Beam maintenance in sidelink communications

Abstract

A first user equipment (UE) for sidelink beam maintenance in sidelink communications. A first UE includes: a memory storing instructions; and a processor configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory to: obtain resource reservation information and future location information of the first UE, the future location information of the first UE including an estimated first location of the first UE at a first time later than a current time; transmitting resource reservation information and future location information of the first UE to the second UE; receiving, from the second UE, a signal including future location information of the second UE, the future location information of the second UE including an estimated second location of the second UE at the first time; and determining one or more beams for transmission from the first UE based on the future location information of the second UE.

Description

Cross-references to related patent applications

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 377,436, filed on September 28, 2022, entitled “EXCHANGE OF FUTURE UE POSITION FOR SIDELINK BEAM TRACKING IN MILLIMETER-WAVE BANDS,” the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] Apparatus and methods consistent with the present disclosure relate generally to communications, and more particularly, to methods, systems, and devices for sidelink beam maintenance in sidelink communications. Background Art

[0003] Sidelink communication technology enables direct communication between two or more devices (e.g., two or more vehicles in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication). A first vehicle in a sidelink communication can provide its resource reservation information to one or more other vehicles, for example using periodic broadcasts of a sidelink signal, so that other vehicles can avoid selecting the same resources for transmission. This scheme works well for sidelink communications using low frequency bands (e.g., 5.9 GHz or lower). However, resource reservation and resource selection for sidelink communications using high frequency bands (e.g., millimeter wave bands) are more complex. For high-frequency radio signals that suffer from high propagation losses, beamforming with narrow beams is typically used to compensate for the propagation losses. However, beam alignment is challenging and can vary over time, especially when the vehicle is moving. Improved systems and methods for beam maintenance for beam-based sidelink communications are desired. Summary of the invention

[0004] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a first user equipment (UE) for sidelink beam maintenance in sidelink communication is provided. The first UE includes: a memory storing instructions; and a processor configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory to: obtain resource reservation information and future position information of the first UE, the future position information of the first UE including an estimated first position of the first UE at a first time later than a current time; transmit the resource reservation information and future position information of the first UE to a second UE; receive a signal including the future position information of the second UE from the second UE, the future position information of the second UE including the estimated second position of the second UE at the first time; and determine one or more beams for transmission from the first UE based on the future position information of the second UE.

[0005] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a second UE for sidelink beam maintenance in sidelink communication is provided. The second UE includes: a memory storing instructions; and a processor configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory to: receive resource reservation information and future position information of the first UE from the first UE, the future position information of the first UE including an estimated first position of the first UE at a first time later than the current time; in response to receiving the resource reservation information and future position information of the first UE, transmit a signal to the first UE, the signal including the future position information of the second UE, the future position information of the second UE including the estimated second position of the second UE at the first time; and determine one or more beams for reception by the second UE based on the future position information of the first UE.

[0006] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a method for sidelink beam maintenance in sidelink communication is provided. The method includes: obtaining, by a first UE, resource reservation information and future position information of the first UE, the future position information of the first UE including an estimated first position of the first UE at a first time later than a current time; transmitting the resource reservation information and future position information of the first UE to a second UE; receiving a signal including the future position information of the second UE from the second UE, the future position information of the second UE including an estimated second position of the second UE at a first time; and determining one or more beams for transmission from the first UE based on the future position information of the second UE.

[0007] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a method for sidelink beam maintenance in sidelink communication is provided. The method includes: receiving resource reservation information and future position information of the first UE from the first UE by the second UE, the future position information of the first UE including an estimated first position of the first UE at a first time later than the current time; transmitting the resource reservation information and future position information of the first UE to the second UE; in response to receiving the resource reservation information and future position information of the first UE, transmitting a signal to the first UE, the signal including the future position information of the second UE, the future position information of the second UE including the estimated second position of the second UE at the first time; and determining one or more beams for reception by the second UE based on the future position information of the first UE.

[0008] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided, which stores instructions that can be executed by one or more processors of a first UE to perform a method. The method includes: obtaining resource reservation information and future location information of the first UE, the future location information of the first UE including an estimated first location of the first UE at a first time later than the current time; transmitting the resource reservation information and future location information of the first UE to a second UE; receiving a signal including the future location information of the second UE from the second UE, the future location information of the second UE including the estimated second location of the second UE at the first time; and determining one or more beams for transmission from the first UE based on the future location information of the second UE.

[0009] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided, which stores instructions that can be executed by one or more processors of a second UE to perform a method. The method includes: receiving resource reservation information and future location information of the first UE from a first UE, the future location information of the first UE including an estimated first location of the first UE at a first time later than a current time; transmitting the resource reservation information and future location information of the first UE to a second UE; in response to receiving the resource reservation information and future location information of the first UE, transmitting a signal to the first UE, the signal including the future location information of the second UE, the future location information of the second UE including the estimated second location of the second UE at the first time; and determining one or more beams for reception by the second UE based on the future location information of the first UE. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] [ Figure 1 ] Figure 1 is a flow chart illustrating a method for resource selection in sidelink communications consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. [ Figure 2A ] Figure 2A It is to show that some embodiments consistent with the present disclosure are based on Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a resource candidate determination process of the method. [ Figure 2B ] Figure 2B It is to show that some embodiments consistent with the present disclosure are based on Figure 1 A table of the correspondence between the sub-carrier spacing (SCS) and the resource subsets of the method. [Figure 3] Figure 3A is a schematic diagram illustrating transmission of resource reservation information in sidelink communication; and Figure 3B It is to illustrate the use of some embodiments consistent with the present disclosure Figure 3ASchematic diagram of resource conflict avoidance of resource reservation information in sidelink communication. [ Figure 4 ] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating sidelink beamforming in a communication system consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] Figure 5A is a schematic diagram showing side information exchange in low frequency sidelink communication; and Figure 5B is a schematic diagram illustrating side information assisted beam maintenance in sidelink communications consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. [ Figure 6 ] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating the exchange of estimated future positions for beam maintenance in beam-based sidelink communications consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. [ Figure 7 ] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a method for indicating an estimated future position of a UE consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. [ Figure 8 ] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary communication process in sidelink communication consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. [ Fig. 9 ] Fig. 9 is a flow chart illustrating a method for sidelink beam maintenance in sidelink communications consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. [ Fig.10 ] Fig.10 is a flow chart illustrating a method for sidelink beam maintenance in sidelink communications consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. [ Fig.11 ] Fig.11 A block diagram of a UE consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0011] Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The following description refers to the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference numerals in different figures represent the same or similar elements unless otherwise indicated. The implementations set forth in the following description of the exemplary embodiments do not represent all implementations consistent with the present disclosure. Instead, they are merely examples of systems, devices, and methods consistent with various aspects of the present disclosure as described in the appended claims.

[0012] Figure 1 is a flow chart illustrating a method 100 for resource selection in sidelink communications; Figure 2A It shows that according to Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a resource candidate determination process of the method; and Figure 2B It is to show that some embodiments consistent with the present disclosure are based on Figure 1 A table of correspondence between the SCS and resource subsets of the method. Method 100 can be performed by a UE in sidelink communication. For example, method 100 can be performed by a vehicle in V2X communication. Method 100 can be performed in a mode that adopts Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) for sidelink communication at the physical (PHY) layer. An example of this mode is the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) version 16 / 17 5G NR-V2X PC5 mode 2.

[0013] See also Figure 2A , the time-frequency radio resources are divided into time slots in the time domain and sub-channels in the frequency domain. In one embodiment, this mode can support 15*2 m kHz SCS, where m is the OFDM value, m∈{0,1,2,3,4}. For sub-6 GHz frequencies, 15 kHz, 30 kHz, and 60 kHz (i.e., m∈{0,1,2}) SCSs are supported, while for frequencies above 6 GHz, 60 kHz, 120 kHz, and 240 kHz (i.e., m∈{2,3,4}) SCSs are supported. Each time slot is 1 / 2 m ms length and consists of 14 OFDM symbols. Each subchannel can be composed of multiple consecutive physical resource blocks (PRBs), where each PRB occupies 180*2 m kHz, and consists of 12 with 15*2 mkHz SCS subcarrier composition. The size of the subchannel (i.e., the number of PRBs per subchannel) is configurable or preconfigurable. To support multiple SCSs and different Doppler spreads, multiple demodulation reference signal (DMRS) density options (2 to 4 DMRS symbols per time slot) can be used. Each UE can transmit the first stage sidelink control information (Sidelink Control Information, SCI) and data (e.g., transport block (Transport Block, TB)) in the physical sidelink control channel (Physical Sidelink Control Channel, PSCCH), and the second stage SCI in the physical sidelink shared channel (Physical Sidelink Shared Channel, PSSCH). Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) feedback (e.g., Acknowledgement (ACK) / Negative Acknowledgement (NACK), or only NACK) can be transmitted in the physical sidelink feedback channel (Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel, PSFCH).

[0014] Figure 2B The SCS and the sensing window and the selection window (T SL proc,0 and T SL proc,1 ) parameters. For example, when SCS is 15kHz, Figure 2B As shown in the second and third columns, T SL proc,0 corresponds to 1ms, while T SL proc,1 Corresponds to 3ms. For another example, when SCS is 30kHz, T SL proc,0 corresponds to 0.5ms, while T SL proc,1 Corresponding to 2.5ms.

[0015] Return to see Figure 1 , the method 100 includes: step 102, performing channel sensing (eg, background sensing or any other type of full sensing or partial sensing). Figure 2A As shown in FIG. , the UE can sensing (For example, Tsensing =[T 0 ,TSL proc,0 ], where T 0 = 100 or 1100ms, and T SL proc,0 exist Figure 2B Channel sensing is performed in the UE to collect resource reservation information of one or more other UEs. Channel sensing with a sensing window of 100 ms can be used for non-periodic services, while channel sensing with a sensing window of 1100 ms can be used for periodic services.

[0016] The method 100 includes: step 104, collecting resource reservation information of one or more other UEs, and measuring the corresponding sidelink reference signal received power (Sidelink-Reference Signal Received Power, SL-RSRP). Figure 2A As shown in , the UE may perform channel sensing in the sensing window and collect resource reservation information of one or more other UEs based on SCI decoding to identify candidate resources. In one embodiment, in order to perform channel sensing and obtain information to receive packets from other UEs, the UE first performs SCI decoding. SCI decoding may include two stages: the first stage SCI (SCI format 1-A) and the second stage SCI (SCI format 2-A or 2-B) as defined in the 3GPP specification. The first stage SCI may carry resource reservation information for future transmissions, information related to resource allocation, modulation and coding scheme (MCS) for PSSCH, DMRS mode, and second stage SCI format, etc. The second stage SCI may carry control information for HARQ processes, source / destination identification (ID), information for distance-based groupcast (e.g., UE's area ID and communication range requirements), etc. Based on the resource reservation information contained in the first stage SCI, the UE may avoid using time and / or frequency resources reserved by other UEs when the UE performs resource selection or reselection.

[0017] The method 100 includes: step 106, determining candidate resources by excluding occupied, reserved and / or unmonitored resources. For example, the UE may select candidate resources from a selection window T (eg, T = [T 1 ,T 2 ], where 0ms = <T 1 = <T SL proc,1 ms,T SL proc,1 exist Figure 2BGiven in , and T 2 The UE may exclude unmonitored time slots from the selection window (which may be set based on the remaining packet delay budget). The UE may not be able to sense the unmonitored time slots in the sensing window due to, for example, its own transmission (e.g., half-duplex constraints). The UE may also exclude resources occupied or reserved by other UEs from the selection window if the corresponding SL-RSRP exceeds a configured or preconfigured SL-RSRP exclusion threshold. After resource exclusion, the number of candidate resources may be at least X% of the total number of resources in the selection window. Otherwise, the UE may increase the SL-RSRP exclusion threshold, for example by 3dB, until at least X% of the resources are obtained, where X may be configured or preconfigured from {20,35,50}%.

[0018] Method 100 includes: step 108, selecting a resource from the candidate resources. The selection may be a random selection. For example, Figure 2A As shown in , the UE can select a resource from the candidate resources in the selection window. The selected frequency resource can be used multiple times for Semi-Persistent Scheduling (SPS) at fixed time intervals or only once for One-Shot Transmission (OST).

[0019] In some embodiments, the method 100 may utilize an inter-UE coordination scheme in which one or more other UEs send coordination information about resources to the UE, and the UE utilizes the information to perform its resource selection or reselection. The inter-UE coordination scheme may include a first inter-UE coordination scheme and a second inter-UE coordination scheme. According to the first inter-UE coordination scheme, the UE may receive from one or more other UEs an indication of resources that are preferably to be included in the selected or reselected resources of the UE or that are preferably to be excluded. In one embodiment, when the indication of the resource indicates that a given resource is included, if the indication does not support sensing and / or resource exclusion, the UE may rely only on these resources. In one embodiment, before making a final selection, the UE may also combine the indication of the resource with the resource identified by its own sensing process. The UE may receive the indication via a Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) and / or a second stage SCI. According to the second inter-UE coordination scheme, the UE may receive an indication that the resources reserved for the UE's transmission will or may conflict with the transmission from another UE. In this case, the UE may reselect new resources. The UE may receive the indication via the PSFCH. The UE may use a mapping table that defines the mapping rules between PSSCH allocations (e.g., one or more time slots and subchannels) and PSFCH resources. Using the mapping table, the UE (and the transmitter UE) may determine the PSSCH allocation to which the information in the PSFCH resource refers. When more than one subchannel is reserved in the PSSCH, multiple PSFCH resources may be used. The mapping table may be predefined, preconfigured at the UE, or configured by a network node.

[0020] The method 100 includes checking resource availability based on re-evaluation and / or preemption of the selected resource, step 110. This step may be performed for late arriving packets (eg, non-periodic packets) after resource selection and before packet transmission.

[0021] The method 100 includes: step 112, determining whether resource reselection is required. If it is determined that resource reselection is required, the method may be repeated from step 104. On the other hand, if it is determined that resource reselection is not required, the method may continue with: step 114, transmitting a packet based on the SPS or the OST. The packet may be an initial packet or a retransmitted packet. The UE may also retransmit the packet multiple times (e.g., HARQ retransmissions) with or without feedback from (one or more) receiving UEs to improve the reliability of the transmission. After step 114, the method 100 may be repeated from step 102.

[0022] Figure 3Ais a schematic diagram illustrating transmission of resource reservation information in sidelink communication; and Figure 3B It is to illustrate the use of some embodiments consistent with the present disclosure Figure 3A Schematic diagram of resource conflict avoidance for resource reservation information in sidelink communication. Figure 3A and Figure 3B , the sidelink communication system includes UE 302, UE 304, UE 306, UE 308 and UE 310. For simplicity, Figure 3A Only UE 302 and UE 304 are shown. In sidelink communication, UE 302 is a transmitter (Tx) UE (e.g., an omnidirectional Tx UE), and UE 304 is a receiver (Rx) UE (e.g., an omnidirectional Rx UE). UE 302 may, for example, use one or more omnidirectional antennas to reserve resources for data transmission, and encode resource reservation information in an SCI and transmit the SCI. Figure 3A As shown, the SCI may include time and / or frequency resources, SPS time intervals, and other information for retransmissions scheduled at UE 302. Other UEs (e.g., Figure 3B UE 306, UE 308, and UE 310) can receive the SCI and decode the SCI to obtain resource reservation information of UE 302. Since other UEs obtain the time and / or frequency resources reserved by UE 302, they can avoid using the same resources when they perform resource selection or reselection. In this way, resource conflicts can be avoided.

[0023] The above resource reservation and resource selection schemes can facilitate sidelink communications based on low frequency bands (e.g., FR1 beams). In the present disclosure, FR1 is defined as a frequency range of 410Mhz to 7125Mhz (including sub-6GHz spectrum). However, the above scheme may not be applicable to sidelink communications based on high frequency bands (e.g., FR2). In the present disclosure, FR2 is defined as two frequency sub-ranges: FR2-1 from 24250MHz to 52600MHz, and FR2-2 from 52600MHz to 71000MHz (including millimeter wave spectrum). For high-frequency radio signals that suffer from high propagation losses, beamforming with narrow beams is typically used to provide sufficient beamforming gain to compensate for propagation losses. However, beam alignment is challenging and changes over time, especially when the UE is moving. Therefore, beam tracking (or maintenance) can facilitate sidelink communications based on high frequency bands (beam-based sidelink communications). The terms "beam tracking", "beam maintenance" and "beam management" are used interchangeably in the present disclosure. At least some embodiments of the present disclosure provide methods for beam maintenance in beam-based sidelink communications.

[0024] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating beam maintenance for beam-based sidelink communications consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 4 , the communication system 400 includes a first UE (UE 402) and a second UE (UE 404) that communicate with each other via sidelink communication using a high frequency band signal (e.g., FR2). For example, the sidelink communication may be V2X communication, and both UE 402 and UE 404 are vehicles. In the communication system 400, UE 402 may be a Tx UE, and UE 404 may be an Rx UE. Since the sidelink communication between UE 402 and UE 404 uses a high frequency signal, sidelink beamforming is used so that the beam from UE 402 and the beam from UE 404 can be aligned. Figure 4 As shown, beam 410 from UE 402 and beam 412 from UE 404 are a pair of beams that were previously aligned. However, due to the dynamic nature of beam alignment in the system, beam 410 from UE 402 and beam 412 are no longer aligned. At the time of realignment, beam 406 from UE 402 and beam 408 from UE 404 are now aligned. The terms "alignment," "realignment," and "beamforming" (and similar terms such as, for example, aligned, aligning, realigned, and realign) may be used interchangeably in this disclosure.

[0025] Figure 5A is a schematic diagram showing side information exchange in low frequency sidelink communication; and Figure 5B is a schematic diagram illustrating side information assisted beam maintenance in sidelink communications consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 5A and Figure 5B , the communication system includes UE 502 and UE 504 communicating with each other via sidelink communication. For example, the sidelink communication may be V2X communication, and both UE 502 and UE 504 are vehicles. In the communication system, UE 502 may be a Tx UE, and UE 504 may be a Rx UE. In some embodiments, as Figure 5AAs shown, UE 502 and UE 504 use, for example, omnidirectional antennas to exchange side information using low-band signals (e.g., below 6 GHz). The exchanged side information may include, for example, the current position, speed, and predicted path of UE 502 or UE 504. UE 502 and UE 504 may exchange side information periodically (e.g., every 100 ms). For example, UE 502 and UE 504 may exchange side information by periodically broadcasting sidelink signals (such as, European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) Cooperative Awareness Message (CAM) or Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Basic Safety Message (BSM)).

[0026] Since UE 502 and UE 504 can detect their relative positions to each other by periodically exchanging BSMs or CAMs at a low frequency, they can also detect changes in their relative angles and adjust their beams accordingly. Figure 5B As shown, beam 510 from UE 502 and beam 512 from UE 504 are a pair of beams that were previously aligned, and beam 506 from UE 502 and beam 508 from UE 504 have been realigned after beam maintenance. In some embodiments, after the side information exchange, for beam-based sidelink communication, UE 502 and UE 504 may use a limited (small) number of candidate training pairs (e.g., three beam pairs, by Figure 5B ) to perform beam alignment. Depending on the position or angle estimation error, the selected three beam pairs may cover a certain angle space instead of the entire angle space. In some embodiments, using BSM or CAM, UE 502 and UE 504 may further share information of predicted paths. The predicted (or estimated) path may be a path that the transmitting UE expects to traverse in the form of a radius of curvature. By exchanging information of predicted paths, UE 502 and UE 504 may estimate when they need to readjust their beams, and train a limited number of beam candidates based on the information of the predicted paths, so that they can further reduce the overhead of beam tracking. UE 502 and UE 504 may exchange side information through at least one of the PHY layer, MAC layer, or higher layers (network layer, transport layer, application layer, etc.).

[0027] Figure 6is a schematic diagram illustrating an exchange of estimated future positions for beam maintenance in beam-based sidelink communications consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 6 , the sidelink communication system 600 includes a Tx UE and an Rx UE that communicate with each other via a beam-based sidelink communication. The sidelink communication may be a V2X communication, and both the Tx UE and the Rx UE are vehicles. The Tx UE and the Rx UE may exchange future location information (e.g., area ID and sub-area ID) at a lower layer (e.g., a PHY layer or a MAC layer) for beam tracking and resource reservation. First, the Tx UE and the Rx UE may exchange their estimated future locations. The future location may be an estimated (e.g., expected) location at a time later than the current time. For example, as Figure 6 As shown, at T0, the Tx UE transmits a sidelink signal to the Rx UE, the sidelink signal indicating that the estimated future position of the Tx UE at T1 (a time later than T0) is area ID A. Upon receiving the sidelink signal from the Tx UE, at T0', the Rx UE may transmit a response signal (e.g., confirmation) to the Tx UE, the response signal indicating that the estimated future position of the Rx UE at T1 is area ID B. Next, during a time period including T1 (e.g., before, during, or after T1), the Tx UE and the Rx UE respectively determine and possibly also adjust their Tx beams and Rx beams based on the exchanged future position information. Thereafter, the Tx UE and the Rx UE may communicate using the determined (and possibly adjusted) Tx beams and Rx beams. In this way, beam tracking (maintenance) with low signaling overhead for beam-based sidelink communication in the millimeter wave band may be achieved.

[0028] Figure 6 The process shown in is merely an exemplary embodiment. The scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In one embodiment, the determination and possible adjustment of the Tx beam at the Tx UE, and the determination and possible adjustment of the Rx beam at the Rx UE, may occur at different times. For example, the Tx UE may perform the determination and possible adjustment of the Tx beam in a first event, and the Rx UE may perform the determination and possible adjustment of the Rx beam in a second event, wherein the first event and the second event occur at two different time points but within a specific time range. The time range may be configured by a network node or at the Tx UE and the Rx UE.

[0029] In one embodiment, T0 and T0' may be the same time. For example, the Rx UE may transmit a sidelink signal to the Tx UE indicating that the estimated future position of the Rx UE at T1 is area ID B, while the Tx UE transmits a sidelink signal to the Rx UE indicating that the estimated future position of the Tx UE at T1 is area ID A. In this embodiment, the sidelink signal transmitted from the Rx UE may be an autonomous signal, rather than a response (or confirmation) to a sidelink signal received from the Tx UE. In another embodiment, T0' may be earlier than T0 (i.e., the Rx UE may transmit its sidelink signal before the Tx UE transmits its sidelink signal).

[0030] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a method for indicating an estimated future position of a UE consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, Figure 7 As shown, multiple two-dimensional (2D) zones are configured. Each zone has a unique identification (ID) number (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, ..., 132). For example, a zone with an ID of 1 is configured. Each dimension (e.g., width and length) L of the zone is also configured, for example, from 1, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50m (e.g., when each zone is two-dimensional (2D) and has a substantially square shape). The zone size L can be any other number, such as less than 1m or greater than 50m. In this way, the estimated future position of the UE is indicated using the ID of the zone where the UE is expected to be located. In some embodiments, instead of a 2D zone, a 3D zone corresponding to 3D beamforming (i.e., horizontal and vertical beamforming) is also configured.

[0031] In some embodiments, finer sub-regions corresponding to regions within the traditional region are used for beam management, thereby increasing the resolution of the position indication. For example, the traditional region ID may be used to determine the top left position of the region, while the finer (new) region ID may be used to identify the sub-region for beamforming purposes.

[0032] In one embodiment, for example, the sub-regions may be determined as follows: x1=Floor(x)Mod L; y1=Floor(y)Mod L; Sub-Zone_id=y1*L+x1. Wherein L is the above-mentioned zone size included in the sidelink zone configuration (sl-ZoneConfig); x is the longitude geodesic distance between the current position of the UE and the geographic coordinate (0,0) according to the WGS84 model, and is expressed in meters; y is the latitude geodesic distance between the current position of the UE and the geographic coordinate (0,0) according to the WGS84 model, and is expressed in meters.

[0033] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram showing an exemplary communication process in sidelink communication consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 8 , the process includes the following steps: Initially, at time T0, the Tx UE may transmit one or more packets to the Rx UE. The one or more packets may include one or more TBs and SCI. The SCI includes the estimated future position (e.g., area ID and sub-area ID) of the Tx UE at T1 (a time later than T0). The estimated future position may be carried as at least one of the SCI at the PHY layer, the MAC CE at the MAC layer, or higher layer information (e.g., using the Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol). The SCI may also include resource reservations for the HARQ packets to be transmitted at T1 and / or the next (one or more) TB packets. In some embodiments, the Tx UE may transmit the one or more packets and the SCI separately. In some embodiments, the Tx UE may transmit only the SCI.

[0034] Then, at time T0' (T0' is a time later than T0 but earlier than T1), after the Rx UE receives the one or more packets and / or SCI from the Tx UE, the Rx UE transmits a signal (e.g., ACK). The signal may include the estimated future location of the Rx UE at T1 (e.g., area ID and sub-area ID). The estimated future location of the Rx UE may be subsequently carried by at least one of the SCI at the PHY, the MAC CE at the MAC layer, or higher layer information (e.g., using the RRC protocol).

[0035] In one embodiment, T0 and T0' are the same time. For example, the Rx UE may transmit a sidelink signal to the Tx UE indicating that the estimated future position of the Rx UE at T1 is area ID B, while the Tx UE transmits a sidelink signal to the Rx UE indicating that the estimated future position of the Tx UE at T1 is area ID A. In this embodiment, the sidelink signal transmitted from the Rx UE is an autonomous signal, rather than a response (or confirmation) to the sidelink signal received from the Tx UE, which indicates that the estimated future position of the Rx UE at T1 is area ID B. In another embodiment, T0' may be earlier than T0 (i.e., the Rx UE may transmit its sidelink signal before the Tx UE transmits its sidelink signal).

[0036] After T0', the Tx UE may perform beam training and / or refinement on one or more beams of the multiple candidate Tx beams. Similarly, the Rx UE may also perform beam training and / or refinement on one or more beams of the multiple candidate Rx beams. In some embodiments, the Tx UE and the Rx UE perform beam training and / or refinement at the same time. In some embodiments, the Tx UE and the Rx UE perform beam training and / or refinement at different times. In some embodiments, both the Tx UE and the Rx UE omit beam training and / or refinement. In some embodiments, only one of the Tx UE and the Rx UE performs beam training and / or refinement.

[0037] During a time period including T1 (e.g., before, during, or after T1), the Tx UE determines (and possibly also adjusts) one or more Tx beams for transmission from the Tx UE based on future position information of the Rx UE at T1. In addition, during the time period including T1, the Rx UE determines (and possibly also adjusts) one or more Rx beams for reception by the Rx UE based on future position information of the Tx UE at T1. In one embodiment, the Tx UE and the Rx UE simultaneously perform determination (and possibly adjustment) of the corresponding one or more Tx beams and one or more Rx beams. In another embodiment, the Tx UE and the Rx UE may perform determination (and possibly adjustment) of the corresponding one or more Tx beams and one or more Rx beams at different times. For example, the Tx UE may perform determination and possible adjustment of the Tx beam in a first event, and the Rx UE may perform determination and possible adjustment of the Rx beam in a second event, wherein the first event and the second event are different times but within a specific duration. This duration may be configured by the network node or at the Tx UE and / or the Rx UE.

[0038] Thereafter, the Tx UE may transmit one or more packets to the Rx UE. The one or more packets may include an SCI including the estimated future position information of the Tx UE at T2 (T2 is a time later than T1). The SCI may also include resource reservation information. The above steps may then be repeated. In some embodiments, the Tx UE may omit transmission after beam determination (and possible adjustment), and the process is repeated from the beginning (at T0). In some embodiments, the Tx UE may transmit the one or more packets and the SCI separately. In some embodiments, the Tx UE may transmit only the SCI.

[0039] In some embodiments, assuming that the speed and heading are constant, a simple estimation technique based on the UE's current position, speed, and heading can be used to calculate the expected future position of the UE. In some embodiments, a more advanced estimation technique that takes into account vehicle dynamics can be used to calculate the expected future position of the UE. The future position information can be indicated by the SCI in the FR1 frequency band (e.g., 5.9 GHz) and / or the FR2 mmWave frequency band. In some embodiments, the region size L (e.g., Figure 7 shown) is small enough (e.g., 1 m or less) so that the position information is useful for beam management.

[0040] The methods described in the present disclosure can be applied to any sidelink communication, for example, Long Term Evolution (LTE) or New Radio (NR) or future generation (sixth generation (6G), seventh generation (7G) or any future generation) sidelink communication. The methods described in the present disclosure can also be applied to downlink / uplink communications between a base station and a UE. The methods described in the present disclosure can also be applied to other systems, for example, systems that comply with other standards (e.g., Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standards).

[0041] Fig. 9 1 is a flow chart illustrating a method 900 for sidelink beam maintenance in sidelink communication consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 900 may be performed by a Tx UE in sidelink communication, such as Figure 6 and Figure 8 Tx UE.

[0042] The method 900 includes: step 902, the first UE obtains resource reservation information and future location information of the first UE, the future location information of the first UE including an estimated first location of the first UE at a first time later than the current time. In some embodiments, the first UE determines the estimated first location of the first UE at the first time based on at least one of the following: the current location of the first UE, the speed of the first UE, the heading of the first UE, or the planned trajectory of the first UE.

[0043] The method 900 includes: step 904, transmitting resource reservation information and future location information of the first UE to the second UE. In some embodiments, the first UE may use a low frequency band (e.g., FR1) to transmit the resource reservation information and future location information of the first UE. In some embodiments, the first UE may use a high frequency band (e.g., FR2 or a millimeter wave band) to transmit the resource reservation information and future location information of the first UE.

[0044] In some embodiments, the resource reservation information and future location information of the first UE may be transmitted via at least one of the SCI at the PHY layer, the MAC CE at the MAC layer, or higher layer information. The higher layer may be a network layer, a transport layer, or an application layer. The higher layer may utilize the RRC protocol.

[0045] In some embodiments, resource reservation information and future location information of the first UE are included in a packet transmitted from the first UE to the second UE.

[0046] In some embodiments, the future location information of the first UE is indicated as an ID of an area in a plurality of two-dimensional or three-dimensional areas. The plurality of areas may be configured by a network node or preconfigured at the first UE. In some embodiments, the future location information of the first UE is indicated as two or more IDs of an area in a plurality of two-dimensional or three-dimensional areas, the two or more IDs of the area including a sub-area ID used for beamforming. The plurality of areas may be configured by a network node or preconfigured at the first UE.

[0047] The method 900 includes: step 906, receiving a signal including future location information of the second UE from the second UE, the future location information of the second UE including an estimated second location of the second UE at the first time. In some embodiments, the signal received from the second UE may include a HARQ confirmation message. In some embodiments, the future location information of the second UE is transmitted via at least one of an SCI at a PHY layer, a MAC CE at a MAC layer, or higher layer information. The higher layer may utilize an RRC protocol.

[0048] In some embodiments, the future location information of the second UE is indicated as an ID of an area in a plurality of two-dimensional or three-dimensional areas. The plurality of areas may be configured by a network node or preconfigured at the first UE. In some embodiments, the future location information of the second UE is indicated as two or more IDs of an area in a plurality of two-dimensional or three-dimensional areas, the two or more IDs of the area including a sub-area ID used for beamforming, the plurality of areas being configured or preconfigured.

[0049] Method 900 includes: step 908, determining one or more beams for transmission from the first UE based on the future position information of the second UE. In some embodiments, the first UE may perform beam training on one or more beams of the multiple beams before determining the one or more beams. In some embodiments, the first UE may determine the beam for transmission based on a trigger signal received via a sidelink transmission. In some embodiments, method 900 may also include the first UE using the determined one or more beams to transmit to the second UE, or the first UE repeating at least one of method 900 from step 902. In some embodiments, the first UE may determine one or more beams for transmission from the first UE within a time period, the time period including the first time. For example, the time period may extend from step 906 to the first UE using the determined one or more beams to transmit to the second UE, or the first UE repeating at least one of method 900 from step 902.

[0050] In some embodiments, the future location information of the first UE is the first future location information of the first UE, and the first UE may also use the determined one or more beams to transmit a packet to the second UE. The packet may include the second future location information of the first UE. The second future location information of the first UE may include an estimated third location of the first UE at a second time later than the first time. The estimated third location is the same as or different from the estimated first location or the estimated second location. And, the steps of method 900 may continue by repeating method 900 from step 902.

[0051] Fig.10 1 is a flow chart illustrating a method 1000 for sidelink beam maintenance in sidelink communication consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 1000 may be performed by an Rx UE in sidelink communication, such as Figure 6 or Figure 8 RxUE.

[0052] Method 1000 includes: step 1002, receiving, by a second UE from a first UE, resource reservation information and future location information of the first UE, wherein the future location information of the first UE includes an estimated first location of the first UE at a first time later than a current time. In some embodiments, the resource reservation information and future location information of the first UE may be included in a packet transmitted from the first UE to the second UE.

[0053] In some embodiments, the future location information of the first UE may be indicated as an ID of an area in a plurality of two-dimensional or three-dimensional areas. The plurality of areas may be configured by a network node or preconfigured at the first UE. In some embodiments, the future location information of the first UE is indicated as two or more IDs of an area in a plurality of two-dimensional or three-dimensional areas, the two or more IDs of the area including a sub-area ID used for beamforming. The plurality of areas may be configured by a network node or preconfigured at the first UE.

[0054] The method 1000 includes: step 1004, in response to receiving resource reservation information and future location information of the first UE, transmitting a signal to the first UE, the signal including the future location information of the second UE, the future location information of the second UE including the estimated second location of the second UE at the first time. The second UE may determine the estimated second location of the second UE at the first time based on at least one of the following: the current location of the second UE, the speed of the second UE, the heading of the second UE, or the planned trajectory of the second UE. In some embodiments, the signal transmitted to the first UE may include a HARQ confirmation message.

[0055] In some embodiments, the future location information of the second UE is transmitted via at least one of the SCI at the PHY layer, the MAC CE at the MAC layer, or higher layer information. The higher layer may utilize the RRC protocol. In some embodiments, the future location information of the second UE is transmitted using a low frequency band (e.g., FR1). In some embodiments, the future location information of the second UE is transmitted using a high frequency band (e.g., a millimeter wave band).

[0056] In some embodiments, the future location information of the second UE is indicated as an ID of an area in a plurality of two-dimensional or three-dimensional areas. The plurality of areas may be configured or preconfigured. In some embodiments, the future location information of the second UE is indicated as two or more IDs of an area in a plurality of two-dimensional or three-dimensional areas, the two or more IDs of the area including a sub-area ID used for beamforming. The plurality of areas may be configured or preconfigured.

[0057] Method 1000 includes: step 1006, determining one or more beams for reception by the second UE based on the future position information of the first UE. In some embodiments, method 1000 may also include, at least one of, the second UE receiving the determined one or more beams from the first UE, or the second UE repeating method 1000 from step 1002. In some embodiments, the second UE may determine the one or more beams for reception by the second UE within a time period, and the time period includes the first time. For example, the time period may extend from step 1004 to, the second UE receiving the determined one or more beams from the first UE, or the second UE repeating method 1000 from step 1002. In some embodiments, the second UE may perform beam training on one or more beams of the plurality of beams before determining the one or more beams.

[0058] In some embodiments, the second UE may use the determined one or more beams to receive a packet from the first UE. In some embodiments, the future location information of the first UE is the first future location information of the first UE, and the packet may include the second future location information of the first UE. The second future location information of the first UE may include an estimated third location of the first UE at a second time later than the first time. The estimated third location may be the same as or different from the estimated first location or the estimated second location. The steps of method 1000 may continue by repeating the method from step 1002.

[0059] Fig.11 1 shows a block diagram of a UE 1100 consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, Figure 6 and Figure 8 Each of the TxUE and the Rx UE in the embodiment may be in the form of a UE 1100. The UE 1100 may be installed in a mobile vehicle or in a fixed location. The UE 1100 may take any form, including but not limited to a vehicle, a component installed in a vehicle, a roadside unit, a laptop computer, a wireless terminal including a mobile phone, a wireless handheld device, or a wireless personal device, or any other form. Fig.11, UE 1100 may include an antenna 1102, which may be used to transmit electromagnetic signals to a base station or other UEs, or to receive electromagnetic signals from a base station or other UEs. Antenna 1102 may include one or more antenna elements, and may enable different input-output antenna configurations, such as a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) configuration, a multiple input single output (MISO) configuration, and a single input multiple output (SIMO) configuration. In some embodiments, antenna 1102 may include multiple (e.g., dozens or hundreds) of antenna elements, and may enable multi-antenna functions such as beamforming. In some embodiments, antenna 1102 is a single antenna. Antenna 1102 may be a FR1 antenna or a FR2 antenna.

[0060] UE 1100 may include a transceiver 1104 coupled to antenna 1102. Transceiver 1104 may be a wireless transceiver at UE 1100 and may communicate bidirectionally with a base station or other UEs. For example, transceiver 1104 may receive / transmit wireless signals from / to a base station via downlink / uplink communications. Transceiver 1104 may also receive / transmit wireless signals from / to other UEs or roadside units via sidelink communications. Transceiver 1104 may include a modem for modulating packets and providing the modulated packets to antenna 1102 for transmission, and for demodulating packets received from antenna 1102.

[0061] UE 1100 may include memory 1106. Memory 1106 may be any type of computer-readable storage medium, including volatile or non-volatile memory devices, or a combination thereof. Computer-readable storage media include, but are not limited to, non-transitory computer storage media. Non-transitory storage media may be accessed by general-purpose or special-purpose computers. Examples of non-transitory storage media include, but are not limited to, portable computer floppy disks, hard disks, random access memories (RAM), erasable programmable read-only memories (EPROM), read-only memories (ROM), electrically erasable programmable ROMs (EEPROM), digital versatile disks (DVD), flash memory, compact disks (CD) ROMs or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, etc. Non-transitory media may be used to carry or store desired program code devices (e.g., instructions and / or data structures), and may be accessed by general-purpose or special-purpose computers, or general-purpose or special-purpose processors. In some examples, the software / program code may be transmitted from a remote source (e.g., a website, a server, etc.) using a coaxial cable, a fiber optic cable, a twisted pair, a digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwaves. In such examples, coaxial cables, fiber optic cables, twisted pairs, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwaves are within the scope of the medium definition. Combinations of the above examples are also within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0062] The memory 1106 may store information related to the identification of the UE 1100 and the signals and / or data received by the antenna 1102. The memory 1106 may also store post-processed signals and / or data. The memory 1106 may also store computer-readable program instructions, mathematical models, and algorithms used in the signal processing in the receiver 1104 and the calculations in the processor 1108. The memory 1106 may also store computer-readable program instructions, which are used to be executed by the processor 1108 to operate the UE 1100 to perform various functions described in the present disclosure. In some examples, the memory 1106 may include a basic input / output system (BIOS), which may control basic hardware or software operations, such as interaction with peripheral components or devices. In some embodiments, the memory 1106 includes both an LTE SL module and an NR SL module. In some embodiments, the memory 1106 includes only an NR SL module. In some embodiments, the memory 1106 includes only an LTE SL module.

[0063] The computer-readable program instructions of the present disclosure can be assembly instructions, instruction set architecture (Instruction-Set-Architecture, ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine-related instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state setting data, or source code or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages ​​(including object-oriented programming languages ​​and traditional procedural programming languages). The computer-readable program instructions can be executed completely on a computing device as an independent software package, or partly executed on a first computing device and partly executed on a second computing device away from the first computing device. In the latter scenario, the second computing device away can be connected to the first computing device through any type of network (including a local area network (Local Area Network, LAN) or a wide area network (Wide Area Network, WAN)).

[0064] UE 1100 may include a processor 1108, which may include a hardware device with processing capabilities. Processor 1108 may include at least one of a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic component, a discrete hardware component, or other programmable logic devices. Examples of general-purpose processors include, but are not limited to, microprocessors, any conventional processors, controllers, microcontrollers, or state machines. In some embodiments, processor 1108 may be implemented using a combination of devices (e.g., 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). Processor 1108 may receive downlink signals or sidelink signals from transceiver 1104 and further process the signals. Processor 1108 may also receive data packets from transceiver 1104 and further process the packets. In some embodiments, processor 1108 may be configured to operate a memory using a memory controller. In some embodiments, the memory controller may be integrated into the processor 1108. The processor 1108 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (eg, the memory 1106) to enable the UE 1100 to perform various functions.

[0065] UE 1100 may include a Global Positioning System (GPS) 1110. GPS 1110 may be used to enable location-based services or other services based on the geographic location of UE 1100, and / or synchronization between UEs. GPS 1110 may receive a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signal from a single satellite or multiple satellite signals via antenna 1102 and provide the geographic location of UE 1100 (e.g., coordinates of UE 1100). In some embodiments, GPS 1110 is omitted. In some embodiments, a timer is included.

[0066] UE 1100 may include an input / output (I / O) device 1112, which may be used to communicate the results of signal processing and calculation to a user or other device. I / O device 1112 may include a user interface, which includes a display and an input device for transmitting user commands to processor 1108. The display may be configured to display the state of signal reception at UE 1100, the data stored at memory 1106, the state of signal processing and the results of calculation, etc. The display may include, but is not limited to, a cathode ray tube (CRT), a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light-emitting diode (LED), a plasma gas display, a touch screen, or other image projection devices for displaying information to a user. The input device may be any type of computer hardware device for receiving data and control signals from a user. The input device may include, but is not limited to, a keyboard, a mouse, a scanner, a digital camera, a joystick, a trackball, a cursor direction key, a touch screen monitor, or an audio / video commander, etc.

[0067] UE 1100 may also include a machine interface 1114 , such as an electrical bus that connects the transceiver 1104 , memory 1106 , processor 1108 , GPS 1110 , and I / O devices 1112 .

[0068] In some embodiments, UE 1100 may be a transmitter UE (eg, a first UE) in sidelink communication (eg, Figure 6 and Figure 8 The processor 1108 may be configured or programmed to execute instructions stored in the memory 1106 to: obtain resource reservation information and future position information of the first UE, the future position information of the first UE including an estimated first position of the first UE at a first time later than the current time; transmit the resource reservation information and future position information of the first UE to the second UE; receive a signal including the future position information of the second UE from the second UE, the future position information of the second UE including the estimated second position of the second UE at the first time; and determine one or more beams for transmission from the first UE based on the future position information of the second UE.

[0069] In some embodiments, UE 1100 may be a receiving UE (eg, a second UE) in a sidelink communication (eg, Figure 6 and Figure 8The processor 1108 may be configured or programmed to execute instructions stored in the memory 1106 to: receive resource reservation information and future location information of the first UE from the first UE, the future location information of the first UE including an estimated first location of the first UE at a first time later than the current time; in response to receiving the resource reservation information and future location information of the first UE, transmit a signal to the first UE, the signal including future location information of the second UE, the future location information of the second UE including an estimated second location of the second UE at the first time; and determine one or more beams for reception by the second UE based on the future location information of the first UE.

[0070] As used in this disclosure, the use of the term "or" in a list of items indicates an inclusive list. A list of items may be prefixed with phrases such as "at least one" or "one or more". For example, a list of at least one of A, B, or C includes A or B or C or AB (i.e., A and B) or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C). In addition, as used in this disclosure, prefixing a list of conditions with the phrase "based on" should not be interpreted as "based only on" a set of conditions, but rather should be interpreted as "based at least in part on" a set of conditions. For example, a result described as "based on condition A" may be based on both condition A and condition B without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0071] In this specification, the terms "include", "contain" or "comprises" are used interchangeably and have the same meaning and are interpreted as inclusive and open-ended. The terms "include", "contain" or "comprises" may be used before a list of elements and indicate that at least all of the listed elements in the list are present, but other elements that are not in the list may also be present. For example, if A includes B and C, then {B, C} and {B, C, D} are both within the scope of A.

[0072] In conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the present disclosure describes example configurations that do not represent all examples that can be implemented or all configurations within the scope of the present disclosure. The term "exemplary" should not be interpreted as "preferred" or "advantageous compared to other examples", but should be interpreted as "illustration, instance, or example". By reading this disclosure, including the description of the embodiments and the accompanying drawings, a person of ordinary skill in the art will understand that alternative embodiments can be used to implement the technology disclosed herein. Those skilled in the art will understand that the embodiments described herein or certain features of the embodiments can be combined to obtain other embodiments for practicing the technology described in the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein, but should conform to the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

[0073] The flowchart and block diagram in the figure show examples of the architecture, functions and operations of possible implementations of the systems, methods and devices according to various embodiments. It should be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions marked in the box may occur outside the order marked in the figure. For example, depending on the functions involved, the two boxes shown in succession can actually be executed substantially simultaneously, or the boxes can sometimes be executed in reverse order. Similarly, in the method consistent with various embodiments, additional steps may be included in such a method, and some steps may be omitted or combined.

[0074] It should be understood that the described embodiments are not mutually exclusive, and elements, components, materials or steps described in conjunction with one exemplary embodiment may be combined with or eliminated from other embodiments in a suitable manner to achieve the desired design purpose.

[0075] References herein to "some embodiments" or "some exemplary embodiments" mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in conjunction with the embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment. The appearance of the phrases "one embodiment," "some embodiments," or "another embodiment" throughout this disclosure does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor are they necessarily separate or alternative embodiments that are mutually exclusive with other embodiments.

[0076] In addition, the articles "a" and "an" as used in this disclosure and the appended claims should generally be construed to mean "one or more" unless specified otherwise or clearly directed to a singular form by context.

[0077] Unless expressly stated otherwise, each numerical value and range should be interpreted as being approximate, as would the word "about" or "approximately" preceding the value of the numerical value or range.

[0078] Although elements in the following method claims, if any, are recited in a specific order, these elements are not necessarily intended to be limited to being implemented in that specific order unless the claim recitation otherwise implies a specific order for implementing some or all of these elements.

[0079] It should be understood that certain features of the present disclosure described in the context of separate embodiments for the sake of clarity may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of the present specification described in the context of a single embodiment for the sake of brevity may also be provided separately, or in any suitable sub-combination, or as appropriate in any other described embodiment of the present specification. Certain features described in the context of various embodiments are not essential features of these embodiments unless otherwise stated.

[0080] It will be further understood that those skilled in the art may make various modifications, substitutions and changes to the details, materials and arrangements of the components described and illustrated for the purpose of explaining the nature of the described embodiments without departing from the scope. Accordingly, the appended claims cover all such substitutions, modifications and changes falling within the aspects of the claims.

[0081] Clause 1. A first user equipment (UE) for sidelink beam maintenance in sidelink communication, the first UE comprising: a memory storing instructions; and a processor configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to: Obtain resource reservation information and future location information of the first UE, where the future location information of the first UE includes an estimated first location of the first UE at a first time later than a current time; transmitting the resource reservation information and the future location information of the first UE to a second UE; receiving, from the second UE, a signal including the future location information of the second UE, the future location information of the second UE including an estimated second location of the second UE at the first time; and Based on the future location information of the second UE, one or more beams for transmission from the first UE are determined.

[0082] Clause 2. A first UE according to clause 1, wherein the one or more beams used for transmission from the first UE are determined within a time period, the time period including the first time.

[0083] Clause 3. The first UE of clause 1, wherein the processor is further configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to: Prior to determining the one or more beams for transmission from the first UE, beam training is performed on one or more beams of the plurality of beams.

[0084] Clause 4. The first UE of clause 1, wherein the processor is further configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to: The determined one or more beams are used to transmit packets to the second UE.

[0085] Clause 5. A first UE according to Clause 4, wherein the future location information of the first UE is the first future location information of the first UE, and wherein the group includes the second future location information of the first UE, the second future location information of the first UE includes an estimated third location of the first UE at a second time later than the first time, and the estimated third location is the same as or different from the estimated first location or the estimated second location.

[0086] Clause 6. The first UE of Clause 1, wherein, in obtaining the resource reservation information and the future location information of the first UE, the processor is further configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory to: The estimated first position of the first UE at the first time is determined based on at least one of: a current position of the first UE, a speed of the first UE, a heading of the first UE, or a planned trajectory of the first UE.

[0087] Clause 7. A first UE according to Clause 1, wherein the resource reservation information and the future location information of the first UE are transmitted via at least one of sidelink control information (SCI) at the physical layer, media access control (MAC) control element (CE) at the MAC layer, or higher layer information.

[0088] Clause 8. The first UE of Clause 1, wherein the resource reservation information and the future location information of the first UE are transmitted using FR1.

[0089] Clause 9. The first UE according to clause 1, wherein the resource reservation information and the future location information of the first UE are transmitted using a millimeter wave frequency band.

[0090] Clause 10. The first UE of Clause 1, wherein the future location information of the second UE is transmitted via at least one of an SCI at a physical layer, a MAC CE at a MAC layer, or higher layer information.

[0091] Clause 11. The first UE of Clause 1, wherein the resource reservation information and the future location information of the first UE are included in a packet transmitted from the first UE to the second UE.

[0092] Clause 12. A first UE according to clause 1, wherein the future location information of the first UE is indicated as an identification (ID) of a region among a plurality of regions in two or three dimensions, the plurality of regions being configured or preconfigured.

[0093] Clause 13. A first UE according to Clause 1, wherein the future location information of the first UE is indicated as two or more IDs of an area among multiple areas in two or three dimensions, the two or more IDs of the area include a sub-area ID used for beamforming, and the multiple areas are configured or pre-configured.

[0094] Clause 14. The first UE according to clause 1, wherein the future location information of the second UE is indicated as an ID of an area among a plurality of areas in two or three dimensions, the plurality of areas being configured or preconfigured.

[0095] Clause 15. A first UE according to Clause 1, wherein the future location information of the second UE is indicated as two or more IDs of an area among multiple areas in two or three dimensions, the two or more IDs of the area include a sub-area ID used for beamforming, and the multiple areas are configured or pre-configured.

[0096] Clause 16. A first UE according to clause 1, wherein the processor is also configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory to receive a trigger signal via a sidelink transmission, and wherein determining the one or more beams for transmission from the first UE is based on the trigger signal.

[0097] Clause 17. The first UE of Clause 1, wherein the signal received from the second UE comprises a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) acknowledgement message.

[0098] Clause 18. A second user equipment (UE) for sidelink beam maintenance in sidelink communications, the second UE comprising: a memory storing instructions; and a processor configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to: receiving, from a first UE, resource reservation information and future location information of the first UE, the future location information of the first UE comprising an estimated first location of the first UE at a first time later than a current time; In response to receiving the resource reservation information and the future location information of the first UE, transmitting a signal to the first UE, the signal including the future location information of the second UE, the future location information of the second UE including an estimated second location of the second UE at the first time; and Based on the future location information of the first UE, one or more beams for reception by the second UE are determined.

[0099] Clause 19. A second UE according to clause 18, wherein the one or more beams used for reception by the second UE are determined within a time period, the time period including the first time.

[0100] Clause 20. The second UE of clause 18, wherein the processor is further configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to: Prior to determining the one or more beams for reception by the second UE, beam training is performed on one or more beams of the plurality of beams.

[0101] Clause 21. The second UE of clause 18, wherein the processor is further configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to: Packets are received from the first UE using the determined one or more beams.

[0102] Clause 22. A second UE according to Clause 21, wherein the future location information of the first UE is the first future location information of the first UE, and wherein the group includes the second future location information of the first UE, the second future location information of the first UE includes an estimated third location of the first UE at a second time later than the first time, and the estimated third location is the same as or different from the estimated first location or the estimated second location.

[0103] Clause 23. The second UE of clause 18, wherein the processor is further configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to: The estimated second position of the second UE at the first time is determined based on at least one of: a current position of the second UE, a speed of the second UE, a heading of the second UE, or a planned trajectory of the second UE.

[0104] Clause 24. A second UE according to Clause 18, wherein the future location information of the second UE is transmitted via at least one of sidelink control information (SCI) at the physical layer, media access control (MAC) control element (CE) at the MAC layer, or higher layer information.

[0105] Clause 25. The second UE of clause 18, wherein the future location information of the second UE is transmitted using FR1.

[0106] Clause 26. The second UE of clause 18, wherein the future location information of the second UE is transmitted using a millimeter wave frequency band.

[0107] Clause 27. The second UE of clause 18, wherein the resource reservation information and the future location information of the first UE are included in a packet transmitted from the first UE to the second UE.

[0108] Clause 28. A second UE according to clause 18, wherein the future location information of the first UE is indicated as an identification (ID) of a region among a plurality of regions in two or three dimensions, the plurality of regions being configured or preconfigured.

[0109] Clause 29. A second UE according to clause 18, wherein the future location information of the first UE is indicated as two or more IDs of an area among multiple areas in two or three dimensions, the two or more IDs of the area include a sub-area ID used for beamforming, and the multiple areas are configured or pre-configured.

[0110] Clause 30. A second UE as described in clause 18, wherein the future location information of the second UE is indicated as an ID of an area among a plurality of areas in two or three dimensions, the plurality of areas being configured or preconfigured.

[0111] Clause 31. A second UE according to Clause 18, wherein the future location information of the second UE is indicated as two or more IDs of an area among multiple areas in two or three dimensions, the two or more IDs of the area include a sub-area ID used for beamforming, and the multiple areas are configured or pre-configured.

[0112] Clause 32. A method for sidelink beam maintenance in sidelink communications, the method comprising: Obtaining, by a first user equipment (UE), resource reservation information and future location information of the first UE, wherein the future location information of the first UE includes an estimated first location of the first UE at a first time later than a current time; transmitting the resource reservation information and the future location information of the first UE to a second UE; receiving, from the second UE, a signal including the future location information of the second UE, the future location information of the second UE including an estimated second location of the second UE at the first time; and Based on the future location information of the second UE, one or more beams for transmission from the first UE are determined.

[0113] Clause 33. A method according to clause 32, wherein the one or more beams used for transmission from the first UE are determined within a time period, the time period including the first time.

[0114] Clause 34. The method according to clause 32, further comprising: Prior to determining the one or more beams for transmission from the first UE, beam training is performed on one or more beams of the plurality of beams.

[0115] Clause 35. The method according to clause 32, further comprising: The determined one or more beams are used to transmit packets to the second UE.

[0116] Clause 36. A method according to Clause 35, wherein the future location information of the first UE is the first future location information of the first UE, and wherein the group includes the second future location information of the first UE, the second future location information of the first UE includes an estimated third location of the first UE at a second time later than the first time, and the estimated third location is the same as or different from the estimated first location or the estimated second location.

[0117] Clause 37. The method of clause 32, wherein obtaining the resource reservation information and the future location information of the first UE further comprises: The estimated first position of the first UE at the first time is determined based on at least one of: a current position of the first UE, a speed of the first UE, a heading of the first UE, or a planned trajectory of the first UE.

[0118] Clause 38. A method according to clause 32, wherein the resource reservation information and the future location information of the first UE are transmitted via at least one of sidelink control information (SCI) at the physical layer, media access control (MAC) control element (CE) at the MAC layer, or higher layer information.

[0119] Clause 39. The method of clause 32, wherein the resource reservation information and the future location information of the first UE are transmitted using FR1.

[0120] Clause 40. The method of clause 32, wherein the resource reservation information and the future location information of the first UE are transmitted using a millimeter wave frequency band.

[0121] Clause 41. The method of clause 32, wherein the future location information of the second UE is transmitted via at least one of an SCI at a physical layer, a MAC CE at a MAC layer, or higher layer information.

[0122] Clause 42. The method of clause 32, wherein the resource reservation information and the future location information of the first UE are included in a packet transmitted from the first UE to the second UE.

[0123] Clause 43. A method according to clause 32, wherein the future location information of the first UE is indicated as an identification (ID) of a region among a plurality of regions in two or three dimensions, the plurality of regions being configured or preconfigured.

[0124] Clause 44. A method according to clause 32, wherein the future location information of the first UE is indicated as two or more IDs of an area among multiple areas in two or three dimensions, the two or more IDs of the area include a sub-area ID used for beamforming, and the multiple areas are configured or pre-configured.

[0125] Clause 45. The method of clause 32, wherein the future location information of the second UE is indicated as an ID of an area among a plurality of areas in two or three dimensions, the plurality of areas being configured or preconfigured.

[0126] Clause 46. A method according to clause 32, wherein the future location information of the second UE is indicated as two or more IDs of an area among multiple areas in two or three dimensions, the two or more IDs of the area include a sub-area ID used for beamforming, and the multiple areas are configured or pre-configured.

[0127] Clause 47. The method of clause 32, further comprising receiving a trigger signal via a sidelink transmission, Therein, determining the one or more beams used for transmission from the first UE is performed based on the trigger signal.

[0128] Clause 48. The method of clause 32, wherein the signal received from the second UE comprises a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) acknowledgement message.

[0129] Clause 49. A method for sidelink beam maintenance in sidelink communications, the method comprising: Receiving, by a second user equipment (UE), resource reservation information and future location information of a first UE from a first UE, the future location information of the first UE comprising an estimated first location of the first UE at a first time later than a current time; In response to receiving the resource reservation information and the future location information of the first UE, transmitting a signal to the first UE, the signal including the future location information of the second UE, the future location information of the second UE including an estimated second location of the second UE at the first time; and Based on the future location information of the first UE, one or more beams for reception by the second UE are determined.

[0130] Clause 50. A method according to clause 49, wherein the one or more beams used for reception by the second UE are determined within a time period, the time period including the first time.

[0131] Clause 51. The method according to clause 49, further comprising: Prior to determining the one or more beams for reception by the second UE, beam training is performed on one or more beams of the plurality of beams.

[0132] Clause 52. The method according to clause 49, further comprising: Packets are received from the first UE using the determined one or more beams.

[0133] Clause 53. A method according to Clause 52, wherein the future location information of the first UE is the first future location information of the first UE, and wherein the group includes the second future location information of the first UE, the second future location information of the first UE includes an estimated third location of the first UE at a second time later than the first time, and the estimated third location is the same as or different from the estimated first location or the estimated second location.

[0134] Clause 54. The method according to clause 49, further comprising: The estimated second position of the second UE at the first time is determined based on at least one of: a current position of the second UE, a speed of the second UE, a heading of the second UE, or a planned trajectory of the second UE.

[0135] Clause 55. A method according to Clause 49, wherein the future location information of the second UE is transmitted via at least one of sidelink control information (SCI) at the physical layer, media access control (MAC) control element (CE) at the MAC layer, or higher layer information.

[0136] Clause 56. The method of clause 49, wherein the future location information of the second UE is transmitted using FR1.

[0137] Clause 57. The method of clause 49, wherein the future location information of the second UE is transmitted using a millimeter wave frequency band.

[0138] Clause 58. The method of clause 49, wherein the resource reservation information and the future location information of the first UE are included in a packet transmitted from the first UE to the second UE.

[0139] Clause 59. A method according to clause 49, wherein the future location information of the first UE is indicated as an identification (ID) of a region among a plurality of regions in two or three dimensions, the plurality of regions being configured or preconfigured.

[0140] Clause 60. A method according to Clause 49, wherein the future location information of the first UE is indicated as two or more IDs of an area among multiple areas in two or three dimensions, the two or more IDs of the area include a sub-area ID used for beamforming, and the multiple areas are configured or pre-configured.

[0141] Clause 61. A method according to clause 49, wherein the future location information of the second UE is indicated as an ID of an area among a plurality of areas in two or three dimensions, the plurality of areas being configured or preconfigured.

[0142] Clause 62. A method according to Clause 49, wherein the future location information of the second UE is indicated as two or more IDs of an area among multiple areas in two or three dimensions, the two or more IDs of the area include a sub-area ID used for beamforming, and the multiple areas are configured or pre-configured.

[0143] Clause 63. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions executable by one or more processors of a first user equipment (UE) in a sidelink communication network to perform a method comprising: Obtain resource reservation information and future location information of the first UE, where the future location information of the first UE includes an estimated first location of the first UE at a first time later than a current time; transmitting the resource reservation information and the future location information of the first UE to a second UE; receiving, from the second UE, a signal including the future location information of the second UE, the future location information of the second UE including an estimated second location of the second UE at the first time; and Based on the future location information of the second UE, one or more beams for transmission from the first UE are determined.

[0144] Clause 64. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions executable by one or more processors of a second user equipment (UE) in sidelink communication to perform a method comprising: receiving, from a first UE, resource reservation information and future location information of the first UE, the future location information of the first UE comprising an estimated first location of the first UE at a first time later than a current time; In response to receiving the resource reservation information and the future location information of the first UE, transmitting a signal to the first UE, the signal including the future location information of the second UE, the future location information of the second UE including an estimated second location of the second UE at the first time; and Based on the future location information of the first UE, one or more beams for reception by the second UE are determined.

Claims

1. A first user equipment (UE) for sidelink beam maintenance in sidelink communication, the first UE include: a memory storing instructions; as well as a processor configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to: Obtain resource reservation information and future location information of the first UE, where the future location information of the first UE includes an estimated first location of the first UE at a first time later than a current time; transmitting the resource reservation information and the future location information of the first UE to a second UE; receiving, from the second UE, a signal including the future location information of the second UE, the future location information of the second UE including an estimated second location of the second UE at the first time; as well as Based on the future location information of the second UE, one or more beams for transmission from the first UE are determined.

2. The first UE according to claim 1, in, The one or more beams used for transmission from the first UE are determined within a time period that includes the first time.

3. The first UE according to claim 1, in, The processor is further configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to: Prior to determining the one or more beams for transmission from the first UE, beam training is performed on one or more beams of the plurality of beams.

4. The first UE according to claim 1, in, The processor is further configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to: The determined one or more beams are used to transmit packets to the second UE.

5. The first UE according to claim 4, in, The future position information of the first UE is the first future position information of the first UE, and wherein the group includes the second future position information of the first UE, the second future position information of the first UE includes an estimated third position of the first UE at a second time later than the first time, and the estimated third position is the same as or different from the estimated first position or the estimated second position.

6. The first UE according to claim 1, in, In obtaining the resource reservation information and the future location information of the first UE, the processor is further configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory to: The estimated first position of the first UE at the first time is determined based on at least one of: a current position of the first UE, a speed of the first UE, a heading of the first UE, or a planned trajectory of the first UE.

7. The first UE according to claim 1, in, The resource reservation information and the future location information of the first UE are transmitted via at least one of Sidelink Control Information (SCI) at a physical layer, a Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) at a MAC layer, or higher layer information.

8. The first UE according to claim 1, in, The resource reservation information and the future location information of the first UE are transmitted using FR1.

9. The first UE according to claim 1, in, The resource reservation information and the future location information of the first UE are transmitted using a millimeter wave frequency band.

10. The first UE according to claim 1, in, The future location information of the second UE is transmitted via at least one of SCI at a physical layer, MAC CE at a MAC layer, or higher layer information.

11. The first UE according to claim 1, in, The resource reservation information and the future location information of the first UE are included in a packet transmitted from the first UE to the second UE.

12. The first UE according to claim 1, in, The future location information of the first UE is indicated as an identification (ID) of a region among a plurality of regions in two or three dimensions, and the plurality of regions are configured or preconfigured.

13. The first UE according to claim 1, in, The future location information of the first UE is indicated as two or more IDs of an area among a plurality of areas in two or three dimensions, the two or more IDs of the area include a sub-area ID used for beamforming, and the plurality of areas are configured or pre-configured.

14. The first UE according to claim 1, in, The future location information of the second UE is indicated as an ID of an area among a plurality of areas in two or three dimensions, and the plurality of areas are configured or preconfigured.

15. The first UE according to claim 1, in, The future location information of the second UE is indicated as two or more IDs of an area among a plurality of areas in two or three dimensions, the two or more IDs of the area include a sub-area ID used for beamforming, and the plurality of areas are configured or pre-configured.

16. The first UE according to claim 1, in, The processor is further configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory to receive a trigger signal via a sidelink transmission, and wherein determining the one or more beams for transmission from the first UE is based on the trigger signal.

17. The first UE according to claim 1, in, The signal received from the second UE includes a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) acknowledgement message.

18. A second user equipment (UE) for sidelink beam maintenance in sidelink communication, the second UE include: a memory storing instructions; as well as a processor configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to: receiving, from a first UE, resource reservation information and future location information of the first UE, the future location information of the first UE comprising an estimated first location of the first UE at a first time later than a current time; In response to receiving the resource reservation information and the future location information of the first UE, transmitting a signal to the first UE, the signal including the future location information of the second UE, the future location information of the second UE including an estimated second location of the second UE at the first time; as well as Based on the future location information of the first UE, one or more beams for reception by the second UE are determined.

19. The second UE according to claim 18, in, The one or more beams used for reception by the second UE are determined within a time period, the time period including the first time.

20. A method for sidelink beam maintenance in sidelink communication, the method include: Obtaining, by a first user equipment (UE), resource reservation information and future location information of the first UE, wherein the future location information of the first UE includes an estimated first location of the first UE at a first time later than a current time; transmitting the resource reservation information and the future location information of the first UE to a second UE; receiving, from the second UE, a signal including the future location information of the second UE, the future location information of the second UE including an estimated second location of the second UE at the first time; as well as Based on the future location information of the second UE, one or more beams for transmission from the first UE are determined.

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