example of a wireless communication system 100 supporting sidelink multicast scheduling according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The wireless communication system 100 may include one or more base stations 105, one or more UEs 115, and a core network 130. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may be an LTE network, an LTE-A network, an LTE-A Pro network, or an NR network. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may support enhanced broadband communications, ultra-reliable (e.g., mission-critical) communications, low-latency communications, communications with low-cost and low-complexity devices, or any combination thereof.

[0097] Base stations 105 may be dispersed throughout a geographic area to form wireless communication system 100, and may be devices of different forms or with different capabilities. Base stations 105 and UEs 115 may communicate wirelessly via one or more communication links 125. Each base station 105 may provide a coverage area 110 over which UEs 115 and base stations 105 may establish one or more communication links 125. Coverage area 110 may be an example of a geographic area over which base stations 105 and UEs 115 may support transmission of signals according to one or more radio access technologies.

[0098] UEs 115 may be dispersed throughout the coverage area 110 of the wireless communication system 100, and each UE 115 may be stationary, mobile, or both at different times. UEs 115 may be devices of different forms or with different capabilities. Figure 1 Some example UEs 115 are shown in FIG. 1. The UEs 115 described herein may be able to communicate with various types of devices, such as other UEs 115, base stations 105, or network devices (e.g., core network nodes, relay devices, integrated access and backhaul (IAB) nodes, or other network devices), such as Figure 1 shown.

[0099] The base stations 105 may communicate with the core network 130, or communicate with each other, or perform both operations. For example, the base stations 105 may be connected to the core network 130 via one or more backhaul links 120 (e.g., via S1, N2, N3 or other interfaces). The base stations 105 may communicate with each other directly (e.g., directly between the base stations 105) on the backhaul links 120 (e.g., via X2, Xn or other interfaces), or communicate with each other indirectly (e.g., via the core network 130), or perform both operations. In some examples, the backhaul links 120 may be or include one or more wireless links.

[0100] One or more of the base stations 105 described herein may include or may be referred to by a person of ordinary skill in the art as a base station transceiver, a radio base station, an access point, a radio transceiver, a Node B, an evolved Node B (eNB), a next generation Node B, or a Gigabit Node B (any of which may be referred to as a gNB), a Home Node B, a Home Evolved Node B, or other appropriate terminology.

[0101] UE 115 may include or may be referred to as a mobile device, a wireless device, a remote device, a handheld device, or a subscriber device, or some other appropriate terminology, where a "device" may also be referred to as a unit, a station, a terminal, or a client, etc. UE 115 may also include or may be referred to as a personal electronic device, such as a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet computer, a laptop computer, or a personal computer. In some examples, UE 115 may include or be referred to as a wireless local loop (WLL) station, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, an Internet of Everything (IoE) device, or a machine type communication (MTC) device, etc., which may be implemented in various items such as appliances, or vehicles, meters, etc.

[0102] The UE 115 described herein may be able to communicate with various types of devices, such as other UEs 115, which may sometimes act as relays, as well as base stations 105 and network devices (including macro eNBs or gNBs, small cell eNBs or gNBs, or relay base stations, etc.), such as Figure 1 shown.

[0103] The UE 115 and the base station 105 can communicate with each other wirelessly via one or more communication links 125 on one or more carriers. The term "carrier" can refer to a set of radio frequency spectrum resources having a defined physical layer structure for supporting the communication link 125. For example, the carrier used for the communication link 125 may include a portion of a radio frequency spectrum band (e.g., a bandwidth portion (BWP)) that operates according to one or more physical layer channels for a given radio access technology (e.g., LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR). Each physical layer channel can carry acquisition signaling (e.g., synchronization signals, system information), control signaling for coordinating operations for the carrier, user data, or other signaling. The wireless communication system 100 can support communication with the UE 115 using carrier aggregation or multi-carrier operation. According to the carrier aggregation configuration, the UE 115 can be configured with multiple downlink component carriers and one or more uplink component carriers. Carrier aggregation can be used with both frequency division duplex (FDD) component carriers and time division duplex (TDD) component carriers.

[0104] In some examples (e.g., in a carrier aggregation configuration), a carrier may also have acquisition signaling or control signaling that coordinates operations for other carriers. A carrier may be associated with a frequency channel (e.g., an Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number (EARFCN)) and may be positioned according to a channel grid for discovery by a UE 115. A carrier may operate in a standalone mode, in which a UE 115 may perform initial acquisition and connection via a carrier, or in a non-standalone mode, in which a different carrier (e.g., of the same or different radio access technology) is used to anchor a connection.

[0105] The communication link 125 shown in the wireless communication system 100 may include an uplink transmission from the UE 115 to the base station 105, or a downlink transmission from the base station 105 to the UE 115. A carrier may carry downlink or uplink communications (e.g., in FDD mode) or may be configured to carry both downlink and uplink communications (e.g., in TDD mode).

[0106] A carrier may be associated with a particular bandwidth of a radio frequency spectrum, and in some examples, the carrier bandwidth may be referred to as the "system bandwidth" of the carrier or wireless communication system 100. For example, the carrier bandwidth may be one of a number of determined bandwidths of a carrier for a particular radio access technology (e.g., 1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 40, or 80 megahertz (MHz)). A device of the wireless communication system 100 (e.g., a base station 105, a UE 115, or both) may have a hardware configuration that supports communication on a particular carrier bandwidth, or may be configurable to support communication on one of a set of carrier bandwidths. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may include a base station 105 or a UE 115 that supports simultaneous communication via carriers associated with multiple carrier bandwidths. In some examples, each served UE 115 may be configured to operate on a portion (e.g., a subband, a BWP) or all of a carrier bandwidth.

[0107] The signal waveform transmitted on the carrier may be composed of multiple subcarriers (e.g., using multicarrier modulation (MCM) techniques such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) or DFT-S-OFDM). In a system employing MCM techniques, a resource element may include a symbol period (e.g., the duration of a modulation symbol) and a subcarrier, wherein the symbol period and the subcarrier spacing are inversely related. The number of bits carried by each resource element may depend on the modulation scheme (e.g., the order of the modulation scheme, the coding rate of the modulation scheme, or both). Therefore, the more resource elements received by UE 115 and the higher the order of the modulation scheme, the higher the data rate for UE 115 may be. Wireless communication resources may refer to a combination of radio frequency spectrum resources, time resources, and spatial resources (e.g., spatial layers or beams), and the use of multiple spatial layers may further increase the data rate or data integrity for communication with UE 115.

[0108] One or more numerologies for a carrier may be supported, where the numerologies may include subcarrier spacing (Δf) and cyclic prefixes. A carrier may be divided into one or more BWPs with the same or different numerologies. In some examples, a UE 115 may be configured with multiple BWPs. In some examples, a single BWP for a carrier may be active at a given time, and communications for a UE 115 may be limited to the one or more active BWPs.

[0109] The basic time unit (which may be referred to as T s =1 / (Δf max ·N f ) seconds sampling period, where Δf maxIt can represent the maximum supported subcarrier spacing, and N f The time intervals for the base station 105 or the UE 115 may be expressed as multiples of a maximum supported discrete Fourier transform (DFT) size). The time intervals of the communication resources may be organized according to radio frames each having a specified duration (e.g., 10 milliseconds (ms)). Each radio frame may be identified by a system frame number (SFN) (e.g., ranging from 0 to 1023).

[0110] Each frame may include a plurality of consecutively numbered subframes or time slots, and each subframe or time slot may have the same duration. In some examples, a frame may be divided (e.g., in the time domain) into subframes, and each subframe may be further divided into a number of time slots. Alternatively, each frame may include a variable number of time slots, and the number of time slots may depend on the subcarrier spacing. Each time slot may include a number of symbol periods (e.g., depending on the length of a cyclic prefix added in front of each symbol period). In some wireless communication systems 100, a time slot may be further divided into a plurality of mini-time slots containing one or more symbols. Excluding the cyclic prefix, each symbol period may contain one or more (e.g., N f The duration of a symbol period may depend on the subcarrier spacing or the operating frequency band.

[0111] A subframe, a time slot, a mini-time slot, or a symbol may be the smallest scheduling unit (e.g., in the time domain) of the wireless communication system 100 and may be referred to as a transmission time interval (TTI). In some examples, the TTI duration (e.g., the number of symbol periods in a TTI) may be variable. Additionally or alternatively, the smallest scheduling unit of the wireless communication system 100 may be dynamically selected (e.g., in the form of a burst of shortened TTIs (sTTIs)).

[0112] Physical channels may be multiplexed on a carrier according to various techniques. Physical control channels and physical data channels may be multiplexed on a downlink carrier, for example, using one or more of a time division multiplexing (TDM) technique, a frequency division multiplexing (FDM) technique, or a hybrid TDM-FDM technique. A control region (e.g., a control resource set (CORESET)) for a physical control channel may be defined by the number of symbol periods and may extend across a system bandwidth or a subset of a system bandwidth of a carrier. One or more control regions (e.g., CORESETs) may be configured for a group of UEs 115. For example, one or more of the UEs 115 may monitor or search a control region for control information according to one or more search space sets, and each search space set may include one or more control channel candidates at one or more aggregation levels arranged in a cascaded manner. The aggregation level for a control channel candidate may refer to the number of control channel resources (e.g., control channel elements (CCEs)) associated with coding information for a control information format having a given payload size. The search space sets may include a common search space set configured for transmitting control information to multiple UEs 115 and a UE-specific search space set for transmitting control information to a specific UE 115 .

[0113] Each base station 105 can provide communication coverage via one or more cells (e.g., macro cells, small cells, hot spots or other types of cells, or any combination thereof). The term "cell" can refer to a logical communication entity used for communication with the base station 105 (e.g., on a carrier), and can be associated with an identifier (e.g., a physical cell identifier (PCID), a virtual cell identifier (VCID) or other identifier) ​​for distinguishing adjacent cells. In some examples, a cell can also refer to a geographic coverage area 110 or a portion of a geographic coverage area 110 (e.g., a sector) on which a logical communication entity operates. Depending on various factors (such as the capabilities of the base station 105), the range of such a cell can range from a smaller area (e.g., a structure, a subset of a structure) to a larger area. For example, a cell can be or include a building, a subset of a building, or an external space between or overlapping geographic coverage areas 110, etc.

[0114] A macro cell typically covers a relatively large geographic area (e.g., a radius of several kilometers) and may allow unrestricted access by a UE 115 with a service subscription to a network provider that supports the macro cell. A small cell may be associated with a lower power base station 105 than a macro cell, and the small cell may operate in the same or different (e.g., licensed, unlicensed) frequency band as the macro cell. A small cell may provide unrestricted access to a UE 115 with a service subscription to a network provider, or may provide restricted access to a UE 115 associated with a small cell (e.g., a UE 115 in a closed subscriber group (CSG), a UE 115 associated with a user in a residence or office). A base station 105 may support one or more cells, and may also support communications on one or more cells using one or more component carriers.

[0115] In some examples, a carrier may support multiple cells, and different cells may be configured according to different protocol types (e.g., MTC, narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB)) that may provide access to different types of devices.

[0116] In some examples, the base stations 105 may be mobile and, therefore, provide communication coverage for mobile geographic coverage areas 110. In some examples, different geographic coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies may overlap, but the different geographic coverage areas 110 may be supported by the same base station 105. In other examples, overlapping geographic coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies may be supported by different base stations 105. The wireless communication system 100 may include, for example, a heterogeneous network in which different types of base stations 105 provide coverage for respective geographic coverage areas 110 using the same or different radio access technologies.

[0117] The wireless communication system 100 may support synchronous operation or asynchronous operation. For synchronous operation, the base stations 105 may have similar frame timing, and transmissions from different base stations 105 may be approximately aligned in time. For asynchronous operation, the base stations 105 may have different frame timing, and in some examples, transmissions from different base stations 105 may not be aligned in time. The techniques described herein may be used for either synchronous operation or asynchronous operation.

[0118] Some UEs 115, such as MTC or IoT devices, may be low-cost or low-complexity devices and may provide automated communications between machines (e.g., via machine-to-machine (M2M) communications). M2M communications or MTC may refer to data communications technology that allows devices to communicate with each other or with a base station 105 without human intervention. In some examples, M2M communications or MTC may include communications from devices that integrate sensors or meters to measure or capture information and relay such information to a central server or application that utilizes the information or presents the information to a human interacting with the application. Some UEs 115 may be designed to collect information or implement automated behavior of machines or other devices. Examples of applications for MTC devices include smart metering, inventory monitoring, water level monitoring, equipment monitoring, healthcare monitoring, wildlife monitoring, climate and geological event monitoring, fleet management and tracking, remote security sensing, physical access control, and transaction-based service billing.

[0119] Some UEs 115 may be configured to employ an operating mode that reduces power consumption, such as half-duplex communication (e.g., a mode that supports unidirectional communication via transmission or reception rather than transmission and reception simultaneously). In some examples, half-duplex communication may be performed at a reduced peak rate. Other power saving techniques for UE 115 include entering a power-saving deep sleep mode when not participating in active communications, when operating on a limited bandwidth (e.g., according to narrowband communications), or when a combination of these techniques. For example, some UEs 115 may be configured to operate using a narrowband protocol type that is associated with a defined portion or range (e.g., a set of subcarriers or resource blocks (RBs)) within a carrier, within a guard band of a carrier, or outside a carrier.

[0120] The wireless communication system 100 can be configured to support ultra-reliable communication or low-latency communication, or various combinations thereof. For example, the wireless communication system 100 can be configured to support ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) or mission-critical communication. UE115 can be designed to support ultra-reliable, low-latency or critical functions (e.g., mission-critical functions). Ultra-reliable communication can include private communication or group communication, and can be supported by one or more mission-critical services (such as mission-critical push-to-talk (MCPTT), mission-critical video (MCVideo), or mission-critical data (MCData). Support for mission-critical functions can include prioritization of services, and mission-critical services can be used for public safety or general commercial applications. The terms ultra-reliable, low-latency, mission-critical, and ultra-reliable low-latency can be used interchangeably in this article.

[0121] In some examples, UE 115 may also be able to communicate directly with other UE 115 on D2D communication link 135 (e.g., using peer-to-peer (P2P) or D2D protocol). One or more UE 115 utilizing D2D communication may be within the geographic coverage area 110 of base station 105. Other UE 115 in such a group may be outside the geographic coverage area 110 of base station 105 or otherwise unable to receive transmissions from base station 105. In some examples, groups of UE 115 communicating via D2D communication may utilize a one-to-many (1:M) system, in which each UE 115 transmits to all other UEs 115 in the group. In some examples, base station 105 facilitates scheduling of resources for D2D communication. In other cases, D2D communication is performed between UE 115 without involving base station 105.

[0122] In some systems, the D2D communication link 135 can be an example of a communication channel (such as a sidelink communication channel) between vehicles (e.g., UE 115). In some examples, vehicles can communicate using V2X communication, V2V communication, or some combination of these items. Vehicles can use signals to send information related to traffic conditions, signal scheduling, weather, safety, emergency situations, or any other information related to the V2X system. In some examples, vehicles in a V2X system can communicate with roadside infrastructure (such as roadside units), or communicate with a network via one or more network nodes (e.g., base station 105) using vehicle-to-network (V2N) communication, or both.

[0123] The core network 130 may provide user authentication, access authorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connection, and other access, routing or mobility functions. The core network 130 may be an evolved packet core (EPC) or a 5G core (5GC), which may include at least one control plane entity (e.g., a mobility management entity (MME), an access and mobility management function (AMF)) for managing access and mobility and at least one user plane entity (e.g., a serving gateway (S-GW), a packet data network (PDN) gateway (P-GW), or a user plane function (UPF)) for routing packets to an external network or interconnecting to an external network. The control plane entity may manage non-access stratum (NAS) functions, such as mobility, authentication, and bearer management for UE115 served by a base station 105 associated with the core network 130. User IP packets may be transmitted through a user plane entity, which may provide IP address allocation and other functions. The user plane entity may be connected to a network operator IP service 150. The operator IP service 150 may include access to the Internet, an intranet, an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS), or a packet-switched streaming service.

[0124] Some of the network devices, such as the base station 105, may include subcomponents such as an access network entity 140, which may be an example of an access node controller (ANC). Each access network entity 140 may communicate with the UE 115 through one or more other access network transport entities 145, which may be referred to as radio heads, smart radio heads, or transmit / receive points (TRPs). Each access network transport entity 145 may include one or more antenna panels. In some configurations, the various functions of each access network entity 140 or base station 105 may be distributed across various network devices (e.g., radio heads and ANCs) or merged into a single network device (e.g., base station 105).

[0125] The wireless communication system 100 may operate using one or more frequency bands, typically in the range of 300 megahertz (MHz) to 300 gigahertz (GHz). Typically, the region from 300 MHz to 3 GHz is referred to as the ultra-high frequency (UHF) region or decimeter band because the wavelengths range from approximately one decimeter to one meter in length. UHF waves may be blocked or redirected by buildings and environmental features, but the waves may be sufficient to penetrate structures for macro cells to provide service to UEs 115 located indoors. Transmissions using UHF waves may be associated with smaller antennas and shorter distances (e.g., less than 100 kilometers) compared to transmissions using smaller frequencies and longer waves in the high frequency (HF) or very high frequency (VHF) portions of the spectrum below 300 MHz.

[0126] The wireless communication system 100 may also operate in a super high frequency (SHF) region using a frequency band from 3 GHz to 30 GHz (also referred to as a centimeter band) or in an extremely high frequency (EHF) region of the spectrum (e.g., from 30 GHz to 300 GHz) (also referred to as a millimeter band). In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may support millimeter wave (mmW) communications between the UE 115 and the base station 105, and the EHF antennas of the corresponding devices may be smaller and more closely spaced than the UHF antennas. In some examples, this may facilitate the use of antenna arrays within the device. However, the propagation of EHF transmissions may suffer from even greater atmospheric attenuation and shorter distances than SHF or UHF transmissions. The technology disclosed herein may be employed across transmissions using one or more different frequency regions, and the designated use of frequency bands across these frequency regions may differ according to countries or regulatory agencies.

[0127] The electromagnetic spectrum is typically subdivided into various categories, bands, channels, etc. based on frequency / wavelength. In 5G NR, two initial operating bands have been identified with the frequency range names FR1 (410 MHz–7.125 GHz) and FR2 (24.25 GHz–52.6 GHz). Frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are typically referred to as band center frequencies. Although a portion of FR1 is greater than 6 GHz, FR1 is often (interchangeably) referred to as the “Sub-6 GHz” band in various documents and articles. Similar naming issues sometimes arise with respect to FR2, which is often (interchangeably) referred to as the “millimeter wave” band in documents and articles, although it is different from the EHF band (30 GHz–300 GHz), which is identified as the “millimeter wave” band by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

[0128] In view of the above, unless otherwise specifically stated, it should be understood that the term "sub-6 GHz" and the like (if used herein) can broadly represent a frequency that can be less than 6 GHz, can be within FR1, or can include a frequency band center frequency. In addition, unless otherwise specifically stated, it should be understood that the term "millimeter wave" and the like (if used herein) can broadly represent a frequency that can include a frequency band center frequency, can be within FR2, or can be within the EHF band.

[0129] The wireless communication system 100 can utilize both licensed and unlicensed radio frequency spectrum bands. For example, the wireless communication system 100 can employ license assisted access (LAA), LTE unlicensed (LTE-U) radio access technology, or NR technology in an unlicensed band (such as the 5 GHz industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) band). When operating in an unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band, devices (such as base stations 105 and UEs 115) can employ carrier sensing for conflict detection and avoidance. In some examples, operations in unlicensed bands can be based on a carrier aggregation configuration in combination with component carriers operating in a licensed band (e.g., LAA). Operations in the unlicensed spectrum can include downlink transmissions, uplink transmissions, P2P transmissions, or D2D transmissions, etc.

[0130] The base station 105 or UE 115 may be equipped with multiple antennas, which may be used to employ technologies such as transmit diversity, receive diversity, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communications, or beamforming. The antennas of the base station 105 or UE 115 may be located within one or more antenna arrays or antenna panels (which may support MIMO operations or transmit or receive beamforming). For example, one or more base station antennas or antenna arrays may be co-located at an antenna assembly, such as an antenna tower. In some examples, the antennas or antenna arrays associated with the base station 105 may be located at different geographical locations. The base station 105 may have an antenna array having antenna ports of a number of rows and columns that the base station 105 may use to support beamforming for communications with the UE 115. Similarly, the UE 115 may have one or more antenna arrays that may support various MIMO or beamforming operations. Additionally or alternatively, the antenna panel may support radio frequency beamforming for signals sent via the antenna ports.

[0131] The base station 105 or UE 115 can use MIMO communication to exploit multipath signal propagation and improve spectral efficiency by sending or receiving multiple signals via different spatial layers. Such a technology may be referred to as spatial multiplexing. For example, a transmitting device may send multiple signals via different antennas or different combinations of antennas. Similarly, a receiving device may receive multiple signals via different antennas or different combinations of antennas. Each of the multiple signals may be referred to as a separate spatial stream and may carry bits associated with the same data stream (e.g., the same codeword) or different data streams (e.g., different codewords). Different spatial layers may be associated with different antenna ports for channel measurement and reporting. MIMO technology includes single-user MIMO (SU-MIMO) (where multiple spatial layers are sent to the same receiving device) and multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO) (where multiple spatial layers are sent to multiple devices).

[0132] Beamforming (which may also be referred to as spatial filtering, directional transmission, or directional reception) is a signal processing technique that can be used at a transmitting device or a receiving device (e.g., a base station 105, a UE 115) to form or direct an antenna beam (e.g., a transmit beam, a receive beam) along a spatial path between the transmitting device and the receiving device. Beamforming can be achieved by combining signals transmitted via antenna elements of an antenna array so that some signals propagating in a specific orientation relative to the antenna array experience constructive interference, while other signals experience destructive interference. Adjustments to signals transmitted via antenna elements may include the transmitting device or the receiving device applying an amplitude offset, a phase offset, or both to signals carried via antenna elements associated with the device. Adjustments associated with each of the antenna elements may be defined by a set of beamforming weights associated with a specific orientation (e.g., relative to the antenna array of the transmitting device or the receiving device, or relative to some other orientation).

[0133] As part of the beamforming operation, the base station 105 or the UE 115 may use beam scanning techniques. For example, the base station 105 may use multiple antennas or antenna arrays (e.g., antenna panels) to perform beamforming operations for directional communications with the UE 115. The base station 105 may send some signals (e.g., synchronization signals, reference signals, beam selection signals, or other control signals) multiple times in different directions. For example, the base station 105 may send signals based on different sets of beamforming weights associated with different transmission directions. Transmissions in different beam directions may be used (e.g., by a transmitting device (such as the base station 105) or by a receiving device (such as the UE 115)) to identify a beam direction for subsequent transmission or reception by the base station 105.

[0134] Base station 105 may transmit some signals (e.g., data signals associated with a particular receiving device, such as UE 115) in a single beam direction (e.g., a direction associated with the receiving device). In some examples, the beam direction associated with transmissions along the single beam direction may be determined based on signals transmitted in one or more beam directions. For example, UE 115 may receive one or more of the signals transmitted by base station 105 in different directions and may report to base station 105 an indication of the signal received by UE 115 having the highest signal quality or otherwise acceptable signal quality.

[0135] In some examples, transmissions by a device (e.g., by a base station 105 or a UE 115) may be performed using multiple beam directions, and the device may generate a combined beam for transmission (e.g., from the base station 105 to the UE 115) using a combination of digital precoding or radio frequency beamforming. The UE 115 may report feedback indicating precoding weights for one or more beam directions, and the feedback may correspond to a configured number of beams across the system bandwidth or one or more subbands. The base station 105 may send reference signals (e.g., cell-specific reference signals (CRS), channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS)) that may be precoded or not precoded. The UE 115 may provide feedback for beam selection, which may be a precoding matrix indicator (PMI) or codebook-based feedback (e.g., a multi-panel type codebook, a linear combination type codebook, a port selection type codebook). Although these techniques are described with reference to signals sent by base station 105 in one or more directions, UE 115 may employ similar techniques to send signals multiple times in different directions (e.g., to identify a beam direction for subsequent transmission or reception by UE 115) or to send signals in a single direction (e.g., to send data to a receiving device).

[0136] A receiving device (e.g., UE 115) may try multiple reception configurations (e.g., directional listening) when receiving various signals (such as synchronization signals, reference signals, beam selection signals, or other control signals) from a base station 105. For example, the receiving device may try multiple reception directions by receiving via different antenna subarrays, by processing received signals according to different antenna subarrays, by receiving according to different reception beamforming weight sets applied to signals received at multiple antenna elements of an antenna array (e.g., different directional listening weight sets), or by processing received signals according to different reception beamforming weight sets applied to signals received at multiple antenna elements of an antenna array (any of the above operations may be referred to as "listening" according to different reception configurations or reception directions). In some examples, a receiving device may use a single reception configuration to receive along a single beam direction (e.g., when receiving a data signal). A single receive configuration may be aligned on a beam direction determined based on listening according to different receive configuration directions (e.g., a beam direction determined to have the highest signal strength, the highest signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), or otherwise acceptable signal quality based on listening according to multiple beam directions).

[0137] The wireless communication system 100 can be a packet-based network operated according to a layered protocol stack. In the user plane, the communication at the bearer or packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer can be based on IP. The radio link control (RLC) layer can perform packet segmentation and reorganization to transmit on a logical channel. The MAC layer can perform priority handling and multiplexing of logical channels to transport channels. The MAC layer can also use error detection technology, error correction technology, or both to support retransmission at the MAC layer to improve link efficiency. In the control plane, the RRC protocol layer can provide the establishment, configuration and maintenance of the RRC connection (which supports radio bearers for user plane data) between the UE 115 and the base station 105 or the core network 130. At the physical layer, the transport channel can be mapped to the physical channel.

[0138] UE 115 and base station 105 can support retransmission of data to increase the possibility that the data is successfully received. Hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback is a technology for increasing the possibility that data is correctly received on communication link 125. HARQ can include a combination of error detection (e.g., using cyclic redundancy check (CRC)), forward error correction (FEC) and retransmission (e.g., automatic repeat request (ARQ)). HARQ can improve the throughput at the MAC layer under poor radio conditions (e.g., low signal and noise conditions). In some examples, the device can support the same time slot HARQ feedback, wherein the device can provide HARQ feedback for data received in the previous symbol in the time slot in a specific time slot. In other cases, the device can provide HARQ feedback in subsequent time slots or according to some other time interval.

[0139] The first using UE 115 may send a sidelink scheduling request for multicast sidelink communication with a set of one or more UEs 115 to the base station 105. The base station 105 may determine one or more UEs 115 in the set of UEs 115 and time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication between the first UE 115 and the one or more UEs 115 in the set of UEs 115. The first UE 115 may receive a multicast sidelink grant from the base station 105, which indicates the time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication between the first UE 115 and the one or more UEs 115. The first UE 115 may send a multicast sidelink message to the one or more UEs 115 via the time-frequency resources indicated by the multicast sidelink grant. The one or more UEs 115 may also receive the sidelink grant and may monitor the time-frequency resources for the multicast sidelink communication from the first UE 115. In some examples, the UE 115 may receive the sidelink communication via the sidelink communication link 155.

[0140] The UE 115 may include a UE communication manager 101 that may send a sidelink scheduling request to the base station 105 , receive a multicast sidelink grant, and send a multicast sidelink message. The UE communication manager may also monitor for multicast sidelink communications from another UE 115 .

[0141] One or more of the base stations 105 may include a base station communication manager 102 that may receive a sidelink scheduling request, determine a set of UEs 115 and time-frequency resources, and send a groupcast sidelink grant to one or more UEs 115 .

[0142] Figure 2 An example of a wireless communication system 200 that supports sidelink multicast scheduling according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure is shown. In some examples, the wireless communication system 200 can implement aspects of the wireless communication system 100. In some examples, the wireless communication system 200 may include a first UE 115-a, a second UE 115-b, a third UE 115-c, and a base station 105-a, which may be referenced Figure 1 1 and 2. An example of a UE 115 and a base station 105 is described. One or more of the UEs 115 can communicate with the base station 105 using a corresponding access link 205. In this example, the base station 105-a can communicate with a first UE 115-a via access link 205-a, can communicate with a second UE 115-b via access link 205-b, and can communicate with a third UE 115-c via access link 205-c.

[0143] In this example, the first UE 115-a, the second UE 115-b, and the third UE 115-c can be members of a sidelink multicast communication group, where the members of the group can communicate with other members of the group via the sidelink 210 to provide data or other information. For example, the first UE 115-a can communicate with the second UE 115-b via the sidelink 210-a, and the first UE 115-a can communicate with the third UE 115-c via the sidelink 210-b. The first UE 115-a can communicate with UEs 115-b and 115-c on the sidelinks 210-a and 210-b by sending broadcast sidelink communications. In some examples, the first UE 115-a, the second UE 115-b, and the third UE 115-c can communicate using a set of one or more transmit beams 225-a or receive beams 225-b and 225-c, respectively.

[0144] In some cases, the application layer at the first UE 115-a can prompt the creation of a sidelink multicast communication group, and the group can be established through communication with the application layers of other UEs 115 in the group. Note that the illustrated sidelink multicast communication group provides for communication between three UEs 115, which are shown in the wireless communication system 200 for simplicity, and the techniques described below can be applicable to other numbers of UEs 115 within the system in which a multicast communication group can be established. In addition, the sidelink communication techniques can be used for device-to-device communications of wireless devices other than UEs, such as base station communications (e.g., wireless backhaul links between base stations or transmit receive points (TRPs), etc.), communications between access points, etc.

[0145] In some cases, such as a platoon of vehicles traveling together in a convoy, an application layer protocol (e.g., a V2X application layer) may form a sidelink multicast communication group, and negotiation may occur between the UE 115 members of the group. In some cases, a group leader (e.g., a first UE 115-a) (such as a convoy leader in a convoy application) may send a sidelink request 215 associated with the operation of the sidelink multicast communication of the group to the base station 105-a. For example, the first UE 115-a may send a scheduling request to the base station 105-a. In response to the sidelink request 215, the base station 105-a may send a sidelink grant 220 to the UE 115 of the group. The sidelink grant 220 may provide information related to the sidelink multicast communication, such as a grant of resources for sidelink transmissions.

[0146] The sidelink request 215 may include group identification (ID) information, an ID of the UE 115-a that will send the multicast sidelink transmission, an indication of the transmit beam 225-a and the corresponding IDs of the receiving UEs 115-b and 115-c, and an indication of the data to be sent. The indication of the transmit beam 225-a may indicate one or more transmit beams 225-a that the UE 115-a may use to transmit to the UEs 115-b and 115-c. In some cases, the ID of the receiving UE 115 may be different from the ID of each UE 115 where the UE 115-a knows the specific UEs 115 that the UE 115-a intends to reach with the transmission of the multicast sidelink message. In other cases, the ID of the receiving UE may include an indication of the UE's capabilities, such as the conflict warning capability or radar capability of the UE 115. In these cases, the base station 105 - a can determine which UEs 115 meet the capabilities, and the base station 105 - a can include an indication of the receiving UE 115 in the sidelink grant 220 .

[0147] UE 115-a may send sidelink request 215 to base station 105-a in the form of RRC messaging, MAC-CE messaging, scheduling request messaging, BSR messaging, or a combination thereof. In some cases, sidelink grant 220 may be sent individually (i.e., in a unicast message) to UE 115. In other cases, base station 105-a may send sidelink grant 220 to UE 115 in a groupcast message. Base station 105-a may send sidelink grant 220 in the form of RRC messaging, MAC-CE messaging, or DCI messaging.

[0148] The sidelink grant 220 may indicate to the UEs 115-b and 115-c in the group that they want to receive the groupcast sidelink communication from the UE 115-a. The UEs 115-b and 115-c may then determine the beam 225 or resource to use based on the sidelink grant 220.

[0149] In some cases, the base station 105-b may limit the receive beams 225-b and 225-c corresponding to the receiving UEs 115-b and 115-c, respectively, or limit the transmit beam 225-a corresponding to the sending UE 115-a. The base station 105-b may limit the beams 225 by indicating the transmit and receive beams 225 for use by the UE 115 in the sidelink grant 220. In some cases, the UE 115-a may determine to send a multicast message based on knowing which UEs 115 can receive the message. Therefore, if no UE 115 is able to receive the message, the UE 115-a may determine not to send the multicast message. The UE 115-a may determine not to send the multicast message based on signaling from the base station 105-a, such as an indication in the sidelink grant 220.

[0150] UE 115-a may explicitly request from base station 105-a which other UEs 115 are to receive sidelink communications. In some cases, UE 115-a may indicate that a subset of UEs 115 of a group of UEs 115 are to receive groupcast sidelink communications. For example, UE 115-a may retransmit the same data on a different transmit beam 225-a to reach UEs 115 (e.g., UE 115-b and 115-c) located in a different direction from UE 115-a. Thus, UE 115-a may indicate to the base station which other UEs 115 are to receive sidelink communications. In some cases, UE 115-a may indicate to the base station which other UEs 115 are to receive sidelink communications.

[0151] For example, in order to reach a particular UE 115 (e.g., a subgroup) of the group of UEs 115, it may be necessary to change the transmission configuration (e.g., beam 225, time resources, frequency resources). UE 115-a may be aware of the need to change the transmission configuration based on beam training that has been previously performed by the transmitting and receiving UEs 115. Therefore, in this case, UE 115-a may indicate in the sidelink request 215 which UEs 115 are to receive the multicast sidelink communication in order to avoid changing the transmission configuration to reach the particular UEs 115. The base station 105-a may grant sidelink multicast transmission resources so that the UE 115-a sends the multicast sidelink transmission to the subgroup of the group of UEs 115. Therefore, UE 115-a may receive the beam 225 and resource configuration in the sidelink grant 220, which may enable UE 115-a to efficiently transmit to the requested subgroup of UEs 115. Thus, UE 115-a may reduce the number of repetitions and retransmissions of multicast sidelink communications by transmitting to a subset of UEs 115.

[0152] The base station 105-a may grant sidelink multicast transmission resources for transmissions to a subgroup of UEs 115 in order to reduce interference with other sidelink transmissions that may be scheduled at the same time or frequency. In some cases, the base station 105-a and the UE 115-a may negotiate the selection of the receiving UE 115 before the UE 115-a sends the sidelink request 215 or during the transmission of the sidelink grant 220 by the base station 105-a. For example, the base station 105-a may send a sidelink grant 220 with a particular resource allocation to the UE 115-a and the subgroup of receiving UEs (e.g., UEs 115-b and 115-c) based on the information the base station 105-a has about the potential interference.

[0153] In the event that UE 115-a sends a sidelink transmission request in a BSR, UE 115-a may indicate to the base station the amount of data in the UE 115-a queue (i.e., buffer) to be sent in a multicast message on the sidelink 210 to other UEs 115. The BSR may implicitly trigger the base station 105-a to send a sidelink grant 220 on the access link 205 to the group of UEs 115 (including the sending UE 115-a and the receiving UEs 115-b and 115-c).

[0154] In the event that UE 115-a sends a sidelink request 215 in the form of a BSR, base station 105-a may send a sidelink grant 220 to instruct UE 115-a to send a buffer component on sidelink 210. In some cases, base station 105-a may receive multiple sidelink requests 215 from multiple UEs 115. In these cases, base station 105-a may determine which UE 115 may transmit on the sidelink based on which UE 115 reports the largest buffer size. Base station 105-a may determine the priority of sidelink transmissions based on buffer size, communication type, communication priority level, and other parameters.

[0155] Figure 3 An example of a process flow 300 for supporting sidelink multicast scheduling according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure is shown. In some examples, the process flow 300 can implement aspects of the wireless communication systems 100 and 200. The process flow 300 includes a UE 115-d and a UE 115-e, which can be as described with respect to Figure 1 and Figure 2 The process flow 300 also includes a base station 105-b, which may be as described with reference to FIG. Figure 1 and Figure 2 An example of a base station 105 is depicted. Base station 105-b may communicate with UEs 115-d and 115-e over an access link, and UEs 115-d and 115-e may communicate over a sidelink communication channel.

[0156] At 305, UE 115-e may establish a connection with base station 105-b. Base station 105-b may support communications for a group of UEs 115 including UE 115-e. At 310, UE 115-d may send a sidelink scheduling request to base station 105-b for multicast sidelink communications with a set of UEs 115 (e.g., including UE 115-e). UE 115-d may determine the set of UEs 115 based on a beam training process for multicast sidelink communications. In some cases, the set of UEs 115 may be a subset of a larger group of UEs 115 including UE 115-d. UE 115-d may send the sidelink scheduling request in an RRC message, a MAC-CE message, an SR, a BSR, or a combination of these.

[0157] UE 115-d may send in the sidelink scheduling request a group ID associated with the set of UEs 115 and UE 115-d, the ID of UE 115-d, one or more transmission beams for the multicast sidelink message, a corresponding ID for each UE 115 in the set of UE 115, an amount of data corresponding to the multicast sidelink message, or a combination of these items.

[0158] In the event that the sidelink schedule is sent in a BSR, the BSR may indicate the amount of data held in the UE 115-d buffer for transmission via the multicast sidelink communication.

[0159] In some cases, independent of the sidelink scheduling request, UE 115-d may receive an indication to send one or more multicast sidelink messages based on a size of a multicast buffer of UE 115-d. In these cases, the size of the multicast buffer of UE 115-d may meet a threshold buffer size (e.g., be greater than a threshold buffer size).

[0160] In some cases, UE 115-d may transmit a request to perform groupcast sidelink communications with a set of UEs 115 supported by base station 105-b. UE 115-d may receive an indication of one or more UEs 115 in the set of UEs in response to the request. Such transmission of the request to perform groupcast sidelink communications may occur before UE 115-d transmits a sidelink scheduling request to base station 105-b.

[0161] At 315, base station 105-b may determine, based on the sidelink scheduling request, one or more UEs 115 in the set of UEs 115 and time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communications between UE 115-d and one or more UEs 115 (e.g., including UE 115-e).

[0162] The base station 105-b may identify a set of transmission beams included in the sidelink scheduling request. The base station 105-b may determine one or more transmission beams for transmission of the multicast sidelink message. The one or more transmission beams may be a subset of the set of transmission beams.

[0163] Base station 105-b may determine a transmission configuration for multicast sidelink communications between UE 115-d and one or more UEs 115 in a set of UEs 115. The transmission configuration may indicate multiple transmission beams, MCS, TCI, or a combination of these for UE 115-d.

[0164] At 320, the base station 105-b may send a multicast sidelink grant to the UE 115-d, the multicast sidelink grant indicating time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communications between the UE 115-d and one or more UEs 115 in the set of UEs 115 (e.g., including the UE 115-e). The base station 105-b may send the multicast sidelink grant to each of the one or more UEs 115 (e.g., including the UE 115-d and the UE 115-e). The UE 115-e may receive the multicast sidelink grant from the base station 105-b, the multicast sidelink grant indicating time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communications between the one or more UEs 115 (including the UE 115-d and the UE 115-e). The UE 115-e may receive the multicast sidelink grant from the base station 105-b in a multicast transmission or a dedicated (e.g., unicast) transmission.

[0165] UE 115-d may receive a multicast sidelink grant from base station 105-b, the multicast sidelink grant indicating time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communications between UE 115-d and one or more UEs 115 in a set of UEs 115 (e.g., including UE 115-e). UE 115-d may receive in the multicast sidelink grant an ID of UE 115-d, a corresponding ID for each UE 115 in the set of UEs 115, one or more transmission beams for transmission of a multicast sidelink message, or a combination of these items. The one or more transmission beams may be a subset of the transmission beam set included in the sidelink scheduling request. Base station 105-b may send the multicast sidelink grant in an RRC message, a MAC-CE message, a DCI transmission, or a combination of these items.

[0166] UE 115-e may receive in a multicast sidelink grant respective identifiers of UE 115-e and one or more UEs 115, UE 115-d, one or more transmission beams for transmission of a multicast sidelink message, or a combination of these items.

[0167] At 325, UE 115-d may send a multicast sidelink message to one or more UEs 115 (including UE 115-e) via the time-frequency resources indicated by the multicast sidelink grant. UE 115-e may monitor the time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communications from UE 115-d.

[0168] The UE 115-e may determine a receive beam for receiving the multicast sidelink communication based on the multicast sidelink grant. The UE 115-e may use the receive beam to monitor the time-frequency resources.

[0169] Figure 4A block diagram 400 of a device 405 supporting sidelink multicast scheduling according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The device 405 may be an example of aspects of a UE 115 as described herein. The device 405 may include a receiver 410, a communication manager 415, and a transmitter 420. The device 405 may also include a processor. Each of these components may communicate with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0170] The receiver 410 may receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to sidelink multicast scheduling, etc.). The information may be communicated to other components of the device 405. The receiver 410 may be a reference Figure 7 Examples of various aspects of transceiver 720 are described. Receiver 410 may utilize a single antenna or a group of antennas.

[0171] The communication manager 415 may perform the following operations: send a sidelink scheduling request for multicast sidelink communication with a set of UEs to a base station; receive a multicast sidelink grant from the base station, the multicast sidelink grant indicating time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication between a first UE and one or more UEs in the set of UEs; and send a multicast sidelink message to one or more UEs via the time-frequency resources indicated by the multicast sidelink grant. The communication manager 415 may also perform the following operations: establish a connection with a base station that supports communication for a UE group including a first UE; receive a multicast sidelink grant from the base station, the multicast sidelink grant indicating time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication between one or more UEs including the first UE and a second UE in the UE group; and monitor time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication from a second UE. The communication manager 415 may be an example of various aspects of the communication manager 710 described herein.

[0172] The communication manager 415 may be an example of a means for performing various aspects of managing sidelink communications as described herein. The communication manager 415 or its subcomponents may be implemented in hardware (e.g., in a communication management circuit). The circuit may include a processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described in the present disclosure.

[0173] In another implementation, the communication manager 415 or its subcomponents may be implemented in code executed by a processor (e.g., such as communication management software or firmware), or any combination thereof. If implemented in code executed by a processor, the functions of the communication manager 415 or its subcomponents may be performed by a general purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described in the present disclosure.

[0174] In some examples, communications manager 415 may be configured to perform various operations (eg, receive, determine, send) using or otherwise in conjunction with receiver 410, transmitter 420, or both.

[0175] The communication manager 415 or its subcomponents may be physically located at various locations, including being distributed so that portions of the functions are implemented by one or more physical components at different physical locations. In some examples, according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, the communication manager 415 or its subcomponents may be separate and distinct components. In some examples, according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, the communication manager 415 or its subcomponents may be combined with one or more other hardware components (including, but not limited to, input / output (I / O) components, transceivers, network servers, another computing device, one or more other components described in the present disclosure, or combinations thereof).

[0176] The transmitter 420 may transmit signals generated by other components of the device 405. In some examples, the transmitter 420 may be co-located with the receiver 410 in a transceiver module. For example, the transmitter 420 may be a reference Figure 7 Examples of aspects of transceiver 720 are described. Transmitter 420 may utilize a single antenna or a group of antennas.

[0177] In some examples, the communication manager 415 described herein may be implemented as a chipset for a wireless modem, and the receiver 410 and the transmitter 420 may be implemented as a collection of analog components (e.g., amplifiers, filters, phase shifters, antennas, etc.). The wireless modem may obtain and decode signals from the receiver 410 through a receiving interface, and may output signals through a transmitting interface for transmission to the transmitter 420.

[0178] The actions performed by the communication manager 415 as described herein may be implemented to achieve one or more potential advantages. One implementation may allow a device 405 (e.g., a UE 115) to save power and increase battery life by avoiding unnecessary retransmissions via multicast coordination with the base station 105. Additionally or alternatively, time resources and frequency resources may be used more efficiently through coordination with the base station 105. In one example, the communication manager 415 may increase the amount of data sent by the transmitter 420 by efficiently using resources. Another implementation may provide improved quality and reliability of service at the device 405 by diversifying the types of communications sent and received by the communication manager 415.

[0179] By coordinating with the base station 105 to efficiently determine resource allocations, a processor of the device 405 (e.g., a processor controlling the receiver 410, the communication manager 415, the transmitter 420, etc.) can reduce processing resources used for communications. For example, by scheduling sidelink transmissions based on indications received from the base station 105, the processor can efficiently select resources for transmission. Additionally or alternatively, by selecting resources based on coordination with the base station 105, the number of times the processor boosts processing power and turns on processing units can be reduced.

[0180] Figure 5 A block diagram 500 of a device 505 supporting sidelink multicast scheduling according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The device 505 can be an example of aspects of the device 405 or UE 115 as described herein. The device 505 can include a receiver 510, a communication manager 515, and a transmitter 550. The device 505 can also include a processor. Each of these components can communicate with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0181] The receiver 510 may receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to sidelink multicast scheduling, etc.). The information may be communicated to other components of the device 505. The receiver 510 may be a reference Figure 7 Examples of various aspects of the transceiver 720 are described. The receiver 510 may utilize a single antenna or a group of antennas.

[0182] Communications manager 515 may be an example of aspects of communications manager 415 as described herein. Communications manager 515 may include sidelink scheduling component 520, grant receiving component 525, multicast sidelink component 530, connection establishment component 535, sidelink grant receiving component 540, and monitoring component 545. Communications manager 515 may be an example of aspects of communications manager 710 as described herein.

[0183] Sidelink scheduling component 520 can send a sidelink scheduling request to a base station for multicast sidelink communications with a set of UEs.

[0184] The grant receiving component 525 can receive a multicast sidelink grant from the base station, the multicast sidelink grant indicating time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communications between the first UE and one or more UEs in the set of UEs.

[0185] Multicast sidelink component 530 can send a multicast sidelink message to one or more UEs via the time-frequency resources indicated by the multicast sidelink grant.Connection establishing component 535 can establish a connection with a base station supporting communication for a group of UEs including the first UE.

[0186] The sidelink grant receiving component 540 can receive a multicast sidelink grant from a base station, the multicast sidelink grant indicating time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication between one or more UEs including the first UE and a second UE of the UE group. The monitoring component 545 can monitor the time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication from the second UE.

[0187] The transmitter 550 may transmit signals generated by other components of the device 505. In some examples, the transmitter 550 may be co-located with the receiver 510 in a transceiver module. For example, the transmitter 550 may be a reference Figure 7 Examples of aspects of transceiver 720 are described. Transmitter 550 may utilize a single antenna or a group of antennas.

[0188] A processor of UE 115 (eg, controlling receiver 510, transmitter 550, or Figure 7 The transceiver 720 described above can efficiently operate the components of the UE 115 to improve the quality of service and communication reliability at the UE 115. The processor of the UE 115 can operate the transmitter 550 to send a sidelink request grant to the base station 105, which can improve the coordination of the sidelink communication and reduce the number of retransmissions required to successfully send a sidelink unicast or multicast message transmission. The processor can also efficiently operate the receiver 510 to receive the sidelink grant from the base station 105, which can further improve the coordination of the sidelink communication to and from the UE 115.

[0189] Figure 6Block diagram 600 of a communication manager 605 supporting sidelink multicast scheduling according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The communication manager 605 can be an example of aspects of the communication manager 415, the communication manager 515, or the communication manager 710 described herein. The communication manager 605 can include a sidelink scheduling component 610, a grant reception component 615, a multicast sidelink component 620, an ID component 625, a multicast indication component 630, a sidelink request component 635, a connection establishment component 640, a sidelink grant reception component 645, a monitoring component 650, and a receive beam determination component 655. Each of these modules can be in communication with each other (e.g., via one or more buses) directly or indirectly.

[0190] Sidelink scheduling component 610 may send a sidelink scheduling request to a base station for multicast sidelink communications with a set of UEs.

[0191] In some examples, sidelink scheduling component 610 can send a sidelink scheduling request in an RRC message, a MAC-CE, an SR, a BSR, or any combination thereof. In some cases, the BSR indicates an amount of data retained in a buffer of the first UE for transmission via the multicast sidelink communication.

[0192] In some examples, sidelink scheduling component 610 can determine the set of UEs based on a beam training process for groupcast sidelink communications. In some cases, the set of UEs is a subset of the group of UEs that includes the first UE.

[0193] The grant receiving component 615 can receive a multicast sidelink grant from the base station, the multicast sidelink grant indicating time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communications between the first UE and one or more UEs in the set of UEs.

[0194] In some examples, grant receiving component 615 can receive the multicast sidelink grant in an RRC message, a MAC-CE, a DCI transmission, or any combination thereof.

[0195] Multicast sidelink component 620 may send a multicast sidelink message to one or more UEs via the time-frequency resources indicated by the multicast sidelink grant.

[0196] The connection establishing component 640 may establish a connection with a base station supporting communications for a group of UEs including the first UE.

[0197] The sidelink grant receiving component 645 may receive a multicast sidelink grant from a base station, the multicast sidelink grant indicating time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communications between one or more UEs including the first UE and a second UE of the UE group.

[0198] In some examples, the sidelink grant receiving component 645 can receive a first UE and one or more UEs in a multicast sidelink grant, a corresponding identifier of a second UE, one or more transmission beams for transmission of a multicast sidelink message, or any combination thereof.

[0199] In some examples, sidelink grant receiving component 645 can receive a multicast sidelink grant from a base station in a multicast transmission or a dedicated transmission.

[0200] In some examples, sidelink grant receiving component 645 can receive the multicast sidelink grant in an RRC message, a MAC-CE, a DCI transmission, or any combination thereof.

[0201] Monitoring component 650 can monitor the time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communications from the second UE. In some examples, monitoring component 650 can monitor the time-frequency resources using a receive beam.

[0202] The ID component 625 may send, in a sidelink scheduling request, a group identifier associated with the set of UEs and the first UE, an identifier of the first UE, one or more transmission beams for a multicast sidelink message, a corresponding identifier for each UE in the set of UEs, an amount of data corresponding to the multicast sidelink message, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the ID component 625 may receive, in a multicast sidelink grant, an identifier of the first UE, a corresponding identifier for each UE in the one or more UEs, one or more transmission beams for transmission of the multicast sidelink message, or any combination thereof. In some cases, the one or more transmission beams are a subset of the set of transmission beams included in the sidelink scheduling request.

[0203] Multicast indication component 630 can receive an indication to send one or more multicast sidelink messages based on a size of a multicast buffer of the first UE independently of a sidelink scheduling request.In some cases, the size of the multicast buffer of the first UE is above a buffer threshold.

[0204] Sidelink request component 635 can send a request to perform multicast sidelink communications with a set of UEs supported by a base station. In some examples, sidelink request component 635 can receive an indication of one or more UEs in the set of UEs in response to the request.

[0205] Receive beam determining component 655 can determine a receive beam for receiving multicast sidelink communications based on the multicast sidelink grant.

[0206] Figure 7A diagram of a system 700 including a device 705 supporting sidelink multicast scheduling according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The device 705 may be an example of or include a component of a device 405, a device 505, or a UE 115 as described herein. The device 705 may include components for two-way voice and data communications, including components for sending and receiving communications, including a communication manager 710, an I / O controller 715, a transceiver 720, an antenna 725, a memory 730, and a processor 740. These components may communicate electronically via one or more buses (e.g., a bus 745).

[0207] The communication manager 710 may perform the following operations: send a sidelink scheduling request for multicast sidelink communication with a set of UEs to a base station; receive a multicast sidelink grant from the base station, the multicast sidelink grant indicating time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication between a first UE and one or more UEs in the set of UEs; and send a multicast sidelink message to one or more UEs via the time-frequency resources indicated by the multicast sidelink grant. The communication manager 710 may also perform the following operations: establish a connection with a base station that supports communication for a UE group including a first UE; receive a multicast sidelink grant from the base station, the multicast sidelink grant indicating time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication between one or more UEs including the first UE and a second UE in the UE group; and monitor time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication from a second UE.

[0208] I / O controller 715 can manage input and output signals for device 705. I / O controller 715 can also manage peripheral devices that are not integrated into device 705. In some cases, I / O controller 715 can represent a physical connection or port to an external peripheral device. In some cases, I / O controller 715 can utilize a computer such as a 705. In some cases, the I / O controller 715 may be implemented as part of a processor. In some cases, a user may interact with the device 705 via the I / O controller 715 or via hardware components controlled by the I / O controller 715.

[0209] The transceiver 720 may communicate bidirectionally via one or more antennas, wired or wireless links as described above. For example, the transceiver 720 may represent a wireless transceiver and may communicate bidirectionally with another wireless transceiver. The transceiver 720 may also include a modem for modulating packets and providing the modulated packets to an antenna for transmission, and demodulating packets received from an antenna.

[0210] In some cases, a wireless device may include a single antenna 725. However, in some cases, the device may have more than one antenna 725, which may be capable of sending or receiving multiple wireless transmissions simultaneously.

[0211] The memory 730 may include random access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM). The memory 730 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code 735, which includes instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to perform various functions described herein. In some cases, the memory 730 may also contain, among other things, a basic I / O system (BIOS), which may control basic hardware or software operations, such as interaction with peripheral components or devices.

[0212] Processor 740 may include an intelligent hardware device (e.g., a general purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, a microcontroller, an ASIC, an FPGA, a programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic component, a discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof). In some cases, processor 740 may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In other cases, the memory controller may be integrated into processor 740. Processor 740 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (e.g., memory 730) to cause device 705 to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks that support sidelink multicast scheduling).

[0213] The code 735 may include instructions for implementing various aspects of the present disclosure, including instructions for supporting wireless communications. The code 735 may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as a system memory or other type of memory. In some cases, the code 735 may not be directly executable by the processor 740, but may cause a computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform the functions described herein.

[0214] Figure 8A block diagram 800 of a device 805 supporting sidelink multicast scheduling according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The device 805 can be an example of aspects of the base station 105 as described herein. The device 805 may include a receiver 810, a communication manager 815, and a transmitter 820. The device 805 may also include a processor. Each of these components may communicate with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0215] The receiver 810 may receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to sidelink multicast scheduling, etc.). The information may be communicated to other components of the device 805. The receiver 810 may be a reference Fig.11 Examples of various aspects of the transceiver 1120 are described. The receiver 810 may utilize a single antenna or a group of antennas.

[0216] The communication manager 815 may perform the following operations: receiving a sidelink scheduling request for a multicast sidelink communication between the first UE and a set of UEs in the UE group supported by the base station; determining one or more UEs in the set of UEs and a time-frequency resource for the multicast sidelink communication between the first UE and the one or more UEs based on the sidelink scheduling request; and sending a multicast sidelink grant to the first UE, the multicast sidelink grant indicating the time-frequency resource for the multicast sidelink communication between the first UE and the one or more UEs in the set of UEs. The communication manager 815 may be an example of aspects of the communication manager 1110 described herein.

[0217] The communication manager 815 or its subcomponents may be implemented in hardware, in code (e.g., software or firmware) executed by a processor, or any combination thereof. If implemented in code executed by a processor, the functions of the communication manager 815 or its subcomponents may be performed by a general purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described in the present disclosure.

[0218] The communication manager 815 or its subcomponents may be physically located at various locations, including being distributed so that portions of the functions are implemented by one or more physical components at different physical locations. In some examples, according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, the communication manager 815 or its subcomponents may be separate and distinct components. In some examples, according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, the communication manager 815 or its subcomponents may be combined with one or more other hardware components (including but not limited to I / O components, transceivers, network servers, another computing device, one or more other components described in the present disclosure, or combinations thereof).

[0219] The transmitter 820 can transmit signals generated by other components of the device 805. In some examples, the transmitter 820 can be co-located with the receiver 810 in a transceiver module. For example, the transmitter 820 can be a reference Fig.11 Examples of various aspects of the transceiver 1120 are described. The transmitter 820 may utilize a single antenna or a group of antennas.

[0220] Fig. 9 A block diagram 900 of a device 905 supporting sidelink multicast scheduling according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The device 905 may be an example of aspects of the device 805 or base station 105 as described herein. The device 905 may include a receiver 910, a communication manager 915, and a transmitter 935. The device 905 may also include a processor. Each of these components may communicate with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0221] The receiver 910 may receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to sidelink multicast scheduling, etc.). The information may be communicated to other components of the device 905. The receiver 910 may be a reference Fig.11 Examples of various aspects of the transceiver 1120 are described. The receiver 910 may utilize a single antenna or a group of antennas.

[0222] Communications manager 915 may be an example of aspects of communications manager 815 as described herein. Communications manager 915 may include a schedule receive component 920, a resource determine component 925, and a grant send component 930. Communications manager 915 may be an example of aspects of communications manager 1110 as described herein.

[0223] Schedule receiving component 920 may receive, from a first UE of a UE group supported by a base station, a sidelink scheduling request for multicast sidelink communications between the first UE and a set of UEs of the UE group.

[0224] Resource determining component 925 may determine, based on the sidelink scheduling request, one or more UEs in the set of UEs and time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communications between the first UE and the one or more UEs.

[0225] The grant sending component 930 can send a multicast sidelink grant to the first UE, and the multicast sidelink grant indicates time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication between the first UE and one or more UEs in the set of UEs.

[0226] The transmitter 935 can transmit signals generated by other components of the device 905. In some examples, the transmitter 935 can be co-located with the receiver 910 in a transceiver module. For example, the transmitter 935 can be a reference Fig.11 Examples of various aspects of the transceiver 1120 are described. The transmitter 935 may utilize a single antenna or a group of antennas.

[0227] Fig.10 A block diagram 1000 of a communication manager 1005 supporting sidelink multicast scheduling according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The communication manager 1005 can be an example of aspects of the communication manager 815, the communication manager 915, or the communication manager 1110 described herein. The communication manager 1005 can include a schedule receiving component 1010, a resource determining component 1015, a grant sending component 1020, an ID module 1025, a beam determining component 1030, a multicast initiating component 1035, a configuration component 1040, a request receiving component 1045, and a UE selecting component 1050. Each of these modules can communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0228] The scheduling receiving component 1010 can receive a sidelink scheduling request for a multicast sidelink communication between the first UE and the set of UEs of the UE group supported by the base station from a first UE of the UE group. In some examples, the scheduling receiving component 1010 can receive the sidelink scheduling request in an RRC message, a MAC-CE, an SR, a BSR, or any combination thereof. In some cases, the BSR indicates an amount of data maintained in a buffer of the first UE for transmission via the multicast sidelink communication.

[0229] Resource determining component 1015 may determine, based on the sidelink scheduling request, one or more UEs in the set of UEs and time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communications between the first UE and the one or more UEs.

[0230] The grant sending component 1020 can send a multicast sidelink grant to the first UE, the multicast sidelink grant indicating time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication between the first UE and one or more UEs in the UE set. In some examples, the grant sending component 1020 can send the multicast sidelink grant to each UE in the one or more UEs. In some examples, the grant sending component 1020 can send the multicast sidelink grant in an RRC message, a MAC-CE, a DCI transmission, or any combination thereof.

[0231] The ID module 1025 may receive in the sidelink scheduling request a group identifier associated with the UE group, an identifier of the first UE, one or more transmission beams for the multicast sidelink message, a corresponding identifier for each UE in the set of UEs, an amount of data for transmission by the first UE corresponding to the multicast sidelink message, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the ID module 1025 may send in the multicast sidelink grant an identifier of the first UE, a corresponding identifier for each UE in the one or more UEs, one or more transmission beams for transmission of the multicast sidelink message, or any combination thereof.

[0232] The beam determination component 1030 can identify a set of transmission beams included in the sidelink scheduling request. In some examples, the beam determination component 1030 can determine one or more transmission beams for transmission of a multicast sidelink message, wherein the one or more transmission beams are a subset of the set of transmission beams.

[0233] The multicast initiating component 1035 can send an indication to the first UE to send one or more multicast sidelink messages based on the size of the first UE's multicast buffer independent of the sidelink scheduling request. In some cases, the size of the first UE's multicast buffer is higher than the buffer.

[0234] Configuration component 1040 can determine a transmission configuration for multicast sidelink communication between a first UE and one or more UEs in a UE set, wherein the transmission configuration indicates multiple transmission beams, MCS, TCI, or any combination thereof for the first UE.

[0235] The request receiving component 1045 can receive a request for multicast sidelink communication to a set of UEs supported by the base station. The UE selection component 1050 can determine one or more UEs in the set of UEs based on the request. In some examples, the UE selection component 1050 can send an indication of one or more UEs for multicast sidelink communication in response to the request.

[0236] Fig.11A diagram of a system 1100 including a device 1105 supporting sidelink multicast scheduling according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The device 1105 may be an example of or include a component of a device 805, a device 905, or a base station 105 as described herein. The device 1105 may include components for two-way voice and data communications, including components for sending and receiving communications, including a communication manager 1110, a network communication manager 1115, a transceiver 1120, an antenna 1125, a memory 1130, a processor 1140, and an inter-station communication manager 1145. These components may communicate electronically via one or more buses (e.g., a bus 1150).

[0237] The communication manager 1110 can perform the following operations: receive a sidelink scheduling request for multicast sidelink communication between the first UE and a set of UEs in the UE group supported by the base station; determine one or more UEs in the UE set and time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication between the first UE and the one or more UEs based on the sidelink scheduling request; and send a multicast sidelink grant to the first UE, the multicast sidelink grant indicating the time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication between the first UE and one or more UEs in the UE set.

[0238] The network communications manager 1115 may manage communications with the core network (eg, via one or more wired backhaul links). For example, the network communications manager 1115 may manage the transmission of data communications for client devices (eg, one or more UEs 115).

[0239] The transceiver 1120 may communicate bidirectionally via one or more antennas, wired or wireless links as described above. For example, the transceiver 1120 may represent a wireless transceiver and may communicate bidirectionally with another wireless transceiver. The transceiver 1120 may also include a modem for modulating packets and providing the modulated packets to an antenna for transmission, and demodulating packets received from an antenna.

[0240] In some cases, a wireless device may include a single antenna 1125. However, in some cases, the device may have more than one antenna 1125, which may be capable of sending or receiving multiple wireless transmissions simultaneously.

[0241] The memory 1130 may include RAM, ROM, or a combination thereof. The memory 1130 may store computer readable code 1135, which includes instructions that, when executed by a processor (e.g., processor 1140), cause the device to perform various functions described herein. In some cases, the memory 1130 may also contain, among other things, a BIOS that may control basic hardware or software operations, such as interaction with peripheral components or devices.

[0242] Processor 1140 may include an intelligent hardware device (e.g., a general purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, a microcontroller, an ASIC, an FPGA, a programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic component, a discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof). In some cases, processor 1140 may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In some cases, the memory controller may be integrated into processor 1140. Processor 1140 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (e.g., memory 1130) to cause device 1105 to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks that support sidelink multicast scheduling).

[0243] The inter-site communication manager 1145 may manage communications with other base stations 105 and may include a controller or scheduler for controlling communications with UE 115 in cooperation with other base stations 105. For example, the inter-site communication manager 1145 may coordinate scheduling of transmissions to UE 115 for various interference mitigation techniques such as beamforming or joint transmission. In some examples, the inter-site communication manager 1145 may provide an X2 interface within an LTE / LTE-A wireless communication network technology to provide communications between base stations 105.

[0244] The code 1135 may include instructions for implementing various aspects of the present disclosure, including instructions for supporting wireless communications. The code 1135 may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as a system memory or other type of memory. In some cases, the code 1135 may not be directly executable by the processor 1140, but may cause a computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform the functions described herein.

[0245] Fig.12 A flow chart illustrating a method 1200 for supporting sidelink multicast scheduling according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The operations of the method 1200 may be implemented by the UE 115 or components thereof as described herein. For example, the operations of the method 1200 may be implemented by the UE 115 or components thereof as described herein. Figures 4 to 7In some examples, the UE may execute an instruction set to control the functional elements of the UE to perform the functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the UE may use dedicated hardware to perform various aspects of the functions described below.

[0246] At 1205, the UE may send a sidelink scheduling request to the base station for multicast sidelink communications with the set of UEs. The operations of 1205 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1205 may be performed as described with reference to Figures 4 to 7 The sidelink scheduling component described is performed.

[0247] At 1210, the UE may receive a multicast sidelink grant from a base station, the multicast sidelink grant indicating time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communications between the first UE and one or more UEs in the set of UEs. The operations of 1210 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1210 may be performed as described with reference to Figures 4 to 7 The described permission is granted to the receiving component to execute.

[0248] At 1215, the UE may receive in a multicast sidelink grant an identifier of the first UE, a respective identifier for each of the one or more UEs, one or more transmission beams for transmission of a multicast sidelink message, or any combination thereof. The operations of 1215 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1215 may be performed as described with reference to Figures 4 to 7 Describes the ID component to perform.

[0249] At 1220, the UE may send a multicast sidelink message to one or more UEs via the time-frequency resources indicated by the multicast sidelink grant. The operations of 1220 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1220 may be performed as described with reference to Figures 4 to 7 The multicast sidelink component described is performed.

[0250] Fig.13 A flow chart illustrating a method 1300 for supporting sidelink multicast scheduling according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The operations of the method 1300 may be implemented by the UE 115 or components thereof as described herein. For example, the operations of the method 1300 may be implemented by the UE 115 or components thereof as described herein. Figures 4 to 7 In some examples, the UE may execute an instruction set to control the functional elements of the UE to perform the functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the UE may use dedicated hardware to perform various aspects of the functions described below.

[0251] At 1305, the UE may send a sidelink scheduling request to the base station for multicast sidelink communications with the set of UEs. The operations of 1305 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1305 may be performed as described with reference to Figures 4 to 7 The sidelink scheduling component described is performed.

[0252] At 1310, the UE may receive a multicast sidelink grant from a base station, the multicast sidelink grant indicating time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communications between the first UE and a plurality of UEs in the UE set. The operations of 1310 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1310 may be performed as described with reference to Figures 4 to 7 The described permission is granted to the receiving component to execute.

[0253] At 1315, the UE may send a multicast sidelink message to the plurality of UEs via the time-frequency resources indicated by the multicast sidelink grant. The operations of 1315 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1315 may be performed as described with reference to Figures 4 to 7 The multicast sidelink component described is performed.

[0254] Fig.14 A flow chart illustrating a method 1400 for supporting sidelink multicast scheduling according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The operations of the method 1400 may be implemented by the UE 115 or components thereof as described herein. For example, the operations of the method 1400 may be implemented by the UE 115 or components thereof as described herein. Figures 4 to 7 In some examples, the UE may execute an instruction set to control the functional elements of the UE to perform the functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the UE may use dedicated hardware to perform various aspects of the functions described below.

[0255] At 1405, the UE may send a sidelink scheduling request to the base station for multicast sidelink communications with the set of UEs. The operations of 1405 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1405 may be performed as described with reference to Figures 4 to 7 The sidelink scheduling component described is performed.

[0256] At 1410, the UE may send, in a sidelink scheduling request, a group identifier associated with the set of UEs and the first UE, an identifier of the first UE, one or more transmission beams for a multicast sidelink message, a respective identifier for each UE in the set of UEs, an amount of data corresponding to the multicast sidelink message, or any combination thereof. The operations of 1410 may be performed according to methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1410 may be performed as described with reference to Figures 4 to 7Describes the ID component to perform.

[0257] At 1415, the UE may receive a multicast sidelink grant from the base station, the multicast sidelink grant indicating time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communications between the first UE and a plurality of UEs in the set of UEs. The operations of 1415 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1415 may be performed as described with reference to Figures 4 to 7 The described permission is granted to the receiving component to execute.

[0258] At 1420, the UE may send a multicast sidelink message to multiple UEs via the time-frequency resources indicated by the multicast sidelink grant. The operations of 1420 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1420 may be performed as described with reference to Figures 4 to 7 The multicast sidelink component described is performed.

[0259] Fig.15 A flow chart illustrating a method 1500 for supporting sidelink multicast scheduling according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The operations of the method 1500 may be implemented by the base station 105 or components thereof as described herein. For example, the operations of the method 1500 may be implemented by the base station 105 or components thereof as described herein. Figures 8 to 11 In some examples, the base station may execute an instruction set to control the functional elements of the base station to perform the functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the base station may use dedicated hardware to perform various aspects of the functions described below.

[0260] At 1505, the base station may receive, from a first UE of a UE group supported by the base station, a sidelink scheduling request for a multicast sidelink communication between the first UE and a set of UEs of the UE group. The operations of 1505 may be performed according to methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1505 may be performed as described with reference to Figures 8 to 11 Describes the dispatch receiving component to execute.

[0261] At 1510, the base station may determine one or more UEs in the set of UEs and time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communications between the first UE and the one or more UEs based on the sidelink scheduling request. The operations of 1510 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1510 may be performed as described with reference to Figures 8 to 11 The resources described determine the component to execute.

[0262] At 1515, the base station may send a multicast sidelink grant to the first UE, the multicast sidelink grant indicating time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communications between the first UE and one or more UEs in the set of UEs. The operations of 1515 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1515 may be performed as described with reference to Figures 8 to 11 The described permission is sent to the component to execute.

[0263] At 1520, the base station may send an identifier of the first UE, a respective identifier for each of the one or more UEs, one or more transmission beams for transmission of a multicast sidelink message, or any combination thereof in a multicast sidelink grant. The operations of 1520 may be performed according to methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1520 may be performed as described with reference to Figures 8 to 11 Describes the ID module to execute.

[0264] Fig.16 A flow chart illustrating a method 1600 for supporting sidelink multicast scheduling according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The operations of the method 1600 may be implemented by a UE 115 or a component thereof as described herein. For example, the operations of the method 1600 may be implemented by a UE 115 or a component thereof as described herein. Figures 4 to 7 In some examples, the UE may execute an instruction set to control the functional elements of the UE to perform the functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the UE may use dedicated hardware to perform various aspects of the functions described below.

[0265] At 1605, the UE may establish a connection with a base station that supports communication for a group of UEs including the first UE. The operations of 1605 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1605 may be performed as described with reference to Figures 4 to 7 The connection establishment component described is performed.

[0266] At 1610, the UE may receive a multicast sidelink grant from a base station, the multicast sidelink grant indicating time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communications between one or more UEs including the first UE and a second UE of the UE group. The operations of 1610 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1610 may be performed as described with reference to Figures 4 to 7 The described sidelink enables the receiving component to perform.

[0267] At 1615, the UE may receive the first UE and one or more UEs, respective identifiers of the second UE, one or more receive beams for reception of the multicast sidelink message, or any combination thereof in a multicast sidelink grant. The operations of 1615 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1615 may be performed as described with reference to Figures 4 to 7 Describes the ID component to perform.

[0268] At 1620, the UE may monitor the time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communications from the second UE. The operations of 1620 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1620 may be as described with reference to Figures 4 to 7 The monitoring components described are executed.

[0269] Fig.17 A flow chart illustrating a method 1700 for supporting sidelink multicast scheduling according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The operations of the method 1700 may be implemented by a UE 115 or a component thereof as described herein. For example, the operations of the method 1700 may be implemented by a UE 115 or a component thereof as described herein. Figures 4 to 7 In some examples, the UE may execute an instruction set to control the functional elements of the UE to perform the functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the UE may use dedicated hardware to perform various aspects of the functions described below.

[0270] At 1705, the UE may establish a connection with a base station that supports communication for a group of UEs including the first UE. The operations of 1705 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1705 may be performed as described with reference to Figures 4 to 7 The connection establishment component described is performed.

[0271] At 1710, the UE may receive a multicast sidelink grant from a base station, the multicast sidelink grant indicating time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communications between one or more UEs including the first UE and a second UE of the UE group. The operations of 1710 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1710 may be performed as described with reference to Figures 4 to 7 The described sidelink enables the receiving component to perform.

[0272] At 1715, the UE may receive the first UE and one or more UEs, respective identifiers of the second UE, one or more receive beams for reception of the multicast sidelink message, or any combination thereof in a multicast sidelink grant. The operations of 1715 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1715 may be performed as described with reference to Figures 4 to 7 Describes the ID component to perform.

[0273] At 1720, the UE may identify a receive beam for receiving multicast sidelink communications based on the multicast sidelink grant. The operations of 1720 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1720 may be performed as described with reference to Figures 4 to 7 The receive beam determination component described is performed.

[0274] At 1725, the UE may use a receive beam to monitor the time-frequency resources. The operations of 1725 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1725 may be described with reference to Figures 4 to 7 The monitoring components described are executed.

[0275] At 1730, the UE may monitor the time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communications from the second UE. The operations of 1730 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1730 may be as described with reference to Figures 4 to 7 The monitoring components described are executed.

[0276] It should be noted that the methods described herein describe possible implementations, and that the operations and steps may be rearranged or otherwise modified, and other implementations are possible. Furthermore, aspects from two or more of the methods may be combined.

[0277] The following provides a summary of various aspects of the present disclosure:

[0278] Aspect 1: A method for wireless communication at a first UE, comprising: sending a sidelink scheduling request for multicast sidelink communication with a set of UEs to a base station; receiving a multicast sidelink grant from the base station, the multicast sidelink grant indicating time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication between the first UE and one or more UEs in the set of UEs; receiving in the multicast sidelink grant an identifier of the first UE, a corresponding identifier for each of the one or more UEs, one or more transmission beams for transmission of a multicast sidelink message, or any combination thereof; and sending the multicast sidelink message to the one or more UEs via the time-frequency resources indicated by the multicast sidelink grant.

[0279] Aspect 2: The method according to Aspect 1 also includes: sending in the sidelink scheduling request a group identifier associated with the UE set and the first UE, the identifier of the first UE, one or more transmission beams used for the multicast sidelink message, a corresponding identifier for each UE in the UE set, the amount of data corresponding to the multicast sidelink message, or any combination thereof.

[0280] Aspect 3: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 and 2, wherein the one or more transmission beams are a subset of the transmission beam set included in the sidelink scheduling request.

[0281] Aspect 4: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 3 further includes: sending the sidelink scheduling request in an RRC message, MAC-CE, SR, BSR or any combination thereof.

[0282] Aspect 5: The method according to aspect 4, wherein the BSR indicates an amount of data retained in a buffer of the first UE for transmission via multicast sidelink communication.

[0283] Aspect 6: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 5 also includes: receiving an indication for sending one or more multicast sidelink messages based at least in part on the size of the multicast buffer of the first UE independently of the sidelink scheduling request.

[0284] Aspect 7: The method according to aspect 6, wherein the size of the multicast buffer of the first UE is higher than a buffer threshold.

[0285] Aspect 8: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 7 further includes: receiving the multicast sidelink grant in an RRC message, a MAC-CE, a DCI transmission, or any combination thereof.

[0286] Aspect 9: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 8, wherein the UE set is a subgroup of a UE group including the first UE.

[0287] Aspect 10: The method according to aspect 9 also includes: determining the set of UEs based at least in part on a beam training process for multicast sidelink communication.

[0288] Aspect 11: The method according to Aspect 10 also includes: sending a request for performing multicast sidelink communication with multiple UEs supported by the base station; and receiving an indication of the one or more UEs in the UE set in response to the request.

[0289] Aspect 12: A method for wireless communication at a first UE, comprising: sending a sidelink scheduling request for multicast sidelink communication with a set of UEs to a base station; receiving a multicast sidelink grant from the base station, the multicast sidelink grant indicating time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication between the first UE and multiple UEs in the UE set; and sending a multicast sidelink message to the multiple UEs via the time-frequency resources indicated by the multicast sidelink grant.

[0290] Aspect 13: The method according to Aspect 12 also includes: sending in the sidelink scheduling request a group identifier associated with the UE set and the first UE, an identifier of the first UE, one or more transmission beams used for the multicast sidelink message, a corresponding identifier for each UE in the UE set, an amount of data corresponding to the multicast sidelink message, or any combination thereof.

[0291] Aspect 14: The method according to any one of Aspects 12 and 13 further includes: receiving an identifier of the first UE in the multicast sidelink grant, a corresponding identifier for each of the multiple UEs, one or more transmission beams for transmission of the multicast sidelink message, or any combination thereof.

[0292] Aspect 15: The method according to Aspect 14, wherein the one or more transmission beams are a subset of the transmission beam set included in the sidelink scheduling request.

[0293] Aspect 16: The method according to any one of Aspects 12 to 15 further includes: sending the sidelink scheduling request in an RRC message, MAC-CE, SR, BSR or any combination thereof.

[0294] Aspect 17: The method according to aspect 16, wherein the BSR indicates an amount of data retained in a buffer of the first UE for transmission via multicast sidelink communication.

[0295] Aspect 18: The method according to any one of Aspects 12 to 17 also includes: receiving an indication for sending one or more multicast sidelink messages based at least in part on the size of the multicast buffer of the first UE independently of the sidelink scheduling request.

[0296] Aspect 19: The method according to Aspect 18, wherein the size of the multicast buffer of the first UE is higher than a buffer threshold.

[0297] Aspect 20: The method according to any one of aspects 12 to 19 further includes: receiving the multicast sidelink grant in an RRC message, a MAC-CE, a DCI transmission, or any combination thereof.

[0298] Aspect 21: The method according to any one of aspects 12 to 20, wherein the UE set is a subgroup of a UE group including the first UE.

[0299] Aspect 22: The method according to Aspect 21 also includes: determining the set of UEs based at least in part on a beam training process for multicast sidelink communication.

[0300] Aspect 23: The method according to Aspect 22 also includes: sending a request for performing multicast sidelink communication with multiple UEs supported by the base station; and receiving an indication of the one or more UEs in the UE set in response to the request.

[0301] Aspect 24: A method for wireless communication at a base station, comprising: receiving a sidelink scheduling request for multicast sidelink communication between a first UE of a UE group supported by the base station and a UE set of the UE group; determining one or more UEs in the UE set and time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication between the first UE and the one or more UEs based at least in part on the sidelink scheduling request; sending a multicast sidelink grant to the first UE, the multicast sidelink grant indicating the time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication between the first UE and the one or more UEs in the UE set; and sending in the multicast sidelink grant an identifier of the first UE, a corresponding identifier for each of the one or more UEs, one or more transmission beams for transmission of multicast sidelink messages, or any combination thereof.

[0302] Aspect 25: The method according to Aspect 24 further includes: receiving in the sidelink scheduling request a group identifier associated with the UE group, the identifier of the first UE, one or more transmission beams for the multicast sidelink message, a corresponding identifier for each UE in the UE set, an amount of data corresponding to the multicast sidelink message for transmission by the first UE, or any combination thereof.

[0303] Aspect 26: The method according to any one of Aspects 24 or 25 further includes: identifying a transmission beam set included in the sidelink scheduling request; and determining the one or more transmission beams used for transmission of the multicast sidelink message, wherein the one or more transmission beams are a subset of the transmission beam set.

[0304] Aspect 27: The method according to any one of Aspects 24 to 26 further includes: sending the multicast sidelink grant to each UE of the one or more UEs.

[0305] Aspect 28: The method according to any one of aspects 24 to 27 further includes: receiving the sidelink scheduling request in an RRC message, MAC-CE, SR, BSR or any combination thereof.

[0306] Aspect 29: The method according to aspect 28, wherein the BSR indicates an amount of data retained in a buffer of the first UE for transmission via multicast sidelink communication.

[0307] Aspect 30: The method according to any one of Aspects 24 to 29 further includes: independently of the sidelink scheduling request, sending an indication to send one or more multicast sidelink messages to the first UE based at least in part on the size of the multicast buffer of the first UE.

[0308] Aspect 31: The method according to aspect 30, wherein the size of the multicast buffer of the first UE is higher than a buffer threshold.

[0309] Aspect 32: The method according to any one of Aspects 24 to 31 further includes: sending the multicast sidelink grant in an RRC message, MAC-CE, DCI transmission or any combination thereof.

[0310] Aspect 33: The method according to any one of Aspects 24 to 32 further includes: determining a transmission configuration for multicast sidelink communication between the first UE and the one or more UEs in the UE set, wherein the transmission configuration indicates multiple transmission beams, MCS, TCI or any combination thereof for the first UE.

[0311] Aspect 34: The method according to any one of Aspects 24 to 32 further includes: receiving a request for multicast sidelink communication to multiple UEs supported by the base station; determining one or more UEs among the multiple UEs based at least in part on the request; and sending an indication of the one or more UEs for multicast sidelink communication in response to the request.

[0312] Aspect 35: A method for wireless communication at a base station, comprising: receiving a sidelink scheduling request for multicast sidelink communication between a first UE of a UE group supported by the base station and a UE set of the UE group; determining a plurality of UEs in the UE set and time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication between the first UE and the plurality of UEs based at least in part on the sidelink scheduling request; and sending a multicast sidelink grant to the first UE, the multicast sidelink grant indicating the time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication between the first UE and the plurality of UEs in the UE set.

[0313] Aspect 36: The method according to Aspect 35 also includes: receiving in the sidelink scheduling request a group identifier associated with the UE group, an identifier of the first UE, one or more transmission beams for a multicast sidelink message, a corresponding identifier for each UE in the UE set, an amount of data corresponding to the multicast sidelink message for transmission by the first UE, or any combination thereof.

[0314] Aspect 37: The method according to any one of Aspects 35 and 36 further includes: sending an identifier of the first UE, a corresponding identifier for each of the multiple UEs, one or more transmission beams for transmission of the multicast sidelink message, or any combination thereof in the multicast sidelink grant.

[0315] Aspect 38: The method according to Aspect 37 further includes: identifying a transmission beam set included in the sidelink scheduling request; and determining the one or more transmission beams used for transmission of the multicast sidelink message, wherein the one or more transmission beams are a subset of the transmission beam set.

[0316] Aspect 39: The method according to any one of Aspects 35 to 38 further includes: sending the multicast sidelink grant to each UE of the one or more UEs.

[0317] Aspect 40: The method according to any one of aspects 35 to 39 further includes: receiving the sidelink scheduling request in an RRC message, MAC-CE, SR, BSR or any combination thereof.

[0318] Aspect 41: A method according to aspect 40, wherein the BSR indicates an amount of data retained in a buffer of the first UE for transmission via multicast sidelink communication.

[0319] Aspect 42: The method according to any one of Aspects 35 to 41 further includes: independently of the sidelink scheduling request, sending an indication to send one or more multicast sidelink messages to the first UE based at least in part on the size of the multicast buffer of the first UE.

[0320] Aspect 43: The method according to aspect 42, wherein the size of the multicast buffer of the first UE is higher than a buffer threshold.

[0321] Aspect 44: The method according to any one of Aspects 35 to 43 further includes: sending the multicast sidelink grant in an RRC message, a MAC-CE, a DCI transmission, or any combination thereof.

[0322] Aspect 45: The method according to any one of Aspects 35 to 44 further includes: determining a transmission configuration for multicast sidelink communication between the first UE and one or more UEs in the UE set, wherein the transmission configuration indicates multiple transmission beams, MCS, TCI or any combination thereof for the first UE.

[0323] Aspect 46: The method according to any one of Aspects 35 to 45 further includes: receiving a request for multicast sidelink communication to multiple UEs supported by the base station; determining one or more UEs among the multiple UEs based at least in part on the request; and sending an indication of the one or more UEs for multicast sidelink communication in response to the request.

[0324] Aspect 47: A method for wireless communication at a first user equipment UE, comprising: establishing a connection with a base station supporting communication for a UE group including the first UE; receiving a multicast sidelink grant from the base station, the multicast sidelink grant indicating time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication between one or more UEs including the first UE and a second UE of the UE group; receiving in the multicast sidelink grant the first UE and the one or more UEs, corresponding identifiers of the second UE, one or more receiving beams for receiving multicast sidelink messages, or any combination thereof; and monitoring the time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication from the second UE.

[0325] Aspect 48: The method according to Aspect 47 further includes: identifying a receiving beam for receiving the multicast sidelink communication based at least in part on the multicast sidelink grant; and using the receiving beam to monitor the time-frequency resources.

[0326] Aspect 49: The method according to any one of Aspects 47 and 48 further includes: receiving the multicast sidelink grant from the base station in a multicast transmission or a dedicated transmission.

[0327] Aspect 50: The method according to any one of aspects 47 to 49 further includes: receiving the multicast sidelink grant in an RRC message, a MAC-CE, a DCI transmission, or any combination thereof.

[0328] Aspect 51: A method for wireless communication at a first user equipment UE, comprising: establishing a connection with a base station supporting communication for a UE group including the first UE; receiving a multicast sidelink grant from the base station, the multicast sidelink grant indicating time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication between multiple UEs including the first UE and a second UE of the UE group; and monitoring the time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication from the second UE.

[0329] Aspect 52: The method according to Aspect 51 further includes: identifying a receiving beam for receiving the multicast sidelink communication based at least in part on the multicast sidelink grant; and using the receiving beam to monitor the time-frequency resources.

[0330] Aspect 53: The method according to any one of Aspects 51 and 52 further includes: receiving the first UE and the multiple UEs, corresponding identifiers of the second UE, one or more receiving beams for receiving multicast sidelink messages, or any combination thereof in the multicast sidelink grant.

[0331] Aspect 54: The method according to any one of Aspects 51 to 53 further includes: receiving the multicast sidelink grant from the base station in a multicast transmission or a dedicated transmission.

[0332] Aspect 55: The method according to any one of Aspects 51 to 54 further includes: receiving the multicast sidelink grant in an RRC message, a MAC-CE, a DCI transmission, or any combination thereof.

[0333] Aspect 56: An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising at least one unit for performing the method of any one of aspects 1 to 11.

[0334] Aspect 57: An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising a processor and a memory coupled to the processor, the processor and the memory being configured to perform the method of any one of aspects 1 to 11.

[0335] Aspect 58: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication, the code comprising instructions executable by a processor to perform the method of any one of aspects 1 to 11.

[0336] Aspect 59: An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising at least one unit for performing the method of any one of Aspects 12 to 23.

[0337] Aspect 60: An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising a processor and a memory coupled to the processor, the processor and the memory being configured to perform the method of any one of aspects 12 to 23.

[0338] Aspect 61: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication, the code comprising instructions executable by a processor to perform the method of any one of aspects 12 to 23.

[0339] Aspect 62: An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising at least one unit for performing the method of any one of Aspects 24 to 34.

[0340] Aspect 63: An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising a processor and a memory coupled to the processor, the processor and the memory being configured to perform the method of any one of aspects 24 to 34.

[0341] Aspect 64: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication, the code comprising instructions executable by a processor to perform the method of any one of aspects 24 to 34.

[0342] Aspect 65: An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising at least one unit for performing the method of any one of Aspects 35 to 46.

[0343] Aspect 66: An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising a processor and a memory coupled to the processor, the processor and the memory being configured to perform the method of any one of aspects 35 to 46.

[0344] Aspect 67: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication, the code comprising instructions executable by a processor to perform the method of any one of aspects 35 to 46.

[0345] Aspect 68: An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising at least one unit for performing the method of any one of Aspects 47 to 50.

[0346] Aspect 69: An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising a processor and a memory coupled to the processor, the processor and the memory being configured to perform the method of any one of aspects 47 to 50.

[0347] Aspect 70: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication, the code comprising instructions executable by a processor to perform the method of any one of Aspects 47 to 50.

[0348] Aspect 71: An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising at least one unit for performing the method of any one of Aspects 51 to 55.

[0349] Aspect 72: An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising a processor and a memory coupled to the processor, the processor and the memory being configured to perform the method of any one of aspects 51 to 55.

[0350] Aspect 73: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication, the code comprising instructions executable by a processor to perform the method of any one of aspects 51 to 55.

[0351] Although aspects of LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR systems may be described for purposes of example, and LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR terminology may be used in much of the description, the techniques described herein are applicable beyond LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR networks. For example, the described techniques may be applicable to various other wireless communication systems, such as Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDM, and other systems and radio technologies not explicitly mentioned herein.

[0352] The information and signals described herein may be represented using any of a variety of different techniques and methods. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips mentioned throughout the description may be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0353] The various illustrative blocks and components described in conjunction with the disclosure herein may be implemented or executed using a general purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, CPU, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in an alternative, the processor may be any processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, a combination of one or more microprocessors and a DSP core, or any other such configuration).

[0354] The functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions may be stored on or sent through a computer-readable medium as one or more instructions or codes. Other examples and implementations are within the scope of the present disclosure and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, the functions described herein may be implemented in software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hard wiring, or a combination of any of these. Features that implement the functions may also be physically located at various locations, including being distributed so that portions of the functions are implemented at different physical locations.

[0355] Computer readable medium includes both non-transitory computer storage medium and communication medium, and communication medium includes any medium that promotes the transmission of computer program from one place to another place.Non-transitory storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by general-purpose computer or special-purpose computer.By way of example and not limitation, non-transitory computer readable medium can include RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory, compact disc (CD) ROM or other optical disc storage, disk storage or other magnetic storage device, or can be used for carrying or storing desired program code unit and any other non-transitory medium that can be accessed by general-purpose or special-purpose computer or general-purpose or special-purpose processor in the form of instruction or data structure.In addition, any connection is appropriately referred to as computer readable medium.For example, if software is to send from website, server or other remote source using coaxial cable, optical fiber cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL) or wireless technology such as infrared, radio and microwave, then coaxial cable, optical fiber cable, twisted pair, DSL or wireless technology such as infrared, radio and microwave are included in the definition of computer readable medium. As used herein, disk and disc include CD, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and Blu-ray disc, wherein disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above are also included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0356] As used herein (including in the claims), "or" as used in a list of items (e.g., a list of items ending with a phrase such as "at least one of" or "one or more of") indicates an inclusive list, so that, for example, a list of at least one of A, B, or C means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C). In addition, as used herein, the phrase "based at least in part on" should not be interpreted as a reference to a closed set of conditions. For example, an example step described as "based at least in part on condition A" can be based at least in part on both condition A and condition B without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In other words, as used herein, the phrase "based at least in part on" should be interpreted in the same manner as the phrase "based at least in part on".

[0357] In the accompanying drawings, similar components or features may have the same reference numeral. In addition, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference numeral with a dash and a second reference numeral, the second reference numeral being used to distinguish between similar components. If only the first reference numeral is used in the specification, the description applies to any of the similar components having the same first reference numeral, without regard to the second reference numeral or other subsequent reference numerals.

[0358] The descriptions set forth herein in conjunction with the accompanying drawings describe example configurations, and do not represent all examples that may be implemented or within the scope of the claims. The term "example" as used herein means "used as an example, instance, or illustration," rather than "preferred" or "advantageous over other examples." For the purpose of providing an understanding of the described techniques, the detailed description includes specific details. However, these techniques may be implemented without these specific details. In some cases, known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring the concepts of the described examples.

[0359] To enable those skilled in the art to implement or use the present disclosure, the description herein is provided. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications to the present disclosure will be apparent, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein, but is given the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication at a first user equipment (UE), comprising: sending a sidelink scheduling request to a network node for multicast sidelink communications with a set of UEs; sending, in the sidelink scheduling request, an indication of a set of transmission beams to be used for the multicast sidelink communication; receiving, based at least in part on the sidelink scheduling request, from the network node a multicast sidelink grant indicating time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communications between the first UE and one or more UEs in the set of UEs; receiving, in the multicast sidelink grant, an identifier of the first UE, a respective identifier for each of the one or more UEs, and a subset of one or more transmission beams for transmission of a multicast sidelink message, the subset of one or more transmission beams being selected from the set of transmission beams indicated via the sidelink scheduling request; as well as The multicast sidelink message is sent to the one or more UEs via the time-frequency resources indicated by the multicast sidelink grant and using a subset of the one or more transmission beams.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: A group identifier associated with the set of UEs and the first UE, the identifier of the first UE, a corresponding identifier for each UE in the set of UEs, an amount of data corresponding to the multicast sidelink message, or any combination thereof is sent in the sidelink scheduling request.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The sidelink scheduling request is sent in a radio resource control (RRC) message, a medium access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE), a scheduling request (SR), a buffer status report (BSR), or any combination thereof.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein: The sidelink scheduling request is sent in the BSR, and the BSR indicates an amount of data held in a buffer of the first UE for transmission via multicast sidelink communication.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: An indication to send one or more multicast sidelink messages based at least in part on a size of a multicast buffer of the first UE is received independent of the sidelink scheduling request.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein: The size of the multicast buffer of the first UE is greater than a buffer threshold.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The multicast sidelink grant is received in a radio resource control (RRC) message, a medium access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE), a downlink control information (DCI) transmission, or any combination thereof.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The UE set is a subgroup of a UE group including the first UE.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising: The set of UEs is determined based at least in part on a beam training procedure for multicast sidelink communications.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising: sending a request to perform multicast sidelink communications with a plurality of UEs supported by the network node; as well as An indication of the one or more UEs in the set of UEs is received in response to the request.

11. A method for wireless communication at a first user equipment (UE), comprising: sending a sidelink scheduling request to a network node for multicast sidelink communications with a set of UEs; sending, in the sidelink scheduling request, an indication of a set of transmission beams to be used for the multicast sidelink communication; receiving, based at least in part on the sidelink scheduling request, from the network node a multicast sidelink grant indicating time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communications between the first UE and a plurality of UEs in the set of UEs; receiving, in the multicast sidelink grant, a subset of one or more transmission beams for transmission of a multicast sidelink message, the subset of one or more transmission beams being selected from the set of transmission beams indicated via the sidelink scheduling request; as well as A multicast sidelink message is sent to the plurality of UEs via the time-frequency resources indicated by the multicast sidelink grant and using a subset of the one or more transmission beams.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising: A group identifier associated with the set of UEs and the first UE, an identifier of the first UE, a corresponding identifier for each UE in the set of UEs, an amount of data corresponding to the multicast sidelink message, or any combination thereof is sent in the sidelink scheduling request.

13. The method according to claim 11, further comprising: An identifier of the first UE, a corresponding identifier for each of the plurality of UEs, or both are received in the multicast sidelink grant.

14. A method for wireless communication at a network node, comprising: receiving a sidelink scheduling request for a multicast sidelink communication between a first user equipment (UE) and a group of UEs; receiving, in the sidelink scheduling request, an indication of a set of transmission beams to be used for the multicast sidelink communication; sending a multicast sidelink grant indicating a subset of one or more transmission beams from the set of transmission beams indicated via the sidelink scheduling request and time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication between the first UE and one or more UEs in the group of UEs; as well as An identifier of the first UE, a corresponding identifier for each of the one or more UEs, and a subset of the one or more transmission beams selected from the set of transmission beams used for transmission of multicast sidelink messages are sent in the multicast sidelink grant.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising: Receive in the sidelink scheduling request a group identifier associated with the UE group, the identifier of the first UE, a corresponding identifier for each UE in the UE group, an amount of data corresponding to the multicast sidelink message for transmission by the first UE, or any combination thereof.

16. The method according to claim 14, further comprising: A subset of the one or more transmission beams for transmission of the multicast sidelink message is determined based at least in part on the set of transmission beams indicated via the sidelink scheduling request.

17. The method according to claim 14, further comprising: The multicast sidelink grant is sent to each of the one or more UEs.

18. The method according to claim 14, further comprising: The sidelink scheduling request is received in a radio resource control (RRC) message, a medium access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE), a scheduling request (SR), a buffer status report (BSR), or any combination thereof.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein: The sidelink scheduling request is received in the BSR, and the BSR indicates an amount of data maintained in a buffer of the first UE for transmission via multicast sidelink communication.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising: An indication to send one or more multicast sidelink messages to the first UE based at least in part on a size of a multicast buffer of the first UE is sent independent of the sidelink scheduling request.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein: The size of the multicast buffer of the first UE is greater than a buffer threshold.

22. The method of claim 14, further comprising: The multicast sidelink grant is sent in a radio resource control (RRC) message, a medium access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE), a downlink control information (DCI) transmission, or any combination thereof.

23. The method of claim 14, further comprising: Determine a transmission configuration for multicast sidelink communication between the first UE and the one or more UEs in the UE group, wherein the transmission configuration indicates multiple transmission beams, a modulation and coding scheme (MCS), a transmission configuration indicator (TCI), or any combination thereof for the first UE.

24. The method of claim 14, further comprising: determining the one or more UEs in the group of UEs based at least in part on the sidelink scheduling request; as well as An indication of the one or more UEs for the multicast sidelink communication is sent in response to the sidelink scheduling request.

25. A method for wireless communication at a first user equipment (UE), comprising: establishing a connection with a network node supporting communication for a group of UEs including the first UE; receiving a multicast sidelink grant from the network node, the multicast sidelink grant indicating time-frequency resources for multicast sidelink communication between one or more UEs including the first UE and a second UE of the UE group; receiving in the multicast sidelink grant the respective identifiers of the first UE and the one or more UEs, the identifier of the second UE, a subset of one or more transmit beams for transmission of a multicast sidelink message, and a subset of one or more receive beams for reception of the multicast sidelink message; as well as The time-frequency resources are monitored for multicast sidelink communications from the second UE using at least one receive beam in a subset of the one or more receive beams indicated via the multicast sidelink grant.

26. The method according to claim 25, further comprising: The multicast sidelink grant is received from the network node in a multicast transmission or a dedicated transmission.

27. The method of claim 25, further comprising: The multicast sidelink grant is received in a radio resource control (RRC) message, a medium access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE), a downlink control information (DCI) transmission, or any combination thereof.

Images