Sidelink beam configuration and indication

Abstract

Various aspects relate to a mechanism for a wireless communication device to configure and indicate one or more beams for sidelink communication with another wireless communication device. The sidelink communication may include first-level sidelink control information (SCI) and second-level SCI that may be transmitted on a first beam configured on the wireless communication device. The sidelink communication may also include sidelink data traffic that may be transmitted on a second beam. The second beam may be the first beam or a different beam based on at least one of a beam capability of at least the first wireless communication device or an interval between sidelink data traffic, and at least one of the first-level SCI or the second-level SCI.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This patent application claims priority to and the benefit of co-pending non-provisional application No. 17 / 225,958 filed in the U.S. Patent Office on April 8, 2021, and provisional application No. 63 / 020,977 filed in the U.S. Patent Office on May 6, 2020, and is assigned to the present assignee, and is hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth below and for all applicable purposes. Technical Field

[0003] The techniques discussed below relate generally to wireless communication networks, and more specifically, to configuration and indication of beams for sidelink communications. Background Art

[0004] Different network configurations can facilitate wireless communications between devices. In one configuration, a cellular network can enable wireless communication devices (e.g., user equipment (UE)) to communicate with each other through signaling with nearby base stations or cells. Another wireless communication network configuration is a device-to-device (D2D) network, in which wireless communication devices can signal each other directly (rather than via an intermediate base station or cell). For example, a D2D communication network can utilize sidelink signaling to facilitate direct communication between wireless communication devices. In some sidelink network configurations, the wireless communication device can further communicate in a cellular network, typically under the control of a base station. Therefore, the wireless communication device can be configured to perform uplink and downlink signaling via a base station, and further used to perform sidelink signaling directly between wireless communication devices without transmitting through a base station.

[0005] In wireless communication systems, such as those specified in the standards for 5G New Radio (NR), both base stations and wireless communication devices can utilize beamforming to compensate for high path losses and short distances. Beamforming is a signal processing technique for directional signal transmission and / or reception for antenna arrays. For example, an antenna in an antenna array can transmit a signal that is combined with other signals from other antennas of the same array in such a way that signals at certain angles experience constructive interference while other antennas experience destructive interference. Beamforming can be implemented in both traditional cellular network configurations and sidelink network configurations at higher frequency bands to support increased data rates. Summary of the invention

[0006] An overview of one or more aspects of the present disclosure is presented below to provide a basic understanding of these aspects. This main content is not an extended overview of all expected features of the present disclosure, and is neither intended to identify the key or key elements of all aspects of the present disclosure, nor 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 of the present disclosure in a form that serves as a prelude to a more detailed description later.

[0007] In one example, a method for sidelink wireless communication at a first wireless communication device is disclosed. The method includes: transmitting first-level sidelink control information (SCI) with a second wireless communication device on a first beam within a control region of a time slot, and transmitting second-level SCI with the second wireless communication device on the first beam within a data region of the time slot. The method also includes: transmitting sidelink data traffic with the second wireless communication device on a second beam within the data region of the time slot. The second beam can be the first beam or a different beam based on at least one of the beam capabilities of at least the first wireless communication device, or an interval between the sidelink data traffic and at least one of the first-level SCI or the second-level SCI.

[0008] Another example provides a wireless communication device in a wireless communication network. The wireless communication device includes a wireless transceiver, a memory, and a processor communicatively coupled to the wireless transceiver and the memory. The processor and the memory may be configured to transmit first-level sidelink control information (SCI) with a second wireless communication device on a first beam within a control region of a time slot, and to transmit second-level SCI with a second wireless communication device on a first beam within a data region of the time slot. The processor and the memory may be further configured to transmit sidelink data services with a second wireless communication device on a second beam within the data region of the time slot. Based on at least the beam capability of the first wireless communication device, or at least one of the intervals between the sidelink data service and at least one of the first-level SCI or the second-level SCI, the second beam may be the first beam or a different beam.

[0009] Another example provides a wireless communication device in a wireless communication network. The wireless communication device includes: a unit for transmitting first-level sidelink control information (SCI) with a second wireless communication device on a first beam within a control region of a time slot, and a unit for transmitting second-level SCI with the second wireless communication device on a first beam within a data region of the time slot. The wireless communication device also includes: a unit for transmitting sidelink data traffic with the second wireless communication device on a second beam within the data region of the time slot. Based on at least one of the beam capabilities of the first wireless communication device, or the interval between the sidelink data traffic and at least one of the first-level SCI or the second-level SCI, the second beam can be the first beam or a different beam.

[0010] Another example provides an article of manufacture for use by a first wireless communication device in a wireless communication network. The article of manufacture includes a computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon executable by one or more processors of the first wireless communication device to transmit first-level sidelink control information (SCI) with a second wireless communication device on a first beam within a control region of a time slot, and to transmit second-level SCI with the second wireless communication device on a first beam within a data region of the time slot. The computer-readable medium also includes instructions executable by one or more processors of the first wireless communication device to transmit sidelink data traffic with the second wireless communication device on a second beam within the data region of the time slot. The second beam may be the first beam or a different beam based on at least one of the beam capabilities of at least the first wireless communication device, or an interval between the sidelink data traffic and at least one of the first-level SCI or the second-level SCI.

[0011] After browsing the detailed description below, these aspects and other aspects will be more fully understood. When browsing the description of the specific example below in conjunction with the drawings, other aspects, features and examples will become clear to those of ordinary skill in the art. Although features can be discussed relative to some of the following examples and figures, all examples can include one or more advantageous features discussed herein. In other words, although one or more examples can be discussed as having certain advantageous features, one or more of such features can also be used according to the various examples discussed herein. In a similar manner, although illustrative examples can be discussed below as device, system or method examples, these illustrative examples can be implemented in various devices, systems and methods. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless radio access network, according to some aspects.

[0013] Figure 2is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication network employing sidelink communications in accordance with some aspects.

[0014] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication network that facilitates both cellular and sidelink communications, according to some aspects.

[0015] Figure 4 is a block diagram illustrating a wireless communication system supporting beamforming and / or multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communications in accordance with certain aspects.

[0016] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating communications between wireless communication devices using beamformed sidelink signals in accordance with some aspects.

[0017] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a frame structure used in a wireless communication network in accordance with some aspects.

[0018] Figure 7A-7C

[0013] Examples of sidelink time slot structures are shown in accordance with some aspects.

[0019] Figure 8 is a signaling diagram illustrating an example of sidelink beam indication according to some aspects.

[0020] Fig. 9 is a signaling diagram illustrating another example of sidelink beam indication according to certain aspects.

[0021] Fig.10 is a signaling diagram illustrating another example of sidelink beam indication according to some aspects.

[0022] Fig.11 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for a wireless communication device employing a processing system, according to some aspects.

[0023] Fig.12 is a flow chart of an example method for sidelink communications using one or more sidelink beams in accordance with some aspects.

[0024] Fig.13 is a flow chart of another example method for sidelink communications using one or more sidelink beams in accordance with some aspects.

[0025] Fig.14 is a flow chart of another example method for sidelink communications using one or more sidelink beams in accordance with some aspects. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The specific embodiments described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings are intended as descriptions of various configurations and are not intended to represent the only configurations in which the concepts described herein may be implemented. The specific embodiments include specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of the various concepts. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts may be implemented without these specific details. In some cases, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring these concepts.

[0027] The electromagnetic spectrum is typically subdivided into various categories, bands, channels, etc. based on frequency / wavelength. In 5G NR, two initial operating bands have been identified with the frequency range names FR1 (410 MHz-7.125 GHz) and FR2 (24.25 GHz-52.6 GHz). It should be understood that although a portion of FR1 is greater than 6 GHz, FR1 is often (interchangeably) referred to as the "sub-6 GHz" band in various documents and articles. A similar naming issue sometimes arises with respect to FR2, which is often (interchangeably) referred to as the "millimeter wave" band in the literature and articles, although it is different from the extremely high frequency (EHF) band (30 GHz-300 GHz) identified as the "millimeter wave" band by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

[0028] Frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are generally referred to as mid-band frequencies. Recent 5G NR research has identified the operating bands of these mid-band frequencies as frequency range names FR3 (7.125GHz-24.25GHz). The frequency bands falling within FR3 can inherit FR1 characteristics and / or FR2 characteristics, and therefore the features of FR1 and / or FR2 can be effectively extended to mid-band frequencies. In addition, higher frequency bands are currently being explored to extend 5G NR operations to above 52.6GHz. For example, three higher operating bands have been identified as frequency range names FR4-a or FR4-1 (52.6GHz-71 GHz), FR4 (52.6GHz-114.25GHz) and FR5 (114.25GHz-300GHz). Each of these higher frequency bands falls within the EHF band.

[0029] In view of the above, unless otherwise specifically stated, it should be understood that if used herein, the term "sub-6 GHz" and the like can broadly refer to frequencies that can be less than 6 GHz, can be located within FR1, or can include mid-band frequencies. In addition, unless otherwise specifically stated, it should be understood that if used herein, the term "millimeter wave" and the like can broadly refer to frequencies that can include mid-band frequencies, can be located within FR2, FR4, FR4-a or FR4-1 and / or FR5, or can be located within the EHF band.

[0030] It should be understood that the above examples are not necessarily intended to limit the claimed subject matter. For example, unless specifically stated, the claimed subject matter related to wireless communications is not necessarily intended to be limited to frequency bands defined by any particular author / entity, etc.

[0031] Although the present application describes aspects and examples by illustrating some examples, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that additional implementations and use cases may occur in many different arrangements and scenarios. The innovations described herein can be implemented on many different platform types, devices, systems, shapes, sizes, and packaging arrangements. For example, examples and / or uses can be implemented via integrated chip examples and other devices based on non-module components (e.g., end-user devices, vehicles, communication devices, computing devices, industrial devices, retail / purchasing devices, medical devices, AI-enabled devices, etc.). Although some examples may or may not be specifically for use cases or applications, the described innovations can have various applications. The implementation can cover the range from chip-level or modular components to non-modular, non-chip-level implementations, to aggregated, distributed or OEM devices or systems that incorporate one or more aspects of the innovation. In some practical settings, the device that incorporates the aspects and features may also necessarily include additional components and features for implementing and practicing the claimed and described examples. For example, the transmission and reception of wireless signals necessarily include many components for analog and digital purposes (e.g., hardware components, including antennas, RF chains, power amplifiers, modulators, buffers, processors, interleavers, adders / summers, etc.). It is intended that the innovations described herein can be implemented in a wide variety of devices, chip-level components, systems, distributed arrangements, end-user devices, etc., of various sizes, shapes, and configurations.

[0032] Various aspects of the present disclosure relate to mechanisms for a wireless communication device to configure and indicate one or more beams for sidelink communication with another wireless communication device. Sidelink communication may include: first-level sidelink control information (SCI) and second-level SCI that may be transmitted on a first beam configured on the wireless communication device. For example, the first beam may be configured based on a sidelink beam search and measurement process, and / or may be updated via a sidelink media access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE), a radio access network (RAN) MAC-CE, or a RAN radio resource control (RRC) message.

[0033] The sidelink communication may further include a sidelink data service that may be communicated on a second beam. The second beam may be the first beam or a different beam based on at least one of the beam capabilities of at least the first wireless communication device, or an interval between the sidelink data service and at least one of the first-level SCI or the second-level SCI. For example, the sidelink data service may include a first portion that is frequency-division multiplexed with the first-level SCI. When the beam capabilities of at least the transmitting wireless communication device do not support simultaneous communication on multiple (e.g., two) beams, the second beam used for communication of the first portion of the sidelink data service may be the first beam. When the beam capabilities indicate that at least the transmitting wireless communication device supports multiple simultaneous beams, the second beam used for communication of the first portion of the sidelink data service may be a third beam (e.g., a beam different from the first beam). The second beam (e.g., the first beam or the third beam) used for the first portion of the sidelink data service may be configured and / or updated on the wireless communication device, as indicated above.

[0034] The sidelink data service may also include: a second part that is time-division multiplexed with the first level SCI and the second level SCI. The second beam used for communication of the second part of the sidelink data service may be the first beam, the third beam, or a beam different from the first beam or the third beam. In examples where the second beam used for communication of the second part of the sidelink data service is the first beam or the third beam, the second beam may be configured and / or updated on the wireless communication device as indicated above. In examples where the second beam used for communication of the second part of the sidelink data service is a different beam, a beam identifier (ID) for the second beam may be included in at least one of the first level SCI or the second level SCI.

[0035] In some examples, when the length of the interval is greater than a threshold, a different beam is used for communication of a second portion of the sidelink data service. In examples where the beam ID is included in the first-level SCI, the interval may include a second-level SCI and / or a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) for the second portion of the sidelink data service. In examples where the beam ID is included in the second-level SCI, when the first-level SCI includes the beam ID, the threshold may correspond to an extended interval length compared to the original interval length used for the threshold. In some examples, the threshold may be configured based on the capabilities of the receiving wireless communication device. In some examples, the sidelink data service may include only the second portion (rather than the first portion).

[0036] In some examples, the sidelink communication may further include feedback information corresponding to the sidelink data service. The feedback information may be transmitted, for example, on a fourth beam. In some examples, the fourth beam may be a second beam for at least a second portion of the sidelink data service. In some examples, the fourth beam may be a different beam or a default beam. Based on an additional interval (e.g., in units of the number of symbols) between at least one of the first-level SCI or the second-level SCI and the feedback information, a different beam or a default beam may be used as the feedback information. For example, when the length of the additional interval is less than or equal to the additional threshold, the fourth beam for communication of the feedback information may be a default beam. The default beam may be a second beam or another beam configured on the wireless communication device. For example, the default beam may be configured based on a spatial relationship indication, and / or may be updated based on a sidelink MAC-CE, a RAN MAC-CE, or a RAN RRC message. When the length of the additional interval is greater than a threshold, the fourth beam for communication of the feedback information may be a different beam. In this example, SCI-1 and / or SCI-2 may include beam IDs of different beams.

[0037] The various concepts presented in this disclosure may be implemented in a variety of telecommunication systems, network architectures and communication standards. Figure 1 , a schematic diagram of a radio access network 100 is provided as an illustrative example and not a limitation. The RAN 100 may implement any suitable wireless communication technology or technique to provide radio access. For example, the RAN 100 may operate in accordance with the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) New Radio (NR) specification (commonly referred to as 5G). As another example, the RAN 100 may operate under a mix of 5G NR and Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (eUTRAN) standards (commonly referred to as LTE). 3GPP refers to such a hybrid RAN as the Next Generation RAN or NG-RAN. Of course, many other examples may be used within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0038] The geographical area covered by the radio access network 100 may be divided into a plurality of cellular areas (cells) that may be uniquely identified by a user equipment (UE) based on an identity broadcast over the geographical area from an access point or base station. Figure 1 Cells 102, 104, 106 and cell 108 are shown, each of which may include one or more sectors (not shown). A sector is a sub-area of ​​a cell. All sectors within a cell are served by the same base station. A radio link within a sector may be identified by a single logical identifier belonging to the sector. In a cell divided into multiple sectors, multiple sectors within a cell may be formed by groups of antennas, and each antenna is responsible for communication with a UE in a portion of the cell.

[0039] Typically, a corresponding base station (BS) serves each cell. Broadly speaking, a base station is a network element in a radio access network that is responsible for radio transmission or reception to or from a UE in one or more cells. A person of ordinary skill in the art may also refer to a BS as a base transceiver station (BTS), a radio base station, a radio transceiver, a transceiver function, a basic service set (BSS), an extended service set (ESS), an access point (AP), a node B (NB), an eNode B (eNB), a gNode B, a transmission or reception point (TRP), or some other suitable term. In some examples, a base station may include two or more TRPs that may be co-located or non-co-located. Each TRP may communicate on the same or different carrier frequencies in the same or different frequency bands. In an example in which RAN 100 operates according to LTE and 5G NR standards, one of the base stations may be an LTE base station, and the other base station may be a 5G NR base station.

[0040] Various base station arrangements can be used. Figure 1 , two base stations 110 and 112 are shown in cells 102 and 104; and a third base station 114 is shown as controlling a remote radio head (RRH) 116 in cell 106. That is, the base station may have an integrated antenna, or may be connected to an antenna or RRH via a feeder cable. In the example shown, cells 102, 104, and 106 may be referred to as macro cells, as base stations 110, 112, and 114 support cells having large sizes. In addition, base station 118 is shown as being located in cell 108, which may overlap with one or more macro cells. In this example, cell 108 may be referred to as a small cell (e.g., a micro cell, a pico cell, a femto cell, a home base station, a home node B, a home eNode B, etc.), because base station 118 supports a cell having a relatively small size. Cell size adjustment may be performed based on system design and component constraints.

[0041] It should be understood that the radio access network 100 may include any number of wireless base stations and cells. In addition, relay nodes may be deployed to extend the size or coverage area of ​​a given cell. The base stations 110, 112, 114, 118 provide wireless access points to the core network for any number of mobile devices.

[0042] Figure 1 Also included is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) 120, which may be a drone or a quadcopter. UAV 120 may be configured to function as a base station, or more specifically, as a mobile base station. That is, in some examples, a cell may not necessarily be stationary, and the geographic area of ​​a cell may move depending on the location of a mobile base station (e.g., UAV 120).

[0043] Typically, a base station may include a backhaul interface for communicating with a backhaul portion of a network (not shown). The backhaul may provide a link between the base station and a core network (not shown), and in some examples, the backhaul may provide interconnection between base stations. The core network may be part of a wireless communication system and may be independent of the radio access technology used in the radio access network. Various types of backhaul interfaces may be used, such as a direct physical connection using any suitable transport network, a virtual network, etc.

[0044] RAN 100 is shown to support wireless communications for multiple mobile devices. In the standards and specifications promulgated by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), mobile devices are generally referred to as user equipment (UE), but those of ordinary skill in the art may also refer to them as mobile stations (MS), user stations, mobile units, user units, wireless units, remote units, mobile devices, wireless devices, wireless communication devices, remote devices, mobile user stations, access terminals (AT), mobile terminals, wireless terminals, remote terminals, handheld devices, terminals, user agents, mobile clients, clients or other suitable terms. UE can be a device that provides access to network services to users.

[0045] In this document, a "mobile" device does not necessarily have mobile capabilities and can be stationary. The term mobile device or mobile device refers broadly to various devices and technologies. For example, some non-limiting examples of mobile devices include mobile devices, cellular (mobile) phones, smart phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, laptops, personal computers (PCs), notebooks, netbooks, smartbooks, tablet computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs) and various embedded systems, for example, corresponding to the "Internet of Things" (IoT). The mobile device can also be a car or other transportation vehicle, a remote sensor or actuator, a robot or robotic device, a satellite radio device, a global positioning system (GPS) device, an object tracking device, a drone, a multi-copter, a quadcopter, a remote control device, a consumer and / or a wearable device, such as glasses, a wearable camera, a virtual reality device, a smart watch, a health or fitness tracker, a digital audio player (e.g., an MP3 player), a camera, a game console, etc. The mobile device can also be a digital home or smart home device, for example, a home audio, video and / or multimedia device, a home appliance, a vending machine, smart lighting, a home security system, a smart meter, etc. The mobile device may also be a smart energy device, a security device, a solar panel or solar array, a municipal infrastructure device that controls power (e.g., a smart grid), lighting, water supply, etc., an industrial automation and enterprise device, a logistics controller, an agricultural device, etc. In addition, the mobile device may provide connected medical or remote medical support, i.e., telemedicine. Telehealth devices may include remote health monitoring devices and remote health management devices, whose communications may be processed or accessed with priority over other types of information (e.g., in terms of priority access for transmission of critical service data and / or associated QoS for transmission of critical service data).

[0046] Within the RAN 100, the cells may include UEs that may communicate with one or more sectors of each cell. For example, UEs 122 and 124 may communicate with base station 110; UEs 126 and 128 may communicate with base station 112; UEs 130 and 132 may communicate with base station 114 via RRH 116; UE 134 may communicate with base station 118; and UE 136 may communicate with mobile base station 120. Here, each base station 110, 112, 114, 118, and 120 may be configured to provide an access point to a core network (not shown) for all UEs in the respective cells. In some examples, UAV 120 (e.g., a quadcopter) may be a mobile network node and may be configured to function as a UE. For example, UAV 120 may operate within cell 102 by communicating with base station 110.

[0047] Wireless communication between RAN 100 and UE (e.g., UE 122 or 124) can be described as employing an air interface. Transmissions from a base station (e.g., base station 110) to one or more UEs (e.g., UE 122 and 124) over an air interface can be referred to as downlink (DL) transmissions. According to certain aspects of the present disclosure, the term downlink can refer to point-to-multipoint transmissions originating from a scheduling entity (further described below; e.g., base station 110). Another way to describe the scheme is to use the term broadcast channel multiplexing. Transmissions from a UE (e.g., UE 122) to a base station (e.g., base station 110) can be referred to as uplink (UL) transmissions. According to further aspects of the present disclosure, the term uplink can refer to point-to-point transmissions originating from a scheduling entity (further described below; e.g., UE 122).

[0048] For example, DL transmission may include unicast or broadcast transmission of control information and / or traffic information (e.g., user data traffic) from a base station (e.g., base station 110) to one or more UEs (e.g., UEs 122 and 124), and UL transmission may include transmission of control information and / or communication information originating from a UE (e.g., UE 122). In addition, uplink and / or downlink control information and / or traffic information may be divided into frames, subframes, time slots, and / or symbols in time. As used herein, a symbol may refer to a time unit in which each subcarrier carries one resource element (RE) in an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) waveform. A time slot may carry 7 or 14 OFDM symbols. A subframe may refer to a duration of 1 ms. Multiple subframes or time slots may be combined together to form a single frame or radio frame. In the present disclosure, a frame may refer to a predetermined duration (e.g., 10 ms) for wireless transmission, wherein each frame includes, for example, 10 subframes, wherein each subframe is 1 ms. Of course, these definitions are not required, and any suitable scheme for organizing the waveform may be used, and the various time divisions of the waveform may have any suitable durations.

[0049] In some examples, access to the air interface may be scheduled, wherein a scheduling entity (e.g., a base station) allocates resources (e.g., time-frequency resources) for communications between some or all devices and apparatuses within its service area or cell. Within the present disclosure, as further discussed below, a scheduling entity may be responsible for scheduling, allocating, reconfiguring, and releasing resources for one or more scheduling entities. That is, for scheduled communications, a UE or scheduling entity employs resources allocated by the scheduling entity.

[0050] The base station is not the only entity that can be used as a scheduling entity. That is, in some examples, the UE can be used as a scheduling entity, scheduling resources for one or more scheduling entities (e.g., one or more other UEs). For example, two or more UEs (e.g., UEs 138, 140, and 142) can communicate with each other using a sidelink signal 137 without relaying the communication through a base station. In some examples, UEs 138, 140, and 142 can each be used as a scheduling entity or a sending sidelink device and / or a scheduling entity or a receiving sidelink device to schedule resources and transmit sidelink signals 137 therebetween without relying on scheduling or control information from a base station. In other examples, two or more UEs (e.g., UEs 126 and 128) within the coverage area of ​​a base station (e.g., base station 112) can also transmit sidelink signals 127 via a direct link (sidelink) without transmitting the communication through base station 112. In this example, base station 112 can allocate resources to UEs 126 and 128 for sidelink communication. In either case, such sidelink signaling 127 and 137 may be implemented in a point-to-point (P2P) network, a device-to-device (D2D) network, a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) network, a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) network, a mesh network, or other suitable direct link network.

[0051] In some examples, a D2D relay framework may be included within a cellular network to facilitate relaying of communications to / from base station 112 via a D2D link (e.g., sidelink 127 or 137). For example, one or more UEs (e.g., UE 128) within the coverage area of ​​base station 112 may operate as relay UEs to extend the coverage of base station 112, improve transmission reliability to one or more UEs (e.g., UE 126), and / or allow the base station to recover from a failed UE link, such as due to blocking or fading.

[0052] Two main technologies that can be used by V2X networks include: Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) based on the IEEE 802.11p standard and cellular V2X based on LTE and / or 5G (New Radio) standards. For simplicity, various aspects of the present disclosure may refer to New Radio (NR) cellular V2X networks, referred to herein as V2X networks. However, it should be understood that the concepts disclosed herein may not be limited to a specific V2X standard, or may be directed to sidelink networks that are different from V2X networks.

[0053] In order to achieve a low block error rate (BLER) for transmission over the air interface while still achieving very high data rates, channel coding can be used. That is, wireless communications can typically use suitable error-correcting block codes. In a typical block code, an information message or sequence is divided into code blocks (CBs), and then an encoder (e.g., CODEC) at the transmitting device mathematically adds redundancy to the information message. Utilizing this redundancy in the encoded information message can improve the reliability of the message, thereby being able to correct any bit errors that may occur due to noise.

[0054] Data encoding can be achieved in a variety of ways. In early 5G NR specifications, user data is encoded using quasi-cyclic low-density parity check (LDPC) and two different basemaps: one basemap for large code blocks and / or high code rates and another basemap for other cases. Control information and the physical broadcast channel (PBCH) are encoded using polar codes based on nested sequences. For these channels, puncturing, shortening, and repetition are used for rate matching.

[0055] Various aspects of the present disclosure may be implemented using any suitable channel codes. Various implementations of base stations and UEs may include suitable hardware and functionality (eg, encoders, decoders, and / or CODECs) to use one or more of these channel codes for wireless communications.

[0056] In the RAN 100, the ability of a UE to communicate while moving, independent of its location, is referred to as mobility. The various physical channels between the UE and the RAN are typically established, maintained, and released under the control of an access and mobility management function (AMF). In some cases, the AMF may include a security context management function (SCMF) and a security anchor function (SEAF) that perform authentication. The SCMF may manage the security context of both the control plane and user plane functions in whole or in part.

[0057] In some examples, the RAN 100 may implement mobility and handover (i.e., switching the UE's connection from one radio channel to another). For example, during a call with a scheduling entity or at any other time, the UE may monitor various parameters of the signal from its serving cell and various parameters of neighboring cells. Depending on the quality of these parameters, the UE may maintain communication with one or more neighboring cells. During this time, if the UE moves from one cell to another, or if the signal quality from a neighboring cell exceeds the signal quality from the serving cell for a given time, the UE may be handed over or switched from the serving cell to the neighboring (target) cell. For example, the UE 124 may move from a geographic area corresponding to its serving cell 102 to a geographic area corresponding to a neighboring cell 106. When the signal strength or quality from the neighboring cell 106 exceeds the signal strength and quality of its serving cell 101 for a given time, the UE 124 may send a report message to its serving base station 110 indicating this condition. In response, the UE 124 may receive a handover command, and the UE may undergo a handover to the cell 106.

[0058] In various embodiments, the air interface in the RAN 100 may use licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or shared spectrum. Licensed spectrum provides for the exclusive use of a portion of the spectrum, typically through the purchase of a license by a mobile network operator from a government regulator. Unlicensed spectrum allows for shared use of a portion of the spectrum without the need for government permission. Although some technical rules generally still need to be followed to access the unlicensed spectrum, generally any operator or device can gain access. Shared spectrum may fall between licensed and unlicensed spectrum, where access to the spectrum may require technical rules or restrictions, but the spectrum may still be shared by multiple operators and / or multiple RATs. For example, the holder of a license for a portion of the licensed spectrum may provide licensed shared access (LSA) to share the spectrum with other parties, for example, with appropriate licensee-determined conditions for obtaining access.

[0059] The air interface in the RAN 100 may use one or more multiplexing and multiple access algorithms to enable simultaneous communication of various devices. For example, the 5G NR specification provides multiple access for UL or reverse link transmissions from UEs 122 and 124 to base station 110, and multiplexes DL or forward link transmissions from base station 110 to UEs 122 or 124 using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) with a cyclic prefix (CP). In addition, for UL transmissions, the 5G NR specification provides support for discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) with CP (also known as single carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA)). However, within the scope of the present disclosure, multiplexing and multiple access are not limited to the above schemes and may be provided using time division multiple access (TDMA), code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), sparse code multiple access (SCMA), resource extension multiple access (RSMA), or other suitable multiple access schemes. In addition, multiplexing of DL transmissions from base station 110 to UEs 122 and 124 may be provided using time division multiplexing (TDM), code division multiplexing (CDM), frequency division multiplexing (FDM), orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), sparse code multiplexing (SCM), or other suitable multiplexing schemes.

[0060] In addition, the air interface in RAN 100 can use one or more duplex algorithms. Duplex refers to a point-to-point communication link, in which two endpoints can communicate with each other in two directions. Full-duplex means that two endpoints can communicate with each other at the same time. Half-duplex means that only one endpoint can send information to the other endpoint at a time. Half-duplex simulation is usually used for wireless links using time division duplex (TDD). In TDD, time division multiplexing is used to separate transmissions in different directions on a given channel from each other. That is, at certain times, the channel is dedicated to transmission in one direction, and at other times, the channel is dedicated to transmission in another direction, where the direction may change very quickly, such as several times per time slot. In a wireless link, a full-duplex channel usually relies on physical isolation of the transmitter and the receiver, and suitable interference elimination techniques. Full-duplex simulation usually implements a wireless link by using frequency division duplex (FDD) or space division duplex (SDD). In FDD, transmissions in different directions can operate at different carrier frequencies (e.g., in paired spectrum). In SDD, transmissions in different directions on a given channel are separated from each other using spatial division multiplexing (SDM). In other examples, full-duplex communication can be achieved within an unpaired spectrum (e.g., within a single carrier bandwidth), where transmissions in different directions occur within different sub-bands of the carrier bandwidth. This type of full-duplex communication may be referred to herein as sub-band full-duplex (SBFD), also known as flexible duplex.

[0061] Figure 2An example of a wireless communication network 200 configured to support D2D or sidelink communications is shown. In some examples, the sidelink communications may include V2X communications. V2X communications involve not only the direct wireless exchange of information between the vehicles (e.g., vehicles 202 and 204) themselves, but also the direct wireless exchange of information between the vehicles 202 / 204 and infrastructure (e.g., roadside units (RSUs) 206) (e.g., street lights, buildings, traffic cameras, toll booths or other stationary objects, vehicles 202 / 204 and pedestrians 208, and vehicles 202 / 204 and wireless communication networks (e.g., base stations 210)). In some examples, V2X communications may be implemented according to the new wireless (NR) cellular V2X standard defined by 2GPP, Release 16, or other suitable standards.

[0062] V2X communication enables vehicles 202 and 204 to obtain information about weather, nearby accidents, road conditions, activities of nearby vehicles and pedestrians, objects near the vehicle, and other relevant information that can be used to improve the vehicle driving experience and increase vehicle safety. For example, such V2X data can enable autonomous driving and improve road safety and traffic efficiency. For example, the V2X connected vehicles 202 and 204 can use the exchanged V2X data to provide in-vehicle collision warnings, road hazard warnings, approaching emergency vehicle warnings, pre / post-collision warnings and information, emergency braking warnings, forward traffic jam warnings, lane change warnings, smart navigation services, and other similar information. In addition, the V2X data received by the V2X connected mobile device of the pedestrian / cyclist 208 can be used to trigger warning sounds, vibrations, flashing lights, etc. in emergency danger situations.

[0063] Sidelink communications between vehicle UEs (V-UEs) 202 and 204, or between a V-UE 202 or 204 and an RSU 206 or a pedestrian UE (P-UE) 208 may occur via a sidelink 212 using a Proximity Services (ProSe) PC5 interface. In various aspects of the present disclosure, the PC5 interface may also be used to support D2D sidelink 212 communications in other proximity use cases (e.g., different from V2X). Examples of other proximity use cases may include smart wearables, public safety, or proximity services-based commerce (e.g., entertainment, education, office, medical, and / or interactive). Figure 2 In the example shown, ProSe communication may also occur between UEs 214 and 216 .

[0064] ProSe communication can support different operation scenarios, such as in-coverage, out-of-coverage, and partial coverage. Out-of-coverage refers to a scenario in which UEs (e.g., UEs 214 and 216) are outside the coverage of a base station (e.g., base station 210) but each UE is still configured for ProSe communication. Partial coverage refers to a situation in which some of the UEs (e.g., V-UE 204) are outside the coverage area of ​​the base station 210, while other UEs (e.g., V-UE 202 and P-UE 208) communicate with the base station 210. In-coverage refers to a scenario in which UEs (e.g., V-UE 202 and P-UE 208) communicate with the base station 210 (e.g., gNB) via a Uu (e.g., cellular interface) connection to receive ProSe service authorization and provisioning information to support ProSe operation.

[0065] To facilitate D2D sidelink communication, such as between UE 214 and 216, via sidelink 212, UE 213 and 216 may transmit discovery signals therebetween. In some examples, each discovery signal may include a synchronization signal, such as a primary synchronization signal (PSS) and / or a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), which facilitates device discovery and synchronization of communications on sidelink 212. For example, UE 216 may utilize the discovery signal to measure the signal strength and channel state of a potential sidelink (e.g., sidelink 212) with another UE (e.g., UE 214). UE 216 may utilize the measurement results to select a UE (e.g., UE 214) for sidelink communication or relay communication.

[0066] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication network 300 for facilitating cellular and sidelink communications. For example, the wireless communication network 300 may correspond to Figure 1 RAN 100 shown in FIG. The wireless communication network 100 includes a plurality of wireless communication devices 302a, 302b, and 302c and a base station (e.g., eNB or gNB) 306. In some examples, the wireless communication devices 302a, 302b, and 302c may be UEs (e.g., V2X or D2D) capable of sidelink communication. For example, the wireless communication devices 302a, 302b, and 302c may be D2D devices in a D2D network, or V2X devices (e.g., RSU, V-UE, P-UE, etc.) within a V2X network.

[0067] Wireless communication devices 302a and 302b can communicate via a first sidelink 304a, while wireless communication devices 202a and 302c can communicate via a second sidelink 304b. For example, each of the sidelinks 304a and 304b can use a PC5 interface. Wireless communication devices 302a, 302b, and 302c can further communicate with base station 306 via respective Uu links 308a, 308b, and 308c. Sidelink communications on sidelinks 304a and 304b can be carried in a licensed frequency domain, for example, using radio resources operating in accordance with 5G NR or NR Sidelink (SL) specifications, and / or in an unlicensed frequency domain using radio resources operating in accordance with 5G New Radio Unlicensed (NR-U) specifications.

[0068] In some examples, a common carrier may be shared between the sidelinks 304a and 304b and the Uu links 308a-308c such that resources on the common carrier may be allocated for sidelink communications between the wireless communication devices 302a-302c and cellular communications (e.g., uplink and downlink communications) between the wireless communication devices 202a-302c and the base station 306. For example, the wireless communication network 300 may be configured to support a mode 1 sidelink network, wherein resources for sidelinks and cellular communications are scheduled by the base station 306. In other examples where a mode 2 sidelink is implemented on the sidelinks 304a and 304b, the wireless communication devices 302a-302c may autonomously select sidelink resources (e.g., from one or more frequency bands or sub-bands designated for sidelink communications) for communication therebetween. In this example, the wireless communication devices 302a-302c may act as a scheduling entity and a scheduled entity for scheduling sidelink resources to communicate with each other.

[0069] In some aspects of the present disclosure, the scheduling entity and / or the scheduled entity may be configured for beamforming and / or multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) techniques. Figure 4 An example of a wireless communication system 400 supporting beamforming and / or MIMO is shown. In a MIMO system, a transmitter 402 includes multiple transmit antennas 404 (e.g., N transmit antennas), and a receiver 406 includes multiple receive antennas 408 (e.g., M receive antennas). Therefore, there are N×M signal paths 410 from the transmit antenna 404 to the receive antenna 408. Each of the transmitter 402 and the receiver 406 can be implemented, for example, in a scheduling entity, a scheduled entity, or any other suitable device. In some examples, both the transmitter and the receiver are wireless communication devices (e.g., UEs or V2X devices) that communicate over a sidelink channel.

[0070] The use of this multi-antenna technology enables wireless communication systems to exploit the spatial domain to support spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and transmit diversity. Spatial multiplexing can be used to simultaneously send different data streams (also referred to as layers) on the same time-frequency resources. Data streams can be sent to a single UE to increase the data rate, or to multiple UEs to increase the overall system capacity, the latter of which is called multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO). This is achieved by spatially precoding each data stream (i.e., multiplying the data stream by different weights and phase shifts) and then sending each spatially precoded stream through multiple transmit antennas on the downlink. The spatially precoded data streams arrive at UEs with different spatial signatures, which enables each UE in the UE to recover one or more data streams destined for the UE. On the uplink, each UE sends a spatially precoded data stream, which enables the base station to identify the source of each spatially precoded data stream.

[0071] The number of data streams or layers corresponds to the rank of the transmission. Typically, the rank of the MIMO system 400 is limited by the number of transmit antennas 404 or receive antennas 408 (whichever is lower). In addition, the channel conditions at the UE and other considerations (e.g., available resources at the base station) may also affect the transmission rank. For example, the rank (and therefore, the number of data streams) assigned to a particular UE on the downlink can be determined based on a rank indicator (RI) sent from the UE to the base station. The RI can be determined based on the antenna configuration (e.g., the number of transmit antennas and receive antennas) and the signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR) on each receive antenna measured in the receive antenna. The RI can indicate, for example, the number of layers that can be supported under the current channel conditions. The base station can use the RI and resource information (e.g., available resources and the amount of data to be scheduled for the UE) to assign the transmission rank to the UE.

[0072] In a time division duplex (TDD) system, UL and DL are reciprocal because each uses different time slots of the same frequency bandwidth. Therefore, in a TDD system, the base station can assign a rank for DL ​​MIMO transmission based on UL SINR measurement results (e.g., based on a sounding reference signal (SRS) or other pilot signal sent from the UE). Based on the assigned rank, the base station can then send a CSI-RS with a separate C-RS sequence for each layer to provide multi-layer channel estimation. Based on the CSI-RS, the UE can measure the channel quality across layers and resource blocks, and feed back RI and a channel quality indicator (CQI), which indicates to the base station the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) used for transmission to the UE for updating the rank and assigning REs for future downlink transmissions.

[0073] In one example, if Figure 4As shown in , a rank-2 spatial multiplexing transmission on a 2x2 MIMO antenna configuration will send one data stream from each transmit antenna 404. Each data stream follows a different signal path 410 to each receive antenna 408. The receiver 406 can then reconstruct the data stream using the signal received from each receive antenna 408.

[0074] Beamforming is a signal processing technique that can be used at a transmitter 402 or a receiver 406 to form or direct an antenna beam (e.g., a transmit beam or a receive beam) along a spatial path between the transmitter 402 and the receiver 406. Beamforming can be achieved by combining signals transmitted via antennas 404 or 408 (e.g., antenna elements of an antenna array module) so that some signals experience constructive interference and other signals experience destructive interference. In order to create the desired constructive / destructive interference, the transmitter 402 or the receiver 406 can apply an amplitude and / or phase offset to the signal transmitted or received from each antenna 404 or 408 associated with the transmitter 402 or the receiver 406.

[0075] In 5G New Radio (NR) systems, especially for FR2 (mmWave) systems, beamforming signals can be used for most downlink channels, including the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) and the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH). In addition, broadcast control information, such as synchronization signal blocks (SSBs), slot format indicators (SFIs), and paging information, can be sent in a beam scanning manner so that all scheduled entities (UEs) in the coverage area of ​​the transmit and receive point (TRP) (e.g., gNB) can receive the broadcast control information. In addition, for UEs configured with beamforming antenna arrays, beamforming signals can also be used for uplink channels, including the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) and the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH). In addition, beamforming signals can also be used for D2D systems that adopt FR2, such as NR SL or V2X.

[0076] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating communication between wireless communication devices 502 and 504 using beamformed sidelink signals according to some aspects. Each of the wireless communication devices 502 and 504 may be Figure 1-4 Any one of the UE, V2X device, transmitting device or receiving device shown in any of the figures.

[0077] exist Figure 5 In the example shown, the wireless communication devices 502 and 504 may be configured to transmit sidelink signals on one or more of the plurality of beams 506a-506h. Figure 5The beams 506a–506h shown in the figure are generated on the wireless communication device 502, but it should be understood that the same concepts described herein apply to the beams generated on the wireless communication device 504. For example, each wireless communication device 502 and 504 can select one or more beams to send sidelink signals to another wireless communication device. In some examples, due to channel reciprocity, the selected beams on each wireless communication device 502 and 504 can be used for the transmission and reception of sidelink signals. It should be noted that although some beams are shown as being adjacent to each other, this arrangement can vary in different aspects. In some examples, the wireless communication devices 502 and 504 can generate more or fewer beams distributed in different directions.

[0078] The number of beams that a particular wireless communication device 502 or 504 can communicate simultaneously can be defined based on the NR SL standard, the specifications and capabilities of the wireless communication devices 501 and 504. For example, the number of beams can be determined based on the number of antenna panels configured on the wireless communication device 502 or 504. For example, the wireless communication device 502 or 504 may include one or two antenna panels and, therefore, may be configured to communicate on one or two beams at a time, respectively. Each beam may be used to transmit a corresponding layer for MIMO communication. Other numbers of simultaneous beams may also be used in the present disclosure.

[0079] In some examples, in order to select one or more beams for communication on a sidelink between two wireless communication devices 502 and 504, a first wireless communication device (e.g., wireless communication device 502) may transmit a sidelink reference signal, such as a sidelink synchronization signal block (SSB) or a sidelink channel state information (CSI) reference signal (RS), on each of a plurality of beams 506a-506h in a beam scanning manner toward a second wireless communication device (e.g., wireless communication device 504). The second wireless communication device 504 searches for and identifies a beam based on the beam reference signal. The wireless communication device 502 then performs beam measurements (e.g., reference signal received power (RSRP), signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), etc.) on the beam reference signal to determine the corresponding beam quality of each beam.

[0080] The second wireless communication device 504 may then send a beam measurement report (e.g., a layer 1 (L1) sidelink measurement report) to the first wireless communication device, indicating beam quality of one or more measured beams. The first wireless communication device or a radio access network (RAN) node (e.g., a base station, such as a gNB) may then select a particular beam for communication between the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device on the sidelink based on the beam measurement report. For example, the first wireless communication device may forward the beam measurement report to the base station to select the beam. The base station may then signal the selected beam via, for example, a radio resource control (RRC) message or a media access control (MAC) control element (CE).

[0081] Each selected beam on one of the wireless communication devices (e.g., wireless communication device 502) can form a beam pair link (BPL) with a corresponding selected beam on another wireless communication device 504. Therefore, each BPL includes a corresponding transmit beam and receive beam on the wireless communication devices 502 and 504. For example, a BPL can include a first transmit / receive beam on the first wireless communication device 502 and a second transmit / receive beam on the second wireless communication device 404. To increase the data rate, multiple BPLs can be used to facilitate spatial multiplexing of multiple data streams. In some examples, different BPLs can include beams from different antenna panels.

[0082] Will refer to Figure 6 Various aspects of the present disclosure are described using the OFDM waveform schematically shown in FIG. It should be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various aspects of the present disclosure can be applied to SC-FDMA waveforms in substantially the same manner as described herein below. That is, although some examples of the present disclosure may focus on OFDM links for clarity, it should be understood that the same principles can also be applied to SC-FDMA waveforms.

[0083] Now refer to Figure 6 , shows an expanded view of an exemplary subframe 602 showing an OFDM resource grid. However, as will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art, the PHY transmission structure for any particular application may differ from the examples described herein, depending on any number of factors. Here, time is in the horizontal direction, in units of OFDM symbols; and frequency is in the vertical direction, in units of subcarriers of a carrier.

[0084] Resource grid 604 can be used to schematically represent the time-frequency resources for a given antenna port. That is, in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) implementation with multiple available antenna ports, corresponding multiple resource grids 604 can be available for communication. Resource grid 604 is divided into multiple resource elements (REs) 606. RE (which is 1 carrier × 1 symbol) is the smallest discrete part of the time-frequency grid and contains a single complex value representing data from a physical channel or signal. Depending on the modulation used in a specific implementation, each RE can represent one or more bits of information. In some examples, a block of REs can be referred to as a physical resource block (PRB) or more simply a resource block (RB) 608, which contains any appropriate number of consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain. In one example, an RB can include 16 subcarriers, regardless of the number scheme used. In some examples, depending on the number scheme, an RB can include any appropriate number of consecutive OFDM symbols in the time domain. In the present disclosure, it is assumed that a single RB (e.g., RB 608) corresponds entirely to a single communication direction (for a given device, a transmission or reception direction).

[0085] A group of contiguous or discontinuous resource blocks may be referred to herein as a resource block group (RBG), a subband, or a bandwidth part (BWP). A group of subbands or BWPs may span the entire bandwidth. Scheduling of a UE or sidelink device (hereinafter collectively referred to as a UE) for downlink, uplink, or sidelink transmission typically involves scheduling one or more resource elements 606 within one or more subbands or bandwidth parts (BWPs). Therefore, the UE typically uses only a subset of the resource grid 604. In some examples, an RB may be the smallest resource unit that can be allocated to a UE. Therefore, the more RBs scheduled for a UE and the higher the modulation scheme selected for the air interface, the higher the data rate for the UE. The RBs may be scheduled by a base station (e.g., a gNB, eNB, etc.), or may be scheduled by the UE / sidelink device implementing the D2D sidelink communication.

[0086] In this illustration, RB 608 is shown as occupying less than the entire bandwidth of subframe 602, with some subcarriers shown above and below RB 608. In a given implementation, subframe 602 may have a bandwidth corresponding to any number of one or more RBs 608. Furthermore, in this illustration, while RB 608 is shown as occupying less than the entire duration of subframe 602, this is merely one possible example.

[0087] Each 1 ms subframe 602 may consist of one or more adjacent time slots. Figure 6In the example shown in , a subframe 602 includes four time slots 610 as an illustrative example. In some examples, the time slot can be defined according to a specified number of OFDM symbols with a given cyclic prefix (CP) length. For example, a time slot can include 7 or 16 OFDM symbols with a nominal CP. Other examples may include mini-slots (sometimes referred to as shortened transmission time intervals (TTIs)) with shorter durations (e.g., one or three OFDM symbols). In some cases, these mini-slots or shortened transmission time intervals (TTIs) may be transmitted by occupying resources scheduled for ongoing time slot transmissions for the same or different UEs. Any number of resource blocks may be used within a subframe or time slot.

[0088] An expanded view of one of the time slots 610 shows that the time slot 610 includes a control region 612 and a data region 614. In general, the control region 616 may carry control channels, and the data region 614 may carry data channels. Of course, a time slot may contain all DL, all UL, or at least one DL portion and at least one UL portion. Figure 6 The structure shown in is merely exemplary in nature, and different time slot structures may be utilized and may include one or more regions in each of the control region and the data region.

[0089] Although not in Figure 6 6, but each RE 606 within the RB 608 may be scheduled to carry one or more physical channels, including a control channel, a shared channel, a data channel, etc. Other REs 606 within the RB 608 may also carry pilot or reference signals. These pilot or reference signals may be provided to a receiving device to perform channel estimation on the corresponding channel, which may enable coherent demodulation / detection of the control and / or data channels within the RB 608.

[0090] In some examples, time slot 610 may be used for broadcast, multicast, groupcast, or unicast communications. For example, broadcast, multicast, or groupcast communications may refer to point-to-multipoint transmissions from one device (e.g., a base station, UE, or other similar device) to other devices. Here, broadcast communications are delivered to all devices, while multicast or groupcast communications are delivered to multiple intended recipient devices. Unicast communications may refer to point-to-point transmissions from one device to another device.

[0091] In an example of cellular communication via a cellular carrier via a Uu interface, for DL ​​transmission, a scheduling entity (e.g., a base station) may allocate one or more REs 606 (e.g., within a control region 612) for carrying DL control information including one or more DL control channels (e.g., a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH)) to one or more scheduled entities (e.g., UEs). The PDCCH carries downlink control information (DCI), which includes, but is not limited to, power control commands (e.g., one or more open-loop power control parameters and / or one or more closed-loop power control parameters), scheduling information, grants, and / or assignments of REs for DL ​​and UL transmissions. The PDCCH may also carry HARQ feedback transmissions, such as acknowledgments (ACKs) or negative acknowledgments (NACKs). HARQ is a technique well known to those skilled in the art, in which the integrity of a packet transmission may be checked for accuracy at the receiving side, for example, using any appropriate integrity check mechanism, such as a checksum or a cyclic redundancy check (CRC). If the integrity of the transmission is confirmed, an ACK may be sent, and if the integrity of the transmission is not confirmed, a NACK may be sent. In response to the NACK, the transmitting device may send a HARQ retransmission, which may implement append combining, incremental redundancy, and the like.

[0092] The base station may further allocate one or more REs 606 (e.g., in the control region 616 or the data region 614) to carry other DL signals, such as a demodulation reference signal (DMRS); a phase tracking reference signal (PT-RS); a channel state information (CSI) reference signal (CSI-RS); and a synchronization signal block (SSB). The SSB may be broadcast periodically based on a period (e.g., 5, 10, 60, 60, 80, or 160 ms). The SSB includes a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and a physical broadcast control channel (PBCH). The UE may utilize the PSS and SSS to achieve radio frame, subframe, time slot, and symbol synchronization in the time domain, identify the center of the channel (system) bandwidth in the frequency domain, and identify the physical cell identity (PCI) of the cell.

[0093] The PBCH in the SSB may also include a master information block (MIB), which includes various system information and parameters for decoding a system information block (SIB). For example, the SIB may be a system information type 1 (SIB1), which may include various additional system information. The MIB and SIB1 together provide minimum system information (SI) for initial access. Examples of system information sent in the MIB may include, but are not limited to, subcarrier spacing (e.g., default downlink digital scheme), system frame number, configuration of a PDCCH control resource set (CORESET) (e.g., PDCCH CORESET0), cell fence indicator, cell reselection indicator, grid offset, and search space for SIB1. Examples of remaining minimum system information (RMSI) sent in SIB1 may include, but are not limited to, random access search space, paging search space, downlink configuration information, and uplink configuration data.

[0094] In an UL transmission, a scheduled entity (e.g., a UE) may utilize one or more REs 606 to carry UL control information (UCI), which includes one or more UL control channels (e.g., a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH)) to a scheduling entity. UCI may include a variety of packet types and categories, including pilots, reference signals, and information configured to enable or assist in decoding uplink data transmissions. Examples of uplink reference signals may include sounding reference signals (SRS) and uplink DMRS. In some examples, UCI may include a scheduling request (SR), i.e., a request for a scheduling entity to schedule an uplink transmission. Here, in response to the SR sent on the UCI, the scheduling entity may send downlink control information (DCI), which may schedule resources for uplink packet transmissions. UCI may also include HARQ feedback, channel state feedback (CSF) (e.g., CSI report), or any other appropriate UCI.

[0095] In addition to control information, one or more REs 606 (e.g., within the data region 614) may also be allocated for data traffic. Such data traffic may be carried on one or more traffic channels (e.g., for DL ​​transmission, a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH); or for UL transmission, a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH)). In some examples, one or more REs 606 within the data region 614 may be configured to carry other signals, such as one or more SIBs and DMRS.

[0096] In an example of sidelink communication via a sidelink carrier via a PC5 interface, a control region 616 of a time slot 610 may include a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) including sidelink control information (SCI) sent by an initiating (transmitting) sidelink device (e.g., a Tx V6X device or other Tx UE) to a group of one or more other receiving sidelink devices (e.g., an RxV6X device or other Rx UE). A data region 614 of the time slot 610 may include a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) including sidelink data traffic sent by an initiating (transmitting) sidelink device within resources reserved by the transmitting sidelink device via the SCI on the sidelink carrier. Other information may also be sent via various REs 606 within the time slot 610. For example, HARQ feedback information may be sent from a receiving sidelink device to a transmitting sidelink device in a physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) within the time slot 610. In addition, one or more reference signals may be sent in time slot 610, such as a sidelink SSB, a sidelink CSI-RS, a sidelink SRS and / or a sidelink positioning reference signal (PRS).

[0097] These physical channels described above are typically multiplexed and mapped to transport channels for processing at the medium access control (MAC) layer. Transport channels carry blocks of information called transport blocks (TBs). The transport block size (TBS), which may correspond to the number of information bits, may be a controlled parameter based on the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) and the number of RBs in a given transmission.

[0098] Figure 6 The channels or carriers shown are not necessarily all channels or carriers that can be used between devices, and a person skilled in the art will recognize that other channels or carriers (e.g., other traffic, control, and feedback channels) may be used in addition to those shown.

[0099] In a 5G NR sidelink, sidelink communications may employ a transmit or receive resource pool. For example, the minimum resource allocation unit in frequency may be a subchannel (e.g., which may include, for example, 10, 15, 20, 25, 50, 75, or 100 consecutive resource blocks), and the minimum resource allocation unit in time may be a time slot. A radio resource control (RRC) configuration of the resource pool may be pre-configured (e.g., a factory setting to the UE as determined by a sidelink standard or specification), or configured by a base station (e.g., base station 310).

[0100] In addition, sidelink (e.g., PC5) communications can have two main resource allocation operation modes. In the first mode (mode 1), the base station (e.g., gNB) 310 can allocate resources to sidelink devices (e.g., V2X devices or other sidelink devices) for sidelink communications between sidelink devices in various ways. For example, the base station 310 can dynamically allocate sidelink resources to the sidelink device (e.g., dynamic grant) in response to a request for sidelink resources from the sidelink device. The base station 310 can also activate a pre-configured sidelink grant (e.g., a configured grant) for sidelink communications between sidelink devices. In mode 1, sidelink feedback can be reported back to the base station 310 by the sending sidelink device.

[0101] In the second mode (Mode 2), the sidelink devices can autonomously select sidelink resources for sidelink communications between them. In some examples, the transmitting sidelink device can perform resource / channel sensing to select unoccupied resources (e.g., subchannels) on the sidelink channel. The signaling on the sidelink is the same between the two modes. Therefore, from the perspective of the receiver, there is no difference between the modes.

[0102] In some examples, sidelink (e.g., PC5) communications may be scheduled using sidelink control information (SCI). SCI may include two SCI stages. Stage 1 sidelink control information (first level SCI) may be referred to herein as SCI-1. Stage 2 sidelink control information (second level SCI) may be referred to herein as SCI-2.

[0103] SCI-1 may be sent on a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH). SCI-1 may include resource allocations for sidelink resources and information for decoding the second-level sidelink control information (i.e., SCI-2). SCI-1 may also identify the priority (e.g., quality of service (QoS)) of PSSCH. For example, an ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) service may have a higher priority than a text message service (e.g., a short message service (SMS) service). SCI-1 may also include a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) resource allocation and a resource reservation period (if enabled). In addition, SCI-1 may include a PSSCH demodulation reference signal (DMRS) mode (if more than one mode is configured). The receiver may use DMRS for radio channel estimation for demodulating the associated physical channel. As indicated, SCI-1 may also include information about SCI-2, for example, SCI-2 may disclose the format of SCI-2. Here, the format indicates the resource size of SCI-2 (e.g., the number of REs allocated for SCI-2), the number of PSSCH DMRS ports, and the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) index. In some examples, SCI-1 can use two bits to indicate the SCI-2 format. Therefore, in this example, four different SCI-2 formats can be supported. SCI-1 may include other information that is helpful for establishing and decoding PSSCH resources.

[0104] SCI-2 may also be sent on the PSCCH and may include information for decoding the PSSCH. According to some aspects, SCI-2 includes a 16-bit Layer 1 (L1) destination identifier (ID), an 8-bit L1 source ID, a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process ID, a new data indicator (NDI), and a redundancy version (RV). For unicast communications, SCI-2 may also include a CSI report trigger. For multicast communications, SCI-2 may also include a region identifier and a maximum communication range for NACK. SCI-2 may include other information that is useful for establishing and decoding PSSCH resources.

[0105] Figure 7A-7C is a diagram illustrating an example of a sidelink time slot structure according to some aspects. For example, the sidelink time slot structure can be used in a V2X or other D2D network implementing a sidelink. Figures 7A-7CIn the example shown in , time is a horizontal direction with symbols 702 (e.g., OFDM symbols); and frequency is a vertical direction. Here, the carrier bandwidth 704 allocated for sidelink wireless communication is shown along the frequency axis. The carrier bandwidth 704 may include multiple subchannels, where each subchannel may include a configurable number of PRBs (e.g., 10, 17, 20, 27, 70, 77, or 100 PRBs).

[0106] Each Figures 7A-7C An example of corresponding time slots 700a-700c including 14 symbols 702 that can be used for sidelink communications is shown. However, it should be understood that sidelink communications can be configured to occupy less than 14 symbols in time slots 700a-700c, and the present disclosure is not limited to any particular number of symbols 702. Each sidelink time slot 700a-700c includes a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) 706 that occupies a control region 720 of the time slot 700a-700c and a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) 708 that occupies a data region 722 of the time slot 700a-700c. Both the PSCCH 706 and the PSSCH 708 are transmitted on one or more symbols 702 of the time slots 700a-700c. For example, the PSCCH 706 includes an SCI-1 that schedules the transmission of data traffic on the time-frequency resources of the corresponding PSSCH 708. As Figure 7A-7C As shown in FIG. 7 , PSCCH 706 and corresponding PSSCH 708 are transmitted in the same time slot 700a-700c. In other examples, PSCCH 706 may schedule PSSCH in a subsequent time slot.

[0107] In some examples, the PSCCH 706 duration is configured to be two or three symbols. In addition, the PSCCH 706 can be configured to span a configurable number of PRBs, limited to a single subchannel. For example, the PSCCH 706 can span 10, 12, 17, 20, or 27 PRBs of a single subchannel. DMRS can also be present in each PSCCH symbol. In some examples, the DMRS can be placed on every fourth RE of the PSCCH 706. Frequency domain orthogonal cover codes (FD-OCC) can also be applied to the PSCCH DMRS to reduce the impact of conflicting PSCCH transmissions on the sidelink channel. For example, the transmitting UE can randomly select a FD-OCC from a set of predefined FD OCCs. Figure 7A-7C In each of the examples shown in , the starting symbol for the PSCCH 706 is the second symbol of the corresponding time slot 700a-700c, and the PSCCH-706 spans three symbols 702.

[0108] PSSCH 708 may be time division multiplexed (TDM) with PSCCH 706 and / or frequency division multiplexed (FDM) with PSCCH 706. Fig. 7A and Figure 7C In the example shown in FIG. 7 , the PSSCH 708 includes a first portion 708a that is TDM-ed with the PSCCH 706, and a second portion 708b that is FDM-ed with the PSCCH 706. Figure 7B In the example shown in FIG. 7 , PSSCH 708 and PSCCH 706 are TDM.

[0109] One and two layer transmissions of PSSCH 708 may be supported with various modulation instructions (e.g., QPSK, 16-QAM, 67-QAM, and 276-QAM). In addition, PSSCH 708 may include DMRS 714 configured in a two, three, or four symbol DMRS pattern. For example, Fig. 7A and 7C The time slots 700a and 700c shown in FIG. 7 show a two-symbol DMRS pattern, while Figure 7B The time slot 700b shown in shows a three-symbol DMAS pattern. In some examples, the transmitting UE can select a DMRS pattern based on channel conditions and indicate the selected DMRS pattern in SCI-1. For example, the DMRS pattern can be selected based on the number of PSSCH 708 symbols in time slots 700a-700c. In addition, there is a gap symbol 716 after the PSSCH 708 in each time slot 700a-700c.

[0110] Each time slot 700a-700c also includes SCI-2 712, which is mapped to adjacent RBs in PSSCH 708 starting from the first symbol containing the PSSCH DMRS. Fig. 7A and 7C In the example shown in , the first symbol containing the PSSCH DMRS is the fifth symbol that occurs immediately after the last symbol carrying the PSCCH 706. Therefore, SCI-2 712 is mapped to the RB within the fifth symbol. Figure 7B In the example shown in , the first symbol containing the PSSCH DMRS is the second symbol, which also includes the PSCCH 706. In addition, the SCI-2 / PSSCH DMRS 712 is shown as spanning symbols 2 to 5. As a result, the SCI-2 / PSSCH DMRS 712 can be FDMed with the PSCCH 706 in symbols 2 to 4, and TDMed with the PSCCH 706 in symbol 5.

[0111] SCI-2 can be scrambled separately from the sidelink shared channel. In addition, SCI-2 can use QPSK. When the PSSCH transmission spans two layers, the SCI-2 modulation symbols can be copied (e.g., repeated) on both layers. The SCI-1 in the PSCCH 706 can be blind decoded at the receiving wireless communication device. However, since the format, starting position and number of REs of SCI-2 712 can be derived from SCI-1, there is no need to blind decode SCI-2 at the receiver (receiving UE).

[0112] In each Figures 7A-7C In each time slot 700a-700c, the second symbol is copied to (repeated on) its first symbol 710 for automatic gain control (AGC) setting. Fig. 7A and 7C In , the second symbol containing PSCCH 706 FDMed with PSSCH 708b may be sent on both the first symbol and the second symbol. Figure 7B In the example shown in , the second symbol containing the PSCCH 706 FDMed with the SCI-2 / PSSCH DMRS 712 may be transmitted on both the first symbol and the second symbol.

[0113] like Figure 7C As shown in , HARQ feedback may be sent on a physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) 718 in a configurable resource period of 0, 1, 2, or 4 time slots. In a sidelink time slot (e.g., time slot 700c) containing a PSFCH 718, one symbol 702 may be allocated to the PSFCH 708, and the PSFCH 718 may be copied to (repeated on) the previous symbol for AGC settings. Figure 7C In the example shown, the PSFCH 718 is transmitted on the 13th symbol and is replicated on the 12th symbol in the slot 700c. A gap symbol 716 may be further placed after the PSFCH symbol 718.

[0114] In some examples, there is a mapping between PSSCH 708 and corresponding PSFCH resources. The mapping can be based on, for example, the starting subchannel of PSSCH 708, the time slot containing PSSCH 7008, the source ID, and the target ID. In addition, PSFCH can be enabled for unicast and multicast communications. For unicast, PSFCH can include an ACK / NACK bit. For multicast, there can be two feedback modes for PSFCH. In the first multicast PSFCH mode, the receiving UE only sends NACK, while in the second multicast PSFCH mode, the receiving UE can send ACK or NACK. The number of available PSFCH resources can be equal to or greater than the number of UEs in the second multicast PSFCH mode.

[0115] For FR2 sidelink operation, SCI-1 (PSCCH 706), SCI-2 (SCI-2 / PSSCH DMRS 712), and sidelink data traffic (PSSCH 708) may all be sent on a selected beam. In some examples, SCI-1, SCI-2, and sidelink data traffic may all be sent on the same beam. In other examples, one or more of SCI-1, SCI-2, and sidelink data traffic may be sent on different beams. In addition, feedback information (PSFCH 718) corresponding to the sidelink data traffic may be further received on the same or different beam as the sidelink data traffic. Various aspects of the present disclosure relate to configuration and indication of selected beams for sending SCI-1, SCI-2, data traffic, and feedback information.

[0116] In a sidelink network, beam selection may be performed by a base station or wireless communication device based on beams identified through a sidelink beam search and measurement process, as described above in conjunction with Figure 5 For example, the receiving wireless communication device may identify and measure multiple beams of the transmitting wireless communication device. The receiving wireless communication device may then generate a beam measurement report and send the beam measurement report to the transmitting wireless communication device, wherein the beam measurement report indicates the beam quality (e.g., RSRP, SINR, or RSRQ) of one or more measured beams. The transmitting wireless communication device may select one or more beams for communicating with the receiving wireless communication device based on the beam measurement report, or forward the beam measurement report to a serving base station (or RAN) to select a beam.

[0117] In one aspect of the present disclosure, the beam selected for transmitting PSCCH (including SCI-1 706 and SCI-2 712) can be configured on the sending and receiving wireless communication devices. In some examples, the selected SCI-1 / SCI-2 beam can be configured based on the beam search and measurement process. For example, the selected SCI-1 / SCI-2 beam can have the highest beam quality indicated in the beam measurement report. In some examples, the SCI-1 / SCI-2 beam can be updated using various mechanisms. For example, the base station or RAN can use a RAN RRC message or a RAN media access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE) to update the selected SCI-1 / SCI-2 beam. For another example, the selected SCI-1 / SCI-2 beam can be updated via a sidelink MAC-CE. In this example, the sidelink MAC-CE can be sent from the receiving wireless communication device to the transmitting wireless communication device.

[0118] The beam selected for transmitting PSSCH 708 may be the same beam selected for PSCCH 706 / 712, or may be a different beam. In some examples, for the PSSCH portion 708b that is FDMed with PSCCH 706, the receiving wireless communication device does not have time to decode PSCCH 706, and directs the receive beam according to the selected transmit beam indicated in PSCCH 706 (e.g., based on the BPL with the selected transmit beam) to receive the FDMed portion of PSSCH 708b. Therefore, the selected beam for the FDMed PSSCH portion 708b may be the same beam used for PSCCH 706. However, if the transmitting wireless communication device, or both the transmitting and receiving wireless communication devices, are capable of communicating simultaneously on more than one beam, the selected beam for the FDMed portion of PSSCH 708b may be different from the beam used for PSCCH 706. In this example, the selected beam for the FDM portion of the PSSCH 7008b can be configured on the transmitting and receiving wireless communication devices (e.g., based on beam measurement reports) and can be updated via a sidelink MAC-CE, RAN RRC signaling, or a RAN MAC-CE. In some examples, the selected beam for the PSCCH 706 can be the beam with the highest beam quality associated with the first antenna panel of the transmitting wireless communication device, and the selected beam for the FDM portion of the PSSCH 708b can be the beam with the highest beam quality associated with the second antenna panel of the transmitting wireless communication device.

[0119] In some examples, for the PSSCH portion 708a that is TDMed with the PSSCH 706, the selected beam can be the same beam used for the PSCCH 706. In other examples, when at least the transmitting wireless communication device supports multiple simultaneous beams and the FDM PSSCH portion 708b uses a different beam than the PSCCH portion 706, the selected beam for the TDMed PSCCH portion 708a can be the same beam used for the FDM PSSCH portion 708b.

[0120] In some examples, when there is time to decode the PSCCH 706 and form the beam indicated in the PSCCH 706, the selected beam for the TDMed PSSCH portion 708a can be included in the PSCCH 806. In this example, at least one of the SCI-1 706 or the SCI-2 712 can include a beam identifier for identifying the selected beam for the TDMed PSSCH portion 708a. For example, the beam identifier can correspond to a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state that indicates the spatial characteristics (e.g., beam direction and / or beam width) of the receive beam to be used by the receiving wireless communication device. For example, the TCI state can include quasi-co-location (QCL) information (e.g., QCL type D) that references a sidelink SSB beam or a sidelink CSI-RS transmit beam on the transmitting wireless communication device. Based on the QCL type D information, the receiving wireless communication device can identify the selected receive beam (e.g., based on the BPL with the indicated transmit beam).

[0121] The transmitting wireless communication device may determine whether the receiving wireless communication device has sufficient time to decode and form the selected beam based on an interval between the sidelink data service and at least one of SCI-1 706 or SCI-2 712. For example, the transmitting wireless communication device may compare the length of the interval to a threshold. When the interval is greater than the threshold, the transmitting wireless communication device may include a beam identifier for the TDM PSSCH portion 708a in SCI-1 and / or SCI-2. When the length of the interval is less than or equal to the threshold, the selected beam for the TDM PSSCH portion 708a may be the same as the beam used for the PSCCH 706 or for the FDM PSCCH portion 708b (if different from the PSCCH beam).

[0122] In some examples, the threshold value may correspond to the number of symbols 702. For example, the threshold value may include one or more symbols 702 and may be configured based on the capabilities of the receiving wireless communication device. In an example where the selected beam for the TDMed PSSCH portion 708a is included in SCI-1 706, the interval is measured based on the first symbol after SCI-1 706, and thus, may include symbols containing DMRS / SCI-2 712 or DMRS 714. In an example where the selected beam for the TDMed PSSCH portion 708a is included in SCI-2 712 or is included in both SCI-1 706 and SCI-2 712, the interval is measured based on the first symbol after SCI-2 712. In addition, when the beam identifier is included in SCI-2 712, the threshold value may be larger to allow the receiving wireless communication device more time to decode SCI-1 706 and SCI-2 712. For example, when SCI-2 712 includes a beam identifier, the threshold may correspond to an extended interval length that is longer than an original interval length used when SCI-1 706 includes a beam identifier.

[0123] The PSFCH 718 may also be communicated on a selected beam. In some examples, the selected beam for the PSFCH 718 may be configured on the transmitting and receiving wireless communication devices. For example, the PSFCH transmit beam may be configured based on a spatial relationship indication (e.g., a TCI state indicating a spatial property of a transmit beam selected on a receiving wireless communication device). For example, a spatial relationship indication pre-configured on a receiving wireless communication device may indicate that the PSFCH transmit beam is the same receive beam used by the receiving wireless communication device for receiving the PSSCH 708. The selected PSFCH beam may be further updated via a sidelink MAC-CE, RAN RRC signaling, or RAN MAC-CE.

[0124] In some examples, when there is time to decode the PSCCH 706 and form the beam indicated in the PSCCH 706, the selected beam for the PSFCH 718 can be included in the PSCCH 706. In this example, at least one of the SCI-1 706 or the SCI-2 712 can include a beam identifier (e.g., a spatial relationship indication) for identifying the selected transmit beam for the PSFCH 718. In some examples, when the additional interval between the PSFCH 718 and the last SCI (e.g., SCI-1 706 or SCI-2 712) carrying the beam identifier is greater than a threshold, the transmitting wireless communication device can include the beam identifier for the PSFCH 718 in the SCI-1 706 and / or SCI-2 712. The threshold for the PSFCH 718 can be the same or different from the threshold used for the TDMed PSSCH 708a. For example, the threshold can include one or more symbols and can be configured based on the capabilities of the receiving wireless communication device. When the length of the additional interval is less than or equal to the threshold, the selected beam for PSFCH 718 may be a default beam. In some examples, the default beam may be a preconfigured beam (e.g., the same beam used to receive PSSCH 708 or an updated preconfigured beam).

[0125] Figure 8 is a signaling diagram illustrating an example of sidelink beam indication according to some aspects. Figure 8 In the example shown, a first wireless communication device (WCD1) 802 communicates wirelessly with a second wireless communication device (WCD2) 804 via a sidelink channel. WCD1 802 and WCD2 804 may correspond to Figure 1-5 Any item among the scheduled entities, UEs, V2X devices or D2D devices shown in .

[0126] At 806, WCD1 802 (which may be a transmitting wireless communication device) sends SCI-1 to WCD2 804. For example, SCI-1 may include resource allocations for sidelink data traffic (PSSCH) and second-level SCI (SCI-2) on the sidelink carrier. At 808, WCD1 802 sends SCI-2 to WCD2 804. SCI-2 may contain further information related to the sidelink data traffic. SCI-1 may be sent, for example, within the PSCCH, while SCI-2 may be sent within the PSSCH.

[0127] Each of SCI-1 and SCI-2 may further be transmitted on the same beam, which may be configured, for example, based on a beam search and measurement process, and / or updated via RAN RRC signaling, RAN MAC-CE, or sidelink MAC-CE. In addition, at least one of SCI-1 or SCI-2 may include a PSSCH beam identifier (ID) 810 for identifying a selected beam for a sidelink data service. For example, the PSSCH beam ID may indicate a selected beam for a PSSCH portion for TDM with a PSCCH. The PSSCH beam ID 810 may include, for example, a TCI state indicator for indicating the spatial characteristics of the beam. In some examples, SCI-1 and / or SCI-2 include a PSSCH beam ID when the length (e.g., number of symbols) of the interval between the last SCI (e.g., SCI-1 or SCI-2) carrying the PSSCH beam ID and the sidelink data service is greater than a threshold. For example, the threshold may be equal to one or more symbols of a time slot including the PSCCH and the PSSCH.

[0128] At 812, WCD1 802 transmits a PSSCH carrying sidelink data traffic to WCD2 804 on the selected beam indicated by PSSCH beam ID 810. In some examples, SCI-1 and SCI-2 may be transmitted on a first beam, and the sidelink data traffic may be transmitted on a second beam different from the first beam. In some examples, WCD1 802 may further transmit a PSSCH portion FDMed with the PSCCH on the first beam, the second beam, or a third beam different from both the first beam and the second beam. In this example, when the beam capability of at least WCD1 802 (or WCD1 802 and WCD2 804) supports multiple simultaneous beams (e.g., two beams), the FDMed PSSCH portion may be transmitted on the second beam or the third beam.

[0129] Fig. 9 is a signaling diagram illustrating another example of sidelink beam indication according to some aspects. Fig. 9 In the example shown, a first wireless communication device (WCD1) 902 communicates wirelessly with a second wireless communication device (WCD2) 904 via a sidelink channel. Each of WCD1 902 and WCD2 904 may correspond to Figure 1-Figure 5 and / or Figure 8 Any item among any scheduled entity, UE, V2X device or D2D device shown in .

[0130] At 906, WCD1 902 (which may be a transmitting wireless communication device) sends SCI-1 to WCD2 904. SCI-1 may include, for example, resource allocations on a sidelink carrier for sidelink data traffic (PSSCH) and a second level SCI (SCI-2). At 908, WCD1 902 sends SCI-2 to WCD2 904. SCI-2 may contain further information related to the sidelink data traffic. SCI-1 may be sent, for example, within the PSCCH, and SCI-2 may be sent within the PSSCH.

[0131] Each of the SCI-1 and SCI-2 may further be sent on the same beam, which may be configured based on a beam search and measurement process and / or updated via RAN RRC signaling, RAN MAC-CE, or sidelink MAC-CE. In addition, at least one of the SCI-1 or SCI-2 may include a PSFCH beam identifier (ID) 910 that identifies a selected beam for WCD2 904 to send feedback information corresponding to a sidelink data service on the PSFCH. For example, the PSFCH beam ID 910 may include a TCI state indicator that indicates a spatial characteristic of the beam. In some examples, the SCI-1 and / or SCI-2 includes the PSFCH beam ID 910 when the length (e.g., in the number of symbols) of the interval between the last SCI (e.g., SCI-1 or SCI-2) carrying the PSFCH beam ID and the PSFCH is greater than a threshold. For example, the threshold may be equal to one or more symbols.

[0132] At 912, WCD1 902 transmits a PSSCH carrying sidelink data traffic to WCD2 904. In some examples, SCI-1 and SCI-2 may be transmitted on a first beam, and the sidelink data traffic may be transmitted on a second beam that is the same as or different from the first beam. In some examples, WCD1 902 may transmit a PSSCH portion that is TDMed with the PSCCH on a different second beam (e.g., different from the first beam) and a PSSCH portion that is FDMed with the PSCCH on a first beam, a different second beam, or a third beam that is different from both the first beam and the second beam. In this example, when the beam capability of at least WCD1 902 (or WCD1 902 and WCD2 904) supports multiple simultaneous beams (e.g., two beams), the FDMed PSSCH portion may be transmitted on a different second beam or a third beam.

[0133] At 914 , WCD2 904 sends a PSFCH carrying feedback information (eg, HARQ ACK / NACK) to WCD1 902 on the selected beam indicated by PSFCH beam ID 910 .

[0134] Fig.10 is a signaling diagram illustrating another example of sidelink beam indication according to some aspects. Fig.10 In the example shown, a first wireless communication device (WCD1) 1002 is in wireless communication with a second wireless communication device (WCD2) 1004 on a sidelink channel. WCD1 1002 and WCD2 1004 may correspond to Figure 1-5 , 8 and / or 9. In addition, the RAN node 1006 (e.g., a base station such as a gNB) wirelessly communicates with each WCD 1002 and 1004 on a corresponding cellular channel.

[0135] At 1008, WCD 1002 and WCD 1004 perform a beam search and measurement process to configure one or more beams on the WCDs for communication between them on the sidelink channel. For example, the receiving WCD (e.g., WCD2 1004) can identify and measure multiple beams of the transmitting WCD (e.g., WCD 1002). WCD2 1004 can then generate and send a beam measurement report to WCD1 1002, the beam measurement report indicating the beam quality (e.g., RSRP, SINR, or RSRQ) of one or more measured beams. WCD1 1002 can select one or more beams for communication with WCD2 1004 based on the beam measurement report, or forward the beam measurement report to the RAN node 1006 to select a beam, as indicated by 1010a and 1010b.

[0136] For example, the configured beams may include a first beam for communication of SCI-1 and SCI-2. In an example where the beam capability of WCD1 1002 (or WCD1 1002 and WCD2 1004) supports multiple simultaneous beams (e.g., two beams), the configured beams may also include a second beam for communication of the PSSCH portion of the FDM carrying sidelink data traffic with SCI-1. For example, the selected beam for SCI-1 and SCI-2 may be the beam of the highest beam quality associated with the first antenna panel of WCD1 1002, and the selected beam for the FDM portion of the sidelink data traffic may be the beam of the highest beam quality associated with the second antenna panel of WCD1 1002.

[0137] The configured beams may also include a configured beam for a TDM portion of a PSSCH carrying sidelink data traffic. In some examples, WCD1 1002 and WCD2 1004 may be configured to use a first beam or a second beam for a TDM portion of the PSSCH. In addition, the configured beams may also include a configured beam for a PSFCH carrying feedback information corresponding to the sidelink data traffic (e.g., HARQ ACK / NACK for the sidelink data traffic). In some examples, WCD1 1002 and WCD2 1004 may be configured to use the same beam as the TDM portion of the PSSCH or other default beams.

[0138] At 1012a and 1012b, the RAN node 1006 may selectively update one or more configured beams on WCD1 1002 and WCD2 1004 via, for example, RRC signaling or RAN MAC-CE. At 1014, WCD1 1002 and WCD2 1004 may update one or more beams configured thereon via, for example, a sidelink MAC-CE. In some examples, WCD2 1004 (which may be a receiving WCD) may update the configured beams by sending a sidelink MAC-CE to WCD1 1002. WCD2 1004 may initiate a beam update based on, for example, the observed channel quality of the sidelink channel.

[0139] Fig.11 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for a wireless communication device 1100 employing a processing system 1114. For example, the wireless communication device 110 may correspond to a UE, a V2X device, a D2D device, or other scheduled entity, as described above with reference to Figure 1-5 and / or as shown and described in 8-10.

[0140] The wireless communication device 1100 may be implemented using a processing system 1114 including one or more processors 1104. Examples of the processor 1104 include a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a digital signal processor (DSP), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic device (PLD), a state machine, a gated logic, a discrete hardware circuit, and other suitable hardware configured to perform the various functions described throughout the present disclosure. In various examples, the wireless communication device 1100 may be configured to perform any one or more of the functions described herein. That is, the processor 1104 as used in the wireless communication device 1100 may be used to implement any one or more of the processes and procedures described below.

[0141] The processor 1104 may be implemented via a baseband or modem chip in some cases, while in other embodiments, the processor 1104 may include many devices that are distinct and different from the baseband or modem chip (e.g., in the case where they can work together to implement the examples discussed herein). As described above, various hardware arrangements and components other than the baseband modem processor may be used in embodiments, including RF chains, power amplifiers, modulators, buffers, interleavers, adders / accumulators, etc.

[0142] In this example, the processing system 1114 may be implemented using a bus architecture, which is generally represented by bus 1102. Bus 1102 may include any number of interconnecting buses and bridges depending on the specific application and overall design constraints of the processing system 1114. Bus 1102 links together various circuits including one or more processors (which are generally represented by processor 1104), memory 1105, and computer readable media (which are generally represented by computer readable media 1106). Bus 1102 may also connect various other circuits such as timing sources, peripherals, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, which are well known in the art and are therefore not described again.

[0143] The bus interface 1108 provides an interface between the bus 1102 and the transceiver 1110 and one or more antenna arrays 1120 (e.g., one or more antenna panels). The transceiver 1110 provides a unit for communicating with various other devices via a transmission medium (e.g., an air interface). Depending on the nature of the device, a user interface 1112 (e.g., a keyboard, display, touch screen, speaker, microphone, control knob, etc.) may also be provided. Of course, such a user interface 1112 is optional and may be omitted in some examples.

[0144] The processor 1104 is responsible for managing the bus 1102 and general processing, which includes executing software stored on a computer-readable medium 1106. The software, when executed by the processor 1104, causes the processing system 1114 to perform various functions described below for any particular device. The computer-readable medium 1106 and the memory 1105 can also be used to store data manipulated by the processor 1104 when executing the software. For example, the memory 1105 can store beam capabilities 1116, one or more thresholds 1118, and / or one or more configured beams 1122 used by the processor 1104 when processing sidelink transmissions.

[0145] One or more processors 1104 in the processing system can execute software. Software should be broadly interpreted to mean instructions, instruction sets, codes, code segments, program codes, programs, subroutines, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, threads of execution, processes, functions, etc., whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language or other terms. The software can reside on a computer-readable medium 1106.

[0146] Computer readable medium 1106 may be a non-transitory computer readable medium. For example, non-transitory computer readable media include magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disks, floppy disks, tapes), optical disks (e.g., compact disks (CDs) or digital versatile disks (DVDs)), smart cards, flash memory devices (e.g., card, stick or key drives), random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), registers, removable disks, and any other suitable medium for storing software and / or instructions that can be accessed and read by a computer. Computer readable medium 1106 may be located in processing system 1114, located outside processing system 1114, or distributed across multiple entities including processing system 1114. Computer readable medium 1106 may be embodied in a computer program product. For example, a computer program product may include a computer readable medium in a packaging material. In some examples, computer readable medium 1106 may be part of memory 1105. Those skilled in the art will recognize how to best implement the described functionality presented throughout this disclosure depending on the particular application and the overall design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0147] In some aspects of the present disclosure, processor 1104 may include circuits configured for various functions. For example, processor 1104 may include communication and processing circuits 1142 configured to communicate with a RAN node (e.g., a base station such as a gNB) via a cellular (e.g., Uu) interface and to communicate with one or more other wireless communication devices via a sidelink (e.g., PC5) interface. In some examples, communication and processing circuits 1142 may include one or more hardware components that provide a physical structure for performing processing related to wireless communication (e.g., signal reception and / or signal transmission) and signal processing (e.g., processing received signals and / or processing signals for transmission).

[0148] In some embodiments where communication involves receiving information, the communication and processing circuit 1142 may obtain information from a component of the wireless communication device 1100 (e.g., from a transceiver 1110 that receives information via radio frequency signaling or some other type of signaling suitable for the applicable communication medium), process (e.g., decode) the information, and output the processed information. For example, the communication and processing circuit 1142 may output the information to another component of the processor 1104, to the memory 1105, or to the bus interface 1108. In some examples, the communication and processor 1142 may receive one or more of a signal, a message, other information, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the communication and processing circuit 1142 may receive information via one or more channels. In some examples, the communication and processing circuit 1142 may include the functionality of a unit for receiving. In some examples, the communication and processing circuit 1142 may include the functionality of a unit for processing, including a unit for demodulating, a unit for decoding, and the like.

[0149] In some embodiments where communication involves sending (e.g., transmitting) information, the communication and processing circuitry 1142 may obtain information (e.g., from another component of the processor 1104, the memory 1105, or the bus interface 1108), process (e.g., modulate, encode, etc.) the information, and output the processed information. For example, the communication and processing circuitry 1142 may output the information to the transceiver 1110 (e.g., send the information via radio frequency signaling or some other type of signaling suitable for the applicable communication medium). In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1142 may send one or more signals, messages, other information, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1142 may send information via one or more channels. In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1142 may include the functionality of a unit for sending (e.g., a unit for sending). In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1142 may include the functionality of a unit for generating, including a unit for modulating, a unit for encoding, and the like.

[0150] In some examples, the communication and processing circuit 1142 can be configured to generate a reference signal (e.g., a sidelink SSB and / or a sidelink CSI-RS) on one or more sidelink beams using a beam scanning manner using the transceiver 1110 and the antenna array 1120 and send the reference signal to a receiving wireless communication device, and receive a beam measurement report in response to the beam reference signal from the receiving wireless communication device. In some examples, the communication and processing circuit 1142 can be configured to receive a beam reference signal from a transmitting wireless communication device using the transceiver 1110 and the antenna array 1120, measure the corresponding beam quality (e.g., RSRP, SINR, or RSRQ) of each beam reference signal, and generate and send a beam measurement report including the corresponding beam quality of one or more beams to the transmitting wireless communication device 1110 via the transceiver 1110.

[0151] The communication and processing circuit 1142 may also be configured to transmit a PSCCH including SCI-1 and a PSSCH including SCI-2, one or more DMRS, and a sidelink data service to a receiving wireless communication device on one or more beams using the transceiver 1110 and the antenna array 1120. For example, the communication and processing circuit 1142 may be configured to transmit SCI-1 and SCI-2 on a first beam formed using the antenna array 1120, and to transmit the sidelink data service on a second beam formed using the antenna array 1120. In some examples, the second beam may be the same as or different from the first beam. In some examples, a portion of the sidelink data service that is TDMed with the PSCCH (SCI-1) is transmitted on a different second beam (e.g., different from the first beam), and a portion of the sidelink data service that is FDMed with the PSCCH is transmitted on the first beam, a different second beam, or a third beam that is different from both the first beam and the second beam. In this example, when the beam capability 1116 of at least the transmitting wireless communication device 1100 supports multiple simultaneous beams (e.g., two beams), the FDMed PSSCH portion can be sent on a different second beam or a third beam. For example, the beam capability 1116 can be stored in the memory 1105 and can be sent to the receiving wireless communication device when establishing a sidelink channel with the receiving wireless communication device.

[0152] The communication and processing circuit 1142 may also be configured to receive feedback information (e.g., HARQ ACK / NACK) corresponding to the sidelink data service on the PSFCH from the receiving wireless communication device via the transceiver and antenna array. In some examples, the feedback information may be received on the same beam as the selected PSSCH transmit beam used to transmit the sidelink data service to the receiving wireless communication device. In other examples, the feedback information may be received on a different beam than the PSSCH (e.g., a selected PSFCH beam or a default beam indicated in SCI-1 and / or SCI-2).

[0153] The communication and processing circuit 1142 may also be configured to receive a corresponding reference signal (e.g., sidelink SSB and / or sidelink CSI-RS) on each of the multiple beams from the transmitting wireless communication device, and measure the beam quality (e.g., RSRP, SINR, or RSRQ) of each beam. The communication and processing circuit 1142 may also be configured to generate a beam measurement report and send the beam measurement report to the transmitting wireless communication device, the beam measurement report including the corresponding beam quality of at least one beam.

[0154] The communication and processing circuit 1142 may also be configured to receive and process SCI-1, SCI-2, and sidelink data services from a transmitting wireless communication device on one or more receive beams using the transceiver 1110 and the antenna array 1120. SCI-1 and SCI-2 may indicate allocated resources and other information related to the sidelink data service. In some examples, SCI-1 and SCI-2 may be received on a first beam (e.g., a receive beam of a BPL having a transmit beam). In some examples, at least one of SCI-1 or SCI-2 includes a beam identifier (ID) for identifying a selected beam (a second beam different from the first beam) on which the receiving wireless communication device may receive the sidelink data service. For example, the beam ID may indicate a selected beam for receiving the TDM portion of the PSSCH. For example, the beam ID may correspond to a TCI status indicator indicating a selected beam. When the beam capability 1116 of at least the transmitting wireless communication device supports multiple simultaneous beams (e.g., two beams), any FDM portion of the PSSCH carrying sidelink data traffic can be received on the same beam as the SCI-1 and SCI-2 beams or a different third beam. In some examples, the TDM portion of the PSSCH can be received on the PSCCH beam (first beam) or a third beam for receiving the FDMed PSSCH portion.

[0155] In some examples, the communication and processing circuit 1142 can be further configured to generate feedback information (e.g., HARQ ACK / NACK) based on a decoding attempt for the sidelink data service. The communication and processing circuit 1142 can also be configured to use the transceiver 1110 and the antenna array 1120 to send feedback information to the transmitting wireless communication device in the PSFCH on the selected transmit beam for the PSFCH. In some examples, SCI-1 and / or SCI-2 can include a beam ID for the selected PSFCH beam. In other examples, a default beam (e.g., a receive beam for the PSSCH) can be used. The communication and processing circuit 1142 can also be configured to execute communication and processing software 1152 stored in the computer-readable medium 1106 to implement one or more functions described herein.

[0156] The processor 1104 may also include an SCI generation and processing circuit 1144 configured to generate SCI-1 and SCI-2 for the sidelink data service. In some examples, the SCI generation and processing circuit 1144 may be configured to include a corresponding beam ID of at least one of the sidelink data service (e.g., the TDMed PSSCH portion) or the PSFCH in at least one of SCI-1 or SCI-2. In some examples, the SCI generation and processing circuit 1144 may use one or more thresholds 1118 stored, for example, in the memory 1105 to determine whether to include the corresponding beam ID of the sidelink data service or the PSFCH in SCI-1 and / or SCI-2. For example, the SCI generation and processing circuit 1144 may use a first threshold 1118 to determine whether to include the beam ID of the sidelink data service in SCI-1 and / or SCI-2, and use a second threshold 1118 to determine whether to include the beam ID of the PSFCH in SCI-1 and / or SCI-2.

[0157] In some examples, the SCI generation and processing circuit 1144 may also be configured to determine the length of the interval between the last SCI (e.g., SCI-1 or SCI-2) that can carry the beam ID of the sidelink data service and the sidelink data service (e.g., in units of the number of symbols). For example, the SCI generation and processing circuit 1144 may determine the last symbol of the time slot that can carry the beam ID of the sidelink data service and the first symbol in the time slot allocated for the sidelink data service. Then, the SCI generation and processing circuit 1144 may be configured to compare the length of the interval with a first threshold. When the length of the interval is greater than the first threshold, the SCI generation and processing circuit 1144 may be configured to include the beam ID of the sidelink data service in SCI-1 and / or SCI-2. When the length of the interval is less than or equal to the first threshold, the SCI generation and processing circuit 1144 may be configured to not include the beam ID of the sidelink data service in SCI-1 and / or SCI-2.

[0158] In some examples, the SCI generation and processing circuit 1144 may be further configured to determine the length of the additional interval between the last SCI (e.g., SCI-1 or SCI-2) that can carry the beam ID of the PSFCH and the PSFCH (e.g., in units of the number of symbols). For example, the SCI generation and processing circuit 1144 may determine the last symbol of the time slot that can carry the beam ID of the PSFCH, and the first symbol in the time slot or the next time slot configured for the PSFCH. Then, the SCI generation and processing circuit 1144 may be configured to compare the length of the additional interval with a second threshold. When the length of the additional interval is greater than the second threshold, the SCI generation and processing circuit 1144 may be configured to include the beam ID of the PSFCH in the SCI-1 and / or SCI-2. When the length of the additional interval is less than or equal to the second threshold, the SCI generation and processing circuit 1144 may be configured to not include the beam ID of the PSFCH in the SCI-1 and / or SCI-2.

[0159] The SCI generation and processing circuit 1144 may be further configured to receive and process SCI-1 and SCI-2 to determine whether SCI-1 or SCI-2 includes a corresponding beam ID for at least one of the sidelink data service or feedback information. The SCI generation and processing circuit 1144 may also be configured to execute SCI generation and processing software 1154 stored in the computer-readable medium 1106 to implement one or more functions described herein.

[0160] The processor 1104 may also include a beam configuration and selection circuit 1146, which is configured to configure one or more configuration beams 1122 on the wireless communication device. The configuration beam 1122 may be pre-configured before sending or receiving SCI-1, SCI-2, sidelink data service, or PSFCH. Therefore, using the configuration beam 1122, the beam configuration and selection circuit 1146 can select the corresponding previously configured beam to send or receive SCI-1, SCI-2, sidelink data service, or PSFCH. In some examples, the beam configuration and selection circuit 1146 can configure the configuration beam based on the beam measurement report. For example, the beam configuration and selection circuit 1146 can be configured to configure a first beam (transmit or receive beam) 1122 for sending or receiving SCI-1 and SCI-2 with another wireless communication device via a sidelink channel. In some examples, the first beam can be the beam with the highest beam quality in the beam measurement report (on at least one antenna panel of the transmitting wireless communication device). In other examples, the first beam may be updated via RAN RRC signaling, RAN MAC-CE, or sidelink MAC-CE received by the communication and processing circuit 1142 .

[0161] In some examples, the beam configuration and selection circuit 1146 can be further configured to configure a third beam (transmit or receive beam) 1122 for transmitting or receiving the FDM portion of the PSSCH carrying the sidelink data service. The third beam can be different from the first beam when at least the beam capability 1116 of the transmitting wireless communication device supports multiple simultaneous beams (e.g., two beams). In some examples, the first beam can be the beam with the highest beam quality associated with the first antenna panel 1120 of the transmitting wireless communication device, and the third beam for the FDM portion of the sidelink data service can be the beam with the highest beam quality associated with the second antenna panel 1120 of the transmitting wireless communication device. In other examples, the third beam can be updated by RAN RRC signaling, RAN MAC-CE, or sidelink MAC-CE received by the communication and processing circuit 1142.

[0162] In some examples, the beam configuration and selection circuit 1146 may also be configured to select a second beam for transmitting the TDM portion of the PSSCH carrying the sidelink data service. In some examples, when the SCI generation and processing circuit 1144 determines that the length of the interval is less than or equal to the first threshold 1118, the selected second beam may be the first beam or the third beam (one of the configured beams 1122). In other examples, when the SCI generation and processing circuit 1144 determines that the length of the interval is greater than the first threshold 1118, the beam configuration and selection circuit 1146 may select a beam different from the first beam or the third beam as the second beam of the TDM PSSCH portion. In an example in which the wireless communication device 1100 is a receiving wireless communication device, the beam configuration and selection circuit 1146 may also be configured to identify the second beam for receiving the TDM PSSCH portion based on a beam ID included in SCI-1 and / or SCI-2.

[0163] The beam configuration and selection circuit 1146 may also be configured to select a second beam for transmitting or receiving a TDM portion of a PSSCH carrying a sidelink data service. In some examples, when the SCI generation and processing circuit 1144 determines that the length of the interval is less than or equal to the first threshold 1118, the selected second beam may be the first beam or the third beam (one of the configured beams 1122). In other examples, when the SCI generation and processing circuit 1144 determines that the length of the interval is greater than the first threshold 1118, and the wireless communication device 1100 is a transmitting wireless communication device, the beam configuration and selection circuit 1146 may select a beam different from the first beam or the third beam as the second beam of the TDM PSSCH portion. In an example in which the wireless communication device 1100 is a receiving wireless communication device, the beam configuration and selection circuit 1146 may also be configured to identify a second beam for receiving the TDM PSSCH portion based on a beam ID included in SCI-1 and / or SCI-2.

[0164] The beam configuration and selection circuit 1146 may also be configured to select a fourth beam for sending or receiving a PSFCH carrying feedback information corresponding to a sidelink data service. In some examples, when the SCI generation and processing circuit 1144 determines that the length of the additional interval is less than or equal to the second threshold 1118, the fourth beam may be the same as the second beam or other default beam. For example, the default beam may be a configured beam 1122 (e.g., the first beam or the third beam or one of the differently configured beams). In other examples, when the SCI generation and processing circuit 1144 determines that the length of the additional interval is greater than the second threshold 1118, and the wireless communication device 1100 is a transmitting wireless communication device, the beam configuration and selection circuit 1146 may select a different beam as the fourth beam. For example, the different beam may be the first beam, the third beam, or another beam. In an example where the wireless communication device 1100 is a receiving wireless communication device, the beam configuration and selection circuit 1146 may also be configured to identify a fourth beam for transmitting the PSFCH based on a beam ID included in SCI-1 and / or SCI-2.

[0165] The beam configuration and selection circuit 1146 may also be configured to control the antenna array 1120 to form corresponding beams for SCI-1, SCI-2, sidelink data traffic, and PSFCH. The beam configuration and selection circuit 1146 may also be configured to execute the beam configuration and selection software 1156 stored in the computer-readable medium 1106 to implement one or more functions described herein.

[0166] Fig.12 1200 is a flowchart of an exemplary method for sidelink communication using one or more sidelink beams according to some aspects. As described below, some or all of the illustrated features may be omitted in certain implementations within the scope of the present disclosure, and some of the illustrated features may not be required when implementing all examples. In some examples, as described above and Fig.11 As shown in , the method may be performed by the wireless communication device 1100, by a processor or a processing system, or by any suitable unit for performing the functions.

[0167] At box 1202, the first wireless communication device may transmit first-level sidelink control information (SCI) to the second wireless communication device on a first beam within the control region of the time slot. At box 1204, the first wireless communication device may further transmit second-level SCI to the second wireless communication device on the first beam within the data region of the time slot. The first beam may be configured based on a sidelink beam search and measurement process, and may be further updated based on a sidelink MAC-CE, RAN MAC-CE, or RAN RRC message. The first-level SCI and the second-level SCI may jointly include resource allocations and other information related to a sidelink data service to be communicated in the data region of the time slot. In addition, at least one of the first-level SCI or the second-level SCI may include a corresponding beam identifier (ID) for at least one of the sidelink data service (e.g., a TDMed PSSCH portion) or feedback information corresponding to the sidelink data service (e.g., PSFCH). For example, the above in combination Fig.11 The SCI generation and processing circuit 1144, as well as the communication and processing circuit 1142, beam configuration and selection circuit 1146, transceiver 1110 and antenna array 1120 shown and described may provide a unit for transmitting a first level SCI and a second level SCI with a second communication device on a first beam.

[0168] At box 1206, the first wireless communication device may transmit a sidelink data service with the second wireless communication device on a second beam within the data region of the time slot. Based on at least the beam capability of the first wireless communication device, or at least one of the intervals between the sidelink data service and at least one SCI in the first level SCI or the second level SCI, the second beam may include the first beam or a different beam. For example, the sidelink data service may include a PSSCH portion that is FDMed and a PSSCH portion that is TDMed. The second beam on which the PSSCH portion that is FDMed is transmitted may be configured as the first beam or the third beam (for example, when the beam capability of at least the first wireless communication device supports multiple simultaneous beams, the third beam may be configured). When the length of the interval is less than or equal to a threshold, the second beam on which the PSSCH portion that is TDMed is transmitted may be configured as the first beam or the third beam. When the length of the interval is greater than a threshold, the second beam on which the PSSCH portion that is TDMed is transmitted may be a different beam. In this example, the beam identifier (ID) of the second beam (different beam) may be included in SCI-1 and / or SCI-2. For example, the communication and processing circuit 1142, as well as the beam configuration and selection circuit 1146, the transceiver 1110 and the antenna array 1120, as described above, may be combined Fig.11 As shown and described, means may be provided for communicating sidelink data traffic with a second wireless communication device on a second beam.

[0169] Fig.13 1300 is a flowchart of another exemplary method for sidelink communication using one or more sidelink beams according to some aspects. As described below, some or all of the illustrated features may be omitted in certain implementations within the scope of the present disclosure, and some of the illustrated features may not be required for all exemplary implementations. In some examples, the method may be as described above and in Fig.11 The wireless communication device 1100 shown in the figure is executed by a processor or a processing system, or by any suitable unit for performing the functions.

[0170] At box 1302, the first wireless communication device may transmit first-level sidelink control information (SCI) with the second wireless communication device on the first beam within the control region of the time slot. At box 1304, the first wireless communication device may further transmit second-level SCI with the second wireless communication device on the first beam within the data region of the time slot. The first beam may be configured based on the sidelink beam search and measurement process, and may be further updated based on the sidelink MAC-CE, RAN MAC-CE, or RAN RRC message. The first-level SCI and the second-level SCI may jointly include resource allocation and other information related to the sidelink data service to be transmitted within the data region of the time slot. For example, the above in combination Fig.11 The SCI generation and processing circuit 1144, as well as the communication and processing circuit 1142, beam configuration and selection circuit 1146, transceiver 1110 and antenna array 1120 shown and described may provide a means for communicating a first level SCI and a second level SCI with a second communication device on a first beam.

[0171] At block 1306, the first wireless communication device may generate a sidelink data service including a PSSCH portion that is FDMed and a PSSCH portion that is TDMed. Fig.11 The communication and processing circuitry 1142 shown and described may generate sidelink data traffic. At block 1308, the first wireless communication device may determine whether the beam capability (BC) of at least the transmitting wireless communication device (e.g., the wireless communication device sending SCI-1, SCI-2, and sidelink data traffic) supports simultaneous communication on more than one beam (e.g., BC>1 beam). For example, the above with respect to Fig.11 The beam configuration and selection circuit 1146 shown and described may provide a means for determining whether the beam capability supports multiple simultaneous beams.

[0172] When simultaneous communication on more than one beam is supported (Y branch of box 1308), at box 1310, the first wireless communication device can transmit the FDMed PSSCH portion of the sidelink data service on the third beam. In some examples, the third beam can be configured based on the beam measurement report. For example, the third beam has the highest beam quality on one of the multiple antenna panels of the transmitting wireless communication device, and the first beam has the highest beam quality on another antenna panel of the transmitting radio communication device. The third beam can be further updated based on the sidelink MAC-CE, RAN MAC-CE or RAN RRC message. For example, the communication and processing circuit 1142, as well as the beam configuration and selection circuit 1146, the transceiver 1110 and the antenna array 1120 can provide a unit for transmitting the FDMed PSSCH portion on the third beam.

[0173] At block 1312, the first wireless communication device may transmit a TDMed PSSCH portion of the sidelink data traffic on a second beam corresponding to the first beam or the third beam. In some examples, the first beam or the third beam may be pre-configured on the wireless communication device as the second beam. For example, the communication and processing circuitry 1142, and the beam configuration and selection circuitry 1146, the transceiver 1110, and the antenna array 1120 may provide a unit for transmitting the TDMed PSSCH portion on the second beam.

[0174] When simultaneous communication on more than one beam is not supported (N branch of block 1308), the first wireless communication device may transmit the FDMed PSSCH portion of the sidelink data traffic on the first beam at block 1314. For example, the communication and processing circuitry 1142, as well as the beam configuration and selection circuitry 1146, the transceiver 1110, and the antenna array 1120 may provide a means for transmitting the TDMed PSSCH portion on the first beam.

[0175] At block 1316, the first wireless communication device may transmit the TDMed PSSCH portion of the sidelink data traffic on a second beam corresponding to the first beam. For example, the communication and processing circuitry 1142, as well as the beam configuration and selection circuitry 1146, the transceiver 1110, and the antenna array 1120 may provide a means for transmitting the TDMed PSSCH portion on the second beam.

[0176] Fig.14 1400 is a flowchart of another exemplary method for sidelink communication using one or more sidelink beams according to some aspects. As described below, some or all of the illustrated features may be omitted in certain implementations within the scope of the present disclosure, and some illustrated features may not be required when implementing all examples. In some examples, as described above and Fig.11 As shown in , the method may be performed by the wireless communication device 1100, by a processor or a processing system, or by any suitable unit for performing the functions.

[0177] At block 1402, the first wireless communication device may determine an interval between a sidelink data service and at least one of first-level sidelink control information (SCI) or second-level SCI in a time slot. In some examples, when the interval is between the sidelink data service and the first-level SCI, the interval may include at least one of a second-level SCI or a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) for the sidelink data service. In some examples, the interval may include zero or more symbols (e.g., OFDM symbols) of the time slot. For example, in combination with the above Fig.11 The SCI generation and processing circuit 1144 shown and described may provide means for determining the interval.

[0178] At box 1404, the first wireless communication device may determine whether the length of the interval (e.g., in units of the number of symbols) is greater than a threshold. In some examples, when the interval is between the sidelink data service and the first-level SCI, the threshold may correspond to the original interval length. The original interval length may allow sufficient time for decoding the first-level SCI and forming a new beam at the receiving wireless communication device. In other examples, when the interval is between the sidelink data service and the second-level SCI, the threshold may correspond to an extended interval length that is longer than the original interval length. The extended interval length may allow sufficient time for decoding the first-level SCI and the second-level SCI and forming a new beam at the receiving wireless communication device. In some examples, the threshold may be configured based on the capabilities of the receiving wireless communication device. For example, the above in combination Fig.11 The SCI generation and processing circuitry 1144 shown and described may provide means for determining whether the length of an interval is greater than a threshold.

[0179] When the length of the interval is less than or equal to the threshold (N branch of block 1404), the method may continue to Fig.13. When the length of the interval is greater than the threshold (Y branch of box 140), at box 1406, the first wireless communication device may transmit the first level SCI and the second level SCI with the second wireless communication device on the first beam. At least one of the first level SCI and the second level SCI may include a beam identifier (ID) of the second beam used for the sidelink data service. For example, the second beam may be different from the first beam. The first level SCI may be transmitted within the control region of the time slot, and the second level SCI may be transmitted within the data region of the time slot. The first beam may be configured based on the sidelink beam search and measurement process, and may be further updated based on the sidelink MAC-CE, RAN MAC-CE, or RAN RRC message. The first level SCI and the second level SCI may jointly include resource allocation and other information related to the sidelink data service transmitted within the data region of the time slot. For example, the above in combination Fig.11 The SCI generation and processing circuit 1144, as well as the communication and processing circuit 1142, beam configuration and selection circuit 1146, transceiver 1110 and antenna array 1120 shown and described may provide a means for communicating a first level SCI and a second level SCI with a second communication device on a first beam.

[0180] At box 1408, the first wireless communication device may transmit a sidelink data service with the second wireless communication device on the second beam within the data region of the time slot. In some examples, the sidelink data service may include a PSSCH portion that is FDMed and a PSSCH portion that is TDMed. The PSSCH portion that is FDMed may be transmitted on the first beam or the third beam (for example, when the beam capability of at least the first wireless communication device supports multiple simultaneous beams, the third beam may be configured). The PSSCH portion that is TDMed may be transmitted on the second beam. For example, the above combination Fig.11 The communication and processing circuitry 1142, and beam configuration and selection circuitry 1146, transceiver 1110, and antenna array 1120 shown and described may provide means for communicating sidelink data traffic with a second wireless communication device on a second beam.

[0181] In one configuration, the wireless communication device 1100 includes means for sidelink beam configuration and indication, as described in the present disclosure. In one aspect, the means may be in Fig.11 The processor 1104 shown in FIG. 1 is configured to perform the functions described by the above-mentioned units. In another aspect, the above-mentioned units may be circuits or any devices configured to perform the functions described by the above-mentioned units.

[0182] Of course, in the above examples, the circuits included in the processor 1104 are provided only as examples, and other units for performing the described functions may be included in various aspects of the present disclosure, including but not limited to instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium 1106, or in Figure 1-5 and / or any of Figures 8-10 and using, for example, the present invention with respect to Figure 12-14 Any other suitable means or units of the described processes and / or algorithms.

[0183] Figure 12-14 The processes shown in may include additional aspects, such as any single aspect or any combination of aspects described below and / or in combination with one or more other processes described elsewhere herein.

[0184] Aspect 1: A method for performing sidelink wireless communication at a first wireless communication device, the method comprising: transmitting first-level sidelink control information (SCI) with a second wireless communication device on a first beam within a time slot control region; transmitting second-level SCI with a second wireless communication device on a first beam within a data region of the time slot; and transmitting sidelink data service with the second wireless communication device on a second beam within the data region of the time slot, wherein the second beam includes the first beam or a different beam based on at least one of the beam capability of at least the first wireless communication device or the interval between the sidelink data service and at least one of the first-level SCI or the second-level SCI.

[0185] Aspect 2: The method according to Aspect 1, wherein the sidelink data service includes at least a first part that is frequency-division multiplexed with a first-level SCI.

[0186] Aspect 3: The method according to Aspect 2, wherein the second beam includes a first beam for a first portion of the sidelink data service.

[0187] Aspect 4: A method according to aspect 2, wherein when the beam capability of at least the first wireless communication device supports multiple simultaneous beams, the second beam includes a different beam for the first portion of the sidelink data service.

[0188] Aspect 5: A method according to any one of Aspects 2 to 4, wherein the second beam is configured based on a sidelink beam search and measurement process, and further comprising: updating the second beam based on a sidelink media access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE), a radio access network (RAN) MAC-CE, or a RAN radio resource control (RRC) message.

[0189] Aspect 6: The method according to any one of Aspect 1, wherein the sidelink data service includes at least a first part that is time-division multiplexed with a first-level SCI and a second-level SCI.

[0190] Aspect 7: The method according to Aspect 6, wherein the second beam includes the first beam.

[0191] Aspect 8: A method according to Aspect 6, wherein the sidelink data service includes a second part that is frequency-division multiplexed with at least one of the first-level SCI or the second-level SCI, and the second part of the sidelink data communication is sent on a third beam.

[0192] Aspect 9: The method according to aspect 8, wherein the second beam includes the first beam or the third beam.

[0193] Aspect 10: The method according to Aspect 8, wherein the third beam includes the first beam or the different beam, and when the beam capability of at least the first wireless communication device supports multiple simultaneous beams, the third beam includes a different beam.

[0194] Aspect 11: A method according to any one of Aspects 6 to 8, wherein at least one of the first-level SCI or the second-level SCI includes: when the length of the interval is greater than a threshold, identifying a beam identifier of the second beam, wherein the interval includes at least one of the second-level SCI or a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) for a sidelink data service.

[0195] Aspect 12: A method according to Aspect 11, wherein: the second-level SCI includes a beam identifier, when the first-level SCI includes a beam identifier, the threshold corresponds to an extended interval length that is longer than an original interval length used for the threshold, and the threshold is configured based on the capabilities of the second wireless communication device.

[0196] Aspect 13: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 12 further includes: transmitting feedback information corresponding to the sidelink data service to the second wireless communication device on the fourth beam.

[0197] Aspect 14: The method according to Aspect 13, wherein the fourth beam includes the second beam.

[0198] Aspect 15: A method according to Aspect 13, wherein, when the length of the additional interval between the last one of the first-level SCI or the second-level SCI carrying the beam identifier is greater than a threshold, at least one of the first-level SCI or the second-level SCI includes a beam identifier identifying a fourth beam, wherein the threshold is configured based on the capabilities of the second wireless communication device.

[0199] Aspect 16: The method according to aspect 15, wherein when the length of the additional interval between the last one of the first-level SCI or the second-level SCI carrying the beam identifier is less than or equal to a threshold, the fourth beam comprises a default beam.

[0200] Aspect 17: A method according to any one of Aspects 13 to 16, wherein the fourth beam is configured based on a spatial relationship indication, and further comprising: updating the fourth beam based on a sidelink media access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE), a radio access network (RAN) MAC-CE or a RAN radio resource control (RRC) message.

[0201] Aspect 18: A method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 17, wherein the first beam is configured based on a sidelink beam search and measurement process, and further comprising: updating the first beam based on a sidelink media access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE), a radio access network (RAN) MAC-CE, or a RAN radio resource control (RRC) message.

[0202] Aspect 19: A wireless communication device in a wireless communication network, comprising a transceiver, a memory, and a processor coupled to the transceiver and the memory, wherein the processor and the memory are configured to perform the method according to any one of aspects 1 to 18.

[0203] Aspect 20: A wireless communication device in a wireless communication network, comprising at least one unit for performing the method according to any one of aspects 1 to 18.

[0204] Aspect 21: A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored therein, the instructions being configured to cause one or more processors of a wireless communication device to perform a method according to any one of aspects 1 to 18.

[0205] Several aspects of wireless communication networks have been presented with reference to exemplary implementations. As those skilled in the art will readily appreciate, various aspects described throughout this disclosure may be extended to other telecommunication systems, network architectures and communication standards.

[0206] For example, various aspects may be implemented in other systems defined by 3GPP, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), Evolved Packet System (EPS), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), and / or Global System for Mobile (GSM). Various aspects may also be extended to systems defined by the Third Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2), such as CDMA2000 and / or Evolution Data Optimized (EV-DO). Other examples may be implemented in systems using IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Ultra Wideband (UWB), Bluetooth, and / or other appropriate systems. The actual telecommunication standard, network architecture, and / or communication standard used will depend on the specific application and the overall design constraints imposed on the system.

[0207] In the present disclosure, the word "exemplary" is used to mean "serving as an example, instance or illustration". Any implementation or aspect described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as being preferred or having advantages over other aspects of the present disclosure. Likewise, the term "aspect" does not require that all aspects of the present disclosure include the discussed features, advantages or modes of operation. The term "coupling" is used herein to refer to a direct coupling or an indirect coupling between two objects. For example, if object A physically contacts object B, and object B contacts object C, objects A and C may still be considered to be coupled to each other, even if they are not physically directly in contact with each other. For example, a first object may be coupled to a second object, even if the first object has never been physically directly in contact with the second object. The terms "circuit" and "electronic circuit" are used in a broad sense, and are intended to include both hardware implementations of electronic devices and conductors (wherein these electronic devices and conductors, when connected and configured, enable the functions described in the present disclosure to be performed, and there is no limitation on the type of electronic circuit) and software implementations of information and instructions (wherein these information and instructions, when executed by a processor, enable the functions described in the present disclosure to be performed).

[0208] Can Figure 1-14 One or more of the components, steps, features and / or functions shown in the invention may be rearranged and / or combined into a single component, step, feature or function, or may be embodied in several components, steps or functions. Additional elements, components, steps and / or functions may also be added without departing from the novel features disclosed herein. Figure 1-5 and / or Figure 8-11 The devices, apparatuses and / or components shown in the can be configured to perform one or more of the methods, features or steps described herein. The novel algorithms described herein can also be efficiently implemented in software and / or embedded in hardware.

[0209] It should be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the disclosed methods is an illustration of exemplary processes. It should be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in these methods may be rearranged based on design preferences. The accompanying method claims present elements of the various steps in an example order and are not meant to be limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented unless expressly recited therein.

[0210] The foregoing description is provided herein to enable any person skilled in the art to implement the various aspects described herein. Various modifications to these aspects will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. Therefore, the claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but are consistent with the entire scope of the claim language, wherein, unless otherwise stated, elements in the singular form do not refer to "one and only one", but to "one or more". Unless otherwise specifically stated, the term "some" refers to one or more. The phrase "at least one of" a list of items refers to any combination of these items, including single members. For example, "at least one of a, b or c" is intended to cover: a; b; c; a and b; a and c; b and c; a, b and c. All structures and functions that are known or will become known to those of ordinary skill in the art and are equivalent to the elements of the various aspects described throughout this application are expressly incorporated herein by introduction, and are intended to be included in the scope covered by the claims. In addition, whether or not these disclosures are explicitly recorded in the claims, the contents disclosed herein are not intended to be contributed to the public.

Claims

1. A method for sidelink wireless communication at a first wireless communication device, the method comprising: transmitting first level sidelink control information (SCI) with a second wireless communication device on a first beam within a control region of a time slot; transmitting a second level SCI with the second wireless communication device on the first beam within a data region of the time slot; as well as Transmitting a sidelink data service with the second wireless communication device on a second beam within the data region of the time slot, wherein the second beam is the same beam as the first beam, or a different beam from the first beam, and wherein the second beam is based on an interval between the sidelink data service and at least one of the first level SCI or the second level SCI.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The sidelink data service includes at least a first portion that is frequency division multiplexed with the first level SCI.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The second beam comprises the first beam used for the first portion of the sidelink data traffic.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein: When beam capabilities of at least the first wireless communication device support multiple simultaneous beams, the second beam comprises a beam different from the first beam for the first portion of the sidelink data traffic.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The second beam is configured based on a sidelink beam search and measurement process, and further comprising: The second beam is updated based on a sidelink medium access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE), a radio access network (RAN) MAC-CE, or a RAN radio resource control (RRC) message.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The sidelink data service includes at least a first part that is time-division multiplexed with the first level SCI and the second level SCI.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein: The second beam includes the first beam.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein: The sidelink data service includes a second portion frequency division multiplexed with at least one of the first level SCI or the second level SCI, and the second portion of the sidelink data service is transmitted on a third beam.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein: The second beam includes the first beam or the third beam.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein: The third beam includes the first beam or a beam different from the first beam, and when a beam capability of at least the first wireless communication device supports multiple simultaneous beams, the third beam includes a beam different from the first beam.

11. The method according to claim 6, wherein: At least one of the first-level SCI or the second-level SCI includes: a beam identifier identifying the second beam when a length of the interval is greater than a threshold, wherein the interval includes at least one of the second-level SCI or a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) for the sidelink data service.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein: The second level SCI includes the beam identifier, When the first level SCI includes the beam identifier, the threshold corresponds to an extended interval length that is longer than an original interval length for the threshold, and The threshold is configured based on capabilities of the second wireless communication device.

13. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Feedback information corresponding to the sidelink data traffic is transmitted with the second wireless communication device on a fourth beam.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein: The fourth beam includes the second beam.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein: When the length of the additional interval between the last SCI in the first-level SCI or the second-level SCI carrying the beam identifier and the physical sidelink feedback channel PSFCH carrying the feedback information is greater than a threshold, at least one of the first-level SCI or the second-level SCI includes the beam identifier identifying the fourth beam, wherein the threshold is configured based on the capabilities of the second wireless communication device.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein: When the length of the additional interval between the last SCI of the first-level SCI or the second-level SCI carrying the beam identifier and the PSFCH carrying the feedback information is less than or equal to the threshold, the fourth beam includes a default beam.

17. The method according to claim 13, wherein: The fourth beam is configured based on the spatial relationship indication and further includes: The fourth beam is updated based on a sidelink medium access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE), a radio access network (RAN) MAC-CE, or a RAN radio resource control (RRC) message.

18. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The first beam is configured based on a sidelink beam search and measurement process, and further comprising: The first beam is updated based on a sidelink medium access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE), a radio access network (RAN) MAC-CE, or a RAN radio resource control (RRC) message.

19. A first wireless communication device in a wireless communication network, comprising: Transceiver; Memory; as well as a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory, wherein the processor and the memory are configured to: transmitting, via the transceiver, first level sidelink control information (SCI) with a second wireless communication device on a first beam within a control region of a time slot; transmitting, via the transceiver, a second level SCI with the second wireless communication device on the first beam within the data region of the time slot; and Transmitting a sidelink data service with the second wireless communication device on a second beam within the data region of the time slot via the transceiver, wherein the second beam is the same beam as the first beam, or a beam different from the first beam, and wherein the second beam is based on an interval between the sidelink data service and at least one of the first level SCI or the second level SCI.

20. The first wireless communication device according to claim 19, wherein: The sidelink data service includes at least: a first part that is frequency-division multiplexed with the first-level SCI.

21. The first wireless communication device according to claim 20, wherein: The second beam includes the first beam used for the first portion of the sidelink data service, or when the beam capability of at least the first wireless communication device supports multiple simultaneous beams, the second beam includes a beam different from the first beam used for the first portion of the sidelink data service.

22. The first wireless communication device according to claim 20, wherein: The second beam is configured based on a sidelink beam search and measurement process, and wherein the processor and the memory are further configured to: The second beam is updated based on a sidelink medium access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE), a radio access network (RAN) MAC-CE, or a RAN radio resource control (RRC) message.

23. The first wireless communication device according to claim 19, wherein: The sidelink data traffic includes a first portion time-division multiplexed with the first level SCI and the second level SCI, and the second beam includes the first beam.

24. The first wireless communication device according to claim 19, wherein: The sidelink data service includes a first part time-division multiplexed with the first-level SCI and the second-level SCI, and a second part frequency-division multiplexed with at least one of the first-level SCI or the second-level SCI, and the second part of the sidelink data service is transmitted on a third beam.

25. The first wireless communication device according to claim 24, wherein: The second beam includes the first beam or the third beam.

26. The first wireless communication device according to claim 24, wherein: The third beam includes the first beam or a beam different from the first beam, and when a beam capability of at least the first wireless communication device supports multiple simultaneous beams, the third beam includes a beam different from the first beam.

27. The first wireless communication device according to claim 19, wherein: At least one of the first level SCI or the second level SCI includes: when the length of the interval is greater than a threshold, identifying a beam identifier of the second beam, and the interval includes at least one of the second level SCI or a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) for the sidelink data service.

28. The first wireless communication device of claim 27, wherein: The second level SCI includes the beam identifier, When the first level SCI includes the beam identifier, the threshold corresponds to an extended interval length that is longer than an original interval length for the threshold, and The threshold is configured based on capabilities of the second wireless communication device.

29. The first wireless communication device according to claim 19, wherein: The processor and the memory are further configured to: Transmitting feedback information corresponding to the sidelink data service with the second wireless communication device on a fourth beam, wherein, when the length of an additional interval between the last SCI of the first-level SCI or the second-level SCI carrying the beam identifier and a physical sidelink feedback channel PSFCH carrying the feedback information is greater than a threshold, at least one of the first-level SCI or the second-level SCI includes the beam identifier identifying the fourth beam, wherein when the length of the additional interval between the last SCI of the first-level SCI or the second-level SCI carrying the beam identifier and the PSFCH carrying the feedback information is less than or equal to the threshold, the fourth beam includes a default beam.

30. A first wireless communication device in a wireless communication network, comprising: means for communicating first level sidelink control information (SCI) with a second wireless communication device on a first beam within a control region of a time slot; means for transmitting a second level SCI with the second wireless communication device on the first beam within a data region of the time slot; as well as A unit for transmitting a sidelink data service with the second wireless communication device on a second beam within the data region of the time slot, wherein the second beam is the same beam as the first beam or a different beam from the first beam, and wherein the second beam is based on an interval between the sidelink data service and at least one of the first level SCI or the second level SCI.

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