First terminal device, second terminal device, and method performed by the first terminal device

Abstract

An example embodiment of the present disclosure relates to resource indication / reservation for flexible and reliable sidelink transmissions, in which a first terminal device senses idle spectrum sections for at least one sidelink transmission between the first terminal device and a second terminal device in an unlicensed spectrum and transmits information indicating the idle spectrum sections to the second terminal device for resource allocation. This solution provides several enhancements related to resource indication / reservation for flexible and reliable sidelink transmissions on unlicensed spectrum.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of communications, and more particularly to a method, terminal device, and computer-readable medium for sidelink communications. [Background technology]

[0002] Sidelink in unlicensed spectrum (SL-U) is being studied in the 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) Release 18 Sidelink Evolution Work Item. The term "shared spectrum" is synonymous with unlicensed spectrum. The SL-U approach should be based on New Radio (NR) sidelink and NR unlicensed (NR-U). This approach allows for maximum reuse of the NR-U channel access mechanism and sidelink framework.

[0003] The improvement in sidelink data rate is motivated by applications such as sharing sensor information (video) between highly automated vehicles. Commercial use cases may require data rates beyond those possible in Rel-17. Sidelink carrier aggregation and support for sidelink over unlicensed spectrum can achieve this. Furthermore, extending sidelink operation can support higher data rates more efficiently. While the data rate can also be increased with support for new carrier frequencies and larger bandwidths, the primary benefit comes from making sidelink applicable to a wider range of applications. More specifically, support for unlicensed spectrum and extensions will better position sidelink for implementation in commercial devices. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Overall, the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for sidelink resource allocation over unlicensed spectrum. Embodiments (if any) not included in the claims are to be construed as examples useful for understanding various embodiments of the present disclosure. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In a first aspect, a method of communications is provided, the method including: sensing, at a first terminal device, a plurality of spectrum sections that are idle for at least one sidelink transmission between the first terminal device and a second terminal device operating in an unlicensed spectrum; and transmitting information indicative of the plurality of spectrum sections to the second terminal device for resource allocation.

[0006] In a second aspect, a method of communications is provided, the method including: receiving, at a second terminal device, information indicating a plurality of spectrum sections for resource allocation from a first terminal device; and performing at least one sidelink transmission with the first terminal device over the plurality of spectrum sections in an unlicensed spectrum.

[0007] In a third aspect, there is provided a first terminal device, the first terminal device comprising a processor and a memory storing computer program code, the memory and the computer program code configured to, using the processor, cause the terminal device to perform a method according to the first aspect.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, there is provided a second terminal device, the second terminal device comprising a processor and a memory storing computer program code, the memory and the computer program code configured to, using the processor, cause the network device to perform a method according to the second aspect.

[0009] In a fifth aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the methods of the first and second aspects.

[0010] It should be understood that this Summary of the Invention is not intended to identify key or essential features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will be readily apparent from the following description. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] Some exemplary embodiments will now be described with reference to the drawings.

[0012] [Figure 1A] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary environment in which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. [Figure 1B] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary environment in which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented.

[0013] [Figure 2] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a resource structure for sidelink communications, in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0014] [Figure 3] FIG. 10 illustrates another example of a resource structure for sidelink communications, in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0015] [Figure 4]10 is a flowchart of an exemplary method implemented in a first terminal device, according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0016] [Figure 5A] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of resource allocation for sidelink communication, in accordance with some other example embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 5B] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of resource allocation for sidelink communication, in accordance with some other example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0017] [Figure 6A] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of resource allocation for sidelink communication, in accordance with some other example embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 6B] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of resource allocation for sidelink communication, in accordance with some other example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0018] [Figure 7A] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of resource allocation for sidelink communication, in accordance with some other example embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 7B] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of resource allocation for sidelink communication, in accordance with some other example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0019] [Figure 8A] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of resource allocation for sidelink communication, in accordance with some other example embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 8B] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of resource allocation for sidelink communication, in accordance with some other example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0020] [Figure 9] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of resource allocation for sidelink communication, in accordance with some other example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0021] [Figure 10A] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of resource allocation for sidelink communication, in accordance with some other example embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 10B] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of resource allocation for sidelink communication, in accordance with some other example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0022] [Figure 11] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of resource allocation for sidelink communication, in accordance with some other example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0023] [Figure 12] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of resource allocation for sidelink communication, in accordance with some other example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0024] [Figure 13A] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of resource allocation for sidelink communication, in accordance with some other example embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 13B] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of resource allocation for sidelink communication, in accordance with some other example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0025] [Figure 14] 10 is a flowchart of an exemplary method implemented in a first terminal device, according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0026] [Figure 15] 10 is a flowchart of another exemplary method implemented in a second terminal device, according to some other exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0027] [Figure 16] 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary computer-readable medium according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0028] In the drawings, the same or similar reference numbers represent the same or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0029] The principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are provided for illustrative purposes only to assist those skilled in the art in understanding and practicing the present disclosure, and do not imply any limitations on the scope of the present disclosure. The embodiments described herein can be implemented in various ways different from those described below.

[0030] In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains.

[0031] As used herein, the term "terminal device" refers to any device with wireless or wired communication capabilities. Examples of terminal devices include user equipment (UE), personal computers, desktops, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, tablets, wearable devices, Internet of things (IoT) devices, Ultra-reliable and Low Latency Communication (URLLC) devices, Internet of Everything (IoE) devices, machine type communication (MTC) devices, vehicle-mounted devices for V2X communications where X stands for pedestrian, vehicle, or infrastructure / network, devices for Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB), Small Data Transmission (SDT), mobility, Multicast and Broadcast Services (MBS), positioning, dynamic / flexible duplication in commercial networks, reduced capability (RedCap), High Altitude Platforms (HAP) including satellites and Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). Spacecraft or aircraft in a non-terrestrial network (NTN) including a terrestrial platform, extended reality (XR) devices including different types of reality such as augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), and virtual reality (VR), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which are aircraft without a human pilot and are commonly referred to as drones, and high-speed trains (HSTs).This includes, but is not limited to, devices on a speed train, image capture devices such as digital cameras, sensors, gaming devices, music storage and playback devices, or internet appliances that enable wireless and wired internet access and browsing. A "terminal device" may also have "multicast / broadcast" capabilities to support public safety and mission-critical V2X applications, transparent IPv4 / IPv6 multicast distribution, IPTV, smart TV, wireless services, over-the-air software distribution, group communications, and IoT applications. It may also incorporate one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), known as multi-SIMs. The term "terminal device" may be used interchangeably with UE, mobile station, subscriber station, mobile terminal, user terminal, or wireless device.

[0032] The term "network device" refers to a device that can provide or host a cell or coverage area over which terminal devices can communicate. Examples of network devices include, but are not limited to, a Node B (Node B or NB), an evolved Node B (eNode B or eNB), a next generation Node B (gNB), a Transmission Reception Point (TRP), a Remote Radio Unit (RRU), a Radio Head (RH), a Remote Radio Head (RRH), an IAB node, a femto node, a pico node, a Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (RIS), a low-power node such as a network-controlled repeater, etc.

[0033] The terminal device or network device may have artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning capabilities, which generally include a model trained from a large amount of data collected for a specific function and can be used to predict some information.

[0034] The terminal device or network device may operate on several frequency ranges, such as FR1 (410 MHz to 7125 MHz), FR2 (24.25 GHz to 71 GHz), frequency bands greater than 100 GHz, and Terahertz (THz). It can also operate on licensed, unlicensed, and shared spectrum. The terminal device may have one or more connections with the network device under a Multi-Radio Dual Connectivity (MR-DC) application scenario. The terminal device or network device can operate in full duplex, flexible duplex, and cross-division duplex modes. The network device may have network energy saving, self-organizing networks (SON) / minimization of drive test (MDT) functions. The terminal may have a power saving function.

[0035] Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in test equipment such as, for example, a signal generator, a signal analyzer, a spectrum analyzer, a network analyzer, a test terminal device, a test network device, or a channel emulator.

[0036] Embodiments of the present disclosure may be performed in accordance with any currently known or future developed generation of communication protocols, including, but not limited to, first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G) communication protocols, 5.5G, 5G-Advanced networks, or sixth generation (6G) networks.

[0037] Terminal devices in sidelink communication can transmit relevant data to each other. As used herein, the term "resource" or "transmission resource" may refer to any resource for performing communication, such as a resource in the time domain, a resource in the frequency domain, a resource in the spatial domain, a resource in the code domain, or any other resource that enables communication. Hereinafter, resources in the frequency domain or the time domain are used as examples of transmission resources to describe some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be understood that the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to other resources in other resource domains as well.

[0038] As used herein, the term "sidelink" refers to a direct communication link and / or discovery link between two or more terminal devices. The term "PC5" refers to an interface that enables communication and / or discovery between two or more terminal devices without passing through any network node. The term "PC5 direct link" refers to a link established between two or more terminal devices via a PC5 interface. As described herein, "sidelink" and "PC5 direct link" are equivalent to each other.

[0039] As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "said" include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The term "comprises" and variations thereof should be understood as open-ended terms meaning "including, but not limited to." The term "based on" should be understood as "based at least in part on." The terms "some embodiments" and "embodiments" should be understood as "at least some embodiments." The term "another embodiment" should be understood as "at least one other embodiment." Terms such as "first," "second," etc. may refer to different or the same object. The following may include other explicit and implicit definitions.

[0040] In some instances, values, procedures, or devices are referred to as "best," "lowest," "highest," "minimum," "maximum," etc. It should be understood that such descriptions are intended to illustrate that choices may be made from among many functional alternatives used, and that such choices are not necessarily better, smaller, higher, or otherwise more preferred than other choices.

[0041] As used herein, the term "circuitry" may refer to a hardware circuit and / or a combination of a hardware circuit and software. For example, a circuit may be a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry with software / firmware. As yet another example, a circuit may be any portion of a hardware processor with software, including a digital signal processor, software, and memory, that cooperate to cause a device, such as a terminal device or a network device, to perform various functions. In yet another example, a circuit may be a hardware circuit and / or a processor, such as a microprocessor or portion thereof, that requires software / firmware for operation, although software may not be present if it is not necessary for operation. As used herein, the term "circuitry" also includes implementations solely of a hardware circuit or processor or portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware.

[0042] The principle of sidelink operation over licensed spectrum is to allow for maximum reuse of NR-U channel access mechanisms and sidelink frameworks. However, the question is how to express resource allocation and reservation for SL-U transmissions over multiple resource block (RB) sets (Listen Before Talk (LBT) subbands in the frequency domain) to accommodate specific channel access procedures and resource allocation methods over unlicensed spectrum.

[0043] The present disclosure provides a scheme for sidelink transmissions on multiple RB sets based on potential improvements to conventional multi-channel channel access procedures to provide more frequency resources for LBT-based transmissions and combat the impact of uncertainty in the LBT procedure. The present disclosure provides a method related to improvements in resource indication / reservation for transmissions on consecutive RB sets with aligned starting symbols within a slot. The present disclosure further provides a method related to improvements in resource indication / reservation for transmissions on non-consecutive RB sets with aligned starting symbols within a slot. The present disclosure further provides a method related to considering improvements in resource indication / reservation for transmissions on RB sets with staggered starting symbols within a slot. The present solution further provides a method related to improvements in resource indication / reservation for transmissions on the same RB set across consecutive slots within the maximum channel occupancy (MCO).

[0044] The present disclosure provides several types of new definitions and improvements related to resource indication / reservation for flexible and reliable sidelink transmissions on multiple RB sets in unlicensed spectrum. Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0045] FIG. 1A illustrates an exemplary environment 100A in which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented. Environment 100, which may be part of a communications network, may include terminal device 110, terminal device 120, and network device 130. It should be understood that the number of devices in FIG. 1 is provided for illustrative purposes and does not imply any limitations on the present disclosure. Communications network 100 may include any suitable number of network devices and / or terminal devices suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. In the example of FIG. 1, network device 130 provides a serving area referred to as cell 140. Terminal devices 110 and 120 are within the coverage of cell 140. FIG. 1B also illustrates an exemplary environment 100B in which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented. Environment 100, which may be part of a communications network, may include terminal device 110 and terminal device 120. Terminal device 110 and terminal device 120 may be outside the coverage of the network device.

[0046] As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, terminal device 110 and terminal device 120 can communicate with each other via sidelink communication. Sidelink communication is direct wireless radio communication between two or more terminal devices, e.g., terminal device 110 and terminal device 120. In this type of communication, two or more terminal devices that are closest to each other geographically can communicate directly without going through network device 130 or the core network. Therefore, data transmission in sidelink communication differs from typical cellular network communication in which a terminal device transmits data to network device 130 (i.e., uplink transmission) or receives data from network device 130 (i.e., downlink transmission). As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, in sidelink communication, data is transmitted directly from a source terminal device (e.g., terminal device 110) to a target terminal device (e.g., terminal device 120) over an integrated air interface, e.g., a PC5 interface (i.e., sidelink transmission).

[0047] Communications in environments 100A and 100B may be achieved according to any suitable communications protocol, including, but not limited to, cellular communications protocols such as first generation (1G), second generation (2G), third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), and fifth generation (5G), wireless local area network communications protocols such as Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, and / or any other protocols now known or developed in the future. Further, the communications may utilize any suitable wireless communication technology, including, but not limited to, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Duplex (FDD), Time Division Duplex (TDD), Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), Discrete Fourier Transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM), and / or any other technology now known or developed in the future.

[0048] Sidelink communication can provide several advantages, including reducing data transmission load on the core network, system resource consumption, transmission power consumption and network operation costs, conserving radio spectrum resources and improving the spectral efficiency of cellular wireless communication systems.

[0049] In a sidelink communication system, sidelink resources are used to transmit information between terminal devices. Depending on application scenarios, service types, etc., sidelink communication methods include, but are not limited to, device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, etc.

[0050] For sidelink communication, the terminal device transmits or receives signals using resources in a sidelink resource pool. As shown in FIG. 2, the sidelink resource pool includes resources in the time and frequency domains. These resources are either dedicated to sidelink communication or shared between sidelink communication and the cellular link. The sidelink resource pool may include multiple slots and resource blocks (RBs), and all or some of the symbols in a slot may be used for sidelink transmission. The terminal device 110 and the terminal device 120 may transmit sidelink signaling or information using a sidelink channel. The RBs in the resource pool may be divided into RB sets. Each RB set includes consecutive RBs. The terminal device may transmit sidelink data using one or more RB sets as resources.

[0051] An interlace of resource blocks (IRBs) is used as a frequency resource unit for NR-U uplink and sidelink communications in unlicensed spectrum. Figure 3 shows an example of RB sets and IRBs according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. There may be a guard band between two adjacent RB sets.

[0052] Reference is now made to FIG. 4, which illustrates a signaling flow 400 for sidelink resource allocation in communications, in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For illustrative purposes, the signaling flow 400 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. The signaling flow 400 may involve terminal device 110 and terminal device 120. It should also be understood that the signaling and order of operations in FIG. 4 is shown for illustrative purposes only. The signaling and order of operations illustrated in the signaling diagram 400 may be performed in any suitable order suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0053] In signaling flow 400, a first terminal device 110 senses (405) multiple spectrum sections that will be idle for sidelink transmission. The transmission occurs in the unlicensed spectrum between the first terminal device 110 and a second terminal device 120. The first terminal device 110 then transmits (410) information indicative of the spectrum sections (402) to the second terminal device 120. When the second terminal device receives (415) the information (402), the first terminal device 110 and the second terminal device 120 may perform sidelink communication.

[0054] In some embodiments, multiple resources located in different frequency bands may be assigned to the terminal device 110 or 120 for Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH) / Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH) transmissions (IRB-based or not). That is, the terminal device 110 or 120 may transmit on a corresponding set of channels, e.g., one or more RB sets or LBT subbands. Transmissions on each channel should satisfy the occupied channel bandwidth (OCB) requirements of the NR-U regulations. As shown in FIG. 5A, according to different channel access procedures and resource allocation schemes in the sidelink, the N sets of channels (RB sets) for transmission may be adjacent to each other in the frequency domain (excluding guard bands). Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 5B, the RB sets for transmission may be separately distributed with intervals between each other within a resource pool.

[0055] In some embodiments, there may be two schemes for conveying resource indication / reservation-related information based on the terminal 110's and / or terminal 120's sensing / reservation of resources. In scheme 1, a new field with additional information is inserted into the conventional sidelink control information (SCI) format in the sidelink, or a corresponding field is replaced with redefined / extended information (having the same or different size). In scheme 2, a new SCI format (e.g., SCI format 1-X and / or SCI format 2-D) / medium access control (MAC)-control element (CE) is introduced to convey extended SCI information for assumed transmissions on multiple RB sets. The new SCI format may include some information of the conventional SCI format. Contiguous RB sets with aligned starting symbols

[0056] In some embodiments, the information includes an indication determined based on the number of resource reservations and the number of spectrum sections in the resource pool, the indication being for a plurality of contiguous spectrum sections of the plurality of spectrum sections, the transmissions on the plurality of contiguous spectrum sections having starting symbols aligned within the sidelink slot.

[0057] For example, after terminal 110 becomes idle for transmission and senses N consecutive RB sets with aligned starting symbols on all RB sets (as set C of channels, each channel corresponding to an RB set), the corresponding resource indication / reservation in the SCI and / or MAC-CE may be extended / introduced to indicate resource allocation for the consecutive RB sets. New content may be introduced in the 3GPP TS (3rd Generation Partnership Project Technical Specification) as follows: TIFF2025528061000002.tif201162

[0058] Parameters TIFF2025528061000003.tif522 and Note that TIFF2025528061000004.tif519 may be predefined.

[0059] In some embodiments, the information indicates indices of a plurality of interlaced spectra within each of a plurality of spectral sections, the indicated indices of the plurality of interlaced spectra being common to at least one of the plurality of spectral sections and the at least one reserved resource. The information further indicates the plurality of interlaced spectra individually within each of the plurality of spectral sections. Additionally or alternatively, the information further indicates the plurality of interlaced spectra individually within each of the at least one reserved resource.

[0060] For example, the allocated interlace index (5 or 6 bits) may be common to all RB sets and all reservations, i.e., interlaced RBs marked with the same index in each RB set are assigned to the UE. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 6A, considering efficient resource utilization, a separate interlace index may be applied to each RB set in C, i.e., different interlaced RBs in each RB set are assigned to the UE. 5*N or 6*N bits indicate the interlace index per RB set. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6B, considering multi-slot occupancy, a separate interlace index may be applied to each reservation, i.e., different interlaced RBs associated with each reservation are indicated. 2*(5 or 6) or 3*(5 or 6) bits indicate the interlace index per reservation. If the upper layer parameter useInterlacePSCCH-PSSCH / useInterlaceSL is not configured, the interlace index indication field is omitted and a 0 bit is required.

[0061] In some embodiments, the information includes at least one Channel Occupancy (CO) indication for the at least one sidelink transmission. The at least one CO indication includes a CO indication that is common to the at least one of a plurality of spectrum sections and the at least one reserved resource. Additionally or alternatively, the at least one CO indication includes multiple CO indications used to separately indicate CO for multiple spectrum sections.

[0062] For example, a CO indication based on the channel access procedure may be introduced into the SCI. It may include, but is not limited to, at least a channel occupation start point indication and a remaining channel occupation duration indication. It may be common for all RB sets and all reservations. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 7A, if a Tx UE does not occupy all RB sets across multiple slots, taking into account bandwidth requirements that vary across consecutive slots, a separate CO may be indicated for each RB set. Correspondingly, a different number of RB sets may be indicated for each reservation. Also, as shown in FIG. 7B, if a cyclic prefix extension (CPE)-based method is applied to the channel access procedure on multiple RB sets to align the start symbol of transmission on all RB sets, different transmission start points may occur on different RB sets. Therefore, a separate CO may be indicated for each RB set.

[0063] In some embodiments, the information indicates at least one of the following parameters for each of the plurality of spectrum sections individually: a resource reservation period, a Modulation and Coding Scheme (MSC), or an additional MCS table indicator.

[0064] For example, for other information in the conventional SCI, such as resource reservation period, MCS, additional MCS table indicator, etc., these parameters may be common for all RB sets and all reservations and may be indicated conventionally as in the conventional SCI. Alternatively, when different RB sets correspond to different transactions or PDUs and taking into account extended / introduced indications, these parameters may be indicated separately for each RB set and / or each reservation.

[0065] In some embodiments, the information is transmitted over a selected spectral section of the plurality of spectral sections, the selected spectral section being the lowest spectral section in the frequency domain of the plurality of spectral sections, or a randomly selected spectral section. Alternatively, the information is transmitted over a plurality of spectral sections, each of the plurality of spectral sections carrying a corresponding portion of the information associated with that spectral section.

[0066] For example, as shown in FIG. 8A, the SCI may be conveyed over only one RB set, which may be the lowest RB set in the frequency domain or a randomly selected RB set in channel set C. Also, a single SCI should carry all resource indications / reservations over all RB sets, and the information associated with each RB set may vary. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 8B, the SCI may be applied to all RB sets in C in the same way, thereby improving the performance of SCI reception for Rx UEs through diversity reception. The SCI conveyed over each RB set may vary. Non-contiguous RB sets with aligned starting symbols

[0067] In some embodiments, the information includes an indication determined based on a number of spectrum sections in the resource pool, the indication being for a plurality of non-contiguous spectrum sections of the plurality of spectrum sections, wherein the transmissions on the plurality of non-contiguous spectrum sections have starting symbols aligned within the sidelink slots.

[0068] For example, as shown in Figure 9, after going idle for transmission and sensing N non-contiguous (or partially contiguous) RB sets with aligned starting symbols on all RB sets (as set C of channels), the corresponding resource indication / reservation in the SCI and / or MAC-CE may be extended / introduced based on channel differences. New content may be introduced into the 3GPP TS as follows: TIFF2025528061000005.tif89165

[0069] In some embodiments, the allocated interlace index (5 or 6 bits) may be common to all RB sets and all reservations. Alternatively, a separate interlace index may be indicated for each RB set and / or each reservation. If the higher layer parameters useInterlacePSCCH-PSSCH / useInterlaceSL are not set, the interlace index indication field is omitted and a 0 bit is required. Based on a unified channel access procedure on all RB sets or an independent channel access procedure on each RB set, the CO indication may be common to all RB sets as shown in FIG. 10A, or may be indicated for each RB set, respectively, as shown in FIG. 10B. Also, for a given RB set, a separate CO may be indicated associated with each reservation.

[0070] For other conventional information, such as resource reservation period, modulation and coding scheme, additional MCS table indicator, etc., these parameters may be common for all RB sets and all reservations, or alternatively, these parameters may be indicated separately for each RB set and / or for each reservation.

[0071] The SCI may be conveyed over only one RB set, which may be the lowest RB set in the frequency domain in C or a randomly selected RB set. Also, a single SCI should carry all resource indications / reservations over all RB sets, and the information associated with each RB set may vary. Alternatively, the SCI may be applied to all RB sets in the same way, thereby improving SCI reception performance for Rx UEs through diversity reception. Multiple Starting Symbols

[0072] In some embodiments, the information includes an indication determined based on the number of spectral sections in the resource pool, the indication being for a plurality of non-contiguous spectral sections among the plurality of spectral sections. Transmissions on the plurality of non-contiguous spectral sections have a first starting symbol within a slot and one or more additional starting symbols after the first starting symbol. That is, the starting points of transmissions on the plurality of non-contiguous spectral sections are staggered within a slot. Transmissions on each spectral section may begin at the first starting symbol within a slot or at an additional starting symbol. The information further indicates a subset of the plurality of non-contiguous spectral sections for which transmissions have one or more additional starting symbols.

[0073] For example, assume that an additional start symbol within a slot is supported for SL-U. As shown in FIG. 11, when M (M < N) out of N RB sets are sensed to be idle immediately before the first start symbol within the slot for transmission on the M RB sets, while the channel access procedure on the other N - M RB sets is still in progress waiting for the sensing result on the additional start symbol, the corresponding resource indication / reservation within the SCI and / or MAC-CE may be extended / introduced based on the channel difference considering the following elements. The new content may be introduced into the 3GPP TS as follows. TIFF2025528061000006.tif94164

[0074] In some embodiments, the allocated interlace index (5 or 6 bits) may be common for all RB sets and all reservations. Alternatively, separate interlace indexes may be indicated for each RB set and / or each reservation. When the upper layer parameter useInterlacePSCCH-PSSCH / useInterlaceSL is not set, the interlace index indication field is omitted and 0 bits are required. As shown in FIG. 12, based on the independent channel access procedure on each RB set, the CO indication may be shown for each RB set. Also, when an RB set is given, separate COs may be shown for each reservation.

[0075] In some embodiments, for other conventional information, such as resource reservation period, modulation and coding scheme, additional MCS table indicator, etc., these parameters may be common for all RB sets and all reservations. Alternatively, these parameters may be shown separately for each RB set and / or for each reservation.

[0076] For M RB sets having transmissions from the first starting symbol, the corresponding SCI may be conveyed via only one RB set, which may be the lowest RB set among the M RB sets in the frequency domain or an RB set randomly selected from the M RB sets. Also, as shown in FIG. 13A, a single SCI should carry all resource indications / reservations on all M RB sets, and the information associated with each RB set may vary. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 13B, the SCI may be applied to all M RB sets in the same way to improve the performance of SCI reception for Rx UEs through diversity reception. For N M RB sets having transmissions from additional starting symbols, the SCIs corresponding to the M RB sets may be shared, except for the CO indication. Alternatively, separate SCIs for the N M RB sets may be indicated for each RB set. Same RB set for each reservation

[0077] In some embodiments, the multiple spectrum sections are the same for the at least one reserved resource.

[0078] For example, after sensing N RB sets to be idle for transmission on all RB sets (from the same or different starting symbols in a slot), the corresponding resource indication / reservation in the SCI and / or MAC-CE may be extended / introduced based on channel differences to transmit on the same RB set over consecutive slots within the maximum CO time. New content may be introduced in the 3GPP TS as follows: TIFF2025528061000007.tif148162

[0079] In some embodiments, the allocated interlace index (5 or 6 bits) may be common for all RB sets and all reservations. Alternatively, a separate interlace index may be indicated for each RB set and / or each reservation. If the higher layer parameters useInterlacePSCCH-PSSCH / useInterlaceSL are not set, the interlace index indication field is omitted and a 0 bit is required. Based on an independent channel access procedure and / or different starting symbols / starting points on each RB set, a CO indication may be indicated for each RB set. Alternatively, with a unified channel access procedure and aligned starting points on all RB sets, a common CO indication may be indicated for all RB sets. Furthermore, for a given RB set, a separate CO may be indicated in association with each reservation.

[0080] In some embodiments, for other conventional information, such as resource reservation period, modulation and coding scheme, additional MCS table indicator, etc., these parameters may be common for all RB sets and all reservations. Alternatively, these parameters may be indicated separately for each RB set and / or for each reservation.

[0081] In some embodiments, the SCI may be conveyed over only one RB set, which may be the lowest (or randomly selected) RB set among the M RB sets having transmissions from the first starting symbol. Alternatively, the SCI may be applied equally to all M RB sets. For the N M RB sets having transmissions from additional starting symbols, the SCIs corresponding to the M RB sets may be shared except for the CO indication. Alternatively, separate SCIs for the N M RB sets may be indicated for each RB set.

[0082] 14 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 1400 implemented in a first terminal device 110, according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For illustrative purposes, the method 1400 will be described from the perspective of the first terminal device 110 and with reference to FIGS. 1 and 4.

[0083] In block 1410, first terminal device 110 senses a plurality of spectrum sections that will be idle for at least one sidelink transmission between first terminal device 110 and second terminal device 120 operating in the unlicensed spectrum. In block 1420, the first terminal device transmits information indicating the plurality of spectrum sections to second terminal device 120 for resource allocation.

[0084] In some embodiments, the information includes an indication determined based on the number of resource reservations and the number of spectrum sections in the resource pool, the indication being for a plurality of contiguous spectrum sections of the plurality of spectrum sections, wherein transmissions on the plurality of contiguous spectrum sections have starting symbols aligned within the sidelink slots.

[0085] In some embodiments, the information includes an indication determined based on a number of spectrum sections in the resource pool, the indication being for a plurality of non-contiguous spectrum sections of the plurality of spectrum sections, and transmissions on the plurality of non-contiguous spectrum sections having starting symbols aligned within the slots.

[0086] In some embodiments, the information includes an indication determined based on a number of spectrum sections in the resource pool, the indication being for a plurality of non-contiguous spectrum sections of the plurality of spectrum sections, wherein a transmission on the plurality of non-contiguous spectrum sections has a first starting symbol and one or more additional starting symbols after the first starting symbol, and the information further indicates a subset of the plurality of non-contiguous spectrum sections for which the transmission has the one or more additional starting symbols.

[0087] In some embodiments, the plurality of spectral sections are the same for the at least one reserved resource, and the information further indicates an index of the plurality of interlaced spectra within each of the plurality of spectral sections, the indicated index of the plurality of interlaced spectra being common for at least one of the plurality of spectral sections and the at least one reserved resource.

[0088] In some embodiments, the information further indicates a plurality of interlaced spectrums within each of the plurality of spectrum sections separately, the information further indicates a plurality of interlaced spectrums within each of the at least one resource reservation separately, and the information includes at least one Channel Occupancy (CO) indication for the at least one sidelink transmission.

[0089] In some embodiments, each of the at least one CO indication includes at least a channel occupancy start point indication and a remaining channel occupancy duration indication. The at least one CO indication includes a CO indication that is common to at least one of a plurality of spectrum sections and at least one resource reservation. The at least one CO indication includes multiple CO indications used to separately indicate CO for a plurality of spectrum sections. The information further indicates, for each of the plurality of spectrum sections individually, at least one of a resource reservation period, an MSC, or an additional MCS table indicator as a parameter.

[0090] In some embodiments, the information is transmitted over a selected spectrum section of a plurality of spectrum sections, the selected spectrum section being the lowest spectrum section in the frequency domain of the plurality of spectrum sections or a randomly selected spectrum section. The information is transmitted over the plurality of spectrum sections, each of which carries a corresponding portion of the information associated with the selected spectrum section. The information is included in Sidelink Control Information (SCI) and, optionally, in a Medium Access Control (MAC)-Control Element (CE).

[0091] 15 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 1500 implemented in second terminal device 120, according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For illustrative purposes, method 1500 will be described from the perspective of second terminal device 120 with reference to FIGS. 1 and 4.

[0092] At block 1510, the second terminal device 120 receives information indicating a plurality of spectrum sections for resource allocation from the first terminal device 110. At block 1520, the second terminal device 120 performs at least one sidelink transmission with the first terminal device 110 over a plurality of spectrum sections in the unlicensed spectrum.

[0093] In some embodiments, the information includes an indication determined based on the number of resource reservations and the number of spectrum sections in the resource pool, the indication being for a plurality of contiguous spectrum sections of the plurality of spectrum sections, wherein the transmissions on the plurality of contiguous spectrum sections have a starting symbol aligned within a sidelink slot.

[0094] In some embodiments, the information includes an indication determined based on a number of spectral sections in a resource pool, the indication being for a plurality of non-contiguous spectral sections of the plurality of spectral sections. The transmissions on the plurality of non-contiguous spectral sections have aligned starting symbols within a slot. The information includes an indication determined based on the number of spectral sections in a resource pool, the indication being for a plurality of non-contiguous spectral sections of the plurality of spectral sections. The transmissions on the plurality of non-contiguous spectral sections have a first starting symbol and one or more additional starting symbols after the first starting symbol. The information further indicates a subset of the plurality of spectral sections for which the transmissions have the one or more additional starting symbols.

[0095] In some embodiments, the plurality of spectral sections are the same for the at least one reserved resource. The information further indicates indices of the plurality of interlaced spectrums within each of the plurality of spectral sections, the indicated indices of the plurality of interlaced spectrums being common for at least one of the plurality of spectral sections and the at least one reserved resource. The information further indicates the plurality of interlaced spectrums within each of the plurality of spectral sections individually.

[0096] In some embodiments, the information further indicates a plurality of interlaced spectrums within each of the at least one reserved resource separately, and the information includes at least one Channel Occupancy (CO) indication for the at least one sidelink transmission, each of the at least one CO indication including at least a channel occupancy start point indication and a remaining channel occupancy duration indication.

[0097] In some embodiments, the at least one CO indication includes a CO indication that is common to at least one of a plurality of spectrum sections and the at least one resource reservation, the at least one CO indication includes multiple CO indications used to separately indicate COs for the plurality of spectrum sections, and the information further indicates, for each of the plurality of spectrum sections individually, at least one of a resource reservation period, an MSC, or an additional MCS table indicator as a parameter.

[0098] In some embodiments, the information is transmitted over a selected spectrum section of a plurality of spectrum sections, the selected spectrum section being the lowest spectrum section of the plurality of spectrum sections or a randomly selected spectrum section. The information is transmitted over the plurality of spectrum sections, each of which carries a corresponding portion of the information associated with that spectrum section. The information is included in Sidelink Control Information (SCI) and, optionally, in a Medium Access Control (MAC)-Control Element (CE).

[0099] 16 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus 1600 suitable for implementing some embodiments of the present disclosure. The apparatus 1600 may be considered as another exemplary embodiment of the terminal devices 110, 120 and the network device 130 as shown in FIG. 1. Accordingly, the apparatus 1600 may be implemented in, or as at least a part of, the network device or the terminal device described above.

[0100] As shown, the apparatus 1600 comprises a processor 1610, a memory 1620 coupled to the processor 1610, a suitable transmitter (TX) and receiver (RX) 1640 coupled to the processor 1610, and a communication interface coupled to the TX / RX 1640. The memory 1620 stores at least a portion of a program 1630. The TX / RX 1640 is used for bidirectional communication. The TX / RX 1640 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication, although the access nodes referred to herein may in practice have multiple antennas. The communication interface may represent any interface required for communication with other network elements, such as an X2 interface for bidirectional communication between gNBs or eNBs, an S1 interface for communication between a Mobility Management Entity (MME) / Serving Gateway (S-GW) and a gNB or eNB, an Un interface for communication between a gNB or eNB and a Relay Node (RN), or a Uu interface for communication between a gNB or eNB and a terminal device.

[0101] The program 1630 is assumed to include program instructions that, when executed by an associated processor 1610, enable the device 1600 to operate in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, as described herein with reference to Figures 2-15. The embodiments herein may be implemented by computer software executable by the processor 1610 of the device 1600, by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. The processor 1610 may be configured to implement various embodiments of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the combination of the processor 1610 and the memory 520 may form a processing means 1650 suitable for implementing various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0102] Memory 1620 may be of any type suitable for a local technology network and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, including, by way of non-limiting example, non-transitory computer-readable storage media, semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory, and removable memory. While only one memory 1620 is shown in device 1600, there may be several physically distinct memory modules within device 500. Processor 1610 may be of any type suitable for a local technology network and may include, by way of non-limiting example, one or more of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. Device 1600 may have multiple processors, for example, application-specific integrated circuit chips time-slaved to a clock that synchronizes the main processor.

[0103] In some embodiments, a terminal device comprises circuitry, the circuitry configured to perform methods 1400 and / or 1500.

[0104] Components included in the devices and / or apparatus of the present disclosure may be implemented in various ways, including software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. In one embodiment, one or more units may be implemented using software and / or firmware, such as machine-executable instructions stored on a storage medium. In addition to, or as an alternative to, machine-executable instructions, some or all of the units in the devices and / or apparatus may be implemented, at least in part, by one or more hardware logic components. By way of example and not limitation, exemplary types of hardware logic components that may be used include field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), application-specific standard products (ASSPs), system-on-a-chip (SOCs), complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), etc.

[0105] Overall, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software executable by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. While various aspects of embodiments of the present disclosure have been illustrated and described using block diagrams, flowcharts, or other pictorial representations, it should be understood that the blocks, apparatus, systems, technology terminal devices, or methods described herein may be implemented, by way of non-limiting example, in hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing device, or any combination thereof.

[0106] The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as instructions included in program modules, that execute in a device on a target real or virtual processor to perform a process or method described above with reference to any one of FIGS. 2 through 4. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functionality of the program modules may be combined or split between program modules as desired. The machine-executable instructions of the program modules may be executed in local or distributed devices. In a distributed device, program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.

[0107] Program code for carrying out the methods of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device, and when executed by the processor or controller, cause the program code to implement the functions / acts specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams. The program code may run entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, as a separate software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0108] The above-described program code may be embodied on a machine-readable medium, which may be any tangible medium that can contain or store a program used by or associated with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The machine-readable medium may be a machine-readable signal medium or a machine-readable storage medium. The machine-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the aforementioned media. More specific examples of a machine-readable storage medium may include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the above.

[0109] Although operations have been described in a particular order, it should not be understood that performing these operations in the particular order shown, or in any sequential order, or performing all of the operations described, is required to achieve desirable results. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although details of several specific embodiments are included in the above discussion, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be unique to particular embodiments. Some features that are described in the context of individual embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination.

[0110] Although the present disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it should be understood that the present disclosure, as defined in the appended claims, is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

[0111] In summary, the embodiments of the present disclosure can provide the following solutions:

[0112] The method of communication includes: sensing, in a first terminal device, a plurality of spectrum sections that are idle for at least one sidelink transmission between the first terminal device and a second terminal device operating in an unlicensed spectrum; and transmitting information indicating the plurality of spectrum sections to the second terminal device for resource allocation.

[0113] In some embodiments, the information comprises an indication determined based on a number of resource reservations and a number of the plurality of spectrum sections in a resource pool, the indication being for a plurality of contiguous spectrum sections of the plurality of spectrum sections, and wherein transmissions on the plurality of contiguous spectrum sections have starting symbols aligned within a sidelink slot.

[0114] In some embodiments, the information includes an indication determined based on a number of the plurality of spectrum sections in a resource pool, the indication being for a plurality of non-contiguous spectrum sections of the plurality of spectrum sections, and wherein transmissions on the plurality of non-contiguous spectrum sections have starting symbols aligned within a sidelink slot.

[0115] In some embodiments, the information includes an indication determined based on a number of the plurality of spectrum sections in a resource pool, the indication being for a plurality of non-contiguous spectrum sections of the plurality of spectrum sections, wherein a transmission on the plurality of non-contiguous spectrum sections has a first starting symbol and one or more additional starting symbols after the first starting symbol in a sidelink slot, and the information further indicates a subset of the plurality of non-contiguous spectrum sections for which the transmission has one or more additional starting symbols.

[0116] In some embodiments, the multiple spectrum sections are identical for at least one reserved resource.

[0117] In some embodiments, the information further indicates indices of a plurality of interlaced spectra within each of the plurality of spectral sections, the indicated indices of the plurality of interlaced spectra being common to at least one of the plurality of spectral sections and at least one reserved resource.

[0118] In some embodiments, the information further indicates a plurality of interlaced spectra individually within each of the plurality of spectral sections.

[0119] In some embodiments, the information further indicates a plurality of interlaced spectrums within each of the at least one reserved resource separately.

[0120] In some embodiments, the information comprises at least one Channel Occupancy (CO) indication for the at least one sidelink transmission, the CO indication comprising at least a Channel Occupancy start point indication and a Remaining Channel Occupancy duration indication.

[0121] In some embodiments, the at least one CO indication includes a CO indication that is common to at least one of the plurality of spectrum sections and at least one reserved resource.

[0122] In some embodiments, the at least one CO indication comprises multiple CO indications used to separately indicate CO for the multiple spectral sections.

[0123] In some embodiments, the information further indicates, individually for each of the plurality of spectrum sections, at least one of the following parameters: a resource reservation period, a Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS), or an additional MCS table indicator.

[0124] In some embodiments, transmitting the information includes transmitting the information over selected spectrum sections of the plurality of spectrum sections.

[0125] In some embodiments, the selected spectral section is the lowest spectral section in the frequency domain of the plurality of spectral sections, or a randomly selected spectral section.

[0126] In some embodiments, the information is transmitted over the plurality of spectrum sections, with spectrum sections of the plurality of spectrum sections carrying corresponding portions of the information associated with the spectrum section.

[0127] In some embodiments, the information is included in Sidelink Control Information (SCI) and, optionally, in a Medium Access Control (MAC)-Control Element (CE).

[0128] The method of communication includes, at a second terminal device, receiving information from a first terminal device indicating a plurality of spectrum sections for resource allocation; and performing at least one sidelink transmission with the first terminal device over the plurality of spectrum sections in an unlicensed spectrum.

[0129] In some embodiments, the information comprises an indication determined based on a number of resource reservations and a number of the plurality of spectrum sections in a resource pool, the indication being for a plurality of contiguous spectrum sections of the plurality of spectrum sections, and wherein transmissions on the plurality of contiguous spectrum sections have starting symbols aligned within a sidelink slot.

[0130] In some embodiments, the information includes an indication determined based on a number of the plurality of spectrum sections in a resource pool, the indication being for a plurality of non-contiguous spectrum sections of the plurality of spectrum sections, and transmissions on the plurality of spectrum sections having starting symbols aligned within a sidelink slot.

[0131] In some embodiments, the information includes an indication determined based on a number of the plurality of spectrum sections in a resource pool, the indication being for a plurality of non-contiguous spectrum sections of the plurality of spectrum sections, wherein a transmission on the plurality of non-contiguous spectrum sections has a first starting symbol and one or more additional starting symbols after the first starting symbol in a sidelink slot, and the information further indicates a subset of the plurality of spectrum sections for which the transmission has one or more additional starting symbols.

[0132] In some embodiments, the multiple spectrum sections are identical for at least one reserved resource.

[0133] In some embodiments, the information further indicates indices of a plurality of interlaced spectra within each of the plurality of spectral sections, the indicated indices of the plurality of interlaced spectra being common to at least one of the plurality of spectral sections and at least one reserved resource.

[0134] In some embodiments, the information further indicates a plurality of interlaced spectra individually within each of the plurality of spectral sections.

[0135] In some embodiments, the information further indicates a plurality of interlaced spectrums within each of the at least one reserved resource separately.

[0136] In some embodiments, the information includes at least one Channel Occupancy (CO) indication for the at least one sidelink transmission, each of the at least one CO indication including at least a channel occupancy start point indication and a remaining channel occupancy duration indication.

[0137] In some embodiments, the at least one CO indication includes a CO indication that is common to at least one of the plurality of spectrum sections and at least one reserved resource.

[0138] In some embodiments, the at least one CO indication comprises multiple CO indications used to separately indicate CO for the multiple spectral sections.

[0139] In some embodiments, the information further indicates, individually for each of the plurality of spectrum sections, at least one of the following parameters: a resource reservation period, a Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS), or an additional MCS table indicator.

[0140] In some embodiments, transmitting the information includes transmitting the information over selected spectrum sections of the plurality of spectrum sections.

[0141] In some embodiments, the selected spectral section is the lowest spectral section in the frequency domain of the plurality of spectral sections, or a randomly selected spectral section.

[0142] In some embodiments, the information is transmitted over the plurality of spectrum sections, with spectrum sections of the plurality of spectrum sections carrying corresponding portions of the information associated with the spectrum section.

[0143] In some embodiments, the information is included in the Sidelink Control Information (SCI) or in the Medium Access Control (MAC)-Control Element (CE).

[0144] The first terminal device comprises a processor and a memory storing computer program code, the memory and the computer program code being configured to cause the terminal device, using the processor, to execute a method according to any one of the above methods.

[0145] The second terminal device comprises a processor and a memory storing computer program code, the memory and the computer program code being configured to use the processor to cause the network device to perform a method described in any one of the above methods.

[0146] A computer readable medium stores instructions that, when executed by a processor of a device, cause the device to perform the method according to any one of the above methods.

Claims

1. A method of communication comprising: sensing, at a first terminal device, a plurality of spectrum sections that are idle for at least one sidelink transmission between the first terminal device and a second terminal device operating in an unlicensed spectrum; transmitting information indicating the plurality of spectrum sections to the second terminal device for resource allocation; A method comprising:

2. the information includes an indication determined based on a number of resource reservations and a number of the plurality of spectrum sections in a resource pool, the indication being for a plurality of contiguous spectrum sections of the plurality of spectrum sections; transmissions on the plurality of contiguous spectrum sections have a starting symbol aligned within a sidelink slot; The method of claim 1.

3. the information includes an indication determined based on a number of the plurality of spectrum sections in a resource pool, the indication being for a plurality of non-contiguous spectrum sections of the plurality of spectrum sections; transmissions on the plurality of non-contiguous spectrum sections have a starting symbol aligned within a sidelink slot; The method of claim 1.

4. the information includes an indication determined based on a number of the plurality of spectrum sections in a resource pool, the indication being for a plurality of non-contiguous spectrum sections of the plurality of spectrum sections; the transmission on the plurality of non-contiguous spectrum sections comprises, in a sidelink slot, a first starting symbol and one or more additional starting symbols after the first starting symbol; the information further indicates a subset of the plurality of non-contiguous spectral sections for which the transmission has one or more additional starting symbols. The method of claim 1.

5. The plurality of spectrum sections are identical with respect to at least one reserved resource. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4.

6. the information further indicates a plurality of interlaced spectral indices within each of the plurality of spectral sections, the indicated plurality of interlaced spectral indices being common to at least one of the plurality of spectral sections and at least one reserved resource. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 5.

7. The information further indicates a plurality of interlaced spectra individually within each of the plurality of spectral sections. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 5.

8. the information further indicates a plurality of interlaced spectrums within each of the at least one reserved resource individually. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 5.

9. the information includes at least one channel occupancy (CO) indication for the at least one sidelink transmission, the CO indication including at least a channel occupancy start point indication and a remaining channel occupancy duration indication. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 5.

10. the at least one CO indication includes a CO indication that is common to at least one of the plurality of spectrum sections and at least one reserved resource.

10. The method of claim 9.

11. the at least one CO indication includes a plurality of CO indications used to separately indicate CO for the plurality of spectral sections; 10. The method of claim 9.

12. The information further includes, for each of the plurality of spectral sections, a parameter: resource reservation period, Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS), or additional MCS table indicators; The method according to any one of claims 2 to 5.

13. Transmitting the information comprises: transmitting the information over selected spectrum sections of the plurality of spectrum sections. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 5.

14. The selected spectral section is the lowest spectral section in the frequency domain among the plurality of spectral sections, or a randomly selected spectral section. The method of claim 13.

15. the information is transmitted over the plurality of spectrum sections, each spectrum section of the plurality of spectrum sections carrying a corresponding portion of the information associated with the spectrum section. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 5.

16. the information is included in the Sidelink Control Information (SCI) or in the Medium Access Control (MAC) - Control Element (CE), The method of claim 1.

17. A method of communication comprising: receiving, at a second terminal device, information indicating a plurality of spectrum sections for resource allocation from the first terminal device; performing at least one sidelink transmission with the first terminal device on the plurality of spectrum sections within an unlicensed spectrum; A method comprising:

18. the information includes an indication determined based on a number of resource reservations and a number of the plurality of spectrum sections in a resource pool, the indication being for a plurality of contiguous spectrum sections of the plurality of spectrum sections; transmissions on the plurality of contiguous spectrum sections have a starting symbol aligned within a sidelink slot; 18. The method of claim 17.

19. the information includes an indication determined based on a number of the plurality of spectrum sections in a resource pool, the indication being for a plurality of non-contiguous spectrum sections of the plurality of spectrum sections; transmissions on the plurality of non-contiguous spectrum sections have a starting symbol aligned within a sidelink slot; 18. The method of claim 17.

20. the information includes an indication determined based on a number of the plurality of spectrum sections in a resource pool, the indication being for a plurality of non-contiguous spectrum sections of the plurality of spectrum sections; the transmission on the plurality of non-contiguous spectrum sections comprises, in a sidelink slot, a first starting symbol and one or more additional starting symbols after the first starting symbol; the information further indicates a subset of the plurality of spectral sections for which the transmission has one or more additional starting symbols.

18. The method of claim 17.

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