Sidelink feedback resource configuration and indication and associated devices and methods

Abstract

Devices, systems, and methods for configuring and indicating sidelink resources for a common or unlicensed frequency band include configuring a set of PSFCH resources using frequency interleaving of one or more PRBs. In some embodiments, a first wireless communication device may transmit a plurality of sidelink PRB bitmaps, each associated with a PSFCH occasion or a candidate. Each bit in the bitmap may indicate one PRB in the configured resource pool. The sets of PSFCH resources may be segmented by indexing PRBs according to an interleaved priority index sequence and selecting contiguous subsets of the indexes to form the sets of PSFCH resources.

Description

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit and priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 584,845, filed September 22, 2023, and U.S. Patent Application No. 18 / 830,216, filed September 10, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This application relates to wireless communication systems, and more specifically to improved sidelink communication with new radio (NR) devices.

[0004] introduction

[0005] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content, such as voice, video, packet data, message sending and receiving, broadcasting, and so on. These systems can support communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). Wireless multiple access communication systems may include multiple base stations (BSs), each of which simultaneously supports communication with multiple communication devices, which may also be referred to as user equipment (UEs).

[0006] Sidelinks are introduced to allow a UE to transmit data to another UE without tunneling through a BS or associated core network. Sidelink technology has been extended to provide device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, and cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) communication. Similarly, NR can be extended to support sidelink communication for D2D, V2X, or C-V2X on dedicated, licensed, or unlicensed spectrum.

[0007] In existing systems, sidelink communication may include Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel (PSFCH) communication between UEs. This type of communication can be performed using messages comprising one or more resource blocks on one or more symbols. In some cases, PSFCH resources may be distributed across a wider set of frequency resources to meet occupancy bandwidth specifications. For example, PSFCH resources may be distributed across a wider set of frequency resources in shared or unlicensed bands. In some cases, multiple UEs may share portions of an unlicensed band, which can complicate the configuration of PSFCH resources. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The following summary outlines some aspects of this disclosure to provide a basic understanding of the techniques discussed. This summary is not an exhaustive overview of all the intended features of this disclosure, nor is it intended to identify key or essential elements of all aspects of this disclosure, nor to define the scope of any or all aspects of this disclosure. The sole purpose of this summary is to present, in a general form, some concepts of one or more aspects of this disclosure as a prelude to the more detailed description that follows.

[0009] This disclosure describes schemes and mechanisms for configuring and indicating sidelink feedback resources. In some cases, a UE may be configured to provide ACK / NACK feedback using portions of the same sidelink resource pool used for PSFCH transmission. In some cases, a UE attempting to access unlicensed frequency resources (e.g., during Channel Occupancy Time (COT)) may not know precisely when it will be able to use the frequency resources. For example, the duration of the channel access process may vary based on measurements obtained by the UE. Therefore, a UE may be configured to utilize multiple consecutive PSFCH candidates or opportunities to allow the UE to obtain PSFCH resources even when there is uncertainty regarding the timing of the UE's acquisition of access to unlicensed resources. It is expected that the UE and the network will use PSFCH configuration mechanisms that allow for this timing flexibility, especially when multiple consecutive PSFCH candidates are not associated with the same set of frequency resources.

[0010] The schemes and mechanisms described herein include generating, transmitting, receiving, or decoding one or more bitmaps that indicate a set of PSFCH resources corresponding to multiple PSFCH candidates. In one aspect, a UE may be configured to receive a bitmap for each of a plurality of PSFCH candidates, wherein the multiple PSFCH candidates are associated with one or more of the same sidelink data or sidelink control channels (e.g., Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH), Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH), etc.). Bitmaps may be provided such that each bit of the bitmap is associated with a PRB in a sidelink resource pool. Multiple bitmaps may indicate corresponding sets of PRBs, wherein each set of PRBs does not overlap with PRB sets in other bitmaps. Each set of PRBs may be associated with a corresponding PSFCH candidate.

[0011] In another aspect, each PRB set can be partitioned, segmented, or divided by indexing the PRBs according to an index sequence and selecting contiguous subsets of the indexes to group the PRBs into PSFCH resource sets. In an exemplary aspect, a network node, UE, or any suitable wireless communication device can configure one or more PSFCH resource sets by first sequentially indexing the PRBs within a first RB frequency interleaving, and then sequentially indexing the PRBs in other interleavings (also sequentially). The network node then divides the indexed PRBs into PSFCH resource sets by grouping contiguous subsets of the PRB indexes.

[0012] In one aspect, a wireless communication method performed by a first user equipment (UE) includes: receiving a first physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) configuration including a first bit map, the first bit map indicating a first set of dedicated resource blocks (RBs) for a first PSFCH candidate among a plurality of consecutive PSFCH candidates, wherein each of the plurality of consecutive PSFCH candidates is associated with one or more of a first sidelink data transmission or a sidelink control channel transmission; receiving a second PSFCH configuration including a second bit map, the second bit map indicating a second set of dedicated RBs for a second PSFCH candidate, wherein the second set of dedicated RBs does not overlap with the first set of dedicated RBs in the frequency domain; and transmitting a PSFCH signal based on the selection of the first PSFCH candidate or the second PSFCH candidate.

[0013] In one aspect, a wireless communication method performed by a network element includes: transmitting a first physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) configuration including a first bit map, the first bit map indicating a first set of dedicated resource blocks (RBs) for a first PSFCH candidate among a plurality of consecutive PSFCH candidates, wherein each of the plurality of consecutive PSFCH candidates is associated with one or more of a first sidelink data transmission or a sidelink control channel transmission; and transmitting a second PSFCH configuration including a second bit map, the second bit map indicating a second set of dedicated RBs for a second PSFCH candidate, wherein the second set of dedicated RBs does not overlap with the first set of dedicated RBs in the frequency domain.

[0014] In one aspect, an apparatus includes: one or more memories; and one or more processors communicating with the one or more memories and configured to execute instructions on the one or more memories to cause the apparatus to: receive a first physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) configuration including a first bit map indicating a first set of dedicated resource blocks (RBs) for a first PSFCH candidate among a plurality of consecutive PSFCH candidates, wherein each of the plurality of consecutive PSFCH candidates is associated with one or more of a first sidelink data transmission or a sidelink control channel; receive a second PSFCH configuration including a second bit map indicating a second set of dedicated RBs for a second PSFCH candidate, wherein the second set of dedicated RBs does not overlap with the first set of dedicated RBs in the frequency domain; and transmit a PSFCH signal based on the selection of the first PSFCH candidate or the second PSFCH candidate.

[0015] In one aspect, an apparatus includes: one or more memories; and one or more processors communicating with the one or more memories and configured to execute instructions on the one or more memories to cause the apparatus to: transmit a first physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) configuration including a first bit map, the first bit map indicating a first set of dedicated resource blocks (RBs) for a first PSFCH candidate among a plurality of consecutive PSFCH candidates, wherein each of the plurality of consecutive PSFCH candidates is associated with one or more of a first sidelink data transmission or a sidelink control channel transmission; and transmit a second PSFCH configuration including a second bit map, the second bit map indicating a second set of dedicated RBs for a second PSFCH candidate, wherein the second set of dedicated RBs does not overlap with the first set of dedicated RBs in the frequency domain.

[0016] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium has program code recorded thereon, wherein the program code includes instructions executable by a processor of an apparatus to cause the apparatus to: receive a first physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) configuration including a first bit map indicating a first set of dedicated resource blocks (RBs) for a first PSFCH candidate among a plurality of consecutive PSFCH candidates, wherein each of the plurality of consecutive PSFCH candidates is associated with one or more of a first sidelink data transmission or a sidelink control channel transmission; receive a second PSFCH configuration including a second bit map indicating a second set of dedicated RBs for a second PSFCH candidate, wherein the second set of dedicated RBs does not overlap with the first set of dedicated RBs in the frequency domain; and transmit a PSFCH signal based on the selection of either the first PSFCH candidate or the second PSFCH candidate.

[0017] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium has program code recorded thereon, wherein the program code includes instructions executable by a processor of an apparatus to cause the apparatus to: transmit a first physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) configuration including a first bit map indicating a first set of dedicated resource blocks (RBs) for a first PSFCH candidate among a plurality of consecutive PSFCH candidates, wherein each of the plurality of consecutive PSFCH candidates is associated with one or more of a first sidelink data transmission or a sidelink control channel transmission; and transmit a second PSFCH configuration including a second bit map indicating a second set of dedicated RBs for a second PSFCH candidate, wherein the second set of dedicated RBs does not overlap with the first set of dedicated RBs in the frequency domain.

[0018] In one aspect, a UE includes: means for receiving a first physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) configuration including a first bitmap indicating a first set of dedicated resource blocks (RBs) for a first PSFCH candidate among a plurality of consecutive PSFCH candidates, wherein each of the plurality of consecutive PSFCH candidates is associated with one or more of a first sidelink data transmission or a sidelink control channel transmission; means for receiving a second PSFCH configuration including a second bitmap indicating a second set of dedicated RBs for a second PSFCH candidate, wherein the second set of dedicated RBs does not overlap with the first set of dedicated RBs in the frequency domain; and means for transmitting a PSFCH signal based on a selection of either the first PSFCH candidate or the second PSFCH candidate.

[0019] In one aspect, a network element includes: means for transmitting a first physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) configuration including a first bitmap indicating a first set of dedicated resource blocks (RBs) for a first PSFCH candidate among a plurality of consecutive PSFCH candidates, wherein each of the plurality of consecutive PSFCH candidates is associated with one or more of a first sidelink data transmission or a sidelink control channel transmission; and means for transmitting a second PSFCH configuration including a second bitmap indicating a second set of dedicated RBs for a second PSFCH candidate, wherein the second set of dedicated RBs does not overlap with the first set of dedicated RBs in the frequency domain.

[0020] Other aspects, features, and embodiments of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art after reviewing the following description of specific, exemplary embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. While features of the invention may be discussed with reference to certain embodiments and the drawings below, all embodiments of the invention may include one or more of the advantageous features discussed herein. In other words, while one or more embodiments may be discussed as having certain advantageous features, one or more of these features may also be used according to the various embodiments of the invention discussed herein. Similarly, while exemplary embodiments may be discussed below as device, system, or method embodiments, it should be understood that these exemplary embodiments may be implemented in various devices, systems, and methods. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 Examples of wireless communication networks according to some aspects of this disclosure are provided.

[0022] Figure 2 An example is illustrated of a wireless communication network that provides sidelink communication according to some aspects of this disclosure.

[0023] Figure 3 Examples of sidelink feedback resource configuration schemes based on some aspects of this disclosure are provided.

[0024] Figure 4A This is a block diagram illustrating a sidelink communication scenario for transmitting Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel (PSFCH) signals in an unlicensed frequency band, according to some aspects of this disclosure.

[0025] Figure 4B This is a block diagram illustrating a side-link communication scenario for transmitting PSFCH signals in an unlicensed frequency band, according to some aspects of this disclosure.

[0026] Figure 4C This is a block diagram illustrating a side-link communication scenario for transmitting PSFCH signals in an unlicensed frequency band, according to some aspects of this disclosure.

[0027] Figure 5 This is a block diagram illustrating a PSFCH configuration scheme according to some aspects of this disclosure.

[0028] Figure 6A This is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary PSFCH resource bitmap according to some aspects of this disclosure.

[0029] Figure 6B This is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary PSFCH resource bitmap according to some aspects of this disclosure.

[0030] Figure 7This is a hardware diagram illustrating some aspects of a UE according to this disclosure.

[0031] Figure 8 This is a hardware diagram illustrating a network unit according to some aspects of this disclosure.

[0032] Figure 9 This is a flowchart of a sidelink communication method according to some aspects of this disclosure.

[0033] Figure 10 This is a flowchart of a sidelink communication method according to some aspects of this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0034] The detailed description below, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, is intended as a description of various configurations and is not intended to represent the only configuration in which the concepts described herein can be practiced. To provide a comprehensive understanding of the various concepts, the detailed description includes specific details. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts can be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring such concepts.

[0035] This disclosure relates throughout to wireless communication systems, also known as wireless communication networks. In various embodiments, technologies and apparatus can be used in wireless communication networks such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) networks, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) networks, Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) networks, Orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) networks, Single Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) networks, LTE networks, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) networks, 5G or New Radio (NR) networks, and other communication networks. As described herein, the terms "network" and "system" are used interchangeably.

[0036] OFDMA networks can implement radio technologies such as Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), IEEE 802.11, IEEE 802.16, IEEE 802.20, and flash-OFDM. UTRA, E-UTRA, and GSM are part of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). Specifically, Long Term Evolution (LTE) is a UMTS version using E-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, GSM, UMTS, and LTE are described in documents provided by an organization called the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), and cdma2000 is described in documents from an organization called 3rd Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2). These various radio technologies and standards are known or under development. For example, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is a collaboration between groups of telecommunications associations aimed at defining globally applicable third-generation (3G) mobile phone specifications. 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) is a 3GPP initiative aimed at improving the UMTS mobile phone standard. 3GPP defines specifications for next-generation mobile networks, mobile systems, and mobile devices. This disclosure relates to the evolution from LTE, 4G, 5G, NR, and more advanced wireless technologies, in which a range of new and different radio access technologies or radio air interfaces are used to share access to the radio spectrum between networks.

[0037] 5G networks are expected to have diverse deployments, diverse spectrum, and diverse services and devices available using a unified OFDM-based air interface. To achieve these goals, in addition to developing new radio technologies for 5G NR networks, further enhancements to LTE and LTE-A are also considered. 5G NR will be able to scale to (1) ultra-high densities (e.g., approximately 1 M nodes / km). 2 (1) Provide coverage for large-scale Internet of Things (IoT) with ultra-low complexity (e.g., approximately tens of bits / second) and ultra-low energy (e.g., approximately 10+ years of battery life), and provide deep coverage with the ability to reach challenging locations; (2) Provide coverage including strong security, ultra-high reliability (e.g., approximately 99.9999% reliability), ultra-low latency (e.g., approximately 1 millisecond), and mission-critical control for users with extensive or limited mobility; and (3) Provide coverage with enhanced mobile broadband (including extremely high capacity (e.g., approximately 10 Tbps / km)). 2 Coverage with extremely high data rates (e.g., multi-Gbps rates, 100+Mbps user experience rates) and deep awareness with advanced discovery and optimization.

[0038] 5G NR can be implemented using optimized OFDM-based waveforms with scalable parameter sets and transmission time intervals (TTIs); a common, flexible framework for efficiently multiplexing services and features using dynamic, low-latency time-division duplex (TDD) / frequency-division duplex (FDD) designs; and advanced wireless technologies such as massive MIMO, robust millimeter-wave (mmWave) transmission, advanced channel decoding, and device-centric mobility. The scalability of the parameter set and the scaling of subcarrier spacing in 5G NR efficiently address the operation of various services across different spectrums and deployments. For example, in various outdoor and macro coverage deployments implementing FDD / TDD below 3 GHz, subcarrier spacing can occur at 15 kHz over bandwidths (BWs) such as 5 MHz, 10 MHz, and 20 MHz. For other various outdoor and small-cell coverage deployments using TDD above 3 GHz, subcarrier spacing can occur at 30 kHz over an 80 MHz / 100 MHz BW. For various other indoor broadband implementations, using TDD on the unlicensed portion of the 5 GHz band, the subcarrier spacing can occur at 60 kHz over a 160 MHz BW. Finally, for various deployments utilizing the mmWave component of TDD at 28 GHz, the subcarrier spacing can occur at 120 kHz over a 400 MHz BW.

[0039] 5G NR's scalable parameter set facilitates scalable TTIs for varying latency and Quality of Service (QoS) requirements. For example, shorter TTIs can be used for low latency and high reliability, while longer TTIs can be used for higher spectral efficiency. Efficient multiplexing of long and short TTIs allows transmission to begin at symbol boundaries. 5G NR also envisions self-contained integrated subframe designs that incorporate UL / downlink scheduling information, data, and acknowledgments within the same subframe. These self-contained integrated subframes support unlicensed or contention-based shared spectrum and can be flexibly configured on a per-cell basis for adaptive UL / downlink communication, dynamically switching between UL and downlink to meet current service demands.

[0040] Various other aspects and features of this disclosure are further described below. It should be apparent that the teachings herein can be embodied in various forms, and any particular structure, function, or both disclosed herein are merely representative and not limiting. Based on the teachings herein, those skilled in the art will understand that the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented independently of any other aspect, and two or more of these aspects can be combined in various ways. For example, any number of the aspects set forth herein can be used to implement an apparatus or practice a method. Furthermore, such apparatuses or methods can be implemented using structures, functionalities, or structures and functionalities other than or different from one or more of the aspects set forth herein. For example, a method can be implemented as part of a system, device, or apparatus as instructions stored on a computer-readable medium for execution on a processor or computer, or a combination thereof. Additionally, an aspect may include at least one element of the claims.

[0041] Sidelink communication refers to communication between User Equipment (UE) without tunneling through the base station (BS) or core network (e.g., via a PC5 link instead). Sidelink communication can be transmitted via the Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH), Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH), and Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel (PSFCH). In downlink (DL) communication between the BS and UE, the PSCCH is similar to the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), and the PSSCH is similar to the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH).

[0042] As used herein, the term "sidelink UE" can refer to a user equipment that performs device-to-device communication or other types of communication with another user equipment independently of any tunneling through a BS (e.g., gNB) and / or associated core network. As used herein, the terms "sidelink transmitting UE" and "transmitting UE" can refer to a user equipment that performs a sidelink transmitting operation. As used herein, the terms "sidelink receiving UE" and "receiving UE" can refer to a user equipment that performs a sidelink receiving operation.

[0043] It may be desirable to meet the Occupied Channel Bandwidth (OCB) specification to reduce interference to adjacent channels. One mechanism for reducing interference is to use frequency spreading techniques to spread the signal across a wider set of frequency resources. For example, frequency interleaving can be used to spread the signal and meet the OCB specification. Frequency interleaving may include or involve configuring resources for a signal (e.g., PSFCH) using an interleaved set of Physical Resource Blocks (PRBs) or "interleaving" in a configured resource pool. PRBs in each interleaving are spaced apart from each other by at least one other PRB associated with a different frequency interleaving. For example, a sidelink resource pool may include 50 consecutive PRBs. A sidelink resource pool may be configured using 5 PRB interleavings, each interleaving having 10 PRBs. Thus, for PRBs in the resource pool with consecutive indices of 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6…47, 48, 49, the first frequency interleaving may include PRBs with indices of 0, 5, 10, 15…45. The second frequency interleaving may include PRBs with indices of 1, 6, 11, 16...46, and so on.

[0044] In some respects, more than one UE can share the same sidelink resource pool. For example, multiple UEs can be configured to use portions of the resource pool used for PSFCH transmission to provide ACK / NACK for PSCCH or PSSCH communication. See below for more information. Figure 3 To further explain, configuring the UE with multiple consecutive PSFCH candidates or opportunities may also be desirable or advantageous. In this respect, because the UE can perform a channel access procedure (e.g., Listen-Before-Speak (LBT)) before gaining access to the sidelink resource pool, there may be uncertainty regarding the timing at which the UE can provide PSFCH transmission. By configuring multiple opportunities, or PSFCH candidates, in the time domain, the UE may have a greater chance of being able to transmit PSFCH for sidelink communication. Furthermore, it may also be beneficial for the UE to use different subsets of PRBs in the resource pool for each consecutive PSFCH candidate. In this respect, the resource pool can be partitioned or divided into multiple PSFCH resource sets, where the UE is configured to use a different PSFCH resource set for each PSFCH candidate or opportunity (see [link to relevant documentation]). Figure 3 ).

[0045] As those skilled in the art will understand, there are many variables and parameters associated with configuring PSFCH resources—especially when multiple UEs share a resource pool and the UEs are using interleaving or some other frequency spreading technique to meet the OCB specification. Furthermore, the size of the resource pool can depend on the subcarrier spacing (SCS) in a given frequency band. Some shared frequency bands may be associated with a 15 kHz SCS, while others may be associated with a 30 kHz SCS. In some respects, one or more of the following—the number of PRBs in the resource pool, the number of interleavings used, or the number of PSFCH candidates—can vary with the SCS and other parameters.

[0046] This disclosure describes schemes and mechanisms for configuring and indicating sidelink resources for shared or unlicensed frequency bands. Some aspects of this disclosure include configuring PSFCH resource sets using frequency interleaving of one or more PRBs. PSFCH resource sets can be partitioned, segmented, or divided by indexing PRBs according to an index sequence and selecting contiguous subsets of the indexes to group the PRBs into PSFCH resource sets. In an exemplary aspect, a network node, UE, or any suitable wireless communication device can configure one or more PSFCH resource sets by first sequentially indexing PRBs within a first frequency interleaving, and then sequentially indexing PRBs in other interleavings (also sequentially). The network node then partitions the indexed PRBs into PSFCH resource sets by grouping contiguous subsets of the PRB indexes.

[0047] Other aspects of this disclosure describe schemes and mechanisms for indicating PSFCH configuration. In some aspects, a first wireless communication device may use one or more sidelink PRB bitmaps to configure a set of PSFCH resources for one or more PSFCH timings. In one aspect, the first wireless communication device may transmit multiple sidelink PRB bitmaps, wherein each bitmap is associated with a different PSFCH timing (also referred to as a PSFCH candidate). Each bit in the bitmap may indicate a PRB in a configured resource pool or a group comprising multiple PRBs. For example, if the resource pool comprises 50 PRBs, the bitmap may include at least 50 bits, wherein each bit is associated with a different PRB in the resource pool.

[0048] In another respect, the ordering or sequence of bits in the bitmap can be based on or otherwise associated with the PRB sequential indexing scheme explained above. For example, instead of indexing PRBs sequentially based on their absolute positions in the frequency domain, PRBs can be indexed first within the interleaving and then across the interleaving.

[0049] The aforementioned mechanism offers several advantages. Each shift to an interleaved priority approach to the PRB indexing process reduces the number of potentially invalid PSFCH resource configurations, which would otherwise lead to errors, increased latency, and wasted power and network resources. Furthermore, the interleaved priority indexing method improves the efficiency of how PRBs are used and distributed across the resource pool, further reducing latency. The bitmap PSFCH resource indication scheme provides a flexible and adaptable indication of PSFCH resource sets, which is particularly beneficial in unlicensed frequency bands where multiple devices share frequency resources. This approach allows for flexibility in UE implementation and dynamic updates of resource configurations based on channel conditions. In summary, these changes reduce latency and power consumption, thereby improving the user experience.

[0050] Figure 1 A wireless communication network 100 according to some aspects of this disclosure is illustrated. Network 100 may be a 5G network. Network 100 includes several base stations (BSs) 105 (labeled 105a, 105b, 105c, 105d, 105e, and 105f, respectively) and other network entities. BS 105 may be a station communicating with UE 115, and may also be referred to as an evolved Node B (eNB), a next-generation eNB (gNB), an access point, etc. Each BS 105 may be more generally considered as a network device. Each BS 105 may provide communication coverage for a specific geographic area. In 3GPP, the term "cell" may refer to that specific geographic coverage area of ​​BS 105 or a BS subsystem serving that coverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used.

[0051] BS 105 can provide communication coverage for large cells or small cells (such as picocells or femtocells), or other types of cells. Macrocells generally cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., a radius of several kilometers) and allow unrestricted access by UEs with service subscriptions to a network provider. Small cells (such as picocells) will generally cover a relatively small geographic area and allow unrestricted access by UEs with service subscriptions to a network provider. Small cells (such as femtocells) will also generally cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a home) and, in addition to unrestricted access, provide restricted access by UEs associated with the femtocell (e.g., UEs in a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG), UEs of users in a home, etc.). A BS used for macrocells may be referred to as a macro BS. A BS used for small cells may be referred to as a small cell BS, pico BS, femtocell BS, or home BS. Figure 1In the examples shown, BS 105d and 105e can be conventional macro BSs, while BS 105a to 105c can be macro BSs with one of three-dimensional (3D), full-dimensional (FD), or massive MIMO capabilities. BS 105a to 105c can utilize their higher-dimensional MIMO capabilities to employ 3D beamforming, either elevation or azimuth beamforming, to increase coverage and capacity. BS 105f can be a small cell BS, which can be a home node or a portable access point. BS 105 can support one or more (e.g., two, three, four, etc.) cells.

[0052] Network 100 can support synchronous or asynchronous operation. For synchronous operation, BSs can have similar frame timings, and transmissions from different BSs can be approximately time-aligned. For asynchronous operation, BSs can have different frame timings, and transmissions from different BSs can be out of time-aligned.

[0053] UE 115 is distributed throughout the wireless network 100, and each UE 115 can be stationary or mobile. UE 115 may also be referred to as a terminal, mobile station, subscriber unit, station, etc. UE 115 can be a cellular phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless modem, wireless communication device, handheld device, tablet computer, laptop computer, cordless phone, wireless local loop (WLL) station, etc. In one aspect, UE 115 can be a device that includes a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC). In another aspect, UE 115 can be a device that does not include a UICC. In some aspects, UE 115 without a UICC may also be referred to as an IoT device or Internet of Things (IoE) device. UE 115a-115d are examples of mobile smartphone-type devices accessing network 100. UE 115 can also be a machine specifically configured for connected communications, including Machine Type Communication (MTC), Enhanced MTC (eMTC), Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), etc. UE 115e-115h are examples of various machines configured for communication via access network 100. UE 115i-115k are examples of vehicles equipped with wireless communication devices configured for communication via access network 100. UE 115 can communicate with any type of BS (whether a macro BS or a small cell, etc.). Figure 1 In this context, the lightning bolt symbol (e.g., a communication link) indicates radio transmission between UE 115 and serving BS 105 (which is a BS designated to provide service for UE 115 on the downlink (DL) and / or uplink (UL), expected transmission between BS 105, backhaul transmission between BS, or sidelink transmission between UE 115 (such as and including embodiments according to this disclosure).

[0054] In operation, BS 105a-105c can use 3D beamforming and cooperative spatial technologies, such as Cooperative Multipoint (CoMP) or multiple connectivity, to serve UEs 115a and 115b. Macro BS 105d can perform backhaul communications with BS 105a-105c and with smaller cells, such as BS 105f. Macro BS 105d can also transmit multicast services subscribed to and received by UEs 115c and 115d. Such multicast services may include mobile TV or streaming video, or other services for providing community information, such as weather emergencies or alerts, such as Amber Alerts or Grey Alerts.

[0055] BS 105 can also communicate with a core network. This core network provides user authentication, access authorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. At least some of the BSs in BS 105 (e.g., examples of gNBs or Access Node Controllers (ANCs)) can interface with the core network via backhaul links (e.g., NG-C, NG-U, etc.) and can perform radio configuration and scheduling for communication with UE 115. In various examples, BS 105s can communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via the core network) via backhaul links (e.g., X1, X2, etc.), which can be wired or wireless communication links.

[0056] Network 100 can also support mission-critical communication using ultra-reliable and redundant links for mission-critical devices such as UE 115e, which may be a drone. Redundant communication links with UE 115e may include links from macro BSs 105d and 105e, and links from small cell BS 105f. Other machine-type devices, such as UE 115f (e.g., a thermometer), UE 115g (e.g., a smart meter), and UE 115h (e.g., a wearable device), can communicate directly with BSs such as small cell BS 105f and macro BS 105e via network 100, or via another user equipment of UE 115f (such as relaying temperature measurement information to the network via small cell BS 105f) in a multi-step configuration. Network 100 can also provide additional network efficiency through dynamic low-latency TDD / FDD communications, such as V2V, V2X, C-V2X communications between UE 115i, 115j or 115k and other UE 115 and / or vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications between UE 115i, 115j or 115k and BS 105 (e.g., PC5, etc.).

[0057] In some implementations, network 100 utilizes OFDM-based waveforms for communication. OFDM-based systems can divide the system BW into multiple (K) orthogonal subcarriers, which are also commonly referred to as subcarriers, tones, frequency slots, etc. Each subcarrier can be modulated with data. In some instances, the subcarrier spacing between adjacent subcarriers can be fixed, and the total number of subcarriers (K) can depend on the system BW. The system BW can also be divided into subbands (i.e., subchannels). In other cases, one or more of the subcarrier spacing (SCS) or TTI duration can be scalable.

[0058] Both LTE and NR UE 115 coexist in network 100. In this discussion, NR equipment includes devices capable of both NR and LTE communication, and typically LTE equipment is only capable of LTE communication. LTE typically uses a subcarrier spacing (SCS) of 15 kHz. For NR, the SCS is configurable (e.g., 15 kHz, 30 kHz, or 60 kHz), although 30 kHz SCS is commonly used. OFDM transmission schemes allow signals with individual SCS to be orthogonal to each other, but signals with frequencies close to each other can cause excessive interference when adjacent resources use different SCS values. For example, a subchannel for LTE communication using a 15 kHz SCS adjacent to an NR subchannel using a 30 kHz SCS will cause NR signals to interfere with LTE signals. Especially when the power level of the NR signal is higher than that of the LTE signal, the signal-to-noise ratio can be significantly reduced.

[0059] In some aspects, BS 105 can assign or schedule transmission resources (e.g., in the form of time-frequency resource elements (REs)) for downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) transmissions in network 100. DL refers to the transmission direction from BS 105 to UE 115, while UL refers to the transmission direction from UE 115 to BS 105. This communication can take the form of radio frames. Radio frames can be divided into multiple subframes or time slots, for example, about 10. Each time slot can also be divided into micro-time slots. In FDD mode, simultaneous UL and DL transmissions can occur in different frequency bands. For example, each subframe includes UL subframes in the UL band and DL subframes in the DL band. In TDD mode, UL and DL transmissions occur at different time periods using the same frequency band. For example, a subset of subframes in a radio frame (e.g., DL subframes) can be used for DL ​​transmission, and another subset of subframes in the radio frame (e.g., UL subframes) can be used for UL transmission.

[0060] DL subframes and UL subframes can also be divided into several zones. For example, each DL subframe or UL subframe may have a predefined zone for transmitting reference signals, control information, and data. Reference signals are predetermined signals that facilitate communication between BS 105 and UE 115. For example, reference signals may have a specific pilot pattern or structure, where pilot tones may span an operational BW or frequency band, and each pilot tone is located at a predefined time and predefined frequency. For example, BS 105 may transmit a cell-specific reference signal (CRS) and / or a channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS) to enable UE 115 to estimate the DL channel. Similarly, UE 115 may transmit a sounding reference signal (SRS) to enable BS 105 to estimate the UL channel. Control information may include resource allocation and protocol control. Data may include protocol data, operational data, or both. In some aspects, BS 105 and UE 115 may communicate using self-contained subframes. Self-contained subframes may include portions for DL ​​communication and portions for UL communication. Self-contained subframes can be DL-centric or UL-centric. DL-centric subframes can include DL communication durations longer than UL communication durations. UL-centric subframes can include UL communication durations longer than UL communication durations.

[0061] In some respects, network 100 may be an NR network deployed on licensed spectrum. BS 105 may transmit synchronization signals (e.g., PSS and SSS) within network 100 to facilitate synchronization. BS 105 may broadcast system information associated with network 100 (e.g., including Master Information Block (MIB), Residual Minimum System Information (e.g., RMSI), and other System Information (OSI)) to facilitate initial network access. In some cases, BS 105 may broadcast one or more of the PSS, SSS, or MIB in the form of a Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) via the Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH), and may broadcast one or more of the RMSI or MIB via the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (e.g., PDSCH).

[0062] In some respects, UE 115 attempting to access network 100 can perform an initial cell search by detecting the PSS from BS 105. The PSS enables time-slot synchronization and indicates a physical layer identification value. UE 115 can then receive the SSS. The SSS enables radio frame synchronization and provides a cell identification value, which can be combined with the physical layer identification value to identify the cell. The PSS and SSS can be located in the center portion of the carrier or at any suitable frequency within the carrier.

[0063] After receiving the PSS and SSS, UE 115 can receive the MIB. The MIB may include system information for initial network access and scheduling information for RMSI and OSI. After decoding the MIB, UE 115 can receive the RMSI and OSI. The RMSI and / or OSI may include radio resource control (RRC) information related to the Random Access Channel (RACH) procedure, paging, control resource set (CORESET) for monitoring the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), Physical UL Control Channel (PUCCH), Physical UL Shared Channel (PUSCH), power control, and SRS.

[0064] After obtaining the MIB, RMSI, and / or OSI, UE 115 may perform a random access procedure to establish a connection with BS 105. In some examples, the random access procedure may be a four-step random access procedure. For example, UE 115 may send a random access preamble, and BS 105 may respond with a random access response. The random access response (RAR) may include a detected random access preamble identifier (ID) corresponding to the random access preamble, timing advance (TA) information, UL grant, temporary cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI), or backoff indicator. Upon receiving the random access response, UE 115 may send a connection request to BS 105, and BS 105 may respond with a connection response. The connection response may indicate contention resolution. In some examples, the random access preamble, RAR, connection request, and connection response may be referred to as message 1 (MSG1), message 2 (MSG2), message 3 (MSG3), and message 4 (MSG4), respectively. In some examples, the random access procedure can be a two-step random access procedure, where the UE 115 can send the random access preamble and connection request in a single transmission, and the BS 105 can respond by sending the random access response and connection response in a single transmission.

[0065] After the connection is established, UE 115 and BS 105 can enter the normal operation phase, during which they can exchange operational data. For example, BS 105 can schedule UE 115 for UL and DL communications. BS 105 can send UL scheduling authorization and DL scheduling authorization to UE 115 via PDCCH. The scheduling authorization can be sent in the form of DL control information (DCI). BS 105 can send DL communication signals (e.g., carrying data) to UE 115 via PDSCH based on the DL scheduling authorization. UE 115 can send UL communication signals to BS 105 via one or more of PUSCH or PUCCH based on the UL scheduling authorization.

[0066] In some aspects, BS 105 can use HARQ technology to communicate with UE 115 to improve communication reliability, for example, by providing URLLC service. BS 105 can schedule UE 115 for PDSCH communication by sending DL permission in the PDCCH. BS 105 can send DL data packets to UE 115 according to the scheduling in the PDSCH. DL data packets can be sent in transport blocks (TBs). If UE 115 successfully receives the DL data packets, UE 115 can send a HARQ ACK to BS 105. Conversely, if UE 115 fails to receive the DL transmission, UE 115 can send a HARQ NACK to BS 105. Upon receiving a HARQ NACK from UE 115, BS 105 can retransmit the DL data packets to UE 115. The retransmission may include the same decoded version of the DL data as the initial transmission. Alternatively, the retransmission may include a different decoded version of the DL data than the initial transmission. UE 115 can apply soft combining to combine encoded data received from the initial transmission and retransmission for decoding. BS 105 and UE 115 can also use a mechanism substantially similar to DL HARQ to apply HARQ to UL communications.

[0067] In some aspects, network 100 may operate on a system BW or a component carrier (CC) BW. Network 100 may divide the system BW into multiple BWPs (e.g., portions). BS 105 may dynamically assign UE 115 to operate on a specific BWP (e.g., a specific portion of the system BW). The assigned BWP may be referred to as the active BWP. UE 115 may monitor the active BWP to look for signaling information from BS 105. BS 105 may schedule UE 115 to perform UL communication or DL ​​communication within the active BWP. In some aspects, BS 105 may assign a pair of BWPs within a CC to UE 115 for both UL and DL communication. For example, the BWP pair may include one BWP for UL communication and one BWP for DL ​​communication.

[0068] In some respects, network 100 can operate on a shared channel, which may include a shared frequency band or an unlicensed frequency band. For example, network 100 may be an NR-U network operating on an unlicensed frequency band. In such respects, BS 105 and UE 115 may be operated by multiple network operating entities. To avoid collisions, BS 105 and UE 115 may employ a Listen-Before-Speak (LBT) procedure to monitor Transmission Opportunity (TXOP) in the shared channel. TXOP may also be referred to as COT (e.g., Channel Occupancy Time). For example, a transmitting node (e.g., BS 105 or UE 115) may perform LBT before transmitting in the channel. When LBT succeeds, the transmitting node may continue transmitting. When LBT fails, the transmitting node may prohibit transmission in the channel.

[0069] In some aspects, Network 100 can support independent sidelink communication between UEs 115 on a shared radio band. For sidelinks on licensed spectrum, NR supports several Radio Resource Allocation (RRA) modes, including Mode 1 RRA and Mode 2 RRA. Mode 1 RRA supports network-controlled RRA that can be used for in-coverage sidelink communication. For this mode, there is significant base station involvement, and it is typically only operational when the sidelink UE 115 is within the coverage area of ​​serving BS 105, but not necessarily for out-of-coverage sidelink scenarios. Mode 2 RRA supports autonomous RRA that can be used for out-of-coverage UE 115 or partial out-of-coverage sidelink UE 115.

[0070] Alternatively, the independent system may include a sidelink UE 115 designated as an anchor UE (e.g., an anchor node). The anchor UE 115 can autonomously (e.g., independently of any cell or associated core network) initiate sidelink operations with one or more client UEs 115. Therefore, the anchor UE 115 can advertise system parameters for operation for each client UE in the client UE 115 (e.g., information associated with the Sidelink Master Information Block (SL-MIB), Residual Minimum System Information (RMSI), Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS), Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS), etc.), and the anchor UE 115 can provide appropriate Radio Resource Control (RRC) configurations for the corresponding client UEs 115. For example, the anchor UE 115 can provide a first RRC configuration to a first client UE 115 and a different second RRC configuration to a second client UE 115. Furthermore, although the anchor UE 115 can interface with client UEs using either Mode-1 RRA or Mode-2 RRA, the signaling received by the client UE 115 can remain the same between the two modes.

[0071] Side-link UE 115 (e.g., Figure 1UEs 115 and 115d, or UEs 115f and 115g, may perform aspects of the methods described herein, including configuring and instructing the PSFCH resource set.

[0072] Figure 2 An example of a wireless communication network 200 providing sidelink communication according to various aspects of this disclosure is illustrated. Network 200 may correspond to at least a portion of network 100. For the purpose of simplifying the discussion, Figure 2 BS 205 and six UEs 215 (shown as 215a1, 215a2, 215a3, 215b1, 215b2, and 215b3) are illustrated, but it will be appreciated that aspects of this disclosure can be scaled to any suitable number of UEs 215 and BS 205. BS 205 and UE 215 may be similar to BS 105 and UE 115, respectively. BS 205 and UE 215 may share the same radio band (or at least its subbands) for communication. In some instances, the radio band may be a 2.4 GHz unlicensed band, a 5 GHz unlicensed band, or a 6 GHz unlicensed band (or some other band, such as FR2). Generally, the shared radio band can be at any suitable frequency.

[0073] BS 205 and UEs 215a1-215a3 can be operated by a first network operating entity. UEs 215b1-215b3 can be operated by a second network operating entity. In some aspects, the first network operating entity may use the same RAT as the second network operating entity. For example, BS 205 and UEs 215a1-215a3 of the first network operating entity and UEs 215b1-215b3 of the second network operating entity are NR-U devices. In some other aspects, the first network operating entity may use a different RAT than the second network operating entity. For example, BS 205 and UEs 215a1-215a3 of the first network operating entity may utilize NR-U technology, while UEs 215b1-215b3 of the second network operating entity may utilize WiFi or LAA technology.

[0074] In network 200, some of UEs 215a1 to 215a3 or UEs 215b1 to 215b3 can communicate with each other in peer-to-peer communication. For example, UE 215a1 can communicate with UE 215a2 via side link 252, UE 215a1 can communicate with UE 215a3 via another side link 251, UE 215b1 can communicate with UE 215b2 via yet another side link 254, and UE 215b1 can communicate with UE 215b3 via side link 256. Side links 251, 252, 254, and 256 can be unicast bidirectional links. Some of UEs 215 can also communicate with BS 205 in the UL and DL directions via communication link 253. For example, UEs 215a1 and 215a3 are within the coverage area 210 of BS 205 and can therefore communicate with BS 205. UE 215a2 is outside coverage area 210 and therefore may not communicate directly with BS 205. In some instances, UE 215a1 may operate as a repeater for UE 215a2 to reach BS 205. For example, some UEs in UE 215 may be associated with vehicles (e.g., similar to UE 115i-115k), and communications via sidelinks 251, 252, 254, and 256 may be C-V2X communications. C-V2X communications can refer to communications between a vehicle and any other wireless communication device in a cellular network. This is merely exemplary, as sidelinks can exist between any UE type and communication across a variety of different UE types and communications.

[0075] Similar to Figure 1 Networks 100 and 200 can support sidelink communication between UEs 215, including one or more modes supported by BS 205, and one or more independent modes that do not require BS 205 support. As part of the sidelink communication, a sidelink UE (such as 215b1 (as an example only)) can send a sidelink message to another UE 215 according to the methods described herein.

[0076] Figure 3 A sidelink feedback resource configuration scheme 300 according to some aspects of this disclosure is illustrated. Scheme 300 can be adopted by UEs such as UE 115 and 215 in networks such as networks 100 and 200. Specifically, according to various aspects of this disclosure, a sidelink UE may adopt scheme 300 to participate in sidelink communication over a shared radio band (e.g., in shared spectrum or unlicensed spectrum), including PSFCH message transmission and reception.

[0077] In scheme 300, a grid representing a sidelink resource pool configured for one or more sidelink UEs over a period of time is illustrated. In the grid, the x-axis represents time in some arbitrary unit. Each white box in the x-axis may represent a time slot, including time slot 1, time slot 2, time slot 3, etc. However, it will be understood that in other respects, each white box may represent a different time unit, such as a subframe, a frame, or any other suitable amount of time (e.g., µs, ms, microslots, etc.). In the y-axis, frequency resources are divided into four PRB resource sets. Each PRB resource set may include one or more PRBs. For the purposes of this disclosure, a PRB may also be more simply referred to as a “resource block” (RB). In an exemplary embodiment, each PRB set includes multiple RBs. The RBs of each PRB set may include a set of consecutive RBs in the frequency domain, or a set of non-consecutive RBs (e.g., interleaved RBs). RBs may include multiple consecutive subcarriers (e.g., 12 subcarriers) in the frequency domain and one or more symbols in the time domain.

[0078] The periodic PSFCH resource set is configured using the individual PRB sets in the PRB set, or the periodic PSFCH resource set is otherwise associated with the individual PRB sets in the PRB set. For example, PSFCH resource set 1 is associated with the first (topmost) PRB set, PSFCH resource set 2 is associated with the second PRB set, PSFCH resource set 3 is associated with the third PRB set, and PSFCH resource set 4 is associated with the fourth (bottommost) PRB set. Each PSFCH resource set is periodic and repeats once every other slot (or subframe, etc.). It will be understood that any suitable periodicity that can be configured for the PSFCH resource set includes every slot, every other slot, every three slots, every four slots, every eight slots, every frame, etc.

[0079] The periodic occurrence of PSFCH resource sets can be referred to as PSFCH timings 304, including PSFCH timings 304a to 304d. Each PSFCH timing 304 may be preceded by an interval period or a guard symbol, such as... Figure 3As shown. In the illustrated example, all PSFCH timings 304a to 304d are associated with sidelink data channel 302. In some aspects, sidelink data channel 302 may include PSCCH. In other aspects, sidelink data channel 302 may include PSSCH. PSFCH timings 304a to 304d are configured for the UE to provide sidelink feedback (e.g., ACK / NACK) to sidelink data channel 302. As mentioned above, in unlicensed frequency bands, a UE transmitting PSFCH may first perform a Listen-Before-Speak (LBT) procedure before gaining access to frequency resources to transmit PSFCH. Some LBT procedures have indeterminate or variable durations, such as LBT procedures that include random backoff periods. Therefore, due to the uncertainty of when the UE will gain access to the sidelink resource pool, multiple PSFCH timings 304a to 304d provide flexibility for the UE to transmit PSFCH if the first PSFCH timing has passed before the UE successfully completes LBT.

[0080] In some respects, using different subsets of frequency resources from the sidelink resource pool for different PSFCH timings may be beneficial or desirable. For example... Figure 3 As illustrated, for sidelink data channel 302, a UE transmitting PSFCH can cycle through PSFCH resource sets used for consecutive PSFCH opportunities. Therefore, for the first PSFCH opportunity 304a, the UE can use PSFCH resource set 1 to transmit PSFCH. For the second PSFCH opportunity 304b, the UE can use PSFCH resource set 2 to transmit PSFCH, and so on. In some aspects, this method allows the UE to transmit sidelink feedback for different sidelink data channels (e.g., 302 and the second sidelink data channel occupying slot 3) within a single PSFCH opportunity (e.g., PSFCH opportunity 304b).

[0081] PSFCH resource configuration for a UE may involve several variable parameters for transmitting PSFCH waveforms. These parameters include: the PRB interleaving index; the number of PRBs within the interleaving occupied by the PSFCH waveform; the number of PSFCH timings configured for each PSCCH transmission, each PSSCH transmission, or both; the number of PSFCH resource sets (or PRB resource sets); and how each PSCCH / PSSCH transmission is mapped to different PSFCH resource sets. In some aspects, a UE may use a configured number of PRBs within a common interleaving for PSFCH transmissions. A common interleaving may be an interleaving of PRBs that can be shared by multiple UEs for communication to and from the UE. A dedicated interleaving may be an interleaving of PRBs allocated for a single UE or a subset of UEs. The configured number of PRBs may be denoted as K3. In some aspects, K3 may be configured using radio resource control (RRC) signals, or it may be a fixed or hard-decoded configuration. Configuration can vary based on the frequency band of the discovered sidelink resource pool, the SCS associated with the resource pool, UE capabilities, channel conditions, or other variables. Combinations of configuration parameters can generate a subset of RBs from the sidelink resource pool for PSFCH transmission during a given PSFCH timing.

[0082] Due to the complexity of PSFCH resource configuration, misconfiguration is possible. Incorrect PSFCH resource configuration can involve combinations of dynamically configured parameters, semi-statically configured parameters, and statically configured parameters, which can prevent the UE from transmitting PSFCH waveforms that meet radio specifications or standards (e.g., 3GPP specifications). At this point, Figure 4A , Figure 4B and Figure 4C Examples of sidelink communication scenarios 400a to 400c are illustrated, in which the UE is configured using a sidelink resource pool of 50 RBs in an unlicensed or shared frequency band. In each scenario 400, the UE is configured using a set of parameters, including the number of PSFCH resource sets (N) and the number of dedicated PRBs (K3) in the interleaving for PSFCH transmission. In some aspects, the number of PSFCH resource sets (N) may correspond to the number of PSFCH opportunities configured for a given PSCCH / PSSCH communication.

[0083] refer to Figure 4AIn scenario 400a, the UE is configured using two PSFCH resource sets (N=2) and five dedicated PRBs (K3=5) for transmission on each PSFCH. The UE is also configured using five interleavings, each using 10 PRBs from a resource pool of 50 PRBs. The PRBs are indexed sequentially based on their frequency position within the resource pool (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7…). Therefore, interleaving 1 includes PRBs with indices 0, 5, 10, 15, 20…40 and 45. Interleaving 2 includes PRBs with indices 1, 6, 11, 16, 21…41 and 46, etc. The PRBs are grouped, split, or segmented into two PSFCH resource sets, each PSFCH resource set comprising a contiguous block of 25 PRBs. As shown in the figure, each PSFCH resource set in the two PSFCH resource sets includes five PRBs in each of the five interleavings. Therefore, for any given interleaving, there will be five PRBs available for PSFCH transmission. Figure 4A Scenario 400a in the example can be a valid PSFCH resource configuration because the number of configured PRBs (K3) used for PSFCH transmission is 5. Furthermore, this PSFCH resource configuration can efficiently utilize the provided resources, thereby using all dedicated PRBs in the interleaving and in a PSFCH resource set.

[0084] However, different parameter combinations may lead to suboptimal configurations, where one or more PRBs are unused or wasted. Figure 4B In scenario 400b, the UE is configured using three PSFCH resource sets (N=3) for 50 PRBs and three dedicated PRBs (K3=3) for PSFCH transmission. However, in each PSFCH resource set, at least some interleavings have more than three PRBs. For example, in PSFCH resource set 0, interleaving 1 and interleaving 2 each have four PRBs. Therefore, PSFCH transmissions in interleaving 1 or 2 in PSFCH resource set 0 may leave the last PRB 402 unused. A similar problem exists for PRB set 1 with interleavings 3 and 4.

[0085] Furthermore, certain parameter combinations can cause PSFCH resource configuration to be invalid. Figure 4C In scenario 400c, the UE is configured using four PSFCH resource sets (N=4) for 50 PRBs and five dedicated PRBs (K3=5) for PSFCH transmission. However, in this scenario, each PSFCH resource set only has two or three PRBs for each interleaving. For example, for PSFCH resource set 0, the number of PRBs 404 for interleaving 1 is only three. No PSFCH resource set has the configured number of PRBs (K3=5) for PSFCH transmission for any interleaving.

[0086] This disclosure describes methods, schemes, and mechanisms for configuring PSFCH resource sets that address one or more of the problems described above. In one aspect, a PSFCH resource configuration scheme may involve sequentially indexing PRBs in a sidelink resource pool, first within an interleaf and then across interleafs. For example, a PSFCH resource configuration scheme may include sequentially indexing PRBs within a first frequency interleaf, then PRBs within a second frequency interleaf, then PRBs within a third frequency interleaf, and so on. Once indexed, the PSFCH resource configuration scheme may include splitting, segmenting, or otherwise grouping the indexed PRBs in the resource pool into resource sets, where each resource set includes a contiguous subset of the PRB indexes. In some aspects, splitting may produce PSFCH resource sets that are efficiently segmented based on interleafs. For example, a first PSFCH resource set may include all PRBs from interleaf 1, a second PSFCH resource set may include all PRBs from interleaf 2, and so on. However, other combinations are also conceivable, including a PSFCH resource set that includes only a portion (e.g., half) of the PRBs within the first frequency interleaving, or a PSFCH resource set that includes PRBs from more than one interleaving (e.g., all PRBs from interleaving 1, half of the PRBs from interleaving 2, etc.).

[0087] refer to Figure 5 The diagram illustrates a PSFCH resource configuration scheme 500 in the case of interleaved priority indexing. Aspects of scheme 500 can be performed by a UE, a network node, or both. For example, one or more of the network node or sidelink UEs can use scheme 500, as shown below, to generate a bitmap for configuring PSFCH resources for another UE. Exemplary aspects of the bitmap are shown in Figure 6 and further described below. Additionally, a sidelink UE can receive one or more bitmaps and, based on… Figure 5 The same interleaved priority mapping scheme 500 shown is used to determine, map, or otherwise identify the PSFCH resource set.

[0088] Similar to scenarios 400a to 400c, in scheme 500, the sidelink resource pool comprises 50 PRBs with five interleavings. Sidelink resource configurations, such as PSFCH resource configuration, can indicate the existence of four PSFCH timings associated with each PSCCH / PSSCH transmission. Therefore, a network node, a sidelink UE, or both can be configured to split, segment, or otherwise group the PRBs of the resource pool into four PSFCH resource sets. As explained above, simply dividing the PRBs into four groups of 12 to 14 PRBs results in each PSFCH resource set having fewer than five PRBs per interleaving. If the configuration value of K3 is 5, as in scheme 500, no PSFCH resource set is valid for PSFCH transmission.

[0089] Therefore, in scheme 500, the network node and UE use an interleaved priority indexing scheme, thereby indexing the PRBs first within an interleaved area and then across interleaved areas. Thus, the PRBs associated with interleaved 1 (which have PRBs spaced five times apart in the resource pool) are indexed as [0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]. Then, the network node or UE can continue to index the PRBs of interleaved 2 sequentially. The PRBs of interleaved 2 (which also have PRBs spaced five times apart in the resource pool) are indexed as [10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19]. This process is repeated for each interleaved area. Based on the process described herein, those skilled in the art will understand that the interleaved 5 PRBs will be indexed as [40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49].

[0090] Once all PRBs in the resource pool are indexed in this manner, the network node or UE segments, partitions, or otherwise groups the PRBs based on their assigned indices. For example, the network node or UE may partition a PRB into four consecutive PRB blocks based on its index, such that PRBs with indices 0 to 9 are partitioned into a PSFCH resource set 510, PRBs with indices 10 to 19 are partitioned into a second PSFCH resource set 512, PRBs with indices 20 to 29 are partitioned into a third PSFCH resource set 514, and so on. In this example, the partitioning effectively groups or partitions the PRBs into PSFCH resource sets based on their interleaving indices (e.g., interleaving 1, interleaving 2, etc.). In some aspects, a PSFCH resource set may include more than 10 PRBs, including PRBs associated with more than one interleaving. For example, a fourth PSFCH resource set may include all PRBs of interleaving 4 and all PRBs of interleaving 5, for a total of 20 PRBs. In other aspects, the network node or UE may ignore or omit PRBs of interleaved 5 in the PSFCH resource set, such that each of the four PSFCH resource sets includes 10 PRBs associated with the same interleaving. In other aspects, the network node or UE may include PRBs of more than one interleaving in a single PSFCH resource set. For example, the UE may include all PRBs of interleaved 1 in the first PSFCH resource set and five PRBs of interleaved 2 in the second PSFCH resource set.

[0091] It will be understood that the PRB segmentation into resource sets based on the interleaving priority indexing scheme 500 is also based on the configured number of PSFCH timings associated with sidelink data transmissions (e.g., PSCCH, PSSCH, etc.). Furthermore, the segmentation will be based on the configured interleaving number and the number of PRBs in the sidelink resource pool. Therefore, Figure 5 The specific scenarios illustrated are merely exemplary and not limiting. The number of PRBs in the resource pool, the number of PSFCH events, or the configuration value of K3 may vary depending on the context. Figure 5 The same approach can be used in the different scenarios shown.

[0092] It will also be understood that other variations of the interleaved priority indexing scheme are possible and contemplated in this disclosure. For example, in some aspects, the UE or network node may index the PRBs in the resource pool first by interleaving, but at most up to the configured value of K3. For example, if K3=5, the UE or network node may index the first five PRBs of interleaving 1 as [0, 1, 2, 3, 4], then index the first five PRBs of interleaving 2 as [5, 6, 7, 8, 9], then index the first five PRBs of interleaving 3 as [10, 11, 12, 13, 14], and so on, until the first five PRBs of interleaving 5 are indexed as [20, 21, 22, 23, 24]. Then continue indexing the last five PRBs of interleaving 1 as [25, 26, 27, 28, 29], and continue until the last five PRBs of interleaving 5 are indexed as [45, 46, 47, 48, 49].

[0093] Based on PSFCH resource set segmentation, the UE can transmit PSFCH signals within a PSFCH resource set configured for the appropriate PSFCH timing. In some aspects, the UE can receive a bitmap for each PSFCH timing, indicating multiple PRBs to be used for PSFCH transmission in that PSFCH timing. Therefore, the bitmap corresponding to an earlier or later PSFCH timing can indicate different PRBs, allowing the PSFCH resource set to be cycled through for different PSFCH timings, as described above. Figure 3 As illustrated in the example. A bitmap can be generated such that, according to... Figure 5 When using the interleaved first-preference indexing scheme described in [the document], the order of the bits in the bitmap corresponds to the PRB index. In other aspects, the bits in the bitmap can be simply ordered according to their frequency position within the resource pool, such as [other factors]. Figure 4A to Figure 4C The PRB index shown.

[0094] Figure 6AExample of a pair of PSFCH resource bitmaps for a first PSFCH candidate or timing (PSFCH candidate 0) and a second PSFCH candidate or timing (PSFCH candidate 1). Each of these bitmaps comprises 50 bits, where each bit represents a PRB in the resource pool. Although organized as a 5x10 table, it will be understood that the bitmap may comprise a single linear sequence of 50 bits. Furthermore, it will be understood that the bitmap may include additional bits, such as header information, checksum information, PSFCH timing index, or any other suitable or relevant information for PSFCH resource configuration.

[0095] exist Figure 6A In this context, the bits are sorted based on the interleaving priority indexing method explained above. Assuming five interleavings are configured for the resource pool, the top 10 bits of the bitmap correspond to the PRBs for interleaving 1, the next 10 bits in the second column of the bitmap correspond to the PRBs for interleaving 2, and so on. Therefore, according to the illustrated example, the first bitmap 610 instructs the sidelink UE to use the five PRBs preceding interleaving 1 for PSFCH candidate 0. The second bitmap 620 instructs the sidelink UE to use the five PRBs preceding interleaving 2 for PSFCH candidate 1. In other aspects, the second bitmap may instruct the sidelink UE to use the five PRBs following interleaving 1 for PSFCH candidate 1.

[0096] exist Figure 6B In this process, bits in the bitmap are sorted based on their frequency position within the resource pool, such as... Figure 4A to Figure 4C As shown. Therefore, the bits are not grouped together by interleaving, but rather based on their relative positions in the resource pool. Thus, for the first bit of PSFCH candidate 0, Figure 610 indicates the five PRBs (every 5 PRBs) before interleaving 1, and for the second bit of PSFCH candidate 1, Figure 620 indicates the five PRBs after interleaving 1.

[0097] Figure 7 This is a block diagram of an exemplary UE 700 according to some aspects of this disclosure. UE 700 may be as described above. Figure 1 UE 115 in network 100 discussed above, or in the above... Figure 2 The UE 215 discussed herein. As shown in the figure, the UE 700 may include a processor 702, a memory 704, a sidelink communication module 708, a transceiver 710 (including a modem subsystem 712 and a radio frequency (RF) unit 714), and one or more antennas 716. These components may communicate directly or indirectly with each other, for example, via one or more buses.

[0098] Processor 702 may include a central processing unit (CPU), digital signal processor (DSP), application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), controller, field-programmable gate array (FPGA) device, another hardware device, firmware device, or any combination thereof configured to perform the operations described herein. Processor 702 may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0099] Memory 704 may include cache memory (e.g., the cache memory of processor 702), random access memory (RAM), magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, solid-state memory devices, hard disk drives, other forms of volatile and non-volatile memory, or combinations of different types of memory. In one aspect, memory 704 includes a non-transitory computer-readable medium. Memory 704 may store or have instructions 706 recorded thereon. Instructions 706 may include, when executed by processor 702, causing processor 702 to perform aspects of this disclosure (e.g., ...). Figure 2 to Figure 6B Instructions 706 refer to the operations described in UE 115. Instructions 706 may also be referred to as program code. Program code can be used to cause a wireless communication device to perform these operations, for example, by causing one or more processors (such as processor 702) to control or command the wireless communication device to do so. The terms "instruction" and "code" should be broadly interpreted to include any type of computer-readable statement. For example, the terms "instruction" and "code" can refer to one or more programs, routines, subroutines, functions, procedures, etc. "Instructions" and "code" can include a single computer-readable statement or multiple computer-readable statements.

[0100] The sidelink communication module 708 can be implemented via hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, the sidelink communication module 708 can be implemented as a processor, circuitry, instructions 706 stored in memory 704 and executed by processor 702, or a combination thereof. In some instances, the sidelink communication module 708 can be integrated within the modem subsystem 712. For example, the sidelink communication module 708 can be implemented by a combination of software components (e.g., executed by a DSP or general-purpose processor) and hardware components (e.g., logic gates and circuitry) within the modem subsystem 712.

[0101] The side-link communication module 708 can be used in various aspects of this disclosure, for example, Figure 2 to Figure 6BThe sidelink communication module 708 can be used by the UE 700 in various aspects, where the UE 700 is operating in its role of transmitting communication with another UE 700, and other aspects of the sidelink communication module 708 can be used by the UE 700 in its role of receiving communication from another UE 700. For example, when the UE 700 is operating in its role of receiving communication from another UE 700, the sidelink communication module 708 can enable the UE 700 to receive PSFCH communication with or without common interleaving at a calculated power level. In other aspects, the sidelink communication module 708 can be used to receive communication from network elements (such as BS 205 or network element 800). For example, the sidelink communication module 708 can be used to receive PSFCH configuration information for one or more PSFCH timings or candidates.

[0102] The sidelink communication module 708 can be configured to determine one or more PSFCH resource sets of the sidelink resource pool, as per [reference to...]. Figure 5 As explained. In other respects, the sidelink communication module 708 can be configured to generate, transmit, receive, and decode one or more PSFCH candidate bitmaps, as per [the relevant documentation / reference]. Figure 6A and Figure 6B The explanation given.

[0103] As shown, transceiver 710 may include modem subsystem 712 and RF unit 714. Transceiver 710 may be configured to communicate bidirectionally with other devices, such as BS 105. Modem subsystem 712 may be configured to perform modulation and encoding on data from memory 704 or from sidelink communication module 708 according to a modulation and decoding scheme (MCS) (e.g., low-density parity-check (LDPC) decoding scheme, turbo decoding scheme, convolutional decoding scheme, polarity decoding scheme, digital beamforming scheme, etc.). RF unit 714 may be configured to process (e.g., perform analog-to-digital conversion or digital-to-analog conversion, etc.) modulated / encoded data (e.g., PSFCH data, etc.) from modem subsystem 712 (on outbound transmission) or modulated / encoded data transmitted from another source (such as UE 115 or BS 105). RF unit 714 may also be configured to perform analog beamforming in conjunction with digital beamforming. Although shown as being integrated together in transceiver 710, modem subsystem 712 and RF unit 714 may be separate devices coupled together at UE 700 to enable UE 700 to communicate with other devices.

[0104] RF unit 714 can provide modulated and processed data, such as data packets (or more generally, data messages that may contain one or more data packets and other information), to antenna 716 for transmission to one or more other devices. RF unit 714 can process the modulated and processed data using SC-FDMA modulation and generate a corresponding time-domain waveform before transmission via antenna 716. In other instances, RF unit 714 can utilize OFDM modulation to generate the time-domain waveform. Antenna 716 can also receive data messages transmitted from other devices. Antenna 716 can provide the received data messages for processing and demodulation at transceiver 710. Transceiver 710 can provide the demodulated and decoded data (e.g., sidelink configuration, SCI, sidelink data, PSFCH, etc.) to sidelink communication module 708 for processing. Antenna 716 may include multiple antennas with similar or different designs to maintain multiple transmission links. RF unit 714 can configure antenna 716. In some aspects, RF unit 714 may include various RF components, such as a local oscillator (LO), an analog filter, a mixer, or a combination thereof. The LO and mixer may be configured based on a specific channel center frequency. The analog filter may be configured to have a specific passband depending on the channel bandwidth (BW). The RF components may be configured to operate in various power modes (e.g., normal power mode, low power mode, power-down mode) and may switch between different power modes according to the transmit or receive requirements at UE 700 or the anchor UE.

[0105] In one aspect, UE 700 may include multiple transceivers 710 implementing different RATs (e.g., NR and LTE). In another aspect, UE 700 may include a single transceiver 710 implementing multiple RATs (e.g., NR and LTE). In yet another aspect, transceiver 710 may include various components, wherein different combinations of components may implement different RATs.

[0106] Figure 8 This is a block diagram of an exemplary network unit 800 (e.g., a base station, gNB, DU, CU, etc.) according to some aspects of this disclosure. Network unit 800 may be as described above... Figure 1 The BS 105 in Network 100 discussed above, or the BS 105 in Network 100 discussed above. Figure 2 The BS 205 discussed herein. As shown, the network unit 800 may include a processor 802, a memory 804, a PSFCH configuration module 808, a transceiver 810 including a modem subsystem 812 and a radio frequency (RF) unit 814, and one or more antennas 816. These components may communicate directly or indirectly with each other, for example, via one or more buses.

[0107] Processor 802 may include a central processing unit (CPU), digital signal processor (DSP), application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), controller, field-programmable gate array (FPGA) device, other hardware device, firmware device, or any combination thereof configured to perform the operations described herein. Processor 802 may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0108] Memory 804 may include cache memory (e.g., the cache memory of processor 802), random access memory (RAM), magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, solid-state memory devices, hard disk drives, other forms of volatile and non-volatile memory, or combinations of different types of memory. In one aspect, memory 804 includes a non-transitory computer-readable medium. Memory 804 may store or record instructions 806 thereon. Instructions 806 may include instructions that, when executed by processor 802, cause processor 802 to perform various aspects of this disclosure (e.g., ...). Figure 2 to Figure 6B (Refer to the operations described in UE 115 in all aspects). Instruction 806 may also be referred to as program code. Program code can be used to cause the wireless communication device to perform these operations, for example by causing one or more processors (such as processor 802) to control or command the wireless communication device to do so. The terms “instruction” and “code” should be interpreted broadly to include any type of computer-readable statement. For example, the terms “instruction” and “code” can refer to one or more programs, routines, subroutines, functions, procedures, etc. “Instruction” and “code” can include a single computer-readable statement or multiple computer-readable statements.

[0109] The PSFCH configuration module 808 may be implemented via hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, the PSFCH configuration module 808 may be implemented as a processor, circuitry, instructions 806 stored in memory 804 and executed by processor 802, or a combination thereof. In some cases, the PSFCH configuration module 808 may be integrated within the modem subsystem 812. For example, the PSFCH module 808 may be implemented by a combination of software components (e.g., executed by a DSP or general-purpose processor) and hardware components (e.g., logic gates and circuitry) within the modem subsystem 812.

[0110] The PSFCH configuration module 808 can be used in various aspects of this disclosure, for example, Figure 2 to Figure 6BVarious aspects of the PSFCH configuration module 808 can be used by the network unit 800 in situations where the network unit 800 sends PSFCH configuration information to the UE to perform sidelink communication with another UE. For example, various aspects of the PSFCH configuration module 808 can be used to generate and send a PSFCH configuration bitmap, such as regarding... Figure 6A and Figure 6B As explained. The PSFCH configuration module 808 can be configured to use information about Figure 5 The explained techniques and mechanisms determine the PSFCH resource configuration.

[0111] As shown, transceiver 810 may include modem subsystem 812 and RF unit 814. Transceiver 810 may be configured to communicate bidirectionally with other devices, such as BS 105. Modem subsystem 812 may be configured to perform modulation and encoding on data from memory 804 and PSFCH configuration module 808 according to a modulation and decoding scheme (MCS) (e.g., low-density parity-check (LDPC) decoding scheme, turbo decoding scheme, convolutional decoding scheme, polarity decoding scheme, digital beamforming scheme, etc.). RF unit 814 may be configured to process (e.g., perform analog-to-digital conversion or digital-to-analog conversion, etc.) modulated / encoded data (e.g., PSFCH data, etc.) from modem subsystem 812 (on outbound transmission) or modulated / encoded data transmitted from another source (such as UE 115 or BS 105). RF unit 814 may also be configured to perform analog beamforming in conjunction with digital beamforming. Although shown as being integrated together in transceiver 810, modem subsystem 812 and RF unit 814 may be separate devices coupled together at network unit 800 so that network unit 800 can communicate with other devices.

[0112] RF unit 814 can provide modulated and processed data (e.g., data packets (or more generally, data messages containing one or more data packets and other information)) to antenna 816 for transmission to one or more other devices. RF unit 814 can process the modulated and processed data and use SC-FDMA modulation to generate a corresponding time-domain waveform before transmission via antenna 816. In other instances, RF unit 814 can utilize OFDM modulation to generate the time-domain waveform. Antenna 816 can also receive data messages transmitted from other devices. Antenna 816 can provide the received data messages for processing and demodulation at transceiver 810. Transceiver 810 can provide demodulated and decoded data (e.g., sidelink configuration, SCI, sidelink data, PSFCH, etc.) to PSFCH configuration module 808 for processing. Antenna 816 can include multiple antennas with similar or different designs to maintain multiple transmission links. RF unit 814 can configure antenna 816. In some aspects, RF unit 814 may include various RF components, such as a local oscillator (LO), an analog filter, a mixer, or a combination thereof. The LO and mixer may be configured based on a specific channel center frequency. The analog filter may be configured to have a specific passband depending on the channel bandwidth (BW). The RF components may be configured to operate in various power modes (e.g., normal power mode, low power mode, power-down mode) and may switch between different power modes according to transmit or receive requirements at network unit 800 or anchor UE.

[0113] In one aspect, network unit 800 may include multiple transceivers 810 implementing different RATs (e.g., NR and LTE). In another aspect, network unit 800 may include a single transceiver 810 implementing multiple RATs (e.g., NR and LTE). In yet another aspect, transceiver 810 may include various components, wherein different combinations of components may implement different RATs.

[0114] Figure 9This is a flowchart 900 of a sidelink communication method according to some aspects of this disclosure. Aspects of method 900 can be executed by a computing device (e.g., a processor, processing circuitry, or other suitable component) of a wireless communication device or other suitable components for performing the steps. For example, between two UEs, such as UEs 115a and 115b, UEs 115j and 115k, UEs 215b1 and 215b2, or 215a1 and 215a2, or two UEs 700. Aspects of method 900 may utilize one or more components, such as a processor 702, a memory 704, a sidelink communication module 708, a transceiver 710, a modem 712, and one or more antennas 716, to perform the steps of method 900. As illustrated, method 900 includes multiple listed steps, but aspects of method 900 may include additional steps before, after, and between the listed steps. In some aspects, one or more of the listed steps may be omitted or performed in a different order.

[0115] At block 910, the UE receives a first PSFCH configuration including a first bit map. The first bit map may indicate a first dedicated RB set for a first PSFCH candidate among a plurality of consecutive PSFCH candidates. Each of the plurality of consecutive PSFCH candidates may be associated with one or more of a first sidelink data transmission or a sidelink control channel transmission. In some aspects, the first PSFCH configuration may be associated with a sidelink resource pool including a plurality of RBs. In some aspects, the first RB set may be associated with at least one RB in a first RB frequency interleaving, and the plurality of RBs may be associated with a plurality of interleavings including the first RB frequency interleaving. The first bit map may include a plurality of bits, where each bit represents an RB in the sidelink resource pool. In other aspects, each bit may represent other RB-related parameters, such as an interleaving index. The bits may be configured according to... Figure 6A The staggered priority method, based on, for example Figure 6B The relative frequency location of the PRB, or any other suitable organization, is used to organize it. In some aspects, receiving the first PSFCH configuration may include receiving Radio Resource Control (RRC) configuration or messages. In other aspects, receiving the first PSFCH configuration includes receiving control information, such as DCI, SCI, or any other suitable type of information. In some aspects, the UE receives the first PSFCH configuration from a network node or network element such as a BS. In other aspects, the UE receives the first PSFCH configuration from a link UE on the other side.

[0116] At block 920, the UE receives a second PSFCH configuration including a second bitmap. The second bitmap may indicate a second dedicated RB set for the second PSFCH candidate. The second dedicated RB set may not overlap with a first dedicated RB set in the frequency domain. In some aspects, the second RB set may be associated with at least a second RB in a first RB frequency interleaving. In other aspects, the second RB set may be associated with at least one RB in a second RB frequency interleaving. In some aspects, the second PSFCH configuration may be associated with a sidelink resource pool. The second bitmap may include multiple bits, where each bit represents an RB in the sidelink resource pool. In other aspects, each bit may represent other RB-related parameters, such as an interleaving index. The bits may be configured according to... Figure 6A The staggered priority method, based on, for example Figure 6B The relative frequency location of the PRB, or any other suitable organization, is used to organize it. In some aspects, receiving the second PSFCH configuration may include receiving RRC configuration or messages. In other aspects, receiving the second PSFCH configuration includes receiving control information, such as DCI, SCI, or any other suitable type of information. In some aspects, the UE receives the second PSFCH configuration from a network node or network element such as a BS. In other aspects, the UE receives the second PSFCH configuration from a link UE on the other side.

[0117] At action 930, the UE transmits a PSFCH signal based on a selection of either a first PSFCH candidate or a second PSFCH candidate. In some aspects, the selection of the first or second PSFCH candidate is based on the time when the UE gains access to the sidelink resource pool. For example, the UE may determine or select one of these PSFCH candidates based on the time when the UE completes LBT or the time when the UE gains access to the Channel Occupied Time (COT). The UE may select the first available PSFCH candidate once the UE has gained access to the COT. In some aspects, transmitting the PSFCH signal includes transmitting a sidelink ACK / NACK associated with one or more sidelink data or control resources (such as PSCCH or PSSCH). In some aspects, the PSFCH includes an interleaved PSFCH waveform occupying either a first dedicated RB set or a second dedicated RB set. RBs in the first and second dedicated RB sets may be interleaved with the same first RB frequency. In some aspects, other UEs may be configured to transmit PSFCH signals using other interleavings in the same sidelink resource pool.

[0118] Figure 10This is a flowchart 1000 of a sidelink communication method according to some aspects of this disclosure. Aspects of method 1000 can be executed by a computing device of a wireless communication device (e.g., a processor, processing circuitry, or other suitable component) or other suitable components for performing the steps. Aspects of method 1000 can be executed by network units (such as BS, DU, or CU as explained above). A network node can utilize one or more components (such as processor 802, memory 804, PSFCH configuration module 808, transceiver 810, modem 812, and one or more antennas 816) to perform the steps of method 1000. As illustrated, method 1000 includes multiple listed steps, but aspects of method 1000 may include additional steps before, after, and between the listed steps. In some aspects, one or more of the listed steps may be omitted or performed in a different order.

[0119] At box 1010, the network element transmits a first PSFCH configuration including a first bit diagram. The first bit diagram may indicate a first dedicated RB set for a first PSFCH candidate among a plurality of consecutive PSFCH candidates. Each of the plurality of consecutive PSFCH candidates may be associated with one or more of a first sidelink data transmission or a sidelink control channel transmission. In some aspects, the first PSFCH configuration may be associated with a sidelink resource pool including a plurality of RBs. In some aspects, the first RB set may be associated with at least one RB in a first RB frequency interleaving. The plurality of RBs may be associated with a plurality of interleavings including the first RB frequency interleaving. The first bit diagram may include a plurality of bits, where each bit represents an RB in the sidelink resource pool. In other aspects, each bit may represent other RB-related parameters, such as an interleaving index. The bits may be based on, for example... Figure 6A The staggered priority method, based on, for example Figure 6B The relative frequency position of the PRB, or any other suitable organization, may be used to organize it. In some aspects, sending the first PSFCH configuration may include sending an RRC configuration or message.

[0120] At box 1020, the network element transmits a second PSFCH configuration including a second bitmap. The second bitmap may indicate a second dedicated RB set for the second PSFCH candidate. The second dedicated RB set may not overlap with the first dedicated RB set in the frequency domain. The second RB set may be associated with at least a second RB in the first RB frequency interleaving. In other aspects, the second RB set may be associated with at least one RB in the second RB frequency interleaving. In some aspects, the second PSFCH configuration may be associated with a sidelink resource pool. The second bitmap may include multiple bits, where each bit represents an RB in the sidelink resource pool. In other aspects, each bit may represent other RB-related parameters, such as an interleaving index. The bits may be based on, for example... Figure 6A The staggered priority method, based on, for exampleFigure 6B The relative frequency location of the PRB, or any other suitable organization, is used to organize it. In some aspects, receiving the second PSFCH configuration may include receiving RRC configuration or messages. In other aspects, receiving the second PSFCH configuration includes receiving control information, such as DCI, SCI, or any other suitable type of information. In some aspects, the UE receives the second PSFCH configuration from a network node or network element such as a BS. In other aspects, the UE receives the second PSFCH configuration from a link UE on the other side.

[0121] Other aspects of this disclosure include the following: Aspect 1. A method of wireless communication performed by a first user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving a first physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) configuration including a first bitmap, the first bitmap indicating a first set of dedicated resource blocks (RBs) for a first PSFCH candidate, wherein the first set of dedicated RBs is associated with at least a first RB in a first RB frequency interleaving; receiving a second PSFCH configuration including a second bitmap, the second bitmap indicating a second set of dedicated RBs for a second PSFCH candidate, wherein the second set of dedicated RBs is associated with at least a second RB in the first RB frequency interleaving; and transmitting a PSFCH signal based on a selection of either the first PSFCH candidate or the second PSFCH candidate. Aspect 1A: A method of wireless communication performed by a first user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving a first physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) configuration including a first bitmap, the first bitmap indicating a first set of dedicated resource blocks (RBs) for a first PSFCH candidate among a plurality of consecutive PSFCH candidates, wherein each of the plurality of PSFCH candidates is associated with one or more of a first sidelink data transmission or a sidelink control channel transmission; receiving a second PSFCH configuration including a second bitmap, the second bitmap indicating a second set of dedicated RBs for a second PSFCH candidate among the plurality of consecutive PSFCH candidates, wherein the second set of dedicated RBs does not overlap with the first set of dedicated RBs in the frequency domain; and transmitting a PSFCH signal based on a selection of either the first PSFCH candidate or the second PSFCH candidate.

[0122] Aspect 2. The method according to any one of Aspect 1 or 1A, wherein the first bit diagram comprises a plurality of bits, wherein each of the plurality of bits indicates an RB in the PSFCH resource pool.

[0123] Aspect 3. The method according to aspect 2, wherein at least the first bit of the plurality of bits is associated with the first dedicated RB set, and wherein at least the second bit of the plurality of bits is associated with the second dedicated RB set.

[0124] Aspect 4. The method according to any one of Aspects 1, 1A, 2 or 3, wherein the RBs in the first dedicated RB set and the RBs in the second dedicated RB set do not overlap in the frequency domain.

[0125] Aspect 5. The method according to any one of Aspects 1, 1A, 2, 3 or 4, wherein receiving the first PSFCH configuration includes receiving a first Radio Resource Control (RRC) communication, and wherein receiving the second PSFCH configuration includes receiving a second RRC communication.

[0126] Aspect 6. The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 5, wherein: the first dedicated RB set is associated with at least a first RB in a first RB frequency interleaving, and wherein the second dedicated RB set is associated with at least a second RB in the first RB frequency interleaving. Aspect 6A: The method according to Aspect 6, wherein: the first RB frequency interleaving includes a first plurality of RBs indexed by a first subset of sequential indexing; the second frequency interleaving includes a second plurality of RBs indexed by a second subset of sequential indexing; the second subset of sequential indexing is consecutive to the first subset of sequential indexing and follows the first subset.

[0127] Aspect 7. The method according to aspect 6A, wherein: the first PSFCH candidate is associated with a first plurality of sequentially indexed RBs in the first RB frequency interleaving; and the second PSFCH candidate is associated with a second plurality of sequentially indexed RBs in the first RB frequency interleaving.

[0128] Aspect 8. The method according to any one of Aspects 6, 6A, or 7, wherein the first dedicated RB set is associated with a configured start RB index and a configured number of RBs within the PSFCH resource pool.

[0129] Aspect 9. A method of wireless communication performed by a network element, the method comprising: transmitting a first physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) configuration including a first bitmap, the first bitmap indicating a first set of dedicated resource blocks (RBs) for a first PSFCH candidate, wherein the first set of dedicated RBs is associated with at least a first RB in a first RB frequency interleaving; and transmitting a second PSFCH configuration including a second bitmap, the second bitmap indicating a second set of dedicated RBs for a second PSFCH candidate, wherein the second set of dedicated RBs is associated with at least a second RB in the first RB frequency interleaving. Aspect 9A: A method for wireless communication performed by a network element, the method comprising: transmitting a first physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) configuration including a first bitmap, the first bitmap indicating a first set of dedicated resource blocks (RBs) for a first PSFCH candidate among a plurality of consecutive PSFCH candidates in a shared frequency band, wherein each of the plurality of PSFCH candidates is associated with one or more of a first sidelink data transmission or a sidelink control channel transmission; and transmitting a second PSFCH configuration including a second bitmap, the second bitmap indicating a second set of dedicated RBs for a second PSFCH candidate among the plurality of consecutive PSFCH candidates, wherein the second set of dedicated RBs does not overlap with the first set of dedicated RBs in the frequency domain.

[0130] Aspect 10. The method according to any one of Aspects 9 or 9A, wherein the first bit diagram comprises a plurality of bits, wherein each of the plurality of bits indicates an RB in the PSFCH resource pool.

[0131] Aspect 11. The method according to aspect 10, wherein at least the first bit of the plurality of bits is associated with the first dedicated RB set, and wherein at least the second bit of the plurality of bits is associated with the second dedicated RB set.

[0132] Aspect 12. The method according to any one of Aspects 9, 10 or 11, wherein the RBs in the first dedicated RB set do not overlap with the RBs in the second dedicated RB set in the frequency domain.

[0133] Aspect 13. The method according to any one of Aspects 9, 9A, 10, 11 or 12, wherein transmitting the first PSFCH configuration includes transmitting a first Radio Resource Control (RRC) communication, and wherein transmitting the second PSFCH configuration includes transmitting a second RRC communication.

[0134] Aspect 14. The method according to any one of Aspects 9, 9A, 10, 11, 12, or 13, wherein the first dedicated RB set is associated with at least a first RB in a first RB frequency interleaving, and wherein the second dedicated RB set is associated with at least a second RB in the first RB frequency interleaving. Aspect 14A: The method according to any one of Aspects 14, further comprising: indexing a first plurality of RBs in the first RB frequency interleaving with a sequentially indexed first subset; and indexing a second plurality of RBs in a second frequency interleaving with a sequentially indexed second subset, wherein the sequentially indexed second subset is consecutive to and follows the sequentially indexed first subset.

[0135] Aspect 15. The method according to aspect 14A, wherein sending the first PSFCH configuration is based on indexing the first plurality of RBs and indexing the second plurality of RBs.

[0136] Aspect 16. The method according to any one of Aspects 14, 14A or 15, wherein: the first PSFCH candidate is associated with a first plurality of sequentially indexed RBs in the first RB frequency interleaving; and the second PSFCH candidate is associated with a second plurality of sequentially indexed RBs in the first RB frequency interleaving.

[0137] Aspect 17. The method according to any one of Aspects 14, 14A, 15 or 16, wherein the first dedicated RB set is associated with a configured start RB index and a configured number of RBs within the PSFCH resource pool.

[0138] Aspect 18. An apparatus comprising: one or more memories; and one or more processors, the one or more processors communicating with the one or more memories and configured to execute instructions on the one or more memories to cause the apparatus to: perform any one of Aspects 1, 1A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 6A, 7 or 8.

[0139] Aspect 19. An apparatus comprising: one or more memories; and one or more processors, the one or more processors communicating with the one or more memories and configured to execute instructions on the one or more memories to cause the apparatus to: perform any one of Aspects 9, 9A, 10, 11, 12, 13, 13A, 14, 15, 16 or 17.

[0140] Aspect 20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having program code recorded thereon, wherein the program code includes instructions executable by a processor of a device to cause the device to perform any one of Aspects 1, 1A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 6A, 7 or 8.

[0141] Aspect 21. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having program code recorded thereon, wherein the program code includes instructions executable by a processor of a device to cause the device to perform any one of Aspects 9, 9A, 10, 11, 12, 13, 13A, 14, 15, 16 or 17.

[0142] Aspect 22. A user equipment (UE) comprising components for performing any one of aspects 1, 1A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 6A, 7 or 8.

[0143] Aspect 23. A user equipment (UE) comprising components for performing any one of aspects 9, 9A, 10, 11, 12, 13, 13A, 14, 15, 16 or 17.

[0144] Information and signals can be represented using any of a variety of different techniques and skills. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be mentioned throughout the above description can be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, light fields or optical particles, or any combination thereof.

[0145] The various exemplary blocks and modules described herein can be implemented or performed using general-purpose processors, DSPs, ASICs, FPGAs, or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof, designed to perform the functions described herein. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in alternative embodiments, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a DSP core, or any other such configuration).

[0146] The functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions may be stored as one or more instructions or code on or transmitted via a computer-readable medium. Other examples and specific implementations are within the scope of this disclosure and the appended aspects. For example, due to the nature of software, the functions described above may be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwired, or any combination thereof. Features implementing the functions may also be physically located in various locations, including portions distributed such that the functions are implemented at different physical locations. Furthermore, as used herein, including in the claims, the word "or" as used in an item list (e.g., followed by an item list such as "at least one of" or "one or more of") indicates an inclusive list, such that an enumeration such as [at least one of A, B, or C] means: A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C).

[0147] As those skilled in the art will understand to date and depending on the specific application at hand, many modifications, substitutions, and variations may be made to the materials, apparatus, configuration, and methods of use of the apparatus disclosed herein without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure. Therefore, the scope of this disclosure should not be limited to the specific embodiments illustrated and described herein (as they are merely examples), but should be fully equivalent to the appended claims and their functional equivalents.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication performed by a first user equipment (UE), the method comprising: The system receives a first physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) configuration including a first bitmap, the first bitmap indicating a first set of dedicated resource blocks (RBs) for a first PSFCH candidate among a plurality of consecutive PSFCH candidates, wherein each of the plurality of consecutive PSFCH candidates is associated with one or more of a first sidelink data transmission or a sidelink control channel transmission. Receive a second PSFCH configuration including a second bitmap, the second bitmap indicating a second dedicated RB set for a second PSFCH candidate among the plurality of consecutive PSFCH candidates, wherein the second dedicated RB set does not overlap with the first dedicated RB set in the frequency domain; as well as The PSFCH signal is transmitted based on the selection of either the first PSFCH candidate or the second PSFCH candidate.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first bit diagram comprises a plurality of bits, wherein each bit of the plurality of bits indicates an RB in the PSFCH resource pool.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein at least the first bit of the plurality of bits is associated with the first dedicated RB set, and wherein at least the second bit of the plurality of bits is associated with the second dedicated RB set.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the first PSFCH configuration includes receiving a first Radio Resource Control (RRC) communication, and wherein receiving the second PSFCH configuration includes receiving a second RRC communication.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first RB set and the second RB set are located in a common frequency band, wherein the first dedicated RB set is associated with at least a first RB in the first RB frequency interleaving, and wherein the second dedicated RB set is associated with at least a second RB in the first RB frequency interleaving.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein: The first RB frequency interleaving includes a first plurality of RBs indexed using a first subset of sequentially indexed RBs; The second RB frequency interleaving includes a second set of RBs indexed using a second subset of sequentially indexed RBs; and The second subset of the sequential index is consecutive to the first subset of the sequential index and follows the first subset.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein: The first PSFCH candidate is associated with a first plurality of sequentially indexed RBs in the first RB frequency interleaving; and The second PSFCH candidate is associated with a second plurality of sequentially indexed RBs in the first RB frequency interleaving.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the first dedicated RB set is associated with a configured start RB index and the number of RBs within the PSFCH resource pool.

9. A method for wireless communication performed by a network element, the method comprising: The transmission includes a first physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) configuration, the first bitmap indicating a first set of dedicated resource blocks (RBs) for a first PSFCH candidate among a plurality of consecutive PSFCH candidates, wherein each of the plurality of consecutive PSFCH candidates is associated with one or more of a first sidelink data transmission or a sidelink control channel transmission. as well as Send a second PSFCH configuration including a second bitmap, the second bitmap indicating a second dedicated RB set for a second PSFCH candidate among the plurality of consecutive PSFCH candidates, wherein the second dedicated RB set does not overlap with the first dedicated RB set in the frequency domain.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first bit diagram comprises a plurality of bits, wherein each bit of the plurality of bits indicates an RB in the PSFCH resource pool.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein at least the first bit of the plurality of bits is associated with the first dedicated RB set, and wherein at least the second bit of the plurality of bits is associated with the second dedicated RB set.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein transmitting the first PSFCH configuration includes transmitting a first Radio Resource Control (RRC) communication, and wherein transmitting the second PSFCH configuration includes transmitting a second RRC communication.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the first RB set and the second RB set are located in a common frequency band, wherein the first dedicated RB set is associated with at least a first RB in the first RB frequency interleaving, and wherein the second dedicated RB set is associated with at least a second RB in the first RB frequency interleaving.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising: The first subset of sequential indexing is used to index the first plurality of RBs in the first RB frequency interleaving; as well as The second subset of sequentially indexed RBs is used to index the second plurality of RBs in the second RB frequency interleaving. The second subset of sequential indexing is consecutive to the first subset of sequential indexing and follows the first subset.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein sending the first PSFCH configuration is based on indexing the first plurality of RBs and indexing the second plurality of RBs.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein: The first PSFCH candidate is associated with a first plurality of sequentially indexed RBs in the first RB frequency interleaving; and The second PSFCH candidate is associated with a second plurality of sequentially indexed RBs in the first RB frequency interleaving.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the first dedicated RB set is associated with a configured start RB index and the number of RBs within the PSFCH resource pool.

18. An apparatus comprising: One or more memory units; and One or more processors, the one or more processors communicating with the one or more memories and configured to execute instructions on the one or more memories to cause the device to: The system receives a first physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) configuration including a first bitmap, the first bitmap indicating a first set of dedicated resource blocks (RBs) for a first PSFCH candidate among a plurality of consecutive PSFCH candidates, wherein each of the plurality of consecutive PSFCH candidates is associated with one or more of a first sidelink data transmission or a sidelink control channel transmission. Receive a second PSFCH configuration including a second bitmap, the second bitmap indicating a second dedicated RB set for a second PSFCH candidate among the plurality of consecutive PSFCH candidates, wherein the second dedicated RB set does not overlap with the first dedicated RB set in the frequency domain; as well as The PSFCH signal is transmitted based on the selection of either the first PSFCH candidate or the second PSFCH candidate.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the first bit diagram comprises a plurality of bits, wherein each bit of the plurality of bits indicates an RB in the PSFCH resource pool.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein at least the first bit of the plurality of bits is associated with the first dedicated RB set, and wherein at least the second bit of the plurality of bits is associated with the second dedicated RB set.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the apparatus is configured to receive the first PSFCH configuration including the apparatus being configured to receive a first Radio Resource Control (RRC) communication, and wherein the apparatus is configured to receive the second PSFCH configuration including the apparatus being configured to receive a second RRC communication.

22. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the first RB set and the second RB set are located in a common frequency band, wherein the first dedicated RB set is associated with at least a first RB in the first RB frequency interleaving, and wherein the second dedicated RB set is associated with at least a second RB in the first RB frequency interleaving.

23. The apparatus according to claim 22, wherein: The first RB frequency interleaving includes a first plurality of RBs indexed using a first subset of sequentially indexed RBs; The second RB frequency interleaving includes a second set of RBs indexed using a second subset of sequentially indexed RBs; and The second subset of the sequential index is consecutive to the first subset of the sequential index and follows the first subset.

24. The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein: The first PSFCH candidate is associated with a first plurality of sequentially indexed RBs in the first RB frequency interleaving; and The second PSFCH candidate is associated with a second plurality of sequentially indexed RBs in the first RB frequency interleaving.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the first dedicated RB set is associated with a configured start RB index and the number of RBs within the PSFCH resource pool.

26. An apparatus comprising: One or more memory units; and One or more processors, the one or more processors communicating with the one or more memories and configured to execute instructions on the one or more memories to cause the device to: The transmission includes a first physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) configuration, the first bitmap indicating a first set of dedicated resource blocks (RBs) for a first PSFCH candidate among a plurality of consecutive PSFCH candidates, wherein each of the plurality of consecutive PSFCH candidates is associated with one or more of a first sidelink data transmission or a sidelink control channel transmission. as well as Send a second PSFCH configuration including a second bitmap, the second bitmap indicating a second dedicated RB set for a second PSFCH candidate among the plurality of consecutive PSFCH candidates, wherein the second dedicated RB set does not overlap with the first dedicated RB set in the frequency domain.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the first bit diagram comprises a plurality of bits, wherein each bit of the plurality of bits indicates an RB in the PSFCH resource pool.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein at least the first bit of the plurality of bits is associated with the first dedicated RB set, and wherein at least the second bit of the plurality of bits is associated with the second dedicated RB set.

29. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the apparatus is configured to transmit the first PSFCH configuration including the apparatus being configured to transmit a first Radio Resource Control (RRC) communication, and wherein the apparatus is configured to transmit the second PSFCH configuration including the apparatus being configured to transmit a second RRC communication.

30. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the first RB set and the second RB set are located in a common frequency band, wherein the first dedicated RB set is associated with at least a first RB in the first RB frequency interleaving, and wherein the second dedicated RB set is associated with at least a second RB in the first RB frequency interleaving.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the apparatus is further configured to: The first subset of sequentially indexed RBs in the first RB frequency interleaving is indexed; and The second subset of sequentially indexed RBs is used to index the second plurality of RBs in the second RB frequency interleaving. The second subset of sequential indexing is consecutive to the first subset of sequential indexing and follows the first subset.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the apparatus is configured to send the first PSFCH configuration based on indexing the first plurality of RBs and indexing the second plurality of RBs.

33. The apparatus according to claim 31, wherein: The first PSFCH candidate is associated with a first plurality of sequentially indexed RBs in the first RB frequency interleaving; and The second PSFCH candidate is associated with a second plurality of sequentially indexed RBs in the first RB frequency interleaving.

34. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the first dedicated RB set is associated with a configured start RB index and the number of RBs within the PSFCH resource pool.

35. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having program code recorded thereon, wherein the program code includes instructions executable by a processor of a device to cause the device to: The system receives a first physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) configuration including a first bitmap, the first bitmap indicating a first set of dedicated resource blocks (RBs) for a first PSFCH candidate among a plurality of consecutive PSFCH candidates, wherein each of the plurality of consecutive PSFCH candidates is associated with one or more of a first sidelink data transmission or a sidelink control channel transmission. Receive a second PSFCH configuration including a second bitmap, the second bitmap indicating a second dedicated RB set for a second PSFCH candidate among the plurality of consecutive PSFCH candidates, wherein the second dedicated RB set does not overlap with the first dedicated RB set in the frequency domain; and The PSFCH signal is transmitted based on the selection of either the first PSFCH candidate or the second PSFCH candidate.

36. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 35, wherein the first bit diagram comprises a plurality of bits, wherein each bit of the plurality of bits indicates an RB in the PSFCH resource pool.

37. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 36, wherein at least the first bit of the plurality of bits is associated with the first dedicated RB set, and wherein at least the second bit of the plurality of bits is associated with the second dedicated RB set.

38. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 35, wherein the apparatus is configured to receive the first PSFCH configuration including program code configured to cause the apparatus to receive a first Radio Resource Control (RRC) communication, and wherein the program code configured to cause the apparatus to receive the second PSFCH configuration includes program code configured to cause the apparatus to receive a second RRC communication.

39. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 35, wherein the first set of RBs and the second set of RBs are located in a common frequency band, wherein the first dedicated set of RBs is associated with at least a first RB in the first RB frequency interleaving, and wherein the second dedicated set of RBs is associated with at least a second RB in the first RB frequency interleaving.

40. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 39, wherein: The first RB frequency interleaving includes a first plurality of RBs indexed using a first subset of sequentially indexed RBs; The second RB frequency interleaving includes a second set of RBs indexed using a second subset of sequentially indexed RBs; and The second subset of the sequential index is consecutive to the first subset of the sequential index and follows the first subset.

41. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 40, wherein: The first PSFCH candidate is associated with a first plurality of sequentially indexed RBs in the first RB frequency interleaving; and The second PSFCH candidate is associated with a second plurality of sequentially indexed RBs in the first RB frequency interleaving.

42. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 40, wherein the first dedicated RB set is associated with a configured start RB index and the number of RBs within the PSFCH resource pool.

43. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having program code recorded thereon, wherein the program code includes instructions executable by a processor of a device to cause the device to: The transmission includes a first physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) configuration comprising a first bitmap, the first bitmap indicating a first set of dedicated resource blocks (RBs) for a first PSFCH candidate among a plurality of consecutive PSFCH candidates, wherein each of the plurality of consecutive PSFCH candidates is associated with one or more of a first sidelink data transmission or a sidelink control channel transmission; and Send a second PSFCH configuration including a second bitmap, the second bitmap indicating a second dedicated RB set for a second PSFCH candidate among the plurality of consecutive PSFCH candidates, wherein the second dedicated RB set does not overlap with the first dedicated RB set in the frequency domain.

44. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 43, wherein the first bit diagram comprises a plurality of bits, wherein each bit of the plurality of bits indicates an RB in the PSFCH resource pool.

45. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 44, wherein at least the first bit of the plurality of bits is associated with the first dedicated RB set, and wherein at least the second bit of the plurality of bits is associated with the second dedicated RB set.

46. ​​The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 43, wherein the program code configured to cause the device to transmit the first PSFCH configuration includes program code configured to cause the device to transmit a first Radio Resource Control (RRC) communication, and wherein the program code configured to cause the device to transmit the second PSFCH configuration includes program code configured to cause the device to transmit a second RRC communication.

47. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 43, wherein the first set of RBs and the second set of RBs are located in a common frequency band, wherein the first dedicated set of RBs is associated with at least a first RB in the first RB frequency interleaving, and wherein the second dedicated set of RBs is associated with at least a second RB in the first RB frequency interleaving.

48. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 47, further comprising: The first subset of sequential indexing is used to index the first plurality of RBs in the first RB frequency interleaving; as well as The second subset of sequentially indexed RBs is used to index the second plurality of RBs in the second RB frequency interleaving. The second subset of sequential indexing is consecutive to the first subset of sequential indexing and follows the first subset.

49. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 48, wherein the program code is configured to cause the device to send the first PSFCH configuration based on indexing the first plurality of RBs and indexing the second plurality of RBs.

50. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 48, wherein: The first PSFCH candidate is associated with a first plurality of sequentially indexed RBs in the first RB frequency interleaving; and The second PSFCH candidate is associated with a second plurality of sequentially indexed RBs in the first RB frequency interleaving.

51. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 48, wherein the first dedicated RB set is associated with a configured start RB index and the number of RBs within the PSFCH resource pool.

52. A first user equipment (UE), the first user equipment (UE) comprising: Components for receiving a first physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) configuration including a first bitmap, the first bitmap indicating a first set of dedicated resource blocks (RBs) for a first PSFCH candidate among a plurality of consecutive PSFCH candidates, wherein each of the plurality of consecutive PSFCH candidates is associated with one or more of a first sidelink data transmission or a sidelink control channel transmission. A component for receiving a second PSFCH configuration including a second bitmap, the second bitmap indicating a second dedicated RB set for a second PSFCH candidate among the plurality of consecutive PSFCH candidates, wherein the second dedicated RB set does not overlap with the first dedicated RB set in the frequency domain; and A component for transmitting a PSFCH signal based on the selection of either the first PSFCH candidate or the second PSFCH candidate.

53. The UE of claim 52, wherein the first bit diagram comprises a plurality of bits, wherein each bit of the plurality of bits indicates an RB in the PSFCH resource pool.

54. The UE of claim 53, wherein at least the first bit of the plurality of bits is associated with the first dedicated RB set, and wherein at least the second bit of the plurality of bits is associated with the second dedicated RB set.

55. The UE of claim 52, wherein the component for receiving the first PSFCH configuration includes a component for receiving first Radio Resource Control (RRC) communication, and wherein the component for receiving the second PSFCH configuration includes a component for receiving second RRC communication.

56. The UE of claim 52, wherein the first RB set and the second RB set are located in a common frequency band, wherein the first dedicated RB set is associated with at least a first RB in the first RB frequency interleaving, and wherein the second dedicated RB set is associated with at least a second RB in the first RB frequency interleaving.

57. The UE according to claim 56, wherein: The first RB frequency interleaving includes a first plurality of RBs indexed using a first subset of sequentially indexed RBs; The second RB frequency interleaving includes a second set of RBs indexed using a second subset of sequentially indexed RBs; and The second subset of the sequential index is consecutive to the first subset of the sequential index and follows the first subset.

58. The UE according to claim 57, wherein: The first PSFCH candidate is associated with a first plurality of sequentially indexed RBs in the first RB frequency interleaving; and The second PSFCH candidate is associated with a second plurality of sequentially indexed RBs in the first RB frequency interleaving.

59. The UE of claim 57, wherein the first dedicated RB set is associated with a configured start RB index and the number of RBs within the PSFCH resource pool.

60. A network unit, the network unit comprising: Components for transmitting a first physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) configuration including a first bitmap, the first bitmap indicating a first set of dedicated resource blocks (RBs) for a first PSFCH candidate among a plurality of consecutive PSFCH candidates, wherein each of the plurality of consecutive PSFCH candidates is associated with one or more of a first sidelink data transmission or a sidelink control channel transmission. and A component for transmitting a second PSFCH configuration including a second bitmap, the second bitmap indicating a second dedicated RB set for a second PSFCH candidate among the plurality of consecutive PSFCH candidates, wherein the second dedicated RB set does not overlap with the first dedicated RB set in the frequency domain.

61. The network element of claim 60, wherein the first bit diagram comprises a plurality of bits, wherein each bit of the plurality of bits indicates an RB in the PSFCH resource pool.

62. The network unit of claim 61, wherein at least the first bit of the plurality of bits is associated with the first dedicated RB set, and wherein at least the second bit of the plurality of bits is associated with the second dedicated RB set.

63. The network unit of claim 60, wherein the component for transmitting the first PSFCH configuration includes a component for transmitting a first Radio Resource Control (RRC) communication, and wherein the component for transmitting the second PSFCH configuration includes a component for transmitting a second RRC communication.

64. The network unit of claim 60, wherein the first RB set and the second RB set are located in a common frequency band, wherein the first dedicated RB set is associated with at least a first RB in the first RB frequency interleaving, and wherein the second dedicated RB set is associated with at least a second RB in the first RB frequency interleaving.

65. The network unit according to claim 64, further comprising: The first subset of sequential indexing is used to index the first plurality of RBs in the first RB frequency interleaving; as well as The second subset of sequentially indexed RBs is used to index the second plurality of RBs in the second RB frequency interleaving. The second subset of sequential indexing is consecutive to the first subset of sequential indexing and follows the first subset.

66. The network unit of claim 65, wherein the configuration for sending the first PSFCH is based on indexing the first plurality of RBs and indexing the second plurality of RBs.

67. The network unit according to claim 65, wherein: The first PSFCH candidate is associated with a first plurality of sequentially indexed RBs in the first RB frequency interleaving; and The second PSFCH candidate is associated with a second plurality of sequentially indexed RBs in the first RB frequency interleaving.

68. The network unit of claim 65, wherein the first dedicated RB set is associated with a configured start RB index and the number of RBs within the PSFCH resource pool.

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