Lateral link communication method for beam management and transmission enhancement

Abstract

Various solutions for beam management and transmission enhancement in sidelink (SL) communications are described. A device may initiate an initial beam pairing (IBP) process for SL communication with a peer device by sending discovery signaling on one or more logical beams or spatial beams. The one or more logical beams are associated with the one or more spatial beams. The device may then receive, on a first spatial beam of the one or more spatial beams, direct communication request signaling from or to the peer device. In addition, the device may send or receive direct communication response signaling to or from the peer device on the first spatial beam.

Description

[0001] Cross-referencing This invention is part of a non-provisional application claiming priority interest, PCT application number PCT / CN2023 / 112656, filed on August 11, 2023, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This invention generally relates to mobile communications, and more specifically to beam management and transmission enhancement in sidelink (SL) communications. Background Technology

[0003] Unless otherwise stated, the methods described in this section are not prior art to the claims listed below, nor are they considered prior art simply because they are included in this section.

[0004] Cellular-based vehicle-to-everything (V2X) (e.g., LTE V2X or New Radio (NR) V2X) is a radio access technology developed by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) to support advanced vehicle applications. In V2X, a direct radio link (also known as a sidelink) can be established between two user equipments (UEs), e.g., those installed in a vehicle. When the UEs are within the coverage area of ​​a cellular network, the sidelink can operate under the control of the cellular network (e.g., for radio resource allocation). Alternatively, when no cellular network is present or inaccessible, the sidelink can operate independently. Specifically, sidelink communication is performed through a direct communication interface called the PC5 interface.

[0005] When implementing mobile communications in higher frequency ranges (e.g., Frequency Range 2 (FR2), typically ranging from 24.25 GHz to 71.0 GHz), certain technologies (e.g., beamforming and beam management) are needed to mitigate the effects of signal and coverage degradation. However, the current framework for sidelink communication in fourth-generation (4G) LTE or fifth-generation (5G) New Radio (NR) does not support beam-related functionality. Due to the lack of beam-related functionality, utilizing high spectrum in sidelink communication presents challenges in maintaining good connection quality.

[0006] Further, to meet the increasing demand for wireless data traffic, utilization of unlicensed spectrum has become an option to improve the capacity of future wireless communication systems, including sidelink communication in 4G LTE or 5G NR. In unlicensed spectrum, a guard band (GB) is provided between adjacent sub-channels to prevent interference and ensure efficient and interference-free communication. Typically, the guard band is unused or unallocated, but due to the demand for more available bandwidth, there is a discussion in 3GPP to allow the use of the guard band in sidelink communication. However, there is still an issue of under what conditions the guard band can be used for sidelink communication without exacerbating interference in unlicensed spectrum. Another issue with utilizing unlicensed spectrum is that certain mechanisms applied to sidelink communication can cause the signal to have a high peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR), which can cause excessive intermodulation distortion of the transmit end power amplifier and cause poor signal detection at the receive end.

[0007] Therefore, there is a need to provide solutions for the above-mentioned sidelink communication issues. SUMMARY

[0008] The following summary is provided merely for purposes of summarizing the novel and non-obvious concepts, highlights, benefits, and advantages of the technologies described herein. This summary is not intended to identify key features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. Detailed description

[0009] It is an object of the present disclosure to propose solutions and designs to address the above-mentioned issues related to SL communication.

[0010] In one aspect, a method can involve a device initiating an initial beam pairing (IBP) procedure for SL communication (e.g., in FR2) with a peer device by transmitting discovery signaling on one or more logical beams or spatial beams. The one or more logical beams are associated with the one or more spatial beams. The method can also involve the device receiving or transmitting, from or to the peer device, direct communication request signaling on a first spatial beam of the one or more spatial beams. The method can also involve the device transmitting or receiving, to or from the peer device, direct communication response signaling on the first spatial beam.

[0011] In one aspect, a method may involve a device responding to an IBP process for SL communication with a peer device (e.g., in FR2) by receiving discovery signaling on one or more logical beams or spatial beams. The one or more logical beams are associated with the one or more spatial beams. The method may also involve the device sending or receiving direct communication request signaling to or from the peer device on a first spatial beam of the one or more spatial beams. The method may further involve the device receiving or sending direct communication response signaling to or from the peer device on the first spatial beam.

[0012] In one aspect, a method may involve a device determining that at least one CRB-based transmission and frequency domain signal repetition is applied to SL-U communication with a peer device. The method may also involve the device, in response to this determination, performing the SL-U communication with the peer device.

[0013] It is worth noting that although the description herein may be made in the context of certain wireless access technologies, networks, and network topologies (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced, LTE-Advanced Pro, 5G, New Radio (NR), Internet of Things (IoT) and Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), B5G, and 6G), the proposed concepts, schemes, and any variations or derivatives thereof can be implemented in other types of wireless access technologies, networks, and network topologies. Therefore, the scope of the invention is not limited to the examples described herein. Attached Figure Description

[0014] The accompanying drawings are provided to further illustrate the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this invention. The drawings depict embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. It is understood that, in order to clearly illustrate the concepts of the invention, the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, and some components shown may be depicted at a scale greater than that in the actual embodiments.

[0015] Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating an example scenario of a communication environment in which various solutions and schemes can be implemented according to this disclosure.

[0016] Figure 2 This is an illustration depicting an example scenario of beam management according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0017] Figure 3 This is an illustration depicting an example scenario of an initial beam pairing (IBP) process based on discovery model A according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0018] Figure 4 This is an illustration depicting an example scenario of an initial beam pairing (IBP) process based on discovery model B according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0019] Figure 5 This is a block diagram of an example communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 6 This is a flowchart of an example process under an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] Figure 7 This is a flowchart of an example process under an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] Figure 8 This is a flowchart of an example process under an embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0023] This document discloses detailed embodiments and implementations of the claimed subject matter. However, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments and implementations are merely illustrative of the claimed subject matter, which can be implemented in various forms. The invention can be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the exemplary embodiments and implementations set forth herein. Rather, these various exemplary embodiments and implementations are provided so that the description of the invention is comprehensive and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. In the following description, details of well-known features and technologies may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the presented embodiments and implementations.

[0024] Overview Embodiments of the present invention relate to various techniques, methods, schemes, and / or solutions related to transmission enhancement in beam management and side-link (SL) communication. According to the present invention, a variety of possible solutions can be implemented individually or in combination. That is, although these possible solutions may be described individually below, two or more of these possible solutions may be implemented in one combination or another.

[0025] Beam management is a key technology in wireless communication systems. Typically, beam management involves a set of processes to establish and maintain an optimal beam pair, consisting of a transmit beam and a corresponding receive beam. This is crucial for wireless communication in FR2, as high spectrum utilization necessitates the use of beamforming and beam management techniques to ensure good connection quality. Beam management can effectively increase the signal coverage area, which is particularly important for wireless communication in FR2 because each beam sacrifices some coverage range to increase the signal's coverage distance, and beam scanning is applied in the process. However, current SL communication frameworks in 4G LTE or 5G NR do not support beam management functionality.

[0026] Furthermore, 3GPP is discussing the option of using GB for SL communication when implementing SL communication in unlicensed spectrum. However, a question remains: under what conditions can GB be used for SL communication without exacerbating interference in the unlicensed spectrum? Another problem with utilizing unlicensed spectrum is that certain mechanisms, such as signal repetition in the frequency domain, can lead to signals with a peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR), resulting in excessive intermodulation distortion in the transmitter-side power amplifier and poor signal detection at the receiver side. Signal / sequence repetition in the frequency domain can be used in certain situations. In one example, to meet the Occupied Channel Bandwidth (OCB) requirement for transmission on an unlicensed band, a UE may determine to apply signal repetition in the frequency domain for SL communication with another UE. In another example, to achieve diversity gain or increase transmission power in the presence of power spectral density (PSD) limitations, a UE may be configured to apply signal sequence repetition in the frequency domain.

[0027] In view of the above, this disclosure proposes many schemes related to beam management and transmission enhancement in SL communication. Figure 1 An example scenario 100 of a communication environment is illustrated, in which various solutions and schemes according to this disclosure can be implemented. Scenario 100 involves wireless communication between two UEs for direct communication (i.e., SL communication). In such a communication environment, the transmitting (Tx) UE and the receiving (Rx) UE can implement various schemes related to beam management and transmission enhancement in SL communication according to this disclosure, as described below. It is worth noting that although various proposed schemes may be described individually or separately below, in actual implementation, some or all of the proposed schemes may be used or implemented in combination. Of course, each proposed scheme can be used or implemented individually or separately.

[0028] According to certain schemes of this disclosure, the initial beam pairing (IBP) process for SL communication (e.g., in FR2) can be implemented based on a discovery process (e.g., the 5G Neighborhood Service ProSe direct discovery process). Specifically, the UE can initiate the IBP process for SL communication with a peer UE by sending discovery signaling on one or more logical or spatial beams, where one or more logical beams are associated with one or more spatial beams. In one example, if the discovery mode is model A, the initiating UE can be referred to as the announcing UE, and the discovery signaling can include a discovery announcement message. In another example, if the discovery mode is model B, the initiating UE can be referred to as the discoverer UE, and the discovery signaling can include a discovery request message. The UE can then receive (in the case of discovery model A) or send (in the case of discovery model B) direct communication request signaling (e.g., a direct communication request message) from or to the peer UE on a first spatial beam of one or more spatial beams. Subsequently, the UE can send (in the case of discovery model A) or receive (in the case of discovery model B) direct communication response signaling (e.g., a direct communication accept / reject message) to or from the peer UE on the first spatial beam. Therefore, after the peer UE receives and decodes the direct communication acceptance message from the UE, the IBP process is successfully completed, and the two UEs can perform SL communication through the logical / spatial beam pair.

[0029] Specifically, a logical beam can refer to the UE's transmit / receive beam, which is associated with a beam identifier ID assigned to the UE, while a spatial beam can refer to the UE's transmit / receive beam in the spatial domain (e.g., different spatial beams in different directions). In some implementations, each UE can maintain a mapping between logical beams and spatial beams. The same spatial beam can be mapped to one or more logical beams, and a logical beam can be mapped to one or more spatial beams. Due to UE rotation, movement, and / or other UE behaviors, the mapping rules may change after timers expire and / or other stipulations. The direction of a logical beam mapped to a spatial beam is the same as the direction of the mapped spatial beam, or it is within or includes the directional coverage area of ​​the mapped spatial beam.

[0030] In some implementations, a User Equipment (UE) can repeatedly transmit discovery signaling on the same logical / spatial beam, while a peer UE can monitor discovery signaling on different logical / spatial beams using beam scanning. Alternatively, a UE can repeatedly transmit discovery signaling on different logical / spatial beams using beam scanning, while a peer UE can monitor discovery signaling on the same logical / spatial beam.

[0031] Figure 2An example scenario 200 of beam management according to an implementation of this disclosure is illustrated. Scenario 200 involves two UEs pairing the transmit beam of a transmitting UE and the receive beam of a receiving UE by participating in an Initial Beam Pairing (IBP) process for direct communication (i.e., sidelink SL communication). Specifically, as described below, the IBP process can be implemented based on a mode A or mode B discovery process (e.g., a 5G ProSe direct discovery process).

[0032] Figure 3 An example scenario 300 of an IBP process based on discovery model A according to an implementation of this disclosure is illustrated. Scenario 300 involves an IBP process of two UEs conducting SL communication (e.g., in FR2), wherein the initiating UE of the IBP process (i.e., UE 1) is the announcing UE of discovery model A, and the peer UE of the IBP process (i.e., UE 2) is the monitoring UE of discovery model A. In step 302, UE 1 repeatedly transmits discovery announcement messages on the same logical or spatial beam, while UE 2 continuously monitors discovery announcement messages on the same or different logical or spatial beams. In step 304, when UE 2 receives and decodes a discovery announcement message and decides to establish a link with UE 1, UE 2 sends a direct communication request message on the same spatial beam on which the announcement message was received and decoded. In step 306, when UE1 receives and decodes the direct communication request message from UE2 and decides to accept it, an initial beam pair is established between UE1 and UE2, and UE1 sends a direct communication acceptance message to UE2 on the same spatial beam on which it received and decoded the direct communication request message. Simultaneously, when UE2 receives and decodes the direct communication acceptance message from UE1, the IBP process is successfully completed, and the two UEs can communicate via the logical or spatial beam pair.

[0033] Alternatively, if UE 1 receives and decodes a direct communication request message from UE 2 and decides to reject it, UE 1 may send a direct communication rejection message to UE 2 on the same spatial beam on which the direct communication request message was received and decoded. If UE 2 receives and decodes a direct communication rejection message from UE 1 (or does not receive a response from UE 1, such as a direct communication accept / reject message), the IBP process and link establishment process are determined to have failed, and optionally, UE 1 may restart the IBP process.

[0034] Alternatively, if no response is received from the other UE (e.g., UE 1 does not receive and decode the direct communication request message from UE 2, or UE 2 does not receive and decode the direct communication accept / reject message from UE 1, etc.), if the maximum retransmission time of the discovery announcement message or direct communication request message is reached on the same logical or spatial beam, / or the timer for sending the discovery announcement message or direct communication request message on the same logical or spatial beam expires, the UE implementation decides to retransmit the discovery announcement message or direct communication request message on other logical or spatial beams until the maximum retransmission time of the discovery announcement message or direct communication request message is reached on all other logical or spatial beams, / or the timer for sending the discovery announcement message or direct communication request message on all other logical or spatial beams expires.

[0035] Figure 4 An example scenario 400 of an IBP process based on discovery model B according to an implementation of this disclosure is illustrated. Scenario 400 involves an IBP process of two UEs conducting SL communication (e.g., in FR2), wherein the initiating UE of the IBP process (i.e., UE 1) is the discoverer UE of discovery model B, and the peer UE of the IBP process (i.e., UE 2) is the discoverer UE of discovery model B. In step 402, UE 1 repeatedly transmits discovery request messages on the same logical or spatial beam, while UE 2 continuously monitors discovery request messages on the same or different logical or spatial beams. In step 404, when UE 2 receives and decodes the discovery request message from UE 1 and decides to respond to UE 1, UE 2 transmits a discovery response message on the same spatial beam on which the discovery request message was received and decoded. In step 406, when UE1 receives and decodes the discovery response message from UE2 and decides to accept it, an initial beam pair is established between UE1 and UE2, and UE1 sends a direct communication request message to UE2 on the same spatial beam on which it received and decoded the discovery response message. In step 408, when UE2 receives and decodes the direct communication request message from UE1 and decides to accept it, UE2 sends a direct communication accept message to UE1 on the same spatial beam on which it received and decoded the direct communication request message. Simultaneously, when UE1 receives and decodes the direct communication accept message from UE2, the IBP process is successfully completed, and the two UEs can communicate via the logical OR spatial beam pair.

[0036] Alternatively, if User Equipment 2 receives and decodes a Direct Communication Request message from User Equipment 1 and decides to reject it, User Equipment 2 may send a Direct Communication Rejection message to User Equipment 1 on the same spatial beam on which the Direct Communication Request message was received and decoded. If User Equipment 1 receives and decodes a Direct Communication Rejection message from User Equipment 2 (or does not receive a response from User Equipment 2, such as a Direct Communication Accept / Reject message), the Initial Beam Pairing (IBP) process and the Link Establishment process are both determined to have failed, and optionally, User Equipment 1 may restart the IBP process.

[0037] Alternatively, if no response is received from the other user equipment (e.g., UE 1 does not receive and decode a discovery response message from UE 2, UE 2 does not receive and decode a direct communication request message from UE 1, or UE 1 does not receive and decode a direct communication accept / reject message from UE 2, etc.), if the maximum number of retransmissions of the discovery request message, discovery response message, or direct communication request message on the same logical or spatial beam has been reached and / or the timer for sending the discovery request message, discovery response message, or direct communication request message on the same logical or spatial beam has expired, the implementation of the user equipment shall decide to repeatedly send the discovery request message, discovery response message, or direct communication request message on other logical or spatial beams until the maximum number of retransmissions of the discovery request message, discovery response message, or direct communication request message on all other logical or spatial beams has been reached and / or the timer for sending the discovery request message, discovery response message, or direct communication request message on all other logical or spatial beams has expired.

[0038] It should be noted that in the aforementioned IBP process, each discovery message (i.e., discovery announcement message, discovery request message, etc.) is not limited to the concept of a complete and / or precise discovery message. It can include signals or channels similar to the concept of a discovery message, or it can have the same function as a discovery message and / or segmented discovery messages. For example, a discovery message can be a signal (e.g., Channel State Information Reference Signal CSI-RS, etc.), and this signal can be generated based on the source / target ID of the transmitting user equipment. The receiving user equipment can send a response to the transmitting user equipment via ACK / NACK and / or messages (e.g., direct communication request message, discovery response message, etc.).

[0039] In some implementations, when a user equipment (UE) sends signaling / messages in an IBP process, the timing and / or resources of the response from the peer UE can be indicated or pre-configured by the UE (e.g., in 3GPP specifications). The timing of the response from the peer UE can be a time delay granular in time slots and / or milliseconds. For example, in an IBP process based on discovery model A, the candidate timing resources for a direct communication request message can be indicated by the UE's discovery announcement message, or can be pre-configured. Candidate timing resources can be described as { }, where n represents the time slot of the first / last discovery announcement message in a repetition or scan. This represents the transmission time delay of a direct communication request message, granularized in time slots and / or milliseconds. The user equipment sending the signaling / message can do so on a candidate time resource (e.g., denoted as...). The system uses the same spatial beam as the one used to send the signaling / message to monitor responses from any peer user equipment. For a responding user equipment, it can preferentially use the spatial beam used to receive the signaling / message to send the response. If the first transmission of the response fails, the responding user equipment can retransmit the response on the same or a different spatial beam on a candidate time resource other than those indicated or pre-configured by the user equipment sending the signaling / message. It should be noted that the case of having only one candidate time resource is also supported (e.g., ...). The responding user equipment will send a response to the user equipment that sent the signaling / message on the optimal beam (e.g., the beam with the highest reference signal received power RSRP).

[0040] In some implementations, the reference signal (RS) may be transmitted on the same logical and spatial beam along with the discovery announcement message or discovery request message. For cases where the RS is a non-independent RS (e.g., a demodulation reference signal (DMRS)), the peer user equipment (UE) may measure the reference signal received power (RSRP) of the DMRS in the discovery announcement message or discovery request message on the physical-side link control channel (PSCCH) and / or the physical-side link shared channel (PSSCH). For cases where the RS is an independent RS (e.g., a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS)), the peer UE may measure the CSI-RS transmitted along with the discovery announcement message or discovery request message. The CSI-RS may be indicated in the second side-link control information (SCI) of the message, or it may be pre-configured. Additionally, or alternatively, if a standalone RS (e.g., CSI-RS, etc.) is used in the Initial Beam Pairing (IBP) process, the standalone RS can be generated based on the source (i.e., transmitting UE) Layer 2 or Layer 1 (i.e., Physical Layer (PHY)) (L2 / L1) ID and / or the target (i.e., receiving UE) L2 / L1 ID. For example, the initiating UE of the IBP process can transmit repetitions of the standalone RS on the same or different spatial / logical beams. The receiving UE can send feedback (e.g., acknowledgment or non-acknowledgment (ACK / NACK)) and / or response messages to the initiating UE at pre-configured times. Upon receiving the feedback and / or response, the initiating UE can send a discovery message to the receiving UE. It should be noted that the standalone RS can use a dedicated / public resource pool and / or share the same resource pool as the discovery message.

[0041] In some implementations, standalone or non-standalone RS (e.g., CSI-RS) can be used in beam maintenance processes. For example, the RS can be generated based on a unique UE ID used for beam management or other purposes. The unique UE ID can be a unique UE ID used for beam management (e.g., for beam maintenance), distinct from any other L1 ID used to identify the UE during discovery, link establishment, or sidelink communication. In the case of standalone or non-standalone RS, it can be pre-configured based on the unique UE ID used for beam management or selected by the UE using specific frequency division multiplexing (FDM) resources for different UEs. In the case of non-standalone RS, the RS can be transmitted on the same logical / spatial beam used for transmitting data, and / or on a different logical / spatial beam used for transmitting data.

[0042] According to certain aspects of this disclosure, transmission enhancement is supported for side-link communication (SL-U) on unlicensed spectrum (e.g., in FR1 and / or FR2 unlicensed spectrum) based on contiguous resource blocks (CRBs) and / or signal repetition in the frequency domain. Specifically, CRB-based transmission is enhanced to allow PSSCH transmission using the in-cell guard band (GB), while signal repetition in the frequency domain is enhanced using a cyclic phase-shifted adjustment peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) reduction method. Therefore, by applying the aspects of this disclosure, the bandwidth of SL-U communication can be increased using the GB without exacerbating interference in the unlicensed spectrum. Furthermore, by applying the aspects of this disclosure, low PAPR transmission can be achieved to reduce intermodulation distortion of the transmitter-side power amplifier and provide better signal detection at the receiver side.

[0043] For enhanced CRB-based transmissions, PSSCH transmissions using subchannels containing intra-cell GB physical resource blocks (PRBs) (i.e., subchannels overlapping with intra-cell GBs) must satisfy the following conditions: (i) multichannel access procedures on the corresponding Listen-Before-Talk (LBT) channels (around the intra-cell GBs) have been cleared; and (ii) the subchannels used for PSSCH transmissions occupy both resource block sets. In other words, intra-cell GB PRBs configured between any two adjacent resource block sets can only be used for PSSCH transmissions, provided (and only if) the UE has successfully performed channel access procedures in both adjacent resource block sets, and the UE uses both resource block sets for PSSCH transmissions. Furthermore, the UE can exclude candidate single-slot or candidate multi-slot resources where the subchannel with the smallest index contains a resource block of an intra-cell GB PRB (e.g., PSSCH transmissions should occupy at least one subchannel with an index lower than that of a subchannel overlapping with an intra-cell GB, while also being used for the corresponding PSCCH transmission).

[0044] For enhanced signal repetition in the frequency domain, phase adjustment vectors with different cyclic shift values ​​can be applied to different repetitions of the signal in the frequency domain. These phase adjustment vectors are generated based on an initial phase vector, and the cyclic shift values ​​are set to different values. More specifically, the phase adjustment sequence has a frequency length of one sidelink synchronization signal block (S-SSB), or multiple S-SSBs after repetition. When the phase adjustment sequence has one S-SSB length, different phase adjustment sequences used between repetitions can be generated with different initial parameters, which can be related to some (pre)configuration, such as UE ID, sidelink ID (SLID), or repetition index. Alternatively, different phase adjustment sequences used between repetitions can be generated with the same initial parameters, but with cyclic shifts between the different phase adjustment sequences, where the cyclic shifts can be based on some (pre)configuration, such as UE ID or repetition index. PAPR represents the PAPR value in the time domain. For frequency domain repetitions, the phase adjustment vector is multiplied by the different repetitions. The cyclically shifted phase adjustment vector is generated based on the initial phase vector (e.g., ZC sequence vector, etc.). For example, when the initial phase vector is a ZC sequence, the initial phase vector can be represented as follows: Where u is the root index of the ZC sequence, n is the index of the initial phase vector (i.e., the ZC sequence), and L is the length of the initial phase vector. The cyclic shift phase adjustment vector can be expressed as: in This is the cyclic shift value of the cyclic shift phase adjustment vector. For different repetitions of the frequency domain signal, the cyclic shift value of the cyclic shift phase adjustment vector is set to different values. For example, a vector with a length of... The frequency domain signal S is repeated twice, and the repeated signal can be represented as { }. For signals Circular shift value of phase adjustment vector It is set to K, where K is the signal. The length of the resource element for each symbol in the frequency domain. .Signal Multiplying by the cyclic shift phase adjustment vector can be expressed as For signals Circular shift value of phase adjustment vector Set as .Signal Multiplying by the cyclic shift phase adjustment vector can be expressed as Having different cyclic shift values The phase vector can be multiplied by all or part of the repetitions, where the repetitions may or may not include the original signal. .

[0045] Illustrative Examples Figure 5 An example communication system 500 according to an implementation of this disclosure is shown, the system having at least two communication devices 510 and 520. Each of the communication devices 510 and 520 can perform various functions to implement the schemes, techniques, processes and methods described herein related to beam management and transmission enhancement, including the scenarios / schemes described above and the processes 600, 700 and 800 described below.

[0046] Each of communication devices 510 and 520 can be part of an electronic device, which can be a user equipment (UE), such as a portable or mobile device, a wearable device, a wireless communication device, or a computing device. For example, each of communication devices 510 and 520 can be implemented in a smartphone, smartwatch, personal digital assistant, electronic control unit (ECU) in a vehicle, digital camera, or computing device such as a tablet, laptop, or notebook computer. Each of communication devices 510 and 520 can also be part of a machine-type device, which can be an Internet of Things (IoT), narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), or industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) device, such as a stationary or fixed device, a home device, a roadside unit (RSU), a wired communication device, or a computing device. For example, each of communication devices 510 and 520 can be implemented in a smart thermostat, a smart refrigerator, a smart door lock, a wireless speaker, or a home control center.

[0047] In some implementations, each of communication devices 510 and 520 may be implemented as one or more integrated circuit (IC) chips, such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, one or more Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC) processors, or one or more Complex Instruction Set Computing (CISC) processors. In the various embodiments described above, each of communication devices 510 and 520 may be implemented as a user equipment (UE). Each of communication devices 510 and 520 may include... Figure 5 At least some of the components shown, such as processor 512 and processor 522. Each of communication devices 510 and 520 may also include one or more other components unrelated to the proposed solutions of this disclosure (e.g., internal power supply, display device, and / or user interface device), therefore, for simplicity and brevity, Figure 5 These components of communication devices 510 and 520 are not shown in the text, nor are they described below.

[0048] In one aspect, processors 512 and 522 may be implemented as one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, or one or more Complex Instruction Set Computer (CISC) or Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC) processors. That is, although the singular term "processor" is used herein to refer to processors 512 and 522, each of processors 512 and 522 may include multiple processors in some implementations of this disclosure, and may include a single processor in other implementations. In another aspect, each of processors 512 and 522 may be implemented in hardware (and optionally firmware) in which electronic components include, for example, but not limited to, one or more transistors, one or more diodes, one or more capacitors, one or more resistors, one or more inductors, one or more memristors, and / or one or more transformers, which are configured and arranged to achieve a specific purpose according to this disclosure. In other words, in at least some implementations, each of processors 512 and 522 is a dedicated machine specifically designed, arranged, and configured to perform specific tasks, including those related to beam management and transmission enhancement in SL communications according to various implementations of this disclosure.

[0049] In some implementations, communication device 510 may further include a transceiver 516 coupled to processor 512. Transceiver 516 can wirelessly transmit and receive data. In some implementations, transceiver 516 can wirelessly communicate with wireless networks of different types of User Equipment (UE) / different Radio Access Technologies (RATs). In some implementations, transceiver 516 may be equipped with multiple antenna ports (not shown), such as four antenna ports. That is, transceiver 516 may be equipped with multiple transmit antennas and multiple receive antennas for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless communication. In some implementations, communication device 520 may further include a transceiver 526 coupled to processor 522. Transceiver 526 may include a transceiver capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data. In some implementations, transceiver 526 can wirelessly communicate with wireless networks of different types of UE / different RATs. In some implementations, transceiver 526 may be equipped with multiple antenna ports (not shown), such as four antenna ports. In other words, transceiver 526 can be equipped with multiple transmit antennas and multiple receive antennas for MIMO wireless communication.

[0050] In some implementations, communication device 510 may further include a memory 514 coupled to and accessible by processor 512, whereby data is stored. In some implementations, communication device 520 may further include a memory 524 coupled to and accessible by processor 522, whereby data is stored. Each of memory 514 and memory 524 may include a random access memory (RAM), such as dynamic RAM (DRAM), static RAM (SRAM), thyristor RAM (T-RAM), and / or zero-capacitance RAM (Z-RAM). Alternatively, each of memory 514 and memory 524 may include a read-only memory (ROM), such as a mask ROM, programmable ROM (PROM), erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), and / or electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM). Alternatively, each of memory 514 and memory 524 may include a non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM), such as flash memory, solid-state memory, ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM), magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM), and / or phase-change memory. Alternatively, each of memories 514 and 524 may include a general-purpose integrated circuit card (UICC).

[0051] Each of communication device 510 and communication device 520 can be a communication entity capable of communicating with each other using various proposed schemes according to this disclosure. For illustrative purposes and without limitation, the following provides a description of the capabilities of communication device 510 as a UE (e.g., a Tx UE, an announcement UE, or a discoverer UE) and communication device 520 as a peer UE (e.g., an Rx UE, a monitoring UE, or a discoverer UE), in conjunction with procedures 600, 700, and 800.

[0052] Example Process Figure 6 An example flow 600 is shown under a scheme implemented according to this disclosure. Flow 600 may represent an aspect, whether partially or entirely, of the various proposed designs, concepts, schemes, systems, and methods described above. More specifically, flow 600 may represent an aspect of proposed concepts and schemes related to beam management in SL communication (e.g., in FR2). Flow 600 may include one or more operations, actions, or functions, as shown in one or more blocks 610, 620, and 630. Although shown as discrete blocks, the individual blocks of flow 600 may be divided into more blocks, merged into fewer blocks, or eliminated depending on the desired implementation. Furthermore, the blocks / sub-blocks of flow 600 may be arranged in... Figure 6The execution may proceed in the order shown, or in a different order. Furthermore, one or more blocks / subblocks of process 600 may be executed iteratively. Process 600 may be implemented by communication devices 510 and 520, and any variations thereof. For illustrative purposes only and without limitation, process 600 is described below in the context of communication device 510 as a UE (e.g., a Tx UE, an announcement UE, or a discoverer UE) and communication device 520 as a peer UE (e.g., an Rx UE, a monitoring UE, or a discoverer UE). Process 600 may begin at block 610.

[0053] In block 610, process 600 may involve processor 512 of communication device 510, implemented as a user equipment (UE), initiating an initial beam pairing (IBP) process for communication with the sidelink (SL) of communication device 520 by sending discovery signaling on one or more logical or spatial beams, wherein the one or more logical beams are associated with the one or more spatial beams. Process 600 may proceed from block 610 to block 620.

[0054] In block 620, process 600 may involve processor 512 receiving or transmitting, via transceiver 516, a direct communication request signaling from or to communication device 520, on a first spatial beam of the one or more spatial beams. Process 600 may proceed from block 620 to block 630.

[0055] In block 630, process 600 may involve processor 512 sending or receiving direct communication response signaling to or from communication device 520 via transceiver 516 on the first spatial beam.

[0056] In some implementations, process 600 may further involve processor 512 determining that the IBP process is successful if the direct communication response signaling includes a direct communication accept message. Furthermore, process 600 may involve processor 512 performing the SL communication with the peer device on the first spatial beam.

[0057] In some implementations, process 600 may further involve processor 512 determining that the IBP process failed if the direct communication response signaling contains a direct communication rejection message (or if no direct communication response signaling is received from communication device 520). Furthermore, process 600 may involve processor 512 restarting the IBP process communicating with the communication device 520 via the SL.

[0058] In some implementations, the discovery signaling may include a discovery announcement message.

[0059] In some implementations, process 600 may further involve, in the case that the discovery signaling includes a discovery request message, the processor 512 receiving a discovery response message from the communication device 520 on the first spatial beam via the transceiver 516.

[0060] In some implementations, the discovery signaling may be repeatedly transmitted on the first spatial beam or a first logical beam associated with the first spatial beam, or repeatedly transmitted on the logical beam or the spatial beam in a beam-scanning manner.

[0061] In some implementations, the direct communication request signaling may be received or sent based on the configuration of one or more candidate time resources, and the configuration may be previously indicated to the communication device 520 by the communication device 510 or the configuration may be pre-configured.

[0062] In some implementations, the discovery signaling may be sent together with a reference signal RS, wherein the reference signal includes an independent RS or a non-independent RS, or the discovery signaling may be sent separately from the RS. Furthermore, the independent RS may be generated based on at least one of a first Layer 2 or Layer 1 identifier ID associated with communication device 510 and a second Layer 2 or Layer 1 ID associated with communication device 520; or the independent RS or the non-independent RS may be generated based on the unique user equipment ID of communication device 510.

[0063] Figure 7 An example flow 700 is shown, illustrating an implementation scheme according to this disclosure. Flow 700 may represent an aspect, whether in part or in whole, of the various proposed designs, concepts, schemes, systems, and methods described above. More specifically, flow 700 may represent an aspect of a proposed concept and scheme related to beam management in sidelink SL communication (e.g., in FR2). Flow 700 may include one or more operations, actions, or functions, as shown in blocks 710, 720, and 730. Although shown as discrete blocks, the individual blocks of flow 700 may be divided into more blocks, merged into fewer blocks, or eliminated, depending on the desired implementation. Furthermore, the blocks / sub-blocks of flow 700 may be arranged according to... Figure 7 The execution may proceed in the order shown in the diagram, or in a different order. Furthermore, one or more blocks / subblocks of process 700 may be executed iteratively. Process 700 may be implemented by communication devices 510 and 520, and any variations thereof. For illustrative purposes only and without limitation, process 700 is described below in the context of communication device 520 as a UE (e.g., an Rx UE, a monitoring UE, or a discovered UE) and communication device 510 as a peer UE (e.g., a Tx UE, an announcement UE, or a discoverer UE). Process 700 may begin at block 710.

[0064] In block 710, process 700 may involve a processor 522 of communication device 520, implemented as a user equipment (UE), responding to an initial beam pairing (IBP) process for communication with the sidelink (SL) of communication device 510 by receiving discovery signaling on one or more logical or spatial beams, wherein the one or more logical beams are associated with the one or more spatial beams. Process 700 may proceed from block 710 to block 720.

[0065] In block 720, process 700 may involve processor 522 sending or receiving direct communication request signaling to or from communication device 510 via transceiver 526 on a first spatial beam of the one or more spatial beams. Process 700 may proceed from block 720 to block 730.

[0066] In block 730, process 700 may involve processor 522 receiving or sending direct communication response signaling from or to communication device 510 via transceiver 526 on the first spatial beam.

[0067] In some implementations, process 700 may further involve processor 522 determining that the IBP process is successful if the direct communication response signaling includes a direct communication accept message. Furthermore, process 700 may involve processor 522 performing the SL communication with communication device 510 on the first spatial beam.

[0068] In some implementations, process 700 may further involve processor 522 determining that the IBP process fails if the direct communication response signaling contains a direct communication rejection message (or if a direct communication response signaling is not received from communication device 510).

[0069] In some implementations, the discovery signaling may include a discovery announcement message.

[0070] In some implementations, process 700 may further involve, in the case that the discovery signaling includes a discovery request message, the processor 522 sending a discovery response signaling to the communication device 510 via the transceiver 526 on the first spatial beam.

[0071] In some embodiments, direct communication request signaling may be sent or received based on a configuration of one or more candidate time resources, and this configuration may be previously indicated by the communication device 510 or may be pre-configured.

[0072] In some embodiments, the discovery signaling can be received together with the reference signal RS, which may include an independent RS or a non-independent RS, or it may be received separately from the RS. Furthermore, the independent RS may be generated based on at least one of a first Layer 2 or Layer 1 identifier ID associated with communication device 510 and a second Layer 2 or Layer 1 ID associated with communication device 520, or the independent RS or non-independent RS may be generated based on the unique user equipment ID of communication device 510.

[0073] Figure 8 An example flow 800 under a scheme according to an embodiment of this disclosure is illustrated. Flow 800 may represent one aspect of implementing the various proposed designs, concepts, schemes, systems, and methods described above, whether in part or in whole, including those described above. More specifically, flow 800 may represent one aspect of proposed concepts and schemes related to transmission enhancement in SL-U communication. Flow 800 may include one or more operations, actions, or functions, as shown by one or more blocks 810 and 820. Although shown as discrete blocks, the individual blocks of flow 800 may be divided into more blocks, merged into fewer blocks, or eliminated according to the desired implementation. Furthermore, the blocks / sub-blocks of flow 800 may be arranged according to... Figure 8 The process can be executed in the order shown, or in a different order. Furthermore, one or more blocks / subblocks of process 800 can be executed iteratively. Process 800 can be implemented by communication devices 510 and 520, and any variations thereof. For illustrative purposes only and without limitation, process 800 is described below in the context of communication device 510 as a user device (e.g., a transmitting user device) and communication device 520 as a peer user device (e.g., a receiving user device). Process 800 may begin with block 810.

[0074] In block 810, process 800 may involve the processor 512 of communication device 510, implemented as a user equipment, determining at least one CRB-based transmission and frequency domain signal repetition applied to SL-U communication with communication device 520. Process 800 can proceed from block 810 to block 820.

[0075] In block 820, process 800 may involve processor 512 responding to the determination to perform SL-U communication with communication device 520.

[0076] In some embodiments, CRB-based transmission may include: when the communication device 510 has successfully performed a channel access procedure in two adjacent resource block sets and the communication device 510 uses the two adjacent resource block sets for PSSCH transmission, using intra-cell GB physical resource blocks (PRBs) between the two adjacent resource block sets for PSSCH transmission.

[0077] In some embodiments, CRB-based transmission may include: determining not to use candidate resources corresponding to multiple consecutive subchannels for PSSCH transmission, wherein, among the multiple consecutive subchannels, the subchannel with the smallest index includes the resource block of the intra-cell GB PRB.

[0078] In some embodiments, CRB-based transmission may include: determining candidate resources for PSSCH transmission using multiple consecutive sub-channels, wherein, among the multiple consecutive sub-channels, at least one first sub-channel has an index less than the index of a second sub-channel, the second sub-channel comprising a resource block of GB PRB within the cell.

[0079] In some embodiments, signal repetition in the frequency domain may include applying phase adjustment vectors with different cyclic shift values ​​for different repetitions of the signal in the frequency domain, wherein the phase adjustment vectors are generated based on an initial phase vector and the cyclic shift values ​​are set to different values.

[0080] Additional notes The topics described herein sometimes illustrate different components contained within or connected to other components. However, it should be understood that the multiple architectures depicted are merely examples, and many other architectures that implement the same functionality can actually be implemented. Conceptually, any arrangement of components that implement the same functionality is effectively “associated” to enable the desired functionality. Therefore, regardless of architecture or intermediate components, any two components combined in this document to achieve a particular function can be considered “associated” with each other to enable the desired functionality. Similarly, any two components so associating can also be considered “operationally connected” or “operationally coupled” to each other to achieve the desired functionality, and any two components so associating can also be considered “operationally connected” to each other to achieve the desired functionality. Specific examples of operationally coupled components include, but are not limited to, physically mating and / or physically interacting components and / or wirelessly interacting components and / or logically interacting and / or logically interactive components.

[0081] Furthermore, regarding any plural and / or singular terms used herein, those skilled in the art can, in light of context and / or application, convert them from plural to singular and / or from singular to plural where appropriate. For clarity, various singular / plural reciprocities may be explicitly stated herein.

[0082] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that, generally, the terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., the body of the appended claims), are generally meant as “open-ended” terms; for example, the term “comprising” should be interpreted as “comprising but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “comprising” should be interpreted as “comprising but not limited to,” and so on. Those skilled in the art will also understand that if a specific number is intentionally listed in the appended claims, such intention will be explicitly listed in the claims, and the absence of such listing will not indicate such intention. For example, to aid understanding, the appended claims may include the use of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more.” However, the use of such phrases should not be construed as implying that the introduction of the indefinite article "a" or "an" limits any particular patent application containing such an introduced patent application listing to an implementation containing only one such listing, even when the same patent application listing contains the introductory phrase "a or more" or "at least one" and indefinite articles such as "a" or "an," for example, "a and / or one" should be interpreted as meaning "at least one" or "one or more," this also applies to the use of definite articles used to introduce patent application listings. Furthermore, even when a specific number of introduced patent application listings are explicitly listed, those skilled in the art will recognize that such listing should be interpreted as meaning at least the number listed; for example, in the absence of other modifiers, an unobscured listing of "two listings" means at least two listings or two or more listings. Furthermore, when using a convention similar to "at least one of A, B, and C," those skilled in the art will understand the meaning of this convention, which generally means such interpretation (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, and C" will include, but is not limited to, systems having A alone, having B alone, having C alone, having A and B together, having A and C together, having B and C together, and / or having A, B, and C together). Those skilled in the art will also understand that any transitional words and / or phrases that actually indicate two or more options, whether in the specification, the claims, or the drawings, should be understood to mean that the possibility of including one, any one, or both of those options should be considered.For example, the phrase “A or B” would be understood as containing the possibility of “A” or “B” or “A and B”.

[0083] As can be seen from the foregoing, it is understood that various embodiments of the invention have been described herein for illustrative purposes, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Therefore, the various embodiments disclosed herein are not intended to be limiting, and the true scope and spirit are determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method comprising: The device's processor initiates the initial beam pairing (IBP) process for side-link (SL) communication with the peer device by sending discovery signaling on one or more logical or spatial beams. The one or more logical beams are associated with the one or more spatial beams; Through the processor, on the first space beam of the one or more space beams, a direct communication request signaling is received from or sent to the peer device. as well as The processor sends or receives direct communication response signaling to or from the peer device on the first spatial beam.

2. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Further includes: The processor determines that the IBP process is successful if the direct communication response signaling includes a direct communication accept message; and The processor enables SL communication with the peer device on the first spatial beam.

3. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Further includes: The processor determines whether the IBP process has failed if the direct communication response signaling contains a direct communication rejection message; and The processor restarts the IBP process that communicates with the peer device via the SL.

4. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The discovery signaling includes a discovery announcement message.

5. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Further includes: In the case where the discovery signaling includes a discovery request message, the device receives a discovery response message from the peer device on the first spatial beam.

6. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The discovery signal is repeatedly transmitted on the first spatial beam or the first logical beam associated with the first spatial beam, or repeatedly transmitted on the logical beam or the spatial beam in a beam scanning manner.

7. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The direct communication request signaling is received or sent based on a configuration of one or more candidate time resources, and the configuration is either previously indicated by the device to the peer device or is pre-configured.

8. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The discovery signaling is transmitted together with a reference signal RS, wherein the reference signal includes an independent RS or a non-independent RS, or the discovery signaling is transmitted separately from the RS. The independent RS is generated based on at least one of a first Layer 2 or Layer 1 identifier ID associated with the device and a second Layer 2 or Layer 1 ID associated with the peer device; or The independent RS or the non-independent RS is generated based on the unique user equipment ID of the device.

9. A method comprising: The device's processor, in response to the initial beam pairing (IBP) process of side link SL communication with the peer device, receives discovery signaling on one or more logical beams or spatial beams, wherein the one or more logical beams are associated with the one or more spatial beams. Through the processor, on a first space beam among the one or more space beams, a direct communication request signaling is sent to or received from the peer device; and The processor receives or sends direct communication response signaling to or from the peer device on the first spatial beam.

10. The method as described in claim 9, characterized in that, Further includes: The processor determines that the IBP process is successful if the direct communication response signaling includes a direct communication accept message; and The processor enables SL communication with the peer device on the first spatial beam.

11. The method as described in claim 9, characterized in that, Further includes: The processor determines if the IBP process fails if the direct communication response signaling contains a direct communication rejection message.

12. The method as described in claim 9, characterized in that, The discovery signaling includes a discovery announcement message.

13. The method as described in claim 9, characterized in that, Further includes: If the discovery signaling includes a discovery request message, the device sends a discovery response signaling to the peer device on the first spatial beam.

14. The method as described in claim 9, characterized in that, The direct communication request signaling is sent or received based on a configuration of one or more candidate time resources, and the configuration is either previously indicated by the peer device or is pre-configured.

15. The method as described in claim 9, characterized in that, The discovery signaling is received together with a reference signal RS, wherein the reference signal includes an independent RS or a non-independent RS, or the discovery signaling is received separately from the RS. The independent RS is generated based on at least one of a first Layer 2 or Layer 1 identifier ID associated with the peer device and a second Layer 2 or Layer 1 ID associated with the device; or The independent RS or the non-independent RS is generated based on the unique user equipment ID of the peer device.

16. A method comprising: The device's processor determines that at least one transmission based on a contiguous resource block (CRB) and signal repetition in the frequency domain are applied to sidelink SL-U communication with the peer device on unlicensed spectrum. as well as The processor, in response to the determination, performs the SL-U communication with the peer device.

17. The method as described in claim 16, characterized in that, The CRB-based transmission includes: when the device has successfully performed the channel access procedure in the two adjacent resource block sets and the device uses the two adjacent resource block sets for physical sidechain shared channel (PSSCH) transmission, PSSCH transmission is performed using the intra-cell guard band (GB) physical resource block (PRB) between the two adjacent resource block sets.

18. The method as described in claim 16, characterized in that, The CRB-based transmission includes: determining that candidate resources corresponding to multiple consecutive sub-channels will not be used for PSSCH transmission, wherein, among the multiple consecutive sub-channels, the sub-channel with the smallest index includes the resource block of GB PRB within the cell.

19. The method as described in claim 16, characterized in that, The CRB-based transmission includes: determining candidate resources for PSSCH transmission using multiple consecutive sub-channels, wherein, among the multiple consecutive sub-channels, the index of at least one first sub-channel is less than the index of a second sub-channel, and the second sub-channel includes a resource block of GB PRB within the cell.

20. The method as described in claim 16, characterized in that, The signal repetition in the frequency domain includes applying phase adjustment vectors with different cyclic shift values ​​to different repetitions of the signal in the frequency domain, wherein the phase adjustment vectors are generated based on an initial phase vector and the cyclic shift values ​​are set to different values.

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