User equipment and wireless communication method performed by same

Abstract

A user equipment and a wireless communication method performed by a first UE are provided. The method comprises: selecting a channel access priority level (CAPC) of a data radio bearer (DRB) for transmitting a data packet between a first UE and a second UE based on a rule applied to a plurality of PC5 Quality Indicators (PQIs) of a first plurality of Quality of Service (QoS) flows mapped to the DRB; and transmitting the data packet to the second UE with the selected CAPC.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the invention patent application with application date of March 16, 2021, application number 202180020950.9, and invention name “Channel access priority for side link and relay communication in NR-U”. CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 249,831, filed on March 15, 2021, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 992,674, filed on March 20, 2020, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference as if set forth in their entirety below and for all applicable purposes. Technical Field

[0003] The present application relates to a wireless communication system, and more particularly, to a method (and related devices and systems) for determining a channel access priority (CAPC) for a sidelink radio bearer (SLRB) including multiple quality of service (QoS) flows. Background Art

[0004] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content, such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, etc. These systems may be able to support communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources. A wireless multiple-access communication system may include multiple base stations (BSs), each of which simultaneously supports communication for multiple communication devices, which may also be referred to as user equipment (UEs). A UE may use a sidelink connection to communicate directly with other UEs without first communicating through a base station or an associated core network. A UE may also enlist a BS to help schedule transmissions on a sidelink, or to enlist other UEs to act as relays between a BS or network and other UEs.

[0005] The channel access priority of a QoS flow may be determined by a QoS identifier (also referred to as a "5G QoS identifier" or 5QI, PC5 5QI, or PC5 quality indicator ("PQI") for the QoS flow based on a mapping. When the UE transmits data (e.g., on a configured grant), the UE multiplexes data from logical channels (LCHs) into medium access control (MAC) protocol data units (PDUs) according to their priorities. When a MAC PDU is transmitted on a configured grant, the access priority of the MAC PDU (also referred to as a "channel access priority" or CAPC) may be the lowest access priority among all logical channels in the MAC PDU. The priority determines the parameters to be used when performing listen-before-talk (LBT) before transmitting on the configured grant.

[0006] However, problems arise when multiple QoS flows are allowed on a given data radio bearer (DRB), such as a SLRB on PC5, rather than being restricted to a one-to-one mapping. For example, with a possible many-to-one mapping (i.e., multiple QoS flows to one DRB), the UE may not know what CAPC to use for the SLRB on a sidelink connection with another UE, or for direct communication between two UEs, or when the UE acts as a relay between the network and another UE. Therefore, a sidelink connected UE needs to be provided with the ability to determine the CAPC to use for a SLRB that includes multiple QoS flows with potentially different CAPCs. Summary of the invention

[0007] The following summarizes some aspects of the present disclosure to provide a basic understanding of the technology discussed. This summary is not an extensive overview of all expected features of the present disclosure, and is neither intended to identify key or important elements of all aspects of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to delineate the scope of any or all aspects of the present disclosure. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects of the present disclosure in summary form as a preface to a more detailed description presented later.

[0008] For example, in one aspect of the present disclosure, a method of wireless communication includes mapping, by a first user equipment (UE), a first plurality of quality of service flows (QoS flows) to a first data radio bearer (DRB) between the first UE and a second UE. The method also includes determining, by the first UE, a first DRB for a channel access priority class (CAPC) for sending a first data packet based on a rule applied to the first plurality of QoS flows mapped to the first DRB. The method also includes sending, by the first UE to the second UE, the first data packet with the determined CAPC.

[0009] In an additional aspect of the present disclosure, a UE includes a processor configured to map a first plurality of QoS flows to a first DRB between the UE and a second UE. The processor is further configured to determine a CAPC for the first DRB for sending a first data packet based on a rule applied to the first plurality of QoS flows mapped to the first DRB. The UE also includes a transceiver configured to send the first data packet with the determined CAPC to the second UE.

[0010] In one aspect of the present disclosure, a wireless communication method performed by a first user equipment UE includes: based on a rule of multiple PC5 quality indicators PQI applied to a first plurality of quality of service QoS flows mapped to a data radio bearer DRB, selecting a channel access priority level CAPC for the DRB for sending data packets between the first UE and the second UE; and sending the data packet to the second UE using the selected CAPC.

[0011] In one aspect of the present disclosure, a user equipment UE includes: one or more processors coupled to a transceiver, configured alone or in combination to enable the UE to: select a channel access priority level CAPC for a first plurality of quality of service QoS flows mapped to a data radio bearer DRB based on a rule of multiple PC5 quality indicators PQIs PQI of the DRB for sending data packets between a first UE and a second UE; and a transceiver configured to: send the data packet to the second UE using the selected CAPC.

[0012] Other aspects, features and embodiments of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the following description of specific exemplary embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Although features of the present invention may be discussed with respect to certain embodiments and drawings below, all embodiments of the present invention may include one or more advantageous features discussed herein. In other words, although one or more embodiments may be discussed as having certain advantageous features, one or more such features may also be used according to the various embodiments of the present invention discussed herein. In a similar manner, although exemplary embodiments may be discussed below as device, system or method embodiments, it should be understood that such exemplary embodiments may be implemented in various devices, systems and methods. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 A wireless communication network according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0014] Figure 2 A wireless communication network providing device-to-device communication according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0015] Figure 3 A protocol diagram of a wireless communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0016] Figure 4 A protocol diagram of a wireless communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0017] Figure 5 is a block diagram of an exemplary UE according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0018] Figure 6 is a block diagram of an exemplary BS according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0019] Fig. 7A A wireless communication network interaction according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0020] Figure 7B A wireless communication network interaction according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0021] Figure 8 An exemplary table format of a mapping relationship according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0022] Fig. 9 A flow chart of a wireless communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0023] Fig.10 A flow chart of a wireless communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0024] Fig.11 A flow chart of a wireless communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The detailed description set forth below, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, is intended as a description of various configurations and is not intended to represent the only configuration in which the concepts described herein may be practiced. The detailed description includes specific details to provide a thorough understanding of the various concepts. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts may be practiced without these specific details. In some cases, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring these concepts.

[0026] The present disclosure generally relates to wireless communication systems, also referred to as wireless communication networks. In various embodiments, the techniques and apparatus may be used in wireless communication networks, such as code division multiple access (CDMA) networks, time division multiple access (TDMA) networks, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) networks, orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) networks, single carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) networks, LTE networks, global system for mobile communications (GSM) networks, fifth generation (5G) or new radio (NR) networks, and other communication networks. As used herein, the terms "network" and "system" may be used interchangeably.

[0027] An OFDMA network may implement radio technologies such as Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, IEEE 802.16, IEEE 802.20, flash-OFDM, etc. UTRA, E-UTRA, and GSM are part of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). Specifically, Long Term Evolution (LTE) is a version of UMTS that uses E-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, GSM, UMTS, and LTE are described in documents provided by an organization named "3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)", while cdma2000 is described in documents provided by an organization named "3rd Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2)". These various radio technologies and standards are either known or under development. For example, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is a collaboration between a group of telecommunications associations to define globally applicable third generation (3G) mobile phone specifications. 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) is a 3GPP project aimed at improving the UMTS mobile phone standard. 3GPP may define specifications for next generation mobile networks, mobile systems, and mobile devices. The present disclosure relates to the evolution of wireless technology from LTE, 4G, 5G, NR, and beyond to shared access to wireless spectrum between networks using a set of new and different radio access technologies or radio air interfaces.

[0028] Specifically, 5G networks contemplate different deployments, different spectrums, and different services and devices that can be implemented using a unified OFDM-based air interface. To achieve these goals, in addition to developing new radio technologies for 5G NR networks, further enhancements to LTE and LTE-A are also considered. 5G NR will be able to scale to provide coverage for (1) massive Internet of Things (IoTs) with ultra-high density (e.g., ~1 M nodes / km2), ultra-low complexity (e.g., ~10 bits / s), ultra-low energy consumption (e.g., ~10+ years of battery life), and deep coverage that can reach challenging locations; (2) mission-critical controls including strong security to protect sensitive personal, financial, or confidential information, ultra-high reliability (e.g., ~99.9999% reliability), ultra-low latency (e.g., ~1 ms), and users with wide-range mobility or lack of mobility; and (3) enhanced mobile broadband, including extremely high capacity (e.g., ~10 Tbps / km 2 ), extremely high data rates (e.g., multi-Gbps rates, 100+ Mbps user experience rates), and deep awareness with advanced discovery and optimization.

[0029] 5G NR can be implemented using an optimized OFDM-based waveform with scalable numerology and transmission time interval (TTI); a common, flexible framework to efficiently multiplex services and functions with dynamic, low-latency time division duplex (TDD) / frequency division duplex (FDD) designs; and advanced wireless technologies such as massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), robust millimeter wave (mmWave) transmission, advanced channel decoding, and device-centric mobility. The scalability of the numerology in 5G NR, as well as the scaling of subcarrier spacing, can effectively address the operation of different services across different spectrums and different deployments. For example, in various outdoor and macro coverage deployments of FDD / TDD implementations less than 3 GHz, the subcarrier spacing can appear at 15 kHz, such as on bandwidths (BW) of 5, 10, 20 MHz, etc. For various other outdoor and small cell coverage deployments with TDD greater than 3GHz, the subcarrier spacing may appear at 30 kHz on 80 / 100 MHz Bw. For various other indoor broadband implementations, using TDD on the unlicensed portion of the 5 GHz band, subcarrier spacing can occur at 60 kHz at 160 MHz BW. Finally, for various deployments transmitting with millimeter wave components using TDD at 28 GHz, subcarrier spacing can occur at 120 kHz at 500 MHz BW.

[0030] 5G NR’s scalable digital hierarchy facilitates scalable TTIs for different latency and quality of service (QoS) requirements. For example, shorter TTIs can be used for low latency and high reliability, while longer TTIs can be used for higher spectral efficiency. Efficient multiplexing of long and short TTIs allows transmissions to start on symbol boundaries. 5G NR also considers a self-contained integrated subframe design with uplink / downlink scheduling information, data, and acknowledgment in the same subframe. The self-contained integrated subframe supports communications in unlicensed or contention-based shared spectrum, adaptive uplink / downlink that can be flexibly configured on a per-cell basis to dynamically switch between uplink and downlink to meet current business needs.

[0031] Various other aspects and features of the present disclosure are further described below. Obviously, the teachings of this article can be implemented in various forms, and any specific structure, function or both disclosed herein are merely representative, not restrictive. Based on the teachings of this article, it should be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented independently of any other aspects, and two or more of these aspects can be combined in various ways. For example, any number of aspects set forth herein can be used to implement a device or practice a method. In addition, other structures, functions, or structures and functions can be used together with one or more aspects set forth herein to implement such a device or practice such a method, or other structures, functionality, or structures and functionality different from one or more aspects set forth herein can be used to implement such a device or practice such a method. For example, a method can be implemented as a part of a system, device, device, and / or implemented as an instruction stored on a computer-readable medium for execution on a processor or computer. In addition, an aspect can include at least one element of a claim.

[0032] The present application describes a mechanism for determining a channel access priority (CAPC) for a data radio bearer (DRB, e.g., a common DRB for multiple QoS flows combined therein). For example, the DRB may be a sidelink radio bearer (SLRB) that includes multiple quality of service (QoS) flows for sidelink transmissions.

[0033] In some embodiments, the UE may employ a rule-based approach to determine what CAPC to use in sidelink communications. The rules may be configured at the UE prior to communications. For example, the rules may be configured at the UE in a Mode 2 sidelink, where each UE schedules its own transmissions with other UEs without relying on the BS for sidelink control. Alternatively, the rules may be dynamically signaled to the UE by the BS. In another alternative, the BS may indicate to the UE in a Mode 1 sidelink (where the BS schedules transmissions between UEs) a specific CAPC to use.

[0034] For example, a first UE may need to send data to a second UE that includes multiple different QoS flows carried on a SLRB (also generally referred to herein as a DRB or a logical channel (LCH)). In some embodiments, the UE may make its own determination of the sidelink communication independently of the BS, such as corresponding to a mode 2 scenario of the sidelink communication. For example, a rule may be that the first UE maps different QoS flows carried on the DRB based on each QoS flow with the same access priority in the DRB. As another example, the rule may be that the UE selects the CAPC based on the lowest access priority of the QoS flow on the DRB. As another example, the rule may be that the UE selects the CAPC based on the highest access priority of the QoS flow on the DRB. As another example, the rule may be that the UE selects the CAPC based on the lowest or highest priority from a subset of QoS flows on the DRB, where the subset is signaled by the BS. As another example, the rule may be that the UE selects the CAPC based on the priority of the maximum number of QoS flows with the same priority on the DRB.

[0035] As another example, the first UE may also need to send data to a third UE, the data including multiple different QoS flows carried on a second-different-DRB, and the rule may be that the CAPC for the second DRB is different from the CAPC for the first DRB. The rule may also be that the UE selects the CAPC for sending data to the third UE based on the third UE being in a different area from the first UE. As another example, the rule may be that the UE selects the CAPC based on the type of transmission to be performed (e.g., broadcast, multicast, or unicast). The rule may be that, among broadcast, multicast, and unicast, the UE selects the highest priority of the three for broadcast, the second highest priority of the three for multicast, and the lowest priority of the three for unicast. As another example, the rule may be that the UE selects the CAPC based on whether hybrid automatic request repeat (HARQ) is used to send data.

[0036] As another example, the UE may receive a CAPC for transmission from the BS. This may correspond to a mode 1 scenario, for example, of sidelink communications. When a QoS flow is added to or removed from a QoS flow mapped to a DRB, the BS may signal the CAPC to be used. The UE may also receive a CAPC from the BS, where the CAPC is based on the region in which the UE is located. For example, if a third UE is located in a different region from the second UE, the BS may signal a CAPC for transmission to the third UE on the DRB that is different from the CAPC used for transmission to the second UE on the DRB. The BS may also signal a CAPC based on the HARQ mode used for transmission. For example, if the second UE uses a different HARQ mode from the third UE, the BS may signal the first UE to use a different CAPC for transmission to the second UE than the CAPC used for transmission to the third UE. As another example, the BS may signal to the UE a CAPC for transmission to the second UE that is different from the CAPC used for transmission to the third UE (e.g., the BS may signal a CAPC for transmission to the BS on the Uu link that is different from the CAPC used for transmission between UEs on the PC5 link). As another example, the UE may receive access priority mapping rules for DRBs from the BS for a QoS flow at the first UE. The access priority mapping rules may include multiple access priority mapping rules that may be dynamically updated. For example, the BS may configure multiple access priority rule mappings via an RRC message and dynamically update the rules in a media access layer (MAC) control unit (CE). The update may be based on a traffic pattern of the QoS flow and / or a traffic history of the flow.

[0037] In some embodiments, the UE may receive one or more packets belonging to a QoS flow that the UE has not received in the DRB. This may refer to reflective QoS. In this case, the UE may update the access priority of the DRB according to a known rule, such as one of the above rules. The UE may receive the CAPC for the new QoS flow, for example, in a received packet, in a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) header, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) header, a MAC CE, RRC signaling, or a PDCP control PDU. Alternatively or in addition, this may include the UE receiving the PQI for the sidelink QoS flow, for example, in a received packet, or in a SDAP header, a PDCP header, a MAC CE, RRC signaling, or a PDCP control PDU. The CAPC for the DRB may be updated with new information for the new QoS flow according to one or more of the above rules. In addition, when the BS adds or removes a QoS flow (one or more) of the DRB (e.g., in response to a UE request to do so), the UE may update the CAPC for the DRB based on the effective (multiple) rules (such as the rules discussed above). In addition, whenever the CAPC changes with respect to a DRB for sidelink transmissions from the UE, the new CAPC may be applied to subsequent sidelink transmissions of the DRB, or alternatively, may be applied beginning upon receipt. In general, when a new QoS flow is added, or when an existing QoS flow is removed from a DRB, the CAPC may be signaled to the UE (or, as an alternative to the CAPC, the PQI for the QoS flow, in which case the UE may perform a mapping between the received PQI and the CAPC to be used). Alternatively, the UE itself may determine the CAPC when a QoS flow is added or removed (e.g., by applying one or more rules herein). In another example, when the UE receives a PDU from the BS and retransmits it to a second UE, the UE may use a different CAPC for the Uu link than for the PC5 link.

[0038] In some embodiments, a first UE may act as a relay between a BS and a second UE (i.e., a "remote UE"). For example, the relay UE may act as a Layer 3 (L3) relay between the BS and the remote UE. In this case, the relay UE may perform sidelink CAPC control functions, such as determining a CAPC for use by the UEs in sidelink communications between each other, including providing a CAPC to the remote UE for use with a second DRB from the remote UE to the relay UE. The relay UE may alternatively act as a Layer 2 (L2) relay between the BS and the remote UE. In this case, the BS may perform control functions, such as determining the CAPC to use, and signaling to the relay UE a first CAPC for use with a first DRB (for sending data from the relay UE to the remote UE), and a second CAPC for use with a second DRB (for sending data from the remote UE to the relay UE), which may be different from the first CAPC.

[0039] Various aspects of the present application provide numerous advantages. For example, when a DRB includes multiple QoS flows with potentially different PQIs and / or CAPCs from each other (and potentially different CAPCs between PC5 and Uu links), embodiments of the present disclosure enable a UE to determine what CAPC to apply to a DRB for sidelink transmissions. Additional features and advantages of the present disclosure are set forth in the following description.

[0040] Figure 1 A wireless communication network 100 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The network 100 may be a 5G network. The network 100 includes a plurality of base stations (BSs) 105 (labeled 105a, 105b, 105c, 105d, 105e, and 105f, respectively) and other network entities. The BS 105 may be a station that communicates with the UE 115 and may also be referred to as an evolved Node B (eNB), a next generation eNB (gNB), an access point, etc. Each BS 105 may provide communication coverage for a particular geographic area. In 3GPP, the term "cell" may refer to a particular geographic coverage area of ​​a BS 105 and / or a BS subsystem serving that coverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used.

[0041] The BS 105 may provide communication coverage for macro cells or small cells (e.g., pico cells or femto cells) and / or other types of cells. A macro cell typically covers a relatively large geographic area (e.g., a few kilometers in radius) and may allow unrestricted access to UEs with a network provider service subscription. A small cell, such as a pico cell, typically covers a relatively small geographic area and may allow unrestricted access to users with a network provider service subscription. A small cell, such as a femto cell, will also typically cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a home) and, in addition to unrestricted access, may provide restricted access to UEs associated with the femto cell [e.g., UEs in a closed subscriber group (CSG), UEs of users in a home, etc.]. A BS for a macro cell may be referred to as a macro BS. A BS for a small cell may be referred to as a small cell BS, a pico BS, a femto BS, or a home BS. In Figure 1 In the example shown, BS 105d and 105e may be regular macro BSs, while BS 105a-105c may be macro BSs enabled with one of three-dimensional (3D), full-dimensional (FD), or massive MIMO. BS 105a-105c may utilize their high-dimensional MIMO capabilities to utilize 3D beamforming in elevation and azimuth beamforming to increase coverage and capacity. BS 105f may be a small cell BS, which may be a home node or a portable access point. BS 105 may support one or more (e.g., two, three, four, etc.) cells.

[0042] The network 100 may support synchronous or asynchronous operation. For synchronous operation, the BSs may have similar frame timing, and transmissions from different BSs may be roughly aligned in time. For asynchronous operation, the BSs may have different frame timing, and transmissions from different BSs may not be aligned in time.

[0043] UE 115 is dispersed throughout the wireless network 100, and each UE 115 may be fixed or mobile. UE 115 may also be referred to as a terminal, a mobile station, a subscriber unit, a station, etc. UE 115 may be a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, a wireless communication device, a handheld device, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a cordless phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, etc. In one aspect, UE 115 may be a device including a universal integrated circuit card (UICC). In another aspect, UE may be a device that does not include a UICC. In some aspects, UE 115 that does not include a UICC may also be referred to as an IoT device or an Internet of Everything (IoE) device. UE 115a-115d is an example of a mobile smart phone type device that accesses the network 100. UE 115 may also be a machine specifically configured for connected communications, including machine type communications (MTC), enhanced MTC (eMTC), narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), etc. UE 115e-115k is an example of various machines configured for communications that access the network 100. The UE 115 may be able to communicate with any type of BS, whether macro BS, small cell, etc., and in some embodiments, any type of other UE 115. Figure 1 , a lightning shape (e.g., a communication link) indicates a wireless transmission between a UE 115 and a serving BS 105 (the serving BS 105 is a BS designated to serve the UE 115 on a downlink and / or uplink), or an expected transmission between BSs, and a backhaul transmission between BSs or a sidelink transmission between UEs (or via a UE acting as a relay to a BS).

[0044] In operation, BS 105a-105c may serve UEs 115a and 115b using 3D beamforming and coordinated spatial techniques, such as coordinated multipoint (CoMP) or multi-connectivity. Macro BS 105 may perform backhaul communications with BS 105a-105c and small cell, BS 105f. Macro BS 105d may also transmit multicast services that are subscribed to and received by UEs 115 and 115. Such multicast services may include mobile TV or streaming video, or may include other services for providing community information, such as weather emergencies or alerts, such as Amber Alerts or Gray Alerts.

[0045] The BSs 105 may also communicate with a core network. The core network may provide user authentication, access authorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. At least some of the BSs 105 (e.g., which may be examples of gNBs or access node controllers (ANCs)) may interface with the core network via a backhaul link (e.g., NG-C, NG-U, etc.) and may perform wireless configuration and scheduling for communicating with the UEs 115. In various examples, the BSs 105 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., through the core network) via a backhaul link (e.g., X1, X2, etc.), which may be a wired or wireless communication link.

[0046] The network 100 may also support mission-critical communications with ultra-reliable and redundant links for mission-critical devices, such as UE 115e, which may be a drone. The redundant communication links with UE 115e may include links from macro BSs 105d and 105e, and links from small cell BSs 105f. Other machine-type devices, such as UE 115f (e.g., a thermometer), UE 115g (e.g., a smart meter), and UE 115h (e.g., a wearable device), may communicate directly with a BS (e.g., small cell BS 105f and macro BS 105e) through the network 100, or in a multi-hop configuration by communicating with another user device that relays its information to the network, such as UE 115f transmitting temperature measurement information to a smart meter, i.e., UE 115g, which then reports it to the network through the cell BS 105f. The network 100 may also provide additional network efficiency through dynamic, low-latency TDD / FDD communications, such as in vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications. The network 100 may further provide additional network efficiency through other device-to-device communications, such as via PC5 links or other side links, including embodiments according to the present disclosure.

[0047] In some embodiments, the network 100 communicates using an OFDM-based waveform. An OFDM-based system can divide the system BW into multiple (K) orthogonal subcarriers, which are also commonly referred to as subcarriers, tones, bins, etc. Each subcarrier can be modulated with data. In some cases, the subcarrier spacing between adjacent subcarriers can be fixed, and the total number of subcarriers (K) can depend on the system BW. The system BW can also be divided into subbands. In other cases, the subcarrier spacing and / or the duration of the TTI can be scalable.

[0048] In one embodiment, BS 105 may allocate or schedule transmission resources (e.g., in the form of time-frequency resource blocks (RBs)) for downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) transmissions in network 100. DL refers to the transmission direction from BS 105 to UE 115, and UL refers to the transmission direction from UE 115 to BS 105. Communications may be in the form of radio frames. Radio frames may be divided into a plurality of subframes or time slots, e.g., about 10. Each time slot may be further divided into mini-time slots. In FDD mode, simultaneous UL and DL transmissions may occur in different frequency bands. For example, each subframe includes a UL subframe in a UL frequency band and a DL subframe in a DL frequency band. In TDD mode, UL and DL transmissions occur in different time periods using the same frequency band. For example, a subset of subframes (e.g., DL subframes) in a radio frame may be used for DL ​​transmissions, and another subset of subframes (e.g., UL subframes) in a radio frame may be used for UL transmissions.

[0049] DL subframes and UL subframes may be further divided into several regions. For example, each DL or UL subframe may have a predefined region for the transmission of reference signals, control information, and data. Reference signals are predetermined signals that facilitate communication between BS 105 and UE 115. For example, a reference signal may have a specific pilot pattern or structure, wherein the pilot tone may span an operating BW or frequency band, and each pilot tone is located at a predetermined time and a predetermined frequency. For example, BS 105 may send a cell-specific reference signal (CRS) and / or a channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS) to enable UE 115 to estimate a DL channel. Similarly, UE 115 may send a sounding reference signal (SRS) to enable BS 105 to estimate a UL channel. Control information may include resource allocation and protocol control. Data may include protocol data and / or operational data. In some embodiments, BS 105 and UE 115 may communicate using self-contained subframes. Self-contained subframes may include a portion for DL ​​communication and a portion for UL communication. Self-contained subframes may be DL-centric or UL-centric. A DL-centric subframe may include a longer duration for DL ​​communications than for UL communications. A UL-centric subframe may include a longer duration for UL communications than for UL communications.

[0050] In one embodiment, the network 100 may be an NR network deployed on a licensed spectrum. The BS 105 may transmit synchronization signals (e.g., including a primary synchronization signal (PSS) and a secondary synchronization signal (SSS)) in the network 100 to facilitate synchronization. The BS 105 may broadcast system information associated with the network 100 (e.g., including a master information block (MIB), residual system information (RMSI), and other system information (OSI)) to facilitate initial network access. In some cases, the BS 105 may broadcast the PSS, SSS, and / or MIB in the form of a synchronization signal block (SSB) on a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), and may broadcast the RMSI and / or OSI on a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

[0051] In one embodiment, a UE 115 attempting to access the network 100 may perform an initial cell search by detecting the PSS from the BS 105. The PSS may enable synchronization of periodic timing and may indicate a physical layer identification value. The UE 115 may then receive the SSS. The SSS may enable radio frame synchronization and may provide a cell identification value that may be combined with the physical layer identification value to identify a cell. The PSS and SSS may be located in the center portion of a carrier or at any suitable frequency within a carrier.

[0052] After receiving the PSS and SSS, the UE 115 may receive the MIB. The MIB may include system information for initial network access and scheduling information for RMSI and / or OSI. After decoding the MIB, the UE 115 may receive the RMSI and / or OSI. The RMSI and / or OSI may include radio resource control (RRC) information related to random access channel (RACH) procedures, paging, control resource sets (CORESET) for physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitoring, physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), power control, and SRS.

[0053] After obtaining the MIB, RMSI, and / or OSI, the UE 115 may perform a random access procedure to establish a connection with the BS 105. In the four-step random access procedure, the UE 115 may send a random access preamble, and the BS 105 may respond with a random access response. The random access response (RAR) may include a detected random access preamble identifier (ID) corresponding to the random access preamble, timing advance (TA) information, UL grant, temporary cell-radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI), and / or a backoff indicator. Upon receiving the random access response, the UE 115 may send a connection request to the BS 105, and the BS 105 may respond with a connection response. The connection response may indicate contention resolution. In some examples, the random access preamble, RAR, connection request, and connection response may be referred to as message 1 (MSG 1), message 2 (MSG 2), message 3 (MSG 3), and message 4 (MSG 4), respectively. In other examples, the random access procedure may be a two-step random access procedure, in which the UE 115 may send a random access preamble and a connection request in a single transmission, and the BS 105 may respond by sending a random access response and a connection response in a single transmission. The combined random access preamble and connection request in the two-step random access procedure may be referred to as message A (msgA). The combined random access response and connection response in the two-step random access procedure may be referred to as message B (msgB).

[0054] After the connection is established, the UE 115 and the BS 105 may enter an operational state in which operational data may be exchanged. For example, the BS 105 may schedule the UE 115 for UL and / or DL ​​communications. The BS 105 may send an UL and / or DL ​​scheduling grant to the UE 115 via the PDCCH. The BS 105 may send a DL communication signal to the UE 115 via the PDSCH according to the DL scheduling grant. The UE 115 may send an UL communication signal to the BS 105 via the PUSCH and / or PUCCH according to the UL scheduling grant. In addition, the UE 115 may send an UL communication signal to the BS 105 according to the configured grant scheme.

[0055] The configured authorized transmission is a non-scheduled transmission performed on a channel without a UL grant. The configured authorized UL transmission may also be referred to as unauthorized, unauthorized, or autonomous transmission. In some examples, UE115 may send UL resources via a configured authorization. In addition, the configured UL data may also be referred to as unauthorized UL data, unauthorized UL data, non-scheduled UL data, or autonomous UL (AUL) data. In addition, the configured authorization may also be referred to as unauthorized authorization, non-scheduled authorization, or autonomous authorization. The BS may provide the UE with resources and other parameters for the configured authorized transmission in one or more of the RRC configuration or activation DCIs without explicit authorization for each UE transmission. In addition, the UE may utilize the configured authorized transmission in one or more side link communications with one or more other UEs (or other UEs used for D2D communication or as L2 or L3 relays to the BS).

[0056] The CAPC informs the UE 115 about the parameters that will be used to perform listen-before-talk (LBT) before transmitting on the configured authorized resources (e.g., a higher CAPC with a shorter LBT timing, and a lower CAPC with a longer LBT timing due to a lower priority). In one embodiment, the network 100 can provide sidelink communications to allow a UE 115 to communicate with another UE 115 in a device-to-device communication without sending data through the BS 105 and / or the core network, as described below in Figure 2 105 . Sidelink communications may occur in different modes, of which Mode 1 and Mode 2 are examples. In Mode 1, the BS 105 schedules resources to be used by a UE 115 connected to the network (i.e., within range of the BS 105) for sidelink communications with another UE 115. The BS may indicate which resources the UE 115 should use for transmissions via a DCI format 5 message. In Mode 2, the UE 115 may—without assistance from the BS 105—select resources for transmissions to different UEs 115. Challenges may arise when multiple QoS flows are allowed on a given DRB (e.g., SLRB) instead of a one-to-one mapping. With a possible many-to-one mapping, a UE 115 may not be able to determine what CAPC to use for a sidelink transmission to another UE 115, or for direct communications between two UEs, or when the UE acts as a relay between the network and another UE.

[0057] In some embodiments, UE 115 may employ a rule-based approach to determine what CAPC to use in sidelink transmissions. These rules may be configured at UE 115 prior to communication independent of BS 105 (e.g., in Mode 2) or signaled by BS 105 (e.g., in Mode 1). UE 115 may map multiple different QoS flows carried on a DRB and send data to different UEs 115 on the DRB.

[0058] For example, the rule may be that the first UE 115 maps different QoS flows carried on the DRB based on each QoS flow with the same access priority in the DRB. As another example, the rule may be that the UE 115 selects the CAPC based on the lowest access priority of the QoS flows on the DRB. As another example, the rule may be that the UE 115 selects the CAPC based on the highest access priority of the QoS flows on the DRB. As another example, the rule may be that the UE 115 selects the CAPC based on the lowest or highest priority from a subset of QoS flows on the DRB, where the subset is signaled by the BS 105. As another example, the rule may be that the UE 115 selects the CAPC based on the priority of the largest number of QoS flows with the same priority on the DRB.

[0059] As another example, the first UE 115 may also need to send data to the third UE 115, the data including multiple different QoS flows carried on different, second DRBs, and the rule may be that the CAPC for the second DRB is different from the CAPC for the first DRB. As another example, the rule may be that the UE 115 selects the CAPC for sending data to the third UE 115 based on the third UE 115 being in a different region than the first UE 115. As another example, the rule may be that the UE 115 selects the CAPC based on the type of transmission to be performed (e.g., broadcast, multicast, or unicast). The rule may be that, among broadcast, multicast, and unicast, the UE 115 selects the highest priority of the three for broadcast, the second highest priority of the three for multicast, and the lowest priority of the three for unicast. As another example, the rule may be that the UE 115 selects the CAPC based on whether hybrid automatic request repeat (HARQ) is used to send data.

[0060] As another example, the UE 115 may receive a CAPC for transmission from the BS 105 (e.g., according to a Mode 1 scenario of sidelink communication). The BS 105 may signal the CAPC to be used when adding or removing a QoS flow to or from a QoS flow mapped to a DRB. The UE 115 may also receive a CAPC from the BS 105, where the CAPC is based on the region in which the UE 115 is located. For example, if a third UE 115 is located in a different region than the second UE 115, the BS 105 may signal a different CAPC for transmission to the third UE 115 on the DRB than the CAPC for transmission to the second UE 115 on the DRB. The BS 105 may also signal a CAPC based on the HARQ mode used for transmission. For example, if the second UE 115 uses a different HARQ mode than the third UE 115, the BS 105 may signal the first UE 115 to use a different CAPC for transmission to the second UE 115 than for transmission to the third UE 115. As another example, BS 105 may signal to UE 115 a CAPC for sending data to a second UE 115 that is different from the CAPC used to send data back to BS 105 (e.g., BS 105 may signal a CAPC for sending to BS 105 on a Uu link that is different from the CAPC used to send between UEs 115 on a PC5 link). As another example, UE 115 may receive access priority mapping rules for DRBs from BS 105 for use with a QoS flow at a first UE. The access priority mapping rules may include multiple access priority mapping rules that may be dynamically updated. For example, BS 105 may configure multiple access priority rule mappings via RRC messages and dynamically update the rules in a media access layer (MAC) control element (CE). The update may be based on a traffic pattern of the QoS flow and / or a traffic history of the flow.

[0061] In some embodiments, the UE 115 may receive one or more packets belonging to a QoS flow that the UE 115 has not received in the DRB. This may be referred to as reflective QoS. In this case, the UE 115 may update the access priority of the DRB according to a known rule, such as one of the above-mentioned rules. The UE 115 may receive the CAPC for the new QoS flow, for example, in a received packet, in a Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) header, a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) header, a MAC CE, RRC signaling, or a PDCP control PDU. Alternatively or in addition, this may include the UE 115 receiving the PQI for the QoS flow, for example, in a received packet, or in a SDAP header, a PDCP header, a MAC CE, RRC signaling, or a PDCP control PDU. The CAPC for the DRB may be updated with the new information for the new QoS flow according to one or more of the above-mentioned rules. In addition, when the BS adds or removes QoS flow(s) for a DRB (e.g., in response to a request by the UE 115 to do so), the UE 115 may update the CAPC for the DRB based on the effective rule(s) (such as the rules from the discussion above). In addition, whenever the CAPC changes with respect to the DRB for a sidelink transmission from the UE 115, the new CAPC may be applied to subsequent sidelink transmissions of the DRB, or alternatively, may be applied beginning upon receipt. In general, when a new QoS flow is added, or when an existing QoS flow is removed from a DRB, the CAPC may be signaled to the UE 115 (or, as an alternative to the CAPC, the PQI of the QoS flow, in which case the UE 115 may perform a mapping between the received PQI and the CAPC to be used). Alternatively, the UE 115 itself may determine the CAPC (e.g., by applying one or more rules herein) when a QoS flow is added or removed. In another example, when UE 115 receives a PDU from BS 105 on a PC5 link and forwards it to a second UE 115 on a Uu link, UE 115 may use a different CAPC for the Uu link than for the PC5 link.

[0062] In some embodiments, a first UE 115 ("relay UE") may act as a relay between a BS 105 and a second UE 115 ("remote UE"). For example, the relay UE 115 may act as a layer 3 (L3) relay between the BS 105 and the remote UE 115. In this case, the relay UE 115 may perform sidelink control functions, such as determining a CAPC for the UEs 115 to use in sidelink communications between each other, including providing a CAPC to the remote UE 115 for use with a second DRB from the remote UE 115 to the relay UE 115. The relay UE 115 may alternatively act as a layer 2 (L2) relay between the BS 105 and the remote UE 115. In this case, BS 105 can perform control functions, such as determining the CAPC to be used, and signaling to relay UE 115 a first CAPC for use with a first DRB (for sending data from relay UE 115 to a remote UE), and a second CAPC for use with a second DRB (for sending data from remote UE 115 to relay UE 115) that may be different from the first CAPC.

[0063] The network 100 may operate in a shared frequency band or an unlicensed frequency band, for example, at approximately 3.5 gigahertz (GHz), sub-6 GHz, or higher frequencies in the millimeter wave band. The network 100 may divide the frequency band into multiple channels, for example, each channel occupies approximately 20 megahertz (MHz). The BS 105 and the UE 115 may be operated by multiple network operation entities that share resources in a shared communication medium, and may obtain a channel occupancy time (COT) in the shared medium for communication. The COT may be discontinuous in time and may refer to the amount of time a wireless node can send a frame when it wins contention for the wireless medium. Each COT may include multiple transmission time slots. A COT may also be referred to as a transmission opportunity (TXOP).

[0064] Figure 2 A wireless communication network 200 implementing device-to-device communication according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The network 200 may be similar to the network 100 (e.g., an example of some aspects thereof), and may be an LTE network or an NR network, and operate on a shared radio frequency band (e.g., an unlicensed frequency band). For simplicity, one BS 205 and four UEs 215 are shown, but embodiments of the present disclosure may be scaled to any suitable number of UEs 215 and / or BSs 205. The BS 205 and the UE 215 may be similar to the BS 105 and the UE 115, respectively. The BS 205 and the UE 215 may communicate on the same frequency spectrum.

[0065] In network 200, some UEs 215 can communicate with each other through device-to-device connections, such as sidelink connections. Sidelink communication can occur in different modes. In mode 1, BS 205 schedules resources used by UE 215 connected to the network (i.e., within the range of BS 205) for sidelink communication with another UE 215. The BS can indicate which resources the UE 215 can use for transmission (e.g., as an example, transmitted via DCI format 5 messages). In mode 2, UE 215 can - without the help of BS 205 - select resources for transmission to different UEs 215. Mode 2 can be used for situations where UE 215 is out of the range of BS 205, or for situations where UE 215 is within the range of BS 205.

[0066] For example, as shown, UE 215a can communicate with UE 215b via side link 251, and UE 215c can communicate with UE 215d via another side link 252. In some instances, side links 251 and 252 are unicast bidirectional links, each link being between a pair of UEs 215. In some other instances, side links 251 and 252 can be multicast links supporting a multicast side link service between UEs 215 ( Figure 2 215d is shown outside the coverage area 210 of BS 205 and may not communicate directly with BS 205. In some cases, in order to facilitate UE 215d to communicate with BS 205 (and thereby communicate with the core network to other devices), UE 215c may act as a relay between BS 205 and UE 215d. In some aspects, in the case where some UEs 215 are associated with vehicles (e.g., similar to UE 115i-k), the communications on side links 251 and / or 252 may be C-V2X communications. C-V2X communications may refer to communications between a vehicle and any other wireless communication device in a cellular network. In other aspects, communications on sidelinks 251 and / or 252 may be between other UE types, such that sidelinks 251 and / or 252 may more generally be PC5-based connections.

[0067] As already mentioned, the sidelinks 251 and 252 may allow multiple QoS flows on each, and they may not necessarily have the same CAPC for each QoS flow. Therefore, challenges may arise due to the one-to-one mapping of the CAPC of each QoS flow to the entire sidelink (SLRB). In some embodiments, when multiple QoS flows are allowed on a given DRB, the UE 215 may use a rule-based approach to determine what CAPC to use for the sidelink transmission. These rules may be configured at the UE 215 prior to communication, or signaled by the BS 205, and may include information from the above Figure 1 The rules described in the discussion of and further discussed below with respect to further embodiments and / or figures.

[0068] Figure 3 A protocol diagram of a wireless communication method 300 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown, specifically a CAPC determination process for sidelink communication between a BS 302 (which may be BS 105 / 205), a first UE 304 (which may be UE 115 / 215), and a second UE 306 (which may be UE 115 / 215).

[0069] At action 308, BS 302 may send QoS information to UE 304. In some embodiments, the QoS information indicates a set of rules used by UE 304 in mapping CAPCs for multiple QoS flows to a common CAPC for a DRB to a second UE 306 (e.g., where UE 304 / 306 participates in sidelink communications without BS control, such as Mode 2). In other embodiments, the QoS information may be explicit signaling of a CAPC indication, such as where UE 304 participates in sidelink communications under explicit BS control of resource scheduling with UE 306 (e.g., Mode 1 sidelink communications). BS 302 may send the CAPC indication, for example, as part of a DCI message or in a packet header, MAC CE, or RRC signal, etc. In some alternative embodiments, even if UE 304 participates in mode 1 sidelink communications (in which BS 302 controls resource scheduling), BS 302 may still send a set of rules as QoS information for UE 304 to use in determining the CAPC for resources scheduled by BS 302, rather than explicitly signaling the CAPC for UE 304 to use in scheduling resources for sidelink communications to UE 306.

[0070] At act 310, BS 302 may send information identifying a subset of QoS flows relevant to the CAPC determination to UE 304. For example, BS 302 may send this information in the case where UE 304 is engaged in mode 2 sidelink communications (not controlled by BS resource scheduling). The subset information may include a list of QoS flows that comprise the subset, or some smaller representation, such as a short bit pattern, which UE 304 uses to look up in a corresponding table what subset the pattern identifies. UE 304 may be configured to implement the subset signaled by BS 302 to determine the CAPC for the DRB based on the lowest or highest priority from the subset of QoS flows identified by BS 302. In the case where UE 304, UE 306, and / or BS 302 employ another rule, act 310 is shown as optional (and it may have been signaled as part of act 308 described above).

[0071] At action 312, UE 304 maps multiple QoS flows to DRBs (i.e., SLRBs) for communication with UE 306 via the sidelink. The data in the QoS flows may originate from UE 304 (e.g., from an application on UE 304 or from information previously received from another UE or BS), or from BS 302 if UE 304 acts as a relay (e.g., Figure 4 There may be a one-to-many relationship between QoS flows and DRBs. Thus, while there may be multiple DRBs and any number of QoS flows within any of them, for purposes of discussion, an exemplary case will be described here with respect to a given DRB where multiple QoS flows are mapped to that given DRB.

[0072] At act 314, UE 304 selects a CAPC for sidelink transmission based on the QoS information (e.g., rules or CAPC indications, depending on the embodiment) received from BS 302 at act 308. These rules may include the CAPC from above regarding Figure 1 For example, the CAPC value may be selected based on the highest priority of the QoS flows in the DRB, or based on the lowest priority of the QoS flows in the DRB, or based on the priority of a subset of QoS flows identified by BS 302 signaling and / or the priority of QoS flows sharing the same PQI (e.g., identified by a mapping between a QoS flow identifier (QFI) and a PQI), or based on the area in which the UE 306 is located, or based on the transmission type (e.g., broadcast, multicast, or unicast), or based on whether the transmission uses HARQ, or based on the link type (e.g., Uu or PC5), or based on the traffic pattern and / or traffic history, etc.

[0073] At act 316, UE 304 sends the QoS flows on the DRB using the CAPC selected at act 314. For example, where three QoS flows (as an example only) are all mapped to a DRB, the three QoS flows are sent to UE 306 as part of the DRB, where the DRB uses a single CAPC, even though different QoS flows each have a different CAPC.

[0074] As reference Figure 3 As described above, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, UE 304 may act as a relay between two other devices (eg, BS 302 and UE 306). Figure 4 , shows a protocol diagram of a wireless communication method 400 between a BS 402 (which may be BS 105 / 205 / 302), a relay UE 404 (which may be UE 115 / 304), and a remote UE 406 (which may be UE 115 / 215 / 306) according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, particularly a CAPC determination process. Figure 4 In the example of , the relay UE 404 acts as a relay between the BS 402 and the remote UE 406. The relay UE 404 may be a layer 2 (L2) relay, in which the relay UE 404 decodes and demodulates the signal from the BS 402, and re-encodes and re-modulates the signal before sending it to the remote UE 406. Alternatively, the relay UE 404 may be a layer 3 (L3) relay, in which, like the L2 relay, the relay UE 404 decodes and demodulates the signal from the BS 402, and re-encodes and re-modulates the signal, and also encrypts and concatenates, segments, and reassembles the user data before sending the signal to the remote UE 406.

[0075] At action 408, BS 402 may determine a CAPC for sending multiple QoS flows on the DRB, where relay UE 404 is an L2 relay. For example, if relay UE 404 is an L2 relay, BS 402 may determine a CAPC for transmissions from relay UE 404 to remote UE 406 and transmissions on a return path from remote UE 406 to relay UE 404. If UE relay 404 is an L3 relay, relay UE 404 may make its own CAPC determination based on one or more rules provided by BS 402 or some other mechanism at some previous time. Action 408 is shown as optional because it may not occur if relay UE 404 is an L3 relay.

[0076] At action 410, BS 402 may send QoS information to relay UE 404, similar to the above for Figure 3406 . For example, the QoS information may indicate a set of rules used by the relay UE 404 when mapping the CAPCs of multiple QoS flows to a common CAPC for the DRB, such as where the relay UE 404 is an L3 relay. If the relay UE 404 is an L2 relay, the QoS information may be an explicit signaling of the CAPC used by the relay UE 404 on the DRB to the remote UE 406 and the CAPC used by the remote UE 406 on the return DRB to the relay UE 404. As described elsewhere, the CAPC used for the sidelink may be different from the CAPC used for the connection to the BS 402 (i.e., the Uu connection). The BS 402 may send the CAPC indication, for example, as part of a DCI message, or in a packet header, a MAC CE, or an RRC signal, etc.

[0077] At action 412, BS 402 may send information identifying a subset of QoS flows relevant to the CAPC determination to relay UE 404, similar to the above for Figure 3 Similar to action 310, action 412 is shown as optional because another rule is implemented by relay UE 404, remote UE 406 and / or BS 402.

[0078] At action 414, relay UE 404 maps multiple QoS flows to DRBs (ie, SLRBs). The data in the QoS flows may originate from BS 302, reflecting Figure 4 Embodiments in which relay UE 404 acts as a relay for data between BS 302 and remote UE 406. There may be a one-to-many relationship between QoS flows and DRBs. In some embodiments, relay UE 404 may map QoS flows to DRBs for side links to remote UE 406 and may correspond to all QoS flows from DRBs from BS 402 to relay UE 404, or may not completely correspond to all QoS flows from BS 402. Similar to Figure 3 , although there may be multiple DRBs and any number of QoS flows in any of them, for purposes of discussion, an exemplary case of a given DRB will be described here where multiple QoS flows are mapped to that given DRB.

[0079] At action 416, the relay UE 404 selects a CAPC for the sidelink transmission to the remote UE 406 based on the QoS information sent by the BS at action 410. This may be, for example, a rule used by the relay UE 404 to select a CAPC value for the sidelink connection (DRB) from the relay 404 to the remote UE 406. In other embodiments where the QoS information is not a rule but rather explicit CAPC signaling, the relay UE 404 may select a CAPC that has been provided by the BS 402. In other embodiments, the relay UE 404 may convert the 5QI information included in the QoS flow from the BS 402 into corresponding PQI information and CAPC information for the sidelink QoS flow of the DRB to the remote UE 406 (or directly from 5QI to CAPC).

[0080] At action 418, UE 404 selects a CAPC for sending data on the return path on the return DRB, i.e., from remote UE 406 to relay UE 404 (e.g., relay 404 then sends to BS 402 via the Uu connection with a potentially different CAPC). If relay UE 404 is an L2 relay, relay UE 404 may select the CAPC determined by BS 402 at action 408 (which may have been signaled to relay UE 404 at action 410). In embodiments where BS 402 is able to provide the CAPC for the common return DRB directly to remote UE 406 as part of the resources for scheduling the sidelink connection, this is optional when relay UE 404 makes this selection for remote UE 406. Otherwise, remote UE 404 may receive the CAPC determined by BS 402 to provide to remote UE 406 on the common return DRB and forward this determined information to remote UE 406.

[0081] On the contrary, if the relay UE 404 is an L3 relay, the relay UE 404 may apply the above Figure 1 For example, the CAPC value may be selected based on the highest priority of the QoS flows in the common return DRB, or based on the lowest priority of the QoS flows in the common return DRB, or based on the priority of a subset of QoS flows identified by BS 402 signaling and / or the priority of QoS flows sharing the same PQI (e.g., identified by a mapping between a QoS flow identifier (QFI) and a PQI), or based on the region where the remote UE 406 is located, or based on the transmission type (e.g., broadcast, multicast, or unicast), or based on whether the transmission uses HARQ, or based on the link type, or based on the traffic pattern and / or traffic history, etc.

[0082] At act 420, relay UE 404 may provide the CAPC determined from act 418 (if applicable) to remote UE 406 for use with the common return DRB. If BS 402 provides the CAPC for the common return DRB to remote UE 406 without using relay UE 404, act 420 is optional.

[0083] At action 422, the relay UE 404 transmits the QoS flows (e.g., received from the BS 402 for which the UE 404 acts as a relay, while in some other embodiments, the data may originate from the relay UE 404 and the relaying aspect occurs for the data on the return path from the remote UE 406 to the BS 402) using the DRB with the CAPC selected at action 416. For example, where three QoS flows (as an exemplary value only) are all mapped to the DRB, the three QoS flows are transmitted to the remote UE 406 as part of that DRB.

[0084] At act 424 , remote UE 406 sends data back to relay UE 404 (eg, via QoS flows mapped to DRBs using the CAPC provided in accordance with act 418 and / or otherwise provided by BS 402 ).

[0085] Figure 5 5 is a block diagram of an exemplary UE 500 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. UE 500 may be as described above. Figure 1-Figure 4 As shown, UE 500 may include a processor 502, a memory 504, a CAPC control module 508, a transceiver 510 including a modem subsystem 512 and a radio frequency (RF) unit 514, and one or more antennas 516. These elements may communicate with each other directly or indirectly, for example via one or more buses.

[0086] The processor 502 may include a central processing unit (CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a controller, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) device, another hardware device, a firmware device, or any combination thereof configured to perform the operations described herein. The processor 502 may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, for example, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0087] Memory 504 may include cache memory (e.g., cache memory of processor 502), random access memory (RAM), magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, solid-state storage devices, hard drives, other forms of volatile and non-volatile memory, or a combination of different types of memory. In one embodiment, memory 504 includes a non-transitory computer-readable medium. Memory 504 may store or have recorded thereon instructions 506. Instructions 506 may include instructions that, when executed by processor 502, cause processor 502 to perform embodiments disclosed herein (e.g., Figure 1-Figure 4 and Figure 7- Fig.11 Instructions 506 may also be referred to as program code. The program code may be used to cause the wireless communication device (or specific component(s) of the wireless communication device) to perform these operations, for example, by causing one or more processors (such as processor 502) to control or command the wireless communication device (or specific component(s) of the wireless communication device) to do so. The terms "instructions" and "code" should be broadly interpreted to include any type of computer-readable statements. For example, the terms "instructions" and "code" may refer to one or more programs, routines, subroutines, functions, processes, etc. "Instructions" and "code" may include a single computer-readable statement or multiple computer-readable statements.

[0088] The CAPC control module 508 may be implemented via hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, the CAPC control module 508 may be implemented as a processor, circuit, and / or instructions 506 stored in the memory 504 and executed by the processor 502. In some examples, the CAPC control module 508 may be integrated within the modem subsystem 512. For example, the CAPC control module 508 may be implemented by a combination of software components (e.g., executed by a DSP or general purpose processor) and hardware components (e.g., logic gates and circuits) within the modem subsystem 512.

[0089] The CAPC control module 508 can be used in various aspects of the present disclosure, such as Figure 1-Figure 4 and Figure 7- Fig.11Aspects of. The CAPC control module 508 is configured to communicate with other components of the UE 500 to select and / or otherwise apply a CAPC for sending multiple QoS flows on a DRB according to the rules or directions described in the present disclosure (e.g., from the BS 105), to map the QoS flows to the DRBs (e.g., multiple to one DRB and / or different DRBs), and to send or forward the multiple QoS flows with the selected CAPC as part of the DRB (e.g., via a side link). The CAPC control module 508 may also be configured to receive one or more DL messages from the BS 105 for determining a CAPC or indicating a CAPC value. As described in Figure 4 As described in the discussion of , the module may also be configured to select a CAPC for return path transmissions from a different UE 115 when acting as a relay, and receive transmissions on the return path from a different UE 115. The module may also be configured to determine whether a timer has expired, start a timer, cancel a timer, stop a timer, determine whether a transmission counter has reached a threshold, reset a transmission counter, restart a random access procedure, trigger an RLF, and / or perform other functions related to the CAPC determination process for a UE described in the present disclosure.

[0090] As shown, the transceiver 510 may include a modem subsystem 512 and an RF unit 514. The transceiver 510 may be configured to communicate bidirectionally with other devices, such as the BS 105. The modem subsystem 512 may be configured to modulate and / or encode data from the memory 504 and / or the CAPC control module 508 according to a modulation and coding scheme (MCS), such as a low-density parity check (LDPC) coding scheme, a turbo decoding scheme, a convolutional decoding scheme, a digital beamforming scheme, etc. The RF unit 514 may be configured to process (e.g., perform analog-to-digital conversion or digital-to-analog conversion, etc.) modulated / encoded data (e.g., UL data bursts, RRC messages, configured grant transmissions, ACK / NACK for DL ​​data bursts) from the modem subsystem 512 (on the outbound) or data originating from a transmission from another source, such as the UE 115 or the BS 105. The RF unit 514 may be further configured to perform analog beamforming in conjunction with digital beamforming. Although the modem subsystem 512 and the RF unit 514 are shown as being integrated into the transceiver 510, they may be separate devices coupled together at the UE 500 to enable the UE 500 to communicate with other devices.

[0091] The RF unit 514 may provide modulated and / or processed data (e.g., data packets, or more generally, data messages that may include one or more data packets and other information) to the antenna 516 for transmission to one or more other devices. The antenna 516 may also receive data messages sent from other devices. The antenna 516 may provide received data messages for processing and / or demodulation at the transceiver 510. The transceiver 510 may provide demodulated and decoded data (e.g., (multiple) system information messages, (multiple) RACH messages (e.g., DL / UL scheduling grants, DL data bursts, RRC messages, ACK / NACK requests)) to the CAPC control module 508 for processing. The antenna 516 may include multiple antennas of similar or different designs to maintain multiple transmission links. The RF unit 514 may configure the antenna 516.

[0092] In one embodiment, the UE 500 may include multiple transceivers 510 that implement different RATs (e.g., NR and LTE). In one embodiment, the UE 500 may include a single transceiver 510 that implements multiple RATs (e.g., NR and LTE). In one embodiment, the transceiver 510 may include various components, where different combinations of components may implement different RATs.

[0093] Figure 6 600 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 1-Figure 4 As shown, BS 600 may include a processor 602, a memory 604, a CAPC control module 608, a transceiver 610 including a modem subsystem 612 and an RF unit 614, and one or more antennas 616. These elements may communicate with each other directly or indirectly, such as via one or more buses.

[0094] The processor 602 may have various characteristics as a specific type of processor. For example, it may include a CPU, a DSP, an ASIC, a controller, an FPGA device, another hardware device, a firmware device, or any combination thereof configured to perform the operations described herein. The processor 602 may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, for example, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in combination with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0095] Memory 604 may include cache memory (e.g., cache memory of processor 602), RAM, MRAM, ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, solid-state storage devices, one or more hard disk drives, memristor-based arrays, other forms of volatile and nonvolatile memory, or a combination of different types of memory. In some embodiments, memory 604 may include non-transitory computer-readable media. Memory 604 may store instructions 606. Instructions 606 may include instructions that, when executed by processor 602, cause processor 602 to perform the operations described herein, such as Figure 1-Figure 4 and Figure 7- Fig.11 Instructions 606 may also be referred to as code, which may be broadly interpreted to include any type of computer-readable statements, such as those described above with reference to Figure 5 discussed.

[0096] The CAPC control module 608 may be implemented via hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, the CAPC control module 608 may be implemented as a processor, circuit, and / or instructions 606 stored in the memory 604 and executable by the processor 602. In some examples, the CAPC control module 608 may be integrated within the modem subsystem 612. For example, the CAPC control module 608 may be implemented by a combination of software components (e.g., executed by a DSP or general purpose processor) and hardware components (e.g., logic gates and circuits) within the modem subsystem 612.

[0097] The CAPC control module 608 can be used in various aspects of the present disclosure, such as Figure 1-Figure 4 and Figure 7- Fig.11The CAPC control module 608 may be configured to communicate with other components of the BS 600 to determine a CAPC for sending multiple QoS flows mapped to a DRB by the first UE 115 to the second UE 115 and / or for sending on a return path from the second UE 115 to the first UE 115. The CAPC control module may also be configured to send (multiple) indications for use by the UE 115 in determining an appropriate CAPC according to the rules described in the present disclosure. For example, the CAPC control module 608 may send a set of rules for use by the UE 115, or other information related to the CAPC, instead of sending a CAPC value. The CAPC control module 608 may also be configured to identify a subset of QoS flows for use by the UE 115 when applying one or more CAPC selection rules. The CAPC control module 608 may also determine whether a timer has expired, start a timer, cancel a timer, determine whether a transmission counter has reached a threshold, reset a transmission counter, terminate a random access procedure, and / or perform other functions related to CAPC determination for a DRB with multiple QoS flows described in the present disclosure.

[0098] As shown, the transceiver 610 may include a modem subsystem 612 and an RF unit 614. The transceiver 610 may be configured to communicate bidirectionally with other devices, such as UE 115 and / or 300 and / or another core network element. The modem subsystem 612 may be configured to modulate and / or encode data according to an MCS (e.g., an LDPC decoding scheme, a turbo decoding scheme, a convolutional decoding scheme, a digital beamforming scheme, etc.). The RF unit 614 may be configured to process (e.g., perform analog-to-digital conversion or digital-to-analog conversion, etc.) modulated / encoded data (e.g., RRC messages, DL data of multiple QoS flows mapped to the same DRB, etc.) from the modem subsystem 612 (on outbound transmission) or data transmitted from another source (such as UE 115 or 300). The RF unit 614 may also be configured to perform analog beamforming in conjunction with digital beamforming. Although the modem subsystem 612 and / or the RF unit 614 are shown as being integrated into the transceiver 610, they may be separate devices coupled together at the BS 600 to enable the BS 600 to communicate with other devices.

[0099] The RF unit 614 may provide modulated and / or processed data (e.g., data packets, or more generally, data messages that may include one or more data packets and other information) to the antenna 616 for transmission to one or more other devices. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, this may include, for example, communication with a resident UE 115 or 300. The antenna 616 may also receive data messages sent from other devices and provide received data messages for processing and / or demodulation at the transceiver 610. The transceiver 610 may provide demodulated and decoded data (e.g., RRC messages, UL data for multiple QoS flows mapped to the same DRB, UL data, etc.) to the CAPC control module 608 for processing. The antenna 616 may include multiple antennas of similar or different designs to maintain multiple transmission links.

[0100] In one embodiment, the BS 600 may include multiple transceivers 610 that implement different RATs (e.g., NR and LTE). In one embodiment, the BS 600 may include a single transceiver 610 that implements multiple RATs (e.g., NR and LTE). In one embodiment, the transceiver 610 may include various components, where different combinations of components may implement different RATs.

[0101] Reference now Fig. 7A , illustrates a wireless communication network interaction 700A according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, some logical flows between UE 704 and UE 706 (e.g., via one or more side links) are illustrated. Although there may be many UEs to which embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied, only two are illustrated for simplicity of illustration and discussion. UE 704 and 706 may be examples of UE 115 / 215 / 304 / 306 / 404 / 406 discussed herein. In addition to the CAPC determination aspects described herein, in Fig. 7A Additional operations and functions are also performed between the two UEs 704 and 706 as shown.

[0102] At UE 704, mapping function 710 maps data originating from the UE (eg, from an application) to QoS flows 7141-714 n QoS flows 7141-714 n 7201 and 7202 for transmission to UE 706. Although illustrated as a single mapping function 710, mapping function 710 may be any combination of filters implemented in software and / or hardware to achieve the mapping results illustrated here. As just one example, QoS flows 7141 and 7142 may be mapped to first DRB 7201 and 7143. ncan be mapped to DRB 7202. Therefore, as shown in the figure, there is a one-to-many relationship between DRB 7201 and the QoS flows 7141 and 7142 mapped to it.

[0103] Data is sent to UE 706 via DRBs 7201-7202. However, due to the one-to-many nature, a given DRB (such as DRB 7201 in the illustrated example) may have multiple QoS flows with corresponding QFIs (e.g., each QFI is based on a corresponding PQI value). UE 704 determines what CAPC to apply to the DRB on the sidelink communication to UE 706, which may be implemented in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, this may be implemented by applying one or more rules as described above and discussed further below.

[0104] Reference now Figure 7B , shows a wireless communication network interaction 700B according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, some logical flows between a BS 702, a relay UE 704, and a remote UE 706 are shown, wherein the UE 704 acts as a relay between the BS 702 and the remote UE 706. Although there may be several BSs 702 and many UEs 704 and 706 to which the embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied, for simplicity of illustration and discussion, only one BS 702 and two UEs 704 and 706 are shown here. The BS 702 may be a BS 105 / 205 / 302 / 402, and the relay UE 704 and the remote UE 706 may be examples of the UEs 115 / 215 / 304 / 306 / 404 / 406 discussed herein. For illustration, Figure 7B Used with Fig. 7A In addition to the CAPC determination aspects described herein, Figure 7B Additional operations and functions are performed between the three entities shown.

[0105] BS 702 may send data that is ultimately destined for remote UE 706 as a series of QoS flows 7141-714 n is sent to the relay UE 704. At the relay UE 704, the mapping function 710 converts the QoS flows 7141-714 from the BS 702 to n 7201 and 7202 for transmission to the remote UE 706. Although illustrated as a single mapping function 710, the mapping function 710 may be any combination of filters implemented in software and / or hardware to achieve the mapping results illustrated herein. As just one example, QoS flows 7141 and 7142 may be mapped to the first DRB 7201, and QoS flow 714 ncan be mapped to DRB 7202. Therefore, as shown in the figure, there is a one-to-many relationship between DRB 7201 and the QoS flows 7141 and 7142 mapped to it.

[0106] The data will be sent via DRB 7201 to 720 n is sent to the remote UE 706. However, due to the one-to-many nature, a given DRB (such as DRB 7201 in the illustrated example) may have multiple QoS flows with corresponding QFIs. In some embodiments, for data relayed from BS 702, relay UE 704 may determine what CAPC to apply to the DRB from relay UE 704 to remote UE 706. This may be based on, for example, one or more rules provided to relay UE 704 at some previous time (e.g., where relay UE 704 is an example of an L3 relay discussed herein). For the example of an L3 relay, this may also include relay UE 704 also determining what CAPC to use on a common return DRB to relay UE 704 and providing it to remote UE 706. In some examples, relay UE 704 may use the CAPC from QoS flows 7141 and 714 n 704 to a PQI value, and then to a CAPC value to select from (while in other embodiments, the relay UE 704 may convert from the 5QI to the CAPC). In other embodiments, such as the L2 relay example, the BS 702 determines what CAPC to apply to the DRBs on the sidelink communications from the relay UE 704 to the remote UE 706, and the common return DRBs on the sidelink communications from the remote UE 706 to the relay UE 704. This may be achieved, for example, by applying one or more rules as described above and discussed further below.

[0107] Figure 8An exemplary table format 800 of mapping relationships according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown, which can provide mappings between CAPCs and various 5QIs. This is exemplary, and other mappings are also applicable and benefit from aspects of the present disclosure. For example, there may be the same or similar mappings from CAPCs to different PQIs. In other examples, further mappings of 5QIs to PQIs may be used alternatively or additionally. As shown, the first column 802 lists different CAPCs. The second column lists the (multiple) corresponding 5QIs corresponding to a given CAPC. This correspondence is shown by row 806. Therefore, in the example shown, CAPC1 can map several 5QIs listed in the same row 806 as CAPC 1, and so on to CAPC 4. In the example table 800 shown, lower numbers have higher priority than higher numbers. In a similar manner, CAPCs can be mapped to several PQIs for sidelink communication in embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0108] Fig. 9 A flow chart of a wireless communication method 900 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown, which is used to determine and use a CAPC for sidelink transmission when multiple QoS flows may exist on a DRB. Various aspects of method 900 can be performed by a wireless communication device (such as UE 115, 215, 304, 306, 404, 406, 500, 704 and / or 706) using one or more components (such as processor 502, memory 504, CAPC control module 508, transceiver 510, modem 512, one or more antennas 516 and various combinations thereof). As shown, method 900 includes many listed steps, but embodiments of method 900 may include additional steps before, during, after, and between the listed steps. In addition, in some embodiments, one or more listed steps may be omitted or performed in a different order.

[0109] At decision block 902 , if the BS 105 is configured to signal information related to CAPC determination at the UE 115 (eg, if the UE is configured for Mode 1 sidelink communications), the method 900 proceeds to block 904 .

[0110] At block 904, the UE 115 receives a CAPC indication from the BS. The indication may be a CAPC determined for the DRB, a set of rules to be applied by the UE 115 in determining the CAPC, a 5QI, a PQI, and / or other information about one or more rules that the UE 115 applies to determine the CAPC for the DRB. The indication may be received, for example, as part of a DCI message. The method 900 proceeds to decision block 906, as discussed further below.

[0111] Returning to decision block 902 , if a CAPC indication from the BS is not expected (eg, if the UE is configured for Mode 2 sidelink communications), the method 900 proceeds to decision block 906 .

[0112] At decision block 906 , if the BS 105 is configured to identify a subset of QoS flows for the UE 115 , the method proceeds to block 908 .

[0113] At block 908, UE 115 may receive a signal from BS 105 identifying a subset of QoS flows for UE 115 to use in determining the CAPC. The indication may include a list of QoS flows that contain the subset, or some smaller representation, such as a short bit pattern, which UE 115 uses to look up in a corresponding table what subset the pattern identifies. UE 115 may be configured to implement the subset signaled by BS 105 to determine the CAPC for the DRB based on the lowest or highest priority from the QoS flows identified by BS 105. From block 809, method 900 proceeds to block 910, as discussed further below.

[0114] Returning to decision block 906 , if a QoS flow subset identification is not desired from BS 105 , method 900 proceeds to block 910 .

[0115] At block 910, as described with respect to Fig. 7A As described above, UE 115 maps the QoS flow to the DRB.

[0116] At block 912, the UE 115 selects a CAPC for sending the QoS flow on the DRB. In some embodiments, the selection may be based on a rule (e.g., Mode 2 communication) or a CAPC that has been explicitly signaled from the BS 105 may be applied (e.g., Mode 1 communication). For example, a rule may be that the UE 115 maps different QoS flows carried on the DRB based on each QoS flow with the same access priority in the DRB. As another example, a rule may be that the UE 115 selects a CAPC based on the lowest access priority of the QoS flow on the DRB. As another example, a rule may be that the UE 115 selects a CAPC based on the highest access priority of the QoS flow on the DRB. As another example, a rule may be that the 115 UE selects a CAPC based on the lowest or highest priority from a subset of QoS flows on the DRB, where the subset is signaled by the BS. As another example, a rule may be that the UE 115 selects a CAPC based on the priority of the maximum number of QoS flows with the same priority on the DRB.

[0117] As another example, UE 115 may need to send data to a first receiver UE 115 and a second receiver UE 115, where the receiver UE 115 includes multiple different QoS flows carried on two different DRBs. The rule may be that the CAPC for the two DRBs is different. As another example, the rule may be that the UE selects a CAPC for sending data to the first receiver UE 115 based on the second receiver UE 115 being in a different region from the first receiver UE 115. As another example, the rule may be that the UE 115 selects a CAPC based on the type of transmission to be performed (e.g., broadcast, multicast, or unicast). The rule may be that among broadcast, multicast, and unicast, the UE selects the highest priority of the three for broadcast, the second highest priority of the three for multicast, and the lowest priority of the three for unicast. As another example, the rule may be that the UE 115 selects a CAPC based on whether hybrid automatic request repeat (HARQ) is used to send data.

[0118] As another example, if at block 904, the UE 115 receives a CAPC indication from the BS 105, the BS 105 may signal a CAPC to be used when adding or removing a QoS flow to or from a QoS flow mapped to a DRB. The UE 115 may also receive a CAPC from the BS 105, where the CAPC is based on the region in which the receiver UE 115 is located. For example, if a first receiver UE 115 is located in a different region than a second receiver UE 115, the BS 105 may signal a different CAPC for transmission to the second UE 115 on the DRB than the CAPC used for the first receiver UE 115. The BS 105 may also signal a CAPC based on the HARQ mode used for transmission. For example, if the transmission to the second receiver UE 115 uses a different HARQ mode than the transmission to the first receiver UE 115, the BS 105 may signal to the first receiver UE 115 that a different CAPC is used for transmission than the transmission to the second receiver UE 115. As another example, the BS may signal to the UE 115 a CAPC for sending data to the receiver UE 115 that is different from the CAPC for sending data from the receiver UE 115 back to the UE 115 (e.g., the BS 105 may signal a CAPC for sending to the BS 105 on the Uu link that is different from the CAPC for sending between UEs on the PC5 link). As another example, at block 904, the UE 115 may receive from the BS 105 access priority mapping rules for DRBs used with the QoS flow. The access priority mapping rules may include multiple access priority mapping rules that may be dynamically updated. For example, the BS 105 may configure multiple access priority rule mappings via an RRC message and dynamically update the rules in a media access layer (MAC) control element (CE). The update may be based on the traffic pattern of the QoS flow and / or the traffic history of the flow.

[0119] In some embodiments, the UE 115 may receive one or more packets belonging to a QoS flow that the UE 115 has not received in the DRB (i.e., reflective QoS). In this case, the UE 115 may update the access priority of the DRB according to a known rule (such as one of the above rules). The UE 115 may receive the CAPC of the new QoS flow, for example, in a received packet, in a Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) header, a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) header, a MAC CE, RRC signaling, or a PDCP control PDU. Alternatively or in addition, this may include the UE 115 receiving the PQI of the QoS flow, for example, in a received packet, or in a SDAP header, a PDCP header, a MAC CE, RRC signaling, or a PDCP control PDU. The CAPC of the DRB may be updated with new information for the new QoS flow according to one or more of the above rules. In addition, when the BS adds or removes a QoS flow of the DRB, the UE 115 may update the CAPC of the DRB based on valid rules (such as those from the above discussion). In addition, whenever the CAPC changes with respect to a DRB for a sidelink transmission from UE 115, the new CAPC may be applied to subsequent sidelink transmissions of the DRB, or alternatively, may be applied beginning upon receipt. In general, when a new QoS flow is added, or when an existing QoS flow is removed from a DRB, the CAPC may be signaled to UE 115 (or, as an alternative to the CAPC, the PQI of the QoS flow, in which case UE 115 may perform a mapping between the received PQI and the CAPC to be used). Alternatively, when a QoS flow is added or removed, the UE 115 itself may determine the CAPC (e.g., by applying one or more rules herein). In another example, when UE 115 receives a PDU from BS 105 on a PC5 link and forwards it to a second UE on a Uu link, the rule may be that UE 115 uses a different CAPC for the Uu link than for the PC5 link.

[0120] At block 914 , UE 115 sends the QoS flow to the different UE 115 on a sidelink (eg, PC5 link) to the different UE 115 using the DRB with the CAPC selected at block 912 .

[0121] Fig.10A flow chart of a wireless communication method 1000 is shown according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the wireless communication method 1000 being used to relay data between devices by determining and using a CAPC for sidelink transmission in the event that multiple QoS flows may exist on a DRB. Aspects of the method 1000 may be performed by a wireless communication device (such as a UE 115, 215, 304, 306, 404, 406, 500, 704, and / or 706) using one or more components (such as a processor 502, a memory 504, a CAPC control module 508, a transceiver 510, a modem 512, one or more antennas 516, and various combinations thereof). A UE 115 (e.g., a "relay UE" 115) may participate in sidelink communications with a different UE 115 and, for example, act as an L2 or L3 relay between a BS 105 and a remote UE 115. For L2 relay, BS 105 coordinates at least some scheduling operations between UE 115, while for L3 relay, relay UE 115 can make CAPC and scheduling determinations without configuration from BS 105. As shown, method 1000 includes many enumerated steps, but embodiments of method 1000 may include additional steps before, during, after, and between the enumerated steps. In addition, in some embodiments, one or more of the enumerated steps may be omitted or performed in a different order.

[0122] At block 1004, UE 115 receives QoS information from BS 105. When relay UE 115 is an L2 relay, the QoS information may include a determined CAPC for relay UE 115 to use for sending QoS flows on the DRB to remote UE 115 (e.g., on a PC5 link), and a determined CAPC for remote UE 115 to use for sending data on a return path to relay UE 115 (e.g., on a PC5 link). If relay UE 115 is an L3 relay, the QoS information may include a set of rules for relay UE 115 to use for determining a CAPC to use with a QoS flow on the DRB to remote UE 115, and to help relay UE 115 determine a CAPC for transmissions on the return path from remote UE 115 to relay UE 115. The indication may be received, for example, as part of a DCI message.

[0123] At decision block 1006 , BS 105 may be configured to identify a subset of QoS flows for relay UE 115 to determine the CAPC for one or both of the path to remote UE 115 and the return path from remote UE 115 (i.e., if relay UE 115 is an L3 relay). If yes, method 1000 proceeds to block 1008 .

[0124] At block 1008, the relay UE 115 may receive a signal from the BS 105 that identifies a subset of QoS flows for the relay UE 115 to use in determining the CAPC for one or both sidelinks (to and back from the remote UE 115). The indication may include a list of QoS flows that contain the subset, or some smaller representation, such as a short bit pattern that the relay UE 115 uses to look up in a corresponding table what subset the pattern identifies. For example, the relay UE 115 may be configured to look at the subset signaled by the BS 105 to determine the CAPC for the DRB based on the lowest or highest priority from the QoS flows identified by the BS 105. The method 1000 proceeds to block 1010, as discussed further below.

[0125] Returning to decision block 1006 , if a QoS flow subset identification is not expected from BS 105 , method 1000 proceeds to block 1010 .

[0126] At block 1010, the relay UE 115 maps the QoS flow to the DRB for the path to the remote UE 115, as described with respect to Figure 7B described.

[0127] At block 1012, the relay UE 115 selects a CAPC for sending the QoS flow on the DRB to the remote UE 115 based on the QoS information received from the BS 105. This may be, for example, one or more rules used by the relay 115 to select the CAPC, while in other examples, this may be selecting the CAPC determined by the BS 105 and received at block 1004.

[0128] At block 1014, relay UE 115 selects a CAPC for remote UE 115 to use when sending QoS flows from remote UE 115 to relay UE 115 on the common return DRB. If relay UE 115 is an L2 relay, relay UE 115 may select the CAPC determined by BS 105 and received at block 1004. If relay UE 115 is an L3 relay, relay UE 115 may instead apply one or more rules to select a CAPC for the common return DRB on the return path from remote UE 115.

[0129] At block 1016, the relay UE 115 sends the CAPC to the remote UE 115 for transmission from the remote UE 115 on the return path to provide the CAPC to the remote UE 115. This may occur, for example, if the relay UE 115 is an L3 relay. If it is an L2 relay, the CAPC may be provided by the BS 105 separate from the relay UE 115, or by the BS 105 through the relay 115.

[0130] At block 1018, the relay UE 115 sends the QoS flow to the remote UE 115 using the DRB with the CAPC selected at block 1012, for example, over a PC5 link.

[0131] At block 1020 , relay UE 115 receives data from remote UE 115 that was sent on the return path (eg, on the return PC5 link) using the CAPC selected at block 1014 .

[0132] Fig.11 A flow chart of a wireless communication method 1100 is shown according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the method being used to determine and use a CAPC for transmission when multiple QoS flows may exist on a DRB. Aspects of the method 1100 may be performed by a wireless communication device, such as a BS 105, 205, 302, 402, 600, and / or 702, which utilizes one or more components, such as a processor 602, a memory 604, a CAPC control module 608, a transceiver 610, a modem 612, one or more antennas 616, and various combinations thereof. As shown, the method 1100 includes many of the enumerated steps, but embodiments of the method 1100 may include additional steps before, after, and between the enumerated steps. In some embodiments, one or more of the enumerated steps may be omitted or performed in a different order.

[0133] At block 1102, BS 105 may determine a CAPC rule (e.g., for Mode 2 and / or L3 relay) and / or a value (e.g., for Mode 1 and / or L2 relay) for UE 115 to use when sending multiple QoS flows mapped to DRBs to a second UE 115 over a sidelink connection. The rule may include any of the rules discussed above (e.g., in Figure 1 ). For example, in Mode 1 communication, BS 105 may also determine the CAPC value for UE 115 to use on the DRB of the sidelink. As another example, if UE 115 is an L2 relay station, BS 105 may also directly determine the CAPC value for use by remote UE 115 in sidelink communication with relay UE 115, thereby sending data to relay UE 115 on the return path.

[0134] At block 1104, BS 105 sends the QoS information determined at block 1102 to UE 115. The QoS information may include one or more determined CAPCs, 5QIs, PQIs, subset information, rules, or other information for UE 115 to apply according to one or more rules described herein, and may be sent, for example, as part of a DCI message.

[0135] As previously described, in some embodiments, QoS flows may be added or removed on the sidelink. With BS 105 assisting in scheduling and CAPC determination, BS 105 is notified of QoS flow changes. Thus, at block 1106, BS 105 listens for an indication that a new QoS flow has been added to the DRB of the sidelink between the two UEs.

[0136] At decision block 1108, BS 105 may detect that a new QoS flow has been added. If no new QoS flow has been added, then return to block 1106, where BS 105 may continue to listen for indications that a new QoS flow has been added. If BS 105 detects that a new QoS flow has been added, then the method proceeds to block 1110.

[0137] At block 1110, BS 105 may determine a new CAPC value or rule in response to detecting a new QoS flow. The CAPC for the DRB may be updated with the new information for the new QoS flow according to one or more of the above rules.

[0138] At block 1112, the BS sends a CAPC indication containing the updated rules and / or CAPC values ​​determined in block 1110. The updated indication may be sent in a packet header, a SDAP header, a PDCP header, a MAC CE, an RRC message, or a PDCP control PDU. The BS may alternatively or additionally send a PQI for the new QoS flow. When the CAPC changes with respect to a DRB for a sidelink transmission from a UE, the new CAPC may be applied to subsequent sidelink transmissions of the DRB, or alternatively, may be applied beginning upon receipt. In general, the CAPC may be signaled to the UE when a new QoS flow is added, or when an existing QoS flow is removed from a DRB.

[0139] Other aspects of the present disclosure include the following.

[0140] 1. A wireless communication method, comprising:

[0141] mapping, by a first user equipment (UE), a first plurality of quality of service flows (QoS flows) to a first data radio bearer (DRB) between the first UE and a second UE;

[0142] determining, by the first UE, a channel access priority class (CAPC) for the first DRB for transmitting a first data packet based on rules applied to the first plurality of QoS flows mapped to the first DRB; and

[0143] The first data packet having the determined CAPC is sent by the first UE to the second UE.

[0144] 2. The method according to aspect 1, wherein the first plurality of QoS flows mapped to the first DRB includes a corresponding plurality of CAPCs.

[0145] 3. A method according to aspect 2, wherein the CAPC for the first DRB is determined to be at least based on the corresponding multiple CAPCs being the same in the first multiple QoS flows, the first multiple QoS flows are mapped to the first DRB, and the CAPC for the first DRB is determined to be based on at least the same CAPC.

[0146] 4. The method of aspect 2, wherein a first CAPC from the plurality of CAPCs comprises a lower access priority than a second CAPC from the plurality of CAPCs, the determining further comprising:

[0147] The first CAPC is determined based at least on the first CAPC including the lower access priority.

[0148] 5. The method of aspect 2, wherein a first CAPC from the plurality of CAPCs comprises a higher access priority than a second CAPC from the plurality of CAPCs, the determining further comprising:

[0149] The first CAPC is determined based at least on the first CAPC including the higher access priority.

[0150] 6. The method according to aspect 2, wherein the determining further comprises:

[0151] identifying, by the first UE, a first subset of QoS flows from the first plurality of QoS flows having a first common CAPC; and

[0152] The first UE identifies a second subset of QoS flows from the first plurality of QoS flows having a second common CAPC, wherein the second common CAPC is different from the first common CAPC, and in response to the first subset of QoS flows being larger than the second subset of QoS flows, determines that the CAPC for the first DRB is based at least on the first common CAPC.

[0153] 7. The method according to any one of aspects 1 to 6, further comprising:

[0154] A second plurality of quality of service flows (QoS flows) are mapped by the first user equipment (UE) to second data radio bearers (DRBs).

[0155] 8. The method according to aspect 7, further comprising:

[0156] determining, by the first UE based on the second plurality of QoS flows, another CAPC (separate CAPC) for the second DRB for sending a second data packet, wherein the CAPC for the first DRB and the another CAPC for the second DRB are different; and

[0157] The second data packet with the other CAPC is sent by the first UE to a third UE.

[0158] 9. The method according to aspect 7, wherein selecting the CAPC for the first DRB is based at least on a first region in which the second UE is located, the method further comprising:

[0159] Determining, by the first UE based on a second region where a third UE is located, another CAPC for the second DRB for sending a second data packet, wherein the first region and the second region are different; and

[0160] The first UE sends the second data packet to the third UE based on a second region where the third UE is located, the second data packet having the other CAPC for the second DRB, wherein the first region and the second region are different.

[0161] 10. The method of any of aspects 1-9, wherein determining the CAPC is based at least on a transmission type, the transmission type being one of broadcast, multicast, or unicast.

[0162] 11. The method of any of aspects 1-10, wherein determining the CAPC is based at least on whether transmitting the first data packet employs a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ).

[0163] 12. The method according to any one of aspects 1 to 11, further comprising:

[0164] A second data packet is sent from the first UE to a base station (BS), the second data packet having another CAPC different from the CAPC for the first DRB.

[0165] 13. The method according to any one of aspects 1 to 12, further comprising:

[0166] The CAPC for the first DRB is updated by the first UE in response to a QoS flow being added to or removed from the first plurality of QoS flows.

[0167] 14. A method according to any one of aspects 1 to 13, wherein the determining comprises:

[0168] The rule is received by the first UE from a base station (BS).

[0169] 15. The method according to any one of aspects 1-13, wherein the determining comprises:

[0170] The rule is configured by the first UE.

[0171] Information and signals may be represented using a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, the data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips described above may be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0172] The various illustrative blocks and modules described in conjunction with the disclosure herein may be implemented or executed with a general purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but alternatively, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, a combination of one or more microprocessors and a DSP core, or any other such configuration).

[0173] The functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions may be stored on or sent through a computer-readable medium as one or more instructions or codes. Other examples and implementations are within the scope of the present disclosure and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, the functions described above may be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, or any combination thereof. Features that implement the functions may also be located in different physical locations, including being distributed so that parts of the functions are implemented in different physical locations. In addition, as used herein, including in the claims, "or" used in a list of objects (e.g., a list of objects ending with a phrase such as "at least one of" or "one or more of") represents an inclusive list, such that, for example, a list of [at least one of A, B, or C] represents A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C).

[0174] As those skilled in the art will now appreciate, and depending on the specific application, many modifications, substitutions and changes may be made to the materials, devices, configurations and methods of use of the apparatus of the present disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. In view of this, the scope of the present disclosure should not be limited to the scope of the specific embodiments shown and described herein, as they are merely examples thereof and should be fully commensurate with the appended claims and their functional equivalents.

Claims

1. A wireless communication method performed by a first user equipment UE, comprising: Based on a rule applied to a plurality of PC5 quality indicators PQIs of a first plurality of quality of service QoS flows mapped to a data radio bearer DRB, selecting a channel access priority class CAPC of the DRB for transmitting data packets between a first UE and a second UE; and The data packet is sent to the second UE using the selected CAPC.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: Selecting the CAPC is also based on a plurality of CAPCs associated with the plurality of PQIs.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: Selecting the CAPC is further based on the plurality of CAPCs being the same among a plurality of PQIs of the first plurality of QoS flows.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein: A first CAPC among the plurality of CAPCs comprises an access priority different from a second CAPC among the plurality of CAPCs, and selecting the CAPC further comprises: The CAPC is selected based at least on a lower access priority of the first CAPC and the second CAPC.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein: Selecting the CAPC includes selecting a lower access priority of the first CAPC and the second CAPC.

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The options also include: identifying a first subset of QoS flows from the first plurality of QoS flows having a first common CAPC; and A second subset of QoS flows is identified from the first plurality of QoS flows having a second common CAPC that is different from the first common CAPC, and in response to the first subset of QoS flows being larger than the second subset of QoS flows, a CAPC for the DRB is selected based at least on the first common CAPC.

7. The method according to claim 2, further comprising: A second plurality of QoS flows are mapped to a second DRB.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising: selecting another CAPC of the second DRB for sending a second data packet based on the second plurality of QoS flows, wherein the CAPC of the DRB and the another CAPC of the second DRB are different; and The second data packet is sent to a third UE using the other CAPC.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein: Selecting the CAPC of the DRB is based at least on a first area where the second UE is located, and the method further includes: Based on a second region where a third UE is located, selecting another CAPC of the second DRB for sending a second data packet, wherein the first region is different from the second region; and Based on a second region where the third UE is located, a second data packet is sent to the third UE using another CAPC of the second DRB, wherein the first region is different from the second region.

10. The method according to claim 2, further comprising: A second data packet is sent to the base station BS with another CAPC different from the CAPC of the DRB.

11. The method according to claim 2, further comprising: In response to a QoS flow being added to or removed from the first plurality of QoS flows, a CAPC of the DRB is updated.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The options include: The rules are received from a base station.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The options include: Configure the rule.

14. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The data packet is received by the first UE from a base station BS via a first connection, wherein: The sending comprises retransmitting the data packet to the second UE via a second connection in response to the receiving, and The first connection has an access priority different from a CAPC of the second connection.

15. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: A PQI associated with a new QoS flow added to the DRB is received by the first UE from a base station BS.

16. A user equipment UE, comprising: One or more processors coupled to the transceiver, configured alone or in combination to cause the UE to: Based on a rule applied to a plurality of PC5 quality indicators PQIs of a first plurality of quality of service QoS flows mapped to a data radio bearer DRB, selecting a channel access priority class CAPC of the DRB for transmitting data packets between a first UE and a second UE; and The transceiver is configured as: The data packet is sent to the second UE using the selected CAPC.

17. The UE according to claim 16, wherein: Selecting the CAPC is also based on a plurality of CAPCs associated with the plurality of PQIs.

18. The UE according to claim 17, wherein: Selecting the CAPC is further based on the plurality of CAPCs being the same among a plurality of PQIs of the first plurality of QoS flows.

19. The UE according to claim 17, wherein: A first CAPC in the plurality of CAPCs comprises a different access priority than a second CAPC in the plurality of CAPCs, wherein the one or more processors are further configured, individually or in combination, to: The CAPC is selected based at least on a lower access priority of the first CAPC and the second CAPC.

20. The UE according to claim 19, wherein: Selecting the CAPC includes selecting a lower access priority among the first CAPC and the second CAPC.

21. The UE according to claim 17, wherein: The one or more processors are further configured, alone or in combination, to cause the UE to: identifying a first subset of QoS flows from the first plurality of QoS flows having a first common CAPC; as well as A second subset of QoS flows is identified from the first plurality of QoS flows having a second common CAPC that is different from the first common CAPC, and in response to the first subset of QoS flows being larger than the second subset of QoS flows, a CAPC for the DRB is selected based at least on the first common CAPC.

22. The UE according to claim 17, wherein: The one or more processors are further configured, alone or in combination, to cause the UE to: A second plurality of QoS flows are mapped to a second DRB.

23. The UE according to claim 22, wherein: The one or more processors are further configured, alone or in combination, to cause the UE to: selecting another CAPC of the second DRB for sending a second data packet based on the second plurality of QoS flows, wherein the CAPC of the DRB and the another CAPC of the second DRB are different; and The second data packet is sent to a third UE using the other CAPC.

24. The UE according to claim 22, wherein: The one or more processors are further configured, alone or in combination, to cause the UE to: The CAPC for selecting the DRB is further configured to determine the CAPC for the DRB based at least on the first region where the second UE is located; Based on a second region where a third UE is located, selecting another CAPC of the second DRB for sending a second data packet, wherein the first region is different from the second region; and Based on a second region where the third UE is located, a second data packet is sent to the third UE using another CAPC of the second DRB, wherein the first region and the second region are different.

25. The UE according to claim 17, wherein: The transceiver is further configured to: A second data packet is sent to the base station BS with another CAPC different from the CAPC of the DRB.

26. The UE according to claim 17, wherein: The one or more processors are configured, alone or in combination, to cause the UE to: In response to a QoS flow being added to or removed from the first plurality of QoS flows, a CAPC of the DRB is updated.

27. The UE according to claim 16, wherein: The one or more processors are configured, alone or in combination, to cause the UE to: The rules are received from a base station BS.

28. The UE according to claim 16, wherein: The one or more processors are configured, alone or in combination, to cause the UE to configure the rule.

29. The UE according to claim 16, wherein: The one or more processors are further configured, alone or in combination, to cause the UE to: receiving data packets from a base station BS via a first connection; and The data packet is sent by retransmitting the data packet to the second UE via a second connection in response to receiving the data packet, wherein the first connection has an access priority different from a CAPC of the second connection.

30. The UE according to claim 16, wherein: The one or more processors are further configured, alone or in combination, to cause the UE to: A PQI associated with a new QoS flow added to the DRB is received from a base station BS.

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