Energy saving for sidelink communication

Abstract

To reduce the extra power consumption of power saving user equipment due to preemption of transmission resources, an identity of a transmitter or receiver of the power saving user equipment is included in the message reserving the resources. When a user equipment attempts to reserve resources, the user equipment can decide whether to preempt the reserved resources based on whether the reserved resources are for a power saving user equipment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a periodic resource reservation scheme in cellular networks, particularly a resource reservation scheme for sidelink communication. Background Technology

[0002] Wireless communication systems such as third-generation (3G) mobile phone standards and technologies are well-known. These 3G standards and technologies were developed by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) (RTM). Third-generation wireless communication is typically used to support macrocell mobile phone communication. Communication systems and networks have evolved towards broadband and mobile systems.

[0003] In a cellular wireless communication system, user equipment (UE) connects to a radio access network (RAN) via a radio link. The RAN comprises a set of base stations that provide radio links to UEs within their coverage cells. The RAN also provides an interface to the core network (CN) for overall network control. It is important to note that the RAN and CN each perform their respective functions relevant to the overall network. For convenience, the term "cellular network" is used to refer to the combination of the RAN and CN, and can be understood as referring to the corresponding system used to perform the disclosed functions.

[0004] The 3G Partnership developed the so-called Long Term Evolution (LTE) system for mobile access networks, namely the Evolved Universal Mobile Communications System Regional Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), in which one or more macro cells are supported by base stations called eNodeBs or eNBs (evolved NodeBs). More recently, LTE has been evolving further towards 5G, or New Radio (NR) systems, in which one or more cells are supported by base stations called gNBs. NR recommends using the Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) physical transmission format.

[0005] The NR protocol is designed to provide the option to operate in unlicensed radio bands (known as NR-U). When operating in unlicensed radio bands, the gNB and UE must compete with other devices for physical media / resource access. For example, Wi-Fi (RTM), NR-U, and LAA can use the same physical resources.

[0006] The trend in wireless communication is towards providing services with lower latency and higher reliability. For example, NR aims to support Ultra-Reliable and Low-Latency Communication (URLLC), while Massive Machine-Type Communication (mMTC) aims to provide low latency and high reliability for small data packets (typically 32 bytes), with a user plane latency of 1ms, a reliability of 99.99999%, and a physical layer packet loss rate of 10%. -5 Or 10 -6 .

[0007] mMTC services are designed to support a large number of devices over a long lifespan via energy-efficient communication channels, where data transmission between each device is occasional and infrequent. For example, a single unit may need to support thousands of devices.

[0008] The following disclosure relates to various improvements to cellular wireless communication systems. Summary of the Invention

[0009] This abstract introduces the concepts of this disclosure in a simplified form, which will be further described in the detailed description below. This abstract is not intended to identify the key or essential features of the subject matter claimed in this disclosure, nor is it intended to define the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0010] This disclosure provides a method for selecting transmission resources in a cellular network, the method being performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising the steps of: determining a potential group of available transmission resources, wherein transmission resources reserved for transmission with an energy-efficient UE according to a first criterion are not considered available transmission resources; and selecting transmission resources from the group of available transmission resources for use by the UE.

[0011] The first criterion is to identify whether the sending UE or receiving UE is an energy-saving UE in terms of reserved resources.

[0012] The energy-saving UE is identified by an indication in the first-stage SCI or the second-stage SCI.

[0013] The indication includes a flag bit.

[0014] The indication includes the identification ID of some or all of the UEs.

[0015] The first criterion is the priority of the reserved resources, wherein the priority increases based on the reservation priority of the resources relative to the energy-saving UE.

[0016] Specifically, potential available transmission resource groups are identified based on the comparison results between the received signal and a threshold.

[0017] The first criterion is to compare the reference signal received power (RSRP) of the received signal with the threshold, wherein the threshold or the RSRP is adjusted based on a reservation associated with the energy-saving UE.

[0018] This disclosure also provides a transmission resource selection method performed in a cellular network by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising the following steps: determining a potential available transmission resource group based on a comparison of a received signal with a threshold; repeating the step of determining the potential available transmission resource group based on a reduced threshold, wherein in each repetition the determination of the transmission resources reserved between the UE and the power-saving UE is based on an original threshold, wherein the reduced threshold is less than the original threshold.

[0019] Specifically, when the priority is higher than the priority threshold, the threshold of reserved transmission resources used for transmission with the energy-saving UE is not adjusted.

[0020] This disclosure also provides a method for data transmission between user equipment (UEs), the method comprising: sending a first-stage SCI message from a UE intending to transmit, wherein the first-stage SCI includes an indication of whether the receiving UE or the transmitting UE is an energy-saving UE; and transmitting a second-stage SCI, and subsequently transmitting data according to the resources indicated by the second-stage SCI.

[0021] The indication includes a flag bit.

[0022] The indication includes at least a portion of the ID of the receiving UE.

[0023] The instruction is sent by reusing existing fields from the first-stage SCI, including frequency resource allocation or modulation and coding scheme fields.

[0024] The indication includes a bit indicating whether the receiving UE is the energy-saving UE and a bit indicating whether the sending UE is the energy-saving UE.

[0025] This disclosure also provides a user equipment configured to perform the aforementioned methods. Attached Figure Description

[0026] Further details, aspects, and embodiments of the invention will be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings. The components in the drawings are for ease of illustration and are not necessarily drawn to scale. For ease of understanding, the same components are referred to by the same reference numerals in the various drawings.

[0027] Figure 1 and Figure 2 This displays a schematic diagram of the selected element in a cellular communication network. Detailed Implementation

[0028] Those skilled in the art will recognize and understand that the specific details of the described examples are merely illustrative of some embodiments, and that the teachings set forth herein are applicable to various alternative settings.

[0029] Figure 1 This diagram illustrates three base stations (e.g., eNB or gNB, depending on the specific cellular standard and terminology) that make up a cellular network. Typically, each base station is deployed by a cellular network operator to provide geographic coverage for UEs in that area. The base stations form a Radio Area Network (RAN). Each base station provides wireless network coverage for UEs in its area or cell. The base stations interconnect via the X2 interface and connect to the core network via the S1 interface. Only basic details are shown here to illustrate the key features of the cellular network. Sidelink (SL) communication between UEs is achieved via the PC5 interface. Figure 1 The related interface and component names are for illustrative purposes only; different systems operating on the same principles may use different naming conventions.

[0030] Each base station contains the hardware and software that implements RAN functions, including communication with the core network and other base stations, control and data signaling between the core network and UEs, and maintaining wireless communication with the UEs associated with each base station. The core network includes the hardware and software that implements network functions, such as overall network management and control, and call and data routing.

[0031] In addition to uplink / downlink communication between the UE and the base station, sidelink communication can also be realized for direct communication between UEs. Figure 2 A base station 102 forming a RAN is shown, along with a UE 150 having a sidelink transmitter (SL Tx UE) and a UE 152 having a sidelink receiver (SL Rx UE) within the RAN. While UE 150 and UE 152 are described as transmitter and receiver, this is for illustrative purposes only during a specific communication session, and their roles can also be reversed. Base station 102 wirelessly communicates with SL Tx UE 150 and SL Rx UE 152 via their respective connections 154. Tx UE 150 and Rx UE 152 are used to wirelessly communicate with each other via sidelink 156.

[0032] Sidelink transmission utilizes traditional Uu transmission between the base station and the UE, operating on a dedicated or shared carrier using TDD (half-duplex). Resource pools are used to manage and allocate transmission resources, and to manage interference between potential concurrent transmissions. A resource pool is a set of time-frequency resources from which transmission resources can be selected. A UE can configure multiple transmit and receive resource pools.

[0033] There are two operating modes for resource allocation in sidelink communication, depending on whether the UE is within the coverage area of ​​the cellular network. In Mode 1, V2X communication operates within the coverage area of ​​the base station (e.g., eNB or gNB). All scheduling and resource allocation can be performed by that base station.

[0034] Mode 2 applies when the sidelink service operates outside the cellular base station coverage area, in which case the UE needs to make its own arrangements. For fair utilization, the UE typically uses sensed transmission resource allocation. Resource selection involves two steps. In step 1, the UE identifies resources deemed available, and in step 2, selects a specific resource for transmission. Step 1 can begin with a selection window of all resources, then removes those not considered candidates (e.g., resources reserved by another UE with an SL-RSRP higher than a threshold). The resource selection process may be randomized and may have constraints such as HARQ timing and delays between resources.

[0035] In Mode 2, the UE selects the transmission resources it wishes to use for transmission and transmits a Sidelink Control Information (SCI) message that indicates these resources. The recipient of the SCI message (which could be a single UE in unicast, a group of UEs in multicast, or all accessible UEs in broadcast) can obtain the expected transmission details through the SCI.

[0036] Existing sidelink communication development focuses on "always-on" devices, for which power consumption is not a significant issue. The following discloses solutions to power-saving problems associated with using sidelink communication with UEs with limited power budgets (i.e., so-called Power Saving User Equipment (PSUE)). In particular, this application emphasizes resource selection for the UE in Mode 2 operation and seeks to provide mechanisms to reduce unnecessary transmissions and protect resources used for transmissions to and from the PSUE.

[0037] The examples listed below aim to reduce power consumption by improving transmission reliability, thereby reducing the number of repetitions required to achieve a given quality of service. This can be achieved by protecting the resources used for transmissions with the PSUE to avoid collisions. In sidelink communication, the presence of the PSUE as a transmitter or receiver can be indicated to other UEs, for example in messages reserving transmission resources, such as Sidelink Control Information (SCI) messages.

[0038] An indication can be added to the first-stage SCI message to indicate that the message is for the PSUE. Therefore, the PSUE only needs to decode the second-stage SCI message when this indication is present, reducing wasted decoding power. Furthermore, non-PSUEs may perform resource reselection when they detect a conflict with the resources selected by the PSUE. This reduces collisions with PSUE transmissions, thereby improving the reliability of PSUE transmissions and potentially reducing the number of repetitions required. Additionally, resource allocation can be performed without preemptive verification or reassessment before PSUE transmissions, as disclosed below. This may increase the likelihood of collisions, but combined with other techniques discussed herein for protecting PSUE resources, it aims to make PSUE transmissions more energy-efficient.

[0039] The details of these different technologies are as follows.

[0040] If the relevant resource pool (RP) allows, a sidelink transmission may conflict with another sidelink transmission from a different UE, or the resource may be preempted by another UE. Due to conflicts and / or preemption, the UE needs to perform additional (re)transmissions to achieve a certain target Quality of Service (QoS). These additional (re)transmissions increase the UE's power consumption, which is particularly challenging for PSUEs.

[0041] To reduce the need for additional transmissions, preemption of transmission resources reserved for PSUE can be disallowed.

[0042] When preparing for transmission, resources reserved for PSUE transmission can be removed from the resource pool used for resource selection to preempt the PSUE from transmission resources. In other words, regardless of the resource pool configuration, relative priority, or RSRP threshold, the transmission resources reserved by the PSUE cannot be selected. Therefore, the transmission resources reserved by the PSUE cannot be preempted and are thus available for planned transmission.

[0043] Preventing any preemption provides a high level of protection for PSUE transmission, potentially exceeding the appropriate level for general network performance. This issue can be addressed using the following techniques. The autonomous resource selection of sidelink devices (Mode 2 discussed above) operates in two steps: i. The first step aims to identify a set of resources considered available by removing all resources associated with a configured Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) threshold. To this end, two priorities are configured for the RSRP threshold: one priority for anticipated transmissions and another for detected / sensed transmissions. This step should provide at least X% of the resources; otherwise, the RSRP threshold should be relaxed, and this resource identification step should be repeated. ii. The second step will primarily select resources in a random manner, but with some limitations (e.g., when multiple resources need to be selected, the feedback time or delay between multiple resources can be taken into account).

[0044] By keeping resources available in the first step of resource identification but freezing the RSRP threshold reserved by the power-saving UE during the iterative resource selection algorithm, limited preemption of resources reserved by the PSUE can be allowed. Therefore, even if resources can be preempted, only those with higher priority than other resources can be used. Furthermore, if the RSRP threshold transmitted by the PSUE has a higher priority than the configured threshold, these thresholds may not be adjusted.

[0045] Therefore, this disclosure provides a transmission resource selection method in which the UE selects resources to transmit from an available resource pool. In the first example, resources reserved by the PSUE are excluded from the available resource pool. In the second example, the RSRP threshold used for resource selection is adjusted for non-PSUE-reserved resources during the iterative resource selection process, but does not include resources reserved for the PSUE. Furthermore, the RSRP threshold is not adjusted when the transmission priority is higher than the configured threshold.

[0046] To prevent preemption, the UE must be able to recognize the reservation indication made by the PSUE. This indication can be provided in the SCI of the reserved resource. In the first example, the indication can be carried in the first-stage SCI, for example, by using one or more reserved bits in the first-stage SCI, or it can be carried in the second-stage SCI. Therefore, other UEs that detect the SCI can identify the resource as a transport resource reserved by the PSUE and process it appropriately during resource selection.

[0047] Besides the power consumption during transmission, the power consumption during reception is also significant because the UE must wake up to receive and decode signals. If the expected transmission is not received, the power consumed during wake-up is wasted, and further transmission opportunities must be utilized to send and receive data. If a second UE selects a resource scheduled for transmission to the PSUE, a collision may prevent successful data decoding, or if the original reservation is cancelled, the PSUE will wake up and listen for unsuccessful transmissions. Further transmissions are then required to complete the transmission successfully. All of these factors contribute to increased power consumption by the PSUE.

[0048] To mitigate these issues, transmissions to the PSUE can be protected from selection or preemption. The techniques described above for protecting PSUE transmissions also apply to transmissions to the PSUE. Resources can be removed from the available resource pool, or the aforementioned techniques can be used, such as freezing the RSRP threshold.

[0049] To identify and protect transmissions destined for a PSUE, an indication is needed that the transmission will be sent to a PSUE. This can be achieved, as discussed above regarding PSUE transmissions, for example, by including an indication of reserved resources in the SCI. The transmitting UE can know that the destination is a PSUE through various mechanisms. Before data transmission, higher layers exchange information about the UE being a PSUE during the configuration phase. For broadcast transmissions, if the transmitting UE knows from the message content that it will be sent to one or more PSUEs, it can mark the transmission as destined for a PSUE.

[0050] Traditional sidelink transmission processes use a two-stage SCI (Side Context Query), where the first-stage SCI does not include indication of the intended source or destination of the transmission. Therefore, the sidelink device must monitor and decode both the first and second-stage SCIs to determine if a planned transmission is appropriate. In the two stages of SCI decoding, the UE must receive the first-stage SCI within the first two time slot symbols and receive sufficient data (shared channel) DMRS signals to prepare for channel estimation, then receive and decode the second-stage SCI transmitted via the PSSCH. This requires significant time and power to determine whether the transmission is intended for the UE, resulting in wasted power if the transmission is not intended for the UE.

[0051] To address this drawback, the first-stage SCI can include an indication to be transmitted to the PSUE. If the first-stage SCI received and decoded by the PSUE does not indicate that the PSUE is the destination, the PSUE does not need to attempt to receive the second-stage SCI, because the PSUE knows that the transmission is not suitable for it. Therefore, the PSUE can return to sleep after decoding the first-stage SCI, thereby saving power. If the indication in the first-stage SCI determines that the transmission is for the PSUE, the PSUE can continue to receive DMRS and determine whether the transmission is applicable in the second-stage SCI.

[0052] In the first-stage SCI, the PSUE reception indication can be a yes / no indication, for example, represented by a single bit, to minimize signaling overhead. While this is effective in terms of signaling overhead, all PSUEs receiving the message still need to continue decoding the second-stage SCI. By indicating a portion of the receiving UE's ID (e.g., the last x bits), finer granularity can be provided, so UEs whose IDs do not match the indicated portion do not need to continue receiving and decoding the second-stage SCI. Therefore, a trade-off needs to be struck between signaling overhead and the number of UEs unnecessarily decoding the second-stage SCI.

[0053] This disclosure provides a method for data transmission between UEs, including sending a first-stage SCI message from a UE intending to transmit, wherein the first-stage SCI includes an indication of whether the receiving UE is a PSUE. The indication may be a flag containing a single bit or part of the receiving UE ID. The receiving UE receiving the first-stage SCI can decode the indication, which includes whether the receiving UE is a PSUE. If the indication indicates that the receiving UE is a PSUE, and the UE is a PSUE, then the UE can continue to receive and decode a second-stage SCI; otherwise, the UE may not continue to receive the second-stage SCI. Because the first-stage SCI contains information about reserved transmission resources, receiving only the first-stage SCI still allows the UE to maintain its need for reserved transmission resources when planning its own transmissions. The indication in the first-stage SCI that the receiving UE is a PSUE can be used in conjunction with any of the above disclosures to protect the resources reserved by the SCI.

[0054] In the example, one or more reserved bits in the first-stage SCI can be used to include an indication of PSUE reception; these reserved bits are configured by the higher-layer (RRC) parameter “sl-NumReservedBits”. Alternatively, a bit from an existing field can be reused for this purpose; for example, bits from “Frequency Resource Allocation” or “Modulation and Coding Scheme” can be used to indicate that the PSUE is a receiving UE. For multicast and broadcast transmissions, the PSUE indication can be marked if at least one PSUE is part of the expected receiving UEs (as is true for all aspects currently disclosed).

[0055] The first-stage SCI can also (or instead) include an indication that the transmission originated from a PSUE, for use as described above. To achieve this, the first-stage SCI can use two bits, one bit to indicate that the transmitting UE is a PSUE and the other bit to indicate that the receiving UE is a PSUE. To reduce signaling overhead, a single bit can also be used to indicate whether one or both of the transmitting and receiving UEs are PSUEs. However, using a single bit for both possibilities would indeed eliminate the advantage of preventing the PSUE from decoding the second-stage SCI, because the UE cannot distinguish whether the transmitting or receiving UE is a PSUE.

[0056] In traditional sidelink operations, when resources in the relevant resource pool are already preempted, if the reserved resource detected by the UE is one of multiple reserved resources, and if the new reserved resource is preempted by another UE with a higher priority, it will trigger a reselection of its own transmission. If the preempting UE is a PSUE under normal procedures, it will still perform a reselection, resulting in power loss due to the reselection process. Alternatively, the transmission may cause a conflict and require retransmission, which will also result in power loss.

[0057] To avoid the PSUE having to reselect resources and avoid collisions, if a UE detects a collision reservation from the PSUE (e.g., this might be detected during the re-evaluation phase of a sidelink transmission), it assumes its reserved resource has been preempted by the PSUE, regardless of relative priority. In other words, the PSUE is granted priority access to the transmission resource to avoid having to reselect resources, thus avoiding the power loss associated with that reselection process. Conversely, another UE (assuming it is not the PSUE), even if it could transmit in the conventional process and collide with the PSUE's transmission, will also perform a reselection process to avoid a collision with the PSUE. The same principle can be applied to the PSUE being the receiving UE's transmission. Therefore, power loss due to the PSUE's reselection and collisions is avoided.

[0058] In another approach, the priority of PSUE transmissions can be increased to reduce the likelihood of resource preemption, rather than completely preventing preemption or conflicting transmissions with the PSUE. This allows preemption even when priority differences are significant, meaning transmission conflicts are critical or time-sensitive, but in most cases, it allows the PSUE to continue transmitting. The MAC or PHY layer can update the priorities of transmissions with and / or from the PSUE.

[0059] This disclosure presents a sidelink transmission method in which, before transmission, the UE checks for conflicting resource reservations. If a conflicting reservation is detected from and / or to the PSUE, the UE will not continue transmission and will reselect transmission resources. Alternatively, due to the involvement of the PSUE, the priority of the PSUE transmission may be increased, and preemption may be allowed based on this modified priority.

[0060] In traditional transmissions, if preemption is enabled for a resource pool before transmission, the MAC layer requests the PHY layer to verify that reserved resources are still available (i.e., the reserved resources have not been preempted). However, this verification can consume significant power, which is undesirable for the PSUE. Excluding this verification check can reduce power consumption, but this increases the number of collisions, thus degrading overall system performance. Even without the verification check, performance can be maintained by preventing preemption of reserved resources for transmissions with and / or from the PSUE. Therefore, non-PSUEs will reselect resources to avoid collisions with PSUE reservations. Thus, the power consumption and transmission time of non-PSUEs are affected because they are forced to reselect resources, but this may not be a significant drawback.

[0061] To achieve compatibility between UEs that support and do not support PSUE protection, allocating resource pools based on available support may be more efficient. For example, one resource pool can be used for both PSUEs and UEs that support protection, while another resource pool can be used for UEs that do not support PSUE protection. This arrangement ensures that all UEs that may receive PSUE-related transmission instructions can decode them and take appropriate action.

[0062] This application discloses various methods to protect PSUE transmission resources in order to improve the power consumption of PSUE associated with sidelink transmission.

[0063] Although not shown in detail, any device forming part of the network may include at least a processor, a storage unit, and a communication interface, wherein the processor, storage unit, and communication interface are configured to perform methods of any aspect of the invention. Further options and choices are described below.

[0064] Embodiments of the present invention, particularly the signal processing functions of the gNB and UE, can be implemented using computer systems or architectures known to those skilled in the art. This computer system can be a desktop computer, laptop computer or notebook computer, handheld computing device (PDA, mobile phone, PDA, etc.), server, client, or any other type of general-purpose computing device required for a given application or environment. The computer system may include one or more processors, which can be implemented using general-purpose or special-purpose processing engines, such as microprocessors, microcontrollers, or other control modules.

[0065] A computer system may also include main memory, such as random access memory (RAM) or other dynamic memory, for storing information and instructions that can be executed by the processor. This main memory may also be used to store temporary variables or other intermediate information needed during the execution of instructions by the processor. A computer system may also include read-only memory (ROM) or other static storage devices for storing static information and instructions of the processor.

[0066] The computer system may also include an information storage system, which may include media drives and removable storage interfaces. Media drives may include drives or other mechanisms for securing or supporting removable storage media, such as hard disk drives, floppy disk drives, magnetic tape drives, optical disc drives, optical disc (CD) or digital video drive (DVD) (RTM) read or write drives (including writable or erasable drives), or other removable or secured media drives. Storage media may include, for example, hard disks, floppy disks, magnetic tapes, optical discs, CDs, or DVDs, or other secured or removable media read and written by media drives. Storage media may include computer-readable storage media having specific computer software or data stored therein.

[0067] In alternative embodiments, the information storage system may include other similar components for allowing computer programs or other instructions or data to be loaded into the computer system. Such components may include, for example, removable storage units and interfaces, such as program boxes and box interfaces, removable memory (e.g., flash memory or other removable memory modules) and memory slots, as well as other removable storage units and interfaces that allow software and data to be transferred from the removable storage units to the computer system.

[0068] Computer systems may also include communication interfaces. These interfaces allow the transfer of software and data between the computer system and external devices. Examples of communication interfaces may include modems, network interfaces (such as Ethernet or other NIC cards), communication ports (such as Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports), PCMCIA time slots and cards, etc. The software and data transferred via the communication interface are in the form of signals, which can be electronic, electromagnetic, optical, or other signals that can be received by the communication interface medium.

[0069] In this document, the terms "computer program product," "computer-readable medium," etc., are generally used to refer to tangible media, such as memory, memory devices, or storage units. These and other forms of computer-readable media may store one or more instructions for use by a processor, including a computer system, to cause the processor to perform specified operations. Such instructions are generally referred to as "computer program code" (which may be grouped as a computer program or other groupings). When executed, the computer system is able to perform the functions of embodiments of the present invention. Note that the code may directly cause the processor to perform specified operations, be compiled to perform such operations, and / or be combined with other software, hardware, and / or firmware elements (e.g., function libraries for performing standard functions) to perform such operations.

[0070] Non-transitory computer-readable media may include at least one of the following: hard disk, CD-ROM, optical storage device, magnetic storage device, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, EPROM, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, and flash memory. In embodiments using software-implemented components, the software may be stored in a computer-readable medium and loaded into a computer system using, for example, a removable storage drive. The control module (in this example, software instructions or executable computer program code), when executed by a processor in the computer system, causes the processor to perform the functions of the invention as described herein.

[0071] Furthermore, the inventive concept can be applied to any circuit used to perform signal processing functions within network components. It is further envisioned that, for example, semiconductor manufacturers can incorporate the inventive concept into the design of standalone devices, such as microcontrollers for digital signal processors (DSPs), or application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) and / or any other subsystem elements.

[0072] For clarity, the above description refers to embodiments of the invention with reference to a single processing logic. However, the inventive concept can also be implemented by multiple different functional units and processors to provide signal processing functionality. Therefore, references to specific functional units are considered merely as references to appropriate means of providing the described functionality, and not as indicating a strict logical or physical structure or organization.

[0073] Various aspects of this invention can be implemented in any suitable form, including hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. This invention can be implemented, at least in part, as computer software running on one or more data processors and / or digital signal processors or configurable module components such as FPGA devices.

[0074] Therefore, the components and elements of embodiments of the present invention can be implemented physically, functionally, and logically in any suitable manner. In fact, the function may be implemented in a single unit, in multiple units, or as part of other functional units. Although the invention has been described in conjunction with some embodiments, it is not intended to be limited to the specific forms set forth herein. Rather, the scope of the invention is limited only by the appended claims. Furthermore, although features appear to have been described in conjunction with specific embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that various features of the described embodiments can be combined according to the invention. In the claims, the term "comprising" does not exclude the presence of other components or steps.

[0075] Furthermore, although listed separately, multiple means, components, or method steps can be implemented by, for example, a single unit or processor. Additionally, while individual features may be included in different claims, these features may be advantageously combined, and inclusion in different claims does not imply that such combination of features is infeasible and / or advantageous. Moreover, including a feature in one claim class does not imply limitation on that class, but rather indicates that the feature is equally applicable to other claim classes where appropriate.

[0076] Furthermore, the order of features in the claims does not imply that these features must be performed in any particular order, and in particular, the order of steps in a method claim does not imply that these steps must be performed in that order. On the contrary, these steps may be performed in any suitable order. Moreover, singular references do not exclude plural forms. Therefore, references to “a,” “an,” “first,” “second,” etc., do not exclude plural forms.

[0077] Although the invention has been described in conjunction with some embodiments, it is not intended to be limited to the specific forms set forth herein. Rather, the scope of the invention is limited only by the appended claims. Furthermore, although features appear to have been described in conjunction with specific embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that various features of the described embodiments can be combined according to the invention. In the claims, the terms "comprising" or "including" do not exclude the presence of other elements.

Claims

1. A method for selecting transmission resources in a cellular network, the method being performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising the following steps: Identify potential available transmission resource groups, wherein transmission resources reserved for transmission with energy-efficient UEs according to the first standard are not considered available transmission resources; and Select transmission resources from the available transmission resource group for the UE to use; The first-stage SCI includes an indication of whether the sending or receiving UE is an energy-saving UE, the indication including at least part of the receiving UE's ID, and when the first-stage SCI does not indicate that the current energy-saving UE is the destination, the energy-saving UE does not continue to receive the second-stage SCI.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first criterion is to identify whether the sending UE or receiving UE is an energy-saving UE in terms of reserved resources.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The energy-saving UE is identified by an indication in the first-stage SCI or the second-stage SCI.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The indication includes a flag bit.

5. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The indication includes the identification ID of some or all of the UEs.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first criterion is the priority of reserved resources, wherein the priority is increased based on the reservation priority of the resource relative to the energy-saving UE.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Potential available transmission resource groups are identified based on the comparison results of the received signal and a threshold.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first criterion is to compare the reference signal received power (RSRP) of the received signal with a threshold, wherein the threshold or the RSRP is adjusted based on a reservation associated with the energy-saving UE.

9. A method for selecting transmission resources in a cellular network, the method being performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising the following steps: Based on the comparison of the received signal with the threshold, potential groups of available transmission resources are determined; and The step of determining the potential available transmission resource group is repeated according to a reduced threshold, and the transmission resources reserved between the UE and the power-saving UE are determined in each repetition according to an original threshold, wherein the reduced threshold is less than the original threshold; The first-stage SCI includes an indication of whether the sending or receiving UE is an energy-saving UE, the indication including at least part of the receiving UE's ID, and when the first-stage SCI does not indicate that the current energy-saving UE is the destination, the energy-saving UE does not continue to receive the second-stage SCI.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, When the priority is higher than the priority threshold, the threshold of reserved transmission resources used for transmission with the energy-saving UE is not adjusted.

11. A method for data transmission between user equipment (UEs), the method comprising: A first-stage SCI message is sent from the UE intending to make a transmission, wherein the first-stage SCI includes an indication of whether the receiving UE or the transmitting UE is an energy-saving UE; and Transmit the second-stage SCI, and then transmit data according to the resources indicated by the second-stage SCI; The first-stage SCI includes an indication of whether the sending or receiving UE is an energy-saving UE, the indication including at least part of the receiving UE's ID, and when the first-stage SCI does not indicate that the current energy-saving UE is the destination, the energy-saving UE does not continue to receive the second-stage SCI.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The indication includes a flag bit.

13. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The indication includes at least a portion of the ID of the receiving UE.

14. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The instruction is sent by reusing existing fields from the first-stage SCI, including frequency resource allocation or modulation and coding scheme fields.

15. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The indication includes a bit indicating whether the receiving UE is the energy-saving UE and a bit indicating whether the sending UE is the energy-saving UE.

16. A user equipment, comprising: A processor and a memory, the memory being used to store a computer program, the processor being used to invoke and run the computer program stored in the memory, performing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 15.

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