Communication apparatus and communication method for sidelink co-channel coexistence resource selection information sharing

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a communication device and a communication method for sidelink co-channel coexistence resource selection information sharing, the communication device comprising: a first module configured to receive, based on information related to one or more resources from a second plurality of candidate resources received from a second module, a plurality of first candidate resources; selecting a list of first resources from the first plurality of candidate resources; and a transceiver that transmits a signal to and / or receives a signal from another communication device in one of the first resources in the list of first resources.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The following disclosure relates to a communication apparatus and a communication method for resource selection, and more particularly, to a communication apparatus and a communication method for resource sharing in the context of sidelink co-channel consistency. Background Art

[0002] The objective of co-channel coexistence of Long Term Evolution (LTE) sidelink (SL) and New Radio (NR) sidelink has been specified, i.e., to study and specify, if required, mechanisms for co-channel coexistence of LTE sidelink and NR sidelink, including performance, necessity, feasibility and potential specification impact (if any [RAN1, RAN2, RAN4]), and to reuse as much as possible the in-device coexistence framework defined in Release 16.

[0003] However, for LTE SL and NR SL, the LTE SL module and the NR SL module perform resource selection at their own physical layer (i.e., sensing) and at their own medium access control (MAC) layer (i.e., resource reservation), respectively. Currently, there is no technical solution for how to share and utilize resource selection information (e.g., sensing information and / or resource reservation information) in the context of co-channel coexistence of both LTE SL and NR SL.

[0004] Therefore, a communication device and a communication method for sharing sidelink co-channel coexistence resource selection information are needed to solve the above problems. In addition, other desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the following detailed description and the appended claims in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the background of the disclosure. Summary of the invention

[0005] Non-limiting and exemplary embodiments facilitate providing a communication apparatus and a communication method for a multi-link traffic indication map.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present disclosure provides a first communication device, comprising: a first module, which is configured to select a list of first resources from a first plurality of candidate resources based on information related to one or more resources of a second plurality of candidate resources received from a second module; and a transceiver, which sends a signal to another communication device and / or receives a signal from another communication device in one of the first resources in the list of first resources.

[0007] In a second aspect, the present disclosure provides a second communication device, comprising: a second module, which is configured to select a list of second resources from a second plurality of candidate resources; and a transceiver, which sends a signal including information related to the list of second resources to a first communication device for selecting a list of first resources from a first plurality of candidate resources.

[0008] In a third aspect, the present disclosure provides a third communication device, comprising: a transceiver, which receives information related to one or more resources from a first communication device; and a third module, which is configured to select a list of third resources from a third plurality of candidate resources based on the information related to the one or more resources, wherein the third communication device is configured to send and / or receive a signal in one of the resources in the list of resources through the transceiver.

[0009] In a fourth aspect, the present disclosure provides a communication method implemented by a first communication device, comprising: a first module of the first communication device selects a list of first resources from a first plurality of candidate resources based on information related to one or more resources of a second plurality of candidate resources received from a second module; and sending a signal to another communication device and / or receiving a signal from another communication device in one of the first resources in the list of first resources.

[0010] In a fifth aspect, the present disclosure provides a communication method implemented by a second communication device, comprising: selecting a list of second resources from a second plurality of candidate resources; and sending a signal including information related to the list of second resources to a first communication device for selecting a list of first resources from a first plurality of candidate resources.

[0011] In a sixth aspect, the present disclosure provides a communication method implemented by a third communication device, comprising: receiving information related to one or more resources from a first communication device; and selecting, by a third module of the third communication device, a list of third resources from a third plurality of candidate resources based on the information related to one or more resources from the first communication device, wherein the third communication device is configured to send and / or receive a signal in a third resource in the list of third resources.

[0012] Additional benefits and advantages of the disclosed embodiments will become apparent from the description and drawings. Benefits and / or advantages may be obtained individually from the various embodiments and features of the description and drawings, and these embodiments and features do not need to be provided in full in order to obtain one or more such benefits and / or advantages. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] The accompanying drawings are used to illustrate various embodiments and explain various principles and advantages according to the present embodiments. In the accompanying drawings, the same figure numbers refer to the same or functionally similar elements throughout the separate views, and the accompanying drawings together with the following detailed description are incorporated into and form a part of the specification.

[0014] Figure 1 An exemplary 3GPP NG-RAN architecture is shown to which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied.

[0015] Figure 2A schematic diagram illustrating the functional division between NG-RAN and 5GC to which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied is depicted.

[0016] Figure 3 A sequence diagram depicting a radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment / reconfiguration procedure to which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied is depicted.

[0017] Figure 4 Depicted are schematic diagrams illustrating usage scenarios of enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine type communications (mMTC), and ultra-reliable and low latency communications (URLLC), to which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied.

[0018] Figure 5 A block diagram illustrating an exemplary 5G system architecture for vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications in a non-roaming scenario is shown.

[0019] Figure 6 A flow chart illustrating a Release 16 New Radio (NR) sidelink (SL) sensing process performed by the NR SL module at the physical layer is depicted.

[0020] Figure 7 Depicted is a flow diagram illustrating a Release 15 Long Term Evolution (LTE) Sidelink (SL) sensing process performed at the physical layer by the LTE SL module.

[0021] Figure 8 Schematic examples of communication devices according to various embodiments are shown.

[0022] Fig. 9 A flow chart illustrating a communication method implemented by a first communication device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0023] Fig.10 A flow chart illustrating a communication method implemented by a second communication device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0024] Fig.11 A flowchart illustrating a communication method implemented by a third communication device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0025] Fig.12 A block diagram illustrating a first exemplary mapping of NR resource pools and LTE resource pools according to the present disclosure is depicted.

[0026] Fig.13A A block diagram illustrating a second exemplary mapping of NR resource pools and LTE resource pools according to the present disclosure is depicted.

[0027] Fig. 13BA block diagram illustrating a third exemplary mapping of NR resource pools and LTE resource pools according to the present disclosure is depicted.

[0028] Fig.14 A flowchart illustrating a resource selection process performed by the NR SL module according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0029] Fig.15 A flowchart illustrating the resource selection process carried by the NR SL module according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0030] Fig.16 A flowchart illustrating a resource selection process carried by the NR SL module at the medium access control (MAC) layer according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0031] Fig.17 A flowchart of a resource selection process carried by the NR SL module of the SL device of the MAC layer after receiving a preferred LTE reporting resource indicated by other SL devices according to the first example of the fourth embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0032] Fig.18 A flowchart of a resource selection process carried by the NR SL module of the SL device of the MAC layer after receiving a preferred LTE reporting resource indicated by other SL devices according to the second example of the fourth embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0033] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the elements in the drawings are shown for simplicity and clarity and are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the size of some elements in the diagrams, block diagrams or flow charts may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help accurately understand the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] Some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numerals and characters represent like elements or equivalents.

[0035] 3GPP has been working on the next version of the fifth generation of cellular technology, or 5G for short, including the development of a new radio access technology (NR) operating in the frequency range up to 100GHz. The first version of the 5G standard was completed at the end of 2017, which allowed the continuation of 5G NR standard-compliant trials and commercial deployment of smartphones.

[0036] The second version of the 5G standard was completed in June 2020, which further expanded the scope of 5G to new services, spectrum and deployments such as unlicensed spectrum (NR-U), non-public networks (NPN), time-sensitive networks (TSN) and cellular-V2X.

[0037] Apart from this, the overall system architecture assumes a NG-RAN (Next Generation Radio Access Network) comprising gNBs, thereby providing NG Radio Access user plane (SDAP / PDCP / RLC / MAC / PHY) and control plane (RRC) protocol terminations to the UE. The gNBs are interconnected with each other by means of Xn interfaces. The gNB is also connected to the NGC (Next Generation Core) via a Next Generation (NG) interface, more specifically to the AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function) (e.g., a specific core entity that executes the AMF) via a NG-C interface, and to the UPF (User Plane Function) (e.g., a specific core entity that executes the UPF) via a NG-U interface. The NG-RAN architecture is Figure 1 As shown in (see, for example, 3GPP TS 38.300v16.3.0).

[0038] The user plane protocol stack for NR (see, e.g., 3GPP TS 38.300, Section 4.4.1) includes the PDCP (Packet Data Convergence Protocol, see Section 6.4 of TS 38.300), RLC (Radio Link Control, see Section 6.3 of TS 38.300) and MAC (Medium Access Control, see Section 6.2 of TS 38.300) sublayers, which terminate in the gNB on the network side. In addition, a new access stratum (AS) sublayer (SDAP, Service Data Adaptation Protocol) is introduced on top of PDCP (see, e.g., subclause 6.5 of 3GPP TS 38.300). A control plane protocol stack is also defined for NR (see, e.g., TS 38.300, Section 4.4.2). An overview of the Layer 2 functionality is given in subclause 6 of TS 38.300. The functionality of the PDCP, RLC and MAC sublayers is listed in Sections 6.4, 6.3 and 6.2 of TS 38.300, respectively. The functions of the RRC layer are listed in subclause 7 of TS 38.300.

[0039] For example, the medium access control layer handles logical channel multiplexing as well as scheduling and scheduling-related functions, including handling different parameter sets.

[0040] The physical layer (PHY) is responsible for, for example, coding, PHY hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) processing, modulation, multi-antenna processing, and mapping signals to appropriate physical time-frequency resources. It also handles the mapping of transport channels to physical channels. The physical layer provides services to the MAC layer in the form of transport channels. A physical channel corresponds to a set of time-frequency resources used for the transmission of a specific transport channel, and each transport channel is mapped to a corresponding physical channel. For example, the physical channels are PRACH (Physical Random Access Channel), PUSCH (Physical Uplink Shared Channel) and PUCCH (Physical Uplink Control Channel) for uplink, PDSCH (Physical Downlink Shared Channel), PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel) and PBCH (Physical Broadcast Channel) for downlink, and PSSCH (Physical Sidelink Shared Channel), PSCCH (Physical Sidelink Control Channel) and Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel (PSFCH) for sidelink (SL).

[0041] SL supports UE-to-UE direct communication using SL resource allocation modes, physical layer signals / channels, and physical layer procedures. Two New Radio (NR) SL resource allocation modes are supported: (a) Mode 1, where NR SL resource allocation is provided by the network; and (b) Mode 2, where the UE determines the NR SL transmission resources in the resource pool. Two SL resource allocation modes are applicable to LTE V2X: (a) Mode 3, where LTE SL resource allocation is primarily scheduled by the eNB for the transmission of periodically occurring messages; and (b) Mode 4, where the UE autonomously determines the LTE SL transmission resources in the resource pool.

[0042] The PSCCH indicates the resources and other transmission parameters used by the UE for the PSSCH. The PSCCH transmission is associated with a demodulation reference signal (DM-RS). The PSSCH sends a transport block (TB) of the data itself and control information triggered for HARQ processes and channel state information (CSI) feedback, etc. At least 6 orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols in a time slot are used for PSSCH transmission. The PSSCH transmission is associated with a DM-RS and can be associated with a phase tracking reference signal (PT-RS).

[0043] The PSFCH carries HARQ feedback from UEs that are intended recipients of the PSSCH transmission to the UE performing the transmission over the SL.The PSFCH sequence is sent in one PRB repeated over two OFDM symbols near the end of the SL resource in a slot.

[0044] The SL synchronization signal consists of the SL primary synchronization signal and the SL secondary synchronization signal (S-PSS, S-SSS), each of which occupies 2 symbols and 127 subcarriers. The physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH) occupies 9 and 5 symbols for the normal cyclic prefix and extended cyclic prefix, respectively, including the associated demodulation reference signal (DM-RS).

[0045] Regarding the physical layer process for HARQ feedback for the sidelink, SL HARQ feedback uses PSFCH and can operate in one of two options. In one option that can be configured for unicast and multicast, PSFCH uses resources dedicated to a single PSFCH sending UE to send ACK or NACK. In another option that can be configured for multicast, PSFCH sends NACK on resources that can be shared by multiple PSFCH sending UEs, or does not send a PSFCH signal.

[0046] In SL resource allocation mode 1, a UE that receives PSFCH can report SL HARQ feedback to the gNB via PUCCH or PUSCH.

[0047] Regarding the physical layer procedures for power control of the sidelink, for in-coverage operation, the power spectral density of SL transmissions can be adjusted based on the path loss from the gNB; while for unicast, the power spectral density of some SL transmissions can be adjusted based on the path loss between the two communicating UEs.

[0048] Regarding the physical layer procedures for CSI reporting, for unicast, the Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS) is supported for CSI measurement and reporting in the sidelink. The CSI report is carried in the SL MAC CE.

[0049] For measurements on the sidelink, the following UE measurement quantities are supported:

[0050] PSBCH reference signal received power (PSBCH RSRP);

[0051] PSSCH reference signal received power (PSSCH-RSRP);

[0052] PSCCH reference signal received power (PSCCH-RSRP);

[0053] Sidelink received signal strength indicator (SL RSSI);

[0054] Side link channel occupancy rate (SL CR);

[0055] ●Side Link Channel Busy Rate (SL CBR).

[0056] NR use cases / deployment scenarios can include enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC), massive machine type communications (mMTC), which have different requirements in terms of data rate, latency and coverage. For example, eMBB is expected to support peak data rates (20Gbps for downlink and 10Gbps for uplink) and user-experienced data rates that are approximately three times higher than those provided by IMT-Advanced. On the other hand, in the case of URLLC, there is a strong demand for ultra-low latency (0.5ms for both UL and DL for user plane latency) and high reliability (1-10ms within 1ms). -5 ) puts forward more stringent requirements. Finally, mMTC may preferably require high connection density (1,000,000 devices / km in urban environments) 2 ), large coverage in harsh environments, and extremely long battery life (15 years) for low-cost devices.

[0057] Therefore, an OFDM parameter set (e.g., subcarrier spacing, OFDM symbol duration, cyclic prefix (CP) duration, number of symbols per scheduling interval) that is suitable for one use case may not be well suited for another use case. For example, low-latency services may preferably require shorter symbol durations (and therefore larger subcarrier spacing) and / or fewer symbols per scheduling interval (also known as transmission time interval (TTI)) than mMTC services. In addition, deployment scenarios with large channel delay spreads may preferably require longer CP durations than scenarios with short delay spreads. The subcarrier spacing should be optimized accordingly to retain similar CP overhead. NR can support more than one value of subcarrier spacing. Accordingly, subcarrier spacings of 15kHz, 30kHz, 60kHz, etc. are currently being considered. The symbol duration Tu and the subcarrier spacing Δf are directly related by the formula Δf=1 / Tu. In a similar manner as in LTE systems, the term "resource element" can be used to represent the smallest resource unit consisting of one subcarrier of the length of one OFDM / SC-FDMA symbol.

[0058] In the new radio system 5G-NR, for each parameter set and carrier, a resource grid of subcarriers and OFDM symbols is defined for uplink and downlink respectively. Each element in the resource grid is called a resource element and is identified based on a frequency index in the frequency domain and a symbol position in the time domain (see 3GPP TS 38.211v16.3.0).

[0059] Figure 2The functional division between NG-RAN and 5GC to which the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied is shown. The NG-RAN logical node is a gNB or ng-eNB. The 5GC has logical nodes AMF, UPF and SMF.

[0060] In particular, gNB and ng-eNB host the following key functions:

[0061] - Functions for radio resource management, such as radio bearer control, radio admission control, connection mobility control, dynamic allocation of resources to UEs in both uplink and downlink (scheduling);

[0062] -IP header compression, encryption and data integrity protection;

[0063] - When the route to the AMF cannot be determined from the information provided by the UE, the AMF is selected at UE attach;

[0064] - Routing user plane data towards UPF;

[0065] - Routing control plane information towards the AMF;

[0066] -Connection establishment and release;

[0067] - Scheduling and transmission of paging messages;

[0068] - Scheduling and transmission of system broadcast information (derived from AMF or OAM);

[0069] - Measurements and measurement reporting configuration for mobility and scheduling;

[0070] - Transport level packet marking in uplink;

[0071] -Session management;

[0072] -Support network slicing;

[0073] -QoS flow management and mapping to data radio bearers;

[0074] -Support UE in RRC_INACTIVE state;

[0075] -NAS message distribution function;

[0076] - Radio access network sharing;

[0077] -Dual connection;

[0078] - Tight interworking between NR and E-UTRA.

[0079] The Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) hosts the following key functions:

[0080] - Non-access stratum NAS signaling termination;

[0081] -NAS signaling security;

[0082] -Access layer AS security control;

[0083] - Core Network CN inter-node signalling for mobility between 3GPP access networks;

[0084] - Idle mode UE reachability (including control and execution of paging retransmissions);

[0085] -Registration area management;

[0086] -Support mobility within and between systems;

[0087] -Access authentication;

[0088] -Access authorization, including roaming permission checks;

[0089] - Mobility management control (subscription and policy);

[0090] -Support network slicing;

[0091] -Session management function SMF selection.

[0092] Additionally, the User Plane Function (UPF) hosts the following key functions:

[0093] - Anchor point for intra / inter-RAT mobility (when applicable);

[0094] - External PDU session points interconnected with the data network;

[0095] -Packet routing and forwarding;

[0096] -Packet inspection and user plane part of policy rule enforcement;

[0097] - Traffic usage report;

[0098] - Uplink classifier to support routing of traffic flows to the data network;

[0099] -Support branching points for multi-host PDU sessions;

[0100] - QoS processing in the user plane, such as packet filtering, gating, UL / DL rate enforcement;

[0101] - Uplink service verification (SDF to QoS flow mapping);

[0102] - Downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering.

[0103] Finally, the session management function SMF hosts the following main functions:

[0104] -Session management;

[0105] -UE IP address allocation and management;

[0106] -Selection and control of UP function;

[0107] -Configure traffic steering at the user plane function UPF to route the traffic to the appropriate destination;

[0108] -Policy implementation and QoS control part;

[0109] - Downlink data notification.

[0110] Figure 3 Some interactions between the UE, gNB and AMF (5GC entity) are shown in the context of the UE transitioning from RRC_IDLE to RRC_CONNECTED for the NAS part (see TS 38.300v16.3.0). The transition steps are as follows:

[0111] 1. The UE establishes a new connection according to the RRC_IDLE request.

[0112] 2 / 2a.gNB completes the RRC establishment process.

[0113] NOTE: The following describes the scenario where the gNB rejects the request.

[0114] 3. The first NAS message from the UE, piggybacked in RRCSetupComplete, is sent to the AMF.

[0115] 4 / 4a / 5 / 5a. Additional NAS messages may be exchanged between the UE and AMF, see TS23.502.

[0116] 6.AMF prepares UE context data (including PDU session context, security keys, UE radio capabilities and UE security capabilities, etc.) and sends it to the gNB.

[0117] 7 / 7a.gNB activates AS security with UE.

[0118] 8 / 8a.gNB performs reconfiguration to establish SRB2 and DRB.

[0119] 9. The gNB notifies the AMF that the establishment process is completed.

[0120] RRC is a high-level signaling (protocol) used for UE and gNB configuration. Specifically, the transition involves the AMF preparing UE context data (including, for example, PDU session context, security keys, UE radio capabilities and UE security capabilities, etc.) and sending it to the gNB along with the Initial Context Setup Request. The gNB then activates AS security with the UE, which is performed by the gNB sending a SecurityModeCommand message to the UE and by the UE responding to the gNB with a SecurityModeComplete message. Thereafter, the gNB performs reconfiguration to establish a signaling radio bearer 2 SRB2 and a data radio bearer DRB by sending an RRCReconfiguration message to the UE and receiving an RRCReconfigurationComplete from the UE by the gNB in ​​response. For a signaling-only connection, the steps related to RRCReconfiguration are skipped since SRB2 and DRB are not set up. Finally, the gNB notifies the AMF of the completion of the establishment process with an INITIAL CONTEXT SETUP RESPONSE.

[0121] Figure 4 Some use cases for 5G NR are shown. In the 3rd Generation Partnership Project New Radio (3GPP NR), three use cases that have been envisioned for IMT-2020 to support a wide variety of services and applications are being considered. The specification of Phase 1 for enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) has been finalized. In addition to further extending eMBB support, current and future work will also involve standardization of ultra-reliable and low-latency communications (URLLC) and massive machine-type communications. Figure 4 Some examples of envisaged usage scenarios for IMT for 2020 and beyond are shown (see for example ITU-R M.2083 Figure 2 ).

[0122] URLLC use cases have stringent requirements on capabilities such as throughput, latency, and availability, and have been envisioned as one of the enablers of future vertical applications such as wireless control of industrial manufacturing or production processes, telemedicine surgery, distribution automation in smart grids, transportation safety, etc. The ultra-reliability of URLLC will be supported by identifying technologies that meet the requirements set by TR 38.913. For NR URLLC in Release 15, the key requirements include a target user plane latency of 0.5ms for UL (uplink) and a target user plane latency of 0.5ms for DL ​​(downlink). The general URLLC requirements for one transmission of a packet are for a packet size of 32 bytes, a BLER (block error rate) of 1E-5, with a user plane latency of 1ms.

[0123] From a physical layer perspective, reliability can be improved in a number of possible ways. The current scope for improving reliability involves defining a separate CQI table for URLLC, a more compact DCI format, repetition of PDCCH, etc. However, as NR becomes more stable and developed (a key requirement for NR URLLC), the scope for achieving ultra-reliability may widen. Specific use cases for Rel.15 URLLC include augmented reality / virtual reality (AR / VR), e-health, e-safety, and mission-critical applications.

[0124] In addition, the technical enhancements targeted by NRURLLC are aimed at delay improvement and reliability improvement. Technical enhancements for delay improvement include configurable parameter sets, non-slot-based scheduling with flexible mapping, unlicensed (configured licensed) uplinks, slot-level repetitions for data channels, and downlink preemption. Preemption means stopping the transmission for which resources have been allocated, and the allocated resources are used for another transmission requested later, but with lower delay / higher priority requirements. Therefore, the authorized transmission is preempted by the later transmission. Preemption can be applied independently of a specific service type. For example, a transmission for service type A (URLLC) can be used for transmission preemption of service type B (such as eMBB). Technical enhancements for reliability improvement include a dedicated CQI / MCS table for a target BLER of 1E-5.

[0125] The mMTC (Massive Machine Type Communication) use case is characterized by a very large number of connected devices that typically send relatively small amounts of non-delay sensitive data. The devices are required to be low-cost and have very long battery life. From the NR perspective, utilizing very narrow bandwidth portions is a possible technical solution to save power from the UE's perspective and achieve long battery life.

[0126] As mentioned above, the range of reliability in NR is expected to widen. A key requirement in all cases (especially required for URLLC and mMTC) is high reliability or ultra-reliability. Several mechanisms can be considered to improve reliability from a radio perspective and a network perspective. In general, there are several key potential areas that can help improve reliability. These areas include compact control channel information, data / control channel repetition, and diversity with respect to frequency, time and / or spatial domains. These areas are generally applicable to reliability, regardless of the specific communication scenario.

[0127] For NRURLLC, further use cases with more stringent requirements have been identified, such as factory automation, transportation industry and power distribution. The more stringent requirements are higher reliability (up to 10 -6level), higher availability, packet sizes up to 256 bytes, time synchronization down to the order of a few μs, where the value can be one or a few μs, depending on the frequency range, and short latency of around 0.5 to 1 ms, in particular a target user plane latency of 0.5 ms, depending on the use case.

[0128] In addition, for NR URLLC, several technical enhancements from a physical layer perspective have been identified. These include PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel) enhancements related to compact DCI, PDCCH repetition, and increased PDCCH monitoring. In addition, UCI (Uplink Control Information) enhancements are related to enhanced HARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request) and CSI feedback enhancements. In addition, PUSCH enhancements related to mini-slot level hopping and retransmission / repetition enhancements have been identified. The term "mini-slot" refers to a transmission time interval (TTI) that includes a smaller number of symbols than a slot (a slot including fourteen symbols).

[0129] The 5G QoS (Quality of Service) model is based on QoS flows and supports both QoS flows that require guaranteed flow bit rate (GBR QoS flows) and QoS flows that do not require guaranteed flow bit rate (non-GBR QoS flows). At the NAS level, QoS flows are therefore the finest granularity of QoS differentiation in a PDU session. QoS flows are identified within a PDU session by the QoS Flow ID (QFI) carried in the encapsulation header on the NG-U interface.

[0130] For each UE, the 5GC establishes one or more PDU Sessions. For each UE, the NG-RAN establishes at least one Data Radio Bearer (DRB) together with the PDU Session, and may subsequently configure (one or more) additional DRBs for (one or more) QoS flows of that PDU Session (depending on when the NG-RAN does so), e.g. as described above with reference to Figure 3 As shown in Figure 2. NG-RAN maps packets belonging to different PDU sessions to different DRBs. NAS-level packet filters in UE and 5GC associate UL and DL packets with QoS flows, while AS-level mapping rules in UE and NG-RAN associate UL and DL QoS flows with DRBs.

[0131] Figure 5 The 5G NR non-roaming reference architecture is shown (see TS 23.287 v16.4.0, Section 4.2.1.1). Figure 4The application function (AF) (e.g., an external application server hosting 5G services) described in the exemplary embodiment interacts with the 3GPP core network to provide services, such as to support the impact of applications on service routing, access network exposure functions (NEFs), or interact with a policy framework for policy control (e.g., QoS control) (see Policy Control Function, PCF). Based on operator deployment, application functions that are considered to be trusted by the operator may be allowed to interact directly with related network functions. Operators do not allow application functions that directly access network functions to interact with related network functions using an external exposure framework via NEF.

[0132] Figure 5 The other functional units of the 5G architecture for V2X communication are shown, namely the unified data management (UDM), policy control function (PCF), network exposure function (NEF), application function (AF), unified data repository (UDR), access and mobility management function (AMF), session management function (SMF) and user plane function (UPF) in 5GC, as well as V2X application server (V2AS) and data network (DN), such as operator service, Internet access or third-party service. All or part of the core network functions and application services can be deployed and run on a cloud computing environment.

[0133] Therefore, in the present disclosure, an application server (e.g., AF of a 5G architecture) is provided, which includes a transmitter and a control circuit, which sends a request containing QoS requirements of at least one of URLLC, eMBB and mMTC services to at least one of the functions of 5GC (e.g., NEF, AMF, SMF, PCF, UPF, etc.) to establish a PDU session including a radio bearer between a gNodeB and a UE according to the QoS requirements, and the control circuit uses the established PDU session to perform the service.

[0134] To study and specify, if necessary, co-channel coexistence mechanisms for Long Term Evolution (LTE) Sidelink (SL) and New Radio (NR) Sidelink (SL), including performance, necessity, feasibility and potential regulatory impact (if any) [RAN1, RAN2, RAN4], and reuse as much as possible the in-device coexistence framework defined in Release 16. This goal has been specified as an upcoming study for 3GPP Release 18 Sidelink Evolution as described in WID RP-213634.

[0135] Sidelink (SL) devices can be classified into at least the following types:

[0136] Type A: Rel-18 devices containing both LTE SL and NR SL modules;

[0137] Type B: Rel-18 devices containing only NRSL modules;

[0138] Type C: Rel-14 / Rel-15 devices that only include an LTE SL module;

[0139] Type D: Rel-16 / 17 devices containing only NRSL modules; and

[0140] ●Type E: Rel-16 device, which contains both LTE SL and NR SL modules based on the in-device coexistence framework.

[0141] For type A devices, it can indicate their own reservations with both LTE and NR SCI (at least for type C devices as the audience). In particular, in the RAN1#109-e meeting, it has been discussed that for type A devices with both LTE SL modules and NR SL modules, LTE sensing and resource reservation information can be shared with the NR SL module. According to FL Proposal 2-4 (II), in order to study the feasibility of dynamic resource sharing as a possible technical solution for co-channel coexistence, and for device type A (i.e., Release 18 devices containing both LTE SL and NR SL modules), the NR SL module uses the sensing and resource reservation information shared by the LTE SL module. There are also FFS details on how the NR SL module uses the information, how the LTE SL module shares the information with the NR SL module, the exact information shared, the timeline, etc., whether / how to define other methods for device type A to know the resources occupied by LTE SL, and whether / how to support device type B (i.e., Release 18 devices containing only NR SL modules).

[0142] However, as described earlier, for LTE SL and NR SL, the LTE SL module and the NR SL module perform resource selection at their own physical layer (i.e., sensing) and at their own medium access control (MAC) layer (i.e., resource reservation), respectively. Currently, there is no technical solution for how to share and utilize resource selection information (e.g., sensing information and / or resource reservation information) in the context of co-channel coexistence of both LTE SL and NR SL. Therefore, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a communication device and a communication method for sharing sidelink co-channel coexistence resource selection information are needed.

[0143] According to the present disclosure, the term “LTE SL module” can be used interchangeably with “LTE module”. Similarly, the term “NR SL module” can be used interchangeably with “NR module”.

[0144] Figure 6A flowchart 600 illustrating a Release 16 NR SL sensing process performed by the NR SL module at the physical layer is depicted. In step 602, an initialization step is performed, wherein an initial candidate resource set S A Initialized to the union of all candidate resources M total In step 604, an elimination step is performed, wherein from the initial set S A In one example, the initial set S A Each of the candidate resources in the candidate resources has a level associated with a reference signal received power (RSRP), and this level associated with RSRP will be related to the threshold level Th(p i ,p j ) is compared. If the RSRP level of the candidate resource is higher than the threshold level Th(p i ,p j ), then the candidate resources will be from the initial set S A Excluded.

[0145] In step 606, a determination step is performed. In step 606, the initial set S is determined A Is the number of remaining candidate resources less than X*M? total , where X is a preconfigured threshold ratio in the range of 0 to 1, which is the initial set S after the elimination step in step 604 A The ratio between 0 and 1 of the number of candidate resources remaining in the set S to the total number of candidate resources. A The number of remaining candidate resources is less than X*M total , then execute step 608; otherwise, execute step 610. In step 608, the threshold level Th(p i ,p j ) increases by 3dB, so that A The number of candidate resources remaining in the set can be increased accordingly. Repeat the elimination step, determination step and the threshold level Th(p i ,p j ) Increase the step of 3dB until the initial set S is determined A The number of remaining candidate resources in is no longer less than X*M total In step 610, the initial set S A The remaining resource candidates in are moved to the candidate resource set S B , and the set S B Reported to higher layers, such as the MAC layer.

[0146] Figure 7A flowchart 700 illustrating a Release 15 LTE SL sensing process performed by the LTE SL module at the physical layer is depicted. In step 702, an initialization step is performed, wherein an initial candidate resource set S A Initialized to the union of all candidate resources M total , and another set S B is initialized to an empty set. In step 704, an elimination step is performed, wherein the initial set S A In one example, the initial set S A Each of the candidate resources in the candidate resources has a level associated with a reference signal received power (RSRP), and this level associated with RSRP will be different from the threshold level Th a,b If the RSRP level of the candidate resource is higher than the threshold level Th a,b , then the candidate resources will be removed from the initial set S A Excluded.

[0147] In step 706, the following steps are performed: Determine the initial set S A Is the number of remaining candidate resources less than 0.2M? total (i.e., the initial set S after the elimination step in step 704 A The ratio of the number of candidate resources remaining in the initial set S to the total number of candidate resources is a preconfigured threshold of 0.2. A The number of candidate resources remaining is less than 0.2M total , then execute step 708; otherwise, execute step 710. In step 708, the threshold level Th ab Increase by 3dB, so that from the initial set S A The number of candidate resources remaining in the set can be increased accordingly. Repeat the elimination step, determination step and threshold level Th in steps 704, 706 and 708. a,b Increase the step of 3dB until the initial set S is determined A The number of remaining candidate resources in is no longer less than X*M total .

[0148] In step 710, a sorting (moving) step is performed, wherein the initial set S A The candidate resource with the lowest level of RSRP in the set S is moved to B In step 712, the following steps are performed: Determine the initial set S A Is the number of remaining candidate resources less than 0.2M? total (That is, the set S BThe ratio of the number of candidate resources remaining in the set S to the total number of candidate resources is a preconfigured threshold of 0.2. B The number of candidate resources remaining in is less than 0.2M total , then execute step 714; repeat the sorting (moving) step 710, that is, the initial set S A The candidate resource with the lowest RSRP level among the remaining candidate resources in the set S (which has not yet been moved to the set S B ) will then be moved to the set S B Repeat the sorting (moving) steps and the determination steps in steps 710 and 712 until the initial set S A The number of candidate resources remaining in is greater than 0.2M total In step 714, the set S B Reported to higher layers, such as the MAC layer.

[0149] According to the present disclosure, for co-channel coexistence of LTE SL and NR SL in which resource selection at the physical layer and / or MAC layer (i.e., sensing and / or resource reservation process) is performed separately by the LTE SL module and by the NR SL module, some signaling (intra-device signaling if the LTE SL module and the NR SL module are in the same physical device, or air interface signaling if the LTE SL module and the NR SL module are from different devices) can be used to indicate shared physical / MAC layer resource selection information (i.e., sensing / resource reservation information) between different SL modules. The shared information may include sensing and resource reservation information measurement results (e.g., RSRP) in the sensing and resource reservation process and reported resources (e.g., SRRP). A , S B ). For non-shared resource selection information (e.g., any information not indicated to other SL modules, measurement results, etc.), no special processing is required for the LTE SL module (or NR SL module) or the corresponding NR SL module (or LTE SL module) that shares the shared information to indicate the shared information or to receive / retrieve the shared information. The corresponding module can then use the shared information it receives from another module in its resource selection at the physical layer and / or MAC layer (i.e., sensing and / or resource reservation process).

[0150] Figure 8 A schematic diagram illustrating an example configuration of a communication device 800 for sidelink co-channel coexistence resource selection information sharing according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The communication device 800 may be implemented as a user equipment (UE) configured for sidelink signal transmission or reception according to the present disclosure. Figure 8As shown, the communication device 800 may include a circuit 814, at least one radio transmitter 802, at least one radio receiver 804, and at least one antenna 812 (for simplicity, for the purpose of illustration, Figure 8 Only one antenna is depicted in the figure). The circuit 814 may include at least one controller 806 for performing, with software and hardware assistance, the tasks that the at least one controller 806 is designed to perform, including controlling communications with one or more other communication devices in a multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) wireless network. In addition, the circuit 814 may include at least one transmission signal generator 808 and at least one reception signal processor 810. The at least one controller 806 may control the at least one transmission signal generator 808 to generate a downlink signal or a sidelink signal to be transmitted via the at least one radio transmitter 802, and control the at least one reception signal processor 810 to process a downlink signal or a sidelink signal received from one or more other communication devices via the at least one radio receiver 804. The at least one transmission signal generator 808 and the at least one reception signal processor 810 may be independent modules of the communication device 800, which communicate with the at least one controller 806 to implement the above-mentioned functions, such as Figure 8 As shown. Alternatively, at least one transmission signal generator 808 and at least one reception signal processor 810 may be included in at least one controller 806. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the arrangement of these functional modules is flexible and may vary according to actual needs and / or requirements. Data processing, storage and other related control devices may be provided on appropriate circuit boards and / or in chipsets. In various embodiments, when in operation, at least one radio transmitter 802, at least one radio receiver 804 and at least one antenna 812 may be controlled by at least one controller 806.

[0151] In various embodiments of the present disclosure, the at least one radio receiver 804 and the at least one radio transmitter 802 may be integrated into at least one radio transceiver configured to perform the functions of both the at least one radio receiver 804 and the at least one radio transmitter 802 .

[0152] The communication device 800 provides the functions required for sharing sidelink co-channel coexistence resource selection information. For example, the communication device 800 can be a first UE, and at least one controller 806 of the circuit 814 includes a first module (not shown, for example, an NRSL module) configured to select a list (or set) of first resources from a first plurality of candidate resources based on information related to one or more resources in a second plurality of candidate resources received from a second module (not shown, for example, an LTE SL module included on at least one controller 806 of the first UE or on a second / another UE). The circuit 814 (or at least one transmission signal generator 808 of the circuit 814) can be configured to generate a signal, and the at least one radio transmitter 802 can then send a signal to another communication device in one of the first resources in the list (or set) of first resources. Alternatively or additionally, the at least one radio receiver 804 can receive a signal from another communication device in one of the first resources in the list (or set) of first resources, and the circuit 814 (or at least one receive signal processor 810 of the circuit 814) can then process the signal.

[0153] In one embodiment, at least one controller 806 of the circuit 814 may further include a second module (not shown) configured to select a list of second resources from the second plurality of candidate resources. The first module may also be configured to retrieve information related to the list of second resources of the second plurality of candidate resources from the second module to select the list of first resources from the first plurality of candidate resources.

[0154] In an alternative embodiment, the second module is included on the second / other UE, and the at least one radio transmitter 802 can receive another signal from the second module from the second / other UE, the other signal including information related to one or more resources in the second plurality of candidate resources. The first module can then select a list of first resources from the first plurality of candidate resources based on the information of the other signal received from the second / other UE.

[0155] In an embodiment, the first module is configured to: determine a level associated with RSRP for each first resource in the list of first resources, and in response to determining that the level associated with RSRP for each resource in the first plurality of candidate resources is below a first threshold level associated with RSRP (e.g., Th(p) for the NR SL module); i ,p jAlternatively or additionally, the second module is configured to: determine a level associated with RSRP for each resource in the second plurality of candidate resources, and in response to determining that the level associated with RSRP for each resource in one or more of the second plurality of candidate resources is below a second threshold level associated with RSRP (e.g., a Th for the LTE SL module); a,b ), excluding one or more resources from the second plurality of candidate resources; and the first module is also configured to exclude one or more resources from the first plurality of candidate resources based on information related to one or more resources excluded from the second plurality of candidate resources retrieved by the physical layer of the first module, and select a list of first resources from the candidate resources remaining in the first plurality of candidate resources after excluding one or more resources from the first plurality of candidate resources.

[0156] In addition, the first module may be further configured to determine whether the ratio of the number of candidate resources remaining in the first plurality of candidate resources to the number of the first plurality of candidate resources is less than a preconfigured threshold ratio, and in response to determining that the ratio of the number of candidate resources remaining in the first plurality of candidate resources to the number of the first plurality of candidate resources after excluding one or more resources from the first plurality of candidate resources is less than the preconfigured threshold ratio, increase / decrease the first threshold level associated with RSRP. The second module may also be configured to determine whether the ratio of the number of candidate resources remaining in the second plurality of candidate resources to the number of the second plurality of candidate resources after excluding one or more resources from the second plurality of candidate resources is less than 0.2, and in response to determining that the ratio of the number of candidate resources remaining in the second plurality of candidate resources to the number of the second plurality of candidate resources is less than 0.2, increase the second threshold level associated with RSRP. For example, the first module may be configured to set the second threshold level associated with RSRP to the first threshold level associated with RSRP, and in response to determining that the ratio of the number of candidate resources remaining in the first plurality of candidate resources to the number of the first plurality of candidate resources is less than the preconfigured threshold ratio, decrease the first threshold level associated with RSRP.

[0157] In addition, the first module can also be configured to: determine whether a second threshold level related to RSRP is lower than a first threshold level related to RSRP, and in response to determining that the second threshold level related to RSRP is lower than the first threshold level related to RSRP, exclude one or more resources from the first plurality of candidate resources, and select a list of first resources from the remaining candidate resources in the first plurality of candidate resources.

[0158] In another embodiment, the second module (included on at least one controller 806 of the first UE or included on the second / another UE) may also be configured to: select a list of second resources from the second plurality of candidate resources, and report information related to the list of second resources to a second higher layer (e.g., MAC layer) of the second module. The first module may be configured to: select the list of first resources from the list of second resources based on information retrieved by the physical layer of the first module from the second higher layer of the second module.

[0159] In yet another embodiment, the first module may be further configured to: select an initial list of first resources from the first plurality of candidate resources at a physical layer of the first module, and report information related to the initial list of first resources to a first higher layer (e.g., MAC layer) of the first module. The first module may be further configured to: compare the initial list of first resources with the list of second resources based on information related to the list of second resources and information related to the initial list of first resources to determine one or more overlapping resources from the initial list of first resources and the list of second resources, and select the list of first resources from the one or more overlapping resources.

[0160] In addition, the first module can also be configured to: determine the number of overlapping resources from the initial list of first resources and the list of second resources, and in response to determining that there is less than one overlapping resource from the initial list of first resources and the list of second resources, select the list of first resources from the initial list of first resources.

[0161] In another example, the communication device 800 may be a second UE (different from the first UE described above), and the at least one controller 806 of the circuit 814 includes a second module (not shown, such as an NR SL module) configured to select a list (or set) of second resources from a second plurality of candidate resources. The circuit 814 (or the at least one transmission signal generator 808 of the circuit 814) may be configured to generate a signal including information related to the list of second resources, and the at least one radio transmitter 802 may then send the signal to another / first UE for selecting a list of first resources from the first plurality of candidate resources.

[0162] In yet another example, the communication device 800 may be a third UE (different from the first and / or second UE described above) and at least a radio receiver 804 that receives information related to one or more resources from another / first UE, and at least one controller 806 may include a module (not shown, such as an NR SL module) configured to select a list of third resources from a third plurality of candidate resources based on the information related to the one or more resources. The circuit 814 of the third UE (or at least one transmission signal generator 808 of the circuit 814) may be configured to generate a signal, and the at least one radio transmitter 802 may then transmit the signal to another communication device in one of the third resources in the list of third resources. Alternatively or additionally, the at least one radio receiver 804 may receive a signal from another communication device in one of the third resources in the list of third resources, and the circuit 814 of the third UE (or at least one receive signal processor 810 of the circuit 814) may then process the signal.

[0163] Fig. 9 A flowchart 900 illustrating a communication method implemented by a first communication device (e.g., a first UE) according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. In step 902, based on information related to one or more resources in a second plurality of candidate resources received from a second module, a step of selecting a list (or set) of first resources from a first plurality of candidate resources by a first module of the first communication device is performed. In step 904, a step of sending a signal to another communication device and / or receiving a signal from another communication device is performed in one of the first resources in the list (or set) of first resources.

[0164] Fig.10 A flowchart 1000 is shown illustrating a communication method implemented by a second communication device (e.g., a second UE) according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. In step 1002, a step of selecting a list (or set) of second resources from a second plurality of candidate resources is performed. In step 1004, a step of sending a signal including information related to the list (or set) of second resources to a first communication device (e.g., a first UE) is performed. The signal is used by the first communication device to select a list (or set) of first resources from a first plurality of candidate resources (e.g., Fig. 9 902 in step 1).

[0165] Fig.11A flow chart 1100 illustrating a communication method implemented by a third communication device (e.g., a third UE) according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. In step 1102, a step of receiving information related to one or more resources from a first communication device is performed. In step 1104, based on the information related to one or more resources from the first communication device, a step of selecting a list (or set) of third resources from a third plurality of candidate resources by a third module of the third communication device is performed, wherein the third communication is configured to send and / or receive a signal in one third resource in the list (or set) of third resources.

[0166] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the term "multiple candidate resources" may refer to the term "resource pool" and may be used interchangeably with the term "resource pool". In other words, the NR resource pool refers to a list or set of resources from which the NR SL module will select resources and use them to receive / send signals from / to another module (e.g., an NR or LTE SL module) within the same or different device, while the LTE resource pool refers to a list or set of resources from which the LTE SL module will select resources and use them to receive / send signals from / to another module (e.g., an LTE or NR SL module) within the same or different device. The same (first) or different (second) multiple candidate resources.

[0167] Fig.12 A block diagram 1200 illustrating a first exemplary mapping of an NR resource pool and an LTE resource pool according to the present disclosure is depicted. In this example, the NR resource pool of the UE corresponds to and is identical to the LTE resource pool of the UE (or another UE) in terms of time and frequency. Thus, resource selection (including resource exclusion) information related to one or more resources of the LTE resource pool received / retrieved from the LTE SL module corresponds to the same one or more resources of the NR resource pool and can be directly used by the NR SL module to select multiple candidate resources or resource lists from the NR resource pool for sending signals to / receiving signals from another UE.

[0168] Fig.13AA block diagram 1300 illustrating a second exemplary mapping of an NR resource pool 1302a and an LTE resource pool 1302b according to the present disclosure is depicted. In this example, the NR resource pool 1302a of the UE and the LTE resource pool 1302b of the UE (or another UE) have separate (different) configurations in time and frequency, but the NR / LTE resource pools 1302a, 1302b completely overlap each other. Each resource of the NR resource pool 1302a can be mapped to a resource of the LTE resource pool 1302B at a different offset time and frequency. Therefore, resource selection (including resource exclusion) information related to one or more resources of the LTE resource pool 1302b received / retrieved from the LTE SL module can be converted and mapped to information related to one or more resources of the NR resource pool 1302a. The NR SL module may then use information related to one or more resources of the NR resource pool 1302a mapped to the resource selection information received / retrieved from the LTE SL module to select multiple candidate resources or resource lists from the NR resource pool 1302a for sending / receiving signals to / from another UE.

[0169] Fig. 13B A block diagram 1320 illustrating a third exemplary mapping of an NR resource pool 1322a and an LTE resource pool 1322b according to the present disclosure is depicted. In this example, the NR resource pool 1322a of the UE and the LTE resource pool 1322b of the UE (or another UE) have separate (different) configurations in time and frequency, but only a portion 1324a, 1324b of the NR resource pool 1322a and the LTE resource pool 1322b overlap. Each resource of the overlapping portion 1324a of the NR resource pool 1322a can be mapped to a resource of the overlapping portion 1324b of the LTE resource pool 1322b at a different offset time and frequency. Therefore, resource selection (including resource exclusion) information related to one or more resources of the overlapping portion 1324b of the LTE resource pool 1322b received / retrieved from the LTE SL module can be converted and mapped to information related to one or more resources of the overlapping portion 1324a of the NR resource pool 1322a. The NR SL module may then use information related to one or more resources of the overlapping portion 1324a of the NR resource pool 1322a mapped to the resource selection information received / retrieved from the LTE SL module to select multiple candidate resources or resource lists from the NR resource pool 1322a for sending / receiving signals to / from another UE.

[0170] In the following paragraphs, the first embodiment of the present disclosure is explained with reference to further excluding candidate resources based on a determination result between RSRP-related threshold levels of the NR SL module and the LTE SL module.

[0171] According to the first embodiment, for a SL device having both an LTE SL module and an NR SL module, the shared resource selection (e.g., sensing information) will be the result of each step for the LTE SL module as in Section 14.1.1.6 of TS36.213, and the shared information is transparent to the NRSL module within the same device at the physical layer (i.e., can be retrieved or shared by intra-device signaling).

[0172] The priorities of LTE SL and NR SL are equal if they have the same Sidelink Control Information (SCI) priority value. Other cases of priority relationships can also be (pre)configured. For example, an offset of "1" is set so that the NRSL module treats the LTE priority value as "LTE priority + 1". In addition, only LTE priorities within a specific range (e.g., priority values ​​between 1-3) will be processed in the NRSL module.

[0173] Fig.14 A flowchart 1400 is shown illustrating a resource selection process performed by the NR SL module according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. In step 1402, an initialization step is performed, wherein an initial candidate resource set S A (i.e., the initial NR resource pool) is initialized to the union of all candidate resources M total In step 1404, an elimination step is performed, wherein the initial NR resource pool S A In one example, the initial NR resource pool S A Each candidate resource in the candidate resources has a level associated with RSRP, and this level associated with RSRP is compared with a threshold level. If its RSRP level is higher than the threshold level Th(p i ,p j ), then the candidate resources will be from the initial NR resource pool S A Excluded.

[0174] In step 1406, if further elimination steps are performed, wherein the LTE SL module (e.g., Figure 7 The candidate resources excluded from the LTE resource pool in step 704) will also be excluded from the initial NR resource pool by the NRSL module. In one embodiment, for the candidate resources excluded from the LTE resource pool by the LTE SL module according to the threshold level Th a,b Resources have been excluded from the LTE resource pool. Therefore, when the RSRP-related threshold level Th of the LTESL module a,b With the threshold level Th(p i ,p j ) or a lower value (i.e., Th a,b ≤Th(p i ,pj )), the NL SL module will also be based on the threshold level Th(p i ,p j ) exclude those resources from the initial NR SL module.

[0175] In step 1408, the following steps are performed: Determine the NR resource pool S A Is the number of remaining candidate resources less than X*M? total , where X is the NR resource pool S A The ratio of the number of candidate resources remaining in the NR resource pool S to the total number of candidate resources is a preconfigured threshold between 0 and 1. A The number of candidate resources remaining in is less than X*M total , then execute step 1410; otherwise, execute step 1412. In step 1410, the threshold level Th(p i ,p j ) increases by 3dB, so that the NR resource pool S A The number of remaining candidate resources in the set can be increased accordingly.

[0176] The elimination step, further elimination step, determination step and setting the threshold level Th(p) in steps 1404, 1406, 1408, 1410 are repeated in each iteration. i ,p j ) Increase the step of 3dB until the NR resource pool S is determined A The number of remaining candidate resources in is no longer less than X*M total In step 1412, the NR resource pool S may be determined. A The remaining resource candidates in are moved to the candidate resource set S B , and the set S B Reported to higher layers, such as the MAC layer.

[0177] Furthermore, if the LTE SL resource pool and the NR SL resource pool partially overlap, the following options are possible when the candidate resources (20% of the resources reported by LTE within the NR resource pool) are less than X%:

[0178] The NRSL module can use less than X% of the candidate resources to report to the MAC layer;

[0179] The NRSL module can follow the traditional process to increase the threshold to reach X%;

[0180] If the overlap is a% of the LTE resource pool, then use the LTE SL procedure to obtain only 20% of the reported resources from the a% of the overlap (or only A*20% from the a% of the overlap); or

[0181] If the overlap is b% of the NR resource pool, use the NR SL procedure to obtain X% reported resources only from the b% of overlap (or b*X% only from the b% of overlap).

[0182] It should be understood that Fig.14 The resource selection process described in the above may alternatively be performed by the LTE SL module, wherein in step 1406, the candidate resources (e.g., Figure 6 In step 604), the LTE SL module will also exclude the LTE resource pool from the LTE resource pool, and in step 1408, it is determined that the LTE resource pool S A Is the number of remaining candidate resources less than 0.2M? total (ie, LTE resource pool S A The preconfigured threshold ratio of the number of remaining candidate resources in the query to the total number of candidate resources is 0.2).

[0183] In the following paragraphs, the second embodiment of the present disclosure is explained with reference to an SL module further excluding candidate resources based on a resource set reported by another SL module.

[0184] According to the second embodiment, for a SL device having both an LTE SL module and an NR SL module, the shared resource selection (e.g., sensing information) will be the resource set (S) reported to the MAC layer in the LTE SL module as in Section 14.1.1.6 of TS36.213. B , 20% of the candidate resources (0.2M total )), and the shared information is transparent to the NRSL module at the physical layer (i.e., can be retrieved or shared by intra-device signaling).

[0185] Fig.15 A flowchart 1500 is shown to illustrate the resource selection process carried by the NRSL module according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. In step 1502, an initialization step is performed, wherein the initial candidate resource set S A (i.e., the initial NR resource pool) is initialized to the union of all candidate resources M total In step 1504, a resource shrinking step is performed, wherein the initial NR resource pool is shrunk and the initial NR resource pool S is added to the initial NR resource pool S. A It is set in the MAC layer to report to the LTE SL module (for example, Figure 7 LTE resource set S of step 714) B In other words, the NR SL module will perform the sensing process (i.e., resource selection at the physical layer) within the resources reported by LTE in the NR resource pool.

[0186] In step 1506, an exclusion step is performed, wherein the shrunk NR resource pool S A In one example, the shrunk NR resource pool S A Each of the candidate resources in the candidate resources has a level associated with RSRP, and this level associated with RSRP will be related to the threshold level Th(p i ,p j ) is compared. If its RSRP-related level is higher than the threshold level Th(p i ,p j ), the candidate resources will be selected from the shrunk NR resource pool S A Excluded.

[0187] In step 1508, the following steps are performed: Determine the NR resource pool S A Is the number of remaining candidate resources less than X*M? total , where X is the NR resource pool S A The ratio of the number of candidate resources remaining in the NR resource pool S to the total number of candidate resources is a preconfigured threshold, and X is in the range of 0 to 1. For example, X is defined as sl-TxPercentageList in TS38.214, and according to the legacy procedure, the value can be 0.2, 0.35, or 0.5 in Release 16. A The number of remaining candidate resources is less than X*M total , then execute step 1510; otherwise, execute step 1512. In step 1510, the threshold level Th(p i ,p j ) increases by 3dB, so that the NR resource pool S A (and later S after the move step in step 1512 B ) can be increased accordingly.

[0188] Alternatively, the threshold level Th(p i ,p j ) is set to the threshold level Th of the LTESL module from which the shared information of the LTE reporting resources is obtained. a,b , and in each iteration of step 1510, the NR SL module may increase the threshold level (from the LTE threshold Th a,b ) is reduced by X% (if X<20).

[0189] In each iteration, the elimination step, the determination step, and the threshold level Th(p) in steps 1506, 1508, and 1510 are repeated. i ,p j ) in steps of 3 dB, or until the NR resource pool S is determinedA The number of remaining candidate resources in is no longer less than X*M total In step 1512, the NR resource pool S may be determined. A The remaining resource candidates in are moved to the candidate resource set S B , and the set S B is reported to a higher layer, such as the MAC layer. In each iteration, the exclusion steps, determination steps, and setting the threshold level Th(p) in steps 1506, 1508, and 1510 may also be repeated according to the value defined as sl-TxPercentageList in TS38.214. i ,p j ) Increase the steps of 3dB to reach X% to control S B The number of resources in the .

[0190] Furthermore, if the LTE SL resource pool and the NR SL resource pool partially overlap, the following options are possible when the candidate resources (20% of the resources reported by LTE within the NR resource pool) are less than X%:

[0191] The NRSL module may use less than X% of the candidate resources to report to the MAC layer;

[0192] The NRSL module can increase the threshold to reach X% according to the traditional process;

[0193] If the overlap is a% of the LTE resource pool, then use the LTE SL procedure to obtain only 20% of the reported resources from the a% of overlap (or only A*20% from the a% of overlap); or

[0194] ●If the overlapping portion is b% of the NR resource pool, use the NR SL process to obtain X% reported resources only from the b% of the overlap (or only obtain b*X% from the b% of the overlap).

[0195] It should be understood that Fig.15 The resource selection process described in the above may alternatively be performed by the LTE SL module, wherein in step 1504, the initial LTE resource pool is shrunk and the initial LTE resource pool S is added to the initial LTE resource pool S. A It is set in the MAC layer to report to the NR SL module (for example, Figure 6 NR resource set S of step 610) B , and in step 1508, determining the LTE resource pool S A Is the number of remaining candidate resources less than 0.2M? total (ie, LTE resource pool S A The preconfigured threshold ratio of the number of remaining candidate resources in the query to the total number of candidate resources is 0.2).

[0196] In the following paragraphs, the third embodiment of the present disclosure is explained with reference to the selection of resources in the intersection of NR reported resources and LTE reported resources at the MAC layer.

[0197] According to the third embodiment, for a SL device having both an LTE SL module and an NR SL module, the shared resource selection (e.g., sensing information) will be the resource set (S) reported to the MAC layer in the LTE SL module as in Section 14.1.1.6 of TS36.213. B , 20% of the candidate resources (0.2M total ), and the shared information is transparent to the NRSL module of the MAC layer (i.e., can be retrieved or shared by intra-device signaling).

[0198] Fig.16 A flowchart 1600 is shown to illustrate the resource selection process carried by the NRSL module of the MAC layer according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure. In step 1602, for example, after the SL module performs a normal sensing process at the physical layer (or there is no sensing process at the physical layer), the NRSL module performs the step of triggering resource selection at the MAC layer. In step 1604, the NRSL module will only select the resource set S reported by the NRSL module. B (M total X% of the total resource and the resource set S reported by the LTE SL module to the MAC layer. B (M total In step 1606, a step of determining whether at least one resource is selected, that is, whether there is at least one overlapping resource between the resource set reported by the NR and the resource set reported by the LTE. If it is determined that there is no or less than one selected resource (overlapping resource), step 1608 is performed, otherwise, if at least one resource is selected, step 1610 is performed. In step 1608, the NR SL module selects the resource set S reported by the NR from the resource set S reported by the NR SL module itself. B (M total In step 1610, the following steps are performed: select resources from the overlapping resources selected in step 1604, and perform signal transmission using the resources selected from step 1608 or step 1604.

[0199] Alternatively, the SL device may skip the physical layer sensing, and in step 1602, the NRSL module triggers the resource selection of the MAC layer, for example, when other devices report a preferred LTE resource set. In step 1604, the NR SL module will select only the NR resource pool M. totaland the preferred LTE resource set S indicated by other devices B (20% of M total ) in the intersection of (or overlapping between) the NR resource pool and the indicated preferred LTE resource set. In step 1606, a step of determining whether at least one resource is selected, i.e., whether there is at least one overlapping resource between the NR resource pool and the indicated preferred LTE resource set.

[0200] In the following paragraphs, the fourth embodiment of the present disclosure is explained with reference to the selection of resources in the intersection of NR reporting resources and LTE reporting resources at the MAC layer.

[0201] According to the fourth embodiment, for a SL device having both an LTE SL module and an NR SL module, the shared resource selection (e.g., sensing information) will be the resource set (S) reported to the MAC layer in the LTE SL module as in Section 14.1.1.6 of TS36.213. B , 20% of the candidate resources (0.2M total )), and the shared information is transparent to the NR SL module at the physical (PHY) or higher layer (e.g., MAC layer) (i.e., can be retrieved or shared by intra-device signaling). Then, for the NR SL module within the NRSL module of the SL device, air interface signaling (e.g., inter-UE coordination or IUC) can be used to indicate that a set of 20% resources of the LTE reporting resources is considered to be a preferred resource set. The air interface signaling can be sent to the NR SL module via unicast, multicast, or broadcast.

[0202] In this embodiment, other SL devices (having LTE and NR SL modules, or only NR SL module) can receive the air interface signal including LTE reporting resources sent by the LTE SL module of the SL device, and perform resource selection at their respective MAC layers.

[0203] Fig.17 A flowchart 1700 is shown to illustrate a resource selection process carried by the NR SL module of the SL device of the MAC layer after receiving the preferred LTE reported resources indicated by other SL devices according to the first example of the fourth embodiment of the present disclosure. In step 1702, for example, after the SL module of the SL device performs a normal sensing process at the physical layer (or no sensing process at the physical layer) and the other device reports the preferred LTE resource set, the NR SL module performs the step of triggering resource selection at the MAC layer. In step 1704, the NR SL module will select only the resource set S reported by the NR SL module. B (M total X%) and the preferred LTE resource set S indicated by other devices B (M totalIn step 1706, a step of determining whether at least one resource is selected, that is, whether there is at least one overlapping resource between the NR reported resource set and the indicated preferred LTE resource set. If it is determined that there is no or less than one selected resource (overlapping resource), step 1708 is performed, otherwise, if at least one resource is selected, step 1710 is performed. In step 1708, the NR SL module selects the resource set S reported by the NR from the NR reported resource set S reported by the NR SL module itself. B (M total In step 1710, the following steps are performed: selecting resources from the overlapping resources selected in step 1704, and performing signal transmission using the selected resources from step 1708 or step 1704.

[0204] Fig.18 A flowchart 1800 of a resource selection process carried by an NR SL module of a SL device at the MAC layer after receiving a preferred LTE reported resource indicated by other SL devices according to a second example of the fourth embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. In this example, the SL device skips physical layer sensing, and in step 1802, the NR SL module triggers resource selection at the MAC layer, for example, when other devices report a preferred LTE resource set. In step 1804, the NR SL module will select only the NR resource pool M. total and the preferred LTE resource set S indicated by other devices B (20% of M total ) in the intersection of (or overlapping between) the NR resource pool and the indicated preferred LTE resource set. In step 1806, a step of determining whether at least one resource is selected, that is, whether there is at least one overlapping resource between the NR resource pool and the indicated preferred LTE resource set. If it is determined that there is no or less than one selected resource (overlapping resource), step 1808 is performed, otherwise, if at least one resource is selected, step 1810 is performed. In step 1808, the NR SL module reports the NR resource pool from the NR reported resource S reported by the NR SL module itself. B In step 1810, the following steps are performed: selecting resources from the overlapping resources in step 1804, and performing signal transmission using the selected resources from step 1808 or step 1804.

[0205] In addition, in addition to the shared sensing information of the LTE SL module, air interface signaling can also be used to indicate the shared sensing information of the NR SL module to other SL devices.

[0206] Note that in any of the various embodiments described above, the LTE resource selection (i.e., sensing and resource reservation process) of the physical layer and MAC layer performed by the LTE SL module may be performed before, in parallel with, or after the NR resource selection (i.e., sensing and resource reservation process) of the physical layer and MAC layer performed by the NR SL module. Similarly, the shared resource selection for one SL module (e.g., NRSL module) may be obtained and retrieved from another SL module (e.g., LTE SL module) before, during, or after the LTE resource sensing and reservation process performed by the SL module (e.g., NR SL module).

[0207] In the various embodiments described above, a SL module of a device (e.g., an NR SL module) may use intra-device signaling or air-interface signaling (e.g., SL, uplink, or downlink transmission) to trigger a sensing and resource reservation process in another SL module of the same or different device. The intra-device signaling for indicating the shared resource selection information may depend on the implementation. Additionally or alternatively, features of shared resource selection may be enabled or disabled, utilizing shared resource selection information, and intra-device or air-interface signaling for sharing resource selection information in SL modules may be enabled or disabled jointly or individually.

[0208] In the various embodiments above, for SL devices within the coverage of eNB / gNB (in LTE mode 3 or 4, NR mode 1 or 2), they can use eNB / gNB to relay shared resource selection information to other side link devices via uplink and downlink. For any of the above embodiments, NR and LTE can be replaced by LTE and NR respectively. The method for NR SL to use LTE shared resource selection information for the NR SL module can also be applied in the way that the LTE SL module uses NR shared resource selection information for LTE SL.

[0209] In the following paragraphs, certain exemplary embodiments are explained with reference to terms related to a 5G core network and the present disclosure regarding a communication device and method for allocating one or more additional operation windows between two semi-statically configured SL DRX cycles for reception or transmission of SL signals, namely:

[0210] Control Signal

[0211] In the present disclosure, the downlink control signal (information) related to the present disclosure may be a signal (information) transmitted through the PDCCH of the physical layer, or may be a signal (information) transmitted through the MAC control element (CE) or RRC of a higher layer. The downlink control signal may be a predefined signal (information).

[0212] The uplink control signal (information) related to the present disclosure may be a signal (information) transmitted through the PUCCH of the physical layer, or may be a signal (information) transmitted through the MAC CE or RRC of the higher layer. In addition, the uplink control signal may be a predefined signal (information). The uplink control signal may be replaced by uplink control information (UCI), first-stage sidelink control information (SCI), or second-stage SCI.

[0213] base station

[0214] In the present disclosure, a base station may be, for example, a transmission reception point (TRP), a cluster head, an access point, a remote radio head (RRH), an eNodeB (eNB), a gNodeB (gNB), a base station (BS), a base transceiver station (BTS), a base station unit, or a gateway. In addition, in side link communication, a terminal may be used instead of a base station. A base station may be a relay device that relays communication between a higher node and a terminal. A base station may also be a roadside unit.

[0215] Uplink / Downlink / Sidelink

[0216] The present disclosure may be applied to any one of an uplink, a downlink, and a sidelink.

[0217] The present disclosure can be applied to, for example, uplink channels (such as PUSCH, PUCCH and PRACH), downlink channels (such as PDSCH, PDCCH and PBCH), and sidelink channels (such as physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) and physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH)).

[0218] PDCCH, PDSCH, PUSCH and PUCCH are examples of downlink control channels, downlink data channels, uplink data channels and uplink control channels, respectively. PSCCH and PSSCH are examples of sidelink control channels and sidelink data channels, respectively. PBCH and PSBCH are examples of broadcast channels, respectively, and PRACH is an example of a random access channel.

[0219] Data channel / control channel

[0220] The present disclosure may be applied to any one of a data channel and a control channel. The channels in the present disclosure may be replaced by data channels including PDSCH, PUSCH and PSSCH and / or control channels including PDCCH, PUCCH, PBCH, PSCCH and PSBCH.

[0221] Reference signal

[0222] In the present disclosure, a reference signal is a signal known to both a base station and a mobile station, and each reference signal may be referred to as a reference signal (RS) or sometimes referred to as a pilot signal. The reference signal may be any one of a DMRS, a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), a tracking reference signal (TRS), a phase tracking reference signal (PTRS), a cell-specific reference signal (CRS), and a sounding reference signal (SRS).

[0223] Time interval

[0224] In the present disclosure, the time resource unit is not limited to one or a combination of a time slot and a symbol, and may be a time resource unit such as a frame, a superframe, a subframe, a time slot, a time slot subslot, a small time slot, or a time resource unit such as a symbol, an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol, a single carrier-frequency division multiplexing access (SC-FDMA) symbol, or other time resource units. The number of symbols included in a time slot is not limited to any number of symbols exemplified in the above embodiments and may be other numbers of symbols.

[0225] frequency band

[0226] The present disclosure may be applied to any of the licensed and unlicensed frequency bands.

[0227] communication

[0228] The present disclosure can be applied to any one of the communication between a base station and a terminal (Uu-link communication), the communication between terminals (side link communication), and the vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication. The channels in the present disclosure can be replaced by PSCCH, PSSCH, physical side link feedback channel (PSFCH), PSBCH, PDCCH, PUCCH, PDSCH, PUSCH, and PBCH.

[0229] In addition, the present disclosure can also be applied to any network in a terrestrial network or a network other than a terrestrial network using a satellite or a high altitude pseudo satellite (HAPS) (NTN: Non-Terrestrial Network). In addition, the present disclosure can be applied to a network with a large cell size, and a terrestrial network with a large delay compared to a symbol length or a time slot length, such as an ultra-wideband transmission network.

[0230] Antenna Port

[0231] An antenna port refers to a logical antenna (antenna group) formed by one or more physical antennas. That is, an antenna port does not necessarily refer to one physical antenna, and sometimes refers to an array antenna formed by multiple antennas, etc. For example, it is not defined how many physical antennas form an antenna port, but the antenna port is defined as the minimum unit through which the terminal is allowed to send a reference signal. The antenna port can also be defined as the minimum unit for multiplication of precoding vector weights.

[0232] The present disclosure can be implemented by software, hardware or software in collaboration with hardware. Each functional block used in the description of each of the above embodiments can be implemented in part or in whole by an LSI such as an integrated circuit, and each process described in each embodiment can be controlled in part or in whole by the same LSI or a combination of LSIs. LSI can be formed as a chip alone, or a chip can be formed to include a part or all of the functional blocks. LSI can include data input and output coupled to it. According to the difference in integration, the LSI here can be referred to as IC, system LSI, super LSI or ultra LSI. However, the technology for implementing integrated circuits is not limited to LSI, and can be implemented by using a dedicated circuit, a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor. In addition, an FPGA (field programmable gate array) that can be programmed after LSI manufacturing or a reconfigurable processor that can reconfigure the connection and setting of the circuit unit arranged inside the LSI can be used. The present disclosure can be implemented as digital processing or analog processing. If future integrated circuit technology replaces LSI due to the advancement of semiconductor technology or other derivative technologies, future integrated circuit technology can be used to integrate functional blocks. Biotechnology can also be applied.

[0233] The present disclosure may be implemented by any kind of equipment, device, or system having a communication function, which is referred to as a communication device.

[0234] The communication device may include a transceiver and a processing / control circuit. The transceiver may include and / or function as a receiver and a transmitter. As a transmitter and a receiver, the transceiver may include an RF (radio frequency) module and one or more antennas, and the RF module may include an amplifier, an RF modulator / demodulator, etc.

[0235] Some non-limiting examples of such communication devices include phones (e.g., cellular (cell) phones, smart phones), tablets, personal computers (PCs) (e.g., laptops, desktops, netbooks), cameras (e.g., digital still / video cameras), digital players (digital audio / video players), wearable devices (e.g., wearable cameras, smart watches, tracking devices), game consoles, digital book readers, telemedicine / telemedicine (remote health and medicine) devices, and vehicles providing communication capabilities (e.g., cars, airplanes, ships), and various combinations thereof.

[0236] Communication devices are not limited to portable or movable, and may also include any kind of device, equipment, or system that is non-portable or fixed, such as smart home devices (e.g., appliances, lighting, smart meters, control panels), vending machines, and any other "things" in the network of the "Internet of Things (IoT)".

[0237] Communications may include exchanging data via, for example, cellular systems, wireless LAN systems, satellite systems, etc., and various combinations thereof.

[0238] The communication apparatus may include a device such as a controller or a sensor coupled to a communication device that performs the communication functions described in the present disclosure. For example, the communication apparatus may include a controller or a sensor that generates a control signal or a data signal used by the communication device that performs the communication functions of the communication apparatus.

[0239] Communications devices may also include infrastructure facilities such as base stations, access points, and any other device, equipment, or system that communicates with or controls devices such as those in the above non-limiting examples.

[0240] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that many changes and / or modifications may be made to the disclosure shown in the specific embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure as broadly described. Therefore, the present embodiments are to be considered in all aspects as illustrative and not restrictive.

Claims

1. A first communication device, comprising: a first module configured to select a list of first resources from the first plurality of candidate resources based on information received from the second module regarding one or more resources in the second plurality of candidate resources; as well as A transceiver that sends a signal to another communication device and / or receives a signal from another communication device in a first resource in the list of first resources.

2. The first communication device according to claim 1 further includes the second module, which is configured to select a list of second resources from the second plurality of candidate resources, wherein the first module is also configured to retrieve information related to the list of second resources of the second plurality of candidate resources from the second module.

3. The first communication device according to claim 1, wherein: The transceiver receives another signal from the second module of a second communication device, the another signal comprising the information, and the first module is configured to select the list of the first resources from the first plurality of candidate resources based on the information of the another signal received from the second communication device.

4. The first communication device according to claim 2, wherein: The first plurality of candidate resources are the same as the second plurality of candidate resources, and the information associated with one or more resources in the second plurality of candidate resources corresponds to information associated with one or more resources in the first plurality of candidate resources.

5. The first communication device according to claim 2, wherein: The first plurality of candidate resources overlaps at least a portion of the second plurality of candidate resources, and the information associated with one or more resources in the second plurality of candidate resources corresponds to information associated with one or more resources in the overlapping portion of the first plurality of candidate resources.

6. The first communication device according to claim 2, wherein: The information includes information related to one or more resources excluded from the second plurality of candidate resources by the second module and not selected into the list of the second resources; and the first module is further configured to: exclude the one or more resources from the first plurality of candidate resources based on the information related to the one or more resources excluded from the second plurality of candidate resources that can be retrieved by the physical layer of the first module; and selecting the list of first resources from remaining candidate resources in the first plurality of candidate resources after excluding the one or more resources from the first plurality of candidate resources.

7. The first communication device according to claim 6, wherein: (i) the first module is configured to: select the list of first resources in response to determining that the level of reference signal received power RSRP of each of the first resources in the list of the first resources is lower than a first threshold level related to RSRP; and / or (ii) the second module is configured to: exclude the one or more resources in response to determining that the level of RSRP related to each of the one or more resources in the second plurality of candidate resources is lower than a second threshold level related to RSRP.

8. The first communication device according to claim 7, wherein: The first module is also configured to: increase or decrease the first threshold level related to RSRP in response to determining that the ratio of the number of candidate resources remaining in the first plurality of candidate resources after excluding the one or more resources from the first plurality of candidate resources to the number of the first plurality of candidate resources is less than a preconfigured threshold ratio; and / or the second module is also configured to: increase the second threshold level related to RSRP in response to determining that the ratio of the number of candidate resources remaining in the second plurality of candidate resources after excluding the one or more resources from the second plurality of candidate resources to the number of the second plurality of candidate resources is less than 0.

2.

9. The first communication device according to claim 8, wherein: The first module is further configured to set the second threshold level related to RSRP to the first threshold level related to RSRP.

10. The first communication device according to claim 7, wherein: The first module is configured to: exclude the one or more resources from the first plurality of candidate resources; and in response to determining that the second threshold level related to RSRP is lower than the first threshold level related to RSRP, select the list of the first resources from the remaining candidate resources in the first plurality of candidate resources.

11. The first communication device according to claim 6, wherein: The second module is also configured to: select a list of the second resources from the second plurality of candidate resources, and report the information related to the list of the second resources to a second higher layer of the second module; and the first module is also configured to: select a list of the first resources from the list of the second resources based on information retrieved by the physical layer of the first module from the second higher layer of the second module.

12. The first communication device according to claim 11, wherein: The first module is further configured to: select, at a physical layer of the first module, an initial list of first resources from the first plurality of candidate resources, and report information related to the initial list of first resources to a first higher layer of the first module; And based on information related to the list of the second resources and information related to the initial list of the first resources, compare the initial list of the first resources with the list of the second resources to determine one or more overlapping resources in the initial list of the first resources and the list of the second resources, and select the list of the first resources from the one or more overlapping resources.

13. The first communication device according to claim 12, wherein: The first module is further configured to, in response to determining that the initial list of the first resources and the list of the second resources have less than one overlapping resource, select the list of the first resources from the initial list of the first resources.

14. The first communication device of claim 11, the signal comprising information related to the first list of resources to a third communication device for use as a list of preferred resources for selecting a list of third resources from a third plurality of candidate resources by the third communication device.

15. A second communication device, comprising: a second module configured to select a list of second resources from a second plurality of candidate resources; as well as A transceiver transmits a signal including information related to the second list of resources to a first communication device for selecting the list of first resources from a first plurality of candidate resources.

16. A third communication device, comprising: a transceiver that receives information related to one or more resources from a first communication device; as well as A third module is configured to select a list of third resources from a third plurality of candidate resources based on the information related to the one or more resources, wherein the third communication device is configured to send and / or receive a signal in a resource in the list of resources through the transceiver.

17. The third communication device according to claim 14, wherein: The third module is further configured to: selecting, at a physical layer of the third module, an initial list of third resources from the third plurality of candidate resources; reporting information related to the initial list of third resources to a higher layer of the third module; determining an initial list of the third resources and one or more overlapping resources of the one or more resources based on the information received from the first communication device; as well as The list of third resources is selected from the one or more overlapping resources.

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