First terminal device, second terminal device, first terminal device method, and second terminal device method

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method, an apparatus, and a computer-readable medium for sidelink communication, the method being implemented in a first terminal device for sidelink communication, and including: determining, in the first terminal device, whether at least one Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel (PSFCH) resource within a duration of a Channel Occupancy Time (COT) is activated for transmission of Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) feedback information; and receiving sidelink data on the at least one PSFCH resource according to the determination that the at least one PSFCH resource is deactivated for transmission of the HARQ feedback information.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of telecommunications, and more particularly to methods, apparatus, and computer-readable media for sidelink communications. [Background technology]

[0002] In New Radio (NR) vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications, the Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel (PSFCH) is a physical sidelink channel that supports sidelink Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) feedback information. The PSFCH carries this HARQ feedback information over the sidelink from one terminal device that is the intended recipient of a Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH) transmission to another terminal device that initiated that transmission.

[0003] Channel Occupancy Time (COT) sharing is supported for NR sidelink operation in unlicensed spectrum. COT is always present in the sidelink resource pool and is suspended due to the absence of PSFCH transmission in configured / preconfigured PSFCH symbols. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In general, the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method, apparatus, and computer-readable medium for sidelink communications. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In a first aspect, there is provided a method for sidelink communication implemented in a first terminal device, the method comprising: determining, in the first terminal device, whether at least one PSFCH resource within a duration of a COT is activated for transmission of HARQ feedback information; and transmitting sidelink data on the at least one PSFCH resource according to a determination that the at least one PSFCH resource is deactivated for transmission of the HARQ feedback information.

[0006] In a second aspect, there is provided a method for sidelink communication, comprising: determining, in a second terminal device, whether at least one PSFCH resource within a duration of a COT is activated for reception of HARQ feedback information; and receiving sidelink data on the at least one PSFCH resource according to the determination that the at least one PSFCH resource is deactivated for reception of the HARQ feedback information.

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

[0008] In a fourth aspect, there is provided a terminal device, the terminal device including a processor and a memory storing instructions, the memory and the instructions configured to cause the terminal device, using the processor, to perform a method according to the second aspect.

[0009] In a fifth aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium storing instructions which, when executed on at least one processor of a device, cause the device to perform a method according to the first aspect.

[0010] In a sixth aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium storing instructions which, when executed on at least one processor of a device, cause the device to perform a method according to the second aspect.

[0011] 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]

[0012] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description of several embodiments of the present disclosure in the accompanying drawings.

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary communication network in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented.

[0014] [Figure 2] 2A-2C are diagrams illustrating examples of Automatic Gain Control (AGC) symbols and guard period (GP) symbols, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0015] [Figure 3] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a sub-channel in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0016] [Figure 4] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of PSFCH resources in the time domain, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0017] [Figure 5] FIG. 10 illustrates an example mapping between sidelink data transmissions on a PSSCH and PSFCH resources in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0018] [Figure 6] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a COT interruption according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0019] [Figure 7] 1 is a flowchart of an exemplary method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0020] [Figure 8A] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of PSFCH resources within a COT duration, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 8B] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of PSFCH resources within a COT duration, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0021] [Figure 9] FIG. 10 illustrates example PSFCH resources in the frequency domain and code domain within the duration of a COT, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0022] [Figure 10] FIG. 10 illustrates example PSFCH resources within and outside the duration of a COT, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0023] [Figure 11A] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a PSFCH resource including RBs in a starting subband, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0024] [Figure 11B] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a PSFCH resource that includes RBs in all consecutive subbands, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0025] [Figure 12] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a PSFCH resource in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0026] [Figure 13A]FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a PSFCH resource in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 13B] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a PSFCH resource in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0027] [Figure 14] 1 is a flowchart of another exemplary method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0028] [Figure 15] FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0029] In the drawings, the same or similar reference numbers represent the same or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0030] 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.

[0031] 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.

[0032] 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, in-vehicle 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 within a non-terrestrial network (NTN) including a ground-based 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), commonly known as drones, and high-speed trains (HSTs)."Terminal Device" includes, but is not limited to, devices on the UE (Mobile 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.

[0033] 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.

[0034] The terminal device or network device may have the capability of artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning, which generally includes a model trained from a large amount of data collected for a specific function and can be used to predict some information.

[0035] 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.

[0036] The network device may have a function of network energy saving, self-organizing networks (SON) / minimization of drive test (MDT). The terminal may have a function of power saving.

[0037] 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.

[0038] 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.

[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] 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary communication network 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. As shown in FIG. 1, communication network 100 may include a first terminal device 110, a second terminal device 120, a third terminal device 130, and network devices 140 and 150. Network devices 140 and 150 may communicate with first terminal device 110, second terminal device 120, and third terminal device 130 via respective wireless communication channels.

[0042] In some embodiments, the network device 140 may be a gNB in ​​an NR system, and the network device 150 may be an eNB in ​​a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system.

[0043] 1 is provided for illustrative purposes only 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.

[0044] Communications in communication network 100 may conform to any suitable standard, including, but not limited to, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), LTE, LTE-Evolution, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), GSM EDGE Radio Access Network (GERAN), Machine Type Communication (MTC), etc. Furthermore, communications may be performed in accordance with any currently known or future-developed generation of communication protocols. Examples of communication protocols include the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, and fifth generation (5G) communication protocols.

[0045] In some embodiments, communications in the communications network 100 may include sidelink communications. Sidelink communications are direct wireless radio communications between two or more terminal devices, e.g., a first terminal device 110, a second terminal device 120, and a third terminal device 130. In this type of communication, two or more terminal devices that are closest to each other geographically can communicate directly without going through a network device 140 or 150 or a core network. Thus, data transmission in sidelink communications differs from typical cellular network communications in which a terminal device transmits data to a network device 140 / 150 (i.e., uplink transmission) or receives data from a network device 140 / 150 (i.e., downlink transmission). As shown in FIG. 1, in sidelink communications, data is transmitted directly from a source terminal device (e.g., the first terminal device 110) to a target terminal device (e.g., the second terminal device 120) over a unified air interface (e.g., a PC5 interface) (i.e., sidelink transmission).

[0046] 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.

[0047] 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.

[0048] V2X communication enables vehicles to communicate with other vehicles (i.e., vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication), infrastructure (i.e., vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication), wireless networks (i.e., vehicle-to-network (V2N) communication), pedestrians (i.e., vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) communication), and even with the owner's home (i.e., vehicle-to-home (V2H) communication). Examples of infrastructure include roadside devices such as traffic lights and toll booths. V2X communication can be used in a wide range of scenarios, including accident prevention, safety, convenience, traffic efficiency, and accident-free driving, ultimately leading to autonomous and self-driving vehicles.

[0049] For sidelink communication, the terminal device transmits or receives signals using resources in a sidelink resource pool, which includes resources in the time and frequency domain that are either dedicated for sidelink communication or shared by sidelink communication and the cellular link.

[0050] 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. In the resource pool, among all symbols configured for sidelink in each slot, the first symbol (i.e., the start symbol) is used as an Automatic Gain Control (AGC) symbol, and the last symbol is used as a Guard Period (GP) symbol. The AGC and GP symbols may be considered as fixed overhead in the sidelink resources. In the following description of the embodiments, as shown in Figure 2, the AGC and GP symbols are included in the sidelink symbols indicated by the sidelink channel resource configuration, and the AGC symbols carry redundant sidelink information, while the GP symbols are not used to carry sidelink information.

[0051] The first terminal device 110, the second terminal device 120, and the third terminal device 130 may transmit sidelink signaling or information using sidelink channels, including at least one of: a Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH) resource used to carry sidelink control information (SCI), a Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH) resource used to carry sidelink data service information, a Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel (PSFCH) resource used to carry sidelink Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) feedback information, a Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel (PSBCH) resource used to carry sidelink broadcast information, and a Physical Sidelink Discovery Channel (PSDCH) resource used to carry sidelink discovery signals. Hereinafter, the PSFCH resource is also referred to as a feedback channel resource or a HARQ feedback opportunity.

[0052] In a resource pool, PSSCH resources include all symbols in a slot configured as sidelink available symbols and one or more subchannels in the frequency domain, where each subchannel includes an integer number of consecutive RBs. The number m of RBs included in one subchannel is also referred to as the subchannel size. Each slot included in the resource pool includes multiple available sidelink symbols, and PSSCH resources are located in the time domain from the first available sidelink symbol to all available symbols in the slot. In the frequency domain, the resource pool includes multiple RBs, and every m RBs are divided into subchannels starting from the first RB in the resource pool according to the subchannel size m, and each PSSCH channel resource is located on one or more subchannels. When any one of the first terminal device 110, second terminal device 120, and third terminal device 130 transmits sidelink information using PSSCH resources, it may use one or more subchannels to carry corresponding data information. A PSCCH resource includes t symbols in the time domain and l RBs in the frequency domain. As shown in FIG. 3, each PSCCH channel resource is located at t consecutive symbols starting from the first symbol of the available symbols in the time domain, and at l consecutive RBs starting from the first RB of the corresponding subchannel in the frequency domain.

[0053] Figure 4 illustrates an example of PSFCH resources in the time domain according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In the sidelink resource pool, a PSCCH or PSSCH resource is present in each slot and is used to transmit sidelink data. In the sidelink resource pool, the availability of PSFCH resources may be configured or pre-configured.

[0054] in the time domain, according to a configuration or pre-configuration of a sidelink resource pool, one slot out of every N slots in the resource pool contains a PSFCH resource; TIFF2025528740000002.tif6150. In the example of Fig. 4, N = 4. In the following, a slot including a PSFCH resource is also referred to as a PSFCH slot.

[0055] In the time domain, a PSFCH resource may include at least one symbol for carrying sidelink HARQ feedback information. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, a PSFCH resource may include symbols 410 and 412 before the last symbol 414 of a PSFCH slot. The first of these two symbols (e.g., symbol 410) may be used for AGC. Alternatively, a PSFCH resource may include the at least one symbol for carrying sidelink HARQ feedback information and at least one GP symbol associated with the at least one symbol for carrying sidelink HARQ feedback information. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, a PSFCH resource may include symbols 410 and 412 and a GP symbol 416 before symbols 410 and 412. In the following, each of the symbols for carrying sidelink HARQ feedback information and the GP symbol associated with the symbol for carrying sidelink HARQ feedback information will also be referred to as a PSFCH symbol.

[0056] Furthermore, the PSFCH resource may include at least one RB in the frequency domain and at least one code (e.g., a cyclic shift) in the code domain. Furthermore, the PSFCH resource may be associated with one subchannel in one slot.

[0057] The PSFCH resource is used to carry sidelink HARQ feedback information for sidelink data transmission on one or more PSSCH resources. The time gap between the PSFCH resource and the PSSCH resource may vary. As an example shown in Figure 5, one slot out of every four slots in the resource pool contains a PSFCH resource, i.e., the PSFCH periodicity is equal to 4.

[0058] There is an N-to-1 mapping relationship between PSSCH resources and PSFCH resources in the time domain. For data transmission on the PSSCH in slot #n, the associated HARQ feedback information should be reported in slot #n+k0, where k0 >= K0. K0 represents the minimum gap between the PSSCH resource and the PSFCH resource. K0 may be configured or pre-configured via higher layers. As shown in Figure 5, K0 = 3 slots. Therefore, HARQ feedback information associated with the PSSCH in slots #n, #n+1, and #n+2 should be reported on the PSFCH in slot #n+5, and HARQ feedback information associated with the PSSCH in slots #n+3, #n+4, #n+5, and #n+6 should be reported on the PSFCH in slot #n+9.

[0059] As mentioned above, COT sharing is supported for NR sidelink operation in unlicensed spectrum. COT is suspended due to the absence of PSFCH transmissions in configured / preconfigured PSFCH symbols that are always present in the sidelink resource pool. This is explained with reference to Figure 6.

[0060] Figure 6 shows an example of sidelink COT interruption. In the example of Figure 6, the minimum gap between the PSSCH and the PSFCH is equal to 2 (slots), and the PSFCH period is equal to 2 (slots). As shown in Figure 6, a UE using WIFI or other access technology may perform data transmission before slot n. For example, there may be no PSFCH transmission at the beginning of the COT (e.g., in slot n) due to processing time. As another example, there may be no PSFCH transmission within the COT (e.g., in slot #n+2, n+a) due to blind retransmission without HARQ-ACK on the associated PSSCH.

[0061] To solve the above problem and one or more other potential problems, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a solution for sidelink transmission. According to this solution, a terminal device determines whether at least one PSFCH resource within a duration of a COT is activated for transmitting HARQ feedback information. If the at least one PSFCH resource is activated, the terminal device transmits HARQ feedback information on the at least one PSFCH resource. If the at least one PSFCH resource is deactivated, the terminal device transmits sidelink data on the at least one PSFCH resource. In this way, a sidelink COT interruption can be avoided. The principles of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to Figures 7 to 15.

[0062] 7 is a flowchart of an exemplary method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, method 700 can be implemented in a terminal device, such as one of terminal device 110, terminal device 120, and terminal device 130 as shown in FIG. 1. For purposes of explanation, and without loss of generality, method 700 will be described as being performed by terminal device 110 with reference to FIG.

[0063] In block 710, terminal device 110 determines whether at least one PSFCH resource within the duration of the COT is activated for transmission of HARQ feedback information.

[0064] If the at least one PSFCH resource is activated for transmitting HARQ feedback information, terminal device 110 transmits the HARQ feedback information on the at least one PSFCH resource in block 720. On the other hand, if the at least one PSFCH resource is deactivated for transmitting HARQ feedback information, terminal device 110 transmits sidelink data on the at least one PSFCH resource in block 730. Because terminal device 110 transmits sidelink data on the at least one deactivated PSFCH resource in the COT, interruptions to the COT may be avoided.

[0065] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may determine whether the at least one PSFCH resource is activated for transmitting HARQ feedback information based on at least one of a pre-configuration of sidelink resources or an SCI received from at least one second terminal device. In other words, the terminal device 110 may determine whether the at least one PSFCH resource is activated based on a combination of a pre-configuration of sidelink resources and a dynamic indication in an SCI.

[0066] In some embodiments, the SCI may include shared information regarding the COT, which may include at least two of: a start slot of the duration of the COT, an end slot of the duration of the COT, or the duration of the COT.

[0067] In some embodiments, the at least one second terminal device that transmits the shared information regarding the COT may include the terminal device that initiated the COT. For example, terminal device 120 in FIG. 1 may initiate the COT and transmit the shared information regarding the COT to terminal device 110.

[0068] Alternatively, the at least one second terminal device may include a terminal device that takes over a COT initiated by another terminal device and forwards shared information related to the COT. For example, terminal device 130 in FIG. 1 may initiate a COT and send shared information related to the COT to terminal device 120. Terminal device 120 may take over the COT and forward shared information related to the COT to terminal device 110.

[0069] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may determine a PSFCH slot within the duration of the COT based on the pre-configuration of sidelink resources and the shared information regarding the COT. If a first PSFCH resource of the at least one PSFCH resource includes a PSFCH symbol in an ending PSFCH slot of the PSFCH slots, the terminal device 110 may determine that the first PSFCH resource is activated for transmitting HARQ feedback information. If a second PSFCH resource of the at least one PSFCH resource includes a PSFCH symbol in a second PSFCH slot of the at least one PSFCH resource, the terminal device 110 may determine that the second PSFCH resource is deactivated for transmitting HARQ feedback information. The second PSFCH slot is different from the ending PSFCH slot. This will be described with reference to FIG. 8A.

[0070] 8A is a diagram illustrating an example of PSFCH resources within a COT duration, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. In the example of FIG. 8A, the minimum gap between the PSSCH and the PSFCH is equal to 2 (slots), and the PSFCH period is equal to 2 (slots).

[0071] 8A, terminal device 110 receives sidelink data from terminal device 120 in PSSCH reception opportunities in slots n, n+1, and (n_f−2), and transmits HARQ feedback information for the sidelink data in slot n_f to terminal device 120. Slots n, n+1, n_f−2, and n_f are in the same COT.

[0072] The terminal device 110 periodically determines preset PSFCH slots for each sidelink resource pool based on the preset sidelink resource. Each PSFCH slot includes a PSFCH symbol.

[0073] Furthermore, terminal device 110 determines a preset PSFCH slot periodically within the duration of the COT based on shared information regarding the COT received from terminal device 120. For example, the shared information regarding the COT may include a start slot of the duration of the COT and the duration of the COT. Terminal device 110 may determine a preset PSFCH slot periodically within the duration of the COT based on the start slot of the duration of the COT and the duration of the COT.

[0074] Then, terminal device 110 determines the last PSFCH slot n_f within the duration of the COT as an activated PSFCH resource in the time domain. In other words, the position of the activated PSFCH resource (i.e., the last PSFCH slot n_f) in the time domain within the duration of the COT is implicitly indicated by the shared information regarding the COT. Furthermore, terminal device 110 determines PSFCH slots other than the last PSFCH slot n_f within the duration of the COT as deactivated PSFCH resources.

[0075] In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may determine a second set of PSSCH reception opportunities within the duration of the COT based on the sidelink resource preconfiguration and the shared information. If HARQ feedback is disabled in all PSSCH reception opportunities in the second set, terminal device 110 may determine that the at least one PSFCH resource is deactivated for transmission of HARQ feedback information for the second set of PSSCH reception opportunities.

[0076] In some embodiments, the sidelink resource pre-configuration may indicate that the number of PSFCH resources within the duration of the COT that is activated for the transmission of HARQ feedback information is equal to 2. Alternatively, if the duration of the COT is greater than a threshold, the terminal device 110 may determine that the number of PSFCH resources within the duration of the COT that is activated is equal to 2. It should be understood that the number of PSFCH resources may be any other suitable integer.

[0077] In an embodiment where the number of activated PSFCH resources within the duration of the COT is equal to two, if a PSFCH resource includes a PSFCH symbol in a PSFCH slot immediately preceding the ending PSFCH slot, terminal device 110 may determine that the PSFCH resource is also activated for transmission of HARQ feedback information, as will be described with reference to FIG.

[0078] 8B is a diagram illustrating an example of PSFCH resources within a COT duration, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. In the example of FIG. 8B, the minimum gap between the PSSCH and the PSFCH is equal to 2 (slots), and the PSFCH period is equal to 2 (slots).

[0079] 8B, terminal device 110 receives sidelink data from terminal device 120 within PSSCH reception opportunities within slots n, n+1, etc. Terminal device 110 transmits HARQ feedback information for the PSSCH reception opportunities within slots n, n+1, etc. to terminal device 120 within slot n_f1.

[0080] Furthermore, terminal device 110 receives sidelink data from terminal device 120 or terminal device 130 in PSSCH reception opportunities such as slots n_f1-2, n_f1-1, n_f1, etc. Terminal device 110 transmits HARQ feedback information for the PSSCH reception opportunities in slots n_f1-2, n_f1-1, n_f1, etc. to terminal device 120 in slot n_f2. Slots n, n+1, ..., n_f1-2, n_f1-1, n_f1, and n_f2 are in the same COT.

[0081] Similar to the example of FIG. 8A, terminal device 110 may determine the last PSFCH slot n_f2 within the duration of the COT as the activated PSFCH resource in the time domain.

[0082] Furthermore, if the pre-configuration of sidelink resources indicates that the number of PSFCH resources within the duration of an activated COT is equal to 2, or if the duration of the COT is greater than a threshold, the terminal device 110 may determine that the number of PSFCH resources within the duration of an activated COT is equal to 2. Next, the terminal device 110 may determine the PSFCH slot immediately before the last PSFCH slot n_f2 (i.e., PSFCH slot n_f1) as another activated PSFCH resource.

[0083] In the example of FIG. 8B, it is understood that the location of the activated PSFCH resources (i.e., the last two PSFCH slots) in the time domain within the duration of the COT is implicitly indicated by the shared information regarding the COT.

[0084] Furthermore, terminal device 110 determines PSFCH slots other than the last two PSFCH slots (PSFCH slots n_f1 and n_f2) within the duration of the COT as deactivated PSFCH resources.

[0085] In some embodiments, if the time gap between the first PSFCH resource within the duration of the COT and each of the PSSCH reception opportunities in the first set is equal to or greater than the minimum time gap indicated by the sidelink resource pre-configuration, the terminal device 110 may determine that the HARQ feedback information includes the first set of HARQ feedback information for the PSSCH reception opportunities.

[0086] Consider the example of FIG. 8A . Terminal device 110 receives sidelink data from terminal device 120 within PSSCH reception opportunities in slots n, n+1, ..., and (n_f-2). Terminal device 110 determines the last PSFCH slot n_f within the duration of the COT as the activated PSFCH resource. The minimum time gap indicated by the sidelink resource preconfiguration is equal to 2. The time gap between the last PSFCH slot n_f within the duration of the COT and the PSSCH reception opportunities in slots n, n+1, ..., and (n_f-2) is equal to or greater than 2. Therefore, within the last PSFCH slot n_f, terminal device 110 transmits HARQ feedback information for the PSSCH reception opportunities in slots n, n+1, ..., and (n_f-2) to terminal device 120.

[0087] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may determine the frequency domain and code domain resources included in the first PSFCH resource based on at least one of the number of PSSCH reception opportunities, the physical layer source identity of at least one second terminal device transmitting sidelink data within the PSSCH reception opportunity, or the identity of the terminal device 110, as will be described with reference to FIG.

[0088] 9 illustrates an example of PSFCH resources in the frequency domain and the code domain within a COT duration, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In FIG. 9, the PSFCH resources in slot #n+9 as shown in FIG. 5 are illustrated as an example.

[0089] As described with reference to Figure 5, HARQ feedback information associated with PSSCH resources in slots #n+3, n+4, n+5, and n+6 may be reported on the PSFCH resource in slot #n+9. Each of the PSSCH resources in slots #n+3, n+4, n+5, and n+6 may include PRBs in three consecutive subchannels.

[0090] In the time domain, the PSFCH resources in slot #n+9 include PSFCH symbols 910 and 920 for carrying sidelink HARQ feedback information. In the following, the frequency domain and code domain resources within PSFCH symbol 920 are described by way of example.

[0091] In the frequency domain, the configured PSFCH resource may include 120 PRBs. These 120 PRBs are divided into 12 sets, each associated with a subchannel in slots n+3, n+4, n+5, and n+6. Each of these sets includes 10 PRBs. For example, set 930 includes PRBs 0-9.

[0092] In some embodiments, sidelink HARQ feedback information for PSSCH reception opportunities in one subchannel within one slot may be mapped to a Zadoff-Chu sequence. In such embodiments, the Zadoff-Chu sequence may be determined based on a cyclic shift value. If two cyclic shift values ​​are employed, set 930 may include two codes. In other words, set 930 includes 20 frequency-domain and code-domain resources.

[0093] The terminal device 110 may determine one of the 20 frequency domain and code domain resources based on at least one of the physical layer source identity of at least one second terminal device transmitting sidelink data within the PSSCH reception opportunity or the identity of the terminal device 110.

[0094] In some embodiments, if the time gap between the first PSFCH resource and the first PSSCH reception opportunity within the duration of the COT is smaller than the minimum time gap, terminal device 110 may determine a third PSFCH resource outside the duration of the COT based on the pre-configuration of sidelink resources. Terminal device 110 may then transmit first HARQ feedback information for the first PSSCH reception opportunity on the third PSFCH resource, as described with reference to FIG. 10.

[0095] 10 illustrates an example of PSFCH resources within and outside the duration of a COT, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 10, terminal device 110 receives sidelink data from terminal device 120 within PSFCH reception opportunities in slots n and m within the duration of the COT. Terminal device 110 determines the last PSFCH slot n_f within the duration of the COT as the activated PSFCH resource.

[0096] The minimum time gap indicated by the sidelink resource pre-configuration is equal to 3. The time gap between the last PSFCH slot n_f and the PSSCH reception opportunity in slot n is greater than 3. Therefore, in the last PSFCH slot n_f, terminal device 110 transmits HARQ feedback information about the PSSCH reception opportunity in slot n to terminal device 120.

[0097] The time gap between the last PSFCH slot n_f and the PSSCH reception opportunity in slot m is equal to 2, which is less than 3. Thus, in the last PSFCH slot n_f, terminal device 110 does not transmit HARQ feedback information to terminal device 120 about the PSSCH reception opportunity in slot m.

[0098] To transmit HARQ feedback information for the PSSCH reception opportunity in slot m, terminal device 110 determines a PSFCH resource outside the duration of the COT based on the pre-configuration of sidelink resources. For example, terminal device 110 determines a PSFCH resource in slot m_f outside the duration of the COT. If a channel access (CA) procedure before slot m_f was successful, terminal device 110 transmits HARQ feedback information for the PSSCH reception opportunity in slot m in slot m_f. If the CA procedure before slot m_f failed and multiple PSFCH transmission opportunities were enabled, terminal device 110 may attempt to access the channel before slot m_f′.

[0099] In some embodiments, if the priority of the sidelink data is higher than a threshold (priority value in the SCI<threshold) and HARQ feedback is enabled for the sidelink data, the sidelink data may be transmitted on the first PSSCH resource within the duration of the COT, where the time gap between the first PSSCH resource and the first PSFCH resource is larger than the minimum time gap indicated by the sidelink resource pre-configuration.

[0100] For example, if the priority of sidelink data transmitted by the terminal device 120 is higher than a threshold and HARQ feedback is enabled for the sidelink data, the terminal device 120 may select a first PSSCH resource within the duration of the COT for transmitting the sidelink data. The time gap between the first PSSCH resource and the first PSFCH resource is greater than the minimum time gap. That is, if the traffic has a relatively high priority and HARQ-ACK is enabled, the terminal device 120 may try to select a resource within the COT as soon as possible. This can ensure that HARQ feedback information for the relatively high-priority traffic can be transmitted within the COT.

[0101] In some embodiments, if HARQ feedback is disabled for sidelink data, the sidelink data may be transmitted on a second PSSCH resource within the duration of the COT, where the time gap between the second PSSCH resource and the first PSFCH resource is smaller than the minimum time gap indicated by the sidelink resource pre-configuration.

[0102] For example, if HARQ feedback is disabled for sidelink data transmitted by the terminal device 130, the terminal device 130 may select a second PSSCH resource within the duration of the COT for transmitting the sidelink data, where the time gap between the second PSSCH resource and the first PSFCH resource is smaller than the minimum time gap. In other words, the terminal device 130 with HARQ-ACK disabled may select a resource within the COT as late as possible.

[0103] In some embodiments, there may be wideband operation in the frequency domain. For example, there may be operation on a combination of four subbands, Listen Before Talk (LBT) bandwidth (BW), or RB sets. When mapping the PSSCH to the PSFCH, the subband index must be taken into consideration.

[0104] In such an embodiment, terminal device 110 may receive sidelink data in contiguous subbands associated with a PSSCH reception opportunity. If a first PSFCH resource is activated for transmitting HARQ feedback information for the PSSCH reception opportunity, terminal device 110 may determine that the first PSFCH resource includes RBs in at least one of the contiguous subbands.

[0105] In some embodiments, the first PSFCH resource may include RBs in a starting subband of consecutive subbands, as described with reference to FIG. 11A.

[0106] 11A illustrates an example of a PSFCH resource including RBs in an initiation subband according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 11A, terminal device 110 receives sidelink data in subbands #1, #2, and #3 associated with a PSSCH reception opportunity in slot #a. Terminal device 110 further receives sidelink data in subbands #3 and #4 associated with a PSSCH reception opportunity in slot #b. Terminal device 110 further receives sidelink data in subband #2 associated with a PSSCH reception opportunity in slot #c. The PSFCH resource includes RBs in slot #d.

[0107] The PSFCH resource 1110 for transmitting HARQ feedback information for the PSSCH reception opportunity in slot #a includes RBs in the starting subband (ie, subband #1) of consecutive subbands #1, #2, and #3.

[0108] The PSFCH resource 1112 for transmitting HARQ feedback information for the PSSCH reception opportunity in slot #c includes RBs in subband #2.

[0109] The PSFCH resource 1114 for transmitting HARQ feedback information for the PSSCH reception opportunity in slot #b includes RBs in the starting subband (ie, subband #3) of consecutive subbands #3 and #4.

[0110] In some embodiments, the first PSFCH resource may include RBs in all consecutive subbands. In such embodiments, if the channel access procedure on the first subband of the consecutive subbands is successful, the terminal device 110 transmits HARQ feedback information for the sidelink data on the first subband. Alternatively, if the channel access procedure on all consecutive subbands is successful, the terminal device 110 transmits HARQ feedback information for the sidelink data on all consecutive subbands. This will be described with reference to FIG. 11B.

[0111] 11B illustrates an example of a PSFCH resource including RBs in all consecutive subbands, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Similar to the example of FIG. 11A, the terminal device 110 receives sidelink data in subbands #1, #2, and #3 associated with a PSSCH reception opportunity in slot #a. The terminal device 110 also receives sidelink data in subbands #3 and #4 associated with a PSSCH reception opportunity in slot #b.

[0112] PSFCH resources 1120, 1122, and 1124 for transmitting HARQ feedback information for PSSCH reception opportunities in slot #a include RBs in all consecutive subbands #1, #2, and #3. If the channel access procedure on one subband, for example, subband #2, is successful, terminal device 110 transmits HARQ feedback information for sidelink data on subband #2. Alternatively, if the channel access procedure on all consecutive subbands #1, #2, and #3 is successful, terminal device 110 transmits HARQ feedback information for sidelink data on all consecutive subbands #1, #2, and #3.

[0113] PSFCH resources 1124 and 1126 for transmitting HARQ feedback information for PSSCH reception opportunities in slot #b include RBs in all consecutive subbands #3 and #4. If the channel access procedure on one subband, for example, subband #3, is successful, terminal device 110 transmits HARQ feedback information for sidelink data on subband #3. Alternatively, if the channel access procedure on all consecutive subbands #3 and #4 is successful, terminal device 110 transmits HARQ feedback information for sidelink data on all consecutive subbands #3 and #4.

[0114] In the example of Figures 11A and 11B, it is possible to achieve low complexity and reuse conventional principles.

[0115] In some embodiments, the activated PSFCH resources may be explicitly indicated by an SCI to enable the PSFCH resources among the pre-configured PSFCH slots.

[0116] In such an embodiment, terminal device 110 may determine a third set of PSSCH reception opportunities within the duration of the COT based on the pre-configuration of sidelink resources. Terminal device 110 may determine, based on an indication in the SCI received in at least one of the PSSCH reception opportunities in the third set, that a fourth PSFCH resource of the at least one PSFCH resource is activated for transmission of fourth HARQ feedback information for at least one of the PSSCH reception opportunities.

[0117] In such an embodiment, the SCI may include a field F containing the indication, as will be explained with reference to FIG.

[0118] 12 illustrates an example of PSFCH resources according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 12, for example, the terminal device 110 determines a third set of PSSCH reception opportunities within the duration of the COT based on the pre-configuration of sidelink resources. The third set includes a PSSCH reception opportunity in slot n. The SCI received within the PSSCH reception opportunity in slot n includes field F. The value of field F indicates that a PSFCH resource in slot n_f is activated for transmitting HARQ feedback information for the PSSCH reception opportunity in slot n.

[0119] For another example, the terminal device 110 may determine a fourth set of PSSCH reception opportunities within the duration of the COT based on the pre-configuration of sidelink resources. The fourth set includes a PSSCH reception opportunity in slot n+1. The SCI received in the PSSCH reception opportunity in slot n+1 includes field F. The value of field F indicates that a PSFCH resource in slot m_f is activated for transmitting HARQ feedback information for the PSSCH reception opportunity in slot n+1.

[0120] 12, it is understood that for each PSFCH slot, terminal device 110 should calculate the number of PSSCH slots associated with the PSFCH slot by decoding other SCIs in the slot set of PSSCH reception opportunities that may be associated with the PSFCH slot. Terminal device 110 may then determine whether there is an activated PSFCH and determine the exact PSFCH resource location within the slot. The slot set includes slots that are within the COT at least the minimum gap before the PSFCH slot (e.g., slot m_f).

[0121] Furthermore, in such an embodiment, the terminal device 120 transmitting the SCI may determine the value of field F according to higher layer packet delay budget (PDB) requirements or higher layer instructions.

[0122] In some embodiments, sidelink resource preconfiguration is activated for a COT and indicates at least one of an offset of a starting PSFCH resource within the duration of the COT relative to a starting slot of the COT or a periodicity of the PSFCH resource within the duration of the COT. The offset is greater than the minimum time gap between the PSFCH resource and the PSFCH reception opportunity within the duration of the COT. In other words, in such embodiments, a first set of PSFCH slots that can reuse the R16 NR SL scheme is configured periodically for the BWP or sidelink resource pool. Furthermore, a second set of PSFCH slots is preconfigured for the COT per BWP or sidelink resource pool, overriding the first set of PSFCH slots within the COT with at least one of an offset or a periodicity of the PSFCH resource within the duration of the COT. This will be described with reference to Figures 13A and 13B.

[0123] 13A and 13B respectively illustrate example PSFCH resources according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 13A, terminal device 110 determines a first set of PSFCH slots based on a first pre-configuration of sidelink resources. The first set of PSFCH slots includes slots n-2, n, n+2, n+4, and n+6. Terminal device 110 determines a second set of PSFCH slots based on a second pre-configuration of sidelink resources within a COT duration. The second set of PSFCH slots includes slots n and n+4.

[0124] The second pre-configuration of sidelink resources indicates an offset of the starting PSFCH resource within the duration of the COT relative to the starting slot of the duration of the COT, which offset is greater than the minimum time gap between the PSFCH resource and the PSSCH reception opportunity within the duration of the COT.

[0125] As shown in Figure 13B, the offset is equal to 4 and the minimum time gap is equal to 3. Furthermore, the second pre-configuration of sidelink resources indicates the periodicity of the PSFCH resources within the duration of the COT. In this example, the periodicity of the PSFCH resources is equal to 4. The second set of PSFCH slots overwrites the first set of PSFCH slots within the COT duration, and as shown in Figure 13B, the PSFCH resources in slots n, n+4, and n+6 are activated. The activated PSFCH resources are determined as the earliest PSFCH slots after at least the minimum time gap of the PSFCH among the last PSFCH slots.

[0126] In the examples of FIGS. 13A and 13B, in order to inform other terminal devices of the PSFCH position within the COT, the COT information (at least the start, end, or duration of the COT) should be indicated within the shared information of the COT.

[0127] 14 is a flowchart of an exemplary method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, method 1400 can be implemented in a terminal device, such as one of terminal device 110, terminal device 120, and terminal device 130 as shown in FIG. 1. For purposes of explanation, and without loss of generality, method 1400 will be described with reference to FIG. 1 as being performed by terminal device 120.

[0128] In block 1410, terminal device 120 determines whether at least one PSFCH resource within the duration of the COT is activated for receiving HARQ feedback information.

[0129] If the at least one PSFCH resource is activated for reception of HARQ feedback information, terminal device 120 receives HARQ feedback information on the at least one PSFCH resource in block 1420. On the other hand, if the at least one PSFCH resource is deactivated for reception of HARQ feedback information, terminal device 120 receives sidelink data on the at least one PSFCH resource in block 1430. Because terminal device 120 receives sidelink data on the at least one deactivated PSFCH resource within the COT, interruption of the COT can be avoided.

[0130] In some embodiments, the method 1400 further includes determining whether the at least one PSFCH resource is activated for receiving HARQ feedback information based on at least one of a pre-configuration of sidelink resources or an SCI transmitted to the first terminal device.

[0131] In some embodiments, the SCI includes shared information regarding the COT, where the shared information includes at least two of: a start slot of the duration of the COT, an end slot of the duration of the COT, or the duration of the COT.

[0132] In some embodiments, determining whether the at least one PSFCH resource is activated for reception of HARQ feedback information comprises: determining a PSFCH slot within a duration of the COT based on the pre-configuration of sidelink resources and the shared information regarding the COT; and determining that the first PSFCH resource is activated for reception of HARQ feedback information according to determining that a first PSFCH resource of the at least one PSFCH resource includes a PSFCH symbol in an ending PSFCH slot of the PSFCH slots.

[0133] In some embodiments, the method 1400 further includes, in accordance with determining that a second PSFCH resource of the at least one PSFCH resource includes a PSFCH symbol in a second PSFCH slot of the at least one PSFCH resource that is different from the ending PSFCH slot, determining that the second PSFCH resource is deactivated for reception of HARQ feedback information.

[0134] In some embodiments, the method 1400 further includes determining, in accordance with a determination that a time gap between the first PSFCH resource within the duration of the COT and each of the PSSCH reception opportunities in the first set is greater than a minimum time gap indicated by a pre-configuration of the sidelink resources, that the HARQ feedback information includes the first set of HARQ feedback information for the PSSCH reception opportunities.

[0135] In some embodiments, the method 1400 further includes determining the frequency domain and code domain resources included in the first PSFCH resource based on at least one of the number of PSSCH reception opportunities, the physical layer source identity of a second terminal device transmitting sidelink data within the PSSCH reception opportunity, or the identity of the first terminal device.

[0136] In some embodiments, the method 1400 further includes determining, based on the pre-configuration of sidelink resources, a third PSFCH resource outside the duration of the COT in accordance with determining that the time gap between the first PSFCH resource and the first PSSCH reception opportunity in the first set is smaller than the minimum time gap, and receiving, on the third PSFCH resource, first HARQ feedback information for the first PSSCH reception opportunity.

[0137] In some embodiments, the sidelink resource pre-configuration indicates that the number of PSFCH resources within the duration of the COT that are activated for reception of the HARQ feedback information is equal to two, or determines that the number of PSFCH resources within the duration of the COT that are activated is equal to two following a determination that the duration of the COT is greater than a threshold.

[0138] In some embodiments, determining whether the at least one PSFCH resource is activated for reception of HARQ feedback information further includes: determining that a fourth PSFCH resource of the at least one PSFCH resource is activated for reception of HARQ feedback information in accordance with determining that the fourth PSFCH resource includes a PSFCH symbol in a PSFCH slot immediately before the end PSFCH slot.

[0139] In some embodiments, determining whether the at least one PSFCH resource is activated for reception of HARQ feedback information comprises: determining a second set of PSSCH reception opportunities within the duration of the COT based on the sidelink resource pre-configuration and the shared information; and determining that the at least one PSFCH resource is deactivated for reception of the second set of HARQ feedback information for the second set of PSSCH reception opportunities according to determining that HARQ feedback is disabled in all PSSCH reception opportunities in the second set.

[0140] In some embodiments, the method 1400 further includes transmitting sidelink data in contiguous subbands associated with the second PSFCH reception opportunity, and determining, in response to the reception of the HARQ feedback information, that the first PSFCH resource comprises a resource block (RB) in at least one of the contiguous subbands, in accordance with the determination that the first PSFCH resource is activated.

[0141] In some embodiments, the first PSFCH resource includes RBs in a starting subband of the contiguous subbands.

[0142] In some embodiments, the first PSFCH resource includes RBs in all consecutive subbands.

[0143] In some embodiments, receiving the HARQ feedback information includes receiving third HARQ feedback information for the sidelink data on a first subband of the consecutive subbands in response to a successful channel access procedure on the first subband, or receiving third HARQ feedback information for the sidelink data on all consecutive subbands in response to a successful channel access procedure on all consecutive subbands.

[0144] In some embodiments, determining whether the at least one PSFCH resource is activated for reception of HARQ feedback information comprises: determining a third set of PSSCH reception opportunities within the duration of the COT based on a pre-configuration of sidelink resources; and determining based on an indication in an SCI sent in at least one of the PSSCH reception opportunities in the third set that a fourth PSFCH resource of the at least one PSFCH resource is activated for reception of fourth HARQ feedback information for the at least one PSSCH reception opportunity.

[0145] In some embodiments, the sidelink resource pre-configuration is activated for a COT and indicates at least one of an offset of a starting PSFCH resource within the duration of the COT relative to a starting slot of the COT, said offset being greater than a minimum time gap between a PSFCH resource and a PSSCH reception opportunity within the duration of the COT, or a periodicity of the PSFCH resource within the duration of the COT.

[0146] In some embodiments, the method 1400 further comprises, in accordance with determining that the priority of the sidelink data is higher than a threshold and HARQ feedback is enabled for the sidelink data, transmitting the sidelink data on a first PSSCH resource within a duration of the COT, wherein a time gap between the first PSSCH resource and the first PSFCH resource is greater than a minimum time gap indicated by a pre-configuration of the sidelink resources.

[0147] In some embodiments, the method 1400 further comprises, following the determination that HARQ feedback is disabled for the sidelink data, transmitting the sidelink data on second Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH) resources within the duration of the COT, wherein a time gap between the second PSSCH resource and the first PSFCH resource is smaller than a minimum time gap indicated by a pre-configuration of the sidelink resources.

[0148] 15 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus 1500 suitable for implementing some embodiments of the present disclosure. The apparatus 1500 may be considered as another exemplary embodiment of one of the terminal devices 110, 120, and 130 or one of the network devices 140 and 150 shown in FIG. 1. Thus, the apparatus 1500 may be implemented in, or as at least a part of, one of the terminal devices 110, 120, and 130 or one of the network devices 140 and 150.

[0149] As shown, the apparatus 1500 comprises a processor 1510, a memory 1520 coupled to the processor 1510, a suitable transmitter (TX) and receiver (RX) 1540 coupled to the processor 1510, and a communication interface coupled to the TX / RX 1540. The memory 1520 stores at least a portion of a program 1530. The TX / RX 1540 is used for bidirectional communication. The TX / RX 1540 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.

[0150] The program 1530 is assumed to include program instructions that, when executed by an associated processor 1510, enable the device 1500 to operate in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, as described herein with reference to Figures 2-11. The embodiments herein may be implemented by computer software executable by the processor 1510 of the device 1500, by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. The processor 1510 may be configured to implement various embodiments of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the combination of the processor 1510 and the memory 1520 may form a processing means 1550 suitable for implementing various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0151] Memory 1520 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 1520 is shown in device 1500, there may be several physically distinct memory modules within device 1500. Processor 1510 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 1500 may have multiple processors, for example, application-specific integrated circuit chips time-slaved to a clock that synchronizes the main processor.

[0152] 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 instead of, 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 systems (SOCs), complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), etc.

Claims

1. 1. A method for sidelink communication, comprising: determining, in the first terminal device, whether at least one Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel (PSFCH) resource within a duration of a Channel Occupancy Time (COT) for transmitting Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) feedback information is activated; transmitting sidelink data on the at least one PSFCH resource according to determining that the at least one PSFCH resource is deactivated for transmission of the HARQ feedback information; and A method comprising:

2. transmitting the HARQ feedback information on the at least one PSFCH resource in accordance with determining that the at least one PSFCH resource is activated for transmission of the HARQ feedback information; The method of claim 1 further comprising:

3. determining whether the at least one PSFCH resource is activated for transmitting the HARQ feedback information; Pre-configuration of side link resources, or Sidelink Control Information (SCI) received from at least one second terminal device; The method of claim 1 , wherein the determination is based on at least one of:

4. The SCI includes shared information regarding the COT, and the shared information includes: a start slot of the duration of the COT; the end slot of the duration of the COT; or the duration of the COT; 4. The method of claim 3, comprising at least two of:

5. Determining whether the at least one PSFCH resource is activated for transmitting the HARQ feedback information comprises: determining a PSFCH slot within the duration of the COT based on the pre-configuration of sidelink resources and the shared information regarding the COT; determining, according to a determination that a first PSFCH resource of the at least one PSFCH resource includes a PSFCH symbol in an ending PSFCH slot of the PSFCH slots, that the first PSFCH resource is activated for transmission of the HARQ feedback information; 5. The method of claim 4, comprising:

6. determining that a second PSFCH resource of the at least one PSFCH resource includes a PSFCH symbol in a second PSFCH slot of the at least one PSFCH resource that is different from the ending PSFCH slot; and The method of claim 5 further comprising:

7. receiving sidelink data in consecutive subbands associated with a second PSSCH reception opportunity; and determining, in accordance with determining that the first PSFCH resource is activated for transmitting the HARQ feedback information, that the first PSFCH resource comprises a resource block (RB) in at least one of the consecutive subbands; The method of claim 5 further comprising:

8. The first PSFCH resource includes a RB in a starting subband of the consecutive subbands. The method of claim 7.

9. The first PSFCH resource includes RBs in all the consecutive subbands. The method of claim 7.

10. Determining whether the at least one PSFCH resource is activated for transmitting the HARQ feedback information comprises: determining a third set of Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH) reception opportunities within the duration of the COT based on the sidelink resource pre-configuration; and determining, based on an indication in the SCI received in at least one of the PSSCH reception opportunities in the third set, that a fourth PSFCH resource of the at least one PSFCH resource is activated for transmission of fourth HARQ feedback information for the at least one of the PSSCH reception opportunities; 4. The method of claim 3, comprising:

11. The pre-configuration of side link resources comprises: Activated for the COT, indicates at least one of: an offset of a starting PSFCH resource within the duration of the COT relative to the starting slot of the duration of the COT, the offset being greater than a minimum time gap between a PSFCH resource and a PSSCH reception opportunity within the duration of the COT; or a periodicity of a PSFCH resource within the duration of the COT. The method of claim 4.

12. 1. A method for sidelink communication, comprising: determining, in the second terminal device, whether at least one Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel (PSFCH) resource within a duration of a Channel Occupancy Time (COT) for receiving Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) feedback information is activated; receiving sidelink data on the at least one PSFCH resource according to a determination that the at least one PSFCH resource is deactivated for reception of the HARQ feedback information; and A method comprising:

13. receiving the HARQ feedback information on the at least one PSFCH resource in accordance with determining that the at least one PSFCH resource is activated for reception of the HARQ feedback information; The method of claim 12 further comprising:

14. determining whether the at least one PSFCH resource is activated for receiving the HARQ feedback information; Pre-configuration of side link resources, or Sidelink control information (SCI) transmitted to the first terminal device; The method of claim 12 , wherein the determination is based on at least one of:

15. The SCI includes shared information regarding the COT, and the shared information includes: a start slot of the duration of the COT; the end slot of the duration of the COT; or the duration of the COT; 15. The method of claim 14, comprising at least two of:

16. Determining whether the at least one PSFCH resource is activated for receiving the HARQ feedback information comprises: determining a PSFCH slot within the duration of the COT based on the pre-configuration of sidelink resources and the shared information regarding the COT; determining, according to a determination that a first PSFCH resource of the at least one PSFCH resource includes a PSFCH symbol in an ending PSFCH slot of the PSFCH slots, that the first PSFCH resource is activated for reception of the HARQ feedback information; 15. The method of claim 14, comprising:

17. determining that a second PSFCH resource of the at least one PSFCH resource includes a PSFCH symbol in a second PSFCH slot of the at least one PSFCH resource that is different from the ending PSFCH slot; and 17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

18. transmitting sidelink data in consecutive subbands associated with a second PSSCH reception opportunity; and determining, in response to receiving the HARQ feedback information, that the first PSFCH resource is activated, that the first PSFCH resource includes a resource block (RB) in at least one of the consecutive subbands; and 17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

19. The first PSFCH resource includes a RB in a starting subband of the consecutive subbands.

20. The method of claim 18.

20. The first PSFCH resource includes RBs in all the consecutive subbands.

20. The method of claim 18.

21. Determining whether the at least one PSFCH resource is activated for receiving the HARQ feedback information comprises: determining a third set of Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH) reception opportunities within the duration of the COT based on the sidelink resource pre-configuration; and determining, based on an indication in the SCI transmitted in at least one of the PSSCH reception opportunities in the third set, that a fourth PSFCH resource of the at least one PSFCH resource is activated for reception of fourth HARQ feedback information for the at least one of the PSSCH reception opportunities; 15. The method of claim 14, comprising:

22. The pre-configuration of side link resources comprises: Activated for the COT, indicates at least one of: an offset of a starting PSFCH resource within the duration of the COT relative to the starting slot of the duration of the COT, the offset being greater than a minimum time gap between a PSFCH resource and a PSSCH reception opportunity within the duration of the COT; or a periodicity of a PSFCH resource within the duration of the COT.

16. The method of claim 15.

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