Lateral link beam management

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, and systems for beam management in sidelink communications are disclosed. The method comprises: establishing a plurality of unicast links by a node in sidelink communication with a plurality of other nodes in sidelink communication; performing channel sensing; selecting one or more resources and determining one or more Tx beams for at least one of one or more PSCCH transmissions, or one or more PSSCH transmissions; and performing at least one of one or more PSCCH transmissions or one or more PSSCH transmissions using the selected one or more resources and the determined one or more Tx beams.

Description

Cross-referencing of related patent applications

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 518,240, filed August 8, 2023, entitled “Mitigating Beam Conflict in Sidelink Beam Management,” the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] The apparatuses and methods consistent with this disclosure generally relate to communications, and more specifically, to methods, systems and apparatus for beam management in side link communications. Background Technology

[0003] Sidelink communication technology enables direct communication between a User Equipment (UE) and one or more other UEs. It may be desirable for a UE in sidelink communication to simultaneously transmit multiple signals to multiple other UEs and simultaneously receive corresponding feedback signals from other UEs. In low-frequency band (e.g., 5.9 GHz or lower) sidelink communication, a UE may be able to use omnidirectional beams to simultaneously receive multiple feedback signals. However, in high-frequency band (e.g., millimeter-wave band) sidelink communication, simultaneous signal reception is more complex. For example, while a UE may be able to train multiple receiver (Rx) beams for multiple receptions on multiple sidelink unicast links, these multiple Rx beams are typically different, and the UE typically cannot receive multiple different Rx beams simultaneously. This can lead to Rx beam collisions at the UE.

[0004] Similarly, it may be desirable for a UE in high-frequency band sidelink communication to simultaneously receive signals transmitted from multiple other UEs and simultaneously transmit corresponding feedback signals to other UEs. While a UE may be able to train multiple transmitter (Tx) beams for multiple transmissions on multiple sidelink unicast links, these multiple Tx beams are typically different, and a UE generally cannot transmit multiple different Tx beams simultaneously. This can lead to Tx beam collisions at the UE.

[0005] Resource selection or reselection methods used in low-band side link communication may be insufficient to mitigate Rx and Tx beam collisions, especially when the UE is in motion. Systems and methods that can mitigate Rx and / or Tx beam collisions during simultaneous reception and / or transmission are desired. Summary of the Invention

[0006] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, a node for beam management in sidelink communication is provided. The node includes: a memory storing instructions; and a processor configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory to: establish multiple unicast links with multiple other nodes in the sidelink communication; perform channel sensing; select one or more resources and determine one or more Tx beams for at least one of one or more Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH) transmissions or one or more Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH) transmissions, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory to perform at least one of: (1) jointly performing resource selection or resource reselection for at least one of the one or more PSCCH transmissions or one or more PSSCH transmissions of the multiple unicast links; and (2) selecting from a set of candidate resources at least one resource associated with a Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel (PSFCH) reception for at least one of the one or more PSCCH transmissions or one or more PSSCH transmissions, the PSFCH reception being scheduled to use the same PSFCH Rx beam and time slot as the one or more PSFCH receptions that have already been scheduled. (3) Prioritize at least one resource associated with a PSFCH reception scheduled to use the same PSFCH Rx beam and time slot as the one or more PSFCH receptions already scheduled within the candidate resource set, or reduce priority of one or more resources for the one or more PSFCH receptions based on the delivery deadline or delay requirements of at least one of the one or more PSCCH transmissions or the one or more PSSCH transmissions. (4) In response to determining a predicted beam conflict among the multiple Rx beams for multiple PSFCH receptions at the node, perform resource reselection on one or more pre-selected resources for the one or more PSCCH transmissions or the one or more PSSCH transmissions. (5) Dynamically select and indicate one or more PSFCH Tx time slots for the multiple other nodes, or one or more PSFCH Tx time slots for the node in each of the one or more PSCCH transmissions or the one or more PSSCH transmissions. At least one of the Rx time slots, or (6) in response to determining that the beam conflict is unavoidable, selecting one or more Rx beams that are wider than one or more current Rx beams for the reception of the plurality of PSFCHs; and using the selected one or more resources and the determined one or more Tx beams to perform at least one of the one or more PSCCH transmissions or the one or more PSSCH transmissions.

[0007] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, a node for beam management in sidelink communication is provided. The node includes: a memory storing instructions; and a processor configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory to: establish one or more unicast links with one or more other nodes in the sidelink communication; receive at least one of one or more PSCCH signals or one or more PSSCH signals transmitted from the one or more other nodes; determine whether to perform one or more PSFCH transmissions as feedback on the reception of at least one of the one or more PSCCH signals or one or more PSSCH signals; and determine one or more PSFCH time slots in response to determining that the one or more PSFCH transmissions should be performed, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory. The instructions are to perform at least one of the following: (1) determining the one or more PSFCH time slots for the one or more PSFCH transmissions based on at least one of the following: one or more priorities of the one or more PSFCH transmissions, one or more priorities of the one or more PSFCH transmissions that have been scheduled, one or more priorities of the one or more PSFCH receptions that have been scheduled, a predicted Tx beam collision for the one or more PSFCH transmissions, or the presence of a common beam of the one or more PSFCH transmissions that have been scheduled in the same time slot, and (2) selecting from a plurality of PSFCH time slot timings that will not cause the one or more PSFCH transmissions to... (2) In response to determining the predicted Tx beam conflict for the transmission of the one or more PSFCHs, use one or more Tx beams that are wider than the one or more current Tx beams for the transmission of the one or more PSFCHs, or use the same PSFCH Tx beams for the transmission of the one or more PSFCHs; and in response to determining the one or more PSFCHs, use the determined one or more PSFCHs to perform the transmission of the one or more PSFCHs.

[0008] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, a method for beam management in side-link communication is provided. The method includes: establishing multiple unicast links between a node in the sidelink communication and multiple other nodes in the sidelink communication; performing channel sensing; selecting one or more resources and determining one or more Tx beams for at least one of one or more PSCCH transmissions or one or more PSSCH transmissions, wherein selecting the one or more resources and determining the one or more Tx beams includes performing at least one of the following: (1) jointly performing resource selection or resource reselection on the one or more PSCCH transmissions or one or more PSSCH transmissions of the multiple unicast links; (2) selecting from a candidate resource set at least one resource associated with a PSFCH reception for at least one of one or more PSCCH transmissions or one or more PSSCH transmissions, the PSFCH reception being scheduled to use the same PSFCH Rx beams and time slots as the one or more PSFCH receptions that have already been scheduled; and (3) prioritizing within the candidate resource set a PSFCH reception that is scheduled to use the same PSFCH Rx beams and time slots as the one or more PSFCH receptions that have already been scheduled. (4) In response to determining a predicted beam conflict among multiple Rx beams for multiple PSFCH reception at a node, resource reselection is performed on one or more preselected resources for at least one of the multiple PSFCH transmissions or multiple PSFCH transmissions, or based on the delivery deadline or delay requirements of the multiple PSFCH transmissions or multiple PSFCH transmissions, (5) in each of the multiple PSFCH transmissions or multiple PSFCH transmissions, one or more PSFCH timeslots for the multiple other nodes, or one or more PSFCH timeslots for the node are dynamically selected and indicated. At least one of the Rx time slots, or (6) in response to determining that the beam conflict is unavoidable, selecting one or more Rx beams that are wider than one or more current Rx beams for the reception of the plurality of PSFCHs; and using the selected one or more resources and the determined one or more Tx beams to perform at least one of the one or more PSCCH transmissions or the one or more PSSCH transmissions.

[0009] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, a method for beam management in sidelink communication is provided. The method includes: establishing one or more unicast links between a node in the sidelink communication and one or more other nodes in the sidelink communication; receiving at least one of one or more PSCCH signals or one or more PSSCH signals transmitted from the one or more other nodes; determining whether to perform one or more PSFCH transmissions as feedback to the reception of the one or more PSCCH signals or the one or more PSSCH signals; and determining one or more PSFCH time slots in response to determining whether to perform the one or more PSFCH transmissions, wherein determining whether to perform the one or more PSFCH transmissions includes at least one of the following: One of the following: (1) determining the one or more PSFCH time slots for the one or more PSFCH transmissions based on at least one of the following: one or more priorities of the one or more PSFCH transmissions, one or more priorities of the one or more PSFCH transmissions already scheduled, one or more priorities of the one or more PSFCH receptions already scheduled, predicted Tx beam collisions for the one or more PSFCH transmissions, or the presence of a common beam of the one or more PSFCH transmissions already scheduled in the same time slot and the one or more PSFCH transmissions; (2) selecting from a plurality of PSFCH time slot timings that will not cause the one or more PSFCH transmissions to... (2) In response to determining the predicted Tx beam conflict for the transmission of the one or more PSFCHs, use one or more Tx beams that are wider than the one or more current Tx beams for the transmission of the one or more PSFCHs, or use the same PSFCH Tx beams for the transmission of the one or more PSFCHs; and in response to determining the one or more PSFCHs, use the determined one or more PSFCHs to perform the transmission of the one or more PSFCHs.

[0010] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided that stores instructions executable by one or more processors of a node in a sidelink communication to perform a method. The method includes: establishing multiple unicast links between a node in the sidelink communication and multiple other nodes in the sidelink communication; performing channel sensing; selecting one or more resources and determining one or more Tx beams for at least one of one or more PSCCH transmissions or one or more PSSCH transmissions, wherein selecting the one or more resources and determining the one or more Tx beams includes performing at least one of the following: (1) jointly performing resource selection or resource reselection on the one or more PSCCH transmissions or one or more PSSCH transmissions of the multiple unicast links; (2) selecting from a candidate resource set at least one resource associated with a PSFCH reception for at least one of one or more PSCCH transmissions or one or more PSSCH transmissions, the PSFCH reception being scheduled to use the same PSFCH Rx beam and time slot as the PSFCH receiver (Rx) beam and time slot of the one or more PSFCH receptions that have already been scheduled; and (3) prioritizing within the candidate resource set a PSFCH that is scheduled to use the same PSFCH Rx beam and time slot as the one or more PSFCH receptions that have already been scheduled. (4) In response to determining a predicted beam conflict among multiple Rx beams for multiple PSFCH reception at a node, resource reselection is performed on one or more preselected resources for at least one of the multiple PSCCH transmissions or multiple PSSCH transmissions, or based on the delivery deadline or delay requirements of the multiple PSCCH transmissions or multiple PSSCH transmissions, (5) in each of the multiple PSCCH transmissions or multiple PSSCH transmissions, one or more PSFCH Tx slots for the multiple other nodes, or one or more PSFCH Tx slots for the node are dynamically selected and indicated. At least one of the Rx time slots, or (6) in response to determining that the beam conflict is unavoidable, selecting one or more Rx beams that are wider than one or more current Rx beams for the reception of the plurality of PSFCHs; and using the selected one or more resources and the determined one or more Tx beams to perform at least one of the one or more PSCCH transmissions or the one or more PSSCH transmissions.

[0011] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided storing instructions executable by one or more processors of a node in a sidelink communication. The method includes: establishing one or more unicast links between a node in the sidelink communication and one or more other nodes in the sidelink communication; receiving at least one of one or more PSCCH signals or one or more PSSCH signals transmitted from the one or more other nodes; determining whether to perform one or more PSFCH transmissions as feedback to the reception of the one or more PSCCH signals or the one or more PSSCH signals; and determining one or more PSFCH time slots in response to determining whether to perform the one or more PSFCH transmissions, wherein determining whether to perform the one or more PSFCH transmissions includes at least one of the following: One of the following: (1) determining the one or more PSFCH time slots for the one or more PSFCH transmissions based on at least one of the following: one or more priorities of the one or more PSFCH transmissions, one or more priorities of the one or more PSFCH transmissions already scheduled, one or more priorities of the one or more PSFCH receptions already scheduled, predicted Tx beam collisions for the one or more PSFCH transmissions, or the presence of a common beam of the one or more PSFCH transmissions already scheduled in the same time slot and the one or more PSFCH transmissions; (2) selecting from a plurality of PSFCH time slot timings that will not cause the one or more PSFCH transmissions to... (2) In response to determining the predicted Tx beam conflict for the transmission of the one or more PSFCHs, use one or more Tx beams that are wider than the one or more current Tx beams for the transmission of the one or more PSFCHs, or use the same PSFCH Tx beams for the transmission of the one or more PSFCHs; and in response to determining the one or more PSFCHs, use the determined one or more PSFCHs to perform the transmission of the one or more PSFCHs. Attached Figure Description

[0012] [ Figure 1 ] Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for resource selection in sidelink communication consistent with some embodiments of this disclosure.

[0013] [ Figure 2A ] Figure 2A This is based on some embodiments consistent with this disclosure. Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the resource candidate determination process using this method.

[0014] [ Figure 2B ] Figure 2B This is based on some embodiments consistent with this disclosure. Figure 1 The table shows the correspondence between the sub-carrier spacing (SCS) and the resource subsets in the method.

[0015] [ Figure 3 ] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the PSSCH to PSFCH time resource mapping consistent with some embodiments of this disclosure.

[0016] [ Figure 4 ] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating PSFCHRx beam collision at the UE in side-link communication consistent with some embodiments of this disclosure.

[0017] [ Figure 5 ] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating PSFCHTx beam collision at the UE in side-link communication consistent with some embodiments of this disclosure.

[0018] [ Figure 6 ] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for beam management (e.g., mitigating PSFCH Rx beam collisions at nodes) in sidelink communication, consistent with some embodiments of this disclosure.

[0019] [ Figure 7 ] Figure 7 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for beam management (e.g., mitigating PSFCH Tx beam collisions at nodes) in sidelink communication consistent with some embodiments of this disclosure.

[0020] [ Figure 8 ] Figure 8 This is a block diagram of nodes according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0021] Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The following description refers to the accompanying drawings, wherein, unless otherwise indicated, the same numerals in different drawings denote the same or similar elements. The embodiments set forth in the following description of exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with this disclosure. Rather, they are merely examples of systems, apparatuses, and methods consistent with the aspects of this disclosure as described in the appended claims.

[0022] Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating a method 100 for resource selection or reselection in side-link communication according to some embodiments of the present disclosure; Figure 2A It shows the basis Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the resource candidate determination process using this method; Figure 2B It shows the basis Figure 1 A table showing the correspondence between the SCS and resource subsets of the method is provided. Method 100 can be executed by several different types of nodes, although an explanation of method 100 executed by the UE in sidelink communication is provided below. For example, method 100 can be executed by a vehicle in V2X communication. Method 100 can be executed for sidelink communication in Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) mode at the physical (PHY) layer. An example of this mode is 3GPP Release 16 / 17 5G NR-V2X PC5 Mode 2.

[0023] like Figure 2A As shown, in this mode, 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 μ The SCS is kHz, where μ is the OFDM value, μ ∈ {0,1, 2, 3, 4}. For sub-6 GHz frequencies, SCSs of 15 kHz, 30 kHz, and 60 kHz (i.e., μ ∈ {0, 1, 2}) are supported, while for frequencies above 6 GHz, SCSs of 60 kHz, 120 kHz, and 240 kHz (i.e., μ ∈ {2, 3, 4}) are supported. Each time slot is 1 / 2 μ It is ms in length and consists of 14 OFDM symbols. Each subchannel can consist of multiple contiguous Physical Resource Blocks (PRBs), with each PRB occupying 180.2 ms. μ kHz, and composed of 12 units with 15.2 μ The subcarrier composition of the kHz SCS. The size of the subchannel (i.e., the number of PRBs per subchannel) is configurable or preconfigurable.

[0024] To support multiple SCSs and different Doppler spreads, multiple demodulation reference signal (DMRS) density options are supported (2-4 DMRS symbols per slot). Each UE can transmit Phase 1 Sidelink Control Information (SCI) in the PSCCH, as well as data (e.g., Transport Block (TB)) in the PSSCH and Phase 2 SCI. Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) feedback (e.g., Acknowledgement (ACK) / Negative Acknowledgement (NACK), or NACK only) can be transmitted in the PSFCH.

[0025] Figure 2B The SCS with sensing window and selection window (T) consistent with some embodiments of this disclosure are shown. SL proc,0 and T SL proc,1 The correspondence between the parameters. For example, when SCS is 15 kHz, such as Figure 2B As shown in the second and third columns, T SL proc,0 Corresponding to 1 ms, while T SL proc,1 This corresponds to 3 ms. For example, when SCS is 30 kHz, T... SL proc,0 Corresponding to 0.5 ms, while T SL proc,1 This corresponds to 2.5 ms.

[0026] See back Figure 1 Method 100 includes: step 102, performing channel sensing. Channel sensing can be background sensing or any other type of full or partial sensing. For example, such as Figure 2A As shown, the UE can be in the sensing window T sensing (e.g., T) sensing = [n - T0, n- T SL proc,0 ], where T0 = 100 ms or 1100 ms, and T SL proc,0 exist Figure 2BChannel sensing is performed in the (as given) to collect resource reservation information of 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.

[0027] Method 100 includes: Step 104, collecting resource reservation information from other UEs and measuring the corresponding Sidelink-Reference Signal Received Power (SL-RSRP). For example, as Figure 2A As shown, the UE can perform channel sensing within the sensing window and collect resource reservation information of 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 decodes the SCI.

[0028] SCI decoding can include two phases: Phase 1 SCI (SCI format 1-A) and Phase 2 SCI (SCI format 2-A or 2-B) as defined in the 3GPP specifications. Phase 1 SCI may carry resource reservation information for future transmissions, resource allocation-related information, the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) for PSSCH, DMRS mode, and the Phase 2 SCI format, etc. Phase 2 SCI may carry control information for HARQ procedures, source / destination IDs, and information for distance-based groupcast (e.g., UE area ID and communication range requirements), etc. Based on the resource reservation information included in Phase 1 SCI, the UE can avoid using time and / or frequency resources reserved by another UE when performing resource selection or reselection.

[0029] Method 100 includes: step 106, determining candidate resources by excluding reserved and / or unmonitored resources. For example, the UE can select from a selection window T (e.g., T = [n + T1, n + T2], where 0 ≦ T1 ≦ T). SL proc,1 ms,T SL proc,1 exist Figure 2BAs given in the table, and T2 can be set based on the remaining packet delay budget, unmonitored time slots can be excluded. The UE may be unable to sense unmonitored time slots in the sensing window due to, for example, its own transmissions (e.g., half-duplex constraints). If the corresponding SL-RSRP exceeds a configured or pre-configured SL-RSRP exclusion threshold, the UE can also exclude resources reserved by one or more other UEs from the selection window. After resource exclusion, the number of candidate resources can be at least X% of the total number of resources in the selection window. Otherwise, the UE can increase the SL-RSRP exclusion threshold, for example, by 3dB, until at least X% of the resources are available, where X can be configured or pre-configured from {20, 35, 50}%.

[0030] Method 100 includes: step 108, selecting a resource from the candidate resources. This selection can be random. For example, ... Figure 2A As shown, 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 used only once for one-shot transmission (OST).

[0031] In some embodiments, 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 uses this information for 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.

[0032] According to the first inter-UE coordination scheme, a UE can receive indications from one or more other UEs regarding resources preferably included in or reselected by the UE, or resources preferably excluded. In one embodiment, when a resource indication includes a given resource, the UE can rely solely on those resources if the indication does not support sensing and / or resource exclusion. In one embodiment, the UE can also combine the resource indication with resources identified by its own sensing process before making a final selection. The UE can receive the indications via a Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) and / or a second-stage SCI.

[0033] According to the second inter-UE coordination scheme, a UE may receive an indication that resources reserved for its transmission will or may be subject to transmission conflicts from another UE. In this case, the UE can reselect new resources. The UE can receive this indication via the PSFCH. The UE can use a mapping table that defines the mapping rules between PSSCH allocations (e.g., one or more time slots and / or sub-channels) and PSFCH resources. Using the mapping table, the UE (and the transmitter UE) can determine the PSSCH allocations involved in the information in the PSSCH resources. When more than one sub-channel is reserved in the PSSCH, multiple PSFCH resources can be used. The mapping table can be predefined, pre-configured at the UE, or configured by the network node.

[0034] Method 100 includes: step 110, checking resource availability based on re-evaluation and / or preemption of the selected resource. This step can be performed on later-arriving packets (e.g., aperiodic packets) after resource selection and before packet transmission.

[0035] Method 100 includes: step 112, determining whether resource reselection is required. If resource reselection is determined to be required, the method can iterate from step 104. Alternatively, if resource reselection is determined not to be required, the method can continue to: step 114, transmitting packets based on SPS or OST. The packets can be initial packets or retransmitted packets. The UE can also retransmit packets multiple times (e.g., HARQ retransmission) with or without feedback from the receiver UE to improve transmission reliability. After step 114, method 100 can be repeated from step 102.

[0036] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the PSSCH to PSFCH time resource mapping consistent with some embodiments of this disclosure. In some embodiments, the mapping between PSSCH resources and PSFCH resources consistent with 3GPP standards can be used for transmission and / or reception on unicast and multicast PSFCH (e.g., ACK / NACK feedback and NACK-only feedback). Figure 3 An example mapping between PSSCH and PSFCH resources is shown. The mapping can be determined by higher-level parameters such as sl-PSFCH-Period, sl-MinTimeGapPSFCH, and sl-PSFCH-RB-Set. The parameter sl-PSFCH-Period indicates the period of the PSFCH resource, which can be 0, 1, 2, or 4 time slots. Figure 3 An example cycle of a PSFCH resource with 4 time slots is shown. The parameter sl-MinTimeGapPSFCH indicates the minimum time gap between the PSFCH and the associated PSSCH, which can be, for example, 2 or 3 time slots. Figure 3 An example time slot is shown between the three-slot PSFCH and its associated PSSCH. The parameter sl-PSFCH-RB-Set indicates, in bitmap form, the actual set of PRBs used for PSFCH transmission and reception.

[0037] PSSCH to PSFCH resource mapping allows Tx UEs and Rx UEs to determine which PSSCH resource information in a PSFCH resource pertains to without explicit signaling between the Tx UE and Rx UE. The time resource used for PSFCH can be configured or pre-configured to appear once every 1, 2, or 4 time slots provided by sl-PSFCH-Period. Figure 3 In the example PSSCH to PSFCH resource mapping shown, the time resource configuration or pre-configuration for PSFCH is set to occur once every 4 time slots. When the UE is in a time slot (e.g., Figure 3 When the UE receives the PSSCH signal in time slot n, it can do so in the first time slot (e.g., Figure 3 PSFCH transmission is performed in time slot n+5 of the first time slot, which includes PSFCH resources and is at least 2 or 3 time slots of the resource pool provided by sl-MinTimeGapPSFCH after the last time slot of PSSCH reception. In some embodiments, the frequency and / or code resources for PSFCH can be derived from the frequency and / or code resources used in the associated PSSCH transmission, along with the PHY layer source ID of the UE transmitting PSSCH, and, when using multicast with ACK / NACK feedback, the identifier of the UE receiving PSSCH as indicated by a higher layer.

[0038] The aforementioned resource reservation and selection mechanisms can facilitate sidelink communication based on low-frequency bands (e.g., omnidirectional FR1 signals). In this disclosure, FR1 is defined as the frequency range from 410 MHz to 7125 MHz (including the sub-6 GHz spectrum). However, resource reservation and selection for sidelink communication based on high-frequency bands (e.g., FR2) are more complex. In this disclosure, FR2 is defined as two frequency sub-ranges: FR2-1 from 24250 MHz to 52600 MHz and FR2-2 from 52600 MHz to 71000 MHz (including millimeter-wave spectrum). While using high-frequency bands (e.g., FR2) for sidelink communication provides a useful complement to existing sidelink communication in the FR1 band, especially for high data rate applications, it also faces several technical challenges.

[0039] For example, high-frequency radio signals suffer from high path loss. Due to the higher frequency, the path loss in FR2 is significantly higher than that in the FR1 band. For instance, in the free-space path loss model, the path loss at a carrier frequency of 30 GHz is 14 dB higher than that at 6 GHz.

[0040] To compensate for higher path loss, beamforming with narrow beams or directional antennas can be used to provide sufficient array gain through a larger antenna aperture. However, the use of narrow beamforming or directional antennas requires beam alignment between the Tx UE and Rx UE. Furthermore, due to the potentially high mobility of the UEs, the relative positions between the Tx UE and Rx UE can change dynamically. Specifically, in vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) scenarios, both the Tx UE and Rx UE move (i.e., dual mobility), while in vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) / infrastructure-to-vehicle (I2V) scenarios, only one of the Tx UE and Rx UE moves.

[0041] Furthermore, in the FR2 band, radio signals may not penetrate solid materials well, leading to high penetration loss when the link path is obstructed by surrounding objects (e.g., vehicles, buildings, or other objects). Congestion and high mobility in Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) scenarios result in intermittent link connectivity. In particular, due to the relatively low antenna height at both the Tx UE and RxUE, obstruction caused by large surrounding vehicles (e.g., trucks and buses) can be more severe in V2V scenarios.

[0042] To mitigate these technical challenges, NewRadio (NR) sidelink beam management (e.g., initial beam pairing, beam maintenance, beam fault recovery) can be used in high-frequency-based sidelink communications. For example, for initial beam pairing, the Tx UE and Rx UE can perform an initial beam pairing procedure to determine the initial beam pair between them. Initial beam pairing can be performed before, during, and / or after unicast link establishment. After initial beam pairing, the Tx UE and Rx UE can perform a beam maintenance procedure to refine the Tx beam and / or Rx beam. Beam maintenance can be performed in a periodic and / or aperiodic manner.

[0043] In traditional NR sidelinks, omnidirectional beamforming allows for the simultaneous transmission or reception of multiple PSFCHs. However, in high-frequency band (e.g., FR2) sidelink communication, the PSFCH Tx or Rx beams are trained separately for each sidelink unicast session. If a UE supports multiple sidelink unicast sessions, the trained PSFCH beams used for Tx UE and Rx UE pairs in different sidelink unicast sessions can be different. Similarly, a UE can have simultaneous PSCCH and / or PSSCH reception. If a UE supports multiple sidelink unicast sessions, the trained PSCCH and / or PSSCH reception beams used for Tx UE and Rx UE pairs in different sidelink unicast sessions can be different.

[0044] On the other hand, UE capabilities are often limited, restricting them to supporting only simultaneous transmission and / or reception based on a single beam. UEs typically cannot use different beams for simultaneous transmission or reception. This can lead to PSFCH Tx beam collisions and / or PSFCH Rx beam collisions, as discussed below. Figure 4 and Figure 5 As described.

[0045] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating PSFCH Rx beam collision involving a UE with multiple unicast links, consistent with some embodiments of this disclosure. Reference Figure 4 UE 402 can be a transmitter UE that transmits signals (e.g., PSCCH and / or PSSCH) to multiple other UEs (UE 404, UE 406, UE 408). In response, UE 402 should expect to receive multiple PSFCH transmissions from multiple other UEs (UE 404, UE 406, UE 408) in the same time slot. UE 402 can train different PSFCH Rx beams (e.g., three different beams) for different unicast links, such as... Figure 4 As shown. However, since UE 402 cannot use different Rx beams to simultaneously receive PSFCH signals transmitted from other UEs (UE 404, UE 406, UE 408), PSFCH beam collisions may occur at UE 402.

[0046] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating PSFCH Tx beam collision involving a UE with multiple unicast links, consistent with some embodiments of this disclosure. Reference Figure 5UE 502 can be a receiver UE that receives signals (e.g., PSCCH and / or PSSCH) transmitted from multiple other UEs (UE 504, UE 506, UE 508). In response, UE 502 should anticipate transmitting corresponding PSFCH signals to multiple other UEs (UE 504, UE 506, UE 508) in the same time slot. UE 502 can train different PSFCH Tx beams (e.g., three different beams) for different unicast links, such as... Figure 5 As shown. However, since UE 502 cannot use different Tx beams for PSFCH transmission simultaneously, PSFCH Tx beam conflicts may occur at UE 502.

[0047] Several methods have been proposed to resolve PSFCH Rx beam conflict and / or PSFCH Tx beam conflict, but these methods suffer from serious drawbacks, as described below.

[0048] For example, in Figure 4 In this context, UE 402 can discard some PSFCH Rx beams based on the priority of multiple PSFCH receptions. Similarly, in... Figure 5 In UE 502, some PSFCH Tx beams can be dropped based on the priority of multiple PSFCH transmissions. However, since this action is a reactive method, it may not be able to avoid PSFCH beam collisions. Furthermore, in... Figure 4 In this context, due to the loss of some PSFCH reception at UE 402, some UEs transmitting PSSCH and / or PSCCH need to retransmit PSSCH and / or PSCCH, even though retransmission is unnecessary. Similarly, in Figure 5 In this scenario, due to the dropping of some PSSCH transmissions, UE 502 needs to retransmit one or more PSSCHs even if retransmission is not required. This results in a waste of radio resources.

[0049] For another example, Figure 4 UE 402 can switch to a single common beam (e.g., a quasi-omnidirectional beam) to receive multiple PSFCHs with one beam. Similarly, Figure 5 UE 502 can switch to a single common beam (e.g., a quasi-omnidirectional beam) to transmit multiple PSFCHs with one beam. However, in Figure 4 In this context, if a wider beam is used for multiple PSFCH receptions, the communication range of PSFCH reception can be reduced due to the lower beamforming gain at UE 402 compared to using a narrow beam. Similarly, in Figure 5In this context, if a wider beam is used for multiple PSFCH transmissions, the communication range of the PSFCH transmissions can be reduced due to the lower beamforming gain at UE 502 compared to using a narrow beam. Furthermore, depending on the UE's location and / or antenna configuration, there are... Figure 4 UE 402 or Figure 5 UE 502 cannot use a common beam for multiple PSFCH receptions or multiple PSFCH transmissions in the same time slot.

[0050] For another example, Figure 4 UE or Figure 5 UEs can use inter-UE coordination to indicate beam collisions and / or indicate preferred / non-preferred resources to avoid beam collisions. However, this method is not suitable for mitigating PSFCH receive beam collisions, such as... Figure 4 The situation in the middle.

[0051] At least some embodiments of this disclosure provide solutions to the above-mentioned problems by providing methods that can avoid or mitigate PSFCH Rx beam conflict and / or PSFCH Tx beam conflict.

[0052] In some embodiments, to alleviate the burden on UEs that transmit multiple PSCCHs and / or PSSCHs while simultaneously receiving corresponding multiple PSFCHs (e.g., Figure 4 If there is a beam collision at PSFCH Rx in UE 402, the UE may perform one or more of the following operations:

[0053] In some embodiments, the UE may jointly perform resource selection or resource reselection on at least one of one or more PSCCH transmissions or one or more PSSCH transmissions of multiple unicast links, thereby avoiding PSFCH Rx beam collisions.

[0054] In some embodiments, the UE may select from the candidate resource set at least one resource associated with PSFCH reception for at least one of one or more PSCCH transmissions or one or more PSSCH transmissions, wherein the PSFCH reception is scheduled to use the same PSFCH Rx beam and time slot as the one or more PSFCH receptions that have already been scheduled.

[0055] In some embodiments, the UE may prioritize at least one resource associated with a PSFCH reception scheduled to use the same PSFCH Rx beam and time slot as one or more PSFCH receptions that have already been scheduled, within a candidate resource set, or deprioritize one or more resources for one or more PSFCH transmissions based on the delivery deadline or delay requirements of one or more PSCCH transmissions or at least one of one or more PSSCH transmissions.

[0056] In some embodiments, in response to determining a predicted beam conflict among multiple Rx beams for multiple PSFCH receptions at a node, the UE may perform resource reselection on one or more pre-selected resources for at least one of one or more PSCCH transmissions or one or more PSSCH transmissions.

[0057] In some embodiments, the UE may dynamically select and indicate at least one of the following in each of one or more PSCCH transmissions or one or more PSSCH transmissions: one or more PSFCH Tx slots for a plurality of other nodes, or one or more PSFCH Rx slots for that node.

[0058] In some embodiments, in response to the determination that beam conflict is unavoidable, the UE may select one or more Rx beams that are wider than one or more current Rx beams for multiple PSFCH receptions.

[0059] In some embodiments, the UE may selectively apply one or more of the above operations to the reception of one or more PSFCHs based on one or more conditions. In this way, a UE that transmits multiple PSCCHs and / or PSSCHs and simultaneously receives the corresponding PSFCHs (e.g., Figure 4 UE 402 in the example can mitigate PSFCH Rx beam conflicts without causing excessive exclusion of resources and / or increased latency for PSFCH transmission and / or reception.

[0060] In some embodiments, to alleviate the burden on UEs receiving multiple PSCCHs and / or PSSCHs and simultaneously transmitting multiple PSFCHs (e.g., Figure 5 In the event of a PSFCH Tx beam collision at UE 502, the UE may perform one or more of the following actions:

[0061] In some embodiments, the UE may determine one or more PSFCH time slots for one or more PSFCH transmissions based on at least one of the following: one or more priorities of one or more PSFCH transmissions, one or more priorities of one or more scheduled PSFCH transmissions, one or more priorities of one or more scheduled PSFCH receptions, predicted Tx beam conflicts for one or more PSFCH transmissions, or the presence of a common beam of one or more PSFCH transmissions scheduled in the same time slot and one or more PSFCH transmissions.

[0062] In some embodiments, the UE may select from a plurality of PSFCH time slots that will not cause a conflict between one or more PSFCH Tx beams and one or more PSFCH Tx beams already scheduled in the same time slot.

[0063] In some embodiments, in response to determining a predicted Tx beam conflict for one or more PSFCH transmissions, the UE may use one or more Tx beams that are wider than one or more current Tx beams for one or more PSFCH transmissions, or use the same PSFCH Tx beams for one or more PSFCH transmissions.

[0064] In some embodiments, the UE may selectively perform one or more of the above operations for one or more PSFCH transmissions based on multiple conditions. In this way, a UE that receives PSCCH and / or PSSCH and simultaneously transmits the corresponding PSFCH (e.g., Figure 5 UE 502 in the example can mitigate Tx beam collisions without causing excessive exclusion of resources and / or increased latency for PSFCH transmission and / or reception.

[0065] Because the methods provided in this disclosure are proactive, PSFCH Rx beam collisions and PSFCH Tx beam collisions can be actively avoided. By applying these methods, narrow beams can be used for PSFCH transmission and / or reception, thereby extending the communication range of PSFCH transmission and / or reception without causing PSFCH Rx beam collisions and / or PSFCH Tx beam collisions.

[0066] This disclosure discloses methods and apparatus for determining resources and / or beams for beam-based sidelink communication. The method can be applied to any wireless communication system utilizing beamforming; however, in the remainder of this disclosure, the method is exemplified, but not limited to, terrestrial mobile radio communication systems supporting sidelink communication, such as 3GPP LTE or 5G NR Radio Access Technology (RAT) or next-generation (6G 5G NR) radio access technologies.th Generation (6G), 7 th The method described in this disclosure can also be applied to other systems, such as systems conforming to other standards (e.g., IEEE standards).

[0067] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating a method 600 for beam management in sidelink communication (e.g., mitigating PSFCH Rx beam collisions at nodes simultaneously receiving multiple PSFCHs), consistent with some embodiments of this disclosure. A node transmits multiple PSCCHs and / or PSSCHs to multiple other nodes and receives corresponding multiple PSFCHs from multiple other nodes. The node may include at least one of the following: at least one UE, at least one relay node, at least one onboard module, at least one roadside unit, at least one repeater, at least one transponder, at least one wireless router, at least one controller, or at least one access point. An example of such a node is... Figure 4 UE 402.

[0068] Method 600 includes: step 602, establishing multiple unicast links between a node in the sidelink communication and multiple other nodes in the sidelink communication. Using UE 402 as an example, such as... Figure 4 As shown, UE 402 establishes three unicast links with other UEs (UE 404, UE 406, UE 408). In some embodiments, the step of establishing multiple unicast links further includes determining at least one Tx beam and / or at least one Rx beam for each unicast link.

[0069] Method 600 includes: step 604, performing channel sensing. Channel sensing can be background sensing or any other type of full or partial sensing. For example, UE 402 ( Figure 4 ) can be detected in the sensing window T sensing (For example, T) sensing =[n-T0, nT] SL proc、0 ], where T0 = 100 ms or 1100 ms, and T SL proc、0 exist Figure 2B Channel sensing is performed in the UE(s) to collect resource reservation information from other UEs (UE 404, UE 406, UE 408). 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. In some embodiments, performing channel sensing may include obtaining resource reservation information from other UEs.

[0070] Method 600 includes: step 606, selecting one or more resources and determining one or more Tx beams for at least one of one or more PSCCH transmissions, or one or more PSSCH transmissions. UE 402 ( Figure 4 One or more resources and / or one or more Tx beams may be selected for at least one of one or more PSCCH transmissions or one or more PSSCH transmissions by performing one or more operations discussed below, such as resource exclusion, resource selection, resource reselection, resource re-evaluation, or resource preemption.

[0071] In some embodiments, UE 402 may jointly perform resource selection or resource reselection on at least one of one or more PSCCH transmissions or one or more PSSCH transmissions of multiple unicast links, thereby avoiding PSFCH Rx beam collisions and / or the same PSFCH Rx beam being used for multiple PSCCH and / or PSSCH transmissions of multiple unicast links. For example, UE 402 may jointly perform resource selection or resource reselection on at least one of one or more PSCCH transmissions or one or more PSSCH transmissions of multiple unicast links in response to determining an overlap of selection windows for multiple PSCCH and / or PSSCH transmissions of multiple unicast links. For another example, UE 402 may jointly perform resource selection or resource reselection on at least one of one or more PSCCH transmissions or one or more PSSCH transmissions of multiple unicast links in response to determining the existence of a common PSFCH Rx beam for multiple unicast links. In this case, UE 402 may use the same PSFCH Rx beam for one or more PSCCH transmissions, or at least one of one or more PSSCH transmissions.

[0072] In some embodiments, UE 402 ( Figure 4 The system can select at least one resource from the candidate resource set associated with a PSFCH reception that is scheduled to use the same PSFCH Rx beam and time slot as one or more already scheduled PSFCH receptions for at least one of one or more PSCCH or PSSCH transmissions. In this case, the one or more PSCCH or PSSCH transmissions may be one or more current transmissions, and the one or more already scheduled PSFCH receptions may be one or more PSFCH receptions in response to one or more signals from UE402.

[0073] In some embodiments, UE 402 ( Figure 4Within the candidate resource set, UE 402 can prioritize at least one resource associated with PSFCH reception scheduled to use the same PSFCH Rx beam and time slot as one or more already scheduled PSFCH receptions. For example, UE 402 can prioritize at least one resource associated with PSFCH reception scheduled to use the same PSFCH Rx beam and time slot as one or more already scheduled PSFCH receptions by applying one or more Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) thresholds in resource exclusion within the candidate resource set based on at least one of the following: one or more priorities of one or more PSCCH transmissions, one or more priorities of one or more PSSCH transmissions, or one or more congestion metrics. The RSRP threshold can be a function of the priorities of one or more PSCCH signals or one or more PSSCH signals, or traffic congestion. Conversely, UE 402 may de-prioritize one or more resources for one or more PSCCH transmissions or at least one of PSSCH transmissions based on delivery deadlines or latency requirements of one or more PSCCH transmissions or at least one of PSSCH transmissions. For example, UE 402 may de-prioritize data transmissions with long delivery deadlines (e.g., early frames in a large set of pictures) or data transmissions with low latency requirements (e.g., Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)).

[0074] In some embodiments, UE 402 may perform resource reselection on one or more pre-selected resources for at least one of one or more PSCCH or PSSCH transmissions in response to determining a predicted beam conflict among multiple Rx beams for multiple PSFCH receptions at the UE. The pre-selected resources are resources that have been selected but not yet used for transmission. For example, the predicted beam conflict may be determined based on at least one of a reassessment check or a preemption check in one or more time slots prior to using the pre-selected resources for at least one of one or more PSCCH or PSSCH transmissions. As another example, resource reselection on the pre-selected resources for at least one of one or more PSCCH or PSSCH transmissions may be performed in response to determining an update in at least one of one or more Tx beams or Rx beams associated with the UE. Updates in at least one of one or more Tx beams or Rx beams associated with the UE may occur due to beam maintenance or beam failure recovery.

[0075] In some embodiments, UE 402 may dynamically select and indicate at least one of the following in each of one or more PSCCH transmissions or one or more PSSCH transmissions: one or more PSFCH Tx slots for multiple other UEs (e.g., UE 404, UE 406, UE 408), or one or more PSFCH Rx slots for UE 402. For example, if a current PSFCH Tx slot or a current PSFCH Rx slot is used, UE 402 may dynamically select and indicate at least one of one or more PSFCH Tx slots or one or more PSFCH Rx slots in response to determining a predicted beam conflict. Otherwise, UE 402 may use the current PSFCH slot corresponding to the selected one or more resources for at least one of one or more PSFCH Tx slots or one or more PSFCH Rx slots.

[0076] For example, UE 402 can dynamically select and indicate at least one of one PSFCH Tx slots or one of one PSFCH Rx slots via control signaling at least one of the physical layer (e.g., SCI), media access control (MAC) layer (e.g., MAC CE), or higher layers. Higher layers may include at least one of the network layer, transport layer, or application layer. In this case, UE 402 may not use a predefined one-to-one mapping between PSSCH time resources and PSFCH time resources, for example, Figure 3 The example mapping is shown below. Conversely, UE 402 can dynamically determine higher-layer parameters sl-PSFCH-Period, sl-MinTimeGapPSFCH, and sl-PSFCH-RB-Set. For example, UE 402 can dynamically determine (change) the period of the PSFCH resource indicated by parameter sl-PSFCH-Period from 0, 1, 2, or 4, or any other number of time slots. For another example, UE 402 can dynamically determine (change) the minimum time gap between the PSFCH indicated by parameter sl-MinTimeGapPSFCH and the associated PSSCH from 2, 3, or any other number of time slots.

[0077] For example, at least one of the following can be indicated in the form of an absolute timeslot location or a timeslot offset from a PSCCH or PSSCH timeslot: one or more PSFCH Tx timeslots for multiple other UEs, or one or more PSFCH Rx timeslots for a UE. UE 402 can encrypt the indication of one or more PSFCH Tx timeslots or one or more PSFCH Rx timeslots to prevent malicious UEs from transmitting on the same timeslot and causing interference. Since UE 402 assumes that a PC5 connection has been established between the UE and another UE, if UE 402 decides to encrypt the indication of the selected one or more PSFCH Tx and / or Rx timeslots, the UE can use encryption in the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer and use one or more PC5 Radio Resource Control (RRC) messages to transmit the encrypted indication. In this way, confidentiality and integrity can be protected.

[0078] For example, the actual or maximum number of at least one of the selected one or more PSFCH Tx slots or PSFCH Rx slots is configured, pre-configured, specified in the specification, or determined based on the node implementation. As another example, the number of allowed PSFCH Tx slots or PSFCH Rx slots is configured, pre-configured, specified in the specification, or determined based on the node implementation. The number of allowed PSFCH Tx slots or PSFCH Rx slots can be indicated in the form of slots offset from PSCCH or PSSCH slots.

[0079] In some embodiments, if UE 402 determines that PSFCH Rx beam conflict cannot be avoided, the UE may select one or more Rx beams that are wider than one or more current Rx beams for multiple PSFCH receptions, thereby avoiding PSFCH Rx beam conflict and / or the same PSFCH Rx beams being used for multiple PSCCH and / or PSSCH transmissions.

[0080] For example, UE 402 may select and apply one or more Rx beams wider than one or more current Rx beams for multiple PSFCH receptions in response to determining a common Rx beam wider than one or more current Rx beams used for two or more PSFCH receptions in the same time slot. UE 402 may iteratively widen one or more Rx beams from one or more current Rx beams used for multiple PSFCH receptions until the widest reachable Rx beam associated with the node is used or PSFCH Rx beam conflicts are avoided.

[0081] In some embodiments, the UE may selectively apply one or more of the above operations to one or more PSFCH receptions based on one or more conditions to mitigate excessive exclusion of PSFCH transmission and / or reception resources and / or increased latency. These one or more conditions may include, but are not limited to, the RSRP of the signal, transmission priority, whether PSFCH Rx beam conflict is expected, and whether wide Rx beams cannot be used.

[0082] An example condition is the priority of PSCCH and / or PSSCH transmissions. For example, UE 402 may select one or more resources and determine one or more Tx beams based on a comparison of at least one priority of one or more PSCCH transmissions or at least one of one or more PSSCH transmissions with the priority of at least one scheduled PSCCH transmission or the priority of at least one scheduled PSSCH transmission.

[0083] Another example condition is the RSRP of candidate resources for one or more PSCCH and / or PSSCH transmissions. For example, UE 402 can select one or more resources and determine one or more Tx beams based on a comparison of the RSRP of candidate resources in the candidate resource set with an RSRP threshold. The RSRP threshold can be a function of transmission priority. For another example, UE 402 can select one or more resources and determine one or more Tx beams based on a comparison of the RSRP of candidate resources in the candidate resource set with the RSRP of candidate resources for at least one scheduled PSCCH transmission or the RSRP of candidate resources for at least one scheduled PSSCH transmission.

[0084] Another example condition is determining whether a PSFCH Rx beam conflict is expected. For example, UE 402 may select one or more resources and determine one or more Tx beams based on predicted beam conflicts between one or more expected PSFCH Rx beams received as feedback to one or more current transmissions and one or more Rx beams received by one or more scheduled PSFCHs.

[0085] Another example condition is determining whether a wide Rx beam can be used for one or more PSFCH receptions. For example, UE 402 can select one or more resources and determine one or more Tx beams based on a comparison of one or more expected Rx beam widths for one or more PSFCH receptions as feedback to one or more current transmissions with one or more beam widths for one or more PSFCH receptions that have already been scheduled.

[0086] Method 600 includes: step 608, performing at least one of one or more PSCCH transmissions or one or more PSSCH transmissions using selected one or more resources and determined one or more Tx beams. For example, UE 402 ( Figure 4 The UE can use one or more selected resources and / or one or more determined Tx beams to transmit one or more PSCCH signals and / or one or more PSSCH signals to other UEs (e.g., UE 404, UE 406, UE 408). Because one or more resources and / or one or more Tx beams are selected using methods designed to mitigate PSFCH Rx beam collisions, the UE should expect to receive multiple PSFCH signals simultaneously without suffering PSFCH Rx beam collisions.

[0087] Figure 7 This is a flowchart illustrating a method 700 for beam management in sidelink communication (e.g., mitigating PSFCH Tx beam conflict at a node simultaneously transmitting multiple PSFCHs), consistent with some embodiments of this disclosure. The node may include at least one of the following: at least one UE, at least one relay node, at least one onboard module, at least one roadside unit, at least one repeater, at least one transponder, at least one wireless router, at least one controller, or at least one access point. An example of a node is a UE for sidelink communication, such as... Figure 5 UE 502 in the example.

[0088] Method 700 includes: step 702, establishing one or more unicast links between a node in the sidelink communication and one or more other nodes in the sidelink communication. Using UE 502 as an example, such as... Figure 5 As shown, UE 502 establishes multiple unicast links with multiple other UEs (e.g., UE 504, UE 506, UE 508). In some embodiments, the step of establishing multiple unicast links further includes determining at least one Tx beam and / or at least one Rx beam for each of the multiple unicast links.

[0089] Method 700 includes: step 704, receiving at least one of one or more PSCCH signals, or one or more PSSCH signals, transmitted from one or more other nodes. For example, UE 502 ( Figure 5 It can receive one or more PSCCH signals or at least one of one or more PSSCH signals transmitted from other UEs (e.g., UE504, UE506, UE508).

[0090] Method 700 includes: step 706, determining whether to perform one or more PSFCH transmissions as feedback on the reception of at least one of one or more PSCCH signals or one or more PSSCH signals, and determining one or more PSFCH time slots in response to determining that one or more PSFCH transmissions should be performed. For example, UE 502 may determine one or more PSFCH time slots for one or more PSFCH transmissions by performing one or more operations designed to mitigate PSFCH Tx beam collisions at the UE, as described below.

[0091] In some embodiments, UE 502 may determine one or more PSFCH time slots for one or more PSFCH transmissions based on at least one of the following: one or more priorities of one or more PSFCH transmissions, one or more priorities of one or more scheduled PSFCH transmissions, one or more priorities of one or more scheduled PSFCH receptions, predicted Tx beam conflicts for one or more PSFCH transmissions, or the presence of a common beam of one or more PSFCH transmissions scheduled in the same time slot and one or more PSFCH transmissions.

[0092] In some embodiments, UE 502 may select from a plurality of PSFCH slot timings one or more PSFCH time slots that will not cause a conflict between one or more PSFCH Tx beams and one or more PSFCH Tx beams already scheduled in the same time slot. The plurality of PSFCH time slot timings may be configured, pre-configured, or specified by a standard specification. For example, the plurality of PSFCH time slot timings may be indicated by one or more PSCCH signals or one or more PSSCH signals received from one or more other nodes. The indicated plurality of PSFCH time slot timings may be encrypted by one or more other UEs to prevent potential attackers from intentionally transmitting in the same time slot (one or more) to create interference or modify the indicated time slots in violation of information integrity.

[0093] Additionally, at least one of the actual number of the one or more PSFCH slots or the maximum number of the one or more PSFCH slots can be configured, pre-configured, or specified by a standard specification. UE 502 can determine the actual number of the one or more PSFCH slots based on the node implementation in response to determining that only the maximum number of the one or more PSFCH slots is provided.

[0094] Additionally, UE 502 can select at least one PSFCH time slot that is earlier than at least one current PSFCH time slot, without causing conflict between one or more PSFCH Tx beams and one or more PSFCH Tx beams already scheduled in the same time slot. UE 502 can also randomly select at least one PSFCH time slot that does not cause conflict between one or more PSFCH Tx beams and one or more PSFCH Tx beams already scheduled in the same time slot, or a common Tx beam used for one or more PSFCH transmissions and one or more scheduled PSFCH transmissions.

[0095] In some embodiments, UE 502 may, in response to determining a predicted Tx beam conflict for one or more PSFCH transmissions, use one or more Tx beams wider than one or more current Tx beams for one or more PSFCH transmissions, or use the same PSFCH Tx beam for one or more PSFCH transmissions. For example, UE 502 may, in response to determining a common Tx beam wider than the current PSFCH beam for two or more PSFCH transmissions in the same time slot, use the same PSFCH Tx beam for one or more PSFCH transmissions. UE 502 may iteratively widen one or more Tx beams from one or more current Tx beams used for one or more PSFCH transmissions until the widest achievable Tx beam associated with the node is used or a PSFCH Tx beam conflict is avoided.

[0096] In some embodiments, UE 502 may determine whether to perform one or more PSFCH transmissions and one or more PSFCH slots based on a comparison of one or more priorities of one or more PSCCH signals with a first priority threshold, or a comparison of one or more priorities of one or more PSSCH signals with a second priority threshold.

[0097] For example, UE 502 may determine whether to perform one or more PSFCH transmissions and one or more PSFCH slots based on a comparison of one or more priorities of one or more PSCCH signals with one or more priorities of one or more scheduled PSCCH receptions, or a comparison of one or more priorities of one or more PSSCH signals with one or more priorities of one or more scheduled PSSCH receptions.

[0098] For example, UE 502 can determine whether to perform one or more PSFCH transmissions and one or more PSFCH slots based on a comparison of the RSRP of one or more PSCCH signals or one or more PSSCH signals with an RSRP threshold. The RSRP threshold can be a function of the priority of one or more PSCCH signals or one or more PSSCH signals.

[0099] For example, UE 502 can determine whether to perform one or more PSFCH transmissions and one or more PSFCH slots based on a comparison of the RSRP of one or more PSCCH signals with the RSRP of one or more received PSCCH signals, or a comparison of the RSRP of one or more PSSCH signals with the RSRP of one or more received PSSCH signals.

[0100] For example, UE 502 can determine whether to perform one or more PSFCH transmissions and one or more PSFCH time slots based on predicted PSFCH Tx beam conflicts for one or more PSFCH transmissions. For example, UE 502 can determine whether to perform one or more PSFCH transmissions and one or more PSFCH time slots based on one or more beamwidths of one or more Tx beams used for one or more received PSCCH signals or one or more PSSCH signals.

[0101] Method 700 includes: step 708, in response to determining one or more PSFCH time slots, performing one or more PSFCH transmissions using the determined one or more PSFCH time slots. For example, if UE 502 determines that it wants to transmit a PSFCH signal and determines one or more PSFCH time slots, then the UE uses the determined one or more PSFCH time slots to transmit the PSFCH signal. Otherwise, the UE does not transmit PSFCH signals for received PSCCH and / or PSSCH signals. Since the one or more PSFCH time slots are determined using a method designed to mitigate PSFCH Tx beam collisions, UE 502 should expect to transmit multiple PSFCH signals simultaneously without suffering Tx beam collisions.

[0102] Figure 8A block diagram of a node 800 consistent with some embodiments of this disclosure is shown. The node 800 can be installed in a mobile vehicle or in a fixed location. The node 800 can take any form, including but not limited to, a UE, a relay node, a vehicle, a component installed in a vehicle (e.g., a vehicle-mounted module), a roadside unit, a repeater, a transponder, a controller, an access point, a laptop computer, a wireless terminal including a mobile phone, a wireless handheld device, or a wireless personal device, a wireless router, and / or any other form. The node 800 can be... Figure 4 UE 402 or Figure 5 UE 502. See also Figure 8 Node 800 may include antenna 802, which can be used to transmit electromagnetic signals to or from a base station or other node. Antenna 802 may include one or more antenna elements and may enable different input / output antenna configurations, such as Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO), Multiple Input Single Output (MISO), and Single Input Multiple Output (SIMO). In some embodiments, antenna 802 may include multiple (e.g., dozens or hundreds) antenna elements and may enable multi-antenna functions such as beamforming. In some embodiments, antenna 802 is a single antenna. Antenna 802 may include one or more FR1 antennas and / or one or more FR2 antennas.

[0103] Node 800 may include a transceiver 804 coupled to antenna 802. Transceiver 804 may be a wireless transceiver at node 800 and may communicate bidirectionally with a base station or other nodes. For example, transceiver 804 may receive / transmit wireless signals from / to a base station via downlink / uplink communication. Transceiver 804 may also receive / transmit wireless signals from / to another node (e.g., another UE or roadside unit) via sidelink communication. Transceiver 804 may include a modem for modulating packets and providing the modulated packets to antenna 802 for transmission, and for demodulating packets received from antenna 802.

[0104] Node 800 may include memory 806. Memory 806 may be any type of computer-readable storage medium, including volatile or non-volatile memory devices, or combinations thereof. Computer-readable storage media include, but are not limited to, non-transitory computer storage media. Non-transitory storage media can 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 memory (RAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), digital versatile disk (DVD), flash memory, compact disk (CD) ROM or other optical disk storage, disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, etc. Non-transitory media can be used to carry or store desired program code means (e.g., instructions and / or data structures) and can be accessed by general-purpose or special-purpose computers, or general-purpose or special-purpose processors. In some examples, software / program code may be transmitted from a remote source (e.g., a website, server, etc.) using coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave. In such examples, coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are within the scope of the defined medium. Combinations of the above examples are also within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0105] Memory 806 may store information related to the identification of node 800 and signals and / or data received by antenna 802. Memory 806 may also store post-processed signals and / or data. Memory 806 may also store computer-readable program instructions, mathematical models, and algorithms used in signal processing in receiver 804 and calculations in processor 808. Memory 806 may also store computer-readable program instructions for execution by processor 808 to operate UE 800 to perform the various functions described in this disclosure. In some examples, memory 806 may include a Basic Input / Output System (BIOS) that controls basic hardware or software operations, such as interaction with peripheral components or devices.

[0106] The computer-readable program instructions disclosed herein may be assembly instructions, instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine-dependent 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 may execute entirely on a computing device as a standalone software package, or may execute partly on a first computing device and partly on a second computing device located remotely from the first computing device. In the latter scenario, the remote second computing device may be connected to the first computing device via any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN).

[0107] Node 800 may include processor 808, which may include hardware devices with processing capabilities. Processor 808 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, discrete gate or transistor logic components, discrete hardware components, or other programmable logic devices. Examples of general-purpose processors include, but are not limited to, microprocessors, any conventional processor, controllers, microcontrollers, or state machines. In some embodiments, processor 808 may be implemented using a combination of devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a DSP core, or any other such configuration). Processor 808 may receive downlink or sidelink signals from transceiver 804 and further process the signals. Processor 808 may also receive packets from transceiver 804 and further process the packets. In some embodiments, processor 808 may be configured to use a memory controller to operate memory. In some embodiments, a memory processor may be integrated into processor 808. Processor 808 can be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in memory (e.g., memory 806) to enable UE 800 to perform various functions.

[0108] Node 800 may include a Global Positioning System (GPS) 810. GPS 810 may be used to enable location-based services or other services based on the geographic location of UE 800, and / or for synchronization between nodes. GPS 810 may receive Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) signals from a single or multiple satellites via antenna 802 and provide the geographic location of node 800 (e.g., the coordinates of node 800). In some embodiments, GPS 810 is omitted. In some embodiments, a timer is included.

[0109] Node 800 may include an input / output (I / O) device 812, which can be used to communicate the results of signal processing and computation to a user or other device. The I / O device 812 may include a user interface, including a display and input devices, for transmitting user commands to the processor 808. The display may be configured to show the status of signal reception at node 800, data stored in memory 806, the status of signal processing, and the results of computation, 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 touchscreen, or other image projection devices for displaying information to the user. The input device may be any type of computer hardware device for receiving data and control signals from the user. The input device may include, but is not limited to, a keyboard, mouse, scanner, digital camera, joystick, trackball, cursor arrow keys, touchscreen monitor, or audio / video command device, etc.

[0110] Node 800 may also include machine interface 814, such as an electrical bus connecting transceiver 804, memory 806, processor 808, GPS 810 and I / O device 812.

[0111] In some embodiments, node 800 may be a node configured or programmed to transmit signals (e.g., PSCCH, PSSCH) to one or more other nodes and simultaneously receive feedback signals (e.g., PSFCH) from one or more other nodes. Processor 808 may be configured to execute the instructions stored in memory 806 to: establish multiple unicast links with multiple other nodes in the sidelink communication; perform channel sensing; select one or more resources and determine one or more Tx beams for at least one of one or more PSCCH transmissions or one or more PSSCH transmissions, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions stored in memory to perform at least one of the following: (1) jointly perform resource selection or resource reselection for the one or more PSCCH transmissions or one or more PSSCH transmissions of the multiple unicast links; (2) select from a candidate resource set at least one resource associated with a PSFCH reception for at least one of one or more PSCCH transmissions or one or more PSSCH transmissions, the PSFCH reception being scheduled to use the same PSFCH Rx beam and time slot as the one or more PSFCH receptions that have already been scheduled; and (3) prioritize within the candidate resource set a PSFCH reception that is scheduled to use the same PSFCH Rx beam and time slot as the one or more PSFCH receptions that have already been scheduled. (3) De-prioritize one or more resources for the PSFCH reception of the Rx beam and time slot, or based on the delivery deadline or delay requirements of the one or more PSCCH transmissions or the one or more PSSCH transmissions, (4) Perform resource reselection on the pre-selected one or more resources for the one or more PSCCH transmissions or the one or more PSSCH transmissions in response to determining a predicted beam conflict among the multiple Rx beams for the multiple PSFCH receptions at the node, (5) Dynamically select and indicate one or more PSFCH Tx time slots for the multiple other nodes, or one or more PSFCH Tx time slots for the node in each of the one or more PSCCH transmissions or the one or more PSSCH transmissions. At least one of the Rx time slots, or (6) in response to determining that the beam conflict is unavoidable, selecting one or more Rx beams that are wider than one or more current Rx beams for the reception of the plurality of PSFCHs; and using the selected one or more resources and the determined one or more Tx beams to perform at least one of the one or more PSCCH transmissions or the one or more PSSCH transmissions.

[0112] In some embodiments, node 800 may be a node configured or programmed to receive signals (e.g., PSCCH, PSSCH) from one or more other UEs and transmit feedback signals (e.g., PSFCH) to one or more other nodes. Processor 808 may be configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory 806 to: establish one or more unicast links with one or more other nodes in the sidelink communication; receive at least one of one or more PSCCH signals or one or more PSSCH signals transmitted from the one or more other nodes; determine whether to perform one or more PSFCH transmissions as feedback on the reception of at least one of the one or more PSCCH signals or one or more PSSCH signals; and determine one or more PSFCH time slots in response to determining that one or more PSFCH transmissions should be performed, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory to perform... Perform at least one of the following: (1) determine the one or more PSFCH time slots for the one or more PSFCH transmissions based on at least one of the following: one or more priorities of the one or more PSFCH transmissions, one or more priorities of the one or more PSFCH transmissions already scheduled, one or more priorities of the one or more PSFCH receptions already scheduled, predicted Tx beam collisions for the one or more PSFCH transmissions, or the presence of a common beam of the one or more PSFCH transmissions already scheduled in the same time slot and the one or more PSFCH transmissions; (2) select from a plurality of PSFCH time slot timings that will not cause the one or more PSFCH transmissions to be affected. (2) In response to determining the predicted Tx beam conflict for the transmission of the one or more PSFCHs, use one or more Tx beams that are wider than the one or more current Tx beams for the transmission of the one or more PSFCHs, or use the same PSFCH Tx beams for the transmission of the one or more PSFCHs; and in response to determining the one or more PSFCHs, use the determined one or more PSFCHs to perform the transmission of the one or more PSFCHs.

[0113] As used in this disclosure, the use of the term "or" in a list of items indicates a comprehensive 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). Furthermore, as used in this disclosure, a list of conditions prefixed with the phrase "based on" should not be interpreted as "based only on" the set of conditions, but rather as "at least partially based on" the 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.

[0114] In this specification, the terms "comprising," "containing," or "including" are used interchangeably and have the same meaning, and are interpreted as inclusive and open-ended. The terms "comprising," "containing," or "including" may precede a list of elements and indicate that at least all listed elements are present, but other elements not listed 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.

[0115] With reference to the accompanying drawings, this disclosure describes example configurations that do not represent all possible examples or all configurations within the scope of this disclosure. The term "exemplary" should not be construed as "preferred" or "advantageous compared to other examples," but rather as "illustration, instance, or example." By reading this disclosure, including the description of embodiments and accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art will understand that alternative embodiments can be used to implement the techniques disclosed herein. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments described herein or certain features of the embodiments can be combined to obtain other embodiments for practicing the techniques described in this disclosure. Therefore, this disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein, but should be accorded the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

[0116] The flowcharts and block diagrams in the figures illustrate examples of the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and apparatuses according to various embodiments. It should be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions marked in the boxes may occur outside the order in which they are marked in the figures. For example, depending on the functions involved, two boxes shown consecutively may actually be executed substantially simultaneously, or these boxes may sometimes be executed in reverse order. Similarly, in methods conforming to various embodiments, such methods may include additional steps, and certain steps may be omitted or combined.

[0117] It should be understood that the described embodiments are not mutually exclusive. Elements, components, materials or steps described in conjunction with an exemplary embodiment may be combined with or eliminated from other embodiments in a suitable manner to achieve the desired design purpose.

[0118] References to “some embodiments” or “some exemplary embodiments” herein mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment. The phrases “one embodiment,” “some embodiments,” or “another embodiment” appearing throughout this disclosure do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor are they necessarily separate or alternative embodiments that must be mutually exclusive with other embodiments.

[0119] Furthermore, the articles “a” and “an” used in this disclosure and the appended claims should generally be understood to mean “one or more”, unless otherwise specified or clearly indicated by the context to be in the singular form.

[0120] Unless otherwise explicitly stated, each value and range should be interpreted as approximate, just as the words “approximately” or “roughly” precede the value or range.

[0121] Although the elements in the following method claims (if any) are recited in a particular order, these elements are not necessarily intended to be limited to being implemented in that particular order unless the claims otherwise imply a particular order for implementing some or all of these elements.

[0122] It should be understood that certain features of this disclosure described in the context of various separate embodiments for clarity may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of this specification described in the context of a single embodiment for brevity may also be provided separately, or in any suitable sub-combination, or appropriately in any other described embodiment of this specification. Certain features described in the context of various embodiments are not essential features of those embodiments unless otherwise stated.

[0123] It will be further understood that those skilled in the art can make various modifications, substitutions, and alterations 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 alterations falling on the aspects of the claims.

[0124] Clause 1: A node used for beam management in sidelink communication, the node comprising: Memory, which stores instructions; and A processor configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory to: Establish multiple unicast links with multiple other nodes in the side link communication; Perform channel sensing; Select one or more resources and determine one or more transmitter (Tx) beams for at least one of one or more physical-side crosslink control channel (PSCCH) transmissions or one or more physical-side crosslink shared channel (PSSCH) transmissions, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory to perform at least one of the following: (1) Jointly perform resource selection or resource reselection on at least one of the one or more PSCCH transmissions or the one or more PSSCH transmissions of the plurality of unicast links. (2) Select from the candidate resource set at least one resource associated with the Physical Side Link Feedback Channel (PSFCH) reception for at least one of one or more PSCCH or PSSCH transmissions, wherein the PSFCH reception is scheduled to use the same PSFCH Rx beam and time slot as the PSFCH receiver (Rx) beam and time slot of the one or more PSFCH receptions that have already been scheduled. (3) Prioritize at least one resource associated with a PSFCH reception that is scheduled to use the same PSFCH Rx beam and time slot as one or more PSFCH receptions that have already been scheduled, within the candidate resource set; or reduce the priority of one or more resources for one or more PSFCH transmissions based on the delivery deadline or delay requirements of at least one of the one or more PSCCH transmissions or the one or more PSSCH transmissions. (4) In response to determining a predicted beam conflict among multiple Rx beams for multiple PSFCH receptions at a node, perform resource reselection on one or more pre-selected resources for at least one of the one or more PSCCH transmissions or the one or more PSSCH transmissions. (5) Dynamically select and indicate at least one of the following in each of the one or more PSCCH transmissions or the one or more PSSCH transmissions: one or more PSFCH Tx slots for the plurality of other nodes, or one or more PSFCH Rx slots for the node. (6) In response to determining that the beam collision is unavoidable, selecting one or more Rx beams that are wider than one or more current Rx beams for the reception of the plurality of PSFCHs; and The one or more PSCCH transmissions or at least one of the one or more PSSCH transmissions are performed using one or more selected resources and one or more determined Tx beams.

[0125] Clause 2: A node as described in Clause 1, wherein the node comprises at least one of the following: at least one user equipment (UE), at least one relay node, at least one vehicle module, at least one roadside unit, at least one repeater, at least one transponder, at least one wireless router, at least one controller, or at least one access point.

[0126] Clause 3: A node pursuant to Clause 1, wherein at least one of the one or more PSCCH transmissions or the one or more PSSCH transmissions is one or more current transmissions, and The plurality of PSFCH receptions involved in the beam collision at the node include at least one of the following: one or more anticipated PSFCH receptions as feedback to the one or more currently transmitted receptions, or the one or more PSFCH receptions that have been scheduled.

[0127] Clause 4: For the node described in Clause 1, wherein jointly performing resource selection or resource reselection on at least one of the one or more PSCCH transmissions or the one or more PSSCH transmissions of the plurality of unicast links further includes: Use the same PSFCH Rx beam for at least one of the one or more PSCCH transmissions or the one or more PSSCH transmissions.

[0128] Clause 5: A node according to Clause 1, wherein the joint selection or reselection of resources for at least one of the one or more PSCCH transmissions or the one or more PSSCH transmissions of the plurality of unicast links is performed in response to determining a common PSFCH Rx beam for the plurality of unicast links.

[0129] Clause 6: A node according to Clause 1, wherein prioritizing at least one resource associated with a PSFCH reception scheduled to use the same PSFCH Rx beam and time slot as one or more PSFCH receptions already scheduled, further includes: One or more Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) thresholds in resource exclusion are applied within the candidate resource set based on at least one of the following: one or more priorities of the one or more PSCCH transmissions, one or more priorities of the one or more PSSCH transmissions, or one or more congestion metrics.

[0130] Clause 7: The node as described in Clause 1, wherein the predicted beam conflict is determined based on at least one of a reassessment check or a preemption check at one or more time slots prior to using the preselected one or more resources for at least one of the one or more PSCCH transmissions or the one or more PSSCH transmissions.

[0131] Clause 8: A node according to Clause 1, wherein the reselection of one or more pre-selected resources for at least one of the one or more PSCCH transmissions or the one or more PSSCH transmissions is performed in response to determining an update in at least one of the one or more Tx beams or the one or more Rx beams associated with the node.

[0132] Clause 9: The node as described in Clause 1, wherein the dynamic selection and indication of at least one of the one or more PSFCH Tx slots or the one or more PSFCH Rx slots is performed in response to determining a predicted beam conflict if the current PSFCH Tx slot or the current PSFCH Rx slot is used.

[0133] Clause 10: A node according to Clause 1, wherein the dynamic selection and indication of at least one of the one or more PSFCH Htx slots or the one or more PSFCH Rx slots is performed via control signaling at least one of the physical layer, the media access control (MAC) layer, or the network layer.

[0134] Clause 11: The node as described in Clause 1, wherein dynamically selecting and indicating at least one of the one or more PSFCH Tx slots or the one or more PSFCH Rx slots further includes: Encrypting indications of the one or more PSFCH Tx time slots or the one or more PSFCH Rx time slots; and The encrypted instruction is transmitted using one or more PC5 Radio Resource Control (RRC) messages.

[0135] Clause 12: A node according to Clause 1, wherein at least one of the actual or maximum number of the selected at least one of the one or more PSFCH Tx slots or the one or more PSFCH Rx slots is configured, pre-configured, specified in the specification, or determined based on the node implementation.

[0136] Clause 13: A node as described in Clause 1, wherein one or more allowed PSFCH Tx slots or one or more allowed PSFCH Rx slots are configured, pre-configured, specified in the specification, or determined based on the node implementation.

[0137] Clause 14: A node according to Clause 1, wherein the one or more Rx beams that are wider than the one or more current Rx beams for the reception of the plurality of PSFCHs are selected in response to determining a common Rx beam that is wider than the one or more current Rx beams for the reception of two or more PSFCHs in the same time slot.

[0138] Clause 15: A node according to Clause 1, wherein the processor is further configured to iteratively widen one or more current Rx beams from one or more current Rx beams used for the plurality of PSFCH receptions until the widest achievable Rx beam associated with the node is used or PSFCH Rx beam conflict is avoided.

[0139] Clause 16: A node according to Clause 1, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory to: The one or more resources are selected and the one or more Tx beams are determined based on a comparison of at least one priority of the one or more PSCCH transmissions or at least one of the one or more PSSCH transmissions with a priority threshold.

[0140] Clause 17: A node according to Clause 1, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory to: The one or more resources are selected and the one or more Tx beams are determined by comparing at least one priority of the one or more PSCCH transmissions or at least one of the one or more PSSCH transmissions with the priority of at least one scheduled PSCCH transmission or at least one scheduled PSSCH transmission.

[0141] Clause 18: A node according to Clause 1, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory to: The one or more resources are selected and the one or more Tx beams are determined by comparing the RSRP of the candidate resources in the candidate resource set with the RSRP threshold.

[0142] Clause 19: A node according to Clause 1, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory to: The one or more resources are selected and the one or more Tx beams are determined by comparing the RSRP of the candidate resources in the candidate resource set with the RSRP of the candidate resources for at least one scheduled PSCCH transmission or the RSRP of the candidate resources for at least one scheduled PSSCH transmission.

[0143] Clause 20: A node pursuant to Clause 3, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory to: The one or more resources are selected and the one or more Tx beams are determined based on the predicted beam collisions between the one or more expected PSFCH received Rx beams and the one or more scheduled PSFCH received Rx beams, which serve as feedback on the one or more current transmissions.

[0144] Clause 21: A node pursuant to Clause 3, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory to: The one or more resources are selected and the one or more Tx beams are determined based on a comparison between the one or more expected Rx beamwidths of the one or more PSFCHs to be received as feedback on the one or more current transmissions and the one or more beamwidths of the one or more PSFCHs to be received that have already been scheduled.

[0145] Clause 22: A node for beam management in sidelink communication, the node comprising: Memory, which stores instructions; and A processor configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory to: Establish one or more unicast links with one or more other nodes in the side link communication; Receive at least one of one or more Physical Side Link Control Channel (PSCCH) signals or one or more Physical Side Link Shared Channel (PSSCH) signals transmitted from the one or more other nodes; The processor determines whether to perform one or more Physical Side Link Feedback Channel (PSFCH) transmissions as feedback to the reception of at least one of the one or more PSCCH signals or the one or more PSSCH signals, and determines one or more PSFCH time slots in response to determining that the one or more PSFCH transmissions should be performed, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory to perform at least one of the following: (1) The one or more PSFCH time slots for the one or more PSFCH transmissions are determined based on at least one of the following: one or more priorities of the one or more PSFCH transmissions, one or more priorities of the one or more scheduled PSFCH transmissions, one or more priorities of the one or more scheduled PSFCH receptions, predicted Tx beam collisions for the one or more PSFCH transmissions, or the presence of a common beam of the one or more PSFCH transmissions scheduled in the same time slot and the one or more PSFCH transmissions. (2) Selecting from multiple PSFCH time slots a time slot that does not cause a conflict between the one or more PSFCH Tx beams and the one or more PSFCH Tx beams already scheduled in the same time slot, or (3) In response to determining the predicted Tx beam conflict for the one or more PSFCH transmissions, using one or more Tx beams wider than the one or more current Tx beams for the one or more PSFCH transmissions, or using the same PSFCH Tx beams for the one or more PSFCH transmissions; and In response to determining the one or more PSFCH time slots, the one or more PSFCH transmissions are performed using the determined one or more PSFCH time slots.

[0146] Clause 23: A node as described in Clause 22, wherein the one or more PSFCH slots are indicated by the one or more PSCCH signals or the one or more PSSCH signals received from the one or more other nodes.

[0147] Clause 24: The node as described in Clause 23, wherein the indicated one or more PSFCH time slots are encrypted by the one or more other nodes.

[0148] Clause 25: Nodes as described in Clause 22, wherein the one or more PSFCH slots are configured, pre-configured, or specified by a standard specification.

[0149] Clause 26: A node as described in Clause 22, wherein at least one of the actual number of the one or more PSFCH slots or the maximum number of the one or more PSFCH slots is configured, pre-configured, or specified by a standard specification.

[0150] Clause 27: According to a node of Clause 26, wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory to: In response to determining that only the maximum number of the one or more PSFCH slots is provided, the actual number of the one or more PSFCH slots is determined based on the node implementation.

[0151] Clause 28: The node as described in Clause 22, wherein selecting the one or more PSFCH time slots that do not cause a conflict between the one or more PSFCH Tx beams and the one or more PSFCH Tx beams already scheduled in the same time slot further includes: Select at least one PSFCH time slot that is earlier than at least one current PSFCH time slot, which will not cause a conflict between the one or more PSFCH Tx beams and the one or more PSFCH Tx beams already scheduled in the same time slot.

[0152] Clause 29: The node as described in Clause 22, wherein selecting the one or more PSFCH time slots that do not cause a conflict between the one or more PSFCH Tx beams and the one or more PSFCH Tx beams already scheduled in the same time slot further includes: Randomly select at least one PSFCH time slot that does not cause a conflict between the one or more PSFCH Tx beams and the one or more PSFCH Tx beams already scheduled in the same time slot, or a common Tx beam for the one or more PSFCH transmissions and the one or more PSFCH transmissions already scheduled.

[0153] Clause 30: The node as described in Clause 22, wherein using the same PSFCH Tx beam for the transmission of the one or more PSFCHs further includes: In response to determining a common Tx beam that is wider than the current PSFCH beam for two or more PSFCH transmissions in the same time slot, the same PSFCH Tx beam is used for the one or more PSFCH transmissions.

[0154] Clause 31: A node according to Clause 22, wherein the processor is further configured to iteratively widen the one or more Tx beams from one or more current Tx beams used for the one or more PSFCH transmissions until the widest achievable Tx beam associated with the node is used or PSFCH Tx beam collisions are avoided.

[0155] Clause 32: The node according to Clause 22, wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory to: Based on a comparison of one or more priorities of the one or more PSCCH signals with a first priority threshold, or a comparison of one or more priorities of the one or more PSSCH signals with a second priority threshold, it is determined whether to perform the one or more PSFCH transmissions and the one or more PSFCH time slots.

[0156] Clause 33: The node pursuant to Clause 22, wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory to: Based on a comparison of one or more priorities of the one or more PSCCH signals with one or more priorities of one or more scheduled PSCCH receptions, or a comparison of one or more priorities of the one or more PSSCH signals with one or more priorities of one or more scheduled PSSCH receptions, it is determined whether to perform the one or more PSFCH transmissions and the one or more PSFCH slots.

[0157] Clause 34: The node according to Clause 22, wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory to: Based on the comparison between the RSRP of the one or more PSCCH signals or the one or more PSSCH signals and the RSRP threshold, it is determined whether to perform the one or more PSFCH transmissions and the one or more PSFCH time slots.

[0158] Clause 35: A node pursuant to Clause 34, wherein the RSRP threshold is a function of the priority of the one or more PSCCH signals or the one or more PSSCH signals.

[0159] Clause 36: The node according to Clause 22, wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory to: Based on the comparison of the RSRP of the one or more PSCCH signals with the RSRP of the one or more received PSCCH signals, or the comparison of the RSRP of the one or more PSSCH signals with the one or more received PSSCH signals, it is determined whether to perform the one or more PSFCH transmissions and the one or more PSFCH time slots.

[0160] Clause 37: The node according to Clause 22, wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory to: Based on the predicted PSFCH Tx beam collision for the one or more PSFCH transmissions, it is determined whether to perform the one or more PSFCH transmissions and the one or more PSFCH time slots.

[0161] Clause 38: The node pursuant to Clause 22, wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory to: Based on one or more beamwidths of one or more Tx beams used for the one or more PSFCH transmissions, or one or more beamwidths of one or more Tx beams used for the one or more PSCCH signals or the one or more PSSCH signals that have been received, it is determined whether to perform the one or more PSFCH transmissions and the one or more PSFCH time slots.

[0162] Clause 39: A method for beam management in sidelink communication, the method comprising: Multiple unicast links are established between a node in the sidelink communication and multiple other nodes in the sidelink communication; Perform channel sensing; Selecting one or more resources and determining one or more transmitter (Tx) beams for at least one of one or more physical-side crosslink control channel (PSCCH) transmissions or one or more physical-side crosslink shared channel (PSSCH) transmissions, wherein selecting the one or more resources and determining the one or more Tx beams includes performing at least one of the following: (1) Jointly perform resource selection or resource reselection on at least one of the one or more PSCCH transmissions or the one or more PSSCH transmissions of the plurality of unicast links. (2) Select from the candidate resource set at least one resource associated with the Physical Side Link Feedback Channel (PSFCH) reception for at least one of one or more PSCCH or PSSCH transmissions, wherein the PSFCH reception is scheduled to use the same PSFCH Rx beam and time slot as the PSFCH receiver (Rx) beam and time slot of the one or more PSFCH receptions that have already been scheduled. (3) Prioritize at least one resource associated with the PSFCH reception of the one or more PSSCH transmissions or at least one of the one or more PSSCH transmissions within the candidate resource set, which is scheduled to use the same PSFCH Rx beam and time slot as the one or more PSFCH receptions that have already been scheduled, or reduce the priority of one or more resources for the one or more PSSCH transmissions or at least one of the one or more PSCCH transmissions or at least one of the one or more PSSCH transmissions based on the delivery deadline or delay requirements of the one or more PSCCH transmissions or at least one of the one or more PSSCH transmissions. (4) In response to determining a predicted beam conflict among multiple Rx beams for multiple PSFCH receptions at a node, perform resource reselection on one or more pre-selected resources for at least one of the one or more PSCCH transmissions or the one or more PSSCH transmissions. (5) Dynamically select and indicate at least one of the following in each of the one or more PSCCH transmissions or the one or more PSSCH transmissions: one or more PSFCH Tx slots for the plurality of other nodes, or one or more PSFCH Rx slots for the node. (6) In response to determining that the beam collision is unavoidable, selecting one or more Rx beams that are wider than one or more current Rx beams for the reception of the plurality of PSFCHs; and The one or more PSCCH transmissions or at least one of the one or more PSSCH transmissions are performed using one or more selected resources and one or more determined Tx beams.

[0163] Clause 40: A method for beam management in sidelink communication, the method comprising: One or more unicast links are established between a node in the sidelink communication and one or more other nodes in the sidelink communication; Receive at least one of one or more Physical Side Link Control Channel (PSCCH) signals or one or more Physical Side Link Shared Channel (PSSCH) signals transmitted from the one or more other nodes; Determining whether to perform one or more Physical Side Link Feedback Channel (PSFCH) transmissions as feedback on the reception of at least one of the one or more PSCCH signals or the one or more PSSCH signals, and determining one or more PSFCH time slots in response to determining whether to perform the one or more PSFCH transmissions, wherein determining whether to perform the one or more PSFCH transmissions includes at least one of the following: (1) The one or more PSFCH time slots for the one or more PSFCH transmissions are determined based on at least one of the following: one or more priorities of the one or more PSFCH transmissions, one or more priorities of the one or more scheduled PSFCH transmissions, one or more priorities of the one or more scheduled PSFCH receptions, predicted Tx beam collisions for the one or more PSFCH transmissions, or the presence of a common beam of the one or more PSFCH transmissions scheduled in the same time slot and the one or more PSFCH transmissions. (2) Selecting from multiple PSFCH time slots a time slot that does not cause a conflict between the one or more PSFCH Tx beams and the one or more PSFCH Tx beams already scheduled in the same time slot, or (3) In response to determining the predicted Tx beam conflict for the one or more PSFCH transmissions, using one or more Tx beams wider than the one or more current Tx beams for the one or more PSFCH transmissions, or using the same PSFCH Tx beams for the one or more PSFCH transmissions; and In response to determining the one or more PSFCH time slots, the one or more PSFCH transmissions are performed using the determined one or more PSFCH time slots.

[0164] Clause 41: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions executable by one or more processors of a node in a sidelink communication to perform a method for beam management, the method comprising: Multiple unicast links are established between a node in the sidelink communication and multiple other nodes in the sidelink communication; Perform channel sensing; Selecting one or more resources and determining one or more transmitter (Tx) beams for at least one of one or more physical-side crosslink control channel (PSCCH) transmissions or one or more physical-side crosslink shared channel (PSSCH) transmissions, wherein selecting the one or more resources and determining the one or more Tx beams includes performing at least one of the following: (1) Jointly perform resource selection or resource reselection on at least one of the one or more PSCCH transmissions or the one or more PSSCH transmissions of the plurality of unicast links. (2) Select from the candidate resource set at least one resource associated with the Physical Side Link Feedback Channel (PSFCH) reception for at least one of one or more PSCCH or PSSCH transmissions, wherein the PSFCH reception is scheduled to use the same PSFCH Rx beam and time slot as the PSFCH receiver (Rx) beam and time slot of the one or more PSFCH receptions that have already been scheduled. (3) Prioritize at least one resource associated with a PSFCH reception that is scheduled to use the same PSFCH Rx beam and time slot as one or more PSFCH receptions that have already been scheduled, within the candidate resource set; or reduce the priority of one or more resources for one or more PSFCH transmissions based on the delivery deadline or delay requirements of at least one of the one or more PSCCH transmissions or the one or more PSSCH transmissions. (4) In response to determining a predicted beam conflict among multiple Rx beams for multiple PSFCH receptions at a node, perform resource reselection on one or more pre-selected resources for at least one of the one or more PSCCH transmissions or the one or more PSSCH transmissions. (5) Dynamically select and indicate at least one of the following in each of the one or more PSCCH transmissions or the one or more PSSCH transmissions: one or more PSFCH Tx slots for the plurality of other nodes, or one or more PSFCH Rx slots for the node. (6) In response to determining that the beam collision is unavoidable, selecting one or more Rx beams that are wider than one or more current Rx beams for the reception of the plurality of PSFCHs; and The one or more PSCCH transmissions or at least one of the one or more PSSCH transmissions are performed using one or more selected resources and one or more determined Tx beams.

[0165] Clause 42: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions executable by one or more processors of a node in a sidelink communication to perform a method for beam management, the method comprising: One or more unicast links are established between a node in the sidelink communication and one or more other nodes in the sidelink communication; Receive at least one of one or more Physical Side Link Control Channel (PSCCH) signals or one or more Physical Side Link Shared Channel (PSSCH) signals transmitted from the one or more other nodes; Determining whether to perform one or more Physical Side Link Feedback Channel (PSFCH) transmissions as feedback on the reception of at least one of the one or more PSCCH signals or the one or more PSSCH signals, and determining one or more PSFCH time slots in response to determining whether to perform the one or more PSFCH transmissions, wherein determining whether to perform the one or more PSFCH transmissions includes at least one of the following: (1) The one or more PSFCH time slots for the one or more PSFCH transmissions are determined based on at least one of the following: one or more priorities of the one or more PSFCH transmissions, one or more priorities of the one or more scheduled PSFCH transmissions, one or more priorities of the one or more scheduled PSFCH receptions, predicted Tx beam collisions for the one or more PSFCH transmissions, or the presence of a common beam of the one or more PSFCH transmissions scheduled in the same time slot and the one or more PSFCH transmissions. (2) Selecting from multiple PSFCH time slots a time slot that does not cause a conflict between the one or more PSFCH Tx beams and the one or more PSFCH Tx beams already scheduled in the same time slot, or (3) In response to determining the predicted Tx beam conflict for the one or more PSFCH transmissions, using one or more Tx beams wider than the one or more current Tx beams for the one or more PSFCH transmissions, or using the same PSFCH Tx beams for the one or more PSFCH transmissions; and In response to determining the one or more PSFCH time slots, the one or more PSFCH transmissions are performed using the determined one or more PSFCH time slots.

Claims

1. A node for beam management in sidelink communication, the node comprising: Memory, which stores instructions; as well as A processor configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory to: Establish multiple unicast links with multiple other nodes in the side link communication; Perform channel sensing; Select one or more resources and determine one or more transmitter (Tx) beams for at least one of one or more physical-side crosslink control channel (PSCCH) transmissions or one or more physical-side crosslink shared channel (PSSCH) transmissions, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory to perform at least one of the following: (1) Jointly perform resource selection or resource reselection on at least one of the one or more PSCCH transmissions or the one or more PSSCH transmissions of the plurality of unicast links. (2) Select from the candidate resource set at least one resource associated with physical side link feedback channel (PSFCH) reception for at least one of one or more PSCCH transmissions or one or more PSSCH transmissions, wherein the PSFCH reception is scheduled to use the same PSFCHRx beam and time slot as the PSFCH receiver (Rx) beam and time slot of the one or more PSFCH receptions that have already been scheduled. (3) Prioritize at least one resource associated with a PSFCH reception that is scheduled to use the same PSFCH Rx beam and time slot as one or more PSFCH receptions that have already been scheduled, within the candidate resource set; or reduce the priority of one or more resources for one or more PSFCH transmissions based on the delivery deadline or delay requirements of at least one of the one or more PSCCH transmissions or the one or more PSSCH transmissions. (4) In response to determining a predicted beam conflict among multiple Rx beams for multiple PSFCH receptions at a node, perform resource reselection on one or more pre-selected resources for at least one of the one or more PSCCH transmissions or the one or more PSSCH transmissions. (5) Dynamically select and indicate at least one of the following in each of the one or more PSCCH transmissions or the one or more PSSCH transmissions: one or more PSFCH Tx slots for the plurality of other nodes, or one or more PSFCH Rx slots for the node. (6) In response to determining that the beam conflict is unavoidable, select one or more Rx beams that are wider than one or more current Rx beams for the reception of the plurality of PSFCHs; as well as The one or more PSCCH transmissions or at least one of the one or more PSSCH transmissions are performed using one or more selected resources and one or more determined Tx beams.

2. The node according to claim 1, wherein, At least one of the one or more PSCCH transmissions or the one or more PSSCH transmissions is one or more current transmissions, and The plurality of PSFCH receptions involved in the beam collision at the node include at least one of the following: one or more anticipated PSFCH receptions as feedback to the one or more currently transmitted receptions, or the one or more PSFCH receptions that have been scheduled.

3. The node according to claim 1, wherein, Jointly performing resource selection or resource reselection on at least one of the one or more PSCCH transmissions or the one or more PSSCH transmissions of the plurality of unicast links further includes: Use the same PSFCH Rx beam for at least one of the one or more PSCCH transmissions or the one or more PSSCH transmissions.

4. The node according to claim 1, wherein, The joint selection or reselection of resources for at least one of the one or more PSCCH transmissions or PSSCH transmissions of the plurality of unicast links is performed in response to determining a common PSFCH Rx beam for the plurality of unicast links.

5. The node according to claim 1, wherein, Prioritizing at least one resource associated with PSFCH reception that is scheduled to use the same PSFCH Rx beam and time slot as one or more PSFCH receptions that have already been scheduled, further includes: One or more Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) thresholds in resource exclusion are applied within the candidate resource set based on at least one of the following: one or more priorities of the one or more PSCCH transmissions, one or more priorities of the one or more PSSCH transmissions, or one or more congestion metrics.

6. The node according to claim 1, wherein, The predicted beam conflict is determined based on at least one of a reassessment check or a preemption check at one or more time slots before the preselected one or more resources are used for at least one of the one or more PSCCH transmissions or the one or more PSSCH transmissions.

7. The node according to claim 1, wherein, The resource reselection for the preselected one or more resources used for the one or more PSCCH transmissions or at least one of the one or more PSSCH transmissions is performed in response to determining an update in at least one of the one or more Tx beams or one or more Rx beams associated with the node.

8. The node according to claim 1, wherein, Dynamically selecting and indicating at least one of the one or more PSFCH Tx slots or the one or more PSFCH Rx slots is performed in response to determining a predicted beam conflict if the current PSFCH Tx slot or the current PSFCH Rx slot is used.

9. The node according to claim 1, wherein, Dynamically selecting and indicating at least one of the one or more PSFCH Tx time slots or the one or more PSFCH Rx time slots further includes: Encrypting indications of the one or more PSFCH Tx time slots or the one or more PSFCH Rx time slots; and The encrypted instruction is transmitted using one or more PC5 Radio Resource Control (RRC) messages.

10. The node according to claim 1, wherein, The one or more Rx beams that are wider than the one or more current Rx beams for the reception of the plurality of PSFCHs are selected in response to determining a common Rx beam that is wider than the one or more current Rx beams for the reception of two or more PSFCHs in the same time slot.

11. The node according to claim 1, wherein, The processor is also configured to iteratively widen one or more Rx beams from one or more current Rx beams used for the plurality of PSFCH receptions until the widest achievable Rx beam associated with the node is used or PSFCH Rx beam collisions are avoided.

12. The node according to claim 1, wherein, The processor is configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory to: The one or more resources are selected and the one or more Tx beams are determined based on a comparison of at least one priority of the one or more PSCCH transmissions or at least one of the one or more PSSCH transmissions with a priority threshold.

13. The node according to claim 1, wherein, The processor is configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory to: The one or more resources are selected and the one or more Tx beams are determined by comparing at least one priority of the one or more PSCCH transmissions or at least one of the one or more PSSCH transmissions with the priority of at least one scheduled PSCCH transmission or at least one scheduled PSSCH transmission.

14. The node according to claim 1, wherein, The processor is configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory to: The one or more resources are selected and the one or more Tx beams are determined by comparing the RSRP of the candidate resources in the candidate resource set with the RSRP threshold.

15. The node according to claim 1, wherein, The processor is configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory to: The one or more resources are selected and the one or more Tx beams are determined by comparing the RSRP of the candidate resources in the candidate resource set with the RSRP of the candidate resources for at least one scheduled PSCCH transmission or the RSRP of the candidate resources for at least one scheduled PSSCH transmission.

16. A node for beam management in sidelink communication, the node comprising: Memory, which stores instructions; as well as A processor configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory to: Establish one or more unicast links with one or more other nodes in the side link communication; Receive at least one of one or more Physical Side Link Control Channel (PSCCH) signals or one or more Physical Side Link Shared Channel (PSSCH) signals transmitted from the one or more other nodes; The processor determines whether to perform one or more Physical Side Link Feedback Channel (PSFCH) transmissions as feedback to the reception of at least one of the one or more PSCCH signals or the one or more PSSCH signals, and determines one or more PSFCH time slots in response to determining that the one or more PSFCH transmissions should be performed, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory to perform at least one of the following: (1) The one or more PSFCH time slots for the one or more PSFCH transmissions are determined based on at least one of the following: one or more priorities of the one or more PSFCH transmissions, one or more priorities of the one or more scheduled PSFCH transmissions, one or more priorities of the one or more scheduled PSFCH receptions, predicted Tx beam collisions for the one or more PSFCH transmissions, or the presence of a common beam of the one or more PSFCH transmissions scheduled in the same time slot and the one or more PSFCH transmissions. (2) Selecting from multiple PSFCH time slots a time slot that does not cause a conflict between the one or more PSFCH Tx beams and the one or more PSFCH Tx beams already scheduled in the same time slot, or (3) In response to determining the predicted Tx beam conflict for the one or more PSFCH transmissions, one or more Tx beams that are wider than the one or more current Tx beams are used for the one or more PSFCH transmissions, or the same PSFCH Tx beams are used for the one or more PSFCH transmissions. as well as In response to determining the one or more PSFCH time slots, the one or more PSFCH transmissions are performed using the determined one or more PSFCH time slots.

17. The node according to claim 16, wherein, Selecting one or more PSFCH time slots that do not cause a conflict between the one or more PSFCH Tx beams and the one or more PSFCH Tx beams already scheduled in the same time slot also includes: Select at least one PSFCH time slot that is earlier than at least one current PSFCH time slot, which will not cause a conflict between the one or more PSFCH Tx beams and the one or more PSFCH Tx beams already scheduled in the same time slot.

18. The node according to claim 16, wherein, Selecting one or more PSFCH time slots that do not cause a conflict between the one or more PSFCH Tx beams and the one or more PSFCH Tx beams already scheduled in the same time slot also includes: Randomly select at least one PSFCH time slot that does not cause a conflict between the one or more PSFCH Tx beams and the one or more PSFCH Tx beams already scheduled in the same time slot, or a common Tx beam for the one or more PSFCH transmissions and the one or more PSFCH transmissions already scheduled.

19. The node according to claim 16, wherein, Using the same PSFCH Tx beam for the one or more PSFCH transmissions also includes: In response to determining a common Tx beam that is wider than the current PSFCH beam for two or more PSFCH transmissions in the same time slot, the same PSFCH Tx beam is used for the one or more PSFCH transmissions.

20. The node according to claim 16, wherein, The processor is also configured to iteratively widen the one or more Tx beams from one or more current Tx beams used for the one or more PSFCH transmissions until the widest achievable Tx beam associated with the node is used or PSFCH Tx beam conflicts are avoided.

21. The node according to claim 16, wherein, The processor is also configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory to: Based on a comparison of one or more priorities of the one or more PSCCH signals with a first priority threshold, or a comparison of one or more priorities of the one or more PSSCH signals with a second priority threshold, it is determined whether to perform the one or more PSFCH transmissions and the one or more PSFCH time slots.

22. The node according to claim 16, wherein, The processor is also configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory to: Based on a comparison of one or more priorities of the one or more PSCCH signals with one or more priorities of one or more scheduled PSCCH receptions, or a comparison of one or more priorities of the one or more PSSCH signals with one or more priorities of one or more scheduled PSSCH receptions, it is determined whether to perform the one or more PSFCH transmissions and the one or more PSFCH slots.

23. The node according to claim 16, wherein, The processor is also configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory to: Based on the comparison between the RSRP of the one or more PSCCH signals or the one or more PSSCH signals and the RSRP threshold, it is determined whether to perform the one or more PSFCH transmissions and the one or more PSFCH time slots.

24. The node according to claim 16, wherein, The processor is also configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory to: Based on the comparison of the RSRP of the one or more PSCCH signals with the RSRP of the one or more received PSCCH signals, or the comparison of the RSRP of the one or more PSSCH signals with the one or more received PSSCH signals, it is determined whether to perform the one or more PSFCH transmissions and the one or more PSFCH time slots.

25. The node according to claim 16, wherein, The processor is also configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory to: Based on the predicted PSFCH Tx beam collision for the one or more PSFCH transmissions, it is determined whether to perform the one or more PSFCH transmissions and the one or more PSFCH time slots.

26. The node according to claim 16, wherein, The processor is also configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory to: Based on one or more beamwidths of one or more Tx beams used for the one or more PSFCH transmissions, or one or more beamwidths of one or more Tx beams used for the one or more PSCCH signals or the one or more PSSCH signals that have been received, it is determined whether to perform the one or more PSFCH transmissions and the one or more PSFCH time slots.

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