Enhanced slot format for PSFCH receive beam scanning

Abstract

The invention relates to an enhanced slot format for physical sidelink feedback channel beam scanning. Specifically, the method comprises the following steps: determining a transmitting beam or a time domain resource associated with sidelink transmission; and determining at least one physical sidelink feedback channel transmission symbol in a time slot for physical sidelink feedback channel transmission in response to the sidelink transmission at least based on the determined transmission beam or time domain resource.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The exemplary and non-limiting exemplary embodiments relate generally to communications and, more particularly, to an enhanced slot format for PSFCH beam scanning. Background Art

[0002] It is known to implement communication between two terminal devices in a communication network. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0003] The foregoing aspects and other features are explained in the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0004] Figure 1 PSSCH to PSFCH resource mapping according to 3GPP TS 38.213 is shown.

[0005] Figure 2 The PSFCH resources (PSFCH 1,1 , ..., PSFCH M，N ) example.

[0006] Figure 3 A dedicated PSFCH slot format for fast PSFCH receive beam scanning is shown.

[0007] Figure 4 is a block diagram of one possible and non-limiting system in which example embodiments may be practiced.

[0008] Figure 5 is an example apparatus configured to implement the examples described herein.

[0009] Figure 6 A representation of an example of a non-volatile storage medium for storing instructions to implement the examples described herein is shown.

[0010] Figure 7 is an example method based on the examples described herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0011] The examples described herein relate to an enhanced slot format for PSFCH beam scanning. Figure 1 An example of PSSCH to PSFCH resource mapping according to 3GPP TS 38.213 clause 16.3 "UE procedures for reporting and obtaining control information in PSFCH" introduced in Rel-16 NR sidelink specification is shown. 1 、PSSCH 2), the associated PSFCH transmission occurs in the last few symbols of slot 7. The corresponding PSFCH resource is The selected one from a set of candidate PSFCH resources corresponds to a set of physical resource blocks (PRBs) and / or cyclic offset (CS) pairs mapped to the time slot and subchannel in which the PSSCH is transmitted. The selection is based at least on the L1 source ID of the PSSCH transmitter UE. A specific PSFCH resource among the candidate PSFCH resources (eg, PSFCH 1 、PSFCH 2 ).

[0012] The currently standardized PDSCH to PSFCH resource mapping defines the correspondence between a given slot-subchannel pair and a set of candidate PSFCH resources. However, for SL beam management in FR2, what is being considered is an independent SL reference signal (e.g., SL CSI-RS), which may occupy only a small portion of the resource elements (REs) within the slot-subchannel without any accompanying SL data mapped to the remaining REs.

[0013] To utilize unused REs, independent SL CSI-RS (for transmission by different UEs or using different beams of the same UE) can be multiplexed by using different time domain allocations (e.g., OFDM symbols) within a time slot (TDM) and / or different frequency domain allocations (e.g., subcarriers) within a resource block (FDM).

[0014] If the PSFCH is used for beam reporting (eg, to indicate that the beam associated with a particular SL CSI-RS has resulted in acceptable received signal strength), then the PSFCH transmission is expected to indicate which of the SL CSI-RS are multiplexed by the PSFCH reference.

[0015] For example, the independent SLCSI-RS may be based on a comb-N structure, i.e., occupying only every Nth subcarrier in the frequency domain, such as Figure 2 As shown in FIG. 1 for N=6, in this example, the first UE (A) may wish to perform SL beam alignment with the second UE (B). The first UE (A) may use different OFDM symbols within the same time slot to use M different transmit beams (b 1 , …, b M ) transmits different SL CSI-RS (RS 1,1 , …, RS M,N ). When measuring different SL CSI-RS (RS 1,1 , …, RS M,N ), the second UE (B) may determine to transmit one or more PSFCH transmissions (PSFCH 1,1, ..., PSFCH M,N ), for example, to indicate to the first UE (A) that it transmits beam (b 1 , …, b M ) have resulted in an acceptable received signal strength (e.g., RSRP) measurement at the second UE (B).

[0016] like Figure 2 As shown, the available (e.g., for HARQ-ACK multiplexing) corresponding to a given time slot and subchannel (specified in clause 16.3 of 3GPP TS 38.213) The conventional set of candidate PSFCH resources can be divided into (equally sized) subsets (PSFCH 1,1 , ..., PSFCH M,N ), each subset is mapped to a different SL CSI-RS transmit beam in frequency (b 1 , …, b M ) and / or SL CSI-RS transmission comb (c 1 , …, c N ). In this way, the PSFCH transmission can implicitly convey information about the specific transmit beam and / or transmit comb used for the associated SL CSI-RS transmission.

[0017] However, if mapped to different SL CSI-RS transmit beams (b 1 , …, b M ) of the candidate PSFCH resources (PSFCH 1,1 , ..., PSFCH M,N ) overlap in time, the first UE (A) 10a may need to use a CSI-RS transmission beam (b) covering all of its SLs 1 , …, b M ) so as to be able to receive potential PSFCH transmissions from any associated direction. This has the disadvantage of lower PSFCH receive signal quality due to lower receive gain and increased interference due to the wider PSFCH receive beam.

[0018] Figure 2 Also shown is UE (B) 10b and the sub-channels divided into (equally sized) subsets (PSFCH 1,1 , ..., PSFCH M,N ) of available (e.g., for HARQ-ACK multiplexing) PSFCH resources to different SL CSI-RS transmit beams (b 1 , …, b M) mapping 202, including beam b 1 , b 2 , b 3 , b 4 , b 5 and b 6 Mapping 202 can also map available PSFCH resources (PSFCH 1,1 , ..., PSFCH M,N ) is mapped to the SL CSI-RS transmission comb (c 1 , …, c N ).

[0019] like Figure 2 As shown, RS 1,1 Corresponding to beam b 1 , R.S. 2,2 Corresponding to beam b 2 , R.S. 3,3 Corresponding to beam b 3 , R.S. 4,4 Corresponding to beam b 4 , R.S. 5,5 Corresponding to beam b 5 , and RS 6,6 Corresponding to beam b 6 .

[0020] Enhanced slot format for PSFCH receive beam scanning

[0021] It is proposed to introduce a new dedicated PSFCH slot format to allow fast PSFCH receive beam scanning. Figure 3 As shown, different OFDM symbols (s 1 ,…,s M )(in Figure 3 The symbol s is shown 1 、s 2 、s 3 、s 4 、s 5 、s 6 ) can be used to transmit / receive different SL CSI-RS (or PSSCH) transmit beams (b 1 , …, b M ) associated PSFCH. The transmitter UE (A) can use a set of PSFCH receive beams to perform receive beam scanning, corresponding to the SL CSI-RS (or PSSCH) transmit beam (b 1 , …, b M) to receive feedback from multiple directions in a single time slot without waiting for PSFCH transmission opportunities across many time slots or using wide PSFCH receive beams. The receiving UE (B) can receive feedback based on at least the transmit beam (b) associated with the received SL CSI-RS (or PSSCH) transmission. 1 , …, b M ) or time domain resources (r 1 ,…,r M ) (e.g., symbol index, time slot, etc.) to determine the PSFCH transmission symbol (set) (s 1 ,…,s M ).

[0022] like Figure 3 As shown, the symbol s 1 and beam b 1 Associated, symbol s 2 and beam b 2 Associated, symbol s 3 and beam b 3 Associated, symbol s 4 and beam b 4 Associated, symbol s 5 and beam b 5 Associated, symbol s 6 and beam b 6 Related. Figure 3 As shown, the time domain resource r 1 and SL CSI-RS 1,1 Corresponding to beam b 1 , time domain resources 2 and SL CSI-RS 2,2 Corresponding to beam b 2 , time domain resources 3 and SL CSI-RS 3,3 Corresponding to beam b 3 , time domain resources 4 and SL CSI-RS 4,4 Corresponding to beam b 4 , time domain resources 5 and SLCSI-RS 5,5 Corresponding to beam b 5 , and the time domain resource r 6 and SL CSI-RS 6,6 Corresponding to beam b 6 .

[0023] Figure 3 These are examples only, and other beam allocations within a time slot or other time units are possible (e.g., for future radio access technologies such as 6G).

[0024] This article describes:

[0025] 1. An apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: a. determine a transmit beam associated with a sidelink transmission; b. 1 , …, b M ) or time domain resources (r 1 ,…,r M ), b. at least based on the determined transmit beam (b 1 , …, b M ) or time domain resources (r 1 ,…,r M ), determining at least one PSFCH transmission symbol (s) in a time slot for a PSFCH transmission in response to a sidelink transmission 1 ,…,s M ).

[0026] First UE (A)

[0027] 2. The instructions may also cause the device to: c. use the determined transmit beam (b 1 , …, b M ) to perform sidelink transmission, d. using the determined transmit beam (b 1 , …, b M ) associated with the receiving beam, in at least one determined PSFCH transmission symbol (s 1 ,…,s M ) to monitor PSFCH transmission.

[0028] 3. The instructions may also cause the device to: e. transmit the transmit beam determined by the instruction (b 1 , …, b M ) control information (e.g., SCI).

[0029] 4. The instructions may also cause the device to: f. use multiple transmit beams (b 1 , …, b M ) and multiple time domain resources (r 1 ,…,r M ) to perform multiple sidelink transmissions, g. at least based on multiple transmit beams (b 1 , …, b M ) or multiple time domain resources (r 1 ,…,r M ) to determine a corresponding plurality of PSFCH transmission symbols (s) within a time slot for PSFCH transmissions in response to a plurality of sidelink transmissions 1 ,…,s M ), h. Use with multiple transmit beams (b1 , …, b M ) are associated with the corresponding multiple receiving beams, and the multiple PSFCH transmission symbols (s 1 ,…,s M ) to monitor PSFCH transmission.

[0030] Second UE (B)

[0031] 5. The instructions may also cause the device to: c. receive the sidelink transmission, d. determine whether to transmit the at least one PSFCH transmission symbol (s) in the determined at least one PSFCH transmission symbol (s) based at least on a measurement associated with the sidelink transmission (e.g., RSRP) 1 ,…,s M ) performs PSFCH transmission.

[0032] 6. The instructions may also cause the device to: e. if the measurement (eg, RSRP) is above a threshold, determine that at least one PSFCH transmission symbol (s 1 ,…,s M ) performs PSFCH transmission.

[0033] 7. The instructions may also cause the device to: f. receive an instruction transmission beam (b 1 , …, b M ) or time domain resources (r 1 ,…,r M ) control information (e.g., SCI), g. Based on the received control information (e.g., SCI), determine at least one PSFCH transmission symbol (s 1 ,…,s M ).

[0034] Advantages and technical effects of the enhancements described herein include: The enhancements described herein allow a (SL CSI-RS or PSSCH) transmitter UE (A) to perform fast PSFCH receive beam scanning within a time slot, thereby avoiding the need to use a wide PSFCH receive beam and the subsequent degradation of PSFCH receive signal quality. This is not possible with conventional PSSCH to PSFCH resource mapping.

[0035] In one embodiment, the available (e.g., for HARQ-ACK multiplexing) corresponding to a given time slot and subchannel The (conventional) set of candidate PSFCH resources can be partitioned into M subsets (of equal size), each of which is mapped to a different (SL CSI-RS or PSSCH) transmit beam (b 1 , …, b M ) and / or time domain resources (r 1 ,…,r M), indexed by m=0,…,M-1, where each subset appears in a different PSFCH transmission symbol (s 1 ,…,s M )(set), such as Figure 3 For example, with the PSFCH resource index The first subset of PSFCH resources corresponding to the transmit beam b 1 and / or time domain resources 1 (m=0) and appears in the first PSFCH transmission symbol {0,1} (set) in the time slot; and PSFCH resource index The corresponding second subset of PSFCH resources can be associated with transmit beam b 2 and / or time domain resources 2 (m=1) and appears in the second PSFCH transmission symbol {2,3} in the time slot, and so on. In this case, the UE can respond to the transmit beam (b) indexed by m=0,...,M-1. 1 , …, b M ) or time domain resources (r 1 ,…,r M ) associated with the sidelink transmission (SL CSI-RS or PSSCH) and the PSFCH resource index for the PSFCH transmission is determined as Where P ID and M ID is defined in clause 16.3 of 3GPP TS 38.213. In this case, it can be assumed that Is a multiple of M.

[0036] In another embodiment, the available (e.g., for HARQ-ACK multiplexing) corresponding to a given time slot and subchannel The (conventional) set of candidate PSFCH resources can be partitioned into M×N subsets (of equal size), each of which is mapped to a transmit beam (b 1 , …, b M ) and / or time domain resources (r 1 ,…,r M ) and different combinations (m,n) of frequency domain resources (e.g., SL CSI-RS transmission comb offsets) indexed by n=0,…,N-1, where the subsets associated with different indices m occur at different PSFCH transmission symbols (s 1 ,…,s M )(set), such as Figure 3 For example, with the PSFCH resource index The first subset of PSFCH resources corresponding to the SL CSI-RS transmit beam b 1 and / or time domain resources 1 (m=0) and SL CSI-RS transmission comb offset n=0 (e.g., with Figure 3 RS 1,1 Corresponding) associated with PSFCH resource index The second subset of PSFCH resources corresponding to the SL CSI-RS transmit beam b 2 and / or time domain resources 2 (m=1) and SL CSI-RS transmission comb offset n=0 (e.g., Figure 3 RS 2,1 In this case, the UE may determine the PSFCH resource index for the PSFCH transmission in response to the sidelink transmission (SL CSI-RS or PSSCH) associated with the combination (m, n) as or Where P ID and M ID is defined in clause 16.3 of 3GPP TS 38.213. In this case, it can be assumed that It is a multiple of M×N.

[0037] First UE (A) behavior

[0038] In one embodiment, in determining a transmit beam (b) associated with a SL CSI-RS (or PSSCH) transmission to be transmitted by a first UE (A), 1 , …, b M ) or time domain resources (r 1 ,…,r M ) (e.g., symbol index, time slot, etc.), the first UE (A) may, for example, use the new SCI field to transmit the determined transmit beam (b 1 , …, b M ) or time domain resources (r 1 ,…,r M ) instructions.

[0039] When using the determined transmit beam (b 1 , …, b M ) and / or time domain resources (r 1 ,…,r M) transmits an SL CSI-RS (or PSSCH) transmission, the first UE (A) may respond to the SL CSI-RS (or PSSCH) transmission of the second UE (B) by using a PSFCH receive beam associated with the determined transmit beam (e.g., based on the beam correspondence), and the second UE (B) monitors the corresponding PSFCH transmission symbol (s) for potential PSFCH transmission. 1 ,…,s M For example, if the first UE (A) uses one or more transmit beams (b 1 , …, b M ) transmits one or more SL CSI-RS (RS 1 , …, RS M ), then reception of a PSFCH associated with one or more transmitted SL CSI-RS may indicate that the associated beam is acceptable for communication with a second UE (B).

[0040] In some embodiments, the PSFCH receive beam may be wider than the SL CSI-RS (or PSSCH) transmit beam, so that the mapping between the SL CSI-RS (or PSSCH) transmit beam and the PSFCH receive beam is not one-to-one. 1 , …, b 6 ) transmits different SL CSI-RS (RS 1 , …, RS 6 ), the first UE (A) can use 3 PSFCH receive beams, each PSFCH receive beam has a beam width covering the angular range of 2 narrow SL CSI-RS transmit beams, or it can use 2 PSFCH receive beams, each PSFCH receive beam covers the angular range of 3 narrow SL CSI-RS transmit beams.

[0041] Second UE (B) behavior

[0042] In one embodiment, the second UE (B) may receive an SCI from the first UE (A) indicating a transmit beam (b) associated with a SL CSI-RS (or PSSCH) transmission from the first UE (A). 1 , …, b M ) or time domain resources (r 1 ,…,r M ) (e.g., symbol index, time slot, etc.), and based on the received SCI, in response to the SL CSI-RS (or PSSCH) transmission, determine the corresponding PSFCH transmission symbol (s) for the potential PSFCH transmission by the second UE (B) 1 ,…,s M)(a collection of ).

[0043] Upon receiving a SL CSI-RS (or PSSCH) transmission from a first UE (A), a second UE (B) may determine whether to perform a PSFCH transmission in response. This determination may be based on a received signal strength (e.g., RSRP) measured at the second UE (B). For example, if the measurement is above a threshold, the second UE (B) may determine to perform a PSFCH transmission. Otherwise, it may be determined not to perform a PSFCH transmission.

[0044] Although the examples of measurements used herein relate to RSRP, the various embodiments provided are by no means limited to this measurement quantity and may be applied to other measurement quantities, such as RSSI, RSRQ, RSCP, or RS-SINR.

[0045] Although the examples provided herein relate to NR radio access technology (RAT), the various embodiments are by no means limited to this RAT and may be applied to other RATs or systems, such as LTE, 6G, 7G, etc. They may be applied to other systems, such as 802.11, Wi-Fi, DECT, etc.

[0046] Figure 4 A block diagram of one possible and non-limiting example of a cellular network 1 connected to a user equipment (UE) 10 is shown. Figure 4 A number of network elements are shown in the cellular network of FIG: a base station 70 ; and a core network 90 .

[0047] exist Figure 4 , a user equipment (UE) 10 communicates wirelessly with a base station 70 of a cellular network 1 via a radio link 11. The UE 10 is a wireless communication device, such as a mobile device, configured to access a cellular network. The UE 10 is shown as having one or more antennas 28. The ellipsis 2 indicates that there may be multiple UEs 10 that communicate wirelessly with the base station 70 via a radio link. The UE 10 includes one or more processors 13, one or more memories 15, and other circuits 16. The other circuits 16 include one or more receivers (Rx) 17 and one or more transmitters (Tx) 18. The program 12 is used to cause the UE 10 to perform the operations described herein. For the UE 10, the other circuits 16 may include circuits such as for user interface elements (not shown), similar to a display.

[0048] As a network element of the cellular network 1, the base station 70 provides the UE 10 with access to the cellular network 1 and the data network 91 via the core network 90 (e.g., via the user plane function (UPF) of the core network 90). The base station 70 is shown as having one or more antennas 58. In general, the base station 70 is referred to as a RAN node 70 in this document. An example of a RAN node 70 is a gNB. However, there are many other examples of RAN nodes, including eNBs (LTE base stations) or transmit receive points (TRPs). The base station 70 includes one or more processors 73, one or more memories 75, and other circuits 76. The other circuits 76 include one or more receivers (Rx) 77 and one or more transmitters (Tx) 78. The program 72 is used to enable the base station 70 to perform the operations described herein.

[0049] It should be noted that the base station 70 may alternatively be implemented via other wireless technologies, such as Wi-Fi (a wireless network protocol used by devices to communicate without a direct cable connection). In the case of Wi-Fi, the link 11 may be characterized as a wireless link.

[0050] Two or more base stations 70 communicate using, for example, a link 79. Link 79 may be wired or wireless or both, and may implement, for example, an Xn interface for fifth generation (5G), an X2 interface for LTE, or other suitable interfaces for other standards.

[0051] The cellular network 1 may include a core network 90, as one or more third elements shown, which may include core network functions and provide a connection to a data network 91, such as a telephone network and / or a data communications network (e.g., the Internet), via one or more links 81. The core network 90 includes one or more processors 93, one or more memories 95, and other circuits 96. The other circuits 96 include one or more receivers (Rx) 97 and one or more transmitters (Tx) 98. Programs 92 are used to enable the core network 90 to perform the operations described herein.

[0052] The core network 90 may be a 5GC (5G core network). The core network 90 may implement or include a plurality of network functions (NFs) 99, and the program 92 may include one or more of the NFs 99. The 5G core network may use hardware such as memory and processors and a virtualization layer. It may be a single independent computing system, a distributed computing system, or a cloud computing system. The NF 99 of the core network as a network element may be a container or a virtual machine running on the hardware of the computing system constituting the core network 90.

[0053] The core network functionality for 5G may include access and mobility management functionality provided by a network function 99 such as an access and mobility management function (AMF), session management functionality provided by a network function such as a session management function (SMF). The core network functionality for access and mobility management in an LTE network may be provided by MME (Mobility Management Entity) and / or SGW (Serving Gateway) functionality, which routes data to the data network. Many other functions are possible, such as Figure 4 31 . The core network 90 may include an NG interface for 5G, an S1 interface for LTE, or other suitable interfaces for other radio access technologies communicating via the backhaul link 31.

[0054] In the data network 91, there is a computer-readable medium 94. The computer-readable medium 94 contains instructions that, when downloaded and installed into the memory 15, memory 75 or memory 95 of the corresponding UE 10, base station 70 and / or core network element 90, and executed by the processor 13, processor 73 or processor 93, cause the corresponding device to perform the corresponding actions described herein. The computer-readable medium 94 may be implemented in other forms, such as via an optical disc or a memory stick.

[0055] Programs 12, 72 and 92 include instructions stored by corresponding one or more memories 15, memory 75 or memory 95. These instructions, when executed by corresponding one or more processors 13, processor 73 or processor 93, cause corresponding devices 10, 70 or 90 to perform the operations described herein. Computer-readable memory 15, 75 or 95 can be any type suitable for the local technical environment and can be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, flash memory, firmware, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory and removable memory. Computer-readable memory 15, 75 and 95 can be a component for performing storage functions. As a non-limiting example, processors 13, 73 and 93 can be any type suitable for the local technical environment and can include one or more of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP) and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. Processors 13, 73 and 93 can be components for causing their corresponding devices to perform functions such as those described herein.

[0056] Receivers 17, 77 and 97 and transmitters 18, 78 and 98 may implement a wired or wireless interface. Receivers and transmitters may be grouped together as a transceiver.

[0057] Figure 5 An example apparatus 500 that may be implemented in hardware is configured to implement the examples described herein. The apparatus 500 includes at least one processor 502 (e.g., an FPGA and / or a CPU), one or more memories 504 including computer program code 505 having instructions to perform the methods described herein, wherein the at least one memory 504 and the computer program code 505 are configured to, together with the at least one processor 502, cause the apparatus 500 to implement circuits, processes, components, modules, or functions (implemented with a control module 506) to implement the examples described herein, including an enhanced time slot format for PSFCH beam scanning. The memory 504 may be a non-volatile memory, a transient memory, a volatile memory (e.g., a RAM), or a non-volatile memory (e.g., a ROM). The beam or resource determination 530 of the control module implements various aspects described herein related to the enhanced time slot format for PSFCH beam scanning.

[0058] The device 500 includes a display and / or I / O interface 508, which includes user interface (UI) circuits and elements that can be used to display aspects or states of the methods described herein (e.g., while performing one of the methods or at a subsequent time), or to receive input from a user, such as using a keypad, camera, touch screen, touch area, microphone, biometrics, one or more sensors, etc. The device 500 includes one or more communications, such as network (N / W) interfaces (I / F) 510. The communication I / F 510 can be wired and / or wireless, and communicates over the Internet / other network via any communication technology, including via one or more links 524. The link 524 can be from Figure 5 Links 11 and / or 79 and / or 31 and / or 81 in. Figure 5 The links 11 and / or 79 and / or 31 and / or 81 may also be implemented using the transceiver 516 and the corresponding wireless link 526. The communication I / F 510 may include one or more transmitters or one or more receivers.

[0059] The transceiver 516 includes one or more transmitters 518 and one or more receivers 520. The transceiver 516 and / or the communication I / F 510 may include standard well-known components such as amplifiers, filters, frequency converters, (de)modulators and encoder / decoder circuits and one or more antennas such as antenna 514 for communicating over a wireless link 526.

[0060] The control module 506 of the device 500 includes one or both of the parts 506-1 and / or 506-2, which can be implemented in a variety of ways. The control module 506 can be implemented in hardware as the control module 506-1, such as being implemented as a part of one or more processors 502. The control module 506-1 can also be implemented as an integrated circuit or by other hardware such as a programmable gate array. In another example, the control module 506 can be implemented as a control module 506-2, which is implemented as a computer program code (with corresponding instructions) 505 and is executed by one or more processors 502. For example, one or more memories 504 store instructions that, when executed by one or more processors 502, cause the device 500 to perform one or more operations as described herein. In addition, one or more processors 502, one or more memories 504, and an example algorithm encoded as an instruction, program, or code (e.g., as a flow chart and / or signaling diagram) are components for causing the operations described herein to be performed.

[0061] The apparatus 500 for implementing the functions of the control 506 may be a UE 10, a base station 70 (e.g., a gNB 70), or a core network 90. ​​Therefore, the processor 502 may correspond to the processor 13, the processor 73, and / or the processor 93, the memory 504 may correspond to one or more memories 15, one or more memories 75, and / or one or more memories 95, the computer program code 505 may correspond to the program 12, the program 72, or the program 92, the communication I / F 510 and / or the transceiver 516 may correspond to other circuits 16, other circuits 76, or other circuits 96, and the antenna 514 may correspond to the antenna 28 or the antenna 58.

[0062] The apparatus 500 may correspond to the first UE (A) 10a or the second UE (B) 10b.

[0063] Alternatively, apparatus 500 and its elements may not correspond to any of UE 10, base station 70, or core network and their respective elements, as apparatus 500 may be part of a Self-Organizing / Optimizing Network (SON) node or other node, such as a node in a cloud.

[0064] The apparatus 500 may also be distributed throughout the network (eg, 91 ), including within and between the apparatus 500 and any network elements (eg, the core network 90 and / or base stations 70 and / or UEs 10 ).

[0065] Interface 512 enables data communication and signaling between various items of apparatus 500, such as Figure 5 As shown. For example, interface 512 can be one or more buses such as an address, data, or control bus, and can include any interconnection mechanism, such as a series of lines on a motherboard or integrated circuit, optical fiber or other optical communication equipment, etc. The computer program code (e.g., instructions) 505 including control 506 may include object-oriented software that is configured to pass data or messages between objects within computer program code 505. Device 500 need not include every one of the features mentioned, or may also include other features. The various components of device 500 may reside at least partially in a common housing 528, or subsets of the various components of device 500 may be at least partially located in different housings, which may include housing 528.

[0066] Figure 6Schematic representations of non-volatile memory media 600a (e.g., a computer / compact disk (CD) or digital versatile disk (DVD)) and 600b (e.g., a universal serial bus (USB) memory stick) and 600c (e.g., cloud storage for downloading instructions and / or parameters 602 or receiving emailed instructions and / or parameters 602) storing instructions and / or parameters 602 that, when executed by a processor, enable the processor to perform one or more steps of the methods described herein.

[0067] Figure 7 The present invention is an example method 700 based on the example embodiments described herein. At 710, the method includes determining a transmit beam or time domain resource associated with a sidelink transmission. At 720, the method includes determining at least one physical sidelink feedback channel transmission symbol within a time slot for an impolite sidelink feedback channel transmission in response to the sidelink transmission based at least on the determined transmit beam or time domain resource. The method 700 may be performed with the UE 10, UE 10a, UE 10b, or the apparatus 500.

[0068] The following examples are provided and described in this article.

[0069] Example 1. A device comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to at least: determine a transmit beam or time domain resource associated with a sidelink transmission; and determine, based at least on the determined transmit beam or the time domain resource, at least one physical side link feedback channel transmission symbol within a time slot for a physical side link feedback channel transmission in response to the sidelink transmission.

[0070] Example 2. An apparatus according to Example 1, wherein the sidelink transmission includes a reference signal transmission or a data transmission.

[0071] Example 3. An apparatus according to any one of Examples 1 to 2, wherein there are multiple transmit beams, multiple time domain resources corresponding to the multiple transmit beams, and multiple physical side link feedback channel transmission symbols corresponding to the multiple transmit beams.

[0072] Example 4. An apparatus according to any one of Examples 1 to 3, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: perform the sidelink transmission using the determined transmit beam; and listen to the physical sidelink feedback channel transmission in the at least one determined physical sidelink feedback channel transmission symbol using a receive beam associated with the determined transmit beam.

[0073] Example 5. An apparatus according to any one of Examples 1 to 4, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: transmit control information indicating the determined transmit beam.

[0074] Example 6. An apparatus according to Example 5, wherein the control information includes sidelink control information.

[0075] 7 Example. An apparatus according to any one of Examples 1 to 6, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: perform multiple side link transmissions using multiple transmit beams and multiple time domain resources; determine, based at least on the multiple transmit beams or the multiple time domain resources, a corresponding plurality of physical side link feedback channel transmission symbols within a time slot for a physical side link feedback channel transmission in response to the multiple side link transmissions; and listen to the physical side link feedback channel transmission in the determined plurality of physical side link feedback channel transmission symbols using a corresponding plurality of receive beams associated with the multiple transmit beams.

[0076] Example 8. An apparatus according to Example 7, wherein: the multiple transmit beams are narrower than the multiple receive beams, and the number of the receive beams used to monitor the physical side link feedback channel transmission is less than the number of the transmit beams used to perform the multiple side link transmissions; and the receive beams among the multiple receive beams cover the angular range of at least two transmit beams among the multiple transmit beams.

[0077] Example 9. An apparatus according to any one of Examples 6 to 8, wherein: the multiple receive beams are narrower than the multiple transmit beams, and the number of the receive beams used to monitor the physical side link feedback channel transmission is greater than the number of the transmit beams used to perform the multiple side link transmissions; and the transmit beams among the multiple transmit beams cover the angular range of at least two receive beams among the multiple receive beams.

[0078] Example 10. An apparatus according to any one of Examples 1 to 9, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: receive the sidelink transmission; and determine, based at least on measurements associated with the sidelink transmission, whether to perform the physical sidelink feedback channel transmission in the determined at least one physical sidelink feedback channel transmission symbol.

[0079] Example 11. The apparatus of Example 10, wherein the measurement comprises a reference signal received power measurement.

[0080] Example 12. An apparatus according to any one of Examples 1 to 11, wherein the instruction, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the apparatus to at least: determine to perform the physical side link feedback channel transmission in the determined at least one physical side link feedback channel transmission symbol when the measurement is above a threshold.

[0081] Example 13. An apparatus according to any one of Examples 1 to 12, wherein the instruction, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the apparatus to at least: receive control information indicating the transmit beam or the time domain resource; and determine the at least one physical side link feedback channel transmission symbol based on the received control information.

[0082] Example 14. An apparatus according to Example 13, wherein the control information includes sidelink control information.

[0083] Example 15. An apparatus according to any one of Examples 1 to 14, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: determine a physical side link feedback channel resource index for the physical side link feedback channel transmission according to the following formula: or in M is the number of possible transmit beams or time domain resources for sidelink transmission; N is the number of possible frequency domain resources for the sidelink transmission; m indicates which of the possible transmit beams or time domain resources is used by the side link transmission; n indicates which of the possible frequency domain resources is used by the side link transmission; is the number of physical side link feedback channel transmission resources that can be used to multiplex control information in the physical side link feedback channel transmission; P ID is the physical layer source identifier; and M ID is the group member identifier.

[0084] Example 16. An apparatus according to Example 15, wherein: m is an integer having a value ranging from 0 to M-1, and n is an integer having a value ranging from 0 to N-1.

[0085] Example 17. An apparatus according to any of Examples 15 to 16, wherein at least M is greater than 1.

[0086] Example 18. An apparatus according to any one of Examples 15 to 17, wherein physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) transmission resource indices corresponding to PSFCH transmission resource indices associated with different m values ​​appear in different PSFCH transmission symbols within the same time slot.

[0087] Example 19. A method comprising: determining a transmit beam or time domain resource associated with a sidelink transmission; and determining, based at least on the determined transmit beam or the time domain resource, at least one physical side link feedback channel transmission symbol within a time slot for a physical side link feedback channel transmission in response to the sidelink transmission.

[0088] Example 20. An apparatus comprising: a component for determining a transmit beam or time domain resources associated with a sidelink transmission; and a component for determining at least one physical side link feedback channel transmission symbol within a time slot for a physical side link feedback channel transmission in response to the sidelink transmission based at least on the determined transmit beam or the time domain resources.

[0089] Example 21. A non-volatile program storage device capable of being read by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions, the program of instructions capable of being executed by the machine to perform operations, the operations comprising: determining a transmit beam or time domain resource associated with a sidelink transmission; and determining, based at least on the determined transmit beam or the time domain resource, at least one physical side link feedback channel transmission symbol within a time slot for a physical side link feedback channel transmission in response to the sidelink transmission.

[0090] References to "computers", "processors", etc. should be understood to cover not only computers having different architectures, such as single / multi-processor architectures and sequential or parallel architectures, but also special-purpose circuits, such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific circuits (ASICs), signal processing devices, and other processing circuits. References to computer programs, instructions, code, etc. should be understood to cover software for a programmable processor or firmware, such as the programmable content of a hardware device, whether instructions for a processor or configuration settings for a fixed-function device, gate array, or programmable logic device, etc.

[0091] The memory as described herein can be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, flash memory, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, non-volatile memory, transient memory, fixed memory, and removable memory. The memory can include a database for storing data.

[0092] As used herein, the term "circuitry" may refer to the following: (a) a hardware circuit implementation, such as an implementation in analog and / or digital circuits, and (b) a combination of circuitry and software (and / or firmware), such as (where applicable): (i) a combination of processors or (ii) portions of processors / software, including digital signal processors, software and memory that work together to enable the device to perform various functions, and (c) circuitry, such as a microprocessor or a portion of a microprocessor, which requires software or firmware for operation, even if the software or firmware is not physically present. As another example, as used herein, the term "circuitry" would also cover an implementation of only a processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of a processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term "circuitry" would also cover, for example and if applicable to the particular element, a baseband integrated circuit or an application processor integrated circuit for a mobile phone or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device or another network device.

[0093] It should be understood that the foregoing description is illustrative only. Those skilled in the art may devise various alternatives and modifications. For example, the features described in the various dependent claims may be combined with each other in any suitable combination. In addition, the features from the different example embodiments described above may be selectively combined into new example embodiments. Therefore, this description is intended to cover all such alternatives, modifications and variations that fall within the scope of the appended claims.

[0094] The following abbreviations and abbreviations that may be found in the specification and / or drawings are given below (abbreviations and abbreviations may be appended to each other or to other characters using, for example, dashes, hyphens, slashes or numbers, and may be case-insensitive): 3GPP Third Generation Partnership Project 4G Fourth Generation 5G Fifth Generation 5GC 5G Core Network 6G Sixth Generation 7G Seventh Generation 802.11 A collection of local area network (LAN) technology standards ACK AMF Access and Mobility Management Function ASIC Application-Specific Integrated Circuit CD / Computer disk CPU Central Processing Unit CS Cycle Offset CSI Channel State Information CSI-RS Channel State Information Reference Signal DECT Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications DSP Digital Signal Processor DVD Digital Versatile Disc eNB Evolved Node B (e.g., LTE base station) EPC Evolved Packet Core E-SMLC Evolved Service Mobile Location Center FDM Frequency Division Multiplexing FPGA Field Programmable Gate Array FR Frequency Range GMLC Gateway Mobile Location Center gNB is a base station for 5G / NR, i.e., a node that provides NR user plane and control plane protocol terminals to UEs and is connected to the 5GC via the NG interface HARQ Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request ID Identifier I / F Interface I / O Input / Output LAN Local Area Network L1 Layer 1 LMF location management function LTE Long Term Evolution (4G) MME Mobility Management Entity N number (e.g. comb-N) NF Network Function NG New Generation NG-RAN Next Generation Radio Access Network NR New Radio NRF Network Repository Features N / W Network OFDM Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing PRB Physical Resource Block PSFCH Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel PSSCH Physical Sidelink Shared Channel RAM Random Access Memory RAN Radio Access Network RAT Radio Access Technology RE Resource Element Rel version ROM Read Only Memory RP RAN Plenary Meeting RS reference signal RSCP Received Signal Code Power RSRP Reference Signal Received Power RSRQ Reference Signal Received Quality RSSI Received Signal Strength Indicator Rx Receiver or Receiver S1 Interface that connects eNB to EPC SCI Side Link Control Information SGW Service Gateway SINR Signal to Interference and Noise Ratio SL Side Link SMF session management functions SON self-organizing / optimizing network Subch Subchannel TDM Time Division Multiplexing TRP Transmit Receiving Point TS Technical Specifications Tx Transmitter or Transmit UDM Unified Data Management UDR Unified Data Repository UE User Equipment (e.g., wireless, usually mobile) UI User Interface UPF User Plane Function USB Universal Serial Bus UMTS Universal Mobile Telecommunications System Uu UMTS air interface WiFi Wireless networking protocol that devices use to communicate without a direct cable connection X2 Network interface between RAN nodes and between RAN and core network Xn Network interface between NG-RAN nodes

Claims

1. A device for communication, comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: determining a transmit beam or time domain resource associated with a sidelink transmission; and At least one physical sidelink feedback channel transmission symbol within a time slot for a physical sidelink feedback channel transmission in response to the sidelink transmission is determined based at least on the determined transmit beam or the time domain resource.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sidelink transmission comprises a reference signal transmission or a data transmission.

3. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein there are multiple transmit beams, multiple time domain resources corresponding to the multiple transmit beams, and multiple physical side link feedback channel transmission symbols corresponding to the multiple transmit beams.

4. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: performing the sidelink transmission using the determined transmit beam; and The physical sidelink feedback channel transmission is listened for in the determined at least one physical sidelink feedback channel transmission symbol using a receive beam associated with the determined transmit beam.

5. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: Control information indicative of the determined transmit beam is transmitted. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the control information comprises sidelink control information.

7. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: performing multiple sidelink transmissions using multiple transmit beams and multiple time domain resources; determining, based at least on the plurality of transmit beams or the plurality of time domain resources, a corresponding plurality of physical sidelink feedback channel transmission symbols within a time slot for a physical sidelink feedback channel transmission in response to the plurality of sidelink transmissions; and The physical sidelink feedback channel transmission is listened for during the determined plurality of physical sidelink feedback channel transmission symbols using a corresponding plurality of receive beams associated with the plurality of transmit beams.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein: The plurality of transmit beams are narrower than the plurality of receive beams, and a number of the receive beams used to monitor the physical sidelink feedback channel transmission is less than a number of the transmit beams used to perform the plurality of sidelink transmissions; and A receive beam among the plurality of receive beams covers an angular range of at least two transmit beams among the plurality of transmit beams.

9. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein: The plurality of receive beams are narrower than the plurality of transmit beams, and a number of the receive beams used to monitor the physical sidelink feedback channel transmission is greater than a number of the transmit beams used to perform the plurality of sidelink transmissions; A transmit beam among the plurality of transmit beams covers an angular range of at least two receive beams among the plurality of receive beams.

10. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: receiving the sidelink transmission; and A determination is made based at least on measurements associated with the sidelink transmission whether to perform the physical sidelink feedback channel transmission in the determined at least one physical sidelink feedback channel transmission symbol.

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