COMMUNICATION DEVICE, COMMUNICATION METHOD, AND INTEGRATED CIRCUIT FOR SHARING SIDELINK CO-CHANNEL COEXISTENCE RESOURCE SELECTION INFORMATION

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a communications apparatus and a communications method for sidelink co-channel coexistence resource selection information sharing, comprising: a first module configured, in operation, to select a first list of resources from a first plurality of candidate resources based on information regarding one or more resources of a second plurality of candidate resources received from a second module; and a transceiver unit configured, in operation, to transmit and / or receive signals on one of the first list of resources to and from another communications apparatus.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a communications apparatus and method for resource selection, and more particularly for resource sharing in the context of sidelink co-channel coexistence. [Background technology]

[0002] The objectives for co-channel coexistence in Long-Term Evolution (LTE) sidelink (SL) and New Radio (NR) sidelink are identified, namely, to explore and identify (where appropriate) mechanisms for co-channel coexistence in LTE and NR sidelink, including performance, necessity, feasibility, and potential specification impacts ([RAN1, RAN2, RAN4]), with the goal of reusing the in-device coexistence framework defined in Release 16 as much as possible.

[0003] However, in LTE SL and NR SL, the LTE SL module and the NR SL module perform resource selection separately at their respective physical layers (i.e., sensing) and their respective Media Access Control (MAC) layers (i.e., resource reservation). Currently, no solution exists for how resource selection information (e.g., sensing information and / or resource reservation information) is shared and utilized in the context of co-channel coexistence of both LTE SL and NR SL.

[0004] Therefore, what is needed is a communication apparatus and method for sidelink co-channel coexistence resource selection information sharing to solve the problems discussed above. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the following detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the background of this disclosure. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0005] [Non-Patent Document 1] 3GPP TS 38.300 v16.3.0 [Non-patent document 2] 3GPP TS 38.211 v16.3.0 [Non-patent document 3] 3GPP TS 36.213 [Non-patent document 4] 3GPP TS 23.502 [Non-patent document 5] 3GPP TS 23.287 v16.4.0 [Non-patent document 6] 3GPP TS 38.214 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The non-limiting and exemplary embodiments facilitate providing a communications apparatus and method for a multi-link traffic indication map.

[0007] In a first aspect, the present disclosure provides a first communications device comprising: a first module configured, in operation, to select a first list of resources from a first plurality of candidate resources based on information regarding one or more resources of a second plurality of candidate resources received from a second module; and a transceiver unit configured, in operation, to transmit and / or receive a signal from another communications device on one of the first list of resources.

[0008] In a second aspect, the present disclosure provides a second communications device comprising: a second module configured, in operation, to select a second list of resources from a second plurality of candidate resources; and a transceiver unit configured, in operation, to transmit a signal to the first communications device including information regarding the second list of resources, used to select the first list of resources from the first plurality of candidate resources.

[0009] In a third aspect, the present disclosure provides a third communications device comprising: a transceiver unit that, in operation, receives information regarding one or more resources from a first communications device; and a third module that, in operation, is configured to select a third list of resources from a third plurality of candidate resources based on the information regarding the one or more resources, wherein the third communications device is configured to transmit and / or receive signals in one of the third list of resources via the transceiver unit.

[0010] In a fourth aspect, the present disclosure provides a communication method implemented by a first communication device, the communication method including: a first module of the first communication device selecting a first list of resources from the first plurality of candidate resources based on information regarding one or more resources of the second plurality of candidate resources received from a second module; and transmitting and / or receiving a signal on one of the first list of resources to and from another communication device.

[0011] In a fifth aspect, the present disclosure provides a communication method implemented by a second communication device, the communication method including: selecting a second list of resources from a second plurality of candidate resources; and transmitting a signal to the first communication device including information regarding the second list of resources used to select the first list of resources from the first plurality of candidate resources.

[0012] In a sixth aspect, the present disclosure provides a communication method implemented by a third communication device, the communication method including: receiving information regarding one or more resources from a first communication device; and a third module of the third communication device selecting a third list of resources from a third plurality of candidate resources based on the information regarding the one or more resources from the first communication device, wherein the third communication device is configured to transmit and / or receive a signal on one of the third list of resources.

[0013] Further advantages and benefits of an embodiment of the present disclosure will become apparent from the specification and drawings. Such advantages and / or benefits may be provided by some of the embodiments and features described in the specification and drawings, but not all of them necessarily need to be provided to obtain one or more identical features.

[0014] In the accompanying drawings, where like reference characters refer to the same or functionally similar elements throughout the separate views, the drawings, together with the following detailed description, which are incorporated into and form a part of this specification, illustrate various embodiments and serve to explain various principles and advantages according to the present embodiments. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram of an example architecture of a 3GPP NR-RAN to which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied; [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the division of functions between NG-RAN and 5GC to which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a sequence diagram of a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection setup / reconfiguration procedure to which an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure can be applied. [Figure 4] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating usage scenarios of enhanced Mobile BroadBand (eMBB), massive Machine Type Communications (mMTC), and Ultra Reliable and Low Latency Communications (URLLC), to which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied. [Figure 5] Block diagram illustrating an exemplary 5G system architecture for vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications in a non-roaming scenario [Figure 6]Flowchart showing the Release 16 New Radio (NR) Sidelink (SL) sensing process performed by the NR SL module at the physical layer [Figure 7] 1 is a flowchart illustrating the Release 15 LTE (Long-Term Evolution) sidelink (SL) sensing process performed by the LTE SL module at the physical layer. [Figure 8] 1 is a schematic example of a communication device according to various embodiments; [Figure 9] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method implemented by a first communication device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 10] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method implemented by a second communication device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method implemented by a third communication device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 12] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a first example mapping of NR and LTE resource pools according to the present disclosure. [Figure 13A] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a second example mapping of NR and LTE resource pools according to the present disclosure. [Figure 13B] FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a third example mapping of NR and LTE resource pools according to the present disclosure. [Figure 14] FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a resource selection process performed by an NR SL module according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a resource selection process performed by an NR SL module according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 16] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a resource selection process performed by an NR SL module at a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 17]FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a resource selection process performed by an NR SL module of an SL device at the MAC layer after receiving preferred LTE reporting resources signaled by other SL devices according to a first example of a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a resource selection process performed by an NR SL module of an SL device at the MAC layer after receiving preferred LTE reporting resources signaled by other SL devices according to a second example of the fourth embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures, block diagrams, or flowcharts may be exaggerated relative to other elements to allow an accurate understanding of the embodiments.

[0017] Some embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the drawings in which like reference numbers and letters indicate similar or equivalent elements.

[0018] 3GPP continues to work on the next release of fifth-generation cellular technology (simply referred to as 5G), which includes the development of New Radio Access Technology (NR), which will operate in frequencies up to 100 GHz. The first version of the 5G standard was completed in late 2017, allowing for the prototyping and commercial deployment of smartphones compliant with the 5G NR standard to proceed.

[0019] The second version of the 5G standard was finalized in June 2020, further expanding 5G's reach to new services, spectrum, and deployments such as unlicensed spectrum (NR-U), non-public networks (NPN), time-sensitive networking (TSN), and cellular V2X.

[0020] In particular, the overall system architecture assumes a Next Generation-Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) with gNBs, which terminate NG radio access user plane (SDAP / PDCP / RLC / MAC / PHY) and control plane (RRC) protocols for UEs. The gNBs are interconnected with each other via an Xn interface. The gNBs are also connected to a Next Generation Core (NGC) via a Next Generation (NG) interface, more specifically to an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) (e.g., a specific core entity that runs the AMF) via an NG-C interface, and to a User Plane Function (UPF) (e.g., a specific core entity that runs the UPF) via an NG-U interface. The NG-RAN architecture 100 is shown in Figure 1 (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1).

[0021] The user plane protocol stack in NR (see, for example, Section 4.4.1 of Non-Patent Document 1) includes a PDCP (Packet Data Convergence Protocol) sublayer, an RLC (Radio Link Control) sublayer, and a MAC (Medium Access Control) sublayer, which are terminated at the gNB on the network side. In addition, a new access stratum (AS) sublayer (SDAP, Service Data Adaptation Protocol) is introduced above PDCP (see, for example, Section 6.5 of Non-Patent Document 1). NR also defines a control plane protocol stack (see, for example, Section 4.4.2 of Non-Patent Document 1). An overview of Layer 2 functions is provided in Section 6 of Non-Patent Document 1. The functions of the PDCP, RLC, and MAC sublayers are respectively described in Sections 6.4, 6.3, and 6.2 of 3GPP TS 2.0. The functions of the RRC layer are described in Section 7 of 3GPP TS 2.0.

[0022] For example, the Medium-Access-Control (MAC) layer handles scheduling and scheduling-related functions, including multiplexing logical channels and handling various numerologies.

[0023] The physical layer (PHY) is responsible for, for example, coding, PHY Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) processing, modulation, multi-antenna processing, and mapping of signals to the appropriate physical time-frequency resources. The physical layer also handles mapping of transport channels to physical channels. The physical layer provides services to the MAC layer in the form of transport channels. A physical channel corresponds to a set of time-frequency resources used for the transmission of a particular transport channel, and each transport channel is mapped to a corresponding physical channel. For example, the physical channels are the Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH), the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), and the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) in the uplink, the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), and the Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) in the downlink, and the Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH), the Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH), and the Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel (PSFCH) in the sidelink (SL).

[0024] SL supports direct UE-to-UE communication using SL resource allocation modes, physical layer signals / channels, and physical layer procedures. Two New Radio (NR) SL resource allocation modes are supported: (a) Mode 1, in which NR SL resource allocation is provided by the network, and (b) Mode 2, in which the UE determines the NR SL transmission resources in a resource pool. Two SL resource allocation modes are applicable to LTE V2X: (a) Mode 3, in which LTE SL resource allocation is scheduled by the eNB primarily for the transmission of periodically occurring messages, and (b) Mode 4, in which the UE autonomously determines the LTE SL transmission resources in a resource pool.

[0025] The PSCCH indicates the resources and other transmission parameters used by the UE for the PSSCH. PSCCH transmission is associated with a Demodulation Reference Signal (DM-RS). The PSSCH transmits transport blocks (TBs) of the data itself and control information such as for HARQ procedures and channel state information (CSI) feedback triggers. At least six Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbols within a slot are used for PSSCH transmission. The PSSCH transmission is associated with the DM-RS and may also be associated with a Phase-Tracking Reference Signal (PT-RS).

[0026] The PSFCH carries HARQ feedback over the SL from UEs that are intended recipients of a PSSCH transmission to the UE that performed the transmission. The PSFCH sequence is transmitted in one PRB that is repeated across two OFDM symbols near the end of the SL resource of the slot.

[0027] The SL synchronization signal consists of the SL Primary Synchronization Signal (S-PSS) and the SL Secondary Synchronization Signal (S-SSS), which occupy 2 symbols and 127 subcarriers, respectively. The Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel (PSBCH) occupies 9 symbols and 5 symbols in the normal and extended cyclic prefix cases, respectively, and contains the associated demodulation reference signal (DM-RS).

[0028] Regarding the physical layer procedure for HARQ feedback in the sidelink, SL HARQ feedback uses the PSFCH and can be performed in one of two options: In one option, which can be set to unicast and groupcast, the PSFCH transmits either an ACK or a NACK using resources dedicated to a single UE transmitting the PSFCH; in the other option, which can be set to groupcast, the PSFCH transmits a NACK on resources that can be shared by multiple UEs transmitting the PSFCH, or no PSFCH signal is transmitted.

[0029] In SL resource allocation mode 1, a UE that receives a PSFCH can report SL HARQ feedback to the gNB via a PUCCH or PUSCH.

[0030] Regarding physical layer procedures for power control in the sidelink, in the case of in-coverage operation, the power spectral density of SL transmissions may be adjusted based on the path loss from the gNB, while in the case of unicast, the power spectral density of some SL transmissions may be adjusted based on the path loss between two communicating UEs.

[0031] Regarding the physical layer procedure for CSI reporting, in the unicast case, the channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) is supported for CSI measurement and CSI reporting in the sidelink. The CSI report is carried in the SL MAC CE.

[0032] For sidelink measurements, the following UE measurements are supported:

[0033] PSBCH Reference Signal Received Power (PSBCH RSRP); PSSCH Reference Signal Received Power (PSSCH-RSRP); PSCCH Reference Signal Received Power (PSCCH-RSRP); Sidelink Received Signal Strength Indicator (SL RSSI); Sidelink Channel Occupancy Ratio (SL CR); Sidelink Channel Busy Ratio (SL CBR)

[0034] NR use cases / deployment scenarios include enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable and low-latency communications (URLLC), and massive machine-type communications (mMTC), which have diverse requirements for data rates, latency, and coverage. For example, eMBB is expected to support peak data rates (20 Gbps downlink and 10 Gbps uplink) and user-perceived data rates on the order of three times those offered by IMT-Advanced. In contrast, URLLC has more stringent requirements, including extremely low latency (user plane latency of 0.5 ms for both UL and DL) and high reliability (1-10 Mbps within 1 ms). -5 ) and mMTC requires high connection density (1 km in urban environments). 2 1,000,000 devices per second), wide coverage in harsh environments, and extremely long battery life (15 years) to lower device costs may be preferably required.

[0035] Therefore, OFDM numerology (e.g., subcarrier spacing, OFDM symbol duration, cyclic prefix (CP) duration, number of symbols per scheduling interval) suitable for one use case may not work well for another use case. For example, low-latency services may preferably require a shorter symbol length (and therefore a larger subcarrier spacing) and / or fewer symbols per scheduling interval (also called Transmission Time Interval (TTI)) than mMTC services. Furthermore, deployment scenarios with large channel delay spreads may preferably require a longer CP duration than scenarios with small delay spreads. To maintain a similar CP overhead, the subcarrier spacing should be optimized depending on the delay spread. In NR, more than one value of subcarrier spacing may be supported. Therefore, subcarrier spacings of 15 kHz, 30 kHz, 60 kHz, ... are currently being considered. The symbol duration T u and the subcarrier spacing Δf is given by the formula (Δf=1 / T u ) are directly related. As in LTE systems, the term "resource element" can be used to denote the smallest resource unit consisting of one subcarrier for the length of one OFDM / SC-FDMA symbol.

[0036] In the new wireless system 5G-NR, a resource grid of subcarriers and OFDM symbols is defined for each numerology and carrier in the uplink and downlink. Each element of the resource grid is called a resource element and is identified based on a frequency index in the frequency domain and a symbol position in the time domain (see Non-Patent Document 2).

[0037] 2 shows a functional division between NG-RAN and 5GC to which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied. The logical node of NG-RAN is gNB or ng-eNB. The 5GC has logical nodes AMF, UPF, and SMF.

[0038] In particular, the gNB and ng-eNB handle the following key functions: - Radio Resource Management functions, such as Radio Bearer Control, Radio Admission Control, Connection Mobility Control, and dynamic resource allocation (scheduling) to UEs in both uplink and downlink directions. - IP header compression, encryption, and integrity protection of data - AMF selection at UE attach time when routing to an AMF cannot be determined from information provided by the UE - Routing of user plane data to the UPF - Routing control plane information to AMF - Establishing and releasing connections - Scheduling and sending paging messages - Scheduling and transmission of system broadcast information (sent from AMF or OAM) - Configuring measurements and measurement reporting for mobility and scheduling - Transport-level packet marking in the uplink - Session Management - Network slicing support - QoS flow management and mapping to data radio bearers - Support for UEs in RRC_INACTIVE state - Non-access stratum (NAS) message delivery function - Wireless Access Network Sharing - Dual Connectivity - Tight interworking between NR and E-UTRA

[0039] The Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) handles the following main functions: - Terminating Non-Access Stratum (NAS) signaling; - NAS signaling security; - Access Stratum (AS) security control - 3GPP Core Network (CN) inter-node signaling for mobility between access networks; - Reachability for idle mode UEs (including control and execution of paging retransmissions) - Registration Area Management - Support for intra-system and inter-system mobility - Access Authentication - Access authentication, including roaming rights checks - Mobility management controls (subscriptions and policies) - Network slicing support - Selection of Session Management Function (SMF)

[0040] Furthermore, the User Plane Function (UPF) handles the following main functions: - Anchor points for intra-RAT / inter-RAT mobility (when applicable) - External PDU session points for interconnection with data networks - Packet routing and forwarding - User plane part of packet inspection and policy rule enforcement - Traffic usage reports - an uplink classifier to support routing of traffic flows to the data network; - Branching points to support multi-homed PDU sessions - User plane QoS processing (e.g., packet filtering, gating, UL / DL rate enforcement) - Verification of uplink traffic (mapping of SDF to QoS flow) - Buffering of downlink packets and triggering of downlink data notifications

[0041] Finally, the Session Management Function (SMF) handles the following major functions: - Session Management - UE IP address allocation and management - UP function selection and control - Configuring traffic steering in the User Plane Function (UPF) to route traffic to the correct destination - Policy enforcement and QoS control parts - Downlink data notification

[0042] Figure 3 shows some of the interactions between the UE, gNB, and AMF (5GC entity) when the UE transitions from RRC_IDLE to RRC_CONNECTED in the NAS part (see Non-Patent Document 1). The transition steps are as follows: 1. The UE requests to set up a new connection from the RRC_IDLE state. 2 / 2a. The gNB completes the RRC setup procedure. Note: Scenarios where the gNB will reject the request are described below. 3. The first NAS message from the UE, piggybacked in RRCSetupComplete, is sent to the AMF. 4 / 4a / 5 / 5a. Additional NAS messages may be exchanged between the UE and the AMF. See Non-Patent Document 4. 6. The AMF prepares and sends UE context data (including PDU session context, security keys, UE radio capabilities, and UE security capabilities, etc.) to the gNB. 7 / 7a. The gNB activates AS security with the UE. 8 / 8a. The gNB performs reconfiguration to set up SRB2 and DRB. 9. The gNB notifies the AMF that the setup procedure is complete.

[0043] RRC is a higher layer signaling protocol used to configure the UE and the gNB. Specifically, in this transition, the AMF creates UE context data (including, for example, PDU session context, security keys, UE radio capabilities, and UE security capabilities) and sends it to the gNB via an INITIAL CONTEXT SETUP REQUEST. The gNB then activates AS security with the UE by sending a SecurityModeCommand message to the UE, and the UE responds with a SecurityModeComplete message. The gNB then performs reconfiguration to establish signaling radio bearer 2 (SRB2) and data radio bearers (DRBs) by sending an RRCReconfiguration message to the UE and receiving an RRCReconfigurationComplete message from the UE in response. For signaling-only connections, the RRCReconfiguration step is skipped because SRB2 and DRBs are not set up. Finally, the gNB notifies the AMF that the establishment procedure is complete via an INITIAL CONTEXT SETUP RESPONSE.

[0044] Figure 4 shows some use cases for 5G NR. The 3GPP NR (3rd Generation Partnership Project New Radio) is considering three use cases to support a wide variety of services and applications with IMT-2020. Phase 1 specifications for enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) have been finalized. Current and upcoming work includes standardization for ultra-reliable and low-latency communications (URLLC) and massive machine-type communications (mMTC), in addition to further extending eMBB support. Figure 4 shows some example IMT usage scenarios expected beyond 2020 (see, for example, Figure 2 in ITU-R M.2083).

[0045] URLLC use cases have stringent requirements for capabilities such as throughput, latency, and availability, and are envisioned as one of the enablers for future vertical applications, such as wireless control of industrial manufacturing or production processes, remote medical surgery, power distribution automation in smart grids, and transportation safety. URLLC's ultra-high reliability is supported by identifying technologies to meet the requirements set by TR 38.913. For NR URLLC in Release 15, key requirements include a user plane target latency of 0.5 ms for the uplink (UL) and 0.5 ms for the downlink (DL). A typical URLLC requirement for a single packet transmission is a block error rate (BLER) of 1E-5 for a 32-byte packet size with a 1-ms user plane latency.

[0046] From a physical layer perspective, there are several ways to improve reliability. Current opportunities for reliability improvement include defining a separate CQI table for URLLC, a more compact DCI format, repeated PDCCH transmission, etc. However, as NR becomes more stable and developed (a key requirement for NR URLLC), the scope of applications for achieving ultra-high reliability may expand. Specific use cases for NR URLLC in Release 15 include augmented reality / virtual reality (AR / VR), e-health, e-safety, and mission-critical applications.

[0047] Furthermore, technology enhancements targeted at NR URLLC target latency improvement and reliability enhancement. Technology enhancements for latency improvement include configurable numerology, non-slot-based scheduling with flexible mapping, grant-free (configured grant) uplink, slot-level repetition in the data channel, and preemption in the downlink. Preemption means that a transmission for which resources have already been allocated is aborted and the allocated resources are used for another transmission with a later request that has smaller latency / higher priority requirements. Thus, an already granted transmission is preempted by a later transmission. Preemption is applicable regardless of the specific service type. For example, a transmission of service type A (URLLC) can be preempted by a transmission of service type B (eMBB, etc.). Technology enhancements for reliability improvement include a dedicated CQI / MCS table for a target BLER value (1E-5).

[0048] The mMTC (Massive Machine Type Communication) use case is characterized by a very large number of connected devices transmitting relatively small amounts of data that are generally latency sensitive. The devices need to be low cost and have long battery life. From an NR perspective, utilizing very narrow bandwidth portions is one possible solution to achieve power savings from the UE perspective, enabling long battery life.

[0049] As mentioned above, it is expected that the reliability range in NR will expand. One key requirement for all cases, especially for URLLC and mMTC, is high or ultra-high reliability. Several mechanisms can be considered to improve reliability from a radio perspective and a network perspective. In general, there are several key areas that can help improve reliability. These areas include compact control channel information, data channel / control channel repetition, and diversity related to the frequency, time, and / or spatial domains. These areas are generally applicable to reliability, regardless of the specific communication scenario.

[0050] For NR URLLC, further use cases with more stringent requirements have been identified, such as factory automation, the transportation industry, and power supply. The more stringent requirements include higher reliability (up to 10 times faster) depending on the use case. -6 level), higher availability, packet size up to 256 bytes, time synchronization on the order of a few microseconds (values ​​range from 1 to a few microseconds depending on the frequency range), and short latency on the order of 0.5 to 1 ms (target latency for the user plane in particular is 0.5 ms).

[0051] Furthermore, for NR URLLC, several technology enhancements are possible from the perspective of the physical layer. In particular, enhancements related to the PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel) include compact DCI, PDCCH repetition, and increased PDCCH monitoring. Also, enhancements related to the UCI (Uplink Control Information) include HARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request) enhancements and CSI feedback enhancements. Also, PUSCH enhancements related to minislot-level hopping and retransmission / repetition have been identified. The term "minislot" refers to a transmission time interval (TTI) that contains fewer symbols than a slot (e.g., a slot contains 14 symbols).

[0052] The 5G Quality of Service (QoS) model is based on QoS flows and supports both QoS flows that require a guaranteed flow bit rate (GBR QoS flows) and QoS flows that do not require a guaranteed flow bit rate (non-GBR QoS flows). Therefore, at the NAS level, QoS flows are the finest granularity of QoS differentiation in a PDU session. Within a PDU session, QoS flows are identified by a QoS Flow ID (QFI) carried in the encapsulation header over the NG-U interface.

[0053] The 5GC establishes one or more PDU sessions for each UE. For each UE, the NG-RAN establishes at least one Data Radio Bearer (DRB) for each PDU session, e.g., as shown above with reference to Figure 3. Additional DRBs for the QoS flows of that PDU session can be configured later (when this is up to the NG-RAN). The NG-RAN maps packets belonging to different PDU sessions to different DRBs. NAS-level packet filters in the UE and the 5GC associate UL and DL packets with QoS flows, and AS-level mapping rules in the UE and the NG-RAN associate UL and DL QoS flows with DRBs.

[0054] Figure 5 shows the non-roaming reference architecture for 5G NR (see Section 4.2.1.1 of 3GPP TS 365-10001). An Application Function (AF) (e.g., an external application server hosting 5G services, as illustrated in Figure 4) interacts with the 3GPP core network to provide services, e.g., to support application influence on traffic routing, access to a Network Exposure Function (NEF), or interact with a policy framework for policy control (e.g., QoS control) (see Policy Control Function (PCF)). Based on the operator's deployment, Application Functions (AFs) deemed trusted by the operator may be allowed to interact directly with the relevant Network Functions. Application Functions (AFs) not permitted by the operator to directly access Network Functions interact with the relevant Network Functions using an external exposure framework via the NEF.

[0055] Figure 5 further illustrates additional functional units of the 5G architecture for V2X communication, namely, Unified Data Management (UDM), Policy Control Function (PCF), Network Exposure Function (NEF), Application Function (AF), Unified Data Repository (UDR), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), and User Plane Function (UPF) in 5G, as well as the V2X Application Server (V2AS) and Data Network (DN; e.g., operator-provided services, internet access, or third-party services). All or part of the core network functions and application services may be located and executed in a cloud computing environment.

[0056] Therefore, the present disclosure provides an application server (e.g., an AF in a 5G architecture) that includes: a transmitter that, when operating, sends a request including QoS requirements for at least one of a URLLC service, an eMBB service, and an mMTC service to at least one of 5GC functions (e.g., an NEF, an AMF, an SMF, a PCF, an UPF, etc.) to establish a PDU session including a radio bearer between a gNodeB and a UE in accordance with the QoS requirements; and a control circuit that, when operating, performs a service using the established PDU session.

[0057] To study and identify (where appropriate) mechanisms for co-channel coexistence in the Long Term Evolution (LTE) sidelink (SL) and New Radio (NR) sidelink, including performance, necessity, feasibility, and potential specification impact, with the goal of reusing as much as possible the in-device coexistence framework defined in Release 16, as described in WID RP-213634, has been identified for further study in 3GPP Release 18 Sidelink Evolution.

[0058] Sidelink (SL) devices can be classified into at least the following types: Type A: Rel-18 devices containing both LTE SL and NR SL modules; Type B: Rel-18 devices containing only NR SL modules; Type C: Rel-14 / Rel-15 devices containing only an LTE SL module; Type D: Rel-16 / 17 devices containing only NR SL modules; Type E: Rel-16 devices containing both LTE SL and NR SL modules based on the in-device coexistence framework

[0059] For Type-A devices, they may signal their own reservations with both LTE SCI and NR SCI (at least for Type-C devices as an audience). In particular, the RAN1#109-e meeting discussed the possibility of sharing LTE sensing and resource reservation information with the NR SL module for Type-A devices with both LTE SL and NR SL modules. According to FL Proposal 2-4(II), to explore the feasibility of dynamic resource sharing as a possible solution for co-channel coexistence, for device Type-A (i.e., Release 18 devices that include both LTE SL and NR SL modules), the NR SL module uses the sensing and resource reservation information shared by the LTE SL module. Further details regarding how the NR SL module uses this information, how the LTE SL module shares information with the NR SL module, the exact information sharing, timeline, etc., whether / how other methods for device type A to recognize resources occupied by LTE SL will be defined, and whether / how device type B (i.e., Release 18 devices that only contain an NR SL module) should be supported are to be considered in the future.

[0060] However, as mentioned above, in LTE SL and NR SL, the LTE SL module and the NR SL module perform resource selection separately in their respective physical layers (i.e., sensing) and their respective medium access control (MAC) layers (i.e., resource reservation). Currently, no solution exists for how resource selection information (e.g., sensing information and / or resource reservation information) is shared and utilized in the context of both LTE SL and NR SL co-channel coexistence. Therefore, to solve the above-mentioned problem, a communication apparatus and a communication method for sidelink co-channel coexistence resource selection information sharing are needed.

[0061] In accordance with this disclosure, the term "LTE SL module" may be used interchangeably with "LTE module." Similarly, the term "NR SL module" may be used interchangeably with "NR module."

[0062] 6 shows a flowchart 600 illustrating the Release 16 NR SL sensing process performed by the NR SL module at the physical layer. In step 602, an initialization step is performed to determine an initial set of candidate resources S A is the union of all candidate resources M total In step 604, resources that satisfy certain conditions are initialized to an initial set S A In one example, an exclusion step is performed in which the initial set S A Each of the candidate resources in has a level for reference signal received power (RSRP), and such level for RSRP is determined by a threshold level Th(p i ,p j ) and the level for RSRP is compared to a threshold level Th(p i ,p j ), the candidate resource is in the initial set S A are excluded from.

[0063] In step 606, a decision step is performed. In step 606, an initial set S A The number of remaining candidate resources is X*M total (X is a preset threshold ratio between 0 and 1, which is the ratio of the number of candidate resources in the initial set S after the elimination step of step 604 to the total number of candidate resources between 0 and 1. A The initial set S is then executed. A The number of remaining candidate resources is X*M total If so, step 608 is performed; otherwise, step 610 is performed. In step 608, the initial set S A The threshold level Th(p i,p j ) is increased by 3 dB. The exclusion steps, decision steps, and threshold level Th(p i ,p j ) by 3 dB, the initial set S A The number of remaining candidate resources is now X*M total In step 610, the initial set S A The remaining candidate resources are defined as a set of candidate resources S B is moved to the set S B is reported to a higher layer such as the MAC layer.

[0064] 7 shows a flow chart 700 illustrating the Release 15 LTE SL sensing process performed by the LTE SL module at the physical layer. In step 702, an initialization step is performed to determine an initial set of candidate resources S A is the union M of all candidate resources total and another set S B In step 704, an elimination step is performed to obtain the initial set S A In one example, resources that satisfy certain conditions are removed from the initial set S A Each of the candidate resources in has a level for reference signal received power (RSRP), and such level for RSRP is below a threshold level Th a,b The RSRP level is compared to a threshold level Th a,b If it is higher, the candidate resources are in the initial set S A are excluded from.

[0065] In step 706, the initial set S A The number of remaining candidate resources is 0.2M. total (i.e., the initial set S after the elimination step of step 704 relative to the total number of candidate resources) A This is repeated until the ratio of the number of candidate resources remaining in the initial set S to the predetermined threshold value is greater than 0.2. AThe number of remaining candidate resources is 0.2M. total If it is less than , step 708 is performed, otherwise step 710 is performed. In step 708, the initial set S A The threshold level Th is set so that the number of candidate resources remaining in the set can be increased accordingly. a,b is increased by 3 dB. The exclusion steps, decision steps, and threshold level Th a,b The step of increasing by 3 dB is the initial set S A The number of remaining candidate resources is now X*M total This is repeated until it is determined that it is not less than

[0066] In step 710, a sorting (moving) step is performed to sort the initial set S A The candidate resource with the lowest level in terms of RSRP in B In step 712, the initial set S A The number of remaining candidate resources is 0.2M. total (i.e., the set S B A step of determining whether a preset threshold ratio of the number of candidate resources remaining in the set S is less than 0.2 is performed. B The number of remaining candidate resources is 0.2M. total If so, step 714 is performed and the partitioning (moving) step 710 is repeated. A The candidate resource (set S) that has the lowest level in terms of RSRP among the remaining candidate resources B (candidate resources that have not been moved to the set S) B The partitioning (moving) and decision steps of steps 710 and 712 move the initial set S A The number of remaining candidate resources is 0.2M. total In step 714, the set S B is reported to a higher layer such as the MAC layer.

[0067] According to the present disclosure, for LTE SL and NR SL co-channel coexistence, where resource selection (i.e., sensing and / or resource reservation procedures) at the physical layer and / or MAC layer is performed separately by the LTE SL module and the NR SL module, some signaling (intra-device if the LTE SL module and the NR SL module are in the same physical device, or over-the-air if the LTE SL module and the NR SL module are from different devices) can be used to signal physical layer / MAC layer resource selection information (i.e., sensing / resource reservation information) shared between different SL modules. The shared information can include sensing and resource reservation measurement results (e.g., RSRP) and reported resources (e.g., S A , S B ). For resource selection information that is not shared (e.g., information that is not communicated to other SL modules, measurement results, etc.), no special processing is required for the LTE SL module (or NR SL module) that shares the shared information or the corresponding NR SL module (or LTE SL module) that receives / obtains the shared information. The corresponding module can then use the shared information received from another module (i.e., sensing and / or resource reservation procedures) in its resource selection at the physical layer and / or MAC layer.

[0068] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example configuration of a communications device 800 for sidelink co-channel coexistence resource selection information sharing in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. The communications device 800 may be implemented as a user equipment (UE) configured for transmitting or receiving sidelink signals in accordance with the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 8, the communications device 800 may include a circuit 814, at least one radio transmitter 802, at least one radio receiver 804, and at least one antenna 812 (for simplicity, only one antenna is shown in FIG. 8 for illustrative purposes). The circuit 814 may include at least one controller 806. The controller 806 is adapted to perform, with the assistance of software and hardware, tasks designed to be performed by the at least one controller 806, including controlling communications with one or more other communications devices in a multiple input and multiple output (MIMO) wireless network. The circuit 814 may further include at least one transmit signal generator 808 and at least one receive signal processor 810. The at least one controller 806 may control at least one transmit signal generator 808 for generating downlink or sidelink signals to be sent via the at least one wireless transmitter 802 and at least one receive signal processor 810 for processing downlink or sidelink signals received via the at least one wireless receiver 804 from one or more other communication devices. The at least one transmit signal generator 808 and the at least one receive signal processor 810 may be standalone modules of the communication device 800 that communicate with the at least one controller 806 for the above-mentioned functions, as shown in FIG. 8 . Alternatively, the at least one transmit signal generator 808 and the at least one receive signal processor 810 may be included in the at least one controller 806. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the arrangement of these functional modules is flexible and may vary according to actual needs and / or requirements. Data processing, storage devices, and other related control devices may be provided on an appropriate circuit board and / or within a chipset.In various embodiments, in operation, the at least one wireless transmitter 802 , the at least one wireless receiver 804 , and the at least one antenna 812 may be controlled by the at least one controller 1806 .

[0069] In various embodiments of the present disclosure, the at least one wireless receiver 804 and the at least one wireless transmitter 802 may be integrated into at least one wireless transceiver configured to perform the functions of both the at least one wireless receiver 804 and the at least one wireless transmitter 802.

[0070] The communications device 800, in operation, provides functionality necessary for sidelink co-channel coexistence resource selection information sharing. For example, the communications device 800 may be a first UE, and the at least one controller 806 of the circuit 814 comprises a first module, in operation, configured to select a list (or set) of first resources from the first plurality of candidate resources based on information regarding one or more resources of the second plurality of candidate resources received from a second module (not shown, e.g., the at least one controller 806 of the first UE or an LTE SL module included in a second / another UE). The circuit 814 (or the at least one transmit signal generator 808 of the circuit 814) may be configured to generate a signal, after which the at least one radio transmitter 802 may transmit the signal to another communications device in one of the first resource lists (or sets). Alternatively or additionally, the at least one radio receiver 804 may receive a signal from another communication device on one of the first resource lists (or sets), and then the circuit 814 (or at least one received signal processor 810 of the circuit 814) may process the signal.

[0071] In one embodiment, the at least one controller 806 of the circuit 814 may further comprise a second module (not shown) configured, in operation, to select a second list of resources from the second plurality of candidate resources. The first module may be further configured to obtain information regarding the second list of resources from the second plurality of candidate resources from the second module to select the first list of resources from the first plurality of candidate resources.

[0072] In an alternative embodiment, the second module may be included in a second / another UE, and the at least one radio transmitter 802 may receive another signal from the second / another UE including information about one or more resources from the second plurality of candidate resources, and the first module may then select the first list of resources from the first plurality of candidate resources based on the information in the other signal received from the second / another UE.

[0073] In one embodiment, the first module determines a level of RSRP for each resource of a first plurality of candidate resources, and determines whether the level of RSRP for each first resource of the first list of resources is equal to or exceeds a first threshold level of RSRP (e.g., Th(p) in the NR SL module). i ,p j Alternatively or additionally, the second module is configured to determine a level of RSRP for each of the resources of the second plurality of candidate resources, and select the first list of resources in response to determining that the level of RSRP for each of the resources of one or more resources of the second plurality of candidate resources is lower than a second threshold level of RSRP (e.g., Th in an LTE SL module). a,b), to exclude one or more resources from the second plurality of candidate resources in response to determining that the resource density is lower than the first plurality of candidate resources, and the first module is further configured to exclude one or more resources from the first plurality of candidate resources based on information regarding the one or more resources excluded from the second plurality of candidate resources obtained by the physical layer of the first module, and to select a first list of resources from the candidate resources remaining in the first plurality of candidate resources after excluding the one or more resources from the first plurality of candidate resources.

[0074] Additionally, the first module may be further configured to determine whether a ratio of the number of candidate resources remaining in the first plurality of candidate resources to the number of the first plurality of candidate resources is less than a predetermined threshold ratio, and increase / decrease a first threshold level for RSRP in response to determining that the ratio of the number of candidate resources remaining in the first plurality of candidate resources after excluding one or more resources from the first plurality of candidate resources to the number of the first plurality of candidate resources is less than the predetermined threshold ratio. The second module may also be further configured to determine whether a ratio of the number of candidate resources remaining in the second plurality of candidate resources after excluding one or more resources from the second plurality of candidate resources to the number of the second plurality of candidate resources is less than 0.2, and increase a second threshold level for RSRP in response to determining that the ratio of the number of candidate resources remaining in the second plurality of candidate resources to the number of the second plurality of candidate resources is less than 0.2. For example, the first module may be configured to set a second threshold level for RSRP as a first threshold level for RSRP, and to decrease the first threshold level for RSRP in response to determining that a ratio of the number of candidate resources remaining in the first plurality of candidate resources to the number of the first plurality of candidate resources is less than a predetermined threshold ratio.

[0075] Additionally, the first module may be further configured to determine whether the second threshold level for RSRP is lower than the first threshold level for RSRP, and in response to determining that the second threshold level for RSRP is lower than the first threshold level for RSRP, exclude one or more resources from the first plurality of candidate resources, and select a first list of resources from the candidate resources remaining in the first plurality of candidate resources.

[0076] In another embodiment, the second module (configured in the at least one controller 806 of the first UE or in a second / another UE) may be further configured to select a second list of resources from the second plurality of candidate resources and report information about the second list of resources to a second upper layer (e.g., a MAC layer) of the second module. The first module may be configured to select the first list of resources from the second list of resources based on information obtained by the physical layer of the first module from the second upper layer of the second module.

[0077] In yet another embodiment, the first module may be further configured to: select a first initial list of resources from the first plurality of candidate resources at a physical layer of the first module; report information about the first initial list of resources to a first upper layer (e.g., a MAC layer) of the first module; compare the first initial list of resources with the second list of resources based on the information about the second list of resources and the information about the initial list of first resources to determine one or more overlapping resources from the initial list of first resources and the second list of resources; and select the first list of resources from the one or more overlapping resources.

[0078] Additionally, the first module may be further configured to determine a number of overlapping resources from the initial list of first resources and the second list of resources, and select the first list of resources from the initial list of first resources in response to determining that there is less than one overlapping resource from the initial list of first resources and the second list of resources.

[0079] In another example, the communications device 800 may be a second UE (different from the first UE described above), and the at least one controller 806 of the circuit 814 includes a second module (not shown, e.g., an NR SL module) configured, in operation, to select a second list (or set) of resources from a second plurality of candidate resources. The circuit 814 (or the at least one transmit signal generator 808 of the circuit 814) may be configured to generate a signal including information regarding the second list of resources, and the at least one radio transmitter 802 may then transmit to the other / first UE a signal used to select the first list of resources from the first plurality of candidate resources.

[0080] In yet another example, the communications device 800 may be a third UE (different from the first and / or second UEs described above), and at least the radio receiver 804, in operation, may receive information regarding one or more resources from another / first UE, and the at least one controller 806 may comprise a module (e.g., an NR SL module) configured, in operation, to select a third list of resources from a third plurality of candidate resources based on the information regarding the one or more resources. The circuit 814 of the third UE (or at least one transmit signal generator 808 of the circuit 814) may be configured to generate a signal, after which the at least one radio transmitter 802 may transmit the signal to the other communications device on one of the third list of resources. Alternatively or additionally, the at least one radio receiver 804 may receive a signal from the other communications device on one of the third list of resources, after which the circuit 814 of the third UE (or at least one receive signal processor 810 of the circuit 814) may process the signal.

[0081] 9 shows a flowchart 900 illustrating a communication method implemented by a first communication device (e.g., a first UE) according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. In step 902, a first module of the first communication device selects a first list (or set) of resources from the first plurality of candidate resources based on information regarding one or more resources of the second plurality of candidate resources received from a second module. In step 904, transmitting and / or receiving signals to and / or from another communication device is performed on one of the first list (or set) of resources.

[0082] 10 shows a flowchart 1000 illustrating a communication method implemented by a second communication device (e.g., a second UE) according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. In step 1002, a step of selecting a second list (or set) of resources from a second plurality of candidate resources is performed. In step 1004, a step of transmitting a signal including information about the second list (or set) of resources to a first communication device (e.g., a first UE). The signal is used by the first communication device to select a first list (or set) of resources from the first plurality of candidate resources (e.g., step 902 of FIG. 9).

[0083] 11 shows a flowchart 1100 illustrating a communication method implemented by a third communication device (e.g., a third UE) according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. In step 1102, a step of receiving information regarding one or more resources from the first communication device is performed. In step 1104, a third module of the third communication device selects a list (or set) of third resources from a third plurality of candidate resources based on the information regarding the one or more resources from the first communication device. The third communication device is configured to transmit and / or receive signals on one of the lists (or sets) of third resources.

[0084] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the term "plurality of candidate resources" may refer to, and may be used interchangeably with, the term "resource pool." In other words, an NR resource pool refers to a (first) plurality of candidate resources from which an NR SL module selects and uses a list or set of resources to receive / transmit signals to / from another module (e.g., an NR SL module or an LTE SL module) in the same or a different device, while an LTE resource pool refers to the same (first) or different (second) plurality of candidate resources from which an LTE SL module selects and uses a list or set of resources to receive / transmit signals to / from another module (e.g., an LTE SL module or an NR SL module) in the same or a different device.

[0085] 12 shows a block diagram 1200 illustrating a first example mapping of an NR resource pool and an LTE resource pool according to the present disclosure. In this example, the NR resource pool of a UE corresponds to and is identical in time and frequency to the LTE resource pool of the UE (or another UE). As a result, resource selection (including resource exclusion) information regarding one or more resources of the LTE resource pool received / obtained from the LTE SL module can be directly used by the NR SL module to select multiple candidate resources or a list of resources from the NR resource pool that correspond to the same one or more resources of the NR resource pool and that will be used to transmit / receive signals to / from another UE.

[0086] 13A shows a block diagram 1300 illustrating a second example mapping of an NR resource pool 1302a and an LTE resource pool 1302b according to the present disclosure. In this example, the NR resource pool 1302a of a UE and the LTE resource pool 1302b of a UE (or another UE) have separate (different) configurations in time and frequency, but the NR / LTE resource pools 1302a, 1302b completely overlap each other. Each resource in the NR resource pool 1302a may be mapped to resources in the LTE resource pool 13202b at different time and frequency offsets. As a result, resource selection (including resource removal) information received / obtained from the LTE SL module regarding one or more resources in the LTE resource pool 1302b may be converted and mapped to information regarding one or more resources in the NR resource pool 1302a. The information regarding one or more resources in the NR resource pool 1302a mapped from the resource selection information received / obtained from the LTE SL module may then be used by the NR SL module to select multiple candidate resources or a list of resources from the NR resource pool 1302a to be used for transmitting / receiving signals to / from another UE.

[0087] FIG. 13B shows a block diagram 1320 illustrating a third example mapping of an NR resource pool 1322a and an LTE resource pool 1322b according to the present disclosure. In this example, the NR resource pool 1322a of a UE and the LTE resource pool 1322b of a UE (or another UE) have separate (different) configurations in time and frequency, but only portions 1324a, 1324b of the NR resource pool 1322a and the LTE resource pool 1322b overlap. Each resource in the overlapping portion 1324a of the NR resource pool 1322a may be mapped to resources in the overlapping portion 1324b of the LTE resource pool 1322b at different time and frequency offsets. As a result, resource selection (including resource removal) information regarding one or more resources in the overlapping portion 1324b of the LTE resource pool 1322b received / obtained from the LTE SL module may be converted and mapped to information regarding one or more resources in the overlapping portion 1324a of the NR resource pool 1322a. Information regarding one or more resources in the overlapping portion 1324a of the NR resource pool 1322a mapped from the resource selection information received / obtained from the LTE SL module may then be used by the NR SL module to select multiple candidate resources or a list of resources from the NR resource pool 1322a to be used for transmitting / receiving signals to / from another UE.

[0088] In the following paragraphs, a first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to further elimination of candidate resources based on the result of a decision between threshold levels for RSRP of the NR SL module and the LTE SL module.

[0089] According to a first embodiment, for an SL device having both an LTE SL module and an NR SL module, shared resource selection (e.g., sensing information) results from each step for the LTE SL module as described in section 14.1.1.6 of 3GPP TS 36.1106, and the shared information is transparent to the NR SL module in the same device at the physical layer (i.e., obtainable or shareable by intra-device signaling).

[0090] LTE SL and NR SL priorities are equivalent if they have the same sidelink control information (SCI) priority value. Other priority relationships can also be configured (in advance). For example, an offset of "1" can be configured so that the NR SL module treats the LTE priority value as "LTE priority + 1." Also, only LTE priorities within a specific range (e.g., priority values ​​1 to 3) are handled by the NR SL module.

[0091] 14 shows a flowchart 1400 illustrating a resource selection process performed by an NR SL module according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. In step 1402, an initialization step is performed to select an initial set of candidate resources S A (i.e., the initial NR resource pool) is the union of all candidate resources M total In step 1404, a pruning step is performed to initialize the initial NR resource pool S A In one example, resources that meet certain conditions are removed from the initial NR resource pool S A Each of the candidate resources in has a level with respect to RSRP, and such level with respect to RSRP is below a threshold level Th(p i ,p j ) and the level for RSRP is compared to a threshold level Th(p i ,p j ), the candidate resource is in the initial NR resource pool S A are excluded from.

[0092] In step 1406, if the candidate resources excluded by the LTE SL module from the LTE resource pool (e.g., step 704 of FIG. 7) are also excluded by the NR SL module from the initial NR resource pool, a further exclusion step is performed. a,b For resources excluded by the LTE SL module from the LTE resource pool in , the NL SL module allocates those resources at the threshold level Th for the RSRP of the LTE SL module. a,b is the threshold level Th(p i ,p j ) has a value equal to or lower than that of a,b ≦Th(p i ,p j )) at the threshold level Th(p i ,p j ) is excluded from the initial NR SL module.

[0093] In step 1408, the NR resource pool S A The number of remaining candidate resources is X*M total (X is the number of candidate resources in the NR resource pool S A The step of determining whether the number of candidate resources remaining in the NR resource pool S is less than a predetermined threshold ratio of the number of candidate resources remaining in the NR resource pool S A The number of remaining candidate resources is X*M total If it is less than , step 1410 is executed, otherwise step 1412 is executed. In step 1410, the threshold level Th(p i ,p j ) is the NR resource pool S A , is increased by 3 dB so that the number of candidate resources remaining in the set can be increased accordingly.

[0094] The exclusion steps, further exclusion steps, decision steps, and threshold level Th(p i ,p j) by 3 dB. A The number of remaining candidate resources is now X*M total In step 1412, the NR resource pool S A The remaining candidate resources are defined as a set of candidate resources S B Go to Set S B to a higher layer such as the MAC layer.

[0095] Additionally, if the LTE SL resource pool and the NR SL resource pool partially overlap and the candidate resources (20% of the LTE reporting resources in the NR resource pool) are less than X%, the following options are possible: · The NR SL module may use less than X% of candidate resources to report to the MAC layer; · The NR SL module may increase the threshold according to legacy procedures until it reaches X%; If the overlap is a% in the LTE resource pool, use the LTE SL procedure to obtain 20% of the reporting resources only from the a% overlap (or obtain only a*20% from the a% overlap); If the overlap is b% in the NR resource pool, use the NR SL procedure to obtain X% of the reported resources only from the b% overlap (or obtain only b*X% from the b% overlap).

[0096] It is understood that the resource selection process described in FIG. 14 may alternatively be performed by the LTE SL module, where in step 1406, candidate resources excluded by the NR SL module (e.g., step 604 of FIG. 6) are also excluded from the LTE resource pool by the LTE SL module, and in step 1408, candidate resources are selected from the LTE resource pool S A The number of remaining candidate resources is 0.2M. total (i.e., the number of candidate resources in the LTE resource pool S AAlternatively, a step of determining whether a preset threshold ratio of the number of remaining candidate resources to the number of remaining candidate resources is less than 0.2 is performed.

[0097] In the following paragraphs, a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to an SL module further eliminating candidate resources based on a set of resources reported by another SL module.

[0098] According to a second embodiment, for an SL device having both an LTE SL module and an NR SL module, the shared resource selection (e.g., sensing information) is performed by the LTE SL module to determine a set of resources (S) that are reported to the MAC layer as described in section 14.1.1.6 of 3GPP TS 2013-10-14T14:14:25 B ,20% (0.2M) of the candidate resources total )) and the shared information is transparent to the NR SL module at the physical layer (i.e., obtainable or shareable by intra-device signaling).

[0099] 15 shows a flowchart 1500 illustrating a resource selection process performed by an NR SL module according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. In step 1502, an initialization step is performed to select an initial set of candidate resources S A (i.e., the initial NR resource pool) is the union of all candidate resources M total In step 1504, a resource contraction step is performed to contract the initial NR resource pool, and the initial NR resource pool S A The LTE resource set S reported to the MAC layer of the LTE SL module in B (e.g., step 714 of FIG. 7) In other words, the NR SL module performs the sensing procedure (i.e., resource selection at the physical layer) within the LTE reporting resources in the NR resource pool.

[0100] In step 1506, a pruning step is performed to generate a reduced NR resource pool S AIn one example, resources that meet certain conditions are removed from the reduced NR resource pool S A Each of the candidate resources in has a level with respect to RSRP, and such level with respect to RSRP is a threshold level Th(p i ,p j ) and the level for RSRP is compared to a threshold level Th(p i ,p j ), the candidate resource is allocated to the reduced NR resource pool S A are excluded from.

[0101] In step 1508, the NR resource pool S A The number of remaining candidate resources is X*M total (X is the ratio of the total number of candidate resources to the NR resource pool S A The step of determining whether the number of candidate resources remaining in the NR resource pool S is less than a predetermined threshold ratio of the number of candidate resources remaining in the NR resource pool S (X is in the range of 0 to 1). For example, X is defined as sl-TxPercentageList in Non-Patent Document 6, and its value can be 0.2, 0.35, or 0.5 in Release 16 according to legacy procedures. A The number of remaining candidate resources is X*M total If it is less than , step 1510 is executed, otherwise step 1512 is executed. In step 1510, the threshold level Th(p i ,p j ) is the NR resource pool S A the number of candidate resources remaining in the set from (and the subsequent S after the movement step in step 1512) B ) can be increased correspondingly by 3 dB.

[0102] Alternatively, the threshold level Th(p i ,p j ) is the threshold level Th of the LTE SL module where LTE reporting resource sharing information is obtained. a,b, and at each iteration of step 1510, the NR SL module sets the threshold level (LTE threshold Th a,b may be decreased until it reaches X% (if X<20).

[0103] The exclusion steps 1506, 1508, and 1510, the decision step, and the threshold level Th(p i ,p j ) by 3 dB at each iteration, or by increasing the NR resource pool S A The number of remaining candidate resources is now X*M total In step 1512, the NR resource pool S A The remaining candidate resources are defined as a set of candidate resources S B is moved to the set S B is reported to a higher layer such as the MAC layer. The exclusion steps 1506, 1508, and 1510, the decision step, and the threshold level Th(p i ,p j ) by 3 dB, B In order to control the number of resources in , it may be repeated in each iteration to achieve X% according to the value defined as sl-TxPercentageList in Non-Patent Document 6.

[0104] Additionally, if the LTE SL resource pool and the NR SL resource pool partially overlap, when the candidate resources (20% of the LTE reporting resources in the NR resource pool) are less than X%, the following options are possible: · The NR SL module may use less than X% of candidate resources to report to the MAC layer; · The NR SL module may increase the threshold according to legacy procedures until it reaches X%; If the overlap is a% in the LTE resource pool, use the LTE SL procedure to obtain 20% of the reporting resources only from the a% overlap (or obtain only a*20% from the a% overlap); If the overlap is b% in the NR resource pool, use the NR SL procedure to obtain X% of the reported resources only from the b% overlap (or obtain only b*X% from the b% overlap).

[0105] It will be appreciated that the resource selection process described in FIG. 15 may alternatively be performed by an LTE SL module, where in step 1504 the initial LTE resource pool is reduced and the initial LTE resource pool S A The NR resource set S reported to the MAC layer of the NR SL module in B (e.g., step 610 of FIG. 6), and in step 1508, the LTE resource pool S A The number of remaining candidate resources is 0.2M. total (i.e., the number of candidate resources in the LTE resource pool S A Alternatively, a step of determining whether a preset threshold ratio of the number of remaining candidate resources to the number of remaining candidate resources is less than 0.2 is performed.

[0106] In the following paragraphs, a third embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to resource selection at the intersection of NR reporting resources and LTE reporting resources at the MAC layer.

[0107] According to a third embodiment, for an SL device having both an LTE SL module and an NR SL module, the shared resource selection (e.g., sensing information) is performed by the LTE SL module to determine a set of resources (S) that are reported to the MAC layer as described in section 14.1.1.6 of 3GPP TS 2013-10-14T14:14:25 B ,20% (0.2M) of the candidate resources total)), and the shared information is transparent to the NR SL module at the MAC layer (i.e., obtainable or shareable by intra-device signaling).

[0108] 16 shows a flowchart 1600 illustrating a resource selection process performed by an NR SL module at the MAC layer according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure. In step 1602, triggering resource selection at the MAC layer is performed by the NR SL module, for example, after the SL module performs a sensing procedure at the physical layer as usual (or without a sensing procedure at the physical layer). In step 1604, the NR SL module determines the resource set S reported to the MAC layer by the NR SL module. B (M total X% of the total resources reported to the MAC layer by the LTE SL module. B (M total 20%) of the NR reporting resource set and the LTE reporting resource set. In step 1606, a step is performed to determine whether at least one resource has been selected, i.e., whether there is at least one overlapping resource between the NR reporting resource set and the LTE reporting resource set. If it is determined that there are no or less than one selected resources (overlapping resources), step 1608 is performed; otherwise, if at least one resource has been selected, step 1610 is performed. In step 1608, the NR SL module selects only resources at the intersection of the NR reporting resource set S reported by the NR SL module itself. B (M total In step 1610, the steps of selecting a resource from the overlapping resources selected in step 1604 and performing signaling on the resource selected from step 1608 or step 1604 are performed.

[0109] Alternatively, the SL device may skip physical layer sensing, and in step 1602 the NR SL module triggers resource selection at the MAC layer, for example, when another device reports a preferred LTE resource set. In step 1604, the NR SL module selects the NR resource pool M. total and the preferred LTE resource set S signaled by the other device. B (M total 20%) of the signaled preferred LTE resource set. In step 1606, a step is performed to determine whether at least one resource has been selected, i.e., whether there is at least one overlapping resource between the NR resource pool and the signaled preferred LTE resource set.

[0110] In the following paragraphs, the fourth embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the selection of resources at the intersection of NR reporting resources and LTE reporting resources at the MAC layer.

[0111] According to a fourth embodiment, for an SL device having both an LTE SL module and an NR SL module, shared resource selection (e.g., sensing information) is performed in the LTE SL module at the MAC layer (S) as described in section 14.1.1.6 of 3GPP TS 36.200. B ,20% (0.2M) of the candidate resources totalThe set of resources reported to the NR SL module is transparent (i.e., obtainable or shareable by intra-device signaling) to the NR SL module at the physical (PHY) layer or higher layer (e.g., MAC layer). The NR SL module in this SL device can then be notified using over-the-air signaling (e.g., inter-UE coordination or IUC) that a set of resources that is 20% of the LTE reported resources should be considered the preferred resource set. Over-the-air signaling can be sent to the NR SL module via unicast, groupcast, or broadcast.

[0112] In this embodiment, other SL devices (with both LTE and NR SL modules or with only an NR SL module) may receive the over-the-air signal containing the LTE reporting resources transmitted by the LTE SL module of the SL device and perform resource selection at their respective MAC layers.

[0113] 17 shows a flowchart 1700 illustrating a resource selection process performed by an NR SL module of an SL device at the MAC layer after receiving a preferred LTE resource reported by another SL device according to a first example of the fourth embodiment of the present disclosure. In step 1702, the step of triggering resource selection at the MAC layer is performed by the NR SL module after, for example, the SL module of the SL device performs a sensing procedure at the physical layer as usual (or without a sensing procedure at the physical layer) and the other device reports a preferred LTE resource set. In step 1704, the NR SL module determines the resource set S reported by the NR SL module as the preferred LTE resource set S. B (M total X% of the LTE resource set signaled by other devices, and the preferred LTE resource set S B (M total20%) of the NR reporting resource set and the signaled preferred LTE resource set. In step 1706, a step is performed to determine whether at least one resource has been selected, i.e., whether there is at least one overlapping resource between the NR reporting resource set and the signaled preferred LTE resource set. If it is determined that there are no or less than one selected resources (overlapping resources), step 1708 is performed; otherwise, if at least one resource has been selected, step 1710 is performed. In step 1708, the NR SL module selects only resources at the intersection of the NR reporting resource set S reported by the NR SL module itself. B (M total In step 1710, the steps of selecting a resource from the overlapping resources selected in step 1704 and performing signaling on the resource selected from step 1708 or step 1704 are performed.

[0114] 18 shows a flowchart 1800 illustrating a resource selection process performed by an NR SL module of an SL device at the MAC layer after receiving a preferred LTE reporting resource signaled by another SL device according to a second example of the fourth embodiment of the present disclosure. In this example, the SL device skips physical layer sensing, and in step 1802, the NR SL module triggers resource selection at the MAC layer, for example, when the other device reports a preferred LTE resource set. In step 1804, the NR SL module selects a resource from the NR resource pool M. total and the preferred LTE resource set S signaled by the other device. B (M total20%) of the NR resource pool and the signaled preferred LTE resource set. In step 1806, a step is performed to determine whether at least one resource has been selected, i.e., whether there is at least one overlapping resource between the NR resource pool and the signaled preferred LTE resource set. If it is determined that there are no or less than one selected resources (overlapping resources), step 1808 is performed; otherwise, if at least one resource has been selected, step 1810 is performed. In step 1808, the NR SL module selects only the NR reported resources S reported by the NR SL module itself. B In step 1810, the steps of selecting a resource from the overlapping resources in step 1804 and performing signaling on the resource selected from step 1808 or step 1804 are performed.

[0115] Additionally, the wireless signals can also be used to notify other SL devices of the shared sensing information of the NR SL module in addition to the shared sensing information of the LTE SL module.

[0116] It should be noted that in any of the various embodiments described above, the LTE resource selection (i.e., sensing and resource reservation procedures) at the physical and MAC layers performed by the LTE SL module may be performed before, in parallel with, or after the NR resource selection (i.e., sensing and resource reservation procedures) at the physical and MAC layers performed by the NR SL module. Similarly, the shared resource selection for one SL module (e.g., an NR SL module) may be obtained from another SL module (e.g., an LTE SL module) before, during, or after the LTE resource sensing and reservation procedures performed by the SL module (e.g., an NR SL module).

[0117] In various embodiments described above, a device's SL module (e.g., an NR SL module) may use in-device or over-the-air signaling (e.g., SL, uplink, or downlink transmissions) to trigger sensing and resource reservation procedures in another SL module of the same or a different device. The in-device signaling signaling that signals the shared resource selection information may depend on the implementation. Additionally or alternatively, the shared resource selection feature in the SL module, the utilization of the shared resource selection information, and the in-device or over-the-air signaling for sharing the resource selection information may be jointly or separately enabled or disabled.

[0118] In the various embodiments described above, for SL devices in eNB / gNB coverage (in LTE mode 3 or 4, NR mode 1 or 2), the SL devices can use the eNB / gNB to relay shared resource selection information to other sidelink devices via the uplink and downlink. In any of the above embodiments, NR and LTE can be replaced with LTE and NR, respectively. The method of LTE shared resource selection information utilized by the NR SL module for NR SL can be applied in the same way as NR shared resource selection information utilized by the LTE SL module for LTE SL.

[0119] In the following paragraphs, certain exemplary embodiments are described with reference to terminology related to 5G core networks and the present disclosure relating to a communications apparatus and method for allocating one or more additional operating windows between two semi-statically configured SL DRX periods for receiving or transmitting SL signals.

[0120] (control signal) In the present disclosure, the downlink control signal (information) according to the present disclosure may be a signal (information) transmitted via a PDCCH of a physical layer, or may be a signal (information) transmitted via a MAC Control Element (CE) of a higher layer or an RRC. The downlink control signal may be a predefined signal (information).

[0121] The uplink control signal (information) according to the present disclosure may be a signal (information) transmitted via a PUCCH of a physical layer, or may be a signal (information) transmitted via a MAC CE of a higher layer or RRC. The uplink control signal may also be a predefined signal (information). The uplink control signal may be replaced with uplink control information (UCI), first-stage sidelink control information (SCI), or second-stage SCI.

[0122] (base station) In the present disclosure, a base station may be, for example, a Transmission Reception Point (TRP), a cluster head, an access point, a Remote Radio Head (RRH), an eNodeB (eNB), a gNodeB (gNB), a Base Station (BS), a Base Transceiver Station (BTS), a base unit, or a gateway. In addition, a terminal may be used instead of a base station in sidelink communication. The base station may be a repeater that relays communication between an upper node and a terminal. The base station may be a roadside unit.

[0123] (Uplink / Downlink / Sidelink) The present disclosure may be applied to any of the uplink, downlink, and sidelink.

[0124] For example, the present disclosure may be applied to the uplink PUSCH, PUCCH, and PRACH, the downlink PDSCH, PDCCH, and PBCH, and the sidelink PSSCH (Physical Sidelink Shared Channel), PSCCH (Physical Sidelink Control Channel), and PSBCH (Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel).

[0125] The PDCCH, PDSCH, PUSCH, and PUCCH are examples of a downlink control channel, a downlink data channel, an uplink data channel, and an uplink control channel, respectively. The PSCCH and PSSCH are examples of a sidelink control channel and a sidelink data channel, respectively. The PBCH and PSBCH are examples of a broadcast channel, and the PRACH is an example of a random access channel.

[0126] (Data channel / Control channel) The present disclosure may be applied to both data channels and control channels. For example, the channels of the present disclosure may be replaced with data channels such as PDSCH, PUSCH, and PSSCH, and control channels such as PDCCH, PUCCH, PBCH, PSCCH, and PSBCH.

[0127] (reference signal) In this disclosure, a reference signal is a signal known to both a base station and a mobile station, and each reference signal may be referred to as a reference signal (RS) or a pilot signal. A reference signal may be any of a DMRS, a Channel State Information - Reference Signal (CSI-RS), a Tracking Reference Signal (TRS), a Phase Tracking Reference Signal (PTRS), a Cell-specific Reference Signal (CRS), and a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS).

[0128] (time interval) In the present disclosure, the time resource unit is not limited to one or a combination of a slot and a symbol, but may be a time resource unit such as a frame, a superframe, a subframe, a slot, a subslot of a time slot, a minislot, or a symbol, an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbol, a Single Carrier-Frequency Division Multiplexing Access (SC-FDMA) symbol, or other time resource unit. The number of symbols included in one slot is not limited to the number of symbols exemplified in the above-mentioned embodiments, and may be other numbers of symbols.

[0129] (frequency band) The present disclosure may be applied to both licensed and unlicensed bands.

[0130] (communication) The present disclosure may be applied to communication between a base station and a terminal (Uu link communication), communication between terminals (sidelink communication), and V2X (Vehicle to Everything) communication. The channels in the present disclosure may be replaced with PSCCH, PSSCH, physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH), PSBCH, PDCCH, PUCCH, PDSCH, PUSCH, and PBCH.

[0131] The present disclosure can be applied to terrestrial networks, satellite networks using satellites or high altitude pseudo satellites (HAPS), or non-terrestrial networks (NTN) using high altitude pseudo satellites. The present disclosure can also be applied to networks with large cell sizes and terrestrial networks with large delays compared to the symbol length or slot length, such as ultra-wideband transmission networks.

[0132] (antenna port) An antenna port refers to a logical antenna (antenna group) formed from one or more physical antennas. That is, an antenna port does not necessarily refer to a single physical antenna, but may refer to an array antenna composed of multiple antennas. For example, the number of physical antennas that configure an antenna port is not defined. Instead, an antenna port is defined as the smallest unit that a terminal is permitted to transmit a reference signal. An antenna port can also be defined as the smallest unit that is multiplied by the weighting of a precoding vector.

[0133] The present disclosure can be implemented by software, hardware, or software cooperating with hardware. Each functional block used in the description of the above embodiments may be partially or entirely realized as an LSI, which is an integrated circuit. Each process described in the above embodiments may be partially or entirely controlled by a single LSI or a combination of LSIs. The LSI may be formed as an individual chip, or a single chip may be formed to include some or all of the functional blocks. The LSI may include a data input / output unit coupled to it. Depending on the level of integration, the LSI may also be referred to as an IC (integrated circuit), system LSI, super LSI, or ultra LSI. However, the technology for implementing an integrated circuit is not limited to LSI, and may be implemented using dedicated circuits, general-purpose processors, or dedicated processors. Furthermore, FPGAs (field programmable gate arrays), which can be programmed after LSI fabrication, and reconfigurable processors, which can reconfigure the connections and settings of circuit cells arranged within the LSI, may also be used. The present disclosure can be implemented using digital or analog processing. If, as a result of advances in semiconductor technology or other derivative technologies, LSI is replaced by future integrated circuit technologies, these future integrated circuit technologies can be used to integrate functional blocks. Biotechnology can also be applied.

[0134] The present disclosure may be implemented by any type of apparatus, device, or system having communication capabilities (collectively referred to as communication apparatus).

[0135] The communication device may include a radio transceiver and processing / control circuitry. The radio transceiver may include and / or function as a receiver and a transmitter. The radio transceiver as a transmitter and a receiver may include an RF (Radio Frequency) module including an amplifier, an RF modulator / demodulator, etc., and one or more antennas.

[0136] Non-limiting examples of such communications devices include telephones (e.g., mobile phones, smartphones), tablets, personal computers (PCs) (e.g., laptops, desktops, netbooks), cameras (e.g., digital still cameras / video cameras), digital players (digital audio players / video players), wearable devices (e.g., wearable cameras, smart watches, tracking devices), game consoles, digital book readers, telehealth / telemedicine devices, and vehicles (e.g., cars, airplanes, ships) that provide communications capabilities, in various combinations.

[0137] Communications equipment is not limited to portable or mobile equipment, but also includes non-portable or fixed equipment, devices, and systems of any kind, such as smart home devices (appliances, lighting equipment, smart meters or metering devices, control panels, etc.), vending machines, and any other "things" that may exist on an Internet of Things (IoT) network.

[0138] Communication may include, for example, exchanging data through cellular systems, wireless LAN systems, satellite systems, etc., and various combinations thereof.

[0139] A communications device may include devices such as a controller and sensors connected to a communications device that perform the communications functions described in this disclosure. For example, a communications device may include a controller and sensors that generate control and data signals used by the communications device to perform the communications functions of the communications device.

[0140] Communications equipment may also include infrastructure facilities such as base stations, access points, and other equipment, devices, and systems that communicate with or control equipment such as the above non-limiting examples.

[0141] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that numerous variations and / or modifications may be made to the present disclosure as set forth in the specific embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure as broadly described, and the present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.

Claims

1. a first module configured, in operation, to select a first list of resources from the first plurality of candidate resources based on information regarding one or more resources of the second plurality of candidate resources received from the second module; a transceiver that, in operation, transmits and / or receives signals on one of the first list of resources to and from another communication device; A first communication device comprising:

2. further comprising the second module configured, in operation, to select a second list of resources from the second plurality of candidate resources; the first module is further configured to obtain the information regarding the second list of resources of the second plurality of candidate resources from the second module. The first communication device according to claim 1 .

3. the transceiver receives another signal from the second module of a second communication device; the other signal includes the information; the first module is configured to select the first list of resources from the first plurality of candidate resources based on the information of the other signal received from the second communication device. The first communication device according to claim 1 .

4. the first plurality of candidate resources are the same as the second plurality of candidate resources; the information regarding one or more resources of the second plurality of candidate resources corresponds to information regarding one or more resources of the first plurality of candidate resources. The first communication device according to claim 2 .

5. at least a portion of the first plurality of candidate resources overlaps with the second plurality of candidate resources; the information regarding one or more resources of the second plurality of candidate resources corresponds to information regarding one or more resources of the overlapping portion of the first plurality of candidate resources. The first communication device according to claim 2 .

6. the information includes information about one or more resources that are excluded from the second plurality of candidate resources by the second module being selected for the second list of resources; The first module comprises: excluding one or more resources from the first plurality of candidate resources based on the information regarding the one or more resources excluded from the second plurality of candidate resources obtainable by a physical layer of the first module; selecting the first list of resources from the candidate resources remaining in the first plurality of candidate resources after excluding the one or more resources from the first plurality of candidate resources; further configured as follows: The first communication device according to claim 2 .

7. (i) the first module is configured to select the first list of resources in response to determining that a level for a reference signal received power (RSRP) of each of the first resources in the first list of resources is lower than a first threshold level for the RSRP; and / or (ii) the second module is configured to exclude the one or more resources from the second plurality of candidate resources in response to determining that the level of the RSRP for each of the one or more resources is lower than a second threshold level for the RSRP. The first communication device according to claim 6 .

8. the first module is further configured to increase or decrease the first threshold level for the RSRP in response to determining that a ratio of the number of candidate resources remaining in the first plurality of candidate resources after excluding the one or more resources from the first plurality of candidate resources to the number of the first plurality of candidate resources is less than a predetermined threshold ratio; and / or the second module is further configured to increase the second threshold level for the RSRP in response to determining that a ratio of the number of the candidate resources remaining in the second plurality of candidate resources after excluding the one or more resources from the second plurality of candidate resources to the number of the second plurality of candidate resources is less than 0.

2. The first communication device according to claim 7 .

9. the first module is further configured to set the second threshold level for the RSRP as the first threshold level for the RSRP. The first communication device according to claim 8 .

10. The first module comprises: excluding the one or more resources from the first plurality of candidate resources; selecting the first list of resources from the candidate resources remaining in the first plurality of candidate resources in response to determining that the second threshold level for the RSRP is lower than the first threshold level for the RSRP. It is configured as follows: The first communication device according to claim 7 .

11. The second module is further configured to select the second list of resources from the second candidate resources and report the information about the second list of resources to a second upper layer of the second module; the first module is further configured to select the first list of resources from the second list of resources based on the information obtained by the physical layer of the first module from the second upper layer of the second module. The first communication device according to claim 6 .

12. The first module comprises: Selecting an initial list of first resources from the first candidate resources in the physical layer of the first module, and reporting information about the initial list of first resources to a first upper layer of the first module; comparing the initial list of first resources with the list of second resources based on the information about the second list of resources and the information about the initial list of first resources to determine one or more overlapping resources from the initial list of first resources and the second list of resources, and selecting the list of first resources from the one or more overlapping resources. further configured as follows: The first communication device of claim 11.

13. the first module is further configured to select the first list of resources from the initial list of resources in response to determining that there is less than one overlapping resource from the initial list of first resources and the second list of resources. The first communication device of claim 12.

14. the signal includes the information regarding the first list of resources for a third communication device, the information being used as a list of preferred resources by the third communication device to select a third list of resources from a third plurality of candidate resources. The first communication device of claim 11.

15. a second module configured, in operation, to select a second list of resources from the second plurality of candidate resources; a transceiver configured to, in operation, transmit to a first communication device a signal including information regarding a second list of resources used to select a first list of resources from a first plurality of candidate resources; A second communication device comprising:

16. a transceiver that, in operation, receives information regarding one or more resources from a first communication device; a third module configured, during operation, to select a third list of resources from a third plurality of candidate resources based on the information about the one or more resources; A third communication device comprising: the third communication device is configured to transmit and / or receive signals on one of the third list of resources via the transceiver unit; A third communication device.

17. The third module includes: selecting the third initial list of resources from the third plurality of candidate resources at a physical layer of the third module; reporting information about the initial list of the third resource to an upper layer of the third module; determining one or more overlapping resources from the third initial list of resources and the one or more resources based on the information received from the first communication device; selecting the third list of resources from the one or more overlapping resources; further configured as follows: A third communication device according to claim 14.

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