Method, apparatus and computer readable medium for sidelink resource selection

Abstract

An apparatus for sidelink resource selection is disclosed. An example apparatus may include at least one processor and at least one memory. The at least one processor may include computer program code, and the at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to transmit a first sidelink control signal and at least one sidelink data signal in a first beam direction, and to transmit a second sidelink control signal in a second beam direction different from the first beam direction. Related methods and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various embodiments are directed to methods, apparatus, and computer-readable media for sidelink resource selection. Background Art

[0002] Sidelink (SL) communications have been introduced into telecommunication systems, such as new radio (NR or 5G) systems, to, for example, support vehicle-to-everything (V2X) services, such as vehicle platooning, extended sensors, advanced driving, remote driving, etc. In some embodiments, a user equipment (UE) may be configured to autonomously select radio resources from a configured or preconfigured resource pool in order to perform SL communications with one or more other UEs. Summary of the invention

[0003] In a first aspect, an apparatus is disclosed that includes at least one processor and at least one memory. The at least one memory may include computer program code, and the at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to transmit a first sidelink control signal and at least one sidelink data signal in a first beam direction, and to transmit a second sidelink control signal in a second beam direction different from the first beam direction.

[0004] In some embodiments, the first sidelink control signal and the second sidelink control signal may be configured with substantially the same time and frequency resource mapping and transmit power density.

[0005] In some embodiments, the at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured to, with the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus to refrain from transmitting a sidelink data signal associated with the second sidelink control signal in a second beam direction.

[0006] In some embodiments, the at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured to, with the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus to transmit a pseudo sidelink data signal in a second beam direction.

[0007] In some embodiments, the pseudo side link data signal may span at least one subchannel in the frequency domain, and the at least one subchannel may include the frequency span of a physical side link control channel used to transmit the first side link control signal, and may be included in the frequency span of a physical side link shared channel used to transmit the at least one side link data signal.

[0008] In some embodiments, the transmissions in the first beam direction and the second beam direction may be millimeter wave side link transmissions.

[0009] In some embodiments, the transmission in the first beam direction may include at least one of a beamformed unicast sidelink transmission to a target device and a beamformed groupcast sidelink transmission to a plurality of target devices.

[0010] In some embodiments, the at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured to, with the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus to transmit a demodulation reference signal associated with the second sidelink control signal in a second beam direction.

[0011] In a second aspect, a method is disclosed, comprising transmitting a first sidelink control signal and at least one sidelink data signal in a first beam direction, and transmitting a second sidelink control signal in a second beam direction different from the first beam direction.

[0012] In some embodiments, the first sidelink control signal and the second sidelink control signal may be configured with substantially the same time and frequency resource mapping and transmit power density.

[0013] In some embodiments, the method may further include refraining from transmitting a sidelink data signal associated with the second sidelink control signal in the second beam direction.

[0014] In some embodiments, the method may further include transmitting a dummy side link data signal in a second beam direction.

[0015] In some embodiments, the pseudo side link data signal may span at least one subchannel in the frequency domain, and the at least one subchannel may include the frequency span of a physical side link control channel used to transmit the first side link control signal, and may be included in the frequency span of a physical side link shared channel used to transmit the at least one side link data signal.

[0016] In some embodiments, the transmissions in the first beam direction and the second beam direction may be millimeter wave side link transmissions.

[0017] In some embodiments, the transmission in the first beam direction may include at least one of a beamformed unicast sidelink transmission to a target device and a beamformed multicast sidelink transmission to a plurality of target devices.

[0018] In some embodiments, the method may further include transmitting a demodulation reference signal associated with the second sidelink control signal in a second beam direction.

[0019] In a third aspect, an apparatus is disclosed, comprising: means for transmitting a first side link control signal and at least one side link data signal in a first beam direction; and means for transmitting a second side link control signal in a second beam direction different from the first beam direction.

[0020] In some embodiments, the first sidelink control signal and the second sidelink control signal may be configured with substantially the same time and frequency resource mapping and transmit power density.

[0021] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include means for refraining from transmitting a sidelink data signal associated with the second sidelink control signal in the second beam direction.

[0022] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include means for transmitting a dummy sidelink data signal in a second beam direction.

[0023] In some embodiments, the pseudo side link data signal may span at least one subchannel in the frequency domain, and the at least one subchannel may include the frequency span of a physical side link control channel used to transmit the first side link control signal, and may be included in the frequency span of a physical side link shared channel used to transmit the at least one side link data signal.

[0024] In some embodiments, the transmissions in the first beam direction and the second beam direction may be millimeter wave side link transmissions.

[0025] In some embodiments, the transmission in the first beam direction may include at least one of a beamformed unicast sidelink transmission to a target device and a beamformed multicast sidelink transmission to a plurality of target devices.

[0026] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include means for transmitting a demodulation reference signal associated with the second sidelink control signal in a second beam direction.

[0027] In a fourth aspect, a computer-readable medium is disclosed, comprising instructions stored thereon for causing an apparatus to transmit a first side link control signal and at least one side link data signal in a first beam direction, and to transmit a second side link control signal in a second beam direction different from the first beam direction.

[0028] In some embodiments, the first sidelink control signal and the second sidelink control signal may be configured with substantially the same time and frequency resource mapping and transmit power density.

[0029] In some embodiments, the instructions may further cause the apparatus to refrain from transmitting a sidelink data signal associated with a second sidelink control signal in a second beam direction.

[0030] In some embodiments, the instructions may further cause the apparatus to transmit a dummy side link data signal in a second beam direction.

[0031] In some embodiments, the pseudo side link data signal may span at least one subchannel in the frequency domain, and the at least one subchannel may include the frequency span of a physical side link control channel used to transmit the first side link control signal, and may be included in the frequency span of a physical side link shared channel used to transmit the at least one side link data signal.

[0032] In some embodiments, the transmissions in the first beam direction and the second beam direction may be millimeter wave side link transmissions.

[0033] In some embodiments, the transmission in the first beam direction may include at least one of a beamformed unicast sidelink transmission to a target device and a beamformed multicast sidelink transmission to a plurality of target devices.

[0034] In some embodiments, the instructions may further cause the apparatus to transmit a demodulation reference signal associated with the second side link control signal in a second beam direction.

[0035] In a fifth aspect, a device including at least one processor and at least one memory is disclosed. The at least one memory may include computer program code, and the at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured to use the at least one processor to cause the device to receive a side link control signal for a first side link transmission through a first receive beam among multiple receive beams; measure a first quality of the received side link control signal; receive a side link data signal scheduled by the side link control signal for the first side link transmission through the first receive beam; measure a second quality of the received side link data signal; and select a radio resource for a second side link transmission by the device to at least one target device based on at least one of the first quality and the second quality.

[0036] In some embodiments, selecting radio resources for the second side link transmission may include: if the first quality is below a first threshold, reusing the radio resources reserved by the side link control signal for the first side link transmission; otherwise selecting another radio resource different from the reserved radio resource.

[0037] In some embodiments, when the first quality is higher than a first threshold, selecting the radio resources for the second side link transmission may also include: reusing the radio resources reserved by the side link control signal for the first side link transmission when the difference between the first quality and the second quality is higher than a second threshold and the second side link transmission is beamformed in a direction different from the direction of the first receive beam; otherwise selecting another radio resource different from the reserved radio resource.

[0038] In some embodiments, selecting the radio resources for the second sidelink transmission may also be based on the relative locations of the apparatus transmitting the sidelink control signal and the at least one target device.

[0039] In some embodiments, the second sidelink transmission and reception for the sidelink control signals and the sidelink data signals may be millimeter wave sidelink communications.

[0040] In some embodiments, the second sidelink transmission may include at least one of a beamformed unicast sidelink transmission to the at least one target device and a beamformed multicast sidelink transmission to the at least one target device.

[0041] In some embodiments, the first quality and the second quality may be reference signal received powers measured on demodulation reference signals associated with the sidelink control signal and the sidelink data signal, respectively.

[0042] In a sixth aspect, a method is disclosed, comprising: receiving a side link control signal for a first side link transmission through a first receive beam among multiple receive beams; measuring a first quality of the received side link control signal; receiving a side link data signal scheduled by the side link control signal for the first side link transmission through the first receive beam; measuring a second quality of the received side link data signal; and selecting a radio resource for a second side link transmission to at least one target device based on at least one of the first quality and the second quality.

[0043] In some embodiments, selecting radio resources for the second side link transmission may include: if the first quality is below a first threshold, reusing the radio resources reserved by the side link control signal for the first side link transmission; otherwise selecting another radio resource different from the reserved radio resource.

[0044] In some embodiments, when the first quality is higher than a first threshold, selecting the radio resources for the second side link transmission may also include: when the difference between the first quality and the second quality is higher than a second threshold and the second side link transmission is beamformed in a direction different from the direction of the first receive beam, reusing the radio resources reserved by the side link control signal for the first side link transmission; otherwise selecting another radio resource different from the reserved radio resources.

[0045] In some embodiments, selecting the radio resources for the second sidelink transmission may also be based on the relative locations of the apparatus transmitting the sidelink control signal and the at least one target device.

[0046] In some embodiments, the second sidelink transmission and reception of the sidelink control signal and the sidelink data signal may be millimeter wave sidelink communications.

[0047] In some embodiments, the second sidelink transmission may include at least one of a beamformed unicast sidelink transmission to the at least one target device and a beamformed multicast sidelink transmission to the at least one target device.

[0048] In some embodiments, the first quality and the second quality may be reference signal received powers measured on demodulation reference signals associated with the sidelink control signal and the sidelink data signal, respectively.

[0049] In a seventh aspect, a device is disclosed, comprising: a device for receiving a side link control signal for a first side link transmission through a first receiving beam among multiple receiving beams, a device for measuring a first quality of the received side link control signal, a device for receiving a side link data signal scheduled by the side link control signal for the first side link transmission through the first receiving beam, a device for measuring a second quality of the received side link data signal, and a device for selecting a radio resource for a second side link transmission by the device to at least one target device based on at least one of the first quality and the second quality.

[0050] In some embodiments, selecting radio resources for the second side link transmission may include: if the first quality is below a first threshold, reusing the radio resources reserved by the side link control signal for the first side link transmission; otherwise selecting another radio resource different from the reserved radio resource.

[0051] In some embodiments, when the first quality is higher than a first threshold, selecting the radio resources for the second side link transmission may also include: when the difference between the first quality and the second quality is higher than a second threshold and the second side link transmission is beamformed in a direction different from the direction of the first receive beam, reusing the radio resources reserved by the side link control signal for the first side link transmission; otherwise selecting another radio resource different from the reserved radio resources.

[0052] In some embodiments, selecting the radio resources for the second sidelink transmission may also be based on the relative locations of the apparatus transmitting the sidelink control signal and the at least one target device.

[0053] In some embodiments, the second sidelink transmission and reception of the sidelink control signal and the sidelink data signal may be millimeter wave sidelink communications.

[0054] In some embodiments, the second sidelink transmission may include at least one of a beamformed unicast sidelink transmission to the at least one target device and a beamformed multicast sidelink transmission to the at least one target device.

[0055] In some embodiments, the first quality and the second quality may be reference signal received powers measured on demodulation reference signals associated with the sidelink control signal and the sidelink data signal, respectively.

[0056] In an eighth aspect, a computer-readable medium is disclosed, comprising instructions stored thereon, the instructions being used to cause an apparatus to: receive a side link control signal for a first side link transmission through a first receive beam among a plurality of receive beams; measure a first quality of the received side link control signal; receive a side link data signal scheduled by the side link control signal for the first side link transmission through the first receive beam; measure a second quality of the received side link data signal; and select a radio resource selection for a second side link transmission by the device to at least one target device based on at least one of the first quality and the second quality.

[0057] In some embodiments, selecting radio resources for a second side link transmission may include: when the first quality is below a first threshold, reusing the radio resources reserved by the side link control signal for the first side link transmission; otherwise selecting another radio resource different from the reserved radio resource.

[0058] In some embodiments, when the first quality is higher than a first threshold, selecting the radio resources for the second side link transmission may also include: reusing the radio resources reserved by the side link control signal for the first side link transmission when the difference between the first quality and the second quality is higher than a second threshold and the second side link transmission is beamformed in a direction different from the direction of the first receive beam; otherwise selecting another radio resource different from the reserved radio resource.

[0059] In some embodiments, selecting the radio resources for the second sidelink transmission may also be based on the relative locations of the apparatus transmitting the sidelink control signal and the at least one target device.

[0060] In some embodiments, the second sidelink transmission and reception of the sidelink control signal and the sidelink data signal may be millimeter wave sidelink communications.

[0061] In some embodiments, the second sidelink transmission may include at least one of a beamformed unicast sidelink transmission to the at least one target device and a beamformed multicast sidelink transmission to the at least one target device.

[0062] In some embodiments, the first quality and the second quality may be reference signal received powers measured on demodulation reference signals associated with the sidelink control signal and the sidelink data signal, respectively. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0063] Some embodiments will now be described by way of non-limiting examples with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals may be used throughout to refer to similar or substantially identical elements, components, parts, modules, units, operations, conditions, signals, operations, connections, etc. that may appear in multiple drawings.

[0064] Figure 1 An example scenario of SL communication in an embodiment is shown.

[0065] Figure 2 An example scenario of SL communication in an embodiment is shown.

[0066] Figure 3 An example time and frequency resource mapping for transmitting SL signals associated with a SL communication service in one embodiment is shown.

[0067] Figure 4 An example time and frequency resource mapping of SL signals for assisted sensing in one embodiment is shown.

[0068] Figure 5 Another example time and frequency resource mapping of SL signals for assisted sensing in one embodiment is shown.

[0069] Figure 6 An example process of transmitting a SL signal by a UE performing SL communication with a target UE is shown.

[0070] Figure 7 An example process in a UE desiring to perform SL communications with a target UE is shown.

[0071] Figure 8 An example scenario of SL communication in one embodiment is shown.

[0072] Fig. 9 An example process in a UE desiring to perform SL communications with a target UE is shown.

[0073] Fig.10 An example scenario of SL communication in one embodiment is shown.

[0074] Fig.11 An example process in a UE desiring to perform SL communications with a target UE is shown.

[0075] Fig.12 An example scenario of SL communication in one embodiment is shown.

[0076] Fig.13 An example process in a UE desiring to perform SL communications with a target UE is shown.

[0077] Fig.14 An example scenario of SL communication in one embodiment is shown.

[0078] Fig.15 An example process in a UE desiring to perform SL communications with a target UE is shown.

[0079] Fig.16 An example scenario of SL communication in one embodiment is shown.

[0080] Fig.17 An example process in a UE desiring to perform SL communications with a target UE is shown.

[0081] Fig.18 An example process in a UE desiring to perform SL communications with a target UE is shown.

[0082] Fig.19 An example method for SL radio resource selection in one embodiment is shown.

[0083] Fig. 20 An example apparatus for SL radio resource selection in one embodiment is shown.

[0084] Fig.21 An example apparatus for SL radio resource selection in one embodiment is shown.

[0085] Fig. 22 An example method for SL radio resource selection in one embodiment is shown.

[0086] Fig.23 An example apparatus for SL radio resource selection in one embodiment is shown.

[0087] Fig.24 An example apparatus for SL radio resource selection in one embodiment is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0088] When the UE is configured to autonomously select radio resources for SL communication, for example, the UE may be configured to receive (or sense) a SL control signal on a physical SL control channel (PSCCH) during a sensing window, and may decode the received SL control signal to obtain control information about one or more of the following: a resource reservation interval, after which, for example, radio resources in a resource pool are indicated as reserved resources; radio resource allocation for an associated physical SL shared channel (PSSCH); a pattern of a demodulation reference signal for the PSSCH; and the like. The UE may then measure the quality of the PSCCH and / or the quality of the PSSCH in accordance with a higher layer signaling configuration. For example, the UE may measure the reference signal received power (RSRP) of the PSCCH based on a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) associated with a SL control signal received via the PSCCH, or may measure the RSRP of the PSSCH based on a DMRS associated with a SL data signal received via the PSSCH. Then, during a selection window triggered, for example, at the beginning of a timeslot, the UE may select a reserved resource or another resource from the resource pool based on the measured RSRP of the PSCCH or PSSCH to perform one or more SL communications with its one or more target UEs.

[0089] In the case of performing SL communication using a high frequency band such as a millimeter wave band (e.g., 24.25 GHz to 52.60 GHz in an NR system), beamforming communication such as beamforming unicast communication and beamforming multicast communication may be applied. Figure 1 As shown in , for UEs 110 and 112 (e.g., vehicles traveling in direction 102 along a lane of road 100) and UEs 114 and 116 (e.g., vehicles traveling in direction 102 along an adjacent lane of road 100), UE 110 may transmit one or more SL control signals (e.g., via PSCCH) and one or more SL data signals (e.g., via PSSCH) to its target UE 112 in a beamforming transmission 120 (e.g., beamforming unicast or beamforming multicast), for example via a rearward antenna panel (e.g., antenna array) mounted on UE 110, while UE 114 is sensing the PSCCH and measuring quality such as RSRP in order to determine the availability of radio resources for SL transmission to its target UE 116.

[0090] like Figure 1As shown in FIG. 1 , beam direction 122 of beamforming transmission 120 is toward UE 112 behind UE 110, so that UE 114 in front of UE 110 may not receive the SL control signal from UE 110 and may not determine the resources used by UE 110. Therefore, the radio resources selected by UE 114 for beamforming transmission 124 to UE 116 in a beam direction substantially the same as beam direction 122 may be the same resources as the resources used for beamforming transmission 120, which may cause conflicting interference. For example, UE 110 may interfere with UE 116, and UE 114 may interfere with UE 112.

[0091] In one embodiment, in addition to transmitting one or more SL control signals (e.g., via PSCCH) and one or more SL data signals (e.g., via PSSCH) associated with the SL communication service to the target UE 112 via the beamforming transmission 120 in the beam direction 122, the UE 110 may be further configured to transmit at least one signal associated with the SL communication between the UE 110 and its target UE 112 via at least one other beamforming transmission having a beam direction different from the beam direction 122. For example, as Figure 2 As shown in FIG. 1 , during or in parallel with the beamforming transmission 120 in the beam direction 122, the UE 110 may also transmit another signal associated with the beamforming transmission 120 in a beam direction 202 opposite to the beam direction 122, for example, not directed to the target, through the beamforming transmission 200, so that other UEs such as the UE 114 may receive the other signal associated with the beamforming transmission 120 from the UE 110 to the target UE 112 (e.g., Figure 2 ), and can select appropriate SL radio resources for their respective SL communications without conflicting interference with the resources used for beamforming transmission 120.

[0092] Here, for ease of description, a signal associated with SL communication (e.g., a signal transmitted via beamforming transmission 120) transmitted from a UE (e.g., UE 110) to at least one target UE (e.g., UE 112) thereof may also be referred to as a first SL signal, and a signal for auxiliary sensing (e.g., a signal transmitted via beamforming transmission 200) transmitted from a UE (e.g., UE 110) to at least one target UE (e.g., UE 112) in one or more beam directions (e.g., beam direction 202) different from the beam direction (e.g., beam direction 122) may also be referred to as a second SL signal.

[0093] Figure 3An example channel structure 300 of PSCCH and PSSCH (or time and frequency resource mapping) for transmitting a first SL signal in an embodiment is shown.

[0094] like Figure 3 As shown in the example channel structure 300, a PSSCH for transmitting a SL data signal of a first SL signal may span a PSSCH duration 302 in the time domain (e.g., one time slot) and a PSSCH bandwidth 304 in the frequency domain. It may include a portion 306 (e.g., one symbol) for automatic gain control (AGC) at the beginning of the PSSCH duration 302, a portion 308 for a guard time at the rear of the PSSCH duration 302, and two portions 310 and 312 for a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) associated with the SL data signal.

[0095] In addition, if Figure 3 As shown in , the PSCCH for transmitting the SL control signal of the first SL signal to schedule the SL data signal in the first SL signal may span a PSCCH duration 314 in the time domain (e.g., between portions 306 and 310), and may span a PSCCH bandwidth 316 in the frequency domain, e.g., not exceeding one subchannel bandwidth 318. Figure 3 As shown in , the PSCCH for transmitting the SL control signal of the first SL signal may also include a portion 320 for a DMRS associated with the SL control information in the first SL signal.

[0096] It is understandable that the channel structure (or time and frequency resource mapping) used to transmit the first SL signal is not limited to Figure 3 The examples shown in FIG. 1 are for reference only, and any suitable structure may be employed in various embodiments.

[0097] In one embodiment, the second SL signal may include an SL control signal. For example, the SL control signal of the second SL signal may be configured with a time and time resource mapping that is substantially the same as the time and frequency resource mapping of the SL control signal of the first SL signal. For example, the SL control signal of the second SL signal may be configured with a transmission power density that is substantially the same as the transmission power density of the SL control signal of the first SL signal. For example, the SL control signal of the second SL signal may be configured to include information that is substantially the same as the information in the SL control signal of the first SL signal. For example, the SL control signal of the second SL signal and the SL control signal of the first SL signal may be configured in substantially the same manner and may be transmitted in different beam directions.

[0098] Figure 4An example channel structure 400 (or time and frequency resource mapping) for transmitting a second SL signal in this embodiment is shown, which may span a PSSCH duration 402 (e.g., one time slot) in the time domain, which is substantially the same as the PSSCH duration 302; and may span a PSSCH bandwidth 404 in the frequency domain, which is substantially the same as the PSSCH bandwidth 304.

[0099] In the example channel structure 400, the PSCCH for transmitting the SL control signal of the second SL signal may span a PSCCH duration 408 in the time domain, which may be substantially the same as the duration 314, and a PSCCH bandwidth 406 in the frequency domain, which may be substantially the same as the PSCCH bandwidth 316. In addition, as Figure 4 As shown in , a portion 410 (eg, a symbol) for automatic gain control (AGC) and a portion 412 for a DMRS associated with an SL control signal of a second SL signal may be included. Figure 4 As shown in , other portions 414 in the example channel structure 400 may remain unused / empty, for example, by configuring corresponding resource elements (ie, zero-power resource elements) with zero / null frequency samples.

[0100] In another embodiment, the second SL signal may further include at least one pseudo SL data signal, for example, the pseudo SL data may span a subchannel and have substantially the same number of code elements as the SL data signal of the first SL signal. In another embodiment, the second SL signal may further include at least one pseudo SL data signal, for example, the pseudo data signal may have the same frequency span as the PSCCH of the SL control signal used to transmit the second SL signal, and have substantially the same number of code elements as the SL data signal of the first SL signal. For example, the pseudo signal may be any suitable code element generated randomly, such as a randomly or pseudo-randomly generated quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) code element, and may be configured so that no DMRS is associated with the pseudo signal of the second SL signal. In addition, for example, the pseudo SL data signal may be transmitted with a substantially constant transmit power.

[0101] Figure 5 Another example channel structure 500 (or time and frequency resource mapping) for transmitting a second SL signal in the present embodiment is shown, which may span a PSSCH duration 502 in the time domain (e.g., one time slot) and a PSSCH bandwidth 504 in the frequency domain, wherein the PSSCH duration 502 may be substantially the same as the PSSCH duration 302, and the PSSCH bandwidth 504 may be substantially the same as the PSSCH bandwidth 304.

[0102] The PSCCH for transmitting the SL control signal of the second SL signal in the example channel structure 500 may be similar to that in the example channel structure 400, so the details thereof will not be repeated. Unlike the example channel structure 400, the example channel structure 500 may include a portion 510 of the pseudo SL data signal PSSCH for transmitting the second SL signal, which may span almost the entire SL transmission duration (PSSCH duration 502) and one subchannel bandwidth 318. Another portion 512 of the PSSCH may remain unused / empty.

[0103] The radio resources occupied by the example channel structure 400 may be smaller than the radio resources of the example channel structure 500, while the example channel structure 300 may facilitate signal processing by providing a complete signal structure.

[0104] It is understandable that the channel structure (or time and frequency resource mapping) used to transmit the second SL signal is not limited to Figure 4 or Figure 5 The examples shown, and any suitable structure may be adopted in various embodiments. For example, the second SL signal may include at least one pseudo SL data signal, and the at least one pseudo SL data signal may span at least one subchannel in the frequency domain, wherein at least one subchannel may include the frequency span of the PSCCH of the SL control signal used to transmit the first SL signal, and may be included in the frequency span of the PSSCH of at least one SL data signal used to transmit the first SL signal. For example, the number of subchannels configured for transmitting pseudo SL data signals may be greater than or equal to the number of subchannels configured for transmission of SL control signals for the first or second SL signals, and may be less than the number of subchannels configured for transmitting SL data signals for the first SL signal.

[0105] Then, if Figure 6 As shown in FIG. 1 , UE 110 may transmit a first SL signal 600 to its target UE 112, the first SL signal including, for example, Figure 1 or Figure 2 The SL control signal transmitted via the PSCCH and at least one SL data signal transmitted via the PSSCH by beamforming in the beam direction 122 shown. For example, the channel structure for transmitting the first SL signal may be as follows: Figure 3 In addition, UE 110 may transmit a second SL signal 602 in a beam direction different from the beam direction in which the first SL signal 600 is transmitted, such as Figure 2 The beam direction 202 of the beamforming transmission 200 is shown in FIG. For example, the channel structure for transmitting the second SL signal may be as follows: Figure 4 or Figure 5 as shown in .

[0106] In addition, other UEs such as UE 114 and UE 116 may be configured to sense or receive SL control signals via one or more receive beams and measure the signal quality (e.g., RSRP) of both PSCCH and PSSCH to determine radio resource selection for SL transmission to their respective target UEs based on the received SL control signals and the measured quality.

[0107] for Figure 2 As shown in Figure 7 In the example scenario shown, after a connection establishment procedure 702 between UE 114 and UE 116, UE 114 may sense or attempt to receive a sidelink control signal via one or more receive beams.

[0108] If the SL control signal 704 is received, the UE 114 may perform operation 706 to decode the received SL control signal. Figure 2 In the example scenario shown, for example, the received SL control signal 704 may include a SL control signal of a second SL signal transmitted by UE 110 in beam direction 202 via beamforming transmission 200. Then, based on the received SL control signal 704, through operation 706, UE 114 may determine, for example, information about radio resources scheduled / reserved by UE 110 (e.g., for SL transmission to UE 112).

[0109] Here, for a UE that is performing beamforming transmission to one or more of its target UEs and may be sensed by one or more other UEs (therefore also referred to as a transmitting UE here), the beam of beamforming transmission from the UE to its target UE may also be referred to as the UE's transmit beam. For a sensing UE that desires to perform beamforming transmission to one or more of its target UEs, the beam used to receive beamforming transmissions from another UE may also be referred to as the sensing UE's receive beam, which carries the SL control signal received by the sensing UE (e.g., the received SL signal 704). In addition, without causing confusion, the UE's transmit beam or receive beam may be simply referred to as a beam in this article.

[0110] In addition, for the UE's receive beam and transmit beam, for example, when the angle of the two beams is 0°, or when the antenna panel used to receive or sense the SL signal through the receive beam and the signal panel used to transmit or send the SL signal through the transmit beam point to similar or substantially the same directions (for example, the difference between the directions or orientations of the two antenna panels is lower than a threshold), or when the antenna panel used to receive or sense the SL signal through the receive beam and the antenna panel used to transmit or send the SL signal through the transmit beam are the same antenna panel (for example, having the same antenna panel identification), the directions of the receive beam and the transmit beam can be similar or substantially the same, or the UE's SL transmission is beamformed in a direction similar to or substantially the same as the direction of the UE's receive beam.

[0111] For example, for Figure 2 In the example scenario shown in , an SL signal is transmitted via a beamformed transmission 124 of UE 114 (or a transmit beam of UE 114) through a rear antenna panel of UE 114, and an SL signal transmitted via a beamformed transmission 200 of UE 110 is also sensed or received through the same rear antenna panel of UE 114. Thus, the direction of the transmit beam of the beamformed transmission 124 for UE 114 is similar to or substantially the same as the direction of the receive beam of UE 114 corresponding to the transmit beam of the beamformed transmission 200 for UE 110, or the beamformed transmission 200 from UE 114 to UE 116 is beamformed in a direction similar to or substantially the same as the direction of the receive beam of UE 114 through which the SL control signal 704 is sensed or received.

[0112] On the other hand, for example, when the angle of the two beams is not 0° (for example, + / -90°, 180°), or when the antenna panel used to receive or sense the SL signal from the transmitting UE via the receive beam and the antenna panel used to transmit or send the SL signal to the target UE via the transmit beam point in different directions (for example, the difference between the directions or orientations of the two antenna panels is higher than a threshold), or when the antenna panel used to receive or sense the SL signal from the transmitting UE via the receive beam and the antenna panel used to transmit or send the SL signal to the target UE via the transmit beam are different antenna panels (for example, having different antenna panel identifiers), the directions of the UE's receive beam and transmit beam may be different, or the UE's SL transmission is beamformed in a direction different from the direction of the UE's receive beam.

[0113] In addition, if Figure 7As shown in , in operation 708, the UE 114 may measure the quality of the received SL control signal 704. For example, in operation 708, the UE 114 may measure the RSRP of the received SL control signal 704 based on the associated DMRS.

[0114] In addition, in operation 706, based on the received SL control signal 704, the UE 114 may determine, for example, information about a SL data signal that is scheduled by the SL control signal 702 and is associated with the current SL beamforming transmission. In addition, based on the received SL control signal 704, the UE 114 may determine further radio resources reserved for further SL beamforming transmissions.

[0115] In addition, if Figure 7 As shown in FIG. 7 , in operation 710, UE 114 may measure the quality of a SL data signal received through the same receiving beam as the beam through which SL control signal 704 is received. For example, if the second SL signal transmitted by UE 110 via beam 200 in beam direction 202 is as follows: Figure 4 , then in operation 710, the measurement quality (e.g., RSRP) of the SL data signal received by the receive beam received by the beamforming of UE 114 (corresponding to the transmit beam of the beamforming transmission 200 of UE 110) may be determined to be zero or a very low value. If the second SL signal transmitted by UE 110 via beam 200 in beam direction 202 adopts the following method: Figure 5 If the channel structure shown in FIG. 1 includes a pseudo SL data signal without DMRS, the measurement quality (eg, RSRP) of the SL data signal received by the receive beam received by the beamforming of UE 114 may also be determined to be zero or a very low value.

[0116] Therefore, for Figure 2 In the example scenario shown, the measurement quality in operation 708 may be much greater than the measurement quality in operation 710, or the difference between the measurement quality in operation 708 and the measurement quality in operation 710 is higher than a predetermined threshold (e.g., a threshold predetermined or configured by the network). Then, in operation 712, UE 114 may determine that reusing the reserved radio resources as indicated by SL control signal 704 may cause conflict interference, and therefore when UE 114 selects radio resources from the resource pool for SL communication with UE 116, the reserved radio resources as indicated by SL control signal 704 may be excluded by UE 114.

[0117] Then, if Figure 7 As shown in FIG. 1 , UE 114 may, for example, by using the radio resources selected in operation 712, Figure 2 The transmit beam 124 shown in FIG. 1 transmits a first SL signal 714 to its target UE 116 without causing conflict or interference with the SL communication between UE 110 and UE 112 .

[0118] In such Figure 8 In another example scenario shown in , UE 114 desires to perform SL communication with another target UE 800 in front of UE 114, such as Fig. 9 As shown, after the connection establishment process 900 between UE 114 and UE 800, UE 114 may perform operations 706, 708, and 710. Assume that Fig. 9 The SL control signal 704 received in the UE 110 includes the SL control signal of the second SL signal transmitted by the UE 110 via the beam 200 in the beam direction 202. Figure 8 In the example scenario shown, the quality measured by UE 114 in operation 708 may be much greater than the quality measured by UE 114 in operation 710 .

[0119] With Figure 2 Unlike the example scenario shown in Figure 8 In the example scenario shown, UE 114 may determine that the SL transmission to target UE 800 is to be beamformed in a beam direction that is different from the beam direction of the receive beam through which the SL control signal 704 is received. Figure 8 , a beamforming transmission 802 from UE 114 to UE 800 is performed by the front antenna panel of UE 114 in a beam direction 202 toward the front of UE 114, and the SL control signal is received by UE 114 through the rear antenna panel of UE 114. Then, in operation 902, UE 114 may determine that reusing the reserved radio resources as indicated by SL control signal 704 will not cause conflict interference, and therefore, the reserved radio resources indicated by SL control signal 704 may be reused by UE 114 when UE 114 selects radio resources from a resource pool for SL communication with UE 116.

[0120] Then, if Fig. 9 As shown in FIG. 1 , UE 114 may, for example, by using the radio resources selected in operation 902, Figure 8 The transmit beam 802 shown in FIG. 8 transmits a first SL signal 904 to its target UE 800 without causing conflict or interference with the SL communication between UE 110 and UE 112.

[0121] In such Fig.10 In another example scenario shown, UE 1000 in front of UE 114 desires to perform SL communication with UE 114, such as Fig.11 As shown, after the connection establishment process 1102 between UE 1000 and UE 114, UE 1000 may perform operations 1104, 1106, and 1108, which may be similar to operations 706, 708, and 710, respectively. Assuming that the received SL control signal 704 includes an SL control signal of a second SL signal transmitted by UE 110 via beam 200 in beam direction 202, for example Fig.10 In the example scenario shown in , the quality measured by UE 1000 in operation 1106 may be much greater than the quality measured by UE 1000 in operation 1108 .

[0122] In such Fig.10 In the example scenario shown, UE 1000 may determine that the SL transmission to target UE 114 is to be beamformed in a direction substantially the same as the direction of the receive beam through which the SL control signal 704 was received. Fig.10 As shown in , the beamformed transmission 1004 from UE 1000 to UE 114 comes from the rear antenna panel of UE 1000 , and the SL control signal is also received by UE 1000 from the rear antenna panel of UE 1000 .

[0123] For example, UE 1000 may obtain information about the locations of other UEs (e.g., information about the absolute locations of other UEs, such as the longitude and latitude of each UE, and information about the relative locations between each UE, for example, based on information broadcasted (e.g., periodically) from each UE that desires to perform SL communication. Then, UE 1000 may determine the relative location relationship between UE 1000 and the other UEs based on the obtained information, and based on the obtained information UE 1000 may further determine that UE 114 may be within the possible range of beamforming transmission from UE 1000, while UE 110 is outside the range, or UE 1000 may perform beamforming transmission with appropriate transmission power so that UE 114 is within the range of beamforming transmission while UE 110 is not. Therefore, in operation 1110, UE 1000 may determine that reusing the reserved radio resources indicated by the SL control signal 704 will not cause conflict interference, and therefore when UE 1000 selects radio resources from the resource pool for SL communication with UE 114, the reserved radio resources indicated by the SL control signal 704 may be reused by UE 1000.

[0124] Then, if Fig.11 As shown in FIG. 1 , UE 1000 may, for example, use the radio resources selected in operation 1110 to Fig.10The illustrated transmit beam 1004 transmits a first SL signal 1112 to its target UE 114 without causing conflict or interference with the SL communication between UE 110 and UE 112 .

[0125] exist Fig.12 In another example scenario shown in , where UE 116 behind UE 114 desires to perform SL communication with UE 114, as shown in Fig.13 As shown, after the connection establishment process 1302 between UE 116 and UE 114, UE 116 can receive the SL control signal through one or more receive beams.

[0126] like Fig.12 , for example, the SL control signal 1304 received by UE 116 may include the SL control signal of the first SL signal transmitted by UE 110 via beam 120 in beam direction 122. Then, UE 116 may determine, through operation 1306, information about, for example, radio resources reserved by UE 110 (e.g., for SL transmission with UE 112) based on the received SL control signal 1304.

[0127] Furthermore, in operation 1308, the quality (eg, RSRP) of the SL control signal 1304 of the first SL signal received from the UE 110 may be measured, for example, based on a DMRS associated with the SL control signal 1304 of the first SL signal.

[0128] In addition, in operation 1306, based on the received SL control signal 1304, the UE 116 may determine, for example, information about a SL data signal that is scheduled by the SL control signal 1301 and is associated with the current SL beamforming transmission. In addition, based on the received SL control signal 1304, the UE 114 may determine further radio resources reserved for further SL beamforming transmissions.

[0129] Then, the quality (e.g., RSRP) of the SL data signal of the first SL signal from UE 110 may also be measured, for example, based on the DMRS associated with the SL data signal in the first SL signal, in operation 1310. The two qualities respectively measured in operations 1308 and 1310 may be similar, or the difference between the two measured qualities may be lower than a predetermined threshold that may be configured in the network, for example.

[0130] In addition, based on the location information of UE 110 and UE 114 relative to UE 116, UE 116 may determine that UE 110 is located between UE 114 and UE 116, and therefore reuse of the reserved radio resources as indicated by SL control signal 1304 may cause conflict interference. Then, in operation 1312, when UE 116 selects radio resources from the resource pool for SL communication with UE 114, UE 116 may exclude the reserved radio resources indicated by SL control signal 1304.

[0131] Then, if Fig.13 As shown in FIG. 1 , UE 116 may, for example, by using the radio resources selected in operation 1304, Fig.12 The illustrated transmit beam 1202 transmits a first SL signal 1314 to its target UE 114 without causing conflict or interference with the SL communication between UE 110 and UE 112.

[0132] In such Fig.14 In another example scenario shown in FIG. 1 , UE 116 behind UE 110 desires to perform SL communication with UE 1400, such as Fig.15 As shown in , after the connection establishment process 1500 between UE 116 and UE 1400, UE 116 may perform operations 1306, 1308, and 1310. Assuming that the received SL control signal 1304 includes an SL control signal of a first SL signal transmitted by UE 110 via beam 120 in beam direction 122, the measurement quality of UE 116 in operation 1308 may be similar to the measurement quality of UE 116 in step 1310.

[0133] In addition, based on the information about the positions of UE 110, UE 112, and UE 1400 relative to UE 116, UE 116 may determine that UE 116 may be within the range of communication between UE 110 and UE 112, UE 112 may be within the range of communication between UE 116 and UE 1400, and therefore reuse of the reserved radio resources indicated by the SL control signal 1304 may cause conflict interference. Therefore, in operation 1502, when UE 116 selects radio resources from the resource pool for SL communication with UE 1400, UE 116 may exclude the reserved radio resources indicated by the SL control signal 1304.

[0134] Then, if Fig.15 As shown in FIG. 15 , UE 116 may, for example, by using the radio resources selected in operation 1502, Fig.14The transmit beam 1402 shown in FIG. 1 transmits a first SL signal 1504 to its target UE 1400 without causing conflict or interference with the SL communication between UE 110 and UE 112.

[0135] In such Fig.16 In another example scenario shown, UE 1400 behind UE 116 desires to perform SL communication with UE 1600, such as Fig.17 As shown, after the connection establishment process 1702 between UE 1400 and UE 1600, UE 1400 may perform operations 1706, 1708, and 1710, which may be respectively similar to operations 1306, 1308, and 1310. Assuming that the received SL control signal 1704 includes an SL control signal of a first SL signal transmitted by UE 110 via beam 120 in beam direction 122, the measurement quality of UE 1400 in operation 1708 may be similar to the measurement quality of UE 1400 in step 1710.

[0136] For example, Fig.16 As shown by arrow 1602, Fig.17 UE 1400 in the example may receive a SL control signal of a first SL signal transmitted from UE 110 to UE 112 via beamforming transmission 120 .

[0137] In addition, based on the information about the positions of UE 110, UE 112, and UE 1600 relative to UE 1400, UE 1400 may determine that both UE 1400 and UE 1600 may be outside the communication range between UE 110 and UE 112, and therefore reuse of the reserved radio resources indicated by SL control signal 1304 will not cause conflict interference, or will cause low conflict interference. Therefore, in operation 1712, when UE 1400 selects radio resources from the resource pool for SL communication with UE 1600, the reserved radio resources indicated by SL control signal 1304 may be reused by UE 1400.

[0138] Then, if Fig.17 As shown in FIG. 1 , UE 1400 may, for example, by using the radio resources selected in operation 1712, Fig.16 The illustrated transmit beam 1604 transmits a first SL signal 1714 to its target UE 1600 without conflicting interference with the SL communication between UE 110 and UE 112, or with low conflicting interference.

[0139] In the above example, the transmitting UE performing SL communication with the target UE may be configured to transmit a first SL signal (including an SL control signal and at least one SL data signal) in a beam direction toward the target UE, and to transmit a second SL signal (including at least the SL control signal) in a beam direction different from the beam direction toward the target UE.

[0140] For a sensing UE that performs another SL transmission with a target UE, it may be configured to attempt to sense or receive a SL control signal from the transmitting UE in order to obtain information about radio resources reserved for SL communication of the transmitting UE and information about the SL data signal scheduled by the SL control signal. For example, the SL data signal scheduled by the SL control signal may be a null signal, a zero signal, a pseudo signal, or an actual SL data signal, depending on one or more factors such as: the direction of the beamforming SL communication being performed or to be performed by the transmitting UE, the direction of the beamforming SL communication to be performed by the sensing UE, the relative positional relationship between the sensing UE and the transmitting UE, etc. The sensing UE may further measure the quality of both the SL control signal and the SL data signal, regardless of the form and / or content of the SL data signal, as if the sensing UE received the SL control and data signals associated with the beamforming SL communication being performed or to be performed by the transmitting UE. For example, if the SL data signal received by the sensing UE is a null or zero signal (e.g., the sensing UE does not actually sense or receive the data signal) or a pseudo signal, the quality of the SL data signal received by the sensing UE may be much less than the quality of the SL control signal received by the sensing UE. If the SL data signal received by the sensing UE is SL data associated with the beamforming SL communication being performed or to be performed by the transmitting UE, the quality of the data signal received by the sensing UE may be similar to the quality of the SL control signal received by the sensing UE. Therefore, based on these two measurement qualities, the sensing UE may determine whether the radio resources indicated by the received SL control signal as reserved for the beamforming SL communication being performed or to be performed by the transmitting UE are available for the beamforming SL communication to be performed by the sensing UE.

[0141] For example, in one embodiment, the sensing UE may be configured to receive a SL control signal for a first SL transmission (e.g., a SL transmission being performed or to be performed by the transmitting UE) from the transmitting UE through a first receiving beam among multiple receiving beams, to receive a SL data signal (which may be a null signal, a null signal, a zero signal, a pseudo signal, a SL data signal associated with the SL transmission being performed or to be performed by the transmitting UE, etc.) scheduled by the SL control signal for the first SL transmission through the first receiving beam, to measure both the quality of the received SL control signal and the quality of the received SL data signal, and to select a radio resource for sidelink transmission by the sensing UE to at least one target UE based on at least one of the two measured qualities. In different cases, such as in the different example scenarios shown above, the received SL control signal may be a SL control signal of a first SL signal or a SL control signal of a second SL signal. In the case where the received SL control signal is a SL control signal of a second SL signal, the SL data signal received through the receiving beam may include one or more pseudo SL data signals and / or one or more zero signals. A UE desiring to perform SL transmission with a target UE may then be configured to determine radio resource selection for SL transmission to the target UE based on the measured quality. Thus, radio resource selection may be handled more intelligently to mitigate potential conflicts, for example, for mmWave SL transmissions.

[0142] It is understandable that "reusing radio resources" herein may include the meaning that radio resources can be reused. For example, "UE can reuse reserved radio resources" herein may include at least one of "UE can reuse reserved radio resources for expected SL transmission" and "UE can freely select radio network resources from a resource pool including reserved radio network resources".

[0143] Furthermore, it can be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the above examples, and various modifications, additions and / or deletions may be made based on the above examples.

[0144] For example, in some embodiments, resource selection may be determined (e.g., in operations such as operations 712, 902, 1110, 1312, 1502, or 1712) based on at least one of: a measured quality (e.g., RSRP) of a received SL control signal and a measured quality (e.g., RSRP) of a SL data signal received by a receive beam that transmits the received SL control signal, such as the difference between the two measurement qualities; the direction of a receive beam for sensing; the direction of a transmit beam for SL transmission with one or more target UEs; the relative positional relationship between the UEs; and the like.

[0145] For example, in one embodiment, in operation 712, 902, 1110, 1312, 1502 or 1712, the reserved radio resources may be determined to be reusable if the measured quality (e.g., RSRP) of the received SL control signal is below a predetermined threshold or is excluded from the resource pool.

[0146] In another embodiment, in operation 712, 902, 1110, 1312, 1502 or 1712, the reserved radio resources may be determined to be reusable if the measurement quality (e.g., RSRP) of the received SL control signal is higher than a predetermined threshold, the difference between the two measurement qualities is higher than another predetermined threshold, and the SL transmission to the target device is beamformed in a direction different from the direction of the receive beam transmitting the received SL control signal.

[0147] In another embodiment, in operation 712, 902, 1110, 1312, 1502 or 1712, the reserved radio resources may be determined to be excluded from the resource pool if the measurement quality (e.g., RSRP) of the received SL control signal is higher than a predetermined threshold and at least one of the following conditions is met: the difference between the above two measurement qualities is lower than another predetermined threshold; and the SL transmission to the target device is beamformed in a direction similar to the direction of the receive beam transmitting the received SL control signal.

[0148] In addition, any one or more UEs (eg, the UEs in the above examples) may be one or more operations in the above different examples. Fig.18 As shown in Figure 6 The operations shown in Figure 7 Thus, UE 114 may also transmit second SL signal 602, for example, in parallel with transmission of first SL signal 714, so that other UEs may determine whether their resource selection may result in a potential conflict with, for example, mmWave SL transmissions from UE 114 to UE 116.

[0149] In addition, the configuration of the antenna panels of each UE is not limited to the above examples. In another embodiment, multiple antenna panels may be configured in any suitable form at any suitable location on the UE (e.g., a vehicle) to sense / receive and / or transmit / send beams in any desired direction. For example, two antenna panels may be configured on the UE so that signals of two beams passing through vertical beam directions (angles of + / -90°) can be transmitted / sent and / or received / sensed. In addition, beams pointing in different directions can be formed using the same antenna panel but with different phase shifts for each antenna element.

[0150] Fig.19An example method 1900 for SL radio resource selection in one embodiment is shown, which may be performed when a UE performs beamforming SL transmission to at least one target UE.

[0151] like Fig.19 As shown in , the example method 1900 may include an operation 1902 of transmitting a first SL control signal and at least one SL data signal in a first beam direction, and an operation 1904 of transmitting a second SL control signal in a second beam direction different from the first beam direction. Figure 6 As shown, the first SL control signal and the at least one SL data signal may be separate parts of the first SL signal 600 and may be transmitted separately, for example, synchronously or asynchronously. In another example, the first SL control signal and the at least one SL data signal may be combined into one signal and may be transmitted as a whole. For example, the second SL control signal may be as follows Figure 6 The second SL signal 602 is shown as a SL control signal.

[0152] In some embodiments, for example, Figure 4 or Figure 5 As shown in , the first SL control signal and the second SL control signal can be configured with substantially the same time and frequency resource mapping and transmission power density. Figure 4 As shown in , the example method 1900 may also include avoiding transmitting a SL data signal associated with a second SL control signal in a second beam direction.

[0153] In some embodiments, the example method 1900 may further include transmitting at least one pseudo SL data signal in a second beam direction, e.g. Figure 5 Pseudo SL data 510 shown in .

[0154] In some embodiments, for example, Figure 5 As shown in, at least one pseudo SL data signal may span at least one subchannel in the frequency domain, and at least one subchannel may include a frequency span of a PSCCH for transmitting a first SL control signal and may be included in a frequency span of a PSSCH for transmitting at least one SL data signal.

[0155] In some embodiments, the transmission in the first beam direction and the second beam direction may be a millimeter wave SL transmission. In some embodiments, the transmission in the first beam direction may include at least one of a beamformed unicast SL transmission to a target UE and a beamformed groupcast SL transmission to multiple target UEs.

[0156] In some embodiments, for example, Figure 4 and Figure 5As shown, example method 1900 may also include transmitting a DMRS associated with a second SL control signal in a second beam direction.

[0157] Fig. 20 An example apparatus 2000 for SL radio resource selection in an embodiment is shown, examples of which may include a UE performing beamformed SL transmissions to at least one target UE.

[0158] like Fig. 20 As shown in , the example apparatus 2000 may include at least one processor 2002 and at least one memory 2004, which may include computer program code 2006. The at least one memory 2004 and the computer program code 2006 may be configured to use the at least one processor 2002 to cause the apparatus 2000 to perform at least the operations of the example method 500 described above.

[0159] In various embodiments, at least one processor 2002 in the example device 2000 may include, but is not limited to, at least one hardware processor including at least one microprocessor such as a central processing unit (CPU), a portion of at least one hardware processor, and any other suitable special-purpose processor such as a processor developed based on, for example, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) and an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). In addition, the at least one processor 2002 may also include Fig. 20 At least one other circuit or element not shown.

[0160] In various embodiments, at least one memory 2004 in the example apparatus 2000 may include at least one storage medium in various forms, such as volatile memory and / or non-volatile memory. Volatile memory may include, but is not limited to, for example, random access memory (RAM), cache, etc. Non-volatile memory may include, but is not limited to, for example, read-only memory (ROM), hard disk, flash memory, etc. In addition, at least memory 2004 may include, but is not limited to, electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared or semiconductor systems, devices or devices, or any combination of the above.

[0161] Furthermore, in various embodiments, the example apparatus 2000 may further include at least one other circuit, element, and interface, such as at least one I / O interface, at least one antenna element, and the like.

[0162] In various embodiments, the circuits, components, elements, and interfaces in the example device 2000 including at least one processor 2002 and at least one memory 2004 may be coupled together in any suitable manner, such as electrically, magnetically, optically, electromagnetically, etc., via any suitable connection including, but not limited to, buses, crossbars, wiring, and / or wireless lines.

[0163] Fig.21 An example apparatus 2100 for SL radio resource selection in one embodiment is shown, an example of which may include a UE performing beamformed SL transmissions to at least one target UE.

[0164] like Fig.21 As shown in , the example device 2100 may include means for performing the operations of the above-described example method 1900 in various embodiments. For example, the device 2100 may include means 2102 for performing the operations 1902 of the example method 1900 and means 2104 for performing the operations 1904 of the example method 1900. In one or more other embodiments, the example device 2100 may also include at least one I / O interface, at least one antenna element, etc. In some embodiments, the example of the means in the device 2100 may include circuits. In some embodiments, the example of the means may also include software modules and any other suitable functional entities. In some embodiments, the device 2100 may include one or more additional means for performing one or more additional operations of the example method 1900.

[0165] The term "circuitry" in this disclosure may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) hardware circuit implementations only (such as implementations in analog and / or digital circuits only); (b) combinations of hardware circuitry and software, such as (i) analog and / or digital hardware circuitry and software / firmware, if applicable, and (ii) any portion of hardware and software (including digital signal processors), processors of software and memory that work together to enable a device such as a mobile phone or server to perform various functions); and (c) hardware circuitry and / or processors, such as a microprocessor or a portion of a microprocessor, which requires software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but the software may not be present when software is not required to operate. This definition of circuitry applies to one or all uses of the term in this disclosure, including any claims. As a further example, as used in this disclosure, the term circuitry also encompasses implementations of hardware circuitry or a processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of a hardware circuitry or microprocessor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuitry also includes, for example and if applicable to a claim element, a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[0166] Fig. 22 An example method 2200 for SL radio resource selection is shown in one embodiment, which may be performed in an apparatus that desires to perform beamformed SL transmissions to at least one target device.

[0167] like Fig. 22As shown in , the example method 2200 may include an operation 2202 of receiving a SL control signal for a first SL transmission (e.g., SL control signal 704, or 1304, or 1704, etc.) through a first receive beam among multiple receive beams, an operation 2204 of measuring a first quality (e.g., RSRP) of the received SL control signal (e.g., operations 708, 1106, 1308, and 1708 in the above examples), an operation 2206 of receiving a SL data signal scheduled by the SL control signal for the first SL transmission through the first receive beam, an operation 2208 of measuring a second quality (e.g., RSRP) of the received SL data signal (e.g., operations 710, 1108, 1310, and 1710 in the above examples), and an operation 2210 of selecting a radio resource for a second SL transmission to at least one target device based on at least one of the first quality and the second quality (e.g., operations 712, 902, 1110, 1312, 1502, and 1712 in the above examples).

[0168] In the example method 2200, for example, in different example scenarios, such as the scenario shown above, the received SL control signal may be the SL control signal of the first SL signal, or the SL control signal of the second SL signal, and the SL data signal received through the first receive beam may be scheduled by the received SL control signal. In the case where the received SL control signal is the SL control of the second SL signal, the SL data signal received through the first receive beam may include one or more pseudo SL data signals and / or one or more zero signals.

[0169] In some embodiments, selecting the radio resources for the second SL transmission may include at least one of: reusing the radio resources reserved by the SL control signal for the first SL transmission when the first quality is lower than a first threshold; and selecting another radio resource different from the reserved radio resource when the first quality is higher than the first threshold. For example, when the first quality is lower than the first threshold, the radio resources reserved by the SL control signal for the first SL transmission may be reused for the second SL transmission, otherwise another radio resource different from the reserved radio resource may be selected for the second SL transmission.

[0170] In some embodiments, in the case where the first quality is higher than a first threshold, selecting the radio resources for the second SL transmission may also include at least one of the following: in the case where the difference between the first quality and the second quality is higher than a second threshold and the second SL transmission is beamformed in a direction different from the direction of the first receive beam, reusing the radio resources reserved by the SL control signal for the first SL transmission; and in at least one of the cases where the second SL transmission is beamformed in a direction similar to the direction of the first receive beam and the case where the difference between the first quality and the second quality is lower than a second threshold, selecting another radio resource different from the reserved radio resource. For example, in the case where the difference between the first quality and the second quality is higher than a second threshold and the second SL transmission is beamformed in a direction different from the direction of the first receive beam, the radio resources reserved by the SL control signal for the first SL transmission may be reused for the second SL transmission, otherwise, another radio resource different from the reserved radio resource may be selected for the second SL transmission. For example, in a case where the antenna panel for performing beamforming second side link transmission and the antenna panel for receiving the first receive beam are configured to point in different directions, the direction of the beamforming second side link transmission may be different from the direction of the first receive beam; and / or in a case where the antenna panel for performing beamforming second side link transmission and the antenna panel for receiving the first receive beam are configured to point in similar directions, the beamforming second side link transmission direction may be similar to the first receive beam direction.

[0171] In some embodiments, selecting the radio resources for the second side link transmission may also be based on the relative locations of the apparatus transmitting the SL control signal and the at least one target device.

[0172] In some embodiments, the second SL transmission and reception of the SL control signal and the SL data signal may be millimeter wave SL communication.

[0173] In some embodiments, the second SL transmission may include at least one of a beamformed unicast SL transmission to at least one target device and a beamformed groupcast SL transmission to at least one target device.

[0174] Fig.23 An example apparatus 2300 for SL radio resource selection in one embodiment is shown, which may be performed in an apparatus desiring to perform beamformed SL transmissions to at least one target device. Examples of the example apparatus 2300 may include a UE desiring to perform beamformed SL transmissions to at least one target UE.

[0175] like Fig.23As shown in FIG. 2 , the example device 2300 may include at least one processor 2302 and at least one memory 2304 that may include computer program code 2306. The at least one memory 2304 and the computer program code 2306 may be configured to use the at least one processor 2302 to cause the device 2300 to perform at least the operations of the example method 2200 described above.

[0176] In various embodiments, at least one processor 2302 in the example device 2300 may include, but is not limited to, at least one hardware processor including at least one microprocessor such as a CPU, a portion of at least one hardware processor, and any other suitable dedicated processor such as a processor developed based on an FPGA and an ASIC. In addition, at least one processor 2302 may also include Fig.23 At least one other circuit or element not shown.

[0177] In various embodiments, at least one memory 2304 in the example device 2300 may include at least one storage medium in various forms, such as volatile memory and / or non-volatile memory. Volatile memory may include, but is not limited to, for example, RAM, cache, etc. Non-volatile memory may include, but is not limited to, for example, ROM, hard disk, flash memory, etc. In addition, at least memory 2304 may include, but is not limited to, electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared or semiconductor systems, devices, or means, or any combination of the above.

[0178] Additionally, in various embodiments, the example device 2300 may further include at least one other circuit, element, and interface, such as at least one I / O interface, at least one antenna element, and the like.

[0179] In various embodiments, the circuits, components, elements, and interfaces in the example device 2300 including at least one processor 2302 and at least one memory 2304 may be coupled together in any suitable manner, such as electrically, magnetically, optically, electromagnetically, etc., via any suitable connection including but not limited to buses, switches, wiring, and / or wireless lines.

[0180] Fig.24 An example apparatus 2400 for SL radio resource selection in one embodiment is shown, which may be performed in a device desiring to perform beamformed SL transmissions to at least one target device. Examples of the example apparatus 2400 may include a UE desiring to perform beamformed SL transmissions to at least one target UE.

[0181] like Fig.24As shown in , the example device 2400 may include means for performing the operations of the above-described example method 2200 in various embodiments. For example, the device 2400 may include means 2402 for performing the operations 2202 of the example method 2200, means 2404 for performing the operations 2204 of the example method 2200, means 2406 for performing the operations 2206 of the example method 2200, means 2408 for performing the actions 2208 of the example method 2200, and means 2410 for performing the operations 2210 of the example method 2200. In one or more other embodiments, the example device 2400 may also include at least one I / O interface, at least one antenna element, etc. In some embodiments, examples of means in the device 2400 may include circuits. In some embodiments, examples of means may also include software modules and any other suitable functional entities. In some embodiments, the device 2400 may include one or more additional means for performing one or more additional operations of the example method 2200.

[0182] Another example embodiment may involve computer program codes or instructions that cause a device to perform at least each of the above methods. Another example embodiment may involve a computer readable medium having such computer program codes or instructions stored thereon. In some embodiments, such a computer readable medium may include at least one storage medium in various forms, such as volatile memory and / or non-volatile memory. Volatile memory may include, but is not limited to, for example, RAM, cache, etc. Non-volatile storage may include, but is not limited to, ROM, hard disk, flash memory, etc. Non-volatile memory may also include, but is not limited to, electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared or semiconductor systems, devices or apparatuses, or any combination of the above.

[0183] Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the specification and claims, the words "include", "including", etc. should be interpreted as inclusive, not exclusive or exhaustive; that is, in the sense of "including but not limited to". As generally used herein, the word "coupled" refers to two or more elements that can be directly connected or can be connected through one or more intermediate elements. Similarly, as generally used herein, the word "connected" refers to two or more elements that can be directly connected, or connected through one or more intermediate elements. In addition, the words "herein", "above", "below" and words with similar meanings used in this application should refer to the entirety of this application, not to any particular part of this application. Where the context permits, words used in the singular or plural in the specification may also include the plural or singular, respectively. The word "or" refers to a list of two or more items, and the word covers all the following interpretations of the word: any item in the list, all items in the list, and any combination of items in the list.

[0184] Furthermore, conditional language used herein, such as "may," "might," "could," "likely," "for example," "as," "such as," and the like, unless specifically stated otherwise or otherwise understood in the context of use, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, and / or states. Thus, such conditional language is generally not intended to imply that one or more embodiments require features, elements, and / or states in any way, or that one or more embodiments must include logic for deciding, with or without author input or prompting, whether such features, elements, or states are included or will be performed in any particular embodiment.

[0185] Although some embodiments have been described, these embodiments are presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. In fact, the devices, methods, and systems described herein may be embodied in various other forms; in addition, various omissions, substitutions, and changes may be made to the forms of the methods and systems described herein without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. For example, when blocks are presented in a given arrangement, alternative embodiments may use different components and / or circuit topologies to perform similar functions, and may delete, move, add, subdivide, combine, and / or modify some blocks. At least one of these blocks may be implemented in various different ways. The order of these blocks may also be changed. Any suitable combination of the elements and actions of some of the above-described embodiments may be combined to provide further embodiments. The attached claims and their equivalents are intended to cover forms or modifications that fall within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A device for communication, comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory comprising computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: transmitting a first sidelink control signal and at least one sidelink data signal in a first beam direction; transmitting a second side link control signal in a second beam direction different from the first beam direction; transmitting a demodulation reference signal associated with the second sidelink control signal in the second beam direction; as well as A dummy side link data signal associated with the second side link control signal is transmitted in the second beam direction without a demodulation reference signal associated with the dummy side link data signal.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The first sidelink control signal and the second sidelink control signal are configured with substantially the same time and frequency resource mapping and transmit power density.

3. The device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The pseudo sidelink data signal spans at least one subchannel in the frequency domain, and the at least one subchannel includes the frequency span of a physical sidelink control channel used to transmit the first sidelink control signal and is included in the frequency span of a physical sidelink shared channel used to transmit the at least one sidelink data.

4. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The second sidelink control signal includes substantially the same information as the first sidelink control signal.

5. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The transmission in the first beam direction and the second beam direction is a millimeter wave side link transmission, And wherein the transmission in the first beam direction comprises at least one of a beamformed unicast sidelink transmission to a target device and a beamformed multicast sidelink transmission to a plurality of target devices.

6. A device for communication, comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory comprising computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: receiving a side link control signal for a first side link transmission via a first receive beam of the plurality of receive beams, measuring a first quality of the received sidelink control signal, receiving, through the first receiving beam, a sidelink data signal scheduled by the sidelink control signal for the first sidelink transmission, measuring a second quality of the received sidelink data signal, and selecting, based on at least one of the first quality and the second quality, a radio resource for a second sidelink transmission by the apparatus to at least one target device; Wherein, when the first quality is higher than a first threshold, selecting a radio resource for transmitting a second side link by the apparatus to at least one target device comprises: reusing the radio resources reserved by the sidelink control signal for the first sidelink transmission if the difference between the first quality and the second quality is above a second threshold and the second sidelink transmission is beamformed in a direction different from the direction of the first receive beam; or, selecting another radio resource different from the reserved radio resource; The first quality and the second quality are reference signal received powers measured on demodulation reference signals associated with the sidelink control signal and the sidelink data signal, respectively.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein: Selecting the radio resources for the second sidelink transmission further comprises: reusing the radio resources reserved by the sidelink control signal for the first sidelink transmission in case the first quality is below a first threshold; or, Another radio resource different from the reserved radio resource is selected.

8. The device according to claim 6 or 7, wherein: Selecting the radio resources for the second sidelink transmission is also based on relative locations of the apparatus transmitting the sidelink control signal and the at least one target device.

9. The device according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein: said second sidelink transmission and reception of said sidelink control signal and said sidelink data signal is millimeter wave sidelink communication, And wherein the second sidelink transmission comprises at least one of a beamformed unicast sidelink transmission to the at least one target device and a beamformed multicast sidelink transmission to the at least one target device.

10. A method for communication, comprising: transmitting a first sidelink control signal and at least one sidelink data signal in a first beam direction; transmitting a second side link control signal in a second beam direction different from the first beam direction; transmitting a demodulation reference signal associated with the second sidelink control signal in the second beam direction; as well as A dummy side link data signal associated with the second side link control signal is transmitted in the second beam direction without a demodulation reference signal associated with the dummy side link data signal.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein: The first sidelink control signal and the second sidelink control signal are configured with substantially the same time and frequency resource mapping and transmit power density.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, wherein: The pseudo sidelink data signal spans at least one subchannel in the frequency domain, and the at least one subchannel includes the frequency span of a physical sidelink control channel used to transmit the first sidelink control signal and is included in the frequency span of a physical sidelink shared channel used to transmit the at least one sidelink data.

13. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein: The second sidelink control signal includes substantially the same information as the first sidelink control signal.

14. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein: The transmission in the first beam direction and the second beam direction is a millimeter wave side link transmission, And wherein the transmission in the first beam direction comprises at least one of a beamformed unicast sidelink transmission to a target device and a beamformed multicast sidelink transmission to a plurality of target devices.

15. A method for communication, comprising: receiving a sidelink control signal for a first sidelink transmission via a first receive beam of the plurality of receive beams; measuring a first quality of the received sidelink control signal; receiving, through the first receive beam, a sidelink data signal scheduled by the sidelink control signal for the first sidelink transmission; measuring a second quality of the received sidelink data signal; as well as selecting a radio resource for a second sidelink transmission to at least one target device based on at least one of the first quality and the second quality; Wherein, when the first quality is higher than a first threshold, selecting a radio resource for a second side link transmission to at least one target device comprises: reusing the radio resources reserved by the sidelink control signal for the first sidelink transmission if the difference between the first quality and the second quality is above a second threshold and the second sidelink transmission is beamformed in a direction different from the direction of the first receive beam; or, selecting another radio resource different from the reserved radio resource; The first quality and the second quality are reference signal received powers measured on demodulation reference signals associated with the sidelink control signal and the sidelink data signal, respectively.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein: Selecting the radio resources for the second sidelink transmission further comprises: reusing the radio resources reserved by the sidelink control signal for the first sidelink transmission in case the first quality is below a first threshold; or, Another radio resource different from the reserved radio resource is selected.

17. The method according to claim 15 or 16, wherein: Selecting the radio resources for the second sidelink transmission is also based on relative locations of the apparatus transmitting the sidelink control signal and the at least one target device.

18. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 17, wherein: said second sidelink transmission and reception of said sidelink control signal and said sidelink data signal is millimeter wave sidelink communication, And wherein the second sidelink transmission comprises at least one of a beamformed unicast sidelink transmission to the at least one target device and a beamformed multicast sidelink transmission to the at least one target device.

19. A computer readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon for causing an apparatus to perform: transmitting a first sidelink control signal and at least one sidelink data signal in a first beam direction; transmitting a second side link control signal in a second beam direction different from the first beam direction; transmitting a demodulation reference signal associated with the second sidelink control signal in the second beam direction; as well as A dummy side link data signal associated with the second side link control signal is transmitted in the second beam direction without a demodulation reference signal associated with the dummy side link data signal.

20. A computer readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon for causing an apparatus to perform: receiving a sidelink control signal for a first sidelink transmission via a first receive beam of the plurality of receive beams; measuring a first quality of the received sidelink control signal; receiving, through the first receiving beam, a sidelink data signal scheduled by the sidelink control signal for the first sidelink transmission, measuring a second quality of the received sidelink data signal received via the first receive beam; as well as selecting, based on at least one of the first quality and the second quality, a radio resource for a second sidelink transmission by the apparatus to at least one target device; Wherein, when the first quality is higher than a first threshold, selecting a radio resource for transmitting a second side link by the apparatus to at least one target device comprises: reusing the radio resources reserved by the sidelink control signal for the first sidelink transmission if the difference between the first quality and the second quality is above a second threshold and the second sidelink transmission is beamformed in a direction different from the direction of the first receive beam; or, selecting another radio resource different from the reserved radio resource; The first quality and the second quality are reference signal received powers measured on demodulation reference signals associated with the sidelink control signal and the sidelink data signal, respectively.

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