Method of coordinating communications of two communication systems that are non-interoperable and use at least partially shared resources

Abstract

The present invention provides a method of coordinating access to radio resources by at least one first type of device comprising a first type of wireless interface, at least one second type of device comprising a second type of wireless interface, and at least one third type of device comprising both the first type of wireless interface and the second type of wireless interface communicatively coupled to each other, a portion of the radio resources is at least partially and / or temporarily shared for use among the first, second and third classes of devices within the time interval. The first and second types of wireless communication interfaces are non-interoperable. According to the method, in the dual-mode UE, information about resource reservation of the first type of wireless interface and the second type of wireless interface is distributed to the single-mode UE using the corresponding other type of wireless interface.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to wireless communications and, more particularly, to coordinated use of at least partially shared resource pools. Background Art

[0002] In today’s connected world, many devices are connected to other devices or systems via wireless connections. Such devices may include portable or mobile devices, sensors, and even motor vehicles. In the past, several communication standards have been developed, deployed, and retired, all of which use corresponding parts of the wireless spectrum for transmission. Some of the older wireless communication standards include GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), also known as 2G, and UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), also known as 3G. While not completely retired, their data rates and ability to serve a large number of users simultaneously could not keep up with the increasing number of connected mobile devices, which led to the development and deployment of LTE (Long Term Evolution) or 4G and later NR (New Radio) – also known as 5G.

[0003] An important use case for LTE and NR communication systems is Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), which increasingly enable vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), and other communications between vehicles and radio-enabled objects or services in the vicinity of the vehicle. V2X, short for Vehicle-to-Everything (or Anything), is meant to cover all imaginable communication scenarios.

[0004] In V2X communication, data transmission is preferably carried out directly between the communication partners without using a base station or other elements of the network as an intermediary, because direct communication exhibits less latency between transmission and reception. Therefore, direct communication can use the same communication interface as LTE or NR communication, which enters and passes through the corresponding network, but the data is not routed to the base station and through the network, so direct communication is also called "sidelink" communication or SL.

[0005] LTE V2X is expected to operate in the 5.9 GHz band reserved for ITS services in certain markets (e.g., the United States, Europe, China). For SL communications, vehicles or user equipment (UE) (used interchangeably in this article) use the so-called PC5 interface, while they use the Uu interface for vehicle-to-network (V2N) communications. LTE V2X has been designed to support basic collaborative active traffic safety, traffic management, and telematics applications and services. The services supported by LTE V2X are similar to those supported by DSRC or its European counterpart ITS-G5. These applications and services rely on the broadcast transmission of small awareness messages (e.g., Collaborative Awareness Messages (CAM) in ITS-G5 or Basic Safety Messages (BSM) in DSRC) to periodically provide basic information such as the position, direction, speed, and acceleration of the transmitting vehicle. LTE V2X defines a new physical layer (PHY) and medium access control (MAC) layer for V2X and reuses upper V2X layers and protocols specified by ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute), IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), and SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers).

[0006] LTE V2X defines two resource allocation modes for V2X SL communication, namely Mode 3 and Mode 4. In Mode 3, the cellular infrastructure (eNB) manages V2X SL communication. This includes selecting and configuring communication resources, i.e. sub-channels. Mode 4 can operate without the support of cellular infrastructure. In this case, the vehicle autonomously selects, manages and configures sub-channels. Vehicles using Mode 3 need to be within the network coverage, while vehicles using Mode 4 can operate outside the network coverage.

[0007] LTE V2X uses SC-FDMA (Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access) and supports 10MHz and 20MHz channels. The channels are divided into 180kHz resource blocks (RBs), each of which corresponds to 12 15kHz subcarriers. In the time domain, the channels are organized into 1ms subframes. Figure 1 Channelization in LTE V2X Mode 4 sensing-based SPS scheduling is shown, with an example length of T = 100ms. Each subframe has 14 OFDM symbols with a normal cyclic prefix. Nine of the symbols are used to transmit data, and four (3rd, 6th, 9th and 12th) symbols are used to transmit demodulation reference signals (DMRS) for channel estimation and to combat Doppler effects at high speeds. The last symbol is used as a guard symbol for timing adjustment and to allow vehicles to switch between transmission and reception across subframes.

[0008] RBs are grouped into subchannels. A subchannel can only contain RBs within the same subframe. The number of RBs per subchannel can vary and is (pre)configured. (Pre)configuration refers to the following configuration:

[0009] 1) Defined by the network, when the UE is within the network coverage, the cellular base station (eNB or gNB) sends a signal to the UE; or

[0010] 2) When the UE is out of network coverage, it is predefined in the UE. Subchannels are used to transmit data and control information. Data is organized in the form of transport blocks (TBs).

[0011] The LTE standard does not specify the selection algorithm for subchannels in Mode 3. Instead, it defines two scheduling methods, dynamic scheduling and semi-persistent scheduling (SPS). For dynamic scheduling, the UE must request a subchannel from the eNB for each TB. For SPS scheduling, the eNB reserves subchannels so that the UE can transmit multiple TBs. The eNB can configure the periodicity of the reserved subchannels. Since the transmission scheduling is centralized at the eNB, LTE Mode 3 can perform better than LTE Mode 4. However, it requires operation within the network coverage and introduces cellular uplink (UL) and downlink (DL) signaling overhead. LTE Mode 3 also encounters challenges at cell boundaries, especially when different operators provide services to adjacent UEs.

[0012] In LTE Mode 4, the UE autonomously selects its subchannel using the perception-based SPS scheduling scheme specified in 3GPP Release 14 / 15. The UE uses the selected subchannel to transmit its subsequent reselection counter consecutive TBs. The UE uses the Resource Reservation Interval (RRI) contained in the Sidelink Control Information (SCI) to announce the reservation of the selected subchannel for the transmission of the next TB. Figure 1 This is also shown in , where the UE is in subframe t TX Select a subchannel and notify neighboring UEs that it is in subframe t TX +Subsequent transmissions of the RRI reserve these subchannels. This is done to prevent other UEs from using the same subchannels at the same time. The RRI can be equal to 0 ms, 20 ms, 50 ms, 100 ms or any multiple of 100 ms, up to a maximum of 1000 ms. The UE sets the RRI to 0 ms to announce to neighboring UEs that it will not reserve the same subchannel for the next TB. The UE can only select an RRI value higher than 0 ms from a (pre-)configured list of allowed RRI values. This list can contain up to 16 values, although currently the 3GPP standard only defines 12 possible RRI values ​​higher than 0 ms for Mode 4.

[0013] 5G NR V2X has been designed to complement LTE V2X. LTE V2X supports basic active safety and traffic management use cases, while 5G NR V2X supports advanced use cases and higher levels of automation. Like LTE, the 5G system architecture supports two V2X communication operation modes, namely V2X communication over the PC5 reference point or interface and V2X communication over the Uu reference point or interface.

[0014] 5G NR is specified to operate in two frequency ranges, FR1 extending from 450MHz to 6GHz and FR2 extending from 24.25GHz to 52.6GHz. In NR Uu, the maximum carrier bandwidth is 200MHz for FR1 and 400MHz for FR2. Although the NR infrastructure (gNB) can support such wide bandwidths, this is not the case for all UEs, especially low-end UEs. In addition, supporting very large bandwidths may also mean higher power consumption for the UE, both from a radio frequency (RF) and baseband signal processing perspective. In order to support UEs that cannot handle large bandwidths, for example due to processing limitations or high power consumption, the concept of bandwidth part (BWP) is introduced. A BWP consists of a continuous bandwidth part with a single value within the carrier bandwidth. By defining a smaller BWP, the computational complexity and power consumption of the UE can be reduced. Since each BWP can have a different bandwidth and mathematical model, the BWP can be used to multiplex transmissions with different configurations and requirements by dividing the carrier bandwidth, thereby achieving more flexible and efficient use of resources.

[0015] In 5G NR V2X, a subset of available SL resources is (pre)configured to be used by multiple UEs for their SL transmissions. This subset of available SL resources is called a resource pool (RP), such as Figure 2 As shown. The resource pool consists of different subchannels and multiple time slots. The common resource blocks within the RP are called physical resource blocks (PRBs). The RP consists of consecutive PRBs and consecutive or non-consecutive time slots that have been (pre-)configured for SL transmission. The RP must be defined within the SL BWP. Therefore, a single value is used within the RP. If the UE has an active uplink (UL) BWP, the SL BWP must use the same value as the UL BWP (if both are contained in the same carrier). Otherwise, the SL BWP will be deactivated.

[0016] In the frequency domain, the RP is divided into a (pre)configured number of L consecutive subchannels, where a subchannel consists of a group of consecutive PRBs in a time slot. The number of PRBs in a subchannel is M. sub Corresponds to the (pre)configured subchannel size in the RP. In NR V2X SL, the subchannel size M subCan be equal to 10, 12, 15, 20, 25, 50, 75 or 100 PRBs. A subchannel represents the smallest unit of sidelink data transmission or reception. Sidelink transmission can use one or more subchannels. In the time domain, the time slots that are part of the RP are (pre)configured and occur in a period of 10240 milliseconds. The time slots that are part of the RP can be (pre)configured with a bitmap. The length of the bitmap can be equal to 10, 11, 12, ..., 160.

[0017] RPs can be used for all transmission types, i.e. unicast, multicast and broadcast, and can be shared by multiple UEs for SL transmission. A UE can be (pre-)configured with multiple RPs for transmission, i.e. transmit RPs, and multiple RPs for reception, i.e. receive RPs. The UE can then receive data on the resource pools used by other UEs for SL transmission, while the UE can still transmit on SL using its transmit resource pool.

[0018] 5GAA Release 16 defines two modes, Mode 1 and Mode 2, for selecting subchannels in NR V2X SL communications using the NR V2X PC5 interface. These two modes correspond to Modes 3 and 4 in LTE V2X discussed further above. However, LTE V2X only supports broadcast SL communications, while NR V2X supports broadcast, groupcast, and unicast SL communications.

[0019] Similar to Mode 3 in LTE V2X, in NR Mode 1, the gNB allocates and manages SL radio resources for V2V communications using the NR Uu interface. Therefore, the UE must be within network coverage to operate using NR Mode 1. SL radio resources can be allocated from an authorized operator dedicated to SL communications or from an authorized operator that shares resources between SL and UL communications. SL radio resources can be configured so that NR Mode 1 and NR Mode 2 use separate resource pools. Another option is for NR Mode 1 and NR Mode 2 to share a resource pool. Pool sharing can make more efficient use of resources, but is prone to potential conflicts between NR Mode 1 and NR Mode 2 transmissions. To address this issue, the NR Mode 1 UE informs the NR Mode 2 UE of the resources allocated for its future transmissions.

[0020] NR Mode 1 uses Dynamic Grant (DG) scheduling, similar to LTE V2X Mode 3, but replaces the semi-persistent scheduling in LTE V2X Mode 3 with Configuration Grant scheduling. Using DG, an NR Mode 1 UE must request resources from the base station to transmit each TB. To do this, the UE must send a Scheduling Request (SR) to the gNB, which responds by indicating the SL resources (i.e., the timeslots and subchannels allocated for the TB transmission and up to 2 possible retransmissions of this TB). The UE informs other UEs about the resources it will use to transmit the TB and up to 2 possible retransmissions using the first phase SCI message. Nearby UEs operating in NR Mode 2 can be aware of which resources the NR Mode 1 UE will use.

[0021] As with Mode 4 in LTE V2X, when using Mode 2 in NR V2X, the UE can autonomously select its SL resources from a resource pool (i.e., one or more subchannels). In this case, the UE can operate without network coverage. When the UE is within network coverage, the resource pool can be (pre-)configured by the gNB. NR Mode 2 and LTE Mode 4 differ in the scheduling scheme. LTE Mode 4 operates following the sensing-based SPS scheme, while NR Mode 2 can operate using a dynamic or SPS scheme, which is different from the scheme designed for LTE Mode 4. The dynamic scheme selects new resources for each TB and can only reserve resources for retransmissions of that TB. It should be noted that in this section, a distinction is made between selected resources and reserved resources. Reserved resources are selected resources that the UE notifies neighboring UEs to reserve for future transmissions by using the first phase SCI message. When using the SPS scheme, the UE can select and reserve resources to transmit multiple TBs and their retransmissions. It is important to note that the SPS scheme can be enabled or disabled in the resource pool by corresponding (pre-)configuration.

[0022] A large number of radio devices or user equipment (UE) communicating in accordance with the 4G LTE standard or the 5G NR standard may be located in a common radio range and require SL communication. Since LTE and NR may use the same part of the available resources, i.e., may operate on the same frequencies or at least partially overlapping frequency bands, wireless devices operating in accordance with one of the standards may attempt to transmit simultaneously in these mutually used frequencies or frequency bands. Access conflicts to the same resource can only be avoided by coordinating access to common resources.

[0023] When both LTE and NR UEs are within the coverage of their respective networks, coordination of reservation and access to radio resources can be achieved at the network level, i.e., the eNB and gNB coordinate the resources allocated to the respective UEs. However, the LTE and NR Radio Access (RA) mechanisms are not compatible, even if the messages required for RA are transmitted on the same frequency. Therefore, if an LTE UE or NR UE is not covered by their respective networks, network coordinated access is not possible for these two incompatible communication types, because the UEs not covered by their networks cannot decode the resource reservations of their respective other networks and will fall back to their respective self-coordination modes.

[0024] It is expected that most, if not all, of the spectrum used for ITS will be allocated to LTE SL, with very limited or no dedicated ITS spectrum left for NR. One motivation for prioritizing LTE SL in the ITS spectrum is related to the need to enable basic safety V2X use cases (such as those described in 3GPP TS22.885) in as many vehicles as possible in a relatively short period of time to minimize traffic accidents and fatalities. As new vehicles supporting both LTE SL and NR SL (and in the future only NR SL) continue to enter the market, at some point in time there will be sufficient market penetration to support advanced V2X use cases, such as those described in 3GPP TS22.886. However, to make these advanced V2X use cases feasible, sufficient spectrum must be available for NRSL in both the ITS bands and other non-ITS bands. While the latter is being addressed in NR SL through the introduction of features such as carrier aggregation, operation in unlicensed bands, and FR2 beam management, the former will be achieved through co-channel coexistence of LTE SL and NR SL. Co-channel coexistence allows two different, incompatible radio access technologies (RATs), in this case LTE-SL and NR-SL, to use the same radio resources.

[0025] A predefined rigid resource allocation scheme may be used to avoid resource pool overlap between two coexisting RATs. Figure 3a) schematically shows an example of a rigid resource allocation scheme. In a rigid resource allocation scheme, a resource pool is specifically allocated to resources for communication according to one of the two communication standards. The light dashed background represents commonly used resources, i.e., channels that vary over time, and reservations for different communication standards are represented by different stripes. Note that there may or may not be unused space between reservations of different resource pools, and that each reserved resource pool may have a different length and width, i.e., the number of consecutive subchannels. Since the resource allocation is rigid, i.e., fixed, it can be known in advance in all UEs operating according to the corresponding standard. However, although rigid resource allocation is easy to implement, it cannot take into account the different composition of each UE in the same radio range, i.e., it cannot take into account the situation where there are more UEs communicating according to the first standard than UEs communicating according to the second standard, and once implemented in the UE, it cannot be easily adjusted. Therefore, resources in the resource pool reserved for communication according to one standard may not be used, while insufficient resources are reserved for communication according to another standard. Typically, this leads to inefficiency when the UE shares of each communication standard in the same radio range do not correspond to the corresponding shares in the rigid allocation.

[0026] Using unused resource elements reserved for communication according to one communication standard for communication according to the corresponding other communication standard will increase the overall radio resource usage, thereby improving efficiency. However, doing so requires a mechanism to avoid or at least reduce conflicts between transmissions according to the two communication standards during such overlap periods. Figure 3 b) shows an example of overlapping resource pools, where some resources used for communication according to one standard are used for communication according to another standard. Here, the resources used for communication according to the overlapping standards are reserved specifically for this purpose. This "pool occupation" will still require some coordination and may still show inefficiencies, for example when the "occupied" part of the pool is not fully used for communication according to the occupying standard, but can be used for communication according to another standard. Summary of the invention

[0027] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for coordinating and / or providing access to shared resources for user equipment UE communicating according to originally incompatible communication standards within a given area, the method being applicable to situations where network coverage of at least one mutually incompatible type is not provided, and to situations where at least one dual-mode UE may be present within the given area, wherein the at least one dual-mode UE includes a corresponding network interface for communicating according to each mutually incompatible communication standard.

[0028] This object is achieved at least in part by a method according to claim 1, a method according to claim 7, a wireless device or a communication device according to claim 10, and a network component according to claim 11. Advantageous embodiments and developments are provided in the respective dependent claims.

[0029] The various methods proposed herein and / or their corresponding implementations in wireless devices and / or network infrastructure elements (NBs) may operate individually or complementary to achieve the overall objectives of the present invention.

[0030] As mentioned above, in a resource pool for communication provided according to a communication standard, not all resource elements, sub-channels and time slots will necessarily be used, and unused resource elements will be wasted. Figure 4 An exemplary LTE resource pool structure is depicted showing reserved or allocated resource elements and available resource elements for contiguous and non-contiguous resource allocations in the physical SL control channel (PSCCH) and the physical SL shared channel (PSSCH). Contiguous and non-contiguous refers to the arrangement of transport blocks (TBs) on subchannels. Using unused resource elements for communications in accordance with corresponding other communication standards will increase overall resource utilization, thereby improving efficiency.

[0031] The present invention proposed below solves at least some of the problems discussed above by introducing at least partially overlapping resource pools (where the overlapping parts are shared by UEs communicating according to respective non-interoperable / incompatible communication standards) and introducing a method of coordinating access to at least the shared resource pools.

[0032] Figure 5 A schematic example of overlapping resource pools in a frequency channel for co-channel coexistence is shown, wherein the overlapping portion or portions are shared for use. This situation is possible when not all resource elements in the shared portion of the resource pool are fully allocated to communications according to a standard that may have priority access in the standard, without causing any problems. This situation, i.e. the shared portion is not fully allocated for use, may occur from time to time, and the method proposed herein exploits the resulting opportunity to increase the use of radio resources.

[0033] LTE has been around longer than NR, is widely deployed, and its use in sidelink operation is fully evolved, specified, and fixed, i.e., it will not be modified. Therefore, coordinated optimization can only be achieved through corresponding implementation in NR systems.

[0034] Therefore, the present invention assumes that the LTE UE can reserve resources within a certain range of the resource pool, such as Figure 55G NR V2X communications are shown as Class A in the figure, and are unaware of any possible or actual resource pool sharing in the overlapping portion (labeled Class C). However, the LTE network may be aware of the difference between Class A and Class C. Non-legacy NR UEs will be aware of the difference between Class B and Class C, where Class B is a range within the resource pool that may or may not be dedicated or reserved for 5G NR V2X communications. The unshared portion of Class A can be considered dedicated or reserved for 4G LTE V2X communications.

[0035] As mentioned above, dynamic resource allocation can be achieved fairly easily when UEs of either communication standard are within the coverage of their respective networks and coordinated by the network. The situation is different when only one type of network is available or there is no network coverage at all.

[0036] Before introducing the present invention in detail, various scenarios involved in the present invention will be briefly outlined.

[0037] As mentioned above, the coordination of resource allocation can be controlled by the network, that is, the network determines and allocates the resources that the UE can use in a centralized manner through the eNB or gNB, and the UE only needs to use the allocated resources; or it can be controlled by the UE. In UE-controlled resource allocation, the UE autonomously determines the resources that can be used in a distributed manner. With this in mind, the RA coordination problem may arise in the following scenario: UEs that can only communicate according to the first standard (UE-A) (e.g., the 4G LTE standard) and UEs that can only communicate according to the second standard (UE-B) (e.g., the 5G NR standard) are located in an area with first standard-specific or second standard-specific network coverage (e.g., only LTE or only NR). In this case, all UEs within the coverage of the first or second standard-specific network will not be aware of the network-controlled resource allocation, because the second standard-specific UE-B will not receive or understand the resource allocation of the first standard NB, and the first standard-only UE-A will not receive or understand the resource allocation of the second standard NB. Therefore, the corresponding UEs that cannot benefit from the network-controlled resource allocation will instead adopt the UE-controlled resource allocation. Since the two resource allocation schemes are not coordinated with each other, the allocated resource pools may at least partially overlap, which may cause communication attempts to be disrupted or even fail due to signal interference.

[0038] Likewise, in areas without any network coverage, coordination issues may also arise when a first standard-specific UE-A and a second standard-specific UE-B each attempt to perform their respective UE-controlled resource allocations. Here, the respective UEs communicating in accordance with their respective non-interoperable standards will also be unaware of their respective other resource allocations, which may result in at least partial overlap of the allocated resource pools.

[0039] As briefly noted above, some wireless devices may each be equipped with a communication interface for communicating in accordance with a first standard and a second standard (e.g., 4G LTE and 5G NR). These devices may also be referred to as dual-mode UEs, designated herein as UE-C. The corresponding communication interfaces of such wireless devices can be communicatively coupled within the UE-C, i.e., resource reservation knowledge received in accordance with the corresponding standards can be shared. However, to date, these sharings are still limited to the internal and to the respective UE-C, if it is shared internally at all. Therefore, even if one or more dual-mode UEs are present in the above two cases, there is still a lack of complete coordination of resource allocation between the first standard dedicated UE-A and the second standard dedicated UE-B.

[0040] Figure 6 An exemplary representation of the above scenario is shown. Figure 6 In a), only NR network coverage is provided in an area, where a first standard dedicated UE-A, a second standard dedicated UE-B and a dual-mode UE-C are located in the area. In the figure, UE-A is represented by a vehicle with a circle with vertical stripes, UE-B is represented by a vehicle with a circle with horizontal stripes, and UE-C is represented by a vehicle with a circle with cross stripes. The NR network is represented by a radio tower icon marked as gNB, and resources can only be allocated to the NR radio interface of UE-A and UE-C, as shown by the arrows. UE-B will be unaware of the resource allocation made by the NR gNB (as shown by the question mark) and will instead adopt the UE-controlled resource allocation performed by UE-B, which may result in at least partial overlap of resource pools and / or allocated resources.

[0041] exist Figure 6 b), only LTE network coverage is provided in an area, wherein the first standard dedicated UE-A, the second standard dedicated UE-B and the dual-mode UE-C are located in the area. Figure 5 Similar to a), UE-A is represented by a vehicle with a circle with vertical stripes, UE-B is represented by a vehicle with a circle with horizontal stripes, and UE-C is represented by a vehicle with a circle with cross stripes. The LTE network is represented by a radio tower icon labeled eNB, and resources can only be allocated to the LTE radio interface of UE-B and UE-C, as shown by the arrows. UE-A will be unaware of the resource allocation made by the LTE eNB (also represented by the question mark) and will instead adopt the UE-controlled resource allocation performed by UE-A, which may result in at least partial overlap of resource pools and / or allocated resources.

[0042] Figure 7 a) schematically shows a scenario where no network coverage is provided in a given area, wherein a first standard dedicated UE-A, a second standard dedicated UE-B and a dual-mode UE-C are located in the area. Figure 6As in a) and b), UE-A is represented by a vehicle with a circle with vertical stripes, UE-B is represented by a vehicle with a circle with horizontal stripes, and UE-C is represented by a vehicle with a circle with cross stripes. Since there is no network available to coordinate radio access, both UE-A and UE-B independently perform UE-controlled resource allocation. Obviously, UE-A is unaware of the allocation reached by UE-B and vice versa, represented by the question mark, and only UE-C, which happens to be in a given area, is aware of both allocations, represented by the exclamation mark. In any case, this results in one or more UEs not being fully aware of the actual usage of shared resources, resulting in communication problems.

[0043] Figure 7 b) schematically shows another scenario, where no network coverage is provided at all in a given area, where there are first standard dedicated UE-A and second standard dedicated UE-B, but no dual mode UE-C. Figure 6 a) and b) and Figure 7 As in a), UE-A is represented by a vehicle with a circle with vertical stripes, while UE-B is represented by a vehicle with a circle with horizontal stripes. Since there is no network available to coordinate wireless access, UE-A and UE-B both perform UE-controlled resource allocation independently. In this case, it is assumed that UE-A or UE-B is able to receive and understand at least resource reservations according to their respective other communication standards. UE-B in the figure has this capability. Obviously, UE-A is unaware of the allocation agreed / reached by UE-B (represented by a question mark), while UE-B is aware of the allocation reached by UE-A (represented by an exclamation mark). In any case, this will result in one or more UEs not being fully aware of the actual usage of shared resources, resulting in communication problems.

[0044] According to the present invention, Figure 6 The scenario shown in a) is addressed as follows, where in the following example UE-B communicates in accordance with the 5G NR standard and UE-A communicates in accordance with the 4G LTE standard:

[0045] 1. The NR parts of UE-B and UE-C send their respective reservation requests together with the reservation of the respective LTE part of UE-C to the NR gNB using the NR Uu uplink interface.

[0046] 2. The NR gNB allocates resources to the corresponding NR parts of UE-B and UE-C while respecting the LTE reservation.

[0047] For UE-C, the NR gNB sends a downlink broadcast indicating the resources in class C that are available in the future window.

[0048] • UE-B receives its resource allocation in the normal manner.

[0049] 3. The gNB’s broadcast signal is received and decoded by the NR part of the UE-C.

[0050] 4. The NR part of UE-C then transmits the decoded message, i.e. the available resources in class C, to the LTE part of UE-C using the intra-UE coordination message.

[0051] 5. The LTE part of UE-C then sends "coordinated" resource reservation information to UE-A and the LTE parts of other UE-Cs within radio range in a manner specified by the LTE standard, thereby identifying available or unreserved resources in class A.

[0052] 6. UE-A will be aware of the reservation performed in step 5 as this will be broadcast by the LTE part of UE-C and UE-A will select or reserve resources accordingly as specified in LTE Mode 4.

[0053] Figure 8 It is shown in Figure 6 An exemplary message flow of the main steps reserved in case a).

[0054] Figure 6 The situation shown in b) can be solved as follows. Similarly, in the following example, UE-B communicates according to the 5G NR standard and UE-A communicates according to the 4G LTE standard:

[0055] 1. The LTE parts of UE-A and UE-C send their reservation requests to the LTE eNB using the LTE Uu uplink interface.

[0056] 2. The LTE eNB allocates resources to the LTE parts of UE-A and UE-C.

[0057] • For UE-C, the LTE eNB sends a downlink broadcast indicating the resources in class C that are available in future windows.

[0058] • UE-A receives its resource allocation in the normal way.

[0059] 3. The LTE part of UE-C receives and decodes the broadcast signal of LTE eNB.

[0060] 4. The LTE part of UE-C then transmits the decoded message, i.e. the available resources in class C, to the NR part of UE-C using intra-UE coordination messages.

[0061] 5. The NR part of UE-C then sends the relevant resource allocation information (i.e., available or unassigned Class C resources) to UE-B within radio range, for example, using a sidelink broadcast message or via SCI Phase 1.

[0062] 6. Based on this knowledge, UE-B in NR Release 18 performs conventional resource reservation in accordance with the 5G NR standard, i.e. using Class B with the highest priority and Class C with the lowest priority.

[0063] 7. Legacy UE-Bs (i.e. as per NR Release 16 or 17) will be aware of the reservation performed in step 6 as this will be broadcast by the NR part of UE-C and they will select or reserve resources accordingly.

[0064] Fig. 9 Shown in Figure 6 Example message flow of the main steps reserved in case of b).

[0065] Please note that if some UE-Bs are able to listen to and understand the LTE resource reservation message, these UE-Bs may not need to perform steps 4 and 5.

[0066] Figure 7 The situation shown in a) can be solved as follows. In the following example, UE-B still communicates according to the 5G NR standard, while UE-A communicates according to the 4G LTE standard:

[0067] 1. The LTE parts of UE-A and UE-C make resource reservations and / or advertise their reservations in class A without assuming any priority.

[0068] 2. The NR part of UE-C obtains this information, e.g. via internal data transmission from the LTE part, or, if available, by directly listening to the LTE resource reservation message, and broadcasts the expected reservation of the LTE part of UE-A and UE-C using a broadcast message received by all UE-B and UE-C.

[0069] 3. UE-B and UE-C consider this information and try to acquire resources in the coordinated part (ie, Class C).

[0070] 4. Traditional UE-B (ie, UE that cannot share Class C resources) selects and / or reserves Class B resources.

[0071] Fig.10 Shown in Figure 6 Example message flow of the main steps reserved for scenario a).

[0072] Figure 7 The situation shown in b) can be handled as follows. In the following example, UE-B still communicates according to the 5G NR standard, while UE-A communicates according to the 4G LTE standard:

[0073] 1. UE-A makes resource reservations and / or announces its reservation in class A without assuming any priority.

[0074] 2. UE-B obtains this information and broadcasts the intended reservation of UE-A using a broadcast message received by all UE-Bs.

[0075] 3. UE-B considers this information and tries to acquire resources in the coordination part (ie Class C).

[0076] 4. Traditional UE-B (ie, UE that cannot share Class C resources) selects and / or reserves Class B resources.

[0077] It should be noted that in this example, it is assumed that UE-B can monitor and understand the resource reservation message from UE-A.

[0078] Fig.11 It is shown in Figure 7 Example message flow of the main steps reserved in case of b).

[0079] Generally speaking, non-legacy UE-B is preferably configured to preferentially use Class C resources rather than Class B resources when communicating with non-legacy UE-B, while communication with legacy UE-B or communication between legacy UE-Bs preferably uses Class B resources. Legacy UE-B may include, for example, 5G NR UEs earlier than 5G NR Release 18 compliant 5G NR UEs (i.e., 5G NR UEs compliant with 5G NR Release 16 or 17).

[0080] Therefore, according to a first aspect of the present invention, a method is proposed for coordinating access to radio resources by at least one first class device (including a first class wireless interface), at least one second class device (including a second class wireless interface) and at least one third class device (including a first class wireless interface and a second class wireless interface, which are coupled to each other in a communicative manner), parts or portions of these radio resources are at least partially and / or temporarily shared between the first class, the second class and the third class devices. The first class and the second class wireless communication interfaces are not interoperable. The expression partially shared can be understood as relating to the simultaneous and dedicated use of channels, subchannels, time slots or resource elements of radio resources for communication via the first and second class wireless interfaces. Resource elements can include physical resource blocks, channels, subchannels or combinations thereof, and can also include time slots, or any combination of the above elements. The method comprises receiving a resource allocation response in a third class device, the resource allocation response allocating resource elements in a portion or part of a future radio resource that is at least partially and / or temporarily shared and / or in a portion or part of a future radio resource that is dedicated to or reserved for use by a first class device or a first class interface of a third class device, or receiving a notification of reserved resource elements in the shared or dedicated portion or part of the future radio resource, and / or obtaining first information indicating available or unassigned resource elements in a portion or part of a future radio resource that is at least partially and / or temporarily shared. Generating second information from the resource allocation response, notification and / or the obtained first information at least indicating available or unassigned resource elements, the second information allowing at least identification of available or unassigned resource elements in a portion or part of a future radio resource that is at least partially and / or temporarily shared. Then, transmitting the second information to any second class radio interface within radio range via the second class radio interface of the third class device. For example, if the second type of wireless interface operates according to the 5G NR standard, the second information may be transmitted via an SL broadcast message or an SCI phase 1 message, and if the second type of wireless interface operates according to the 4G LTE standard, the second information may be transmitted via LTE resource reservation information. The second information may include a bitmap of shared resource elements, showing available or unassigned resource elements or a combination thereof, or its reverse information, i.e., unavailable or assigned resource elements or a combination thereof.

[0081] Receiving the resource allocation response may include receiving such a response from a base station of the network configured for communication with the first type of radio interface.

[0082] Acquiring the first information may include acquiring such information from the base station, for example, in a downlink broadcast or through other means or protocols provided in a corresponding standard that specifies communication over and / or control of the first type of radio interface.

[0083] Receiving the advertisement may include receiving such advertisement from one or more first type devices or from a first type interface of a third type device.

[0084] The second type of wireless interface may be configured to directly receive such resource allocation response and extract relevant information in the electronic circuit associated with the second type of wireless interface. Otherwise, the resource allocation response is received by the first type of wireless interface and transmitted internally (i.e., within the third type of device) to the electronic circuit to generate the second information, which is then transmitted. If received in an encoded form, the received information may be decoded in the electronic circuit associated with the first type of wireless interface before internal transmission.

[0085] Throughout this specification, electronic circuits associated with a first type of wireless interface may have common elements with electronic circuits associated with a second type of wireless interface. For example, when the actual functions of the electronic circuits associated with the first or second type of wireless interface are implemented as computer program instructions, these instructions may be executed by the same physical microprocessor or its physical or logical core using the same physical volatile memory.

[0086] In one or more embodiments of the method, the electronic circuit of the third class device performs resource reservation by a base station of a network configured to communicate with the first class wireless interface before receiving a resource allocation response, with the target being any resource element in a portion or part of a future radio resource provided for communication via the first class wireless interface. In other words, such resource reservation may include resource elements within a portion or part of a future radio resource that is at least partially and / or temporarily shared, and may also include resource elements in a portion or part of a future radio resource that is dedicated to or reserved for the first class device or for the third class device.

[0087] Alternatively, the electronic circuit associated with the first class wireless interface performs resource reservation by a base station of a network configured to communicate with the first class wireless interface before receiving a resource allocation response and obtaining the first information, the target being any resource element within a portion or part of future radio resources provided for communication via the first class wireless interface and a portion or part of future radio resources that is at least partially and / or temporarily shared, and further includes performing a prior resource reservation in the resource reservation, the target of the prior resource reservation being any resource element within a portion or part of future radio resources reserved for use by a second class of devices or by a second class of wireless interface for a third class of devices, and / or a resource element within a portion or part of future radio resources that is at least partially and / or temporarily shared.

[0088] In another alternative, the electronic circuitry associated with the first type of radio interface performs or announces a reservation in a portion or part of future radio resources provided for communication via the first type of radio interface prior to receiving the announcement.

[0089] The electronic circuits associated with the first type of wireless interface or the second type of wireless interface or both may in particular include one or more microprocessors, associated volatile and non-volatile memories, etc., and may execute computer program instructions stored in the non-volatile memories, which perform decoding, encoding, information sharing between devices and / or control of the physical elements of the wireless interface or other elements in which it is arranged.

[0090] According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for allocating radio resource elements for a first type of device (including a first type of wireless interface), a second type of device (including a second type of wireless interface) and at least one third type of device (including both the first type of wireless interface and the second type of wireless interface communicatively coupled to each other), the method allocating radio resource elements to a portion or part of a future radio resource that is at least partially and / or temporarily shared by the first type, second type and third type of devices. The first type and the second type of wireless communication interfaces are not interoperable / do not have interoperability. The expression "partial sharing" can be interpreted as being related to the synchronous or respectively exclusive / dedicated use of channels, subchannels or resource elements of radio resources within a time interval for communication via the first type and the second type of wireless interface. Resource elements can include physical resource blocks, channels, subchannels or a combination thereof, and can also include time slots or a combination thereof. The method includes receiving, in a device (e.g., a base station or a network controller) of a network infrastructure configured for communication with the first type of wireless interface, a reservation request from one or more first type of devices and / or from one or more third type of devices, the target of the reservation request being at least a resource element in a shared portion or part of the future radio resource. Resource elements are allocated in response to a request from a first class interface of a first class device or a third class device. The allocated resource elements are transmitted to the first class radio interface of one or more first class devices or third class devices by a resource allocation response in accordance with an appropriate communication standard. According to the present invention, information indicating resource elements available for use or not allocated for use by the first class interface of the first class device or the third class device in an at least partially and / or temporarily shared portion or part of future radio resources is sent to the first class radio interface of one or more first class devices or third class devices, for example, by a downlink broadcast message.

[0091] In one or more embodiments of the method according to the second aspect of the present invention, the receiving also includes receiving a reservation request for resource elements in a portion of future radio resources dedicated to or reserved for use by the first class devices or by the first class interfaces of the third class devices from one or more first class devices and / or from the first class wireless interfaces of one or more third class devices.

[0092] In one or more embodiments of the method according to the second aspect of the present invention, receiving further comprises, receiving from one or more first class radio interfaces of one or more third class devices a prior reservation for a second class radio interface of the third class device, the target of the prior reservation being a resource element in a portion of future radio resources that is generally available for use by the second class device or by the second class interface of the third class device. The prior reservation may indicate resource elements that have been reserved by the second class radio interface in a previous autonomous resource reservation process, while the first class interface is unaware of these resource elements, or the second class radio interface intends to reserve these resource elements in a subsequent autonomous resource reservation process. "Generally available" may be interpreted as including any resource element in the radio resource that is generally available for use according to communication via the second communication interface, including resource elements that are shared for use as part of a portion of a radio resource time interval for communication via the first class radio interface as part of a portion or portions of the radio resource. This embodiment of the method further comprises identifying in the prior reservation those resource elements that are arranged in a shared portion or portions of the future radio resource. In the allocation step, the prior reservation will be focused on or considered, the target of the prior reservation being a previously identified resource element arranged in a shared portion or portion of the future radio resource.

[0093] The method according to the invention proposed in this article improves the coexistence of mutually incompatible wireless communication systems in the presence of dual-mode UEs by reserving resources for devices or wireless interfaces operating in accordance with a first communication standard and / or providing information about available or unallocated resource elements available for use by devices or wireless interfaces operating in accordance with the corresponding other communication standard via the dual-mode UE. In the absence of network coverage at all, LTE group reservation takes precedence, which is either applicable to UEs compliant with NR Release 18 and above, assuming that these UEs are able to receive and decode LTE resource reservations, or through intra-UE information sharing in dual-mode UEs. The method proposed in this article is backward compatible with existing resource reservation and allocation schemes and provides semi-persistent and dynamic resource sharing between two originally non-interoperable communication standards.

[0094] The various aspects presented above and their developments and embodiments may individually or in conjunction with each other solve one or more of the problems initially discussed.

[0095] The methods described above can be represented by computer program instructions. Therefore, the computer program product includes computer program instructions, which, when executed by a microprocessor of a wireless device, a communication device or a network component, cause the microprocessor to perform the method according to one or more methods of the present invention as proposed herein, and accordingly control the hardware and / or software blocks or modules of the wireless device, the communication device or the network component according to the present invention, as proposed herein.

[0096] The computer program instructions may be stored or transferred in a retrievable manner on a computer-readable medium or data carrier. The medium or data carrier may be physically embodied, for example in the form of a hard disk, a solid-state disk, a flash memory device, etc. However, the medium or data carrier may also include a modulated electromagnetic, electrical or optical signal, which is received by the computer with the aid of a corresponding receiver and transferred to the computer's memory and stored therein.

[0097] The invention can be applied very conveniently to all communication scenarios in which communications according to mutually non-interoperable standards occur in the same or at least overlapping resources, such as frequency channels. A particularly useful application of the invention is sidelink communications in vehicle-to-X (V2X) communication scenarios in the ITS spectrum. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0098] The present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

[0099] Figure 1 Schematically illustrating channelization in sensing-based SPS scheduling in LTE V2X Mode 4, with an exemplary length of T=100 ms,

[0100] Figure 2 The concept of resource pool is schematically shown.

[0101] Figure 3 shows an example of overlapping resource pools in a channel used by two non-interoperable radio access technologies,

[0102] Figure 4 An exemplary LTE resource pool structure is depicted, particularly showing reserved or allocated resource elements and available resource elements for contiguous resource allocation and non-contiguous resource allocation in a physical SL control channel (PSCCH) and a physical SL shared channel (PSSCH),

[0103] Figure 5 An illustrative example of overlapping resource pools in a frequency channel for co-channel coexistence is shown, wherein the overlapping portions are shared for use.

[0104] Figure 6 shows an exemplary representation of the situation addressed by the present invention in the presence of at least one radio access network,

[0105] Figure 7 An exemplary representation of the situation addressed by the present invention when no radio access network is present is shown.

[0106] Figure 8 shows an exemplary message flow according to a first embodiment of the method of the present invention,

[0107] Fig. 9 shows an exemplary message flow according to a second embodiment of the method of the present invention,

[0108] Fig.10 shows an exemplary message flow according to a third embodiment of the method of the present invention,

[0109] Fig.11 shows an exemplary message flow according to a fourth embodiment of the method of the present invention,

[0110] Fig.12 An exemplary schematic block diagram of a wireless device or a communication apparatus according to the present invention is shown.

[0111] Fig.13 An exemplary schematic block diagram of a network component according to the present invention is shown, and

[0112] Fig.14 The main steps of the method according to the first and second aspects of the present invention are shown, and further the message exchange therebetween is shown.

[0113] In the drawings, the same or similar elements may be denoted by the same reference signs. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0114] Figures 1 to 11 This has been discussed above and will not be repeated here.

[0115] Fig.12 An exemplary schematic block diagram of a wireless device or communication apparatus 400 according to the third aspect of the present invention is shown. The wireless device or communication apparatus 400 comprises: one or more antennas 402 and their associated wireless interface circuits 456, which provide at least one first type of communication interface and one second type of communication interface for communicating with one or more other wireless devices or communication apparatuses or network components 500 (not shown in the figure); one or more microprocessors 450; volatile memory 452; and non-volatile memory 454. The above elements are communicatively connected via one or more signal or data connections or buses 458. The non-volatile memory 454 stores computer program instructions, which, when executed by the microprocessor 450, cause the wireless device or communication apparatus 400 to perform the method according to the first aspect of the present invention as described above.

[0116] Fig.13 An exemplary schematic block diagram of a network component 500 according to the present invention is shown. The network component 500 comprises one or more microprocessors 450, a volatile memory 452, a non-volatile memory 454, and a first or second type of wireless interface 404 for communicating with one or more wireless devices or communication devices 400 (not shown in the figure) according to the third aspect of the present invention. The above elements are communicatively connected via one or more signal or data connections or buses 458. The non-volatile memory 454 stores computer program instructions, which, when executed by the microprocessor 450, cause the network component 500 to perform the method according to the second aspect of the present invention as described above.

[0117] Fig.14 The main steps of the methods 100 and 200 according to the first and second aspects of the present invention in relation to each other are shown, and further the message exchange between them is shown. In step 110, the UE performs a resource reservation for future resources for use by the first type of radio interface IF1 and sends a corresponding request to the NB. In step 220, the NB optionally identifies, along with the resource reservation request, resource elements arranged in the shared part of the future radio resources from the received previous reservation for the second type of radio interface IF2. In step 230, the NB assigns the resource elements according to the request and optionally takes into account the previous reservation. In step 240, a response to the resource assignment for the first type of radio interface IF1 is transmitted, and in step 120, the UE receives the response. In step 250, the NB sends first information indicating available or unassigned resource elements in the at least partially and / or temporarily shared part or part of the future radio resources for use by the first type of radio interface IF1, and the first information is received by the UE in step 130. In step 140 , the UE generates second information based on the first information, which allows at least identifying available or unassigned resource elements within the at least partially and / or temporarily shared portion or part of the future radio resources and transmits it in step 150 .

[0118] List of reference numerals (part of the specification)

[0119] 100 Methods

[0120] 110 Execute resource reservation / notification

[0121] 120 Receive allocation response

[0122] 130 Get the first information

[0123] 140 Generate Second Information

[0124] 150 Transmitting the second information

[0125] 200 Methods

[0126] 210 Reservation request received

[0127] 220 Identify resource elements in a shared portion or a portion

[0128] 230 Allocate Resources

[0129] 240 Transport Assignment Response

[0130] 250 Send resource element information

[0131] 400 Equipment / communication device

[0132] 402 Antenna

[0133] 404 First / Second Class Interface

[0134] 450 microprocessor

[0135] 452 Volatile Memory

[0136] 454 Non-volatile memory

[0137] 456 Wireless Interface Circuit

[0138] 458 signal / data connection / bus

[0139] 500 network components

[0140] IF1 First category IF

[0141] IF2 Second type IF

[0142] UE Category 1 UE

[0143] UE-B Category II UE

[0144] UE-C Category 3 UE

Claims

1. A method (100) for coordinating access to radio resources by at least one first-category device (UE-A), at least one second-category device (UE-B), and at least one third-category device (UE-C), wherein the at least one first-category device comprises a first-category wireless interface (IF1), the at least one second-category device comprises a second-category wireless interface (IF2), and the at least one third-category device comprises both the first-category wireless interface (IF1) and the second-category wireless interface (IF2) communicatively coupled to each other, a portion or part of the radio resources being at least partially and / or temporarily shared among the first-category device (UE-A), the second-category device (UE-B), and the third-category device (UE-C), wherein: The first type of wireless communication interface (IF1) and the second type of wireless communication interface (IF2) are not interoperable, wherein the method comprises: in the third type of device (UE-C): - receiving (120) a resource allocation response allocating resource elements in an at least partially and / or temporarily shared part or portion of future radio resources and / or in a part or portion of future radio resources dedicated to or reserved for use by a first class interface (IF1) of a first class of devices (UE-A) or for use by a third class of devices (UE-C), or receiving (120) a notification regarding reserved resource elements in said shared or said dedicated part or portion of future radio resources, and / or obtaining (130) first information indicating at least available or unallocated resource elements within the at least partially and / or temporarily shared part or portion of future radio resources, - generating (140) second information allowing at least identifying available or unallocated resource elements within the at least partially and / or temporarily shared portion or part of the future radio resources based on the resource allocation response, the notification and / or the acquired first information indicating at least available or unallocated resource elements, and - transmitting (150) said second information via said second type of wireless interface (IF2) to any second type of wireless interface (IF2) within radio range.

2. The method (100) according to claim 1, wherein: Receiving (120) a resource allocation response comprises receiving such a response from a base station (NB) of the network configured for communication with the first type of radio interface (IF1).

3. The method (100) according to claim 2, wherein: Acquiring (130) first information comprises acquiring such information from said base station (NB).

4. The method (100) according to claim 1, wherein: Receiving (120) a notification regarding reserved resource elements in said shared or said dedicated portion or part of future radio resources comprises receiving such a notification from a first type interface (IF1) of one or more first type devices (UE-A) or from a third type device (UE-C).

5. The method (100) according to any one or more of claims 1 to 4, wherein: In the case where the second type of wireless interface (IF2) is not configured to directly receive a resource allocation response, first information and / or a notification transmitted by a base station (NB) of a network configured to communicate with the first type of wireless interface (IF1) or from the first type of wireless interface (IF1), the method includes receiving a corresponding message through the first type of wireless interface (IF1) of the third type of device (UE-C) before transmitting the corresponding information to the electronic circuit to generate the second information.

6. The method (100) according to any one or more of claims 1 to 5, further comprising, in the third category device (UE-C) and before the step of receiving (120): - performing (110) resource reservation by an electronic circuit associated with said first type of radio interface (IF1) through a base station (NB) of a network configured for communication with the first type of radio interface (IF1), targeting any resource element within a portion or part of future radio resources provided for communication via the first type of radio interface (IF1), or - performing (110) a resource reservation by an electronic circuit associated with the first type of radio interface (IF1) via a base station (NB) of a network configured for communication with the first type of radio interface (IF1), targeting any resource element within a part or a portion of future radio resources provided for communication via the first type of radio interface (IF1) and within a part or a portion of future radio resources that is at least partially and / or temporarily shared, and also including in the resource reservation a resource prior reservation targeting resource elements within a part or a portion of the future radio resources that is dedicated to or reserved for use by a second type of radio interface (IF2) of a second type of device (UE-B) or of a third type of device (UE-C) and / or a resource element within a part or a portion of future radio resources that is at least partially and / or temporarily shared, or - performing or announcing (110) by an electronic circuit associated with said first type radio interface (IF1) a reservation in a part or a portion of future radio resources provided for communication via said first type radio interface (IF1).

7. A method (200) for allocating radio resource elements to a portion or part of future radio resources for a first type of device (UE-A) comprising a first type of radio interface (IF1), a second type of device (UE-B) comprising a second type of radio interface (IF2), and at least one third type of device (UE-C) comprising both the first type of radio interface (IF1) and the second type of radio interface (IF2) communicatively coupled to each other, wherein: The part or a portion is at least partially and / or temporarily shared by the first type of device (UE-A), the second type of device (UE-B) and the third type of device (UE-C), wherein the first type of wireless communication interface (IF1) and the second type of wireless communication interface (IF2) are not interoperable, and the method includes in a device (NB) of a network infrastructure configured to communicate with the first type of wireless interface (IF1): - receiving (210) a reservation request for a first type of radio interface (IF1) from one or more first type of devices (UE-A) and / or from one or more third type of devices (UE-C), the reservation request targeting at least a resource element in a shared portion or a part of a future radio resource, - allocating (230) resource elements for a request of the first type of interface (IF1) from a first type of device (UE-A) or from a third type of device (UE-C), - transmitting (240) one or more resource allocation responses to the first type of radio interface (IF1) of the one or more first type of devices (UE-A) or the third type of devices (UE-C), and - Sending (250) information indicating available or unallocated resource elements within an at least partially and / or temporarily shared portion or a portion of future radio resources for use by a first class interface (IF1) of a first class of devices (UE-A) or of a third class of devices (UE-C).

8. The method (200) of claim 7, wherein: The receiving (210) further comprises: - Receiving a reservation request for a first class wireless interface (IF1) from one or more first class devices (UE-A) and / or from one or more third class devices (UE-C), wherein the target of the reservation request is a resource element in a part or a portion of future radio resources dedicated to or reserved for use by the first class devices or for the first class interface of the third class devices.

9. The method (200) of claim 7, wherein: Receiving (210) further includes: - receiving, together with a reservation request for a first type radio interface (IF1) from one or more third type devices (UE-C), a prior reservation for a second type radio interface (IF2) of the third type devices (UE-C), the prior reservation targeting a resource element in a portion or part of future radio resources that can normally be used by the second type devices (UE-B) or by the second type interface (IF2) of the third type devices (UE-C), and - before allocating (230) resource elements in response to a request, identifying (220) in said prior reservation those resource elements which are arranged in a shared part or a portion of the future radio resources, wherein in the step of allocating (230) focus is placed on or takes into account said prior reservations which are previously identified resource elements which are arranged in a shared part or a portion of the future radio resources.

10. A wireless device or communication apparatus (400) comprising at least one transmitting and / or receiving antenna (402) and associated electronic radio frequency (RF) circuitry (456), said electronic radio frequency (RF) circuitry (456) providing at least one first type of communication interface (IF1) and at least one second type of communication interface (IF2), and also comprising a microprocessor (450) and associated volatile memory (452) and non-volatile memory (454), wherein: The above elements are communicatively connected via one or more signal or data connections or buses (458), wherein the non-volatile memory (454) stores computer program instructions which, when executed by the microprocessor (450), configure the wireless communication device (400) to perform a method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

11. A network component (500) comprising one or more microprocessors (450), a volatile memory (452), a non-volatile memory (454), and a first or second type of wireless interface (404) for communicating with one or more wireless devices or communication apparatuses (400) according to claim 10, wherein: The above elements are communicatively connected via one or more signal or data connections or buses (458), wherein the non-volatile memory (454) stores computer program instructions which, when executed by the microprocessor (450), configure the network component (500) to perform a method according to any one of claims 7 to 9.

12. A computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed by a microprocessor, cause a computer and / or a control hardware block, module or component of an apparatus or communication device (400) according to claim 10 or a network component (500) according to claim 11 to respectively perform a method according to any one of claims 1 to 6 or a method (100; 200) according to any one of claims 7 to 9.

13. A computer-readable medium or data carrier for transmitting or storing the computer program product according to claim 12 in a retrievable manner.

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