Method and apparatus for sidelink communication

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method and an apparatus for sidelink communication between communication terminals in a wireless communication network. In one implementation, the method may include receiving discontinuous reception configuration information. The method may further include determining a discontinuous reception configuration scheme for sidelink communication between a first user equipment and a second user equipment based on the discontinuous reception configuration information. The method may further include performing sidelink discontinuous reception of sidelink communication according to the discontinuous reception configuration scheme.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to wireless communication, and more particularly to sidelink communication between communication terminals including vehicles. Background Art

[0002] A sidelink is a one-way wireless communication service, i.e., communication between communication terminals. Vehicle networking refers to a large-scale system for wireless communication and information exchange between vehicles, pedestrians, roadside devices, and the Internet according to agreed communication protocols and data exchange standards. Vehicle networking communication enables vehicles to obtain driving safety, improve traffic efficiency, and acquire convenience or entertainment information. Vehicle networking communication can be classified into three types according to the purpose of wireless communication: communication between vehicles, i.e., vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V); communication between a vehicle and a roadside device / network infrastructure, i.e., vehicle-to-infrastructure / vehicle-to-network (V2I / V2N); and communication between a vehicle and a pedestrian, i.e., vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P). These types of communication are collectively referred to as vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication.

[0003] In the research on V2X communication of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), a sidelink-based V2X communication method between user equipment is one of the ways to implement the V2X standard, where as Figure 1 shown, service data is directly sent from a source user equipment to a destination user equipment via an air interface without being forwarded by a base station and a core network. This V2X communication is referred to as PC5-based V2X communication or V2X sidelink communication.

[0004] With the technological progress and development of the automation industry, the scenarios of V2X communication are further diversified and require higher performance. Advanced V2X services include vehicle platooning, extended sensors, advanced driving (semi-autonomous driving and fully autonomous driving), and remote driving. Desired performance requirements may include: supporting data packets with a size of 50 to 12,000 bytes, a transmission rate of 2 to 50 messages per second, a maximum end-to-end delay of 3 milliseconds to 500 milliseconds, a reliability of 90% to 99.999%, a data rate of 0.5 Mbps to 1,000 Mbps, and a transmission range of 50 meters to 1,000 meters. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present disclosure relates to methods, systems, and devices related to wireless communication, and more specifically, to sidelink communication between communication terminals to save power of the communication terminals.

[0006] In one embodiment, a method performed by a first user equipment in a wireless communication network is disclosed. The method may include receiving discontinuous reception configuration information. The method may further include determining a discontinuous reception configuration scheme for sidelink communication between the first user equipment and a second user equipment based on the discontinuous reception configuration information. The method may further include performing sidelink discontinuous reception of the sidelink communication according to the discontinuous reception configuration scheme.

[0007] In one embodiment, a method performed by a first user equipment in a wireless communication network is disclosed. The method may include receiving a sidelink discontinuous reception configuration scheme of a second user equipment. The method may further include reselecting a transmission resource for sidelink communication with the second user equipment based on the sidelink discontinuous reception configuration scheme.

[0008] In one embodiment, a method performed by a first user equipment in a wireless communication network is disclosed. The method may include receiving a sidelink discontinuous reception configuration scheme of a second user equipment. The method may further include determining sidelink discontinuous reception configuration adjustment information based on the sidelink discontinuous reception configuration scheme. The method may further include sending the sidelink discontinuous reception configuration adjustment information to the second user equipment.

[0009] In another embodiment, a device for wireless communication may include a memory storing instructions and a processing circuit communicatively coupled to the memory. When the processing circuit executes the instructions, the processing circuit is configured to perform the above method.

[0010] In another embodiment, a computer-readable medium includes instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the above method.

[0011] The above and other aspects and their implementations are described in more detail in the following drawings, description, and claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 An example diagram of a wireless communication network according to various embodiments is shown.

[0013] Figure 2 A flowchart of a method for sidelink communication according to an embodiment is shown.

[0014] Figure 3 A flowchart of a method for sidelink communication according to another embodiment is shown.

[0015] Figure 4 A flowchart of a method for sidelink communication according to another embodiment is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] The techniques and examples of the implementations and / or embodiments in this disclosure can be used to improve performance in a wireless communication system. The term "exemplary" is used to mean "example" and does not imply an ideal or preferred example, implementation, or embodiment unless otherwise stated. Section headings are used in this disclosure for ease of understanding and do not limit the techniques disclosed in a section to only the corresponding section. However, note that these implementations can be implemented in various different forms, and thus, the subject matter covered or claimed is intended to be construed as not limited to any of the embodiments set forth below. It should also be noted that these implementations can be implemented as a method, device, component, or system. Thus, the embodiments of this disclosure can take, for example, the form of hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof.

[0017] A radio access network provides a network connection between a user equipment (UE) and an information or data network, such as a text, voice, or video communication network, the Internet, etc. An exemplary radio access network can be based on cellular technology, which can also be based on, for example, 4G LTE or 5G NR technology and / or format. Figure 1 An example system diagram of a wireless communication network 100 including UEs 102, 124, and 126 and a radio access network node (WANN) 104 is shown according to various embodiments. UEs 102, 124, and 126 can include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, smart phones, tablets, laptop computers, in-vehicle communication devices, roadside communication devices, smart electronic devices or home appliances (including air conditioners, televisions, refrigerators, ovens, etc.), or other devices capable of wireless communication over a network. The UEs can communicate directly with each other via a sidelink. Taking UE 102 as an example, it can include transceiver circuitry 106 coupled to an antenna 108 to enable wireless communication with the radio access network node 104. The transceiver circuitry 106 can also be coupled to a processor 110, which can also be coupled to a memory 112 or other storage device. The memory 112 can store instructions or code therein, which, when read and executed by the processor 110, cause the processor 110 to implement the various methods described herein.

[0018] Similarly, the radio access network node 104 may include a base station or other radio network access point capable of wirelessly communicating with one or more UEs over a network. For example, the radio access network node 104 may include a 4G LTE base station, a 5G NR base station, a 5G central unit base station, or a 5G distributed unit base station. Each type of these radio access network nodes may be configured to perform a corresponding set of radio network functions. The sets of radio network functions may not be the same between different types of radio access network nodes. However, the sets of radio network functions may overlap functionally between different types of radio access network nodes. The radio access network node 104 may include transceiver circuitry 114 coupled to an antenna 116, which may include an antenna tower 118 in various ways to enable wireless communication with UEs 102, 124, and 126. The transceiver circuitry 114 may also be coupled to one or more processors 120, which may also be coupled to a memory 122 or other storage device. The memory 122 may store instructions or code therein, which when read and executed by the processor 120 cause the processor 120 to implement the various methods described herein.

[0019] For simplicity and clarity, only one WANN and three UEs are shown in the wireless communication network 100. It should be understood that there may be one or more WANNs in the wireless communication network, and each WANN may serve one or more UEs simultaneously. In addition to UEs and WANNs, the network 100 may also include any other network nodes with different functions, such as network nodes in the core network of the wireless communication network 100. Furthermore, although various embodiments will be discussed in the context of a specific example wireless communication network 100, the basic principles apply to other applicable wireless communication networks.

[0020] In sidelink communication such as V2X communication between UEs, the UEs need to monitor sidelink signals over the entire range of the sidelink reception resource pool, which results in huge power consumption and low efficiency. One objective of the present disclosure is to reduce the power consumption of sidelink communication while meeting the latency requirements.

[0021] Figure 2An exemplary implementation 200 for sidelink communication of a user equipment is shown. The UE 102 may receive discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration information (210), determine a DRX configuration scheme for sidelink communication between the UE 102 and the UE 124 based on the DRX configuration information (220), and perform sidelink discontinuous reception for sidelink communication according to the DRX configuration scheme (230). The DRX configuration scheme may indicate a reception on period and / or a reception off period. In this way, the UE 102 may monitor the physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) to receive sidelink communication only at the time domain intersection between the reception on period and the sidelink reception resource pool for sidelink communication.

[0022] Next, various detailed embodiments will be referred to Figure 1 and Figure 2 to discuss various detailed embodiments to elaborate on the technical solutions of the present disclosure.

[0023] First Embodiment

[0024] The UE 102 may receive DRX configuration information (210) from a radio access network node such as the WANN 104. The DRX configuration information may include at least one set of DRX configuration parameters. The set of DRX configuration parameters may include, for example, a sidelink DRX period, a duration, an on period time pattern, a first inactivity timer, and a second inactivity timer. The on period time pattern may include a time slot bitmap indicating the sidelink DRX on period, which will be discussed in detail later.

[0025] In some implementations, the DRX configuration information may further include association information between the set of DRX configuration parameters and a corresponding sidelink resource pool. Specifically, the set of DRX configuration parameters may be used to configure a DRX configuration scheme for receiving sidelink communication within the scope of the corresponding resource pool.

[0026] Alternatively or additionally, the DRX configuration information may further include association information between the set of DRX configuration parameters and the type of traffic in sidelink communication. The type of traffic may be represented by a destination identifier, a destination identifier index, a destination UE identifier, or a destination UE identifier index. The destination identifier and the destination identifier index may refer to the type of sidelink traffic without distinguishing the sending UE. The destination UE identifier and the destination UE identifier index may refer to the type of sidelink traffic sent from a specific UE. Examples of various types of traffic may include safe driving information, road traffic information, entertainment information, etc.

[0027] In some implementations, the sidelink DRX configuration information may include a mapping between quality of service requirements and a set of DRX configuration parameters or an index of the set of DRX configuration parameters. The quality of service requirements may include, for example, time delay, reliability, traffic priority, error rate, quality of service identifier, and quality of service flow identifier.

[0028] Alternatively or additionally, the sidelink DRX configuration information may include a mapping between user equipment status information and a set of discontinuous reception configuration parameters or an index of the set of discontinuous reception configuration parameters. The user equipment status information may indicate, for example, a pedestrian user equipment, a non-pedestrian user equipment, a user equipment with energy saving requirements, a user equipment without energy saving requirements, and an energy saving level.

[0029] Alternatively, the quality of service requirements and the user equipment status information may be paired into entries. The sidelink DRX configuration information may include a mapping between the paired entries and a set of discontinuous reception configuration parameters or an index of the set of discontinuous reception configuration parameters.

[0030] Alternatively or additionally, the sidelink DRX configuration information may include a mapping between a transmission mode and a set of discontinuous reception configuration parameters or an index of the set of discontinuous reception configuration parameters. The transmission mode may include, for example, unicast, multicast, and broadcast.

[0031] In some implementations, UE 102 may receive the DRX configuration information by receiving sidelink resource pool information from WANN 104. The sidelink resource pool information may include a set of discontinuous reception configuration parameters associated with the sidelink resource pool indicated by the sidelink resource pool information. In the DRX configuration information, the DRX configuration parameters may include an on-duration time pattern. The on-duration time pattern may include a time slot bitmap that indicates sidelink DRX on-duration corresponding to entries in the associated sidelink resource pool. The DRX configuration parameters may also include a sidelink DRX cycle with a value M. The value M may indicate that the length of the sidelink DRX cycle is M times the length of the cycle of the associated sidelink resource pool. Alternatively, the value M may indicate that the length of the sidelink DRX cycle is M times the length of the time slot bitmap of the associated sidelink resource pool.

[0032] UE 102 may receive the sidelink DRX configuration information from WANN 104 via a Radio Resource Control (RRC) dedicated message. Alternatively, UE 102 may receive the sidelink DRX configuration information from WANN 104 via a broadcast message.

[0033] Back to Figure 2, after receiving the DRX configuration information (210) from the WANN 104, the UE 102 may determine a DRX configuration scheme (220) for sidelink communication between the UE 102 and the UE 124 based on the discontinuous reception configuration information. For example, the UE 102 may simply read the DRX configuration parameters from the DRX configuration information and apply the DRX configuration parameters to the DRX configuration scheme. For another example, the UE 102 may select DRX configuration parameters from the DRX configuration information based on the current state of the UE 102 and / or the quality of service of the traffic that the UE 102 is monitoring.

[0034] Once the sidelink DRX configuration scheme is set, the UE 102 does not have to continuously monitor the PSCCH. Instead, the UE 102 may monitor the PSCCH only during the reception on period. However, other physical layer channels may be monitored at any time.

[0035] Optionally, before receiving the DRX configuration information from the WANN 104, the UE 102 may send to the WANN 104 capability information indicating whether the UE 102 supports sidelink discontinuous reception, user equipment status information, and / or quality of service requirements. The WANN 104 may determine whether to configure or activate sidelink DRX for the UE 102 based on the capability information indicating whether the UE 102 supports sidelink discontinuous reception, user equipment status information, and / or quality of service requirements.

[0036] Alternatively or additionally, the UE 102 may send semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) assistance information to the WANN 104. The SPS assistance information may include, for example, the traffic characteristics of the sidelink logical channel established for sidelink communication and the estimated data arrival periodicity in the sidelink logical channel. The WANN 104 may determine whether to configure or activate sidelink DRX for the UE 102 based on the SPS assistance information.

[0037] Optionally, after receiving the DRX configuration information from the WANN 104, the UE 102 may send DRX configuration adjustment information to the WANN 104. For example, the DRX configuration adjustment information may include an adjustment request. The WANN 104 may generate new DRX configuration information for the UE 102 based on the adjustment request and send the new DRX configuration information to the UE 104. For another example, the DRX configuration adjustment information may include the DRX configuration information that has been adjusted by the UE 102. In this way, the WANN 104 may use the adjusted DRX configuration information to update the DRX configuration information for the UE 102 on the WANN 104 side.

[0038] Optionally, before sending DRX configuration adjustment information to the WANN 104, the UE 102 may need to receive an adjustment information configuration message from the WANN 104. The adjustment information configuration message may indicate whether DRX configuration adjustment is allowed or whether DRX configuration adjustment reporting is allowed. In this way, the UE 102 can send DRX configuration adjustment information to the WANN 104 only when the WANN 104 allows DRX configuration adjustment or DRX configuration adjustment reporting.

[0039] Optionally, the UE 102 may first send a DRX configuration request for sidelink DRX configuration information to the WANN 104. The WANN 104 may send DRX configuration information to the UE 102 only when the DRX configuration request is received. Optionally, the UE 102 may send the DRX configuration request to the WANN 104 only after receiving a DRX configuration request message indicating whether the DRX configuration request is allowed or whether the DRX configuration request reporting is allowed. For example, if the WANN 104 allows the DRX configuration request or the DRX configuration request reporting, the UE 102 may send the DRX configuration request. Otherwise, the UE 102 may not send the DRX configuration request to the WANN 104.

[0040] Second Embodiment

[0041] The UE 102 may receive DRX configuration information (210) from another UE such as the UE 124. The DRX configuration information may include at least one set of DRX configuration parameters. The set of DRX configuration parameters may include, for example, a sidelink DRX period, a duration, an on-duration time pattern, a first inactivity timer, and a second inactivity timer.

[0042] The UE 102 may receive the DRX configuration information from the UE 124 via a unicast sidelink RRC message, a multicast sidelink RRC message, or a broadcast sidelink RRC message.

[0043] In some implementations, the DRX configuration information may further include association information between the set of DRX configuration parameters and a corresponding sidelink resource pool. Specifically, the set of DRX configuration parameters can be used to configure a DRX configuration scheme for receiving sidelink communications within the scope of the corresponding resource pool.

[0044] In some implementations, UE 102 can receive DRX configuration information by receiving sidelink resource pool information from UE 124. The sidelink resource pool information can include a set of discontinuous reception configuration parameters associated with the sidelink resource pool indicated by the sidelink resource pool information. In the DRX configuration information, the DRX configuration parameters can include an active period time pattern. The active period time pattern can include a time slot bitmap that indicates sidelink DRX active periods corresponding to entries in the associated sidelink resource pool. The DRX configuration parameters can also include a sidelink DRX period with a value M. The value M can indicate that the length of the sidelink DRX period is M times the length of the period of the associated sidelink resource pool. Alternatively, the value M can indicate that the length of the sidelink DRX period is M times the length of the time slot bitmap of the associated sidelink resource pool.

[0045] Optionally, after receiving the sidelink DRX configuration information sent from UE 124, UE 102 can send the sidelink DRX configuration information to WANN104. Alternatively or additionally, UE 102 can send both the sidelink DRX configuration information and the identity of UE 124 to WANN 104. The identity of UE 124 can be represented by a destination UE identifier, a destination UE identifier index, a destination identifier, or a destination identifier index.

[0046] WANN 104 can adjust the sidelink DRX configuration information and then send the adjusted sidelink DRX configuration information to UE 102. When receiving the adjusted DRX configuration information from WANN 104, UE 102 can determine a DRX configuration scheme based on the adjusted discontinuous reception configuration information.

[0047] Return Figure 2 , after receiving the DRX configuration information (210) from UE 124, UE 102 can determine a DRX configuration scheme (220) for sidelink communication between UE 102 and UE 124 based on the discontinuous reception configuration information. For example, UE102 can simply read the DRX configuration parameters from the DRX configuration information and apply the DRX configuration parameters to the DRX configuration scheme. For another example, UE 102 can select DRX configuration parameters from the DRX configuration information based on the current state of UE 102 and / or the quality of service requirements for the traffic that UE 102 is monitoring.

[0048] Once the sidelink DRX configuration scheme is set, UE 102 does not have to continuously monitor the PSCCH. Instead, UE 102 can monitor the PSCCH only during the reception active periods.

[0049] Third Embodiment

[0050] UE 102 may receive first DRX configuration information from UE 124 and second DRX configuration information from UE 126 (210). The first or second DRX configuration information may include at least one set of DRX configuration parameters. The set of DRX configuration parameters may include, for example, sidelink DRX period, duration, on-duration pattern, first inactive timer, and second inactive timer.

[0051] After receiving the first DRX configuration information from UE 124 and the second DRX configuration information from UE 126, UE102 may determine a DRX configuration scheme for sidelink communication between UE 102 and UE 124 based on the first DRX configuration information and the second DRX configuration information. For example, UE 102 may determine DRX configuration parameters by considering the sets of DRX configuration parameters in the first DRX configuration information and the second DRX configuration information, and apply the determined DRX configuration parameters to the DRX configuration scheme.

[0052] Once the sidelink DRX configuration scheme is set, UE 102 does not have to continuously monitor the PSCCH. Instead, UE 102 may only monitor the PSCCH during the reception on-duration period.

[0053] Fourth Embodiment

[0054] As an example, this embodiment will discuss the ways in which a UE may receive DRX configuration information of another UE in different scenarios.

[0055] Scenario 1: UE is in unicast sidelink communication

[0056] In this scenario, the UEs in communication (e.g., UE 102 and UE 124) may establish a sidelink RRC connection. The UEs may exchange their own current DRX configuration schemes via the PC5 RRC connection. In this way, when selecting transmission resources, the transmitting UE may consider the sidelink DRX configuration scheme of the receiving UE. Additionally, the subframes between the UEs should be aligned after the exchange of the DRX configuration schemes.

[0057] Scenario 2: UE is in multicast communication

[0058] In this scenario, when selecting transmission resources, the transmitting UE may need to consider the DRX configuration schemes of all receiving UEs. Therefore, all UEs in the multicast communication may need to exchange their own current DRX configuration schemes with each other.

[0059] Finally, a multicast side link RRC connection can be established for sidelink communication. Alternatively, the sidelink DRX configuration can be sent as a multicast message. Alternatively, UEs can establish unicast connections with each other respectively for the transmission of sidelink DRX related configurations. Alternatively, UEs can exchange their own sidelink DRX configuration with each other via sidelink signaling such as network protocol messages (NAS messages).

[0060] Fifth Embodiment

[0061] By way of example, this embodiment will discuss which device is suitable for configuring sidelink DRX configuration parameters for a UE in different scenarios, where the wireless access node serves the UE or other UEs that communicate with the UE via sidelink.

[0062] Scenario 1: The UE is in RRC connection with the wireless access node

[0063] For a UE with an RRC connection such as UE 102, it may be appropriate for the WANN 104 to configure the sidelink DRX configuration parameters. In this way, UE 102 can report some auxiliary information about UE 102 to the WANN 104, such as capability information indicating whether UE 102 supports sidelink discontinuous reception, UE status information, quality of service requirements, and semi-persistent scheduling assistance information.

[0064] In addition to the capability information and UE status information, when receiving from transmitting UEs such as UE 124 and UE 126 via sidelink, the WANN 104 can refer to the service characteristics of data packets that UE 102 is interested in. UE 102 can obtain information related to such service characteristics from the transmitting UE. For example, in the case where UE 102 establishes a unicast connection, the transmitting UE can send its own SPS assistance information to the receiving UE 102, and the receiving UE 102 can derive the arrival timing of data packets from the SPS assistance information. For another example, the transmitting UE can send its quality of service information (including latency requirements) to UE 102. For another example, the transmitting UE can send recommended DRX configuration information to UE 102 based on the service characteristics of the message to be transmitted. After receiving the above information related to the service characteristics from the transmitting UE, UE 102 can send them to the WANN 104, and the WANN 104 then refers to the information related to the service characteristics to configure the DRX configuration parameters for UE 102.

[0065] Optionally, after UE 102 determines or updates its own DRX configuration scheme, UE 102 can send the updated DRX configuration scheme to the transmitting UE.

[0066] Alternatively or additionally, when UE 102 has multiple independent sidelink DRX configuration schemes and is in unicast connection communication, a transmitting UE such as UE 124 or UE 126 may configure sidelink DRX configuration parameters for UE 102 based on the service characteristics and latency requirements of the transmitting UE. Upon receiving the sidelink DRX configuration parameters, UE 102 may apply them directly to its sidelink DRX configuration scheme.

[0067] Alternatively, UE 102 may send the received sidelink DRX configuration parameters to WANN 104, and then WANN 104 may determine whether to modify the sidelink DRX configuration scheme of UE 102.

[0068] Scenario 2: UE is in the idle state

[0069] In this case, a radio access node such as WANN 104 may configure cell-specific DRX configuration parameters only via system information. Since some UE 102-specific information (such as UE status and data packet characteristics) may affect the configuration of DRX configuration parameters for the UE, WANN 104 may broadcast the mapping between UE-specific information and DRX configuration parameters. Then, UE 102 may select corresponding DRX configuration parameters according to its own current state and the services that UE 102 is interested in monitoring.

[0070] Alternatively or additionally, if UE 102 has multiple independent sidelink DRX configuration schemes and is in unicast connection communication, a transmitting UE such as UE 124 or UE 126 may configure sidelink DRX configuration parameters for UE 102 based on the service characteristics and latency requirements of the transmitting UE. Upon receiving the sidelink DRX configuration parameters, UE 102 may apply them directly to its sidelink DRX configuration scheme. Alternatively, UE 102 may determine whether to modify the received sidelink DRX configuration parameters based on its own energy-saving options, and send the modified sidelink DRX configuration parameters to the transmitting UE.

[0071] Scenario 3: UE is not covered by a radio access node

[0072] In this case, the radio access node may not be able to configure DRX configuration parameters. Thus, the UE may have to determine its DRX configuration scheme using a predefined mapping between UE-specific information and DRX configuration parameters, such as the status of the UE and the characteristics of the data packets to be received by the UE.

[0073] Sixth Embodiment

[0074] As an example, this embodiment will discuss using a time slot bitmap to indicate the on-duration time pattern in the DRX configuration parameters.

[0075] The time slot bitmap can indicate which time slots or symbols are sidelink reception resources. In some implementations, a sidelink DRX cycle is configured, which can be an integer multiple of the cycle of the sidelink reception resource pool (i.e., the length of the time slot bitmap). Alternatively, the cycle of the sidelink reception resource pool can be an integer multiple of the sidelink DRX cycle. Thus, the reception on-duration can be configured as the number of time slots within the sidelink resource pool after the start of the DRX cycle.

[0076] Similarly, the time slot bitmap can indicate which time slots are configured as reception on or reception off within the indicated range of transmission resources. In some implementations, a sidelink DRX bitmap is configured. For example, there are ten time slots in one cycle of the sidelink resource pool, and time slots 1, 2, 6, 7, 9 are used as the sidelink reception resource pool. Based on these five time slots, a sidelink DRX bitmap can be used to indicate which of them are reception on-duration time slots. In particular, since the number of time slots used for sidelink reception within the sidelink resource pool cycle is 5, the cycle of the sidelink DRX bitmap can be configured as 5. The sidelink DRX bitmap can be, for example, [1, 0, 1, 0, 1], which means that DRX is on in time slots 1, 6, and 9, and DRX is off in time slots 2 and 7. In a similar manner, DRX is on in time slots 11, 16, 19, 21, 26, 29... and DRX is off in time slots 12, 17, 22, 27...

[0077] Optionally, the cycle of the sidelink DRX bitmap can be longer than the cycle of the sidelink resource pool. In this way, the parameter sidelink DRX cycle can be configured as an integer N times the cycle of the sidelink reception resource pool. If N is 2, the cycle of the sidelink DRX bitmap is equal to ten (2 * 5). As an example, the sidelink DRX bitmap can be [1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 1], which means that DRX is on in time slots 1, 6, 9, 11, 19, and DRX is off in time slots 2, 7, 12, 16, 17.

[0078] In the case where a radio access node such as WANN 104 configures DRX configuration parameters for UE 102, since WANN 104 also configures a sidelink reception resource pool for UE 102, it can configure the sidelink DRX cycle or the sidelink DRX bitmap as the DRX configuration parameters for UE 102.

[0079] In the case where a transmitting UE such as UE 124 or UE 126 configures DRX configuration parameters for UE 102, the connection type between UE102 and the transmitting UE can be regarded as a factor determining which DRX configuration parameters, sidelink DRX period, or sidelink DRX bitmap can be configured.

[0080] In particular, if a unicast connection has been established between UE 102 and the transmitting UE, the transmitting UE can receive auxiliary information from UE 102, enabling the transmitting UE to configure the sidelink DRX period or the sidelink DRX bitmap as the DRX configuration parameters for UE 102. The auxiliary information can include, for example, receive resource pool information, energy saving requirements, sidelink DRX configuration information configured for UE 102 by WANN 104 or other transmitting UEs.

[0081] If UE 102 and the transmitting UE are in multicast communication or broadcast communication and a sidelink RRC connection has not been established, the transmitting UE can only send sidelink configuration information in a broadcast manner. In this case, the transmitting UE cannot obtain the receive resource pool information of receiving UE 102. Therefore, the transmitting UE can only configure the sidelink DRX period as the DRX configuration parameters for UE 102.

[0082] In the case where the UE is out of the coverage of the radio access node, since both the sidelink receive resource pool and the sidelink DRX configuration information are pre-configured, the sidelink DRX period or the sidelink DRX bitmap can be configured.

[0083] Seventh Embodiment

[0084] As an example, this embodiment will discuss the following situation: UE 102 can be configured with multiple DRX configuration schemes, and each DRX configuration scheme can have a set of sidelink DRX configuration parameters.

[0085] In some implementations, multiple DRX configuration schemes can be configured for each different destination UE. In particular, the DRX turn-on period pattern can be customized for different destination UEs. For example, UE 102 establishes sidelink connections with both UE 124 and UE 126. UE 124 and UE 126 have completely different transmission resource pool configurations, so the resource positions to be monitored can be different. In this case, two DRX configuration schemes can be configured for UE 102 to adapt to the different resource positions to be monitored respectively.

[0086] In another implementation, multiple DRX configuration schemes can be configured according to each different sidelink receive resource pool configuration. For example, if UE 102 is configured with multiple receive resource pools, the multiple DRX configuration schemes can correspond to these receive resource pools respectively.

[0087] Eighth Embodiment

[0088] As an example, this embodiment will discuss that when UE 102 is configured with a DRX configuration scheme, UE 102 reports the measured sidelink channel state information (CSI).

[0089] Specifically, UE 102 can receive sidelink CSI report configuration information including a CSI report mask from, for example, UE 124. The CSI report mask can indicate whether to delay reporting the sidelink channel state indication until the sidelink activation time. The receive on / off period set in the DRX configuration scheme can define the sidelink activation / inactivation time of UE 102. In the case where the CSI report mask indicates a delay is required, UE 102 can delay reporting the sidelink CSI until the sidelink activation time defined by the DRX configuration scheme. Therefore, if the UE is configured with sidelink DRX, the most recent CSI measurement timing can occur in the sidelink DRX activation time for the CSI to be reported.

[0090] Figure 3 An exemplary implementation 300 for sidelink communication of a user equipment is shown. In this implementation, UE 102 can receive a sidelink discontinuous reception configuration scheme (310) of another user equipment such as UE 124. The sidelink discontinuous reception configuration scheme can include, for example, a receive off period for UE 124. If the time domain of the transmission resources of UE 102 falls within the receive off period, UE 102 can trigger reselection of the transmission resources to fit the sidelink discontinuous reception configuration scheme of UE 124 (320).

[0091] In contrast, Figure 4 An exemplary implementation 400 is shown where UE 102 does not fit the sidelink discontinuous reception configuration scheme of UE 124.

[0092] Specifically, when receiving a sidelink DRX configuration scheme of another user equipment such as UE 124 (410), UE 102 can determine sidelink DRX configuration adjustment information based on the sidelink DRX configuration scheme (420), and then send the sidelink DRX configuration adjustment information to UE 124 (430).

[0093] The sidelink DRX configuration adjustment information can include an adjustment value for the sidelink DRX period defined in the sidelink DRX configuration scheme. The adjustment value can be an increase / decrease value relative to the value of the sidelink DRX period, or an updated value of the sidelink DRX period.

[0094] Alternatively, the sidelink DRX configuration adjustment information may include an adjustment value of the DRX slot offset defined in the sidelink DRX configuration scheme. The adjustment value may be an increase / decrease value relative to the DRX slot offset value, or an updated value of the DRX slot offset.

[0095] Upon receiving the sidelink DRX configuration adjustment information, UE 124 may update the receive-off period / receive-on period in the DRX configuration scheme based on the adjustment information, such that the time domain of the transmission resources of UE 102 falls within the updated receive-on period of UE 124.

[0096] Optionally, before sending the discontinuous reception configuration adjustment information to UE 124, UE 102 may need to configure a message for UE 124 to receive the adjustment information, and the adjustment information configuration message indicates whether discontinuous reception configuration adjustment is allowed or whether discontinuous reception configuration adjustment reporting is allowed. Only when UE 124 allows discontinuous reception configuration adjustment or discontinuous reception configuration adjustment reporting, can UE 102 send the discontinuous reception configuration adjustment information to UE 124.

[0097] In another implementation, upon receiving the sidelink discontinuous reception configuration scheme of another user equipment such as UE 124, UE 102 may send sidelink DRX configuration assistance information to UE 124, and the sidelink DRX configuration assistance information may include, for example, the transmission resource pool information of UE 102. With the sidelink DRX configuration assistance information, UE 124 may, for example, adjust the receive-off period / receive-on period in its DRX configuration scheme such that the time domain of the transmission resources of UE 102 falls within the receive-on period rather than the receive-off period.

[0098] Throughout the specification and claims, terms may have meanings that are implicit or implied in the context beyond the explicitly stated meanings. Similarly, the phrase "in one embodiment / implementation" used herein does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, and the phrase "in another embodiment / implementation" used herein does not necessarily refer to different embodiments. For example, the claimed subject matter is intended to include combinations of all or part of the exemplary embodiments.

[0099] Generally, terms can be understood, at least in part, based on their use in context. For example, terms such as "and", "or", or "and / or" as used herein can have multiple meanings, which can depend, at least in part, on the context in which these terms are used. Generally, "or" when used in connection with a list, such as A, B, or C, is intended to mean A, B, and C (used in an inclusive sense here) as well as A, B, or C (used in an exclusive sense here). Additionally, the term "one or more" as used herein can, at least in part, depend on the context and can be used to describe any feature, structure, or characteristic in the singular or can be used to describe a combination of features, structures, or characteristics in the plural. Similarly, terms such as "a", "an", or "the" can be understood to convey either a singular usage or a plural usage, at least in part, depending on the context. Further, the term "based on" can be understood to not necessarily be intended to convey an exclusive set of factors and can allow for the existence of additional factors that may not be explicitly described, at least in part, depending on the context.

[0100] References throughout the specification to features, advantages, or similar language do not imply that all features and advantages that can be realized by the present solution should be or are included in any single implementation. Rather, language referring to features and advantages should be understood to mean that a particular feature, advantage, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment can be included in at least one embodiment of the present solution. Thus, discussions of features and advantages and similar language throughout the specification can, but do not necessarily, refer to the same embodiment.

[0101] Furthermore, the features, advantages, and characteristics of the present solution can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. From the description herein, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the present solution can be practiced without one or more of the specific features or advantages of a particular embodiment. In other instances, additional features and advantages may be recognized in certain embodiments that may not exist in all embodiments of the present solution.

Claims

1. A method performed by a first user equipment in a wireless communication network, comprising: receiving discontinuous reception configuration information from a radio access node serving the first user equipment, wherein the discontinuous reception configuration information includes one or more sets of discontinuous reception configuration parameters, and each set of the one or more sets of discontinuous reception configuration parameters includes at least one of the following: sidelink discontinuous reception period, duration, on-duration time pattern, first inactivity timer, and second inactivity timer, and the discontinuous reception configuration information further includes a mapping between a quality of service requirement and a set of discontinuous reception configuration parameters or an index of the set of discontinuous reception configuration parameters; determining, based on the discontinuous reception configuration information, a discontinuous reception configuration scheme for sidelink communication between the first user equipment and a second user equipment, wherein determining the discontinuous reception configuration scheme includes: selecting discontinuous reception configuration parameters from the discontinuous reception configuration information based on the current state of the first user equipment or the quality of service requirement for the service being monitored by the first user equipment; and performing sidelink discontinuous reception of the sidelink communication according to the discontinuous reception configuration scheme.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the discontinuous reception configuration scheme indicates a reception on-duration, and performing the sidelink discontinuous reception comprises: monitoring a physical sidelink control channel to receive the sidelink communication only at a time domain intersection between the reception on-duration and a sidelink reception resource pool for the sidelink communication.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising: receiving sidelink channel state indication report configuration information including a channel state indication report mask, the channel state indication report mask indicating whether to delay reporting a sidelink channel state indication until a sidelink activation time; and in response to the delay being indicated, delaying reporting the sidelink channel state indication until the sidelink activation time defined by the discontinuous reception configuration scheme.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the on-duration time pattern includes a time slot bitmap indicating a sidelink discontinuous reception on-duration.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining the discontinuous reception configuration scheme comprises: determining one or more discontinuous reception configuration schemes respectively based on each set of the discontinuous reception configuration parameters.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the discontinuous reception configuration information further includes at least one of the following: a mapping between user equipment state information and a set of discontinuous reception configuration parameters or an index of the set of discontinuous reception configuration parameters, a mapping between a quality of service requirement and user equipment state information pair and a set of discontinuous reception configuration parameters or an index of the set of discontinuous reception configuration parameters, and a mapping between a transmission mode and a set of discontinuous reception configuration parameters or an index of the set of discontinuous reception configuration parameters. Wherein the user equipment status information includes at least one of the following: pedestrian user equipment, non-pedestrian user equipment, user equipment with power saving requirements, user equipment without power saving requirements, and power saving level.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the quality of service requirement includes at least one of the following: time delay, reliability, service priority, error rate, quality of service identifier, and quality of service flow identifier.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the transmission mode includes at least one of unicast, multicast, and broadcast.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the discontinuous reception configuration information further includes: Association information between each set in the discontinuous reception configuration parameter set and the sidelink resource pool; or Association information between each set in the discontinuous reception configuration parameter set and one of the following: destination identifier, destination identifier index, destination user equipment identifier, and destination user equipment identifier index.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein receiving the discontinuous reception configuration information includes: Receiving one or more sidelink resource pool information, each sidelink resource pool information including a discontinuous reception configuration parameter set associated with the sidelink resource pool indicated by the sidelink resource pool information.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the discontinuous reception configuration parameter includes an on-period time pattern, and the on-period time pattern includes a time slot bitmap, and the time slot bitmap indicates sidelink discontinuous reception on-periods corresponding to entries in the associated sidelink resource pool.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the discontinuous reception configuration parameter includes a sidelink discontinuous reception period having a value M, and the value M indicates that the length of the sidelink discontinuous reception period is M times the period length of the associated sidelink resource pool or M times the length of the time slot bitmap of the associated sidelink resource pool.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the discontinuous reception configuration information is received from the second user equipment via a unicast sidelink radio resource control message, a multicast sidelink radio resource control message, or a broadcast sidelink radio resource control message.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the discontinuous reception configuration information is received from the second user equipment, and the method further includes: Sending the discontinuous reception configuration information to the radio access node; and Receiving adjusted discontinuous reception configuration information from the radio access node; and Determining the discontinuous reception configuration scheme includes: Based on the adjusted discontinuous reception configuration information, determining the discontinuous reception configuration scheme.

15. The method according to claim 14, further includes: Sending an identifier of the second user equipment to the radio access node.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the identifier of the second user equipment includes a destination user equipment identifier, a destination user equipment identifier index, a destination identifier, or a destination identifier index.

17. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: before receiving the discontinuous reception configuration information from the radio access node, sending at least one of the following to the radio access node: capability information indicating whether the first user equipment supports sidelink discontinuous reception, user equipment status information, quality of service requirements, and semi-persistent scheduling assistance information.

18. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: after receiving the discontinuous reception configuration information from the radio access node, sending discontinuous reception configuration adjustment information to the radio access node.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising: before sending the discontinuous reception configuration adjustment information to the radio access node, receiving an adjustment information configuration message, the adjustment information configuration message indicating whether discontinuous reception configuration adjustment is allowed, or whether a discontinuous reception configuration adjustment report is allowed.

20. The method according to claim 1, wherein receiving the discontinuous reception configuration information comprises: receiving first discontinuous reception configuration information from the second user equipment, and receiving second discontinuous reception configuration information from a third user equipment; and determining the discontinuous reception configuration scheme comprises: based on the first discontinuous reception configuration information and the second discontinuous reception configuration information, determining the discontinuous reception configuration scheme.

21. The method according to claim 20, further comprising: sending the discontinuous reception configuration scheme to a radio access node serving the first user equipment.

22. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: before receiving the discontinuous reception configuration information, sending a discontinuous reception configuration request for the discontinuous reception configuration information.

23. The method according to claim 22, further comprising: before sending the discontinuous reception configuration request, receiving a discontinuous reception configuration request message, the discontinuous reception configuration request message indicating whether the discontinuous reception configuration request is allowed, or whether a discontinuous reception configuration request report is allowed.

24. A device for communication, comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the processor is configured to read computer code from the memory to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 23.

25. A computer-readable medium, comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 23.

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