COMMUNICATIONS APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR ALLOCATING ONE OR MORE ADDITIONAL OPERATION WINDOW FOR SIDELINK SIGNALING - Patent application

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a communications apparatus and method for allocating one or more additional operating windows for reception or transmission of sidelink signals, the communications apparatus comprising: circuitry configured, in operation, to allocate one or more additional operating windows between a first operating window and a second operating window for reception or transmission of sidelink signals;

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The following disclosure relates to a communication device and a communication method for transmitting or receiving a Sidelink (SL) signal, and more particularly, to a communication device and a communication method for allocating one or more additional operation windows between two SL discontinuous reception (SL DRX) periods of a SL signal. [Background technology]

[0002] SL DRX was one of the work items addressed by RAN2 in Release 17. During the RAN1#104-e meeting, the liaison agreed with RAN2 to confirm whether there were any concerns regarding considering monitoring the physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) for sensing in addition to data reception when using SL DRX.

[0003] In the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) third generation (3G) mobile technology, the Radio Access Network (RAN) is called UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN). The air interface between the UTRAN and the User Equipment (UE) is also called the Uu interface. The same name Uu interface is used for the interface between the UE and the RAN in LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE-A (LTE Advanced, also called fourth generation (4G) mobile technology), LTE-A Pro, and fifth generation (5G) mobile technologies. In a UE with a Uu interface to the RAN and configured with the DRX characteristic, the DRX period (including on-period and off-period) is configured semi-statically and can be active by triggering the PDCCH (physical downlink control channel) to extend the on-period with the DRX inactivity timer or the DRX retransmission timer.

[0004] In SL communication, similar to Uu DRX, the SL DRX cycle is also configured semi-statically by higher layers for both active and inactive periods. However, in SL, especially for Mode 2 UEs, since there is no controlling gNB and most transmissions are based on sensing, the SL DRX configuration may result in low correlation between different UEs (i.e. low overlap of on-periods). This poses a significant problem on how to perform sensing when sensing windows are assigned to semi-static inactive periods.

[0005] Thus, what is needed is a communications apparatus and method for allocating one or more additional operating windows between the first and second operating windows (e.g., SL DRX periods) to address the above-mentioned problems with receiving or transmitting sidelink signals. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the following detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the background art of this disclosure. Summary of the Invention

[0006] Non-limiting and exemplary embodiments are directed to providing a communications apparatus and method for allocating one or more additional operating windows for a sidelink.

[0007] In a first aspect, the present disclosure provides a communications apparatus comprising: circuitry configured, in operation, to allocate one or more additional operating windows between a first operating window and a second operating window for reception or transmission of sidelink signals; and a transceiver unit configured, in operation, to transmit or receive sidelink signals within the one or more additional operating windows.

[0008] In a second aspect, the present disclosure provides a communications method comprising allocating one or more additional operating windows between a first operating window and a second operating window for reception or transmission of sidelink signals, and transmitting or receiving sidelink signals within the one or more additional operating windows.

[0009] Further benefits and advantages of the disclosed embodiments will become apparent from the specification and drawings, and these benefits and / or advantages may be obtained individually by various embodiments and features of the specification and drawings, and it is not necessary for all of the embodiments and features to be present in order to obtain one or more of such benefits and / or advantages. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] The accompanying drawings, in which like reference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar elements throughout the different views, and which, together with the following detailed description, are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, serve to illustrate various embodiments and explain various principles and advantages in accordance with the present embodiments. [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary 3GPP NG-RAN architecture. [Diagram 2] Schematic diagram showing the functional division between NG-RAN and 5GC [Diagram 3] Sequence diagram of radio resource control (RRC) connection setup / reconfiguration procedure [Figure 4] Schematic diagram showing usage scenarios for enhanced Mobile BroadBand (eMBB), massive Machine Type Communications (mMTC), and Ultra Reliable and Low Latency Communications (URLLC) [Diagram 5] A block diagram illustrating an example 5G system architecture for vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications in a non-roaming scenario. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a first operating window and a second operating window. [Figure 7] 1 is a schematic diagram of an example communications device according to various embodiments. In accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure, the communications device may be embodied as a UE and may be configured to allocate one or more additional operating windows for a sidelink. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method for allocating one or more additional operating windows for a sidelink, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating adjacent operating windows allocated between a first operating window and a second operating window of a UE and extending from the second operating window, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 10]FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating adjacent operating windows allocated between a first operating window and a second operating window of a UE and extending from the second operating window according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating adjacent operating windows allocated between a first operating window and a second operating window of a UE and extending from the first operating window, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating adjacent operating windows allocated between a first operating window and a second operating window of a UE and extending from the first operating window according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 13] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an additional operating window allocated between a first operating window and a second operating window of a UE with a sensing window according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating an additional operating window allocated between a first operating window and a second operating window of a UE with a sensing window according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 15] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating five discrete operating windows allocated between and separated from a first and second operating window of a UE in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure; [Figure 16] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a process performed by a communication device to allocate one or more additional operating windows between a first operating window and a second operating window, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 17] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a process performed by a transmitting (Tx) communication device to allocate one or more additional operating windows between a first operating window and a second operating window, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 18] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a process performed by a receiving (Rx) communication device to allocate one or more additional operating windows between a first operating window and a second operating window, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0011] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures, block diagrams or flow charts may be exaggerated relative to other elements in order to provide an accurate understanding of the present embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Some embodiments of the present disclosure are now described, by way of example, with reference to the drawings in which like reference numbers and letters indicate similar or equivalent elements.

[0013] 3GPP continues to work on the next release of fifth-generation cellular technology (also known simply as "5G"), which includes the development of New Radio Access Technology (NR) that will operate in the frequency range up to 100 GHz. The first version of the 5G standard was completed at the end of 2017, allowing 5G NR compliant smartphones to move forward into prototyping and commercial deployment.

[0014] The second edition of the 5G standard was completed in June 2020, further expanding the scope of 5G to new services, spectrum, and deployments, such as unlicensed spectrum (NR-U), non-public network (NPN), time sensitive networking (TSN), and cellular V2X.

[0015] In particular, the system architecture as a whole assumes a Next Generation - Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) with gNBs. The gNBs provide the UE-side termination of the NG radio access user plane (SDAP / PDCP / RLC / MAC / PHY) and control plane (RRC) protocols. The gNBs are connected to each other by an Xn interface. The gNBs are also connected to a Next Generation Core (NGC) by a Next Generation (NG) interface, more specifically to an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) (e.g., a specific core entity performing AMF) by an NG-C interface, and to a User Plane Function (UPF) (e.g., a specific core entity performing UPF) by an NG-U interface. The NG-RAN architecture is shown in Figure 1 (see, e.g., 3GPP TS 38.300 v16.3.0).

[0016] The NR user plane protocol stack (see, for example, 3GPP TS 38.300, section 4.4.1) includes the PDCP (Packet Data Convergence Protocol (see, for example, TS 38.300, section 6.4)) sublayer, the RLC (Radio Link Control (see, for example, TS 38.300, section 6.3)) sublayer, and the MAC (Medium Access Control (see, for example, TS 38.300, section 6.2)) sublayer, which are terminated at the gNB on the network side. A new Access Stratum (AS) sublayer (SDAP: Service Data Adaptation Protocol) is also introduced on top of PDCP (see, for example, TS 38.300, section 6.5). A control plane protocol stack is also defined for NR (see, for example, TS 38.300, section 4.4.2). An overview of Layer 2 functions is given in TS 38.300, section 6. The functions of the PDCP, RLC and MAC sublayers are listed in clauses 6.4, 6.3 and 6.2 of TS 38.300, respectively. The functions of the RRC layer are listed in clause 7 of TS 38.300.

[0017] For example, the Medium-Access-Control (MAC) layer handles logical channel multiplexing and scheduling and scheduling-related functions, including handling various numerologies.

[0018] For example, the physical layer (PHY) is responsible for coding, PHY hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) processing, modulation, multi-antenna processing, and mapping of signals to the appropriate physical time-frequency resources. The physical layer also handles the mapping of transport channels to physical channels. The physical layer provides services to the MAC layer in the form of transport channels. A physical channel corresponds to a set of time-frequency resources used for the transmission of a particular transport channel, and each transport channel is mapped to a corresponding physical channel. For example, the physical channels are PRACH (Physical Random Access Channel), PUSCH (Physical Uplink Shared Channel), and PUCCH (Physical Uplink Control Channel) in the uplink, PDSCH (Physical Downlink Shared Channel), PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel), and PBCH (Physical Broadcast Channel) in the downlink, and the Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH), Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH), and Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel (PSFCH) in the sidelink (SL).

[0019] SL supports direct communication between UEs using SL resource allocation modes, physical layer signals / channels, and physical layer procedures. Two SL resource allocation modes are supported: (a) Mode 1, where the network provides SL resource allocation, and (b) Mode 2, where the UE determines the SL transmission resources from a resource pool.

[0020] The PSCCH indicates the resources used by the UE for the PSSCH and other transmission parameters. The PSSCH transmission is associated with a demodulation reference signal (DM-RS). The PSSCH transmits the transport block (TB) of data itself, control information for the HARQ procedure, channel state information (CSI) feedback triggers, etc. At least six OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplex) symbols in one slot are used for the PSSCH transmission. The PSSCH transmission is associated with the DM-RS and may be associated with a phase-tracking reference signal (PT-RS).

[0021] The PSFCH carries HARQ feedback over the SL from UEs that are intended recipients of a PSSCH transmission to the UE that performed the transmission. The PSFCH sequence is transmitted in one PRB that is repeated across two OFDM symbols near the end of the SL resource in the slot.

[0022] The SL synchronization signal consists of the SL Primary Synchronization Signal (S-PSS) and the SL Secondary Synchronization Signal (S-SSS), occupying 2 symbols and 127 subcarriers, respectively. The Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel (PSBCH) occupies 9 and 5 symbols, respectively, in the normal and extended cyclic prefix cases, and contains the associated demodulation reference signal (DM-RS).

[0023] Regarding the physical layer procedure for HARQ feedback in the sidelink, SL HARQ feedback uses the PSFCH and can be performed in one of two options: In one option, which can be set to unicast and groupcast, the PSFCH transmits either an ACK or a NACK using resources dedicated to one UE transmitting the PSFCH, and in the other option, which can be set to groupcast, the PSFCH transmits a NACK or no PSFCH signal is transmitted on resources that can be shared by multiple UEs transmitting the PSFCH.

[0024] In SL resource allocation mode 1, a UE that receives a PSFCH may report SL HARQ feedback to the gNB via a PUCCH or PUSCH.

[0025] With regard to physical layer procedures for power control in the sidelink, in case of in-coverage operation the power spectral density of SL transmissions may be adjusted based on the path loss from the gNB, while in case of unicast the power spectral density of some SL transmissions may be adjusted based on the path loss between two communicating UEs.

[0026] Regarding physical layer procedures for CSI reporting, in the unicast case, the Channel State Information-Reference Signal (CSI-RS) is supported for CSI measurement and CSI reporting in the sidelink. The CSI report is carried in the SL MAC CE.

[0027] For sidelink measurements the following UE measurements are supported: ·PSBCH reference signal received power (PSBCH RSRP) PSSCH reference signal received power (PSSCH-RSRP) PSCCH reference signal received power (PSCCH-RSRP) Sidelink Received Signal Strength (SL RSSI) Sidelink Channel Occupancy Ratio (SL CR) Sidelink Channel Busy Rate (SL CBR)

[0028] NR use cases / deployment scenarios may include enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC), and massive machine type communication (mMTC), which have diverse requirements in terms of data rate, latency, and coverage. For example, eMBB is expected to support peak data rates (20 Gbps in downlink and 10 Gbps in uplink) and effective (user-experienced) data rates that are about three times higher than those offered by IMT-Advanced. On the other hand, for URLLC, more stringent requirements are placed on ultra-low latency (0.5 ms for user plane latency on UL and DL respectively) and high reliability (1-10 ms within 1 ms). ?5 Finally, mMTC is preferably regulated to have high connection density (1,000,000 devices / km in urban environments). 2), wide coverage in hostile environments, and extremely long battery life (15 years) for a low-cost device.

[0029] Therefore, OFDM numerology (e.g., subcarrier spacing, OFDM symbol length, cyclic prefix (CP) length, number of symbols per scheduling interval) suitable for one use case may not be valid for other use cases. For example, low latency services may preferably require a shorter symbol length (and therefore a larger subcarrier spacing) and / or fewer symbols per scheduling interval (also known as TTI) than mMTC services. Furthermore, deployment scenarios with large channel delay spreads may preferably require a longer CP length than scenarios with smaller delay spreads. Subcarrier spacing should be optimized accordingly to maintain similar CP overhead. NR may support one or more subcarrier spacing values. Thus, currently subcarrier spacings of 15 kHz, 30 kHz, 60 kHz... are considered. Symbol length T u and the subcarrier spacing Δf is given by the formula Δf=1 / T u Similar to LTE systems, the term "resource element" can be used to mean the smallest resource unit consisting of one subcarrier for the length of one OFDM / SC-FDMA symbol.

[0030] In the new radio system 5G-NR, for each numerology and each carrier, a resource grid of subcarriers and OFDM symbols is defined for the uplink and downlink, respectively. Each element of the resource grid is called a resource element and is identified based on a frequency index in the frequency domain and a symbol position in the time domain (see 3GPP TS 38.211 v16.3.0).

[0031] Figure 2 shows the functional separation between NG-RAN and 5GC. The logical node of NG-RAN is gNB or ng-eNB. 5GC has logical nodes AMF, UPF, and SMF.

[0032] In particular, the gNB and ng-eNB host the following main functions: - Radio Resource Management functions such as Radio Bearer Control, Radio Admission Control, Connection Mobility Control, dynamic allocation (scheduling) of resources to UEs in both uplink and downlink; - IP header compression, encryption, and integrity protection of data; - Selection of the AMF at UE attach time if routing to the AMF cannot be determined from information provided by the UE; - Routing of user plane data towards the UPF; - Routing of control plane information towards AMF; - Setting up and tearing down connections; - Scheduling and sending paging messages; - Scheduling and transmission of system broadcast information (sourced from AMF or Operation, Admission, Maintenance Function (OAM)); - Setting up measurements and reporting of measurements for mobility and scheduling; - Transport level packet marking in the uplink; - Session management; - Support for network slicing; - QoS flow management and mapping to data radio bearers; - Support for UEs in RRC_INACTIVE state; - Non-Access Stratum (NAS) message delivery function; - Sharing of radio access networks; - Dual connectivity; - Close cooperation between NR and E-UTRA.

[0033] The Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) hosts the following main functions: - Termination of Non-Access Stratum (NAS) signalling; - NAS signaling security; - Access Stratum (AS) security control; - 3GPP Core Network (CN) inter-node signalling for mobility between access networks; - Reachability to idle mode UEs (including control and execution of paging retransmissions); - Managing the registration area; - Support for intra-system and inter-system mobility; - Access authentication; - Access authorization including roaming privilege checks; - Mobility management control (subscription and policies); - Support for network slicing; - Select the Session Management Function (SMF).

[0034] Additionally, the User Plane Function (UPF) hosts the following main functions: - anchor points for intra-RAT mobility / inter-RAT mobility (if applicable); - External PDU (Protocol Data Unit) Session Points for interconnection with data networks; - Packet routing and forwarding; - Packet inspection and policy rule enforcement for the user plane part; - Traffic usage reporting; - uplink classifier, which supports routing of traffic flows to the data network; - Branching Point to support multi-homed PDU sessions; - QoS processing for the user plane (e.g., packet filtering, gating, UL / DL rate enforcement); - Validation of uplink traffic (mapping of SDF to QoS flows); - Downlink packet buffering and triggering of downlink data notifications.

[0035] Finally, the Session Management Function (SMF) hosts the following main functions: - Session management; - Allocation and management of IP addresses for UEs; - Selection and control of UPF; - Ability to configure traffic steering in the User Plane Function (UPF) to route traffic to the appropriate destination; - Controls policy enforcement and QoS; - Notification of downlink data.

[0036] Figure 3 shows some of the interactions between the UE, gNB and AMF (5GC entities) when the UE transitions from RRC_IDLE to RRC_CONNECTED state in the NAS part (see TS 38.300 v16.3.0). The transition steps are as follows:

[0037] 1. The UE requests to set up a new connection from the RRC_IDLE state. 2 / 2a. The gNB completes the RRC setup procedure. (Note: Scenarios in which the gNB may reject a request are described below.) 3. The first NAS message from the UE, piggybacked in the RRCSetupComplete message, is sent to the AMF. 4 / 4a / 5 / 5a. Additional NAS messages may be exchanged between the UE and the AMF, see TS 23.502. 6. The AMF prepares and sends UE context data (including PDU session context, security keys, UE radio capabilities, and UE security capabilities, etc.) to the gNB. The 7 / 7a.gNB activates AS security with the UE. The 8 / 8a.gNB performs reconfiguration to set up SRB2 and DRB. 9. The gNB notifies the AMF that the setup procedure is complete.

[0038] RRC is a higher layer signaling (protocol) used for the configuration of the UE and the gNB. In particular, with this transition, the AMF prepares UE context data (which includes, for example, PDU session context, security keys, UE Radio Capability, UE Security Capabilities, etc.) and sends it to the gNB with an INITIAL CONTEXT SETUP REQUEST message. The gNB then activates AS security together with the UE. This is done by the gNB sending a SecurityModeCommand message to the UE, and the UE responding with a SecurityModeComplete message to the gNB. The gNB then performs reconfiguration to set up Signaling Radio Bearer 2 (SRB2) and Data Radio Bearer (DRB) by sending an RRCReconfiguration message to the UE and receiving an RRCReconfigurationComplete message from the UE. For signaling-only connections, the steps related to RRCReconfiguration are omitted since SRB2 and DRB are not set up. Finally, the gNB informs the AMF that the setup procedure is complete with an INITIAL CONTEXT SETUP RESPONSE.

[0039] Figure 4 shows some of the use cases for 5G NR. The 3rd generation partnership project new radio (3GPP NR) considers three use cases that were envisioned by IMT-2020 to support a wide variety of services and applications. The first phase of specifications for enhanced mobile-broadband (eMBB) has been completed. Current and future work includes standardization for ultra-reliable and low-latency communications (URLLC) and massive machine-type communications (mMTC), in addition to expanding support for eMBB. Figure 4 shows some examples of envisioned usage scenarios for IMT beyond 2020 (see, for example, Figure 2 in ITU-R M.2083).

[0040] URLLC use cases have stringent requirements for performance such as throughput, latency, and availability, and are envisioned as one of the enablers for future applications such as wireless control of industrial production or manufacturing processes, remote medical surgery, automation of power transmission and distribution in smart grids, and road safety. URLLC's ultra-high reliability is supported by identifying technologies that meet the requirements set by NR URLLC in Release 15. Key requirements for NR URLLC in Release 15 include a target user plane latency of 0.5 ms for UL (uplink) and 0.5 ms for DL ​​(downlink). A typical URLLC requirement for a single packet transmission is a block error rate (BLER) of 1E-5 for a packet size of 32 bytes with a user plane latency of 1 ms.

[0041] From a physical layer perspective, reliability can be improved in many possible ways. Current room for reliability improvement includes defining a separate CQI table for URLLC, more compact DCI formats, PDCCH repetition, etc. However, this room can be expanded to achieve ultra-high reliability as NR becomes more stable and more developed (with respect to the key requirements of NR URLLC). Specific use cases for NR URLLC in Release 15 include augmented reality / virtual reality (AR / VR), e-health, e-safety, and mission-critical applications.

[0042] Also, technology extensions targeted by NR URLLC aim at improving latency and improving reliability. Technology extensions for improving latency include configurable numerology, non-slot-based scheduling with flexible mapping, grant-free (configured grant) uplink, slot-level repetition in data channel, and pre-emption in downlink. Pre-emption means that a transmission with already allocated resources is stopped and the already allocated resources are used for other transmissions with lower latency / higher priority requirements that are requested later. Thus, a transmission that was already allowed is preempted by a later transmission. Pre-emption is applicable regardless of the specific service type. For example, a transmission of service type A (URLLC) can be preempted by a transmission of service type B (eMBB, etc.). Technology extensions for improving reliability include dedicated CQI / MCS tables for a target BLER of 1E-5.

[0043] The use case of mMTC (massive machine type communication) is characterized by a very large number of connected devices that typically transmit relatively small amounts of data that are not sensitive to delays. The devices are required to be low cost and have a very long battery life. From an NR perspective, the use of very narrow bandwidth portions is one solution that saves power from the UE's perspective and allows for a long battery life.

[0044] As mentioned above, the scope of reliability improvement in NR is expected to be broader. One of the key requirements for all cases, especially for URLLC and mMTC, is high or ultra-high reliability. Several mechanisms can improve reliability from a radio perspective and a network perspective. In general, there are two to three key areas that can help improve reliability. These areas include compact control channel information, data channel / control channel repetition, and diversity with respect to frequency, time, and / or spatial domains. These areas are generally applicable to reliability improvement regardless of the specific communication scenario.

[0045] Further use cases with more stringent requirements are envisaged for NR URLLC, such as factory automation, transportation, and power distribution. The stringent requirements include high reliability (10 ?6 level of reliability), high availability, packet size up to 256 bytes, time synchronization up to a few μs (depending on the use case, the value can be 1 μs or a few μs depending on the frequency range and short latency on the order of 0.5 ms to 1 ms (in particular, a targeted latency of 0.5 ms on the user plane).

[0046] Furthermore, for NR URLLC, there are several possible technology enhancements from the physical layer point of view. These include PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel) enhancements for compact DCI, PDCCH repetition, and increased PDCCH monitoring. Also, UCI (Uplink Control Information) enhancements relate to enhanced HARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request) and CSI feedback enhancements. Also, there may be PUSCH enhancements related to minislot level hopping, and retransmission / repetition enhancements. The term "minislot" refers to a Transmission Time Interval (TTI) that contains fewer symbols than a slot (a slot comprises 14 symbols).

[0047] The 5G Quality of Service (QoS) model is based on QoS flows and supports both QoS flows that require a guaranteed flow bit rate (GBR (Granteed Bit Rate) QoS flows) and QoS flows that do not require a guaranteed flow bit rate (non-GBR QoS flows). Thus, at the NAS level, a QoS flow is the finest granularity of QoS classification in a PDU session. A QoS flow is identified in a PDU session by a QoS Flow ID (QFI) carried in the encapsulation header over the NG-U interface.

[0048] For each UE, the 5GC establishes one or more PDU sessions. For each UE, the NG-RAN establishes at least one Data Radio Bearer (DRB) for the PDU session, e.g. as shown above with reference to Fig. 3. Additional DRBs for the QoS flows of that PDU session can be configured later (when it is up to the NG-RAN). The NG-RAN maps packets belonging to different PDU sessions to different DRBs. The NAS level packet filters in the UE and 5GC associate UL and DL packets with QoS flows, whereas the AS level mapping rules in the UE and NG-RAN associate UL and DL QoS flows with DRBs.

[0049] Figure 5 shows the non-roaming reference architecture for 5G NR (see section 4.2.1.1 of TS 23.287 v16.4.0). An Application Function (AF) (e.g., an external application server hosting 5G services as illustrated in Figure 4) interacts with the 3GPP core network to support the provision of services, e.g., application influence on traffic routing, access to the Network Exposure Function (NEF), or interacting with a policy framework for policy control (e.g., QoS control) (see Policy Control Function (PCF)). Based on the operator's deployment, Application Functions that are considered trusted by the operator can interact directly with the relevant Network Functions. Application Functions that are not allowed by the operator to directly access the Network Functions interact with the relevant Network Functions using an external exposure framework via the NEF.

[0050] Figure 5 further illustrates further functional units of the 5G architecture for V2X communication, namely Unified Data Management (UDM), Policy Control Function (PCF), Network Exposure Function (NEF), Application Function (AF), Unified Data Repository (UDR), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), and User Plane Function (UPF) in 5GC, as well as V2X Application Server (V2AS) and Data Network (DN; e.g., operator-provided services, Internet access, or third-party services). All or part of the core network functions and application services may be deployed and run in a cloud computing environment.

[0051] Therefore, the present disclosure provides an application server (e.g., an AF in a 5G architecture) comprising: a transmitter that, in operation, sends a request including QoS requirements for at least one of a URLLC service, an eMBB service, and an mMTC service to at least one of 5GC functions (e.g., NEF, AMF, SMF, PCF, UPF, etc.) to establish a PDU session including a radio bearer between a gNodeB and a UE according to the QoS requirements; and a control circuit that, in operation, performs a service using the established PDU session.

[0052] The R17 V2X WID (RP-210385) for DRX, specifically for sidelink (SL) DRX for broadcast, groupcast, and unicast, specifies the following: Define sidelink on / off periods and identify corresponding UE procedures Identify mechanisms aimed at aligning sidelink DRX wake-up times between UEs communicating with each other Identify mechanisms aimed at aligning the sidelink DRX wake-up time with the Uu DRX wake-up time for in-coverage UEs

[0053] Furthermore, RAN2 has made a working assumption that if SL DRX is used, it should also take into account PSCCH monitoring for sensing (in addition to data reception). RAN2 has also made the following agreements regarding SL DRX:

[0054] 1. Sidelink DRX needs to support sidelink communication in both in-coverage and out-of-coverage scenarios. 2. Compatible with all cast types of SL DRX. 3. When the UE is in SL active time, the UE should monitor the PSCCH. The PSSCH is not currently considered. The impact of sensing is not currently considered. 4. As a baseline, it is proposed to continue using timers similar to those used for Uu DRX for SL unicast sidelink DRX. SL broadcast / groupcast are not currently considered. Details of the timers are not currently considered. 5. Support for a long DRX cycle for SL unicast should be considered as a baseline. The need for a short DRX cycle is not currently under consideration. 6. In Rel-17, SL WUS (Wake-Up Signal) will be deprioritized from the perspective of RAN2. 7. RAN2 does not consider relay UE use cases in Rel-17 and prioritizes normal use cases. 8. RAN2 does not introduce SL paging and SL PO (Paging Occasion) into SL DRX.

[0055] From RAN2's perspective, it should be noted that partial coverage cases are not excluded by the first agreement. RAN2 requests RAN1 to provide feedback if it has any concerns regarding the above working assumptions and to incorporate the above information into future work.

[0056] In various embodiments below, a communication device may refer to a sidelink UE, which may transmit and / or receive sidelink signals such as a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH), a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), a sidelink synchronization block (S-SSB), a physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH), first and second stage sidelink control information (SCI), downlink control notification signals, radio resource control signals, a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), a radio resource control (RRC) signal, a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), a sidelink synchronization signal (SLSS), a physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH), and a physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH).

[0057] In various embodiments below, a SL DRX cycle having an on-period and an off-period may be configured (pre-) for SL communication. During the semi-statically configured SL DRX on-period, the UE is active and enables SL reception and monitoring (sensing), whereas during the semi-statically configured SL DRX off-period, the UE is inactive and no SL reception or monitoring (sensing) is allowed. Such semi-statically configured SL DRX on-period and SL DRX off-period are hereafter referred to as semi-static active and semi-static inactive periods, respectively, and may be used interchangeably. In one embodiment, the UE is also allowed to receive and monitor downlink signals, such as a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), during the SL DRX on-period.

[0058] According to the present disclosure, two consecutive quasi-statically configured SL DRX on periods (quasi-static active periods) separated by a quasi-statically configured SL DRX off period (quasi-static inactive period) are referred to throughout the present disclosure as a first operation window and a second operation window, with the first operation window occurring before the second operation window. The DRX state is switched to "on" during the quasi-statically configured SL DRX on periods and switched to "off" during the quasi-statically configured SL DRX off periods. The quasi-static inactive periods and / or the quasi-static active periods may be periods specific to downlink communications (e.g., DL DRX), or periods specific to sidelink communications (e.g., SL DRX), or both.

[0059] According to various embodiments below, a time unit of "slot" may be used to represent a (pre-set) finite length operating window, an on-period, and an off-period. Such a time unit of "slot" may also be extended to "multi-slot", or "mini-slot", or "symbol".

[0060] 6 shows a first operating window (SL DRX on period) 602 and a second operating window 604. Conventionally, a UE may receive and / or transmit sidelink signals in the first operating window 602 and the second operating window 604, while during a quasi-static inactivity period between the first operating window 602 and the second operating window 604, SL reception / monitoring / transmission of sidelink signals is not allowed.

[0061] According to the present disclosure, the communications device may be configured to allocate one or more additional operating windows between the first and second operating windows for reception or transmission of sidelink signals.

[0062] For an SL UE with semi-statically configured operation windows, slots between two such operation windows (i.e., within a semi-static inactivity period) may be switched from an “OFF” state to an “ON” state to form one or more additional operation windows for SL reception, one or more additional operation windows for monitoring (i.e., additional sensing windows), and / or one or more additional operation windows for SL transmission. The additional operation windows or slots between operation windows may be determined by higher layers, or sidelink signals, or downlink signals, and may be realized by decision parameters such as length parameters, timer parameters, bitmaps, and rules. Note that the “OFF” state means that the SL UE is inactive and SL reception / monitoring including sensing is not allowed, and the “ON” state means that the SL UE is active and SL reception / monitoring including sensing is possible.

[0063] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example configuration of a communication device 700 for allocating one or more additional operating windows between a first operating window and a second operating window for receiving or transmitting a sidelink signal according to the present disclosure. According to the present disclosure, the communication device 700 is implemented in a user equipment (UE) and configured for transmitting or receiving a sidelink signal. As shown in FIG. 7, the communication device 700 may include a circuit 714, at least one radio transmitter 702, at least one radio receiver 704, and at least one antenna 712 (for simplicity, only one antenna is shown in FIG. 7 for illustrative purposes). The circuit 714 may include at least one controller 706. The controller 706 is adapted to perform tasks that the at least one controller 706 is designed to perform with the aid of software and hardware, including controlling communication with one or more other communication devices in a multiple input and multiple output (MIMO) wireless network. The circuit 714 may further include at least one transmit signal generator 708 and at least one receive signal processor 710. The at least one controller 706 may control at least one transmit signal generator 708 for generating downlink or sidelink signals to be transmitted via the at least one wireless transmitter 702, and at least one receive signal processor 710 for processing downlink or sidelink signals received via the at least one wireless receiver 704 from one or more other communication devices. The at least one transmit signal generator 708 and the at least one receive signal processor 710 may be standalone modules of the communication device 700 that communicate with the at least one controller 706 for the above-mentioned functions, as shown in FIG. 7. Alternatively, the at least one transmit signal generator 708 and the at least one receive signal processor 710 may be included in the at least one controller 706. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that the arrangement of these functional modules is flexible and may vary according to actual needs and / or requirements. Data processing, storage, and other related control devices may be provided on an appropriate circuit board and / or in a chipset.In various embodiments, in operation, the at least one wireless transmitter 702 , the at least one wireless receiver 704 , and the at least one antenna 712 may be controlled by the at least one controller 706 .

[0064] The communications apparatus 700, in operation, provides functionality required to allocate one or more additional operating windows between the first and second operating windows for reception or transmission of sidelink signals. For example, the communications apparatus 700 may be a UE, and the circuitry 714, in operation, may be configured to allocate one or more additional operating windows between the first and second operating windows for reception or transmission of sidelink signals. The at least one radio receiver 704, in operation, may receive sidelink signals in the one or more additional operating windows. Alternatively, or additionally, the at least one radio transmitter 702, in operation, may transmit sidelink signals in the one or more additional operating windows.

[0065] 8 is a flow chart 800 illustrating a communication method for allocating one or more additional operating windows between a first operating window and a second operating window for sidelink reception or transmission, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. In step 802, the step of allocating one or more additional operating windows between the first operating window and the second operating window for sidelink signal reception or transmission is performed. In step 804, the step of transmitting or receiving sidelink signals within the one or more additional operating windows is performed.

[0066] In the following paragraphs, a first embodiment of the present disclosure is described with respect to allocating adjacent operating windows between a first operating window and a second operating window, the operating window extending backwards from the beginning of the second operating window.

[0067] For SL UEs configured with periodic activity windows (e.g., SL DRX), there is currently no solution to allocate an additional activity window (hereinafter, may be referred to as a "slot") between two activity windows (i.e., within an SL DRX quasi-static inactivity period between two SL DRX on periods) for sidelink signal reception / monitoring (e.g., sensing) or sidelink signal transmission. In other words, there is no solution regarding the overlap of a sensing window and a SL DRX quasi-static inactivity period, whether sensing is allowed or not. This is especially the case when a trigger slot (e.g., a transmit trigger slot) within an activity window is located near the beginning of the activity window.

[0068] In a first embodiment of the present disclosure, when an additional operation window is proposed to allow SL signal reception / monitoring and / or transmission to be performed in a determined slot, an adjacent operation window is determined and allocated within a preceding quasi-static inactivity period or SL DRX off period, extending backwards from the beginning of the operation window.

[0069] In one embodiment, specifically for Mode 2 UEs performing transmission, a length parameter or a new timer parameter (e.g., BackwardTimer) may be used to determine the length of the adjacent operating window or slot extending into the preceding quasi-static inactive period or SL DRX off period backwards from the beginning of the operating window (i.e., immediately before the first slot of the SL DRX quasi-static active period). The UE may turn on for the slot determined by the new timer parameter and perform SL reception / sensing operations in that slot.

[0070] 9 is a block diagram illustrating an adjacent operating window 906 allocated between a first operating window 902 and a second operating window 904 of a UE and extending from the second operating window 904, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In this embodiment, the length of the adjacent operating window 906 extending backwards just before the first slot (t=n) 908 of the second operating window 904 (i.e., within the quasi-static inactive period between the first operating window 902 and the second operating window 904) is calculated based on the value of a new timer parameter (e.g., BackwardTimer) for the first slot (t=n) 908 of the On-Duration, and the adjacent operating window 906 starts from t=n-BackwardTimer towards t=n-1. The quasi-static inactive period and / or the quasi-static active period may be a period specific to downlink communication or a period specific to sidelink communication, or both.

[0071] 10 is a block diagram illustrating an adjacent operating window 1006 allocated between a first operating window 1002 and a second operating window 1004 of a UE and extending from the second operating window 1004, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. In this embodiment, the length of the adjacent operating window 1006 extending backwards just before the first slot (t=n) 1007 of the second operating window 1004 is calculated based on the value of a new timer parameter (e.g., BackwardTimer) for a transmission trigger slot 1008 at t=k within the second operating window 1006, and the adjacent operating window 1006 starts from t=n-BackwardTimer-k towards t=n-1.

[0072] Such backward extension can be turned on by receiving an enabling SCI, DL signaling, always-on setting, received during a previous reception period, an indication from higher layers (e.g. using the 1 bit EnableBackwardTimer as MAC Control Element (CE) or RRC message), an SCI information bit received from another UE (e.g. in a previous trigger block, from a controlling UE, master UE, etc.), or depending on the implementation. In one embodiment, turning on backward extension can also be applied to SL mode 1 UEs, which can additionally be based on receiving a DL signal before transmitting a SL signal, or enabled by an RRC message carried by the DL signal.

[0073] In the following paragraphs, a second embodiment of the present disclosure is described with respect to the allocation of an adjacent operating window between a first operating window and a second operating window, the operating window extending forward from the end of the first operating window.

[0074] SL UEs may have different SL DRX configurations and the correlation coefficient of the SL DRX of any two UEs may be as high as 1 or as low as 0. A transmission from a Tx UE may not be successfully delivered to a target RX UE without proper DRX synchronization. Also, if the trigger slot or NACK feedback is closed until the end of the quasi-static inactivity period, the SL UE may not have enough time for sidelink signal reception and / or transmission. Therefore, an adjacent operating window extending from the end of the operating window may advantageously provide an additional operating window for DRX synchronization, reception or transmission time.

[0075] Similar to the backward extension, a length parameter or a new timer parameter (e.g., ForwardTimer) can be used to determine the length of the adjacent operating window or slot extended from the end of the operating window forward (i.e., immediately after the first slot of the SL DRX quasi-static active period) into the preceding quasi-static inactive period or SL DRX off period. The UE can turn on for the slot determined by the new timer parameter and perform SL reception / monitoring (sensing) operations in that slot. There can also be separate timer parameters (e.g., ForwardTimerTx, ForwardTimerRx) for transmission and reception, respectively.

[0076] 11 is a block diagram illustrating an adjacent operating window 1106 allocated between a first operating window 1102 and a second operating window 1104 of a UE and extending from the first operating window 1102, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In this embodiment, the length of the adjacent operating window 1106 extending forward immediately after the last slot (t=m) 1108 of the first operating window 1102 (i.e., within the quasi-static inactive period between the first operating window 1102 and the second operating window 1104) is calculated based on the value of a new timer parameter (e.g., ForwardTimer) for the last slot (t=m) 1108 of the on-period, and the adjacent operating window 1106 starts from t=m+1 towards t=m+ForwardTimer.

[0077] 12 is a block diagram illustrating an adjacent operating window 1206 allocated between a first operating window 1202 and a second operating window 1204 of a UE and extending from the first operating window 1202, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. In this embodiment, the length of the adjacent operating window 1206 extending forward immediately after the last slot (t=m) 1207 of the first operating window 1202 is calculated based on the value of a new timer parameter (e.g., ForwardTimer) for a transmission trigger slot 1208 at t=mq in the first operating window 1204, and the adjacent operating window 1206 starts from t=m+1 towards t=m-q+ForwardTimer.

[0078] In the case of transmission, it can be turned on for such forward extension immediately after the first operating window 1202 due to at least one of an indication from higher layers (e.g., 1-bit EnableForwardTimerTx as a MAC CE or RRC message), a previous reception period (e.g., a PSFCH received in an operating window or SL DRX on period previous to the first operating window 1202, a previously assigned additional operating window extending from an operating window previous to the first operating window 1202, preemption, spare, etc.), some new or reused SCI information bits received in the previous reception period, new or reused DL signaling, an always-on setting, or depending on the implementation, it can be turned on for such forward extension immediately after the first operating window 1202.

[0079] In the case of reception, it can be turned on for the forward extension immediately after the first operating window 1202 by at least one of an indication from higher layers (e.g., 1 bit EnabledForwardTimerRx as a MAC or RRC message), a PSFCH triggered in the current reception period (e.g., the first operating window 1202), some new or reused SCI information bits received in the previous or current reception period, a received decoding result of a received trigger block (e.g., a NACK for unsuccessful reception), new or reused DL signaling, an always-on setting, or depending on the implementation, it can be turned on for the forward extension immediately after the first operating window 1202.

[0080] The length or timer parameters (e.g., BackwardTimer, ForwardTimer) may be (pre)configured by the regulator / operator / vendor, or application layer, or UE internal generation, or may be specified by a standard. In one embodiment, the timer parameters (e.g., BackwardTimer, ForwardTimer) may be realized as RRC information elements in any format, such as ENUMERATED, INTEGER, SEQUENCE, CHOICE, etc., such as BackwardTimer ENUMERATED{ms10,ms20ms,ms30}.

[0081] Different lengths of additional operation windows through backward / forward extensions can also be configured with different activation schemes such as different power saving modes. For example, for turned-on slots (e.g., for sensing) located within the SL DRX quasi-static inactivity period, the timer parameters (e.g., BackwardTimer, ForwardTimer) to turn on have different levels, with different number of turned-on slots per level. This is due to the trade-off between power saving (low to high) and UE performance (high to low), as follows (with more levels as needed): Example of different new timer parameters to be configured for different power saving modes / levels: Level 0: Entire full / partial sensing window is allowed during SL DRX off period. Level 1: A longer shortened full / partial sensing window (e.g., specific max / min or extended limits) is allowed during the SL DRX off period. Level 2: A shorter abbreviated full / partial sensing window (e.g., specific max / min or extended limits) is allowed during the SL DRX off period. Level 3: No sensing is permitted during SL DRX off periods.

[0082] Additionally or alternatively, an additional operating window and new parameters (e.g., BackwardTimer, ForwardTimer) within the quasi-static inactive period may be triggered by higher layers when at least one of the following conditions is met: (i) When the trigger signaling of the quasi-static active period (e.g., the second operating window) is before a threshold slot, or when the period between the transmission trigger slot of the quasi-static active period and the start of the quasi-static active period is shorter than a threshold period, i.e., when the transmission trigger slot is too close to the start of the quasi-static active period, a backward extension may be applied and an additional operating window may be allocated to ensure that there is enough time for sensing. (ii) When the trigger signaling of the quasi-static active period (e.g., the first operating window) is after a threshold slot, or when the period between the transmission trigger slot of the quasi-static active period and the end of the quasi-static active period is shorter than a threshold period, i.e., when the transmission trigger slot is too close to the end of the quasi-static active period, a forward extension from the quasi-static active period may be applied and an additional operating window may be allocated to ensure that there is enough time for SL transmission. (iii) When a negative decoding result (e.g., a NACK) is received close to the end of the quasi-static active period or when the period between the receipt of the negative decoding result and the end of the quasi-static active period is shorter than a threshold period, a forward extension from the quasi-static active period may be applied and an additional operating window may be allocated to ensure that there is sufficient time for a SL retransmission. (iv) In the event of a failure to decode a received sidelink signal close to the end of the quasi-static active period, a forward extension from the quasi-static active period may be applied and an additional operating window may be allocated to ensure that there is sufficient time for the receipt of a SL retransmission.

[0083] Additionally or alternatively, additional operating windows and new parameters (e.g., BackwardTimer, ForwardTimer) within the quasi-static inactivity period may also be triggered when parameters such as the number of consecutive reception / transmission failures, the period of time without successful reception / transmission, and the reception / transmission success rate are smaller or larger than desired thresholds.

[0084] In case of forward extension, the quasi-static active period, i.e., the length of the adjacent operating window extended from the end of the operating window, may be extended indefinitely by a timer parameter to stay active until a certain stop condition is met, such as when a PSFCH, ACK, or NACK is received by the Tx UE, when a PSFCH, ACK, or NACK is transmitted by the Rx UE, and when a successful transmission, reception, or decoding event is completed.

[0085] Additionally or alternatively, for successive SL DRX quasi-static active periods, the length of the adjacent operating window between the first operating window and the second operating window may be gradually increased (or decreased). That is, the length of each of the first adjacent operating window extended from the first quasi-static active period, the second adjacent operating window extended from the second quasi-static active period, and the third adjacent operating window extended from the third quasi-static active period may be gradually increased (or decreased). For example, an increment value of 1 slot may be applied such that an extension of 1 slot is assigned to the first quasi-static active period, an extension of 2 slots is assigned to the second quasi-static active period, and an extension of 3 slots is assigned to the third quasi-static active period. Although an extension value of 1 to 3 and a stepwise increment value of 1 slot in the length of each of the successive adjacent operating windows have been applied, different extension values ​​or increment / decrement values ​​are also applicable. In yet another example, a desired length of a neighboring operating window within a quasi-static inactive period may be determined, and the UE is configured to gradually increase / decrease the allocation length of each of the subsequent neighboring operating windows to the desired extended length only after a number of quasi-static active periods or SL DRX periods.

[0086] Besides using timer parameters to determine the length of the turned-on slots, the SL may also be configured to resolve sensing during the SL DRX quasi-static inactive period using some rules. For example, a sensing window may be (pre-) set for the UE to receive and monitor SL signals. According to the present disclosure, when the UE's sensing window or a part thereof overlaps with the SL DRX quasi-static inactive period, the UE is configured to allocate a neighboring operation window (or further configured to set or increase the length of the neighboring operation window if the neighboring operation window is allocated) to cover the entire length of the overlapping part / period, i.e., the sensing slots located within the SL DRX quasi-static inactive period, so that the UE can still perform sensing or other operations in the sensing window. Such an additional operation window allocated to cover the sensing window or a part thereof falling within the quasi-static inactive period may be referred to as a SL inactive sensing period.

[0087] 13 is a block diagram 1300 illustrating an additional operating window 1306 allocated between a first operating window 1302 and a second operating window 1304 of a UE with a sensing window 1305 configured according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. A portion of the sensing window 1305 overlaps with a quasi-static inactivity period between the first operating window 1302 and the second operating window 1304. Therefore, the additional operating window 1306 is allocated in the overlapping portion of the sensing window 1305 and the quasi-static inactivity period. In this embodiment, the additional operating window 1306 is not set to SL DRX "ON" state but remains in DRX "OFF" state so that the UE can perform sidelink signal reception / monitoring (sensing) during the additional operating window 1306.

[0088] 14 is a block diagram 1400 illustrating an additional operating window 1406 allocated between a first operating window 1402 and a second operating window 1404 of a UE with a sensing window configured according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. A portion of the sensing window 1405 overlaps with a quasi-static inactivity period between the first operating window 1402 and the second operating window 1404. Therefore, the additional operating window 1406 is allocated in the overlapping portion of the sensing window 1405 and the quasi-static inactivity period. In this embodiment, the additional operating window 1406 may be configured to SL DRX "ON" state such that the UE can perform sidelink signal reception / monitoring (sensing) and transmission during the additional operating window 1406.

[0089] Although the SL inactive sensing period configurations in Figures 13 and 14 are shown using additional operating windows allocated through backward extension, it will be apparent that the same applies to other additional operating windows discussed in this disclosure, such as those allocated through forward extension depending on the portion of the quasi-static inactive period that the sensing windows overlap.

[0090] In the following paragraphs, a third embodiment of the present disclosure is described with respect to allocating one or more discrete additional operating windows between a first operating window and a second operating window, the additional operating windows being separate from the first operating window and the second operating window to provide configurable wake-up between the first operating window and the second operating window.

[0091] Considering that partial sensing may have discrete sensing slots in the corresponding sensing window, one or more discrete additional operation windows (hereinafter referred to as "discrete slots") can also be set and allocated in the two operation windows. Such discrete additional operation windows can be realized by a parameter (e.g., WakeupBitmap) in the format of a bitmap. The bitmap can be based on the first slot or the last slot of the quasi-static inactive period.

[0092] 15 is a block diagram 1500 illustrating five discrete operating windows 1511, 1512, 1513, 1514, 1515 allocated between a first operating window 1502 and a second operating window 1504 of a UE and separated from the first operating window 1502 and the second operating window 1504 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. In this embodiment, a bitmap WakeupBitmap of [00010010100100001000] may be configured relative to the first or last slot of the quasi-static inactive period, with a bitmap value of "1" indicating allocation of a discrete additional operating window and switching to SL DRX on slot in the quasi-static inactive period. The five discrete operating windows 1511-1515 are allocated to the 4th, 7th, 9th, 12th, 17th slots in the quasi-static inactive period according to the bitmap WakeupBitmap.

[0093] The bitmap may be configured to have the same / longer / shorter length as the quasi-static inactivity period and may be applied repeatedly. For Tx UEs, the bitmap may also broadly cover sensing slots of partial sensing windows within the SL DRX quasi-static inactivity period. The bitmap may be (pre-)set by regulator / operator / vendor, or application layer, or UE internal generation, or may be specified by a standard. Different bitmaps may also be set for different activation schemes, such as different power saving modes.

[0094] Such turned-on slots determined by the bitmap can be enabled by some new or reused SL signaling (e.g. preemption / spare) received in a previous or current reception period when the UE's bitmap is known to the controlling or master UE, or in Inter-UE Coordination, by an indication from higher layers (e.g. using one bit EnableWakeupBitmap as MAC Control Element (CE) or RRC message), DL signaling, always-on configuration, or depending on the implementation.

[0095] Returning to FIG. 15, if the UE may require additional time for a state transition between certain power states (e.g., light or deep sleep power states) applied by the UE, an extra additional operation window 1521 or SL DRX on period may be allocated between two discrete slots for sensing, such as 1512 and 1513, to ensure that the required on period or slot is allocated for the state transition and to switch to the “on” state.

[0096] According to various embodiments, additional operation windows through retrograde extension, forward extension, and configurable wake-up can be assigned separately or jointly between semi-statically configured SL DRXs. Such joint assignment and operation can be enabled by downlink or sidelink signaling using one bit carried by DCI or SCI for one operation or additional operation window type, where "0" indicates that the additional operation window is applied and "1" indicates that the additional operation window is not applied. For example, one bit for retrograde extension, one bit for forward extension, and one bit for configurable wake-up, resulting in a combined three-bit signal when all operations are applied. The enablement of the slots to be turned on can be reused PSFCH, first stage SCI, second stage SCI, or DCI. For example, a preliminary information field with SCI can enable the on.

[0097] The signaling can also be a combined notification by several bits carried by the first stage SCI, the second stage SCI, or DCI information. For example, "00" indicates no extension / wakeup, "01" indicates enabling backward extension, "10" indicates enabling forward extension, and "11" enables the application of configurable extension. In the case of forward extension, the signaling can be a reused PSFCH, the first / second stage SCI, or DCI information. For example, when a "NACK" is received via the PSFCH, a forward timer is enabled.

[0098] If there is overlap in the assigned slots, then either Boolean logic (AND, OR, etc.), overriding new parameters can be applied to the overlapping periods, or the UE may be configured to maintain the existing parameters and apply the new parameters only to the non-overlapping periods.

[0099] A size limit may be applied to the number of slots turned on within the quasi-static inactive period. The limit may be a minimum / maximum value / percentage of the quasi-static inactive period. For example, the original sensing window may be 1100 ms large, so some limit may be applied to have a full or shortened sensing window within the quasi-static inactive period. The size of the number of slots turned on may be a fixed value / percentage, a pre-determined number (e.g., 32 slots), etc., similar to the set size of the sensing window.

[0100] The parameters (e.g., values ​​of time parameters, bitmaps), conditions (e.g., stop conditions) and rules may be set differently among different categories of UEs, UEs performing different operations, or UEs with different priorities, including, but not limited to, SL UEs performing Tx or Rx operations, SL UEs performing broadcast / groupcast / unicast transmission / reception, SL UEs with or without feedback enabled, and SL UEs in resource allocation mode 1 or mode 2.

[0101] Furthermore, in addition to parameters, conditions, and rules, other formats such as formulas, descriptive rules, etc. may additionally or alternatively be applied to implement the above embodiments and solutions.

[0102] 16 is a flow chart 1600 illustrating a process for allocating one or more additional operating windows between a first operating window and a second operating window performed by a communications device according to various embodiments of the disclosure. In step 1602, a step of configuring a quasi-static SL DRX active / inactive period is performed. In step 1604, a step of configuring a turn-on scheme for the SL UE is performed. In step 1606, a step of triggering and enabling the turn-on scheme is performed. In step 1608, a step of switching the slots determined for the turn-on scheme from "off" to "on" is performed.

[0103] FIG. 17 is a flow chart 1700 illustrating a process of allocating one or more additional operating windows between a first operating window and a second operating window performed by a transmitting (Tx) communication device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. In step 1702, a step of setting a quasi-static SL DRX active / inactive period is performed. In step 1704, a step of setting a turn-on decision parameter (e.g., timer / bitmap, etc.) and a rule is performed. In step 1706, a step of receiving a switch enable signaling in a previous Rx period or from a higher layer is performed. In step 1708, a step of enabling a turn-on scheme during a quasi-static inactive period is performed. In step 1710, a step of switching a slot indicated by the decision parameter and rule from "off" to "on" is performed.

[0104] FIG. 18 is a flow chart 1800 illustrating a process of allocating one or more additional operating windows between a first and a second operating window performed by a receiving (Rx) communication device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. In step 1802, a step of setting a semi-static SL DRX active / inactive period is performed. In step 1804, a step of setting a turn-on decision parameter (e.g., timer / bitmap, etc.) and a rule is performed. In step 1806, a step of receiving a switch enable signaling in a previous or current Rx period or from a higher layer is performed. In step 1808, a step of enabling a turn-on scheme during a semi-static inactive period is performed. In step 1810, a step of switching a slot indicated by the decision parameter and rule from "off" to "on" is performed.

[0105] In the following paragraphs, certain example embodiments are described in conjunction with 5G core network terminology and the present disclosure relating to a communications apparatus and method for allocating one or more additional operation windows between two semi-statically configured SL DRX periods for reception or transmission of SL signals.

[0106] (Control signal) In the present disclosure, the downlink control signal (information) according to the present disclosure may be a signal (information) transmitted via a PDCCH of a physical layer, or may be a signal (information) transmitted via a MAC Control Element (CE) of a higher layer or an RRC. The downlink control signal may be a predefined signal (information).

[0107] The uplink control signal (information) according to the present disclosure may be a signal (information) transmitted via a PUCCH of a physical layer, or may be a signal (information) transmitted via a MAC CE of a higher layer or an RRC. The uplink control signal may also be a predefined signal (information). The uplink control signal may be uplink control information (UCI), first stage sidelink control information (SCI), or second stage SCI.

[0108] (base station) In the present disclosure, the base station may be, for example, a Transmission Reception Point (TRP), a cluster head, an access point, a Remote Radio Head (RRH), an eNodeB (eNB), a gNodeB (gNB), a Base Station (BS), a Base Transceiver Station (BTS), a base unit, or a gateway. In addition, in sidelink communication, a terminal may be used instead of the base station. The base station may be a relay device that relays communication between an upper node and a terminal. The base station may be a roadside unit.

[0109] (uplink / downlink / sidelink) The present disclosure may be applied to any of the uplink, downlink, and sidelink.

[0110] The present disclosure may be applied, for example, to uplink channels such as PUSCH, PUCCH, and PRACH, downlink channels such as PDSCH, PDCCH, and PBCH, and sidelink channels such as the Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH), the Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH), and the Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel (PSBCH).

[0111] The PDCCH, PDSCH, PUSCH, and PUCCH are examples of a downlink control channel, a downlink data channel, an uplink data channel, and an uplink control channel, respectively. The PSCCH and PSSCH are examples of a sidelink control channel and a sidelink data channel, respectively. The PBCH and PSBCH are examples of a broadcast channel, and the PRACH is an example of a random access channel.

[0112] (Data Channel / Control Channel) The present disclosure may be applied to both data channels and control channels. The channels in the present disclosure may be replaced with data channels including PDSCH, PUSCH, and PSSCH, and / or control channels including PDCCH, PUCCH, PBCH, PSCCH, and PSBCH.

[0113] (reference signal) In this disclosure, a reference signal is a signal known to both a base station and a mobile station, and each reference signal may be referred to as a reference signal (RS) or a pilot signal. A reference signal may be any of a DMRS, a Channel State Information - Reference Signal (CSI-RS), a Tracking Reference Signal (TRS), a Phase Tracking Reference Signal (PTRS), a Cell-specific Reference Signal (CRS), and a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS).

[0114] (Time Interval) In the present disclosure, the time resource unit is not limited to one or a combination of slots and symbols, and may be a time resource unit such as a frame, a superframe, a subframe, a slot, a subslot of a time slot, a minislot, or a symbol, an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbol, a Single Carrier-Frequency Division Multiplexing Access (SC-FDMA) symbol, or other time resource unit. The number of symbols included in one slot is not limited to the number of symbols exemplified in the above-mentioned embodiment, and may be other numbers of symbols.

[0115] (Frequency band) The present disclosure may apply to both licensed and unlicensed bands.

[0116] (communication) The present disclosure may be applied to any of communication between a base station and a terminal (Uu link communication), communication between terminals (sidelink communication), and V2X (Vehicle to Everything) communication. The channels in the present disclosure may be rephrased as PSCCH, PSSCH, physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH), PSBCH, PDCCH, PUCCH, PDSCH, PUSCH, and PBCH.

[0117] The present disclosure can also be applied to a terrestrial network or a non-terrestrial network (NTN) using a satellite or a high altitude pseudo satellite (HAPS). The present disclosure can also be applied to a network with a large cell size or a terrestrial network in which the delay is large compared to the symbol length or slot length, such as an ultra-wideband transmission network.

[0118] (Antenna port) An antenna port refers to a logical antenna (antenna group) formed from one or more physical antennas. That is, an antenna port does not necessarily refer to one physical antenna, but may refer to an array antenna consisting of multiple antennas. For example, the number of physical antennas constituting an antenna port is not defined, and instead, an antenna port is defined as the smallest unit that a terminal is allowed to transmit a reference signal. An antenna port may also be defined as the smallest unit for multiplication of a precoding vector weighting.

[0119] The present disclosure can be realized by software, hardware, or software in cooperation with hardware. Each functional block used in the description of the above embodiment can be realized partially or entirely as an LSI, which is an integrated circuit, and each process described in the above embodiment can be controlled partially or entirely by one LSI or a combination of LSIs. The LSI can be configured from individual chips, and can be configured from one chip to include some or all of the functional blocks. The LSI may have input and output of data. Depending on the degree of integration, the LSI may be called an IC, a system LSI, a super LSI, or an ultra LSI. The method of integration is not limited to LSI, and may be realized by a dedicated circuit, a general-purpose processor, or a dedicated processor. In addition, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) that can be programmed after LSI manufacture, or a reconfigurable processor that can reconfigure the connection and settings of the circuit cells inside the LSI may be used. The present disclosure can be realized as digital processing or analog processing. Furthermore, if an integrated circuit technology that can replace LSI appears due to the progress of semiconductor technology or a different derived technology, it is natural that such technology may be used to integrate the functional blocks. The application of biotechnology, etc. is also a possibility.

[0120] The present disclosure may be implemented in any type of apparatus, device, or system having a communication capability (collectively referred to as a communication apparatus).

[0121] The communication device may include a radio transceiver and processing / control circuitry. The radio transceiver may include a receiver and / or a transmitter. The radio transceiver (transmitter, receiver) may include a Radio Frequency (RF) module and one or more antennas. The RF module may include an amplifier, an RF modulator / demodulator, or the like.

[0122] Non-limiting examples of communication devices include telephones (e.g., cell phones, smartphones, etc.), tablets, personal computers (PCs) (e.g., laptops, desktops, notebooks, etc.), cameras (e.g., digital still / video cameras), digital players (e.g., digital audio / video players), wearable devices (e.g., wearable cameras, smart watches, tracking devices, etc.), game consoles, digital book readers, telehealth and telemedicine devices, communication-enabled vehicles or mobile conveyances (e.g., cars, airplanes, boats, etc.), and combinations of the above devices.

[0123] Communications Equipment is not limited to portable or mobile, but also includes non-portable or fixed equipment, devices and systems of any kind, such as smart home devices (appliances, lighting, smart meters or metering devices, control panels, etc.), vending machines and any other "Things" that may be present on an Internet of Things (IoT) network.

[0124] Communications include data communications via cellular systems, wireless LAN systems, communications satellite systems, etc., as well as data communications via combinations of these.

[0125] A communications apparatus also includes devices, such as controllers and sensors, connected or coupled to a communications device that performs the communications functions described in this disclosure, such as controllers and sensors that generate control and data signals used by the communications device to perform the communications functions of the communications apparatus.

[0126] The communication apparatus also includes infrastructure facilities, such as base stations, access points, and any other apparatus, device, or system that communicates with or controls the various apparatuses listed above, but are not limited to these.

[0127] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that numerous variations and / or modifications may be made to the present disclosure as illustrated in the specific embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure as broadly described, and therefore, the present embodiments are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.

Claims

1. A circuit configured to allocate a third operation window for sensing between a first operation window and a second operation window for receiving or transmitting sidelink signals during operation; A transceiver configured to perform the sensing within the third operation window during operation; Comprising: The third operation window exists within the inactive time of sidelink discontinuous reception (SL DRX); A communication device.

2. The third operation window is configured after the end of the first operation window and / or before the start of the second operation window; The communication device according to Claim 1.

3. The third operation window is composed of consecutive slots; The number of consecutive slots is configured based on a radio resource control (RRC) message; The communication device according to Claim 1.

4. The third operation window is composed of consecutive slots; The number of consecutive slots is configured based on a fixed value; The communication device according to Claim 1.

5. The third operation window is composed of consecutive slots determined in the forward direction from a specific slot; The communication device according to Claim 1.

6. The start point of the third operation window is configured based on the end slot of the first operation window; The communication device according to Claim 1.

7. The first operation window and the second operation window are windows related to SL DRX operation respectively; The communication device according to Claim 1.

8. Whether to perform the sensing within the inactive time of the SL DRX is enabled or disabled by an RRC message; The communication device according to Claim 1.

9. The third operation window is configured based on a transmission trigger slot; The communication device according to Claim 1.

10. The third operation window is separated from the start of the second operation window; The communication device according to Claim 1.

11. The third operation window is separated from the end of the first operation window; The communication device according to Claim 1 or Claim 10.

12. The third operation window existing between the first operation window and the second operation window includes discrete opportunities two or more times temporally; The communication device according to Claim 1 or Claim 11.

13. Execute partial sensing within the third operation window that is different from the sensing window for full sensing. The communication device according to claim 1.

14. A communication device allocates a third operation window for sensing between a first operation window and a second operation window for receiving or transmitting sidelink signals, executes the sensing within the third operation window, and the third operation window exists within the inactive time of sidelink discontinuous reception (SL DRX). A communication method.

15. An integrated circuit that controls the processing of a communication device, the processing including: a process of allocating a third operation window for sensing between a first operation window and a second operation window for receiving or transmitting sidelink signals; a process of causing the sensing to be executed within the third operation window; and the third operation window exists within the inactive time of sidelink discontinuous reception (SL DRX). An integrated circuit.

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