Discontinuous operation on the side link

Abstract

A wireless communication system and method related to sidelink communication is provided. A first user equipment (UE) determines a discontinuous operation configuration indicating an on duration period and a discontinuous operation cycle for sidelink communication. The first UE communicates with at least one other UE during the on duration period indicated by the discontinuous operation configuration. The first UE determines the discontinuous operation configuration of the first UE using a basic configuration and an on duration parameter, an offset parameter, and a cycle parameter.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 148,198, filed on January 13, 2021, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 968,967, filed on January 31, 2020, which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. Technical Field

[0003] The present application relates to wireless communication systems, and more particularly to discontinuous operation of user equipment on a sidelink. Background Art

[0004] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, etc. These systems may be capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). A wireless multiple-access communication system may include multiple base stations (BSs), each of which simultaneously supports communication for multiple communication devices, which may be otherwise referred to as user equipment (UE).

[0005] In order to meet the growing demand for extended mobile broadband connections, wireless communication technology is evolving from long-term evolution (LTE) technology to the next generation of new radio (NR) technology, which can be called the fifth generation (5G). For example, NR is designed to provide lower latency, higher bandwidth or higher throughput, and higher reliability than LTE. NR is designed to operate on a wide range of spectrum bands, for example, from low frequency bands below about 1 GHz and mid-frequency bands of about 1 GHz to about 6 GHz to high frequency bands such as millimeter wave (mmWave) bands. NR is also designed to operate across different spectrum types, from licensed spectrum to unlicensed and shared spectrum. Spectrum sharing enables operators to opportunistically aggregate spectrum to dynamically support high-bandwidth services. Spectrum sharing can extend the benefits of NR technology to operating entities that may not have access to licensed spectrum.

[0006] In addition to communicating via the BS, UEs can also communicate with each other directly via the side link. Resource allocation for side link communication can be autonomous because the UE, rather than the BS, determines the (one or more) time resources and frequency resources for data transmission from (one or more) configured or pre-configured resource pools. Because the UE communicating via the side link does not have designated transmit resources and receive resources, the UE either transmits information or continuously listens for transmissions from other UEs. The side link communication mechanism discussed above may be well suited for UEs that are not power-constrained, such as vehicle UEs or V-UEs. However, this side link communication mechanism is not suitable for UEs with limited power, such as pedestrian UEs (P-UEs) or battery-powered UEs. The following aspects describe a power saving mechanism that allows the UE to communicate intermittently via the side link, thereby allowing the UE to save power. Summary of the invention

[0007] Some aspects of the present disclosure are summarized below to provide a basic understanding of the technology discussed. This summary is not a broad overview of all envisioned features of the present disclosure, and is neither intended to identify key or important elements of all aspects of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to describe the scope of any or all aspects of the present disclosure. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects disclosed herein in an overview form as a preface to a more detailed description presented later.

[0008] These aspects relate to a wireless communication method, including: accessing, at a first user equipment (UE), a basic configuration for determining a discontinuous operation configuration of the first UE; and determining the discontinuous operation configuration by applying at least one parameter to the basic configuration, wherein the discontinuous operation configuration indicates an on-duration period and a discontinuous operation cycle of a sidelink communication.

[0009] Aspects of the present disclosure also relate to a wireless communication method, comprising: determining a discontinuous operation configuration at a first user equipment (UE), wherein the discontinuous operation configuration indicates an on-duration period and a discontinuous operation cycle for sidelink communication; and communicating with at least one other UE during the on-duration period indicated by the discontinuous operation configuration.

[0010] Aspects of the present disclosure also relate to a wireless communication method, comprising: determining, at a first user equipment (UE), a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration for communicating via a side link, wherein the DTX configuration includes a DTX cycle with an on duration period; sending the DTX configuration to a second UE via the side link; receiving the DTX configuration indicating the on duration period and the discontinuous transmission (DTX) cycle of the second UE, wherein the on duration period indicated by the DRX configuration is aligned with the on duration period indicated by the DTX configuration; and sending data from the first UE to the second UE via the side link during the on duration period of the DTX cycle, the data to be received by the second UE during the on duration period of the DRX cycle.

[0011] These aspects also relate to a wireless communication method, comprising: receiving a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration at a first user equipment (UE) and from a second UE via a side link, wherein the DTX configuration indicates an on-duration period and a DTX cycle; determining, at the first UE, an on-duration period indicating a DTX configuration during which the first UE receives data from the second UE and a DTX cycle, wherein the DRX configuration is based on the DTX configuration; and receiving data from the second UE via the side link at the first UE during the on-duration period of the DRX cycle.

[0012] Aspects of the present disclosure also relate to a wireless communication method, including: receiving a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration at a first user equipment (UE) and from a second UE via a side link, wherein the DTX configuration indicates an on-duration period and a DTX cycle; determining, at the first UE, an on-duration period and a discontinuous transmission (DTX) cycle indicating a DTX configuration during which the first UE receives data from the second UE, wherein the DRX configuration is based on the DTX configuration; and receiving data from the second UE via the side link at the first UE during the on-duration period of the DRX cycle.

[0013] Aspects of the present disclosure also relate to a wireless communication method, comprising: determining, at a first user equipment (UE), a discontinuous operation configuration for communicating via a side link, wherein the discontinuous operation configuration includes a discontinuous operation cycle with an on duration period; sending the discontinuous operation configuration to a second UE via the side link; and communicating with the second UE during the on duration period indicated by the discontinuous operation configuration.

[0014] Aspect 1: Various aspects of the present disclosure relate to an apparatus comprising a processor configured to: access a basic configuration for determining a discontinuous operation configuration of a first user equipment (UE) at a first UE; and determine a discontinuous operation configuration indicating an on-time period and a discontinuous operation cycle for side link communication by applying at least one parameter to the basic configuration.

[0015] Aspect 2: According to the disclosure of Aspect 1, the basic configuration includes a discontinuous operation cycle basic unit and a plurality of basic units in the discontinuous operation cycle basic unit.

[0016] Aspect 3: According to the disclosure of Aspect 2, the processor is further configured to determine the turn-on duration period in the non-continuous operation configuration using an turn-on duration parameter in the at least one parameter and at least one basic unit in the plurality of basic units of the basic configuration.

[0017] Aspect 4: According to the disclosure of Aspect 2, wherein the processor is further configured to use an offset parameter in the at least one parameter and at least one basic unit in the multiple basic units of the basic configuration to determine an offset from the start of a cycle to the turn-on duration period in the non-continuous operation configuration.

[0018] Aspect 5: According to the disclosure of aspect 2, the processor is further configured to determine the cycle in the non-continuous operation configuration using a cycle parameter in the at least one parameter and the non-continuous operation cycle basic unit of the basic configuration.

[0019] Aspect 6: According to the disclosure of any one of Aspects 1-2, the processor is further configured to store a lookup table, the lookup table comprising a plurality of non-continuous operation configurations based on the basic configuration and at least one of an on duration parameter, an offset parameter, and a cycle parameter.

[0020] Aspect 7: According to any one of aspects 1-2 and 6, the discontinuous operation configuration is a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration defining a DTX cycle.

[0021] Aspect 8: According to the disclosure of any one of aspects 1-2 and 6-7, further comprising a transceiver in communication with the processor and configured to send data via a side link during the on-duration period in the DTX cycle.

[0022] Aspect 9: According to the disclosure described in any one of Aspects 1-2 and 6-8, it further includes a transceiver, which communicates with the processor and is configured to: send the DTX configuration to the second UE via a side link; receive a DTX configuration indicating an on duration period and a discontinuous transmission (DTX) cycle of the second UE, wherein the on duration period indicated by the DRX configuration is aligned with the on duration period indicated by the DTX configuration; and send data from the first UE to the second UE via the side link during the on duration period of the DTX cycle, and the data is to be received by the second UE during the on duration period of the DRX cycle.

[0023] Aspect 10: According to any one of aspects 1-2 and 6-9, the discontinuous operation configuration is a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration defining a DTX cycle.

[0024] Aspect 11: According to the disclosure of any one of aspects 1-2 and 6-10, further comprising a transceiver in communication with the processor and configured to receive data via a side link during an on-duration period in the DRX cycle.

[0025] Aspect 12: According to the disclosure described in any one of Aspects 1-2 and 6-11, it further includes a transceiver, which communicates with the processor and is configured to: send the DRX configuration to a second UE via a side link; receive a DTX configuration indicating an on-duration period and a DTX cycle of the second UE, wherein the on-duration period indicated by the DTX configuration is aligned with the on-duration period indicated by the DRX configuration; and receive data from the second UE via the side link during the on-duration period of the DRX cycle, the data to be sent by the second UE during the on-duration period of the DTX cycle.

[0026] Aspect 13: According to the disclosure of any one of aspects 1-2 and 6-12, further comprising a transceiver in communication with the processor and configured to send the discontinuous operation configuration via sidelink control signaling.

[0027] Aspect 14: According to the disclosure of Aspect 13, the discontinuous operation configuration is sent using sidelink control information (SCI) in the sidelink control signaling.

[0028] Aspect 15: According to any one of aspects 1-2 and 6-12, the discontinuous operation configuration is sent using a MAC control element.

[0029] Aspect 16: Various aspects of the present disclosure relate to a method comprising: accessing a basic configuration for determining a discontinuous operation configuration of the first UE at a first user equipment (UE), and determining the discontinuous operation configuration indicating an on-time period and a discontinuous operation cycle for side link communication by applying at least one parameter to the basic configuration.

[0030] Aspect 17: According to the disclosure of Aspect 16, the basic configuration includes a discontinuous operation cycle basic unit and a plurality of basic units in the discontinuous operation cycle basic unit.

[0031] Aspect 18: According to the disclosure of aspect 17, further comprising: determining the turn-on duration period in the non-continuous operation configuration using a turn-on duration parameter of the at least one parameter and at least one basic unit of the plurality of basic units of the basic configuration.

[0032] Aspect 19: According to the disclosure of Aspect 17, further comprising: using an offset parameter in the at least one parameter and at least one basic unit in the plurality of basic units of the basic configuration to determine an offset from a cycle start to the on-duration period in the non-continuous operation configuration.

[0033] Aspect 20: According to the disclosure of aspect 17, further comprising: determining a cycle in the non-continuous operation configuration using a cycle parameter in the at least one parameter and the non-continuous operation cycle basic unit of the basic configuration.

[0034] Aspect 21: According to the disclosure of any one of aspects 16-17, further comprising: storing a lookup table, the lookup table comprising a plurality of non-continuous operation configurations based on the basic configuration and at least one of an on duration parameter, an offset parameter, and a cycle parameter.

[0035] Aspect 22: According to the disclosure of any one of aspects 16-17 and 21, the discontinuous operation configuration is a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration defining a DTX cycle.

[0036] Aspect 23: According to any one of aspects 16-17 and 21-22, the disclosure further comprises: sending data via a side link during the on duration period in the DTX cycle.

[0037] Aspect 24: According to the disclosure of Aspect 23, it further includes: sending the DTX configuration to a second UE via a side link; receiving a DTX configuration indicating an on duration period and a discontinuous transmission (DTX) cycle of the second UE, wherein the on duration period indicated by the DRX configuration is aligned with the on duration period indicated by the DTX configuration; and sending data from the first UE to the second UE via the side link during the on duration period of the DTX cycle, the data to be received by the second UE during the on duration period of the DRX cycle.

[0038] Aspect 25: According to the disclosure of any one of aspects 16-17 and 21-22, the discontinuous operation configuration is a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration defining a DTX cycle.

[0039] Aspect 26: According to the disclosure of Aspect 25, further comprising: receiving data via a side link during an on duration period in the DRX cycle.

[0040] Aspect 27: According to the disclosure of Aspect 25, it further includes: sending the DRX configuration to a second UE via a side link; receiving a DTX configuration indicating an on duration period and a DTX cycle of the second UE, wherein the on duration period indicated by the DTX configuration is aligned with the on duration period indicated by the DRX configuration; and receiving data from the second UE via the side link during the on duration period of the DRX cycle, the data to be sent by the second UE during the on duration period of the DTX cycle.

[0041] Aspect 28: According to the disclosure of any one of aspects 16-17 and 21-22, further comprising: a transceiver is in communication with the processor and is configured to send the discontinuous operation configuration through sidelink control signaling.

[0042] Aspect 29: Various aspects of the present disclosure relate to a user equipment (UE), comprising: a device for accessing a basic configuration for determining a discontinuous operation configuration of the first UE; and a device for determining the discontinuous operation configuration indicating an on-time period and a discontinuous operation cycle for side link communication by applying at least one parameter to the basic configuration.

[0043] Aspect 30: Various aspects of the present disclosure relate to a non-transitory computer-readable medium having program code recorded thereon, the program code comprising: code for accessing a basic configuration for determining a discontinuous operation configuration of a first user equipment (UE) at the first UE; and code for determining the discontinuous operation configuration indicating an on-time period and a discontinuous operation cycle for sidelink communication by applying at least one parameter to the basic configuration. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0044] Figure 1 A wireless communication network in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0045] Figure 2 is a block diagram of a basic configuration according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0046] Figures 3A-3D is a diagram of a discontinuous operating configuration in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0047] Figure 4 is a block diagram of an exemplary user equipment (UE) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0048] Figure 5 is a block diagram of an exemplary base station (BS) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0049] Figure 6-9is a flow chart of a communication method according to some aspects of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] In conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the detailed description set forth below is intended as a description of various configurations and is not intended to represent the only configuration in which the concepts described herein may be practiced. For the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of the various concepts, the detailed description includes specific details. However, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts may be practiced without these specific details. In some cases, in order to avoid confusing these concepts, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form.

[0051] The present disclosure generally relates to wireless communication systems (also referred to as wireless communication networks). In various embodiments, techniques and devices can be used for wireless communication networks, such as code division multiple access (CDMA) networks, time division multiple access (TDMA) networks, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) networks, orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) networks, single carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) networks, LTE networks, global system for mobile communications (GSM) networks, fifth generation (5G) or new radio (NR) networks, and other communication networks. As described herein, the terms "network" and "system" can be used interchangeably.

[0052] OFDMA network can realize radio technology such as Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, IEEE 802.16, IEEE 802.20, flash-OFDM, etc. UTRA, E-UTRA and GSM are part of Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). Specifically, Long Term Evolution (LTE) is the official version of UMTS using E-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, GSM, UMTS and LTE are described in the documents provided by the organization named "3rd Generation Partnership Project (3rd Generation Partnership Project)" (3GPP), and cdma2000 is described in the documents provided by the organization named "3rd Generation Partnership Project 2 (3rd Generation Partnership Project 2)" (3GPP2). These various radio technologies and standards are known or under development. For example, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is a collaboration between telecommunications association groups to define a globally applicable third generation (3G) mobile phone specification. 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) is a 3GPP project aimed at improving the UMTS mobile phone standard. 3GPP may define specifications for next generation mobile networks, mobile systems, and mobile devices. The present disclosure relates to the evolution of wireless technology from LTE, 4G, 5G, NR, and beyond to shared access to wireless spectrum between networks using a host of new and different radio access technologies or radio air interfaces.

[0053] Specifically, 5G networks envision multiple deployments, multiple spectrums, and multiple services and devices that can be implemented using a unified OFDM-based air interface. To achieve these goals, in addition to developing new radio technologies for 5G NR networks, further enhancements to LTE and LTE-A are also considered. 5G NR will be able to scale to provide (1) high-density (e.g., about 1 megabit (M) nodes / km) 2 (1) coverage of the massive Internet of Things (IoT) with ultra-low complexity (e.g., about 10s of bits / second), ultra-low energy (e.g., about 10+ years of battery life), and deep coverage to reach challenging locations; (2) coverage of mission-critical control with strong security to protect sensitive personal, financial, or confidential information, ultra-high reliability (e.g., about 99.9999% reliability), ultra-low latency (e.g., about 1 millisecond (ms)), and a wide range of mobile or immobile users; and (3) coverage with ultra-high capacity (e.g., about 10Tbps / km 2), ultra-high data rates (e.g., multi-Gbps rates, 100+Mbps user experience rates), and enhanced mobile broadband coverage with advanced discovery and optimized deep perception.

[0054] 5G NR can be implemented using an optimized OFDM-based waveform: with scalable digital schemes and transmission time intervals (TTI); with a common flexible framework to efficiently multiplex services, and with dynamic, low-latency time division duplex (TDD) / frequency division duplex (FDD) design features; and with advanced wireless technologies such as massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), robust millimeter wave (mmWave) transmission, advanced channel coding, and device-centric mobility. The scalability of the digital scheme in 5G NR and the scaling of the subcarrier spacing can effectively address the operation of multiple services across multiple spectrums and multiple deployments. For example, in various outdoor and macro coverage deployments of less than 3GHz FDD / TDD implementations, the subcarrier spacing may appear at 15kHz, such as on 5, 10, 20MHz bandwidth (BW). For other various outdoor and small cell coverage deployments of TDD greater than 3GHz, the subcarrier spacing may appear at 30kHz on 80 / 100MHz BW. For various other indoor broadband implementations, using TDD on the unlicensed portion of the 5GHz band, subcarrier spacing may occur at 60kHz on 160MHz BW. Finally, for various deployments transmitting with mmWave components at 28GHz TDD, subcarrier spacing may occur at 120kHz on 500MHz BW.

[0055] Providing sidelink services (e.g., device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) communication, pedestrian-to-vehicle (P2V) communication) over dedicated or licensed spectrum is relatively straightforward because channel access in the dedicated or licensed spectrum is guaranteed. NR-U can bring benefits to sidelink services, for example, by offloading sidelink traffic to unlicensed spectrum at no charge.

[0056] Some devices using sidelink services do not care about power and the amount of power that the devices use to communicate using the sidelink. These devices transmit information via the sidelink and constantly monitor transmissions from other devices. Other devices using sidelink services are power-constrained devices, such as battery-powered devices. These devices cannot constantly monitor transmissions on the sidelink and maintain battery power. Therefore, the following aspects describe power saving techniques that allow devices to communicate intermittently via the sidelink and thereby save power.

[0057] Various other aspects and features of the present disclosure are further described below. Obviously, the teachings herein can be embodied in various forms, and any specific structure, function, or both disclosed herein are only representative and non-restrictive. Based on the teachings herein, it should be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that an aspect disclosed herein can be implemented independently of any other aspect, and two or more of these aspects can be combined in various ways. For example, any number of aspects set forth herein can be used to implement a device or practice a method. In addition, other structures, functions, or structures and functions other than one or more aspects set forth herein can be used to implement such a device or practice such a method. For example, a method can be implemented as a part of a system, device, or apparatus, and / or implemented as instructions stored on a computer-readable medium for execution on a processor or computer. In addition, an aspect can include at least one element of a claim.

[0058] Figure 1 A wireless communication network 100 according to some aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The network 100 may be a 5G network. The network 100 includes a plurality of base stations (BSs) 105 (labeled 105a, 105b, 105c, 105d, 105e, and 105f, respectively) and other network entities. The BS 105 may be a station that communicates with the UE 115, and may also be referred to as an evolved Node B (eNB), a next generation eNB (gNB), an access point, etc. Each BS 105 may provide communication coverage for a particular geographic area. In 3GPP, the term "cell" may refer to this particular geographic coverage area of ​​the BS 105 and / or a BS subsystem serving the coverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used.

[0059] The BS 105 may provide communication coverage for macro cells or small cells (e.g., pico cells or femto cells) and / or other types of cells. A macro cell typically covers a relatively large geographic area (e.g., a radius of several kilometers) and may allow unrestricted access to UEs with a service subscription to a network provider. Small cells, such as pico cells, typically cover a relatively small geographic area and may allow unrestricted access to UEs with a service subscription to a network provider. Small cells, such as femto cells, also typically cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a home) and, in addition to unrestricted access, may also provide restricted access to UEs associated with the femto cell (e.g., UEs in a closed subscriber group (CSG), UEs for users in a home, etc.). A BS for a macro cell may be referred to as a macro BS. A BS for a small cell may be referred to as a small cell BS, a pico BS, a femto BS, or a home BS. In Figure 1In the example shown, BS 105d and 105e may be conventional macro BSs, while BS 105a-105c may be macro BSs enabled with one of three-dimensional (3D), full-dimensional (FD), or massive MIMO. BS 105a-105c may utilize its higher-dimensional MIMO capabilities to utilize 3D beamforming in both elevation and azimuth beamforming to increase coverage and capacity. BS 105f may be a small cell BS, which may be a home node or a portable access point. BS 105 may support one or more (e.g., two, three, four, etc.) cells.

[0060] Wireless network 100 may support synchronous or asynchronous operation. For synchronous operation, BSs may have similar frame timing, and transmissions from different BSs may be approximately aligned in time. For asynchronous operation, BSs may have different frame timing, and transmissions from different BSs may not be aligned in time.

[0061] UE 115 is dispersed throughout the wireless network 100, and each UE 115 can be fixed or mobile. UE 115 can also be referred to as a terminal, a mobile station, a subscriber unit, a station, etc. UE 115 can be a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, a wireless communication device, a handheld device, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a cordless phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, etc. On the one hand, UE 115 can be a device including a universal integrated circuit card (UICC). On the other hand, UE can be a device that does not include UICC. In some aspects, UE 115 that does not include UICC can also be referred to as IoT device or Internet of Everything (IoE) device. UE 115a-115d is an example of a mobile smart phone type device accessing the network 100. UE 115a-115d is a pedestrian UE or P-UE, and often has limited power. UE 115 may also be a machine specifically configured for connected communications, including machine type communications (MTC), enhanced MTC (eMTC), narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), etc. UE 115e-115h are examples of various machines configured for communications to access network 100. UE 115i-115k are examples of vehicles equipped with wireless communication devices configured for communications to access network 100. UE 115i-115k often have unrestricted power for the purposes of this disclosure. UE 115 may be able to communicate with any type of BS, whether a macro BS or a small cell, etc. In Figure 1In the present invention, a lightning bolt (e.g., a communication link) indicates a wireless transmission between a UE 115 and a serving BS 105 (which is a BS designated to serve the UE 115 on a downlink (DL) and / or uplink (UL), a desired transmission between BSs 105, a backhaul transmission between BSs, or a sidelink transmission between UEs 115.

[0062] In operation, BS 105a-105c may serve UE 115a and 115b using 3D beamforming and cooperative spatial technologies such as coordinated multipoint (CoMP) or multi-connectivity. Macro BS 105d may perform backhaul communications with BS 105a-105c and small cell BS 105f. Macro BS 105d may also transmit multicast services that are subscribed to and received by UE 115c and 115d. Such multicast services may include mobile TV or streaming video, or may include other services for providing community information, such as weather emergencies or alerts, such as Amber alerts or gray alerts.

[0063] The BS 105 may also communicate with a core network. The core network may provide user authentication, access authorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. At least some of the BSs 105 (e.g., which may be examples of gNBs or access node controllers (ANCs)) may interface with the core network via a backhaul link (e.g., NG-C, NG-U, etc.) and may perform radio configuration and scheduling for communicating with the UE 115. In various examples, the BSs 105 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., through the core network) via a backhaul link (e.g., X1, X2, etc.), which may be a wired or wireless communication link.

[0064] The network 100 may also support mission-critical communications with ultra-reliable and redundant links for mission-critical devices (e.g., UE 115e, which may be a drone). The redundant communication links with UE 115e may include links from macro BSs 105d and 105e and links from small cell BS 105f. Other machine-type devices such as UE 115f (e.g., a thermometer), UE 115g (e.g., a smart meter), and UE 115h (e.g., a wearable device) may communicate directly with a BS (e.g., small cell BS 105f and macro BS 105e) through the network 100, or in a multi-step configuration by communicating with another user device that relays its information to the network (e.g., UE 115f transmits temperature measurement information to smart meter UE 115g, which then reports the information to the network through small cell BS 105f). The network 100 may also provide additional network efficiency through dynamic, low latency TDD / FDD communications (e.g., V2V, V2X, C-V2X, V2P, and P2P communications between UE 115i, 115j, or 115k and other UEs 115, and / or vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications between UE 115i, 115j, or 115k and BS 105).

[0065] In some embodiments, the network 100 communicates using an OFDM-based waveform. An OFDM-based system can divide the system BW into multiple (K) orthogonal subcarriers, which are also commonly referred to as subcarriers, tones, bins, etc. Each subcarrier can be modulated with data. In some cases, the subcarrier spacing between adjacent subcarriers can be fixed, and the total number of subcarriers (K) can depend on the system BW. The system BW can also be divided into subbands. In other cases, the subcarrier spacing and / or the duration of the TTI can be scalable.

[0066] In some aspects, BS 105 may allocate or schedule transmission resources (e.g., in the form of time-frequency resource blocks (RBs)) for downlink (DL) transmissions and uplink (UL) transmissions in network 100. DL refers to the transmission direction from BS 105 to UE 115, while UL refers to the transmission direction from UE 115 to BS 105. Communication may be in the form of radio frames. A radio frame may be divided into a plurality of subframes or time slots, for example, about 10. Each time slot may be further divided into micro-time slots. In FDD mode, simultaneous UL transmissions and DL transmissions may occur in different frequency bands. For example, each subframe includes a UL subframe in a UL frequency band and a DL subframe in a DL frequency band. In TDD mode, UL transmissions and DL transmissions occur in different time periods using the same frequency band. For example, a subframe of a subset of a radio frame (e.g., a DL subframe) may be used for DL ​​transmission, and a subframe of another subset of the radio frame (e.g., an UL subframe) may be used for UL transmission.

[0067] DL subframes and UL subframes can be further divided into several areas. For example, each DL or UL subframe can have a predefined area for transmitting reference signals, control information and data. Reference signals are predetermined signals that facilitate communication between BS 105 and UE 115. For example, a reference signal can have a specific pilot pattern or structure, wherein the pilot tone can span an operating BW or frequency band, and each pilot tone is located at a predefined time and a predefined frequency. For example, BS 105 can send a cell-specific reference signal (CRS) and / or a channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS) to enable UE 115 to estimate a DL channel. Similarly, UE 115 can send a sounding reference signal (SRS) to enable BS 105 to estimate an UL channel. Control information may include resource allocation and protocol control. Data may include protocol data and / or operational data. In some aspects, BS 105 and UE 115 may communicate using self-contained subframes. Self-contained subframes may include a portion for DL ​​communication and a portion for UL communication. A self-contained subframe may be DL-centric or UL-centric. A DL-centric subframe may include a DL communication duration that is longer than a UL communication duration. A UL-centric subframe may include a UL communication duration that is longer than a DL communication duration.

[0068] In some aspects, the network 100 may be an NR network deployed on a licensed spectrum. The BS 105 may send synchronization signals (e.g., including a primary synchronization signal (PSS) and a secondary synchronization signal (SSS)) in the network 100 to facilitate synchronization. The BS 105 may broadcast system information associated with the network 100 (e.g., including a master information block (MIB), remaining system information (RMSI), and other system information (OSI)) to facilitate initial network access. In some cases, the BS 105 may broadcast the PSS, SSS, and / or MIB in the form of a synchronization signal block (SSB) over a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), and may broadcast the RMSI and / or OSI over a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

[0069] In some aspects, a UE 115 attempting to access the network 100 may perform an initial cell search by detecting the PSS from the BS 105. The PSS may enable synchronization of period timing and may indicate a physical layer identification value. The UE 115 may then receive the SSS. The SSS may enable radio frame synchronization and may provide a cell identification value that may be combined with the physical layer identification value to identify the cell. The PSS and SSS may be located in the center portion of the carrier or at any suitable frequency within the carrier.

[0070] After receiving the PSS and SSS, the UE 115 may receive the MIB. The MIB may include system information for initial network access and scheduling information for RMSI and / or OSI. After decoding the MIB, the UE 115 may receive the RMSI and / or OSI. The RMSI and / or OSI may include radio resource control (RRC) information related to random access channel (RACH) procedures, paging, control resource sets (CORESET) for physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitoring, physical UL control channel (PUCCH), physical UL shared channel (PUSCH), power control, and SRS.

[0071] After obtaining the MIB, RMSI and / or OSI, the UE 115 may perform a random access procedure to establish a connection with the BS 105. In some examples, the random access procedure may be a four-step random access procedure. For example, the UE 115 may send a random access preamble, and the BS 105 may respond with a random access response. The random access response (RAR) may include a detected random access preamble identifier (ID) corresponding to the random access preamble, timing advance (TA) information, UL authorization, a temporary cell-radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI), and / or a backoff indicator. Upon receiving the random access response, the UE 115 may send a connection request to the BS 105, and the BS 105 may respond with a connection response. The connection response may indicate contention resolution. In some examples, the random access preamble, the RAR, the connection request, and the connection response may be referred to as message 1 (MSG1), message 2 (MSG2), message 3 (MSG3), and message 4 (MSG4), respectively. In some examples, the random access procedure may be a two-step random access procedure, where the UE 115 may send a random access preamble and a connection request in a single transmission, and the BS 105 may respond by sending a random access response and a connection response in a single transmission.

[0072] After establishing the connection, the UE 115 and the BS 105 may enter a normal operation phase, in which operational data may be exchanged. For example, the BS 105 may schedule the UE 115 for UL and / or DL ​​communications. The BS 105 may send an UL and / or DL ​​scheduling grant to the UE 115 via the PDCCH. The scheduling grant may be sent in the form of DL control information (DCI). The BS 105 may send a DL communication signal (e.g., carrying data) to the UE 115 via the PDSCH according to the DL scheduling grant. The UE 115 may send an UL communication signal to the BS 105 via the PUSCH and / or PUCCH according to the UL scheduling grant.

[0073] In some aspects, the network 100 can provide a sidelink service that allows a UE 115 to communicate with (one or more) other UEs 115 without forming a tunnel through the BS 105 and / or the core network. The BS 105 can configure certain resources in the licensed band and / or unlicensed band for the sidelink communication between the UEs 115. Certain frequency bands may have certain bandwidth occupancy requirements and / or maximum allowed power spectral density (PSD). In order to meet bandwidth occupancy requirements and / or improve transmit power under certain PSD restrictions, the sidelink transmission in the network 100 can use a frequency interlaced waveform. For example, the unlicensed band can be divided into multiple frequency interlaces, and the sidelink communication can be transmitted on one or more frequency interlaces.

[0074] As discussed above, the sidelink communication may be between two or more UEs 115 and may be V2X, V2V, V2P, P2P, V2I, D2D, and DSRC communications. Some sidelink communications such as V2X, V2V, V2I, D2D, and DSRC communications may involve UEs 115 that are not sensitive to power and may continuously send communications to other UEs 115 or continuously listen to communications from other UEs 115. Other sidelink communications such as V2P and P2P communications involve power-sensitive pedestrian UEs (P-UEs) that cannot be active all the time to receive transmissions from other UEs 115. In order to save power, the UE 115 may include a power saving mechanism. The power saving mechanism provides discontinuous operation, such as discontinuous transmission (DTX) and discontinuous reception (RTX) of data via the sidelink. In this way, the UE 115 can intermittently send or receive data and ultimately save power.

[0075] Resource allocation for UE 115 to communicate via the side link may be autonomous. This is because the BS 105 in the network 100 may not be included in the scheduling resources for side link communication. Instead, the UE 115 may be allocated resources for transmission via the side link, and may be allocated resources for listening to transmissions from other UEs 115. Therefore, when the UE 115 is not transmitting, the UE 115 may be trying to decode the control information in each time slot in the channel or subchannel to determine whether other UEs 115 are sending information. As discussed above, this mechanism may be well used for power-insensitive UEs 115, such as vehicle UEs. However, this mechanism may not be suitable for power-sensitive UEs 115, such as pedestrian UEs 115. Because pedestrian UEs 115 have limited power, these UEs 115 cannot continuously monitor transmissions from other UEs 115. In order to save power, power-sensitive UEs 115 can configure discontinuous operations, such as transmission (DTX) and discontinuous reception (DRX). Discontinuous operation allows a UE 115 to intermittently communicate with other UEs 115 via a sidelink.

[0076] In some aspects, the discontinuous operation may be determined based on a discontinuous operation configuration. The discontinuous operation configuration may be a DTX configuration or a DRX configuration, or may be used to determine both a DTX and a DRX configuration. The discontinuous operation configuration may be determined based on a basic configuration configured or preconfigured on the UE 115. For example, the UE 115 may receive the basic configuration from the BS 105, or the basic configuration may be preconfigured in the hardware or SIM card of the UE 115. Alternatively, the UE 115 may also be downloaded when the UE 115 is initially activated. The UE 115 communicating via the side link in the network 100 may use the same (one or more) basic configurations to determine the discontinuous operation.

[0077] Figure 2 is a block diagram of a basic configuration 200 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. Figure 2 As shown, the basic configuration may include one or more basic units 205 and cyclic basic units 210. Each basic unit 205 includes resources in a resource pool, which a UE 115 can use to send information, for example, to send data or control information to other (one or more) UEs 115 via a side link. Each basic unit 205 can be measured using a time measurement such as milliseconds (ms). A cyclic basic unit 210 may include a configurable number of basic units 205. A cyclic basic unit 210 typically includes the same number of basic units 205 as other cyclic basic units 210.

[0078] In some aspects, the UE 115 may use the basic configuration 200 to define a discontinuous operation configuration specific to the UE 115, such as a DTX or DRX configuration. The discontinuous operation configuration may have an on duration and an off duration period. For example, the DTX configuration may have an on duration period and an off duration period, and the DRX configuration may also have an on duration period and an off duration period. The discontinuous operation configuration may be based on a cyclic basic unit 210, and the on duration period and the off duration period may be based on one or more basic units 205 in the basic configuration 200. During the on duration period, the UE 115 may communicate with one or more other UEs 115 via a side link. During the off duration period, the UE 115 may enter a sleep mode and not send communications or receive communications from other UEs 115. For example, during the on duration period specified in the DTX configuration, the UE 115 may send data or control information to (one or more) other UEs 115. Similarly, during the On Duration interval specified in the DRX configuration, the UE 115 may receive data or control information from other UE(s) 115 .

[0079] Figures 3A-3D is a block diagram of a discontinuous operation configuration 300 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Figure 3A and Figure 3B is a block diagram of DRX configurations 300A and 300B, and Figure 3C and Figure 3D is a block diagram of DTX configurations 300C and 300D. It is worth noting that Figure 3A The non-continuous operation configuration 300 in -D is for illustration purposes only, and other aspects of non-continuous operation configurations may exist.

[0080] like Figure 3A and Figure 3BAs shown, the UE 115 can use the basic configuration 200 to define DRX configurations 300A-B. For example, the DRX configuration 300A may include one or more DRX cycles 305. Typically, the DRX cycles 305 may have the same number of cyclic basic units 210. The example cyclic basic unit 210 used in the following examples is 640ms. The DRX cycle 305 may be based on a cyclic parameter, which is a fraction or multiple of the cyclic basic unit 210. The example cyclic parameter may be one of {1 / 8, 1 / 4, 1 / 2, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16}. When the cyclic parameter is applied to the cyclic basic unit 210, the possible sizes of the DRX cycle 305 may be 80ms, 160ms, 320ms, 640ms, 1280ms, 2560ms, 5120ms, and 10240ms. Due to the various possible cyclic parameters, the DRX cycle may be different for different UEs 115.

[0081] In some aspects, the DRX cycle 305 may include an on-duration period 310. During the on-duration period 310, the UE 115 may monitor the carrier for transmissions from other UEs 115. The on-duration period 310 may be determined using the basic unit 205 and may have a possible size including one or more basic units 205. Figure 3A An on duration period 310 is shown as one basic unit 205. The on duration period 310 may be determined using an on duration parameter and the basic unit 205. For example, assuming the basic unit 205 is 10 ms, the DRX cycle 305 is 640 ms, and the on duration parameter is {1, 2, 3 ... 64}. Then the on duration period 310 may be 10 ms, 20 ms, ... 640 ms. Due to the various possible on duration parameters, the on duration period 310 may be different for different DRX cycles 305. Therefore, different UEs 115 may have different on duration periods 310.

[0082] As described above, the UE 115 may transmit information using one or more resources allocated for transmission during the on-duration period 310. For example, if the on-duration period 310 is a single base unit 205, the UE 115 may transmit using resources utilizing the single base unit 205. In another example, if the on-duration period 310 is two base units 205, the UE 115 may transmit data using the first base unit 205, the second base unit 205, or the first and second base units 205.

[0083] In some aspects, the DRX cycle 305 may include an offset 315. The offset 315 determines the position of the on-duration period 310 within the DRX cycle 305. The offset 315 may be one or more basic units 205 starting from the DRX cycle 305 and up to the length of the DRX cycle 305. The offset 315 may be determined using an offset parameter multiplied by the basic unit 205. For example, assuming an offset parameter = {0, 1, 2, 3, .....63}, when the DRX cycle 305 is 640 ms and the basic unit 205 is 10 ms, the offset 315 may be 0 ms, 10 ms, 20 ms, ..., 640 ms. Figure 3A An offset 315 is shown as one basic unit 205. Due to the various possible offsets 315, the location of the on-duration period 310 in the DRX cycle 305 may be different for different UEs 115.

[0084] In some aspects, the DRX cycle 305 also has an OFF duration period 320. The OFF duration period is a time period in the DRX cycle 305 when the UE 115 is not transmitting or receiving over the sidelink. In other words, the OFF duration period 320 is a time period in the DRX cycle 305 that is not an ON duration period 310.

[0085] Figure 3B is another diagram of a DRX configuration 300B according to aspects of the present disclosure. Figure 3B , the cycle parameter is two, so the DRX cycle 305 is twice the size of the cycle basic unit 210. Also, the offset parameter is two, so the offset 315 is two basic units 205, and the on-duration parameter is three, so the on-duration period 310 is three basic units 205.

[0086] Figure 3C and Figure 3D DTX configurations 300C and 300D are described with the same parameters as DRX configurations 300A and 300B. Figure 3C As shown, the DTX configuration 300C includes a DTX cycle 325, an on duration period 310, and an offset 315. The DTX cycle 325 is determined using a cycle parameter = 1 / 2, so the DTX cycle 325 is half of the cycle basic unit 210. The offset 315 is determined using an offset parameter = 1, so the offset 315 is one basic unit 205 from the start of the DTX cycle 325. The on duration period 310 is determined using an on duration parameter = 1, so the on duration period 310 is one basic unit 205.

[0087] like Figure 3DAs shown, the DTX configuration 300D includes a DTX cycle 325 determined using a cycle parameter = 2 and a cycle basic unit 210. Therefore, the DTX cycle 235 is two cycle basic units 210. The offset 315 is determined using an offset parameter = 2 and a basic unit 205. Therefore, the offset 315 is two basic units 205. The on-duration period 310 is determined using an on-duration parameter = 3 and a basic unit 205. Therefore, the on-duration period 310 is three basic units 205.

[0088] like Figures 3A-3D As shown, UE 115 may use discontinuous operation configuration 200 to determine cyclic DTX and DRX configurations 300A-D used in transmit and receive operations on the sidelink. When UE 115 uses the discontinuous operation configuration, UE 115 is active for transmission and reception during an on-duration period 310 determined according to the discontinuous operation configuration.

[0089] Once the UE 115 determines the discontinuous operation configuration 300, such as the DRX configurations 300A-B and the DTX configurations 300C-D, based on the basic configuration 200, the UE 115 may use the DRX cycle 305 and the DTX cycle 325 indicated in the DRX and DTX configurations 300A-D to communicate with (one or more) other UEs 115. More specifically, the UE 115 may communicate with other UEs 115 during the on-duration period 310.

[0090] UE 115 may also send DRX configuration 300A or 300B and DTX configuration 300C or 300D to (one or more) other UEs 115 using sidelink control signaling. In some aspects, DRX configuration 300A or 300B and DTX configuration 300C or 300D may be sent on the sidelink using signal control information (SCI) or MAC control element (MAC-CE). For example, the sidelink control signaling may include one or more parameters, such as a cycle parameter, an open duration parameter, an offset parameter, and a parameter for identifying a discontinuous operation configuration as a DTX or DRX configuration. The parameter may be inserted into the SCI or MAC-CE. In addition, each parameter may have a predefined bit length. For example, a parameter for identifying whether the discontinuous operation configuration 300 is a DRX configuration 300A-B or a DTX configuration 300C-D may be one bit. The offset parameter may be six bits. The open duration parameter may be six bits. The cycle parameter may be three bits.

[0091] There are many benefits to using the basic configuration 200 to determine the discontinuous operation configuration. First, the signaling overhead is low. This is because the UE 115 in the network 100 may have been pre-configured with the basic configuration 200. Therefore, the UE 115 can use sidelink control signaling to transmit the discontinuous operation configuration parameters instead of the entire DRX configuration 300A-B and DTX configuration 300C-D to (one or more) other UEs 115. Once (one or more) other UEs 115 receive the parameters, (one or more) other UEs 115 can determine the DRX configuration 300A-B and DTX configuration 300C-D and the corresponding DRX cycle 305 and DTX cycle 325 from the parameters. Secondly, because the sidelink communication between UEs 115 is autonomous, the BS 105 does not allocate resources for communication on the sidelink. This means that the UEs 115 communicating via the sidelink are not aligned and do not know when other UEs 115 can transmit information. Because the DRX configurations 300A-B and DTX configurations 300C-D that UE 115 sends to (one or more) other UEs 115 include the on-duration period 310 of UE 115, (one or more) other UEs 115 can use the DRX configurations 300A-B and DTX configurations 300C-D of UE 115 to identify when UE 115 is sending and receiving information.

[0092] In some aspects, the UE 115 may use the DTX or DRX configurations 300A-D for unicast communication (between two UEs 115), connection-based or non-connection-based multicast communication (between a group of UEs 115), or broadcast communication (between multiple non-connected UEs 115) on the sidelink. In connection-based communication (e.g., unicast communication or connection-based multicast communication), the UE 115 may negotiate the on-duration period 310. For example, in unicast communication, the two UEs 115 may determine the DTX and DRX configurations based on the basic configuration 200 and then align the on-duration periods 310 in the DTX and DRX configurations. For example, the first UE 115 may determine the DTX configuration 300C and send sidelink control signaling including parameters associated with the DTX configuration 300C to the second UE 115. When the second UE 115 receives the DTX configuration 300C, the second UE 115 can align itself with the first UE 115 by generating a DRX configuration 300A that is a mirror image of the DTX configuration 300C. In this way, the DRX cycle 305 indicated by the DRX configuration 300A and the DTX cycle 325 indicated by the DTX configuration 300C have simultaneously occurring on-duration periods 310. Therefore, the first UE 115 can send data during the on-duration period 310 in the DTX cycle 325, while the second UE 115 can receive the data during the same on-duration period 310 in the DRX cycle 305.

[0093] In connection-based multicast communication, a group of UEs 115 communicate with each other via a sidelink connection. Similar to unicast communication, in multicast communication, the UEs 115 in the group can negotiate a start-up duration period 310 using DTX and DRX configurations based on the basic configuration 200. For example, assume that a group of UEs 115 includes a first UE 115, a second UE 115, and a third UE 115. The first UE 115 can determine a DTX configuration 300C using the basic configuration 200, and send parameters defining the DTX configuration 300C to the second and third UEs 115 via sidelink control signaling. In response, the second and third UEs 115 may or may not define a DRX configuration 300A that mirrors the DTX configuration 300C. For example, if the second UE 115 is a pedestrian UE with limited power, the second UE 115 can define a DRX configuration 300A that mirrors the DTX configuration 300C. In this way, the open duration period 310 associated with the DTX cycle 325 defined by the DTX configuration 300C has the same open duration period 310 associated with the DRX cycle 305 defined by the DRX configuration 300A. The third UE 115 may be a vehicle UE. As described above, the vehicle UE may not have power constraints and may not need to define the DRX configuration 300A to save power. In this case, the third UE 115 can continuously listen to the information sent from the first UE 115 via the side link. Therefore, when the first UE 115 sends data during the open duration period 310 associated with the DTX configuration 300C, the second UE 115 receives information during the open duration period 310 associated with the DRX configuration 300A, and the third UE 115 receives the information because the third UE 15 constantly listens to the information from the first UE 115.

[0094] In a broadcast transmission or a connectionless multicast transmission, a broadcast UE 115 may determine a DTX configuration 300D and a DRX configuration 300B. The UE 115 may then notify other UEs 115 that receive the broadcast of the DTX configuration 300D and the DRX configuration 300B, as well as the corresponding on duration period 310 and off duration period 320. For example, the broadcast UE 115 may define a DTX configuration 300D that uses the basic configuration 200. The broadcast UE 115 may then use sidelink control signaling to broadcast parameters for the DTX configuration 300D to indicate to other UEs 115 the on duration period 310 when the broadcast UE 115 is sending data. The broadcast UE 115 also defines a DRX configuration 300B that identifies the on duration period 310 when the broadcast UE 115 is listening to transmissions from other UEs 115. The broadcast UE 115 then sends the DRX configuration 300B using sidelink control signaling. In this way, the broadcast UE 115 announces both the DTX configuration 300D and the DRX configuration 300B to other UEs 115. The sidelink control signaling may be sent during the on-duration period 310 specified in the DTX configuration 300D. The other UEs 115 may then use the DTX configuration 300D and the DRX configuration 300B to determine when the broadcast UE 115 sends and receives information via the sidelink.

[0095] In some cases, parameters for DRX and DTX configurations may be encoded in a memory of the UE 115 (e.g., in a lookup table). The lookup table may include different combinations of cyclic parameters, offset parameters, and turn-on duration parameters that may be applied to the basic configuration 200. In addition, a corresponding index may be used to access the DTX or DRX configuration. In this way, the UE 115 may select a DTX or DRX configuration with pre-configured parameters by selecting a corresponding index. In some aspects, if the UE 115 in the network 100 is pre-configured with a lookup table storing the DTX or DRX configuration, the UE may send an index corresponding to the DTX or DRX configuration in the sidelink control signaling instead of the parameter, thereby further reducing the signaling overhead. The UE 115 that receives the index may then use the index to select the parameters for the DTX or DRX configuration in its lookup table.

[0096] Figure 44 is a block diagram of an exemplary UE 400 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. UE 400 may be a pedestrian UE 115 as described above. As shown, UE 400 may include a processor 402, a memory 404, a DTX-DRX configuration module 408, a transceiver 410 including a modem subsystem 412 and a radio frequency (RF) unit 414, and one or more antennas 416. These elements may communicate with each other directly or indirectly, for example via one or more buses.

[0097] The processor 402 may include a central processing unit (CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a controller, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) device, another hardware device, a firmware device, or any combination thereof configured to perform the operations described herein. The processor 402 may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, for example, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a combination of multiple microprocessors, a combination of one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0098] The memory 404 may include a cache memory (e.g., a cache memory of the processor 402), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, a solid-state storage device, a hard disk drive, other forms of volatile and non-volatile memory, or a combination of different types of memory. In some aspects, the memory 404 includes a non-transitory computer-readable medium. The memory 404 may store instructions 406. The instructions 406 may include instructions that, when executed by the processor 402, cause the processor 402 to perform the operations described herein with reference to the UE 400 in conjunction with the embodiments of the present disclosure. The instructions 406 may also be referred to as code. The terms "instructions" and "code" should be broadly interpreted to include any type of (one or more) computer-readable statements. For example, the terms "instructions" and "code" may refer to one or more programs, routines, subroutines, functions, processes, etc. "Instructions" and "code" may include a single computer-readable statement or many computer-readable statements. The memory 404 may also store a basic configuration 405 , a DTX-DRX lookup table, and a DTX-DRX configuration module 408 .

[0099] The basic configuration 405 may be the basic configuration 200 configured or preconfigured in the memory 404 of the UE 400. The basic configuration may include basic units and cyclic basic units that may be combined with one or more parameters (e.g., cyclic parameters, offset parameters, and on-duration parameters) to determine a discontinuous operation configuration for DRX and DTX communications.

[0100] The DTX-DRX configuration module 408 may determine a discontinuous operation configuration, such as DRX configurations 300A-B and DTX configurations 300C-D, based on the basic configuration and one or more parameters. The DRX configurations 300A-B and DTX configurations 300C-D may indicate a DRX or DTX cycle and an on duration period in the DRX or DTX cycle when the UE 400 may communicate with (one or more) other UEs 400. Because the parameters may have different values, the UE 400 may use these parameters to determine multiple discontinuous operation configurations.

[0101] The DTX-DRX lookup table may store different parameters that may be used to determine different discontinuous operation configurations, such as DRX configurations 300A-B and DTX configurations 300C-D. The UE 115 may use the DTX-DRX configuration module 408 to generate various discontinuous operation configurations and insert the discontinuous operation configurations into the DTX-DRX lookup table. The discontinuous operation configurations may be associated with an index. In this case, the DTX-DRX configuration module 408 may use the index to select one of the discontinuous operation configurations.

[0102] As shown, the transceiver 410 may include a modem subsystem 412 and an RF unit 414. The transceiver 410 may be configured to communicate bidirectionally with other devices such as the BS 105 or with other UEs 400. The modem subsystem 412 may be configured to modulate and / or encode data from the memory 404 and / or the DTX-DRX configuration module 408 according to a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) (e.g., a low-density parity check (LDPC) coding scheme, a turbo coding scheme, a convolutional coding scheme, a digital beamforming scheme, etc.). The RF unit 414 may be configured to process (e.g., perform analog-to-digital conversion or digital-to-analog conversion, etc.) the modulated / encoded data from the modem subsystem 412 (on outbound transmissions) or a transmission originating from another source such as the UE 115 or the BS 105. The RF unit 414 may be further configured to perform analog beamforming in conjunction with digital beamforming. Although shown as being integrated together in the transceiver 410, the modem subsystem 412 and the RF unit 414 may be separate devices that are coupled together at the UE 400 to enable the UE 400 to communicate with other devices.

[0103] The RF unit 414 may provide modulated and / or processed data, e.g., a data packet (or more generally, a data message that may include one or more data packets and other information), to an antenna 416 for transmission to one or more other devices. This may include, for example, the transmission of a link switching indication and a buffer status report (BSR) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The antenna 416 may further receive data messages sent from other devices or UE 400 via a side link. The antenna 416 may provide received data messages for processing and / or demodulation at the transceiver 410. The antenna 416 may include multiple antennas with similar or different designs in order to maintain multiple transmission links. The RF unit 414 may configure the antenna 416.

[0104] Figure 5 5 is a block diagram of an exemplary BS 500 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. BS 500 may be BS 105 as described above. As shown, BS 500 may include a processor 502, a memory 504, a transceiver 510 including a modem subsystem 512 and an RF unit 514, and one or more antennas 516. These elements may communicate with each other directly or indirectly, for example via one or more buses.

[0105] The processor 502 may have various characteristics as a particular type of processor. For example, these may include a CPU, a DSP, an ASIC, a controller, an FPGA device, another hardware device, a firmware device, or any combination thereof configured to perform the operations described herein. The processor 502 may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, for example, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in combination with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0106] Memory 504 may include cache memory (e.g., cache memory of processor 502), RAM, MRAM, ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, solid-state storage devices, one or more hard disk drives, memristor-based arrays, other forms of volatile and non-volatile memory, or a combination of different types of memory. In some embodiments, memory 504 may include non-transitory computer-readable media. Memory 504 may store instructions 506. Instructions 506 may include instructions that, when executed by processor 502, cause processor 502 to perform the operations described herein. Instructions 506 may also be referred to as code, which may be broadly interpreted as including any type of (one or more) computer-readable statements, such as those described above with respect to Figure 5 discussed.

[0107] The memory 504 may also include a basic configuration 505. The basic configuration 505 may be the basic configuration 200 configured or preconfigured in the memory 504 of the BS 500, and may include basic units and cyclic basic units that may be combined with one or more parameters (e.g., cyclic parameters, offset parameters, and on-duration parameters) to determine a non-continuous operation configuration.

[0108] As shown, the transceiver 510 may include a modem subsystem 512 and an RF unit 514. The transceiver 510 may be configured to communicate bidirectionally with other devices such as UE 206 and / or another core network element. The modem subsystem 512 may be configured to modulate and / or encode data according to an MCS (e.g., an LDPC coding scheme, a turbo coding scheme, a convolutional coding scheme, a digital beamforming scheme, etc.). The RF unit 514 may be configured to process (e.g., perform analog-to-digital conversion or digital-to-analog conversion, etc.) modulated / encoded data from the modem subsystem 512 (on outbound transmissions) or from another source such as UE 115. The RF unit 514 may be further configured to perform analog beamforming in conjunction with digital beamforming. Although shown as being integrated together in the transceiver 510, the modem subsystem 512 and the RF unit 514 may be separate devices coupled together at the BS 105 to enable the BS 105 to communicate with other devices.

[0109] The RF unit 514 may provide modulated and / or processed data, e.g., a data packet (or more generally, a data message that may include one or more data packets and other information), to an antenna 516 for transmission to one or more other devices. This may include, for example, the transmission of information in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure to complete attachment to a network and communication with a resident UE 115. The antenna 516 may further receive data messages sent from other devices and provide received data messages for processing and / or demodulation at the transceiver 510. The antenna 516 may include multiple antennas of similar or different designs in order to maintain multiple transmission links.

[0110] Figure 66 is a flow chart of a method 600 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The steps of method 600 may be performed by a computing device (e.g., a processor, a processing circuit, and / or other suitable components) of a wireless communication device or other suitable means for performing the steps. For example, a wireless communication device such as UE 115, 400 may utilize one or more components (e.g., a processor 402, a memory 404, a DTX-DRX configuration module 408, a transceiver 410, a modem 412, and one or more antennas 416) to perform the steps of method 600. As shown, method 600 includes a plurality of enumerated steps, but various aspects of method 600 may include additional steps before, after, and between the enumerated steps. In some aspects, one or more of the enumerated steps may be omitted or performed in a different order.

[0111] At step 602, a basic configuration is accessed. For example, the UE 115, 400 is pre-configured with a basic configuration 200 that determines a discontinuous operation configuration 300 for sidelink communication. The basic configuration 200 may include a cycle basic unit 210 and a basic unit 205. The cycle basic unit 210 may include a plurality of basic units 205 that may be used to configure an on duration period 310 and an off duration period 320 in a discontinuous operation cycle. The discontinuous operation configuration 300 may be a DRX configuration 300A-B that the UE 115, 400 uses to generate a DRX cycle 305 or a DTX configuration 300C-D that the UE 115, 400 uses to generate a DTX cycle 325. The UE 115, 400 communicates with other UEs 400 during the on duration period 310 in the DRX cycle 305 and the DTX cycle 325.

[0112] At step 604, a discontinuous operation configuration is defined. For example, the UE 115, 400 may define a discontinuous operation configuration 300, such as a DRX configuration 300A-B or a DTX configuration 300C-D, based on the basic configuration 200 and one or more parameters. The discontinuous operation configuration 300 includes a cycle of discontinuous operation with an on duration period 310 and an off duration period 320. Example parameters may include a cycle parameter, an on duration parameter, and an offset parameter. The UE 115, 400 may use the cycle parameter and the cycle basic unit 210 to determine a DRX cycle 305 for the DRX configuration 300A-B or a DTX cycle 325 for the DTX configuration 300C-D. The UE 115, 400 may use the on duration parameter and the basic unit 205 to determine the on duration period 310. The UE 115, 400 may use the offset parameter in the basic configuration 200 and the basic unit 205 to determine the offset 315. The offset 315 identifies the position of the on duration period 310 relative to the start of the DTX cycle 325 or the DRX cycle 305. As described above, the UE 115, 400 may define DTX and DRX configurations 300A-D to intermittently transmit and receive data and control information over the sidelink to save power for the UE 115, 400.

[0113] Figure 7 700 is a flow chart of a method 700 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The steps of method 700 may be performed by a computing device (e.g., a processor, a processing circuit, and / or other suitable components) of a wireless communication device or other suitable means for performing the steps. For example, a wireless communication device such as UE 115, 400 may utilize one or more components (e.g., a processor 402, a memory 404, a DTX-DRX configuration module 408, a transceiver 410, a modem 412, and one or more antennas 416) to perform the steps of method 700. As shown, method 700 includes a plurality of enumerated steps, but various aspects of method 700 may include additional steps before, after, and between the enumerated steps. In some aspects, one or more of the enumerated steps may be omitted or performed in a different order.

[0114] At step 702, a discontinuous operation configuration is determined. For example, the UE 115 uses the basic configuration 200 and one or more of the cycle parameters, the offset parameters, and the on duration parameters to determine the discontinuous operation configuration 300. As described above, the discontinuous operation configuration 300 includes an on duration period 310 for sidelink communication and a cycle of discontinuous operation.

[0115] At step 704, data is transmitted during the on duration period indicated by the sidelink communication. For example, if the discontinuous operation configuration 300 is a DTX configuration (e.g., DTX configuration 300C or 300D), the first UE 115 sends data to the second UE 115 via the sidelink during the on duration period 310 of the DTX cycle 325. The DTX cycle 325 is determined according to the DTX configuration 300C or 300D. On the other hand, if the discontinuous operation configuration is a DRX configuration (e.g., DRX configuration 300A or 300B), the first UE 115 receives data from the second UE 115 via the sidelink during the on duration period 310 of the DRX cycle 305. The DRX cycle 305 is determined according to the DRX configuration 300A or 300B.

[0116] Figure 8 800 is a flow chart of a method 800 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The steps of method 800 may be performed by a computing device (e.g., a processor, a processing circuit, and / or other suitable components) of a wireless communication device or other suitable means for performing the steps. For example, a wireless communication device such as UE 115, 400 may utilize one or more components (e.g., a processor 402, a memory 404, a DTX-DRX configuration module 408, a transceiver 410, a modem 412, and one or more antennas 416) to perform the steps of method 800. As shown, method 800 includes a plurality of enumerated steps, but various aspects of method 800 may include additional steps before, after, and between the enumerated steps. In some aspects, one or more of the enumerated steps may be omitted or performed in a different order.

[0117] At step 802, a DTX configuration is determined. For example, the UE 115 determines a DTX configuration (e.g., DTX configuration 300C or 300D) that indicates an on-duration period 310 and a DTX cycle 325 based on the basic configuration 200 and one or more parameters. Example parameters may be a cycle parameter, an offset parameter, and an on-duration parameter.

[0118] At step 804, the DTX configuration is sent via the sidelink. For example, the first UE 115 sends the DTX configuration to one or more other UEs 115 via the sidelink. The sending may be performed via sidelink control signaling. In addition, the DTX configuration may be included in the SCI or MAC-CE of the sidelink control signaling.

[0119] At step 806, a DRX configuration is received via a side link. For example, the first UE 115 receives a DRX configuration, such as DRX configuration 300A or 300B, from the second UE 115 via a side link. In some cases, the second UE 115 may define a DRX configuration in response to the second UE 115 receiving a DTX configuration from the first UE 115 in step 804. In addition, the DRX configuration may be determined such that an on duration period 310 of the DTX configuration determined by the first UE 115 mirrors an on duration period 310 of the DRX configuration determined by the second UE. In this way, the first UE 115 and the second UE 115 are aligned such that when the first UE 115 is transmitting information, the second UE 115 is receiving information.

[0120] At step 808, information is sent from the first UE to the second UE. For example, the first UE 115 sends information to the second UE 115 via a side link and during an on duration period 310 in a DTX cycle 325 determined by the DTX configuration. As described above, the information is received during the on duration period 310 of the DRX cycle 305 of the second UE 115.

[0121] Figure 900 is a flow chart of a method 900 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The steps of method 900 may be performed by a computing device (e.g., a processor, a processing circuit, and / or other suitable components) of a wireless communication device or other suitable means for performing the steps. For example, a wireless communication device such as UE 115, 400 may utilize one or more components (e.g., a processor 402, a memory 404, a DTX-DRX configuration module 408, a transceiver 410, a modem 412, and one or more antennas 416) to perform the steps of method 900. As shown, method 900 includes many listed steps, but various aspects of method 900 may include additional steps before, after, and between the listed steps. In some aspects, one or more of the listed steps may be omitted or performed in a different order.

[0122] At step 902, a DTX configuration and a DRX configuration for discontinuous operation are determined. For example, the UE 115 determines a DTX configuration having an on duration period 310 and a DTX cycle 325 according to the basic configuration 200 and one or more of the cycle parameters, the offset parameters, and the on duration parameters. The UE 115 also determines a DRX configuration having an on duration period 310 and a DRX cycle according to one or more of the cycle parameters, the offset parameters, and the on duration parameters. The cycle parameters, the offset parameters, and the on duration parameters used to determine the DTX configuration may be the same as or different from the cycle parameters, the offset parameters, and the on duration parameters used to determine the DRX configuration. The DTX configuration indicates an on duration period 310 when the UE 115 sends information to other UEs 115 via a side link, and when the first UE 115 receives information via a side link, the DRX configuration indicates the on duration period 310 to other UEs 115.

[0123] At step 904, the DTX configuration and the DRX configuration are sent to other UEs 115 via the sidelink. For example, the first UE 115 sends the DTX configuration to one or more other UEs 115 via sidelink control signaling. Similarly, the first UE 115 sends the DRX configuration to one or more other UEs 115 via sidelink control signaling. The sidelink control signaling may include the DTX configuration and the DRX configuration in the SCI or MAC-CE. In this way, when the first UE 115 is sending information to other UEs 115 and receiving information from other UEs 115, the other UEs 115 can determine the start duration period 310.

[0124] At step 906, information is transmitted. For example, the first UE 115 transmits information to the other UE(s) 115 during the on duration period 310 of the DTX cycle 325 indicated by the DTX configuration. The transmission is performed via a side link. Because the first UE 115 transmits the DTX configuration to the other UE(s) 115, the other UE(s) 115 may also configure their respective DRX configurations to have an on duration period 310 in the DRX cycle during which the other UE(s) 115 may receive information.

[0125] At step 908, information is received. For example, the first UE 115 receives information from (one or more) other UEs 115 during the on duration period 310 of the DRX cycle 305 indicated by the DRX configuration. Reception is also performed via a side link. Because the first UE 115 sends the DRX configuration to (one or more) other UEs 115, (one or more) other UEs 115 can determine when the first UE 115 receives information during the on duration period 310 of the DRX cycle. Therefore, (one or more) other UEs 115 can send information during the DRX on duration period 310 of the first UE 115.

[0126] Information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be mentioned throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0127] The various illustrative blocks and modules described in conjunction with the disclosure herein may be implemented or executed with a general purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, an 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 conventional 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, one or more microprocessors in combination with a DSP core, or any other such configuration).

[0128] The functions described herein can be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, these functions can be stored or transmitted on a computer-readable medium as one or more instructions or codes. Other examples and embodiments are within the scope of the present disclosure and the accompanying claims. For example, due to the nature of software, the above functions can be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, hard wiring, or any combination of these executed by a processor. The features of implementing the functions can also be physically located in different locations, including being distributed so that some functions are implemented at different physical locations. In addition, as used herein in the claims, as used in a list of items (e.g., a list of items beginning with phrases such as "at least one of ... " or "one or more of ... "), "or" means including a 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).

[0129] As some skilled in the art will now appreciate and depending on the particular application at hand, many modifications, substitutions and changes may be made to the materials, apparatus, configurations and methods of use of the apparatus of the present disclosure without departing from its spirit and scope. In view of this, the scope of the present disclosure should not be limited to the scope of the specific embodiments shown and described herein, as they are merely some examples thereof, but should be fully commensurate with the scope of the appended claims and their functional equivalents.

Claims

1. A first user equipment UE, comprising: A processor configured to: accessing a basic configuration for determining a discontinuous operation configuration of the first UE; and The discontinuous operation configuration indicating an on-duration period and a discontinuous operation cycle for sidelink communication is determined by applying at least one parameter to the base configuration.

2. The first UE according to claim 1, wherein: The basic configuration includes a discontinuous operation cycle basic unit and a plurality of basic units in the discontinuous operation cycle basic unit.

3. The first UE according to claim 2, wherein: The processor is further configured to: The on-duration period in the non-continuous operation configuration is determined using an on-duration parameter of the at least one parameter and at least one base cell of the plurality of base cells of the base configuration.

4. The first UE according to claim 2, wherein: The processor is further configured to: An offset from a cycle start to the on-duration period in the non-continuous operation configuration is determined using an offset parameter of the at least one parameter and at least one base cell of the plurality of base cells of the base configuration.

5. The first UE according to claim 2, wherein: The processor is further configured to: A cycle in the non-continuous operation configuration is determined using a cycle parameter in the at least one parameter and the non-continuous operation cycle base unit of the base configuration.

6. The first UE according to claim 1, wherein: The processor is further configured to: A lookup table is stored, the lookup table comprising a plurality of non-continuous operation configurations based on the base configuration and at least one of a turn-on duration parameter, an offset parameter, and a cycle parameter.

7. The first UE according to claim 1, wherein: The discontinuous operation configuration is a DTX configuration that defines a discontinuous transmission DTX cycle.

8. The first UE of claim 7, further comprising a transceiver in communication with the processor and configured to send data via a side link during the on-duration period in the DTX cycle.

9. The first UE of claim 7, further comprising a transceiver in communication with the processor and configured to: Sending the DTX configuration to a second UE via a side link; receiving a DRX configuration indicating an on duration period and a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle of the second UE, wherein the on duration period indicated by the DRX configuration is aligned with the on duration period indicated by the DTX configuration; and Data from the first UE is sent to the second UE via the sidelink during an on-duration period of the DTX cycle, the data to be received by the second UE during an on-duration period of the DRX cycle.

10. The first UE according to claim 1, wherein: The discontinuous operation configuration is a DRX configuration defining a discontinuous reception DRX cycle. 11 . The first UE of claim 10 , further comprising a transceiver in communication with the processor and configured to receive data via a side link during an on-duration period in the DRX cycle.

12. The first UE of claim 10, further comprising a transceiver in communication with the processor and configured to: Sending the DRX configuration to a second UE via a side link; receiving a DTX configuration indicating an on duration period and a DTX cycle for the second UE, wherein the on duration period indicated by the DTX configuration is aligned with the on duration period indicated by the DRX configuration; and Data is received from the second UE via the sidelink during an on-duration period of a DRX cycle, the data to be sent by the second UE during an on-duration period of a DTX cycle.

13. The first UE of claim 1, further comprising a transceiver in communication with the processor and configured to transmit the discontinuous operation configuration via sidelink control signaling.

14. The first UE according to claim 13, wherein: The discontinuous operation configuration is sent using sidelink control information SCI in the sidelink control signaling.

15. The first UE according to claim 1, wherein: The discontinuous operation configuration is sent using a MAC control element.

16. A method performed at a first user equipment UE, comprising: accessing a basic configuration for determining a discontinuous operation configuration of the first UE; as well as The discontinuous operation configuration indicating an on-duration period and a discontinuous operation cycle for sidelink communication is determined by applying at least one parameter to the base configuration.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein: The basic configuration includes a discontinuous operation cycle basic unit and a plurality of basic units in the discontinuous operation cycle basic unit.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising: The on-duration period in the non-continuous operation configuration is determined using an on-duration parameter of the at least one parameter and at least one base cell of the plurality of base cells of the base configuration.

19. The method according to claim 17, further comprising: An offset from a cycle start to the on-duration period in the non-continuous operation configuration is determined using an offset parameter of the at least one parameter and at least one base cell of the plurality of base cells of the base configuration.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising: A cycle in the non-continuous operation configuration is determined using a cycle parameter in the at least one parameter and the non-continuous operation cycle base unit of the base configuration.

21. The method of claim 16, further comprising: A lookup table is stored, the lookup table comprising a plurality of non-continuous operation configurations based on the base configuration and at least one of a turn-on duration parameter, an offset parameter, and a cycle parameter.

22. The method according to claim 16, wherein: The discontinuous operation configuration is a DTX configuration that defines a discontinuous transmission DTX cycle.

23. The method according to claim 22, further comprising: Data is sent over a side link during the on-duration period in the DTX cycle.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising: Sending the DTX configuration to a second UE via a side link; receiving a DRX configuration indicating an on duration period and a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle of the second UE, wherein the on duration period indicated by the DRX configuration is aligned with the on duration period indicated by the DTX configuration; and Data from the first UE is sent to the second UE via the sidelink during an on-duration period of the DTX cycle, the data to be received by the second UE during an on-duration period of the DRX cycle.

25. The method of claim 16, wherein: The discontinuous operation configuration is a DRX configuration defining a discontinuous reception DRX cycle.

26. The method according to claim 25, further comprising: Data is received via a side link during an on-duration period in the DRX cycle.

27. The method of claim 25, further comprising: Sending the DRX configuration to a second UE via a side link; receiving a DTX configuration indicating an on duration period and a DTX cycle of the second UE, wherein the on duration period indicated by the DTX configuration is aligned with the on duration period indicated by the DRX configuration; and Data is received from the second UE via the sidelink during an on-duration period of a DRX cycle, the data to be sent by the second UE during an on-duration period of a DTX cycle.

28. The method of claim 16, further comprising: The discontinuous operation configuration is sent via sidelink control signaling.

29. A first user equipment UE, comprising: means for accessing a basic configuration for determining a discontinuous operation configuration of the first UE; as well as Means for determining the discontinuous operation configuration indicating an on-duration period and a discontinuous operation cycle for sidelink communications by applying at least one parameter to the base configuration.

30. A non-transitory computer readable medium having program code recorded thereon, the program code, when executed by a processor of a first user equipment (UE), causes the first UE to: accessing a basic configuration for determining a discontinuous operation configuration of the first UE; and The discontinuous operation configuration indicating an on-duration period and a discontinuous operation cycle for sidelink communication is determined by applying at least one parameter to the base configuration.

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