MAC Layer Procedures for Sidelink Shared Channel Occupancy over Unlicensed Spectrum

Abstract

Some aspects of the present disclosure relate to inter-UE COT sharing, including destination selection, MAC multiplexing, resource selection, and DRX timer configuration in unlicensed spectrum. In some aspects, if an initiating UE initiates COT and transmits shared COT information to a responding UE, the responding UE prioritizes the initiating UE based on the shared COT information when selecting a destination UE. The logical channel and / or MAC-CE priority of the initiating UE is evaluated and compared with a channel access priority class (CAPC) value (CAPC-COT) for granting COT. The CAPC values ​​of other candidate UEs may also be considered when selecting a destination UE. This achieves a balance between inter-UE COT sharing and logical channel priority setting. Additional aspects and details of the present disclosure are further described below with reference to the figures.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to wireless communication networks, including techniques for sidelink communications over unlicensed spectrum. [Background technology]

[0002] The increasing use of mobile applications has driven much attention to the development of wireless systems capable of delivering large amounts of data at high speeds. Sidelink (SL) communications can be used to facilitate direct device-to-device communication and to bypass and offload base stations, allowing data to be exchanged quickly over short periods of time. Solutions for efficiency and reliability continue to evolve to include improvements and new features. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0003] The present disclosure will be readily understood and put into practice by the detailed description and the accompanying drawing figures. Like reference numerals may indicate like features and structural elements. The figures and corresponding description are provided as non-limiting examples of aspects, implementations, etc. of the present disclosure, and references to "an" or "one" aspect, implementation, etc. do not necessarily refer to the same aspect, implementation, etc., but may mean at least one, one or more, etc.

[0004] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a plurality of user equipments (UEs) configured to perform sidelink communications over an unlicensed spectrum, in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0005] [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating signaling between two UEs for receiving shared Channel Occupancy Time (COT) information, selecting a destination based on the shared COT information, and performing sidelink communication over an unlicensed spectrum, in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0006] [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a logic flow diagram illustrating a process for a responding UE to receive shared COT information and select a destination based on the shared COT information, in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0007] [Figure 4A] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a MAC procedure and structure showing SL logical channels and transport channels, according to certain aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 4B] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a MAC procedure and structure showing SL logical channels and transport channels, according to certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0008] [Figure 5] 10 is a process flow diagram illustrating a process for a responding UE to perform a MAC (Protocol Data Unit) PDU multiplexing procedure for a shared COT transmission in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0009] [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a process flow diagram illustrating a process for a responding UE to perform various listen before talk (LBT) procedures based on channel access priority classes for shared COT transmissions, in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0010] [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating signaling between two UEs for performing sidelink communication over an unlicensed spectrum, including a COT inquiry procedure, in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0011] [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating resource selection for shared COT transmission, according to certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0012] [Figure 9]1 is a schematic diagram illustrating timers for a SL Discontinuous Reception Mode (DRX) accommodating shared COT transmission according to certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0013] [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a device that may be employed to perform gapless UE measurements in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0014] [Figure 11] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating baseband circuitry that may be employed to perform gapless UE measurements in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. Like reference numerals in different drawings may identify the same or similar features, elements, operations, etc. Additionally, the disclosure is not limited to the following description, as other implementations may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

[0016] A wireless communication network may include user equipment (UE) capable of wirelessly communicating with base stations and other network nodes, and may also include direct UE-to-UE communication using sidelink (SL) signaling. For SL communication between UEs, resource allocation may be performed using either Mode 1 or Mode 2. In Mode 1, the network (e.g., a base station) allocates resources and communicates the resource allocation to the UE via Uu operation, and the UE transmits / receives SL signals using the allocated resources. In Mode 2, at least one of the UEs participating in SL communication allocates resources and autonomously communicates the resource allocation to one or more other UEs. SL resources may be selected or reserved from an SL resource pool, which can be shared by multiple SL UEs. While Uu operation for Mode 1 is restricted to licensed spectrum, other SL transmissions may use unlicensed spectrum as complementary spectrum for higher system capacity and transmission flexibility. A conventional SL UE selects a destination UE based on logical channel priority. MAC multiplexing then generates a MAC Protocol Data Unit (MAC PDU) and performs resource selection. However, in coexistence schemes incorporated into SL communications, such as Shared Channel Occupancy Time (COT), if the initializing UE that initiates the COT is not selected as the destination, the COT will be wasted. On the other hand, when SL data is selected and transmitted by the responding UE, the availability and priority of sidelink data for all candidate UEs, including the initiating UE, must also be taken into account.

[0017] Accordingly, some aspects of the present disclosure relate to inter-UE COT sharing, including destination selection, MAC multiplexing, resource selection, and DRX timer configuration in unlicensed spectrum. In some aspects, if an initiating UE initiates COT and transmits shared COT information to a responding UE, the responding UE prioritizes the initiating UE based on the shared COT information when selecting a destination UE. The availability and priority of logical channels and / or MAC-CEs for the initiating UE are evaluated and compared with a channel access priority class (CAPC) value (CAPC-COT) for granting COT. The CAPC values ​​of other candidate UEs may also be considered when selecting a destination UE. This achieves a balance between inter-UE COT sharing and logical channel prioritization. Additional aspects and details of the present disclosure are further described below with reference to the figures.

[0018] 1 is a block diagram illustrating systems and devices of an example network 100 including a plurality of UEs 110-1, 110-2, 110-3, 110-4, etc., configured to perform SL communication over an unlicensed spectrum, and related methods and operations, according to certain aspects of the present disclosure. The systems and devices of the example network 100 may operate according to one or more communication standards, such as 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP®) 4th generation (4G) (e.g., long-term evolution (LTE)), 5th generation (5G) (e.g., new radio (NR)), and / or other communication standards. Additionally or alternatively, one or more of the systems and devices of example network 100 may operate in accordance with other communication standards and protocols described herein, including future versions or generations of 3GPP standards (e.g., sixth generation (6G) standards, etc.), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standards (e.g., Wireless Metropolitan Area Network (WMAN), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), etc.), etc.

[0019] The UEs 110-1, 110-2, 110-3, 110-4, etc. (hereinafter also referred to as UEs 110) may comprise many types of mobile or non-mobile computing devices, including consumer electronic devices, cellular phones, smartphones, feature phones, tablet computers, wearable computing devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), pagers, wireless handsets, desktop computers, laptop computers, in-vehicle infotainment (IVI), in-car entertainment (ICE) devices, instrument clusters (IC), head-up display (HUD) devices, onboard diagnostic (OBD) devices, dashtop mobile equipment (DME), mobile data terminals (MDT), Electronic Engine Management Systems (EEMS), electronic / engine control units (ECM), and the like. units (ECU), electronic / engine control modules (ECM), embedded systems, microcontrollers, control modules, engine management systems (EMS), networked or "smart" appliances, Machine Type Communication (MTC) devices, Machine to Machine (M2M), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and / or the like.

[0020] Although not shown in the figure, the UE 110 may also communicate with (e.g., be communicatively coupled to) a Radio Access Network (RAN) node to establish a connection. In some aspects, the RAN node may be a next generation (NG) RAN or 5G RAN, an evolved-UMTS Terrestrial RAN (E-UTRAN), or a conventional RAN such as a UTRAN or GERAN. As used herein, terms such as "NG RAN" may refer to a RAN node operating in an NR or 5G system, and terms such as "E-UTRAN" may refer to a RAN node operating in an LTE or 4G system. The RAN node may be further connected to a core network (CN) via an NG interface. The CN may comprise multiple network elements configured to provide various data and telecommunication services to customers / subscribers (e.g., users of the UE 110) connected to the CN via the RAN.

[0021] Furthermore, RAN nodes may be configured to communicate wirelessly with UEs 110, and / or for UEs to communicate with each other, via a licensed medium (also referred to as a "licensed spectrum" and / or a "licensed band"), an unlicensed shared medium (also referred to as an "unlicensed spectrum" and / or an "unlicensed band"), and / or a combination thereof. Licensed spectrum may correspond to channels or frequency bands that are selected, reserved, regulated, etc., for some types of wireless activity (e.g., wireless long-range communication network activity), while unlicensed spectrum may correspond to one or more frequency bands that are not restricted for particular types of wireless activity. Whether a particular frequency band corresponds to a licensed or unlicensed medium may depend on one or more factors, such as frequency allocations determined by a public sector organization (e.g., a government agency, a regulatory body, etc.) or by a private sector organization responsible for developing wireless communication standards and protocols.

[0022] To operate in the unlicensed spectrum, the UE 110 and the RAN node may operate using licensed assisted access (LAA), eLAA, and / or feLAA mechanisms. In these implementations, the UE 110 and the RAN node may perform one or more medium sensing or carrier sensing operations to determine whether one or more channels in the unlicensed spectrum are unavailable or otherwise occupied before transmitting in the unlicensed spectrum. The medium / carrier sensing operations may be performed in accordance with a listen-before-talk (LBT) protocol and other procedures disclosed herein.

[0023] UE 110-1 is shown as an initiator UE configured to initiate a COT that may be shared by other COT sharing candidate UEs 110-2, 110-3, 110-4, etc. UE 110-2 is shown as a responder UE configured to select a destination UE from multiple destination candidate UEs 110-1, 110-3, 110-4, etc., and is responsible for receiving the shared COT information for the COT from initiator UE 110-1.

[0024] It will be understood that UEs 110-3 and 110-4 are shown as both COT sharing candidates for initiator UE 110-1 and destination candidates for responder UE 110-2 for convenience of explanation, although the COT sharing candidates for initiator UE 110-1 and the destination candidates for responder UE 110-2 may each include one or more UEs that are different from each other, with or without overlap.

[0025] When a new transmission is performed from one of the UEs 110, such as the responding UE 110-2, an SL logical channel prioritization (LCP) 102 may be applied, in which a destination UE is selected from a plurality of candidate destination UEs, such as UEs 110-1, 110-3, 110-4, associated with one of unicast, groupcast, and broadcast, and an SL grant associated with an SCI having a MAC CE and at least one of the logical channels with the highest priority among the logical channels that satisfy the mapping constraints and scheduling rules is selected.

[0026] As described in more detail below, the initiator UE 110-1 may send shared COT information 106 and / or shared COT query 104 to one or more COT sharing candidate UEs, such as UEs 110-2, 110-3, and 110-4. In some aspects of the present disclosure, when there is potentially involved COT sharing 108, a new procedure is implemented to select a destination UE from multiple destination candidate UEs 110-1, 110-3, and 110-4. The selection of the destination UE may consider the received shared COT information 106 in addition to the data and / or channel priorities of the other destination candidate UEs 110-3, 110-4, and the like, including the LCP procedure 102.

[0027] For example, as indicated by the first indicator 1.1, in some aspects, the responding UE 110-2, when selecting a destination UE, prioritizes the initiating UE 110-1 by evaluating the availability and priority of MAC-CE and / or logical channels for the initiating UE 110-1 and other candidate UEs 110-3, 110-4 based on the shared COT information 106. This achieves a balance between utilizing inter-UE COT sharing and logical channel prioritization.

[0028] As indicated by the second indicator 1.2, in some further aspects, a MAC PDU (Protocol Data Unit) procedure or MAC-related procedure is modified such that sidelink data transmitted over the COT share 108 for the initiating UE 110-1 has a CAPC value less than or equal to CAPC-COT.

[0029] For example, the LCP procedure may be restricted for logical channels or MAC CEs with a CAPC value greater than CAPC-COT. Alternatively, an additional query-response procedure may be performed between the initiator UE 110-1 and the responder UE 110-2. An acknowledgement is sent back to the initiator UE 110-1 only if the initiator UE's CAPC value is less than or equal to CAPC-COT. Alternatively, various LBT procedures may be performed based on the CAPC value of the generated MAC PDU, such that TBs with smaller CAPC values ​​are prioritized.

[0030] As indicated by the third indicator 1.3, in some further aspects, resource selection for transmitting sidelink data is performed within a resource selection window bounded by the COT duration of a COT for the initiator UE 110-1. Resources may be selected from the earliest available candidate resources identified in a time domain bounded by the COT duration of that COT such that the SL transmission can be sent and completed in a timely manner during the COT.

[0031] As indicated by the fourth indicator 1.4, in some further aspects, an SL DRX may be extended by the COT duration to enable COT sharing 108 to be performed with the responder UE 110-2 with the SL DRX in an "on" state. For example, if the responder UE 110-2 accepts the COT sharing 108 and selects the initiator UE 110-1 as the destination, the effective duration of the SL DRX may be extended to the end of the COT duration of the COT. Additionally, a sidelink COT timer may be set from the time the first COT transmission is received from the initiator UE 110-1 to the end of the COT duration of the COT.

[0032] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a process 200 for signaling between two UEs 110-1 and 110-2 to perform sidelink communication over an unlicensed spectrum in a wireless communications network in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure. Process 200 may be performed by the initiator UE 110-1 and the responder UE 110-2, as described throughout this disclosure. In some implementations, some or all of process 200 may be performed by one or more other systems or devices, including one or more of the initiator UE 110-1 and the responder UE 110-2. Furthermore, process 200 and processes described elsewhere in this disclosure may include one or more, or fewer, additional, differently ordered, and / or arranged operations than those shown in FIG. 2. In some aspects, some or all of the operations of process 200 may be performed independently, sequentially, simultaneously, etc., with respect to one or more of the other operations of process 200. Thus, the techniques described herein are not limited to the number, sequence, arrangement, timing, etc. of operations illustrated in FIG. 2 and other figures. Furthermore, process 200 provides examples of operations that may be performed using the techniques described herein. Additional details of the operations presented in FIG. 2, as well as additional and alternative features and operations, are further described below with reference to other figures.

[0033] In operation 210, shared channel occupation time (COT) information is transmitted from the initiator UE 110-1 to the responder UE 110-2. The shared COT information includes information of the COT initiated by the initiator UE. In some aspects, the shared COT information includes one or more of a duration of the COT, a Layer 1 UE identity of the initiator UE, and a CAPC-COT. In some aspects, the shared COT information may further include a priority threshold for using the COT, which will be described in more detail below in connection with block 304 of FIG. 3. In some aspects, the shared COT information is transmitted in a Sidelink Control Information (SCI) format. The shared COT information may be transmitted on a Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH). In some aspects, the shared COT information may be communicated directly (unicast) between the initiator UE 110-1 and the responder UE 110-2. In other aspects, the initiating UE may transmit shared COT information to be received by all candidate UEs within the radio transmission range of the initiating UE 110-1 (broadcast) or may transmit shared COT information to be received by a set of receivers that meet some conditions (groupcast).

[0034] In operation 220, the SCI including the shared COT information may be decoded and sent from the physical layer of the responding UE 110-2 to the MAC layer. A destination UE is selected based on the shared COT information and, for example, by evaluating MAC-CE and / or logical channel availability and priority for the initiating UE 110-1 and / or other candidate UEs based on the shared COT information. Further details of destination selection are described below, for example, in connection with FIG. 3.

[0035] At operation 230, a MAC PDU is generated. In some aspects, the MAC PDU is generated with a restriction on multiplexing of logical channels or MAC CEs with a CAPC value greater than CAPC-COT. Alternatively, an additional inquiry-response procedure may be performed, where an acknowledgement is sent back to the initiating UE only if the CAPC value of the initiating UE is less than or equal to CAPC-COT. Further alternatively, various LBT procedures may be performed based on the CAPC value of the generated MAC PDU. Further details of the MAC procedure restricting SL transmissions with a TB CAPC value greater than CAPC-COT are described below, e.g., in conjunction with FIGS. 4-7.

[0036] Resources are selected for the shared COT transmission to the initiating UE in operation 240. Further details of resource selection are described below, for example, in connection with FIG.

[0037] In operation 250, sidelink data for the initiator UE 110-1 is received from the responder UE 110-2 via the shared COT. As explained above, the destination selection of the initiator UE 110-1 and the transmission of the sidelink data over the shared COT is based on the CAPC-COT and priority information of the sidelink data for the initiator UE 110-1 and / or other candidate UEs. Further details of the transmission of sidelink data over the shared COT using SL-DRX are described below, e.g., in relation to FIG. 9 .

[0038] 3 is a logic flow diagram illustrating a process for a responding UE to receive shared COT information and select a destination based on the shared COT information, according to certain aspects of the present disclosure. The responding UE may be responding UE 110-2 as described with reference to other figures throughout the description. The shared COT information may be shared COT information 106 as described with reference to other figures throughout the description.

[0039] In some aspects, destination candidates for the responding UE include an initiating UE configured to initiate COT, information of which is included in the shared COT information. If one or more conditions as indicated by blocks 301, 302, 303, and 304 are met, the initiating UE is selected as the destination UE. For example, in some aspects, as indicated by FIG. 3, if all conditions indicated by blocks 301, 302, 303, and 304 are met, the initiating UE is selected as the destination UE. In other aspects, although additional illustrations are not presented for brevity, the initiating UE may be selected as the destination UE if the conditions indicated by blocks 301, 302, and 303 are met. Other combinations or omissions of condition blocks are also possible for the initiating UE to be selected as the destination UE. In some aspects, the initiating UE is ignored and the candidate UE sidelink data with the highest logical channel priority is selected as the destination only if any of the following conditions as indicated by blocks 301, 302, 303, and 304 are not met:

[0040] In block 301, a determination is made as to whether sidelink data for the initiating UE is available. If sidelink data for the initiating UE is available, a further determination may need to be made in block 302. If sidelink data for the initiating UE is not available, a conventional LCP is performed to select a destination UE from among the candidate UEs, as indicated by block 310.

[0041] In block 302, a determination is made as to whether the remaining COT duration is sufficient to transmit sidelink data for the initiating UE. Specifically, if the sum of the MAC PDU generation, resource selection, LBT procedure, and transmission time of the MAC PDU is greater than the remaining time, the remaining COT duration may be determined to be sufficient. In some aspects, the respective times for the MAC PDU generation, resource selection, and LBT procedure may be preset and may correspond to UE capabilities.

[0042] In some aspects, the determination in block 302 may be made after it is determined that sidelink data for the initiating UE is available in block 301. If the remaining COT duration is sufficient to transmit sidelink data for the initiating UE, a further determination may need to be made in block 303. If the remaining COT duration is not sufficient to transmit sidelink data for the initiating UE, a conventional LCP is performed to select a destination UE from among the candidate UEs, as indicated by block 310.

[0043] In block 303, a determination is made as to whether the sidelink data for the initiating UE has a CAPC value less than or equal to CAPC-COT. In some aspects, the determination in block 303 may be made after it has been determined in block 301 that sidelink data for the initiating UE is available and / or after it has been determined in block 302 that the remaining COT duration is sufficient to transmit sidelink data for the initiating UE. As indicated by block 310, if the sidelink data for the initiating UE has a CAPC value greater than CAPC-COT, a conventional LCP is performed to select a destination UE from among the candidate UEs.

[0044] At block 304, a determination is made as to whether a data priority threshold criterion for the initiating UE or other candidate UEs is met. The condition at block 304 may be optional and may be evaluated after any one or more conditions at blocks 301, 302, and 303 have been determined. If the data priority threshold criterion is met, the initiating UE may be selected as the destination UE, as indicated by block 320. If the data priority threshold criterion is not met, a conventional LCP is performed to select a destination UE from among the candidate UEs, as indicated by block 310.

[0045] In some aspects, a first priority threshold is set for the other candidate UEs. The responding UE may not select the initiating UE as a destination if there is high-priority SL data for the other candidate UEs. As an example, the data priority threshold criterion may be that the highest priority of the SL data for the other candidate UEs is lower than the first priority threshold.

[0046] In some alternative aspects, a second priority threshold is set for the initiating UE. The responding UE may select the initiating UE as the destination if there is high-priority SL data for the initiating UE. As an example, the data priority threshold criterion may be that the highest priority of the SL data for the initiating UE is higher than the second priority threshold.

[0047] In some aspects, the first priority threshold or the second priority threshold is (pre)configured by the base station. The first priority threshold or the second priority threshold may be transmitted from the base station to the responding UE via radio resource control (RRC). In some other aspects, the first priority threshold or the second priority threshold is included in the shared COT information transmitted from the initiating UE to the responding UE (e.g., as illustrated by operation 210 of FIG. 2). The first priority threshold or the second priority threshold may be transmitted from the base station to the initiating UE via radio resource control (RRC).

[0048] 4A is a schematic diagram illustrating a MAC structure showing SL logical channels 401 and transport channels 406 in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. The transport channels 406 are Service Access Points (SAPs) between the SL physical layer and the MAC layer. The SL MAC can access services provided by the physical layer via the transport channels 406, including a Sidelink Shared Channel (SL-SCH) and a Sidelink Broadcast Channel (SL-BCH). The SL logical channels, which are SAPs between the SL MAC and the RLC layer, include a Sidelink Broadcast Control Channel (SBCCH) for broadcasting SL system information, a Sidelink Control Channel (SCCH) for transmitting control information, and a Sidelink Traffic Channel (STCH) for transmitting user information.

[0049] The MAC structure provides SL functions such as logical channel prioritization 402, MAC PDU multiplexing and demultiplexing 403, PDU filtering 404, and HARQ procedures 405, as well as SL channel state information reporting.

[0050] Figure 4B shows an example of a MAC PDU multiplexing, such as the MAC PDU multiplexing 403 shown in Figure 4A. An RLC PDU consists of an RLC header 422 and an RLC SDU (Service Data Unit) 421. At the MAC sublayer, such an RLC PDU is referred to as a MAC SDU 423. The MAC adds a subheader 424 to the MAC SDU 423 to construct a MAC sub-PDU 425. The subheader 424 may include a field R / F / LCID / L. The R bit is reserved for future updates. The F bit indicates the size of the length field L; if F=0, L is 8 bits; otherwise, L is 16 bits. The L field indicates the length in bytes of either the MAC SDU or a variable-sized CE. This field is not present if not needed. The LCID identifies the logical channel carried in the MAC sub-PDU, a specific CE, or padding. The MAC also sends and receives control elements (CEs) that carry control information. A subheader 427 is added to the MAC-CE 426 to construct another MAC sub-PDU 428. The subheader 427 may include fields R / L / LCID. Padding may also be included to construct an additional MAC sub-PDU 429.

[0051] Multiple MAC sub-PDUs, including MAC SDUs, MAC CE, and padding, may be part of a single MAC PDU. For SL-SCH, an SL-SCH subheader 430 is added to the MAC sub-PDU. The SL-SCH subheader 430 may contain fields V / R / SRC / DST. The V field indicates the version. The R field is reserved for future updates. The SRC field indicates the source Layer 2 ID provided by higher layers. The DST field indicates the destination Layer 2 ID provided by higher layers. The MAC PDU is packaged as a Transport Block (TB) 431 and sent to the physical layer on a transport channel for transmission.

[0052] 4A and 4B, in various aspects, the MAC PDU procedure is modified so that sidelink data transmitted over the shared COT has a CAPC value less than or equal to CAPC-COT. For example, in some aspects, MAC SDUs 423 or MAC CEs 426 with a CAPC value greater than CAPC-COT are excluded from the LCP 402 and subsequent MAC-PDU multiplexing and demultiplexing 403. In some alternative aspects, different types of listen-before-talk (LBT) procedures or other detection procedures are performed depending on the CAPC value in TB 431. For example, if the CAPC value in TB 431 is greater than CAPC-COT, a Type 1 LBT may be performed. If the CAPC value in TB 431 is less than or equal to CAPC-COT, a Type 2 LBT may be performed. Each approach is described below with reference to FIGS. 5-7, respectively.

[0053] 5 is a process flow diagram illustrating a process 500 for a responding UE to perform a MAC PDU multiplexing procedure for a shared COT transmission in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. If the initiating UE is selected as the destination UE and the COT is shared by the responding UE, the responding UE's transmission should have a CAPC value less than or equal to CAPC-COT indicated in the shared COT information.

[0054] Thus, in some aspects, MAC SDUs with CAPC values ​​greater than CAPC-COT are excluded from LCP and subsequent MAC-PDU multiplexing, as indicated by block 510. In some aspects, the responding UE performs a Type 2 (Type 2A / 2B / 2C) Listen-Before-Talk (LBT) before transmitting within the COT duration of COT, as indicated by block 520. Type 2A, 2B, or 2C LBT may be performed depending on the gap length between transmissions, as specified below. 1) Type 2A LBT is performed when it is critical that the channel be idle for the duration sensed before transmission. The channel must be idle for a 25 μs sensing interval. 2) Type 2B LBT is performed when it is critical that the channel be idle for a duration that is sensed before transmission. The channel must be idle for at least 16 μs of sensing interval and less than 25 μs. 3) Type 2C LBT is performed when the UE does not sense the channel before transmission. The time gap to the previous transmission is less than 16 μs. The duration of the corresponding transmission is at most 584 μs.

[0055] The responding UE may be responding UE 110-2 as described with reference to other figures throughout the description. The shared COT information may be shared COT information 106 as described with reference to other figures throughout the description. The initiating UE may be initiating UE 110-1 as described with reference to other figures throughout the description.

[0056] FIG. 6 is a process flow diagram illustrating a process 600 for a responding UE to perform various listen-before-talk (LBT) procedures based on a channel access priority class for a shared COT transmission, according to some aspects of the present disclosure. As indicated by block 610, if the initiating UE is selected as the destination UE and the COT is shared by the responding UE, instead of restricting SL LCP and MAC PDU multiplexing as described in connection with FIG. 5, in some other aspects, various types of listen-before-talk (LBT) procedures or other detection procedures are performed before transmitting within the COT duration of the COT. For example, as indicated by block 620, if the CAPC value of the TB is greater than CAPC-COT, a Type 1 listen-before-talk (LBT) may be performed. As indicated by block 630, if the CAPC value of the TB is less than or equal to CAPC-COT, a Type 2 (Type 2A / 2B / 2C) listen-before-talk (LBT) may be performed. Type 2 LBT was described above in connection with FIG. 5. Type 1 LBT is performed when the responding UE determines an initial counter N, which is then counted between 0 and CW p where CW pis the contention window, and CW min,p ≦CW p ≦CW max,p In some embodiments, CW min,p and C.W. max,p is subject to CAPC. N may be gradually decremented when the channel is detected as idle for a certain period of time. Transmission may only occur once N reaches 0. In some aspects, process 600 applies when shared COT information indicating CAPC-COT is transmitted to the responding UE after a MAC PDU for the initiating UE is generated. In that case, the MAC PDU cannot preclude transmissions by responding UEs with CAPC values ​​greater than CAPC-COT. If the generated TB with a CAPC value is greater than CAPC-COT, a Type 1 LBT is performed before the TB is transmitted. Otherwise, if the generated TB with a CAPC value is less than or equal to CAPC-COT, a Type 2 LBT is performed before the TB is transmitted.

[0057] 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a signaling process 700 between two UEs for performing sidelink communication over an unlicensed spectrum, including a COT inquiry procedure, according to some aspects of the present disclosure. If an initiating UE is selected as a destination UE and the COT is shared by a responding UE, instead of restricting SL LCP and SDU multiplexing as described in connection with FIG. 5 and performing various types of LBT procedures as described in connection with FIG. 6, in some further aspects, an additional handshake procedure may be introduced between the initiating UE and the responding UE. The initiating UE sends an inquiry message to the responding UE and transmits the shared COT information only after receiving an acknowledgment of the inquiry message from the responding UE.

[0058] At operation 710, a query message is received from an initiating UE. The query message includes a CAPC-COT. In some further embodiments, the query message may further include a COT duration of the COT. In some aspects, the query message is unicast to the responding UE. In some alternative aspects, the query message is groupcast to multiple candidate UEs. In some aspects, the query message is sent over an SCI. In other aspects, the query message is sent over an SL MAC CE.

[0059] At operation 720, if the sidelink data for the initiating UE has a priority equal to or greater than CAPC-COT, a response message is transmitted from the responding UE and / or another candidate UE to the initiating UE. For example, if the MAC SDU or MAC-CE of the initiating UE has a CAPC value equal to or less than CAPC-COT, the response message is sent. The response message may be unicast to the initiating UE. In some aspects, the response message is transmitted over the SCI. In other aspects, the response message is transmitted over the SL MAC CE.

[0060] Once the response message is received, the initiating UE transmits the shared COT information in operation 210. The shared COT information may be transmitted from the initiating UE only to UEs that have data available on logical channels with a CAPC value less than or equal to CAPC-COT. The shared COT information may be transmitted within the SCI.

[0061] A destination UE is selected based on the shared COT information in operation 220. The SCI including the shared COT information may be decoded and sent from the physical layer to the MAC layer, and the destination UE is selected by evaluating the availability and priority of MAC-CE and / or logical channels for the initiating UE and / or other candidate UEs.

[0062] In operation 230, a MAC PDU is generated.

[0063] Resources are selected for shared COT transmission to the initiating UE in operation 240. Further details of an example resource selection are provided below in connection with FIG.

[0064] At operation 250, the responding UE transmits sidelink data to the initiating UE over the shared COT.

[0065] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram 800 illustrating resource selection for a shared COT transmission according to some aspects of the present disclosure. As described above in connection with the third indicator 1.3 of FIG. 1 and block 240 of FIG. 2, after a destination UE is selected, a resource selection procedure is performed by a responding UE. In some aspects, if an initiating UE is selected as the destination and the COT is shared, the resource selection procedure is performed based on the COT duration of the COT. The COT duration may be included in shared COT information transmitted from the initiating UE. The responding UE may be the responding UE 110-2 as described in connection with other figures throughout the description. The initiating UE may be the initiating UE 110-1 as described in connection with other figures throughout the description. The shared COT information may be the shared COT information 106 as described in connection with other figures throughout the description.

[0066] Resource selection for SL on unlicensed spectrum may be a Mode 2 procedure, in which autonomous resource selection by the UE is performed based on a sensing procedure. Sensing is performed in a preconfigured resource pool. The UE can select resources for transmission and retransmission if the resources are not being used by other UEs with higher priority traffic. The UE may occupy the resources for a reasonable amount of time until a reselection event is triggered. Figure 8 shows a sensing window 801, a selection window 802, and a trigger time n for resource allocation. There are two processing periods (Tproc0 and Tproc1) before and after the trigger time n, which refer to the time required for processing inter-layer information exchange at the physical layer and MAC layer. In Mode 2 of resource allocation, the UE performs continuous sensing, and when a resource selection event is triggered at the UE at trigger time n (e.g., arrival of a transport block), the UE considers recent sensing results within the sensing window 801 (e.g., between 1100 ms and 100 ms) before the trigger time n for resource selection. The sensing results in the far segment n-T0 (e.g., 1100 ms) of the sensing window 801 are useful for identifying resources reserved by other UEs for periodic traffic, and the near segment nT proc,0 The sensing result at (e.g., 100 ms) is particularly useful for aperiodic traffic. The selection of resources for (re)transmission by the UE is based on the sensing result and a selection window 802. The selection window 802 lies between n+Tproc1 and n+T1. The maximum selection window 802 is bounded by the remaining packet delay budget (PDB) 803 of the TB.

[0067] In some aspects, the maximum selection window 802 is also bounded to the remaining COT duration 804 after the initiating UE's transmission. Thus, in some aspects, the selection window 802 is determined as the minimum of the PDB 803 and the remaining COT duration 804. Thus, the resource selection window 802 is limited by the COT duration 804, so that the SL transmission for the initiating UE can be completed during the remaining COT duration 804.

[0068] SL measurements, such as SL-RSRP, for either the PSCCH or the PSSCH are performed to facilitate selecting appropriate resources and avoiding interference with existing communications. For example, the UE may exclude resources with measured RSRPs higher than a threshold and consider those resources occupied if the traffic priority of the measured resources is higher than the UE's traffic priority. Alternatively, the UE may select occupied resources if the UE has higher-priority traffic. In this way, higher-priority traffic can occupy those resources even if they are already reserved by other UEs.

[0069] After excluding reserved resources from the selection window, as part of conventional selection, the UE randomly selects resources from its best set of remaining resources, i.e., from the best 20% of resources whose measured RSRP is less than a (pre)configured threshold, based on traffic priority. If the remaining resources after the elimination procedure are less than 20% of all resources in the selection window, the UE relaxes the RSRP threshold (by 3 dB) until it has at least 20% (or 35, 50% based on traffic priority) of all resources in the selection window for resource allocation. The final selection of resources is made in the MAC layer of the UE, which receives the set of unoccupied resources from the physical layer. The resource selection in the MAC is based on a random procedure. The selected resources are not periodic, and the UE may reserve up to three resources, adding an indication during the SCI.

[0070] In some aspects, compared to random resource selection, earlier candidate resources are selected in the time domain after the first COT transmission from the initiating UE for timely sharing of the COT. In some aspects, resources are selected from the earliest available candidate resources identified in the time domain within the selection window 802. For example, R1, R2, and R3 are the earliest available resources and may be selected over R4 and other available resources. In some aspects, resources are selected randomly in the frequency domain. For example, resources may be selected randomly from among R1, R2, and R3.

[0071] Immediately prior to the start of transmission on the selected resource, the UE may re-evaluate its selection for late SCI reception after the detection window 801 to ensure that the selected resource is still suitable for the transmission.

[0072] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating timers for SL discontinuous reception mode (DRX) adapted to a shared COT transmission according to some aspects of the present disclosure. In some aspects, if the initiating UE is selected as the destination UE and the COT is shared by the responding UE, the effective duration of sidelink DRX is extended until the end of the COT duration 904 of the COT. A DRX-on timer 901 (e.g., sl-drx-onDuration) may define the time length of the DRX-on duration. Shared COT information may be received in the SCI at T1 during the DRX-on duration. In some aspects, a COT extension timer 902 (e.g., sl-drx-COTextension) is configured to extend the effective duration of sidelink DRX to cover the COT duration. The COT extension timer 902 may start upon receiving an A / N feedback for the COT transmission, which may also be referred to as the first COT transmission, from the initiating UE at T2. The COT extension timer may stop at the end of the COT duration. When this timer is on, the responding UE remains in an "on state," which may extend the on period to a period that would otherwise be an "off period." A DRX inactivity timer 903 is also defined to extend the on period to a period that would otherwise be an "off period." In some aspects, the DRX inactivity timer 903 (e.g., sl-drx-Inactivity) may define the length of time that the responding UE remains in the "on" state after receiving an SCI including shared COT information, so that there is enough time to make a decision regarding shared COT transmission. The DRX inactivity timer 903 may start upon receiving an SCI including shared COT information. The DRX inactivity timer 903 may be configured to be long enough to cover receiving A / N feedback for COT transmission from the initiating UE at T2.

[0073] The responding UE may be responding UE 110-2 as described with reference to other figures throughout the description. The initiating UE may be initiating UE 110-1 as described with reference to other figures throughout the description. The shared COT information may be shared COT information 106 as described with reference to other figures throughout the description.

[0074] 10 is a diagram of an example of components of a device 1000 according to one or more implementations described herein. The device 1000 or its components may also be or be included in a UE, such as an initiating UE 110-1, as described throughout this disclosure. The device 1000 may be configured to initiate a COT and send shared COT information to the responding device. The shared COT information includes priority information for the COT. The device 1000 receives sidelink data from the responding device within a COT duration of the COT based on the priority information.

[0075] Device 1000, or components thereof, may be or be included in a UE, such as responding UE 110-2, as described throughout this disclosure. Device 100 may be configured to prioritize an initiating device when selecting a destination device based on shared COT information received from the initiating device. In some aspects, the priority of the logical channel and / or MAC-CE for the initiating device is evaluated and compared to CAPC-COT. CAPC values ​​of other candidate devices may also be considered when selecting a destination device.

[0076] In some implementations, device 1000 may include, at least as shown, an application circuit 1002, a baseband circuit 1004, an RF circuit 1006, a front-end module (FEM) circuit 1008, one or more antennas 1010, and a power management circuit (PMC) 1012 coupled together. In some implementations, device 1000 may include fewer elements (e.g., a RAN node may not utilize application circuit 1002 and instead include a processor / controller that processes IP data received from a CN such as 5GC or an Evolved Packet Core (EPC)). In some implementations, device 1000 may include additional elements such as, for example, memory / storage, a display, a camera, sensors (including one or more temperature sensors, such as a single temperature sensor, multiple temperature sensors at different locations within device 1000), or an input / output (I / O) interface. In other implementations, the components described below may be included in two or more devices (e.g., the above circuits may be included separately in two or more devices in a Cloud RAN (C-RAN) implementation).

[0077] The application circuit 1002 may include one or more application processors. For example, the application circuit 1002 may include circuits such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The processor(s) may include any combination of general-purpose processors and special-purpose processors (e.g., graphics processors, application processors, etc.). The processor(s) may be coupled to or may include memory / storage and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory / storage to enable various applications or operating systems to run on the device 1000. In some implementations, the processor of the application circuit 1002 may process IP data packets received from a CN.

[0078] The baseband circuitry 1004 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The baseband circuitry 1004 may include one or more baseband processors or control logic that processes baseband signals received from a receive signal path of the RF circuitry 1006 and generates baseband signals for a transmit signal path of the RF circuitry 1006. The baseband circuitry 1004 may interface with the application circuitry 1002 for generating and processing baseband signals and for controlling the operation of the RF circuitry 1006. For example, in some implementations, the baseband circuitry 1004 may include a 3G baseband processor 1004A, a 4G baseband processor 1004B, a 5G baseband processor 1004C, or other baseband processor(s) 1004D of other existing, developing, or future generations (e.g., 2G, 6G, etc.). The baseband circuitry 1004 (e.g., one or more of the baseband processors 1004A-1004D) can handle various radio control functions that enable communication with one or more wireless networks via the RF circuitry 1006. In another implementation, some or all of the functionality of the baseband processors 1004A-1004D may be included in modules stored in memory 1004G and executed via a central processing unit (CPU) 1004E. Radio control functions may include, but are not limited to, signal modulation / demodulation, encoding / decoding, radio frequency shifting, etc. In some implementations, the modulation / demodulation circuitry of the baseband circuitry 1004 may include fast Fourier transform (FFT), precoding, or constellation mapping / demapping functionality. In some implementations, the encoder / decoder circuitry of the baseband circuitry 1004 may include convolution, tail-biting convolution, turbo, Viterbi, or low-density parity check (LDPC) encoder / decoder functionality. Implementations of the modulation / demodulation and encoder / decoder functionality are not limited to these examples and may include other suitable functionality in other implementations.

[0079] In some implementations, the baseband circuitry 1004 may include one or more audio digital signal processor(s) (DSP) 1004F. The audio DSP 1004F may include elements for compression / decompression and echo cancellation, and in other implementations may include other suitable processing elements. The components of the baseband circuitry may be suitably combined within a single chip, a single chipset, or, in some implementations, may be located on the same circuit board. In some implementations, some or all of the components comprising the baseband circuitry 1004 and the application circuitry 1002 may be implemented together, such as on a system on a chip (SOC).

[0080] In some implementations, the baseband circuitry 1004 can provide communications compatible with one or more wireless technologies. For example, in some implementations, the baseband circuitry 1004 can support communications with an NG-RAN, an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (EUTRAN) or other wireless metropolitan area network (WMAN), a wireless local area network (WLAN), a wireless personal area network (WPAN), etc. An implementation in which the baseband circuitry 1004 is configured to support wireless communications of two or more wireless protocols can be referred to as a multimode baseband circuit.

[0081] The RF circuitry 1006 can enable communication with a wireless network using modulated electromagnetic radiation over a non-solid medium. In various implementations, the RF circuitry 1006 can include switches, filters, amplifiers, etc. to facilitate communication with the wireless network. The RF circuitry 1006 can include a receive signal path that can include circuitry to downconvert RF signals received from the FEM circuitry 1008 and provide baseband signals to the baseband circuitry 1004. The RF circuitry 1006 can also include a transmit signal path that can include circuitry to upconvert baseband signals provided by the baseband circuitry 1004 and provide an RF output signal to the FEM circuitry 1008 for transmission.

[0082] In some implementations, the receive signal path of the RF circuit 1006 can include a mixer circuit 1006A, an amplifier circuit 1006B, and a filter circuit 1006C. In some implementations, the transmit signal path of the RF circuit 1006 can include a filter circuit 1006C and a mixer circuit 1006A. The RF circuit 1006 can also include a combiner circuit 1006D that combines frequencies used by the mixer circuit 1006A of the receive signal path and the transmit signal path. In some implementations, the mixer circuit 1006A of the receive signal path can be configured to downconvert the RF signal received from the FEM circuit 1008 based on a combined frequency provided by the combiner circuit 1006D. The amplifier circuit 1006B can be configured to amplify the downconverted signal, and the filter circuit 1006C can be a low-pass filter (LPF) or a band-pass filter (BPF) configured to remove unwanted signals from the downconverted signal to generate an output baseband signal. The output baseband signal can be provided to the baseband circuit 1004 for further processing. In some implementations, the output baseband signal can be a zero-frequency baseband signal, although this is not a requirement. In some implementations, the mixer circuit 1006A of the receive signal path can include a passive mixer, although the scope of implementations is not limited in this respect.

[0083] In some implementations, the mixer circuit 1006A of the transmit signal path can be configured to upconvert an input baseband signal based on a synthesis frequency provided by the synthesizer circuit 1006D to generate an RF output signal for the FEM circuit 1008. The baseband signal can be provided by the baseband circuit 1004 and can be filtered by the filter circuit 1006C.

[0084] In some implementations, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be analog baseband signals, although the scope of implementations is not limited in this respect. In some alternative implementations, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be digital baseband signals. In these alternative implementations, the RF circuit 1006 may include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuits, and the baseband circuit 1004 may include a digital baseband interface for communicating with the RF circuit 1006.

[0085] In some dual-mode implementations, separate radio IC circuitry may be provided to process signals in each spectrum, although the scope of implementations is not limited in this respect.

[0086] The FEM circuitry 1008 may include a receive signal path that may include circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from one or more antennas 1010, amplify the received signals, and provide an amplified version of the received signals to the RF circuitry 1006 for further processing. The FEM circuitry 1008 may also include a transmit signal path that may include circuitry configured to amplify signals for transmission provided by the RF circuitry 1006 that are transmitted by one or more of the one or more antennas 1010. In various implementations, amplification through the transmit or receive signal path can occur solely in the RF circuitry 1006, solely in the FEM circuitry 1008, or in both the RF circuitry 1006 and the FEM circuitry 1008.

[0087] In some implementations, the PMC 1012 can manage the power supplied to the baseband circuitry 1004. Specifically, the PMC 1012 can control power source selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-DC conversion. When the device 1000 is battery-powered, for example, when the device is included in a UE, the PMC 1012 can often be included. The PMC 1012 can improve power conversion efficiency while providing desirable packaging size and heat dissipation characteristics. FIG. 10 shows the PMC 1012 coupled only to the baseband circuitry 1004. However, in other implementations, the PMC 1012 may additionally or alternatively be coupled to other components, including, but not limited to, the application circuitry 1002, the RF circuitry 1006, or the FEM circuitry 1008, to perform similar power management operations.

[0088] The processors of the application circuitry 1002 and the baseband circuitry 1004 may be used to execute elements of one or more instances of a protocol stack. For example, the processors of the baseband circuitry 1004 may be used alone or in combination to execute Layer 3, Layer 2, or Layer 1 functionality, while the processor of the baseband circuitry 1004 may utilize data (e.g., packet data) received from these layers and further execute Layer 4 functionality (e.g., the Transmission Communication Protocol (TCP) layer and the User Datagram Protocol (UDP) layer). As referred to herein, Layer 3 may comprise the RRC layer, Layer 2 may comprise the medium access control (MAC) layer, the radio link control (RLC) layer, and the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, and Layer 1 may comprise the physical (PHY) layer of the UE / RAN node.

[0089] FIG. 11 illustrates an example interface of a baseband circuit according to one or more implementations described herein. As described above, the baseband circuit 1004 of FIG. 10 may include processors 1004A-1004E and a memory 1004G utilized by these processors. The processors 1004A-1004E may be collectively referred to as a baseband processor. Each of the processors 1004A-1004E may include a memory interface 1104A-1104E, respectively, that transmits data to and receives data from the memory 1004G. In some aspects, the baseband circuit 1004 or components thereof, such as the baseband processor, may also be or be included in a UE, such as the initiator UE 110-1 or the responder UE 110-2, as described throughout this disclosure.

[0090] The baseband circuit 1004 may further include one or more interfaces for communicatively coupling with other circuits / devices, such as a memory interface 1112 (e.g., an interface for sending / receiving data to / from memory external to the baseband circuit 1004), an application circuit interface 1114 (e.g., an interface for sending / receiving data to / from the application circuit 1002 of FIG. 10), an RF circuit interface 1116 (e.g., an interface for sending / receiving data to / from the RF circuit 1006 of FIG. 10), a wireless hardware connection interface 1118 (e.g., an interface for sending / receiving data to / from near field communication (NFC) components, Bluetooth components, Wi-Fi components, and other communication components), and a power management interface 1120 (e.g., an interface for sending / receiving power or control signals to / from the PMC 1012).

[0091] Examples of the present specification may include subject matter such as a method, means for performing actions or blocks of the method, and at least one machine-readable medium containing executable instructions that, when executed by a machine (e.g., a processor with memory (e.g., a processor), an Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), etc.), cause the machine to perform the actions of a method or apparatus or system for simultaneous communication using multiple communication techniques according to described implementations and examples.

[0092] Example 1 is an apparatus for a UE, comprising: a memory; and a processor coupled to the memory; and configured, when executing instructions stored in the memory, to cause the UE to receive, from an initiating UE, sidelink control information (SCI) including shared channel occupation time (COT) information, the shared COT information including information of the COT initiated by the initiating UE; and to select a destination UE based on the shared COT information.

[0093] Example 2 is an apparatus including the subject matter of Example 1, in which, after receiving the SCI, the processor is further configured to cause the UE to decode the SCI and send the shared COT information from the physical layer to the MAC layer. Selecting a destination UE includes evaluating availability and priority of MAC-CE and / or logical channels for the initiating UE and other candidate UEs based on the shared COT information.

[0094] Example 3 is an apparatus including the subject matter of Example 1, in which the shared COT information includes a duration of the COT, a UE identifier of an initiating UE, and a Channel Access Priority Class (CAPC) value (CAPC-COT) for granting the COT.

[0095] Example 4 is an apparatus including the subject matter of Example 3, in which selecting the destination UE includes selecting the initiator UE as the destination UE if sidelink data of the initiator UE is available, the remaining COT duration is sufficient to transmit the sidelink data of the initiator UE, the sidelink data of the initiator UE has a CAPC value less than or equal to CAPC-COT, and a data priority threshold criterion of the initiator UE or other candidate UEs is satisfied.

[0096] Example 5 is an apparatus including the subject matter of example 4, in which the data priority threshold criterion includes that the highest priority of sidelink data of other candidate UEs other than the initiating UE is lower than the priority threshold.

[0097] Example 6 is an apparatus including the subject matter of example 4, wherein the data priority threshold criterion includes that the highest priority of the sidelink data for the initiating UE is higher than the data priority threshold.

[0098] Example 7 is an apparatus including the subject matter of example 4, wherein the priority threshold of the data priority threshold criterion is (pre)configured and transmitted by the base station.

[0099] An eighth embodiment is an apparatus including the subject matter of the fourth embodiment, in which the priority threshold of the data priority threshold criterion is transmitted in the form of being included in the shared COT information.

[0100] Example 9 is an apparatus including the subject matter of Example 3, wherein selecting a destination UE includes ignoring the initiating UE only when any of the following conditions are not met: sidelink data for the initiating UE is available; the remaining COT duration is sufficient to transmit the sidelink data for the initiating UE; the sidelink data has a priority class equal to or greater than CAPC-COT; or a data priority threshold criterion of the initiating UE or other candidate UEs is met; and selecting as the destination UE a candidate UE having sidelink data with the highest logical channel priority (LCP).

[0101] Example 10 is an apparatus including the subject matter of Example 1, in which if an initiator UE is selected as a destination UE and a COT is shared by the UEs, resources for transmitting sidelink data for the initiator UE are selected within a resource selection window, and the resource selection window is bounded by a COT duration of the COT.

[0102] Example 11 is an apparatus including the subject matter of example 10, wherein resources are randomly selected in the frequency domain from earliest available candidate resources identified in the time domain within a resource selection window for transmitting sidelink data for the initiating UE.

[0103] Example 12 is an apparatus including the subject matter of Example 1, in which if an initiating UE is selected as a destination UE and a COT is shared by the UEs, a MAC SDU having a channel access priority class (CAPC) value greater than a CAPC value (CAPC-COT) for allowing the shared COT is excluded from MAC PDU multiplexing, and the UE performs a type 2 listen-before-talk (LBT) before transmitting within a COT duration of the COT.

[0104] Example 13 is an apparatus including the subject matter of Example 1, configured to, when an initiating UE is selected as a destination UE and a COT is shared by the UE, perform Type 1 Listen-Before-Talk (LBT) before transmitting within a COT duration of the COT if a Channel Access Priority Class (CAPC) value of the transport block (TB) is greater than a CAPC value (CAPC-COT) for allowing the shared COT, and perform Type 2 Listen-Before-Talk (LBT) if the Channel Access Priority Class (CAPC) value of the transport block (TB) is less than or equal to CAPC-COT.

[0105] Example 14 is an apparatus including the subject matter of Example 1, further including, before receiving an SCI including shared COT information from the initiating UE, receiving a query message including a Channel Access Priority Class (CAPC) value (CAPC-COT) for allowing COT from the initiating UE, and sending a response message to the initiating UE if the sidelink data for the initiating UE has a priority equal to or greater than the CAPC-COT.

[0106] Example 15 is an apparatus including the subject matter of Example 14, in which the response is sent to the initiating UE if the MAC SDU or MAC-CE of the initiating UE has a CAPC value less than or equal to CAPC-COT.

[0107] Example 16 is an apparatus including the subject matter of Example 1, in which if the initiator UE is selected as the destination UE and the COT is shared by the UEs, the validity period of the sidelink DRX is extended to the end of the COT duration of the COT.

[0108] Example 17 is an apparatus including the subject matter of example 16, wherein a COT extension timer is configured to extend the "on" time of the sidelink DRX to the end of the COT duration of the COT.

[0109] Example 18 is a baseband processor for a UE, configured to cause the UE to transmit sidelink control information (SCI) including shared channel occupation time (COT) information, the shared COT information including priority information for a COT initiated by the UE, and to receive sidelink data from a responding UE within a COT duration of the COT based on the priority information.

[0110] Example 19 is a baseband processor including the subject matter of Example 18, further configured to: before sending an SCI including shared COT information to a responding UE, cause the UE to send a query message including a CAPC value (CAPC-COT) for allowing the shared COT; and if a MAC SDU or MAC-CE from the responding UE has a channel access priority class (CAPC) value less than or equal to the CAPC value (CAPC-COT) for allowing the shared COT, cause the UE to receive a response message from the responding UE.

[0111] Example 20 is a baseband processor including the subject matter of Example 19, wherein if the initiator UE is selected as the destination UE and the COT is shared by the UEs, the validity period of the sidelink DRX is extended to the end of the COT duration of the COT.

[0112] Example 21 is a baseband processor including the subject matter of Example 19, in which the response is sent to the initiating UE if the MAC SDU or MAC-CE of the initiating UE has a CAPC value less than or equal to CAPC-COT.

[0113] Example 22 is a method for a UE, configured to cause the UE to receive, from an initiating UE, sidelink control information (SCI) including shared channel occupation time (COT) information, the COT information being initiated by the initiating UE, and to select a destination UE based on the shared COT information.

[0114] Example 23 is a method including the subject matter of Example 22, in which, after receiving the SCI, the processor is further configured to cause the UE to decode the SCI and send the shared COT information from the physical layer to the MAC layer. Selecting a destination UE includes evaluating availability and priority of MAC-CE and / or logical channels for the initiating UE and other candidate UEs based on the shared COT information.

[0115] Example 24 is a method including the subject matter of Example 22, wherein the shared COT information includes a duration of the COT, a UE identifier of the initiating UE, and a channel access priority class (CAPC) value (CAPC-COT) for granting the COT.

[0116] Example 25 is a method including the subject matter of Example 24, wherein selecting the destination UE includes selecting the initiator UE as the destination UE if sidelink data of the initiator UE is available, the remaining COT duration is sufficient to transmit the sidelink data of the initiator UE, the sidelink data of the initiator UE has a CAPC value less than or equal to CAPC-COT, and a data priority threshold criterion of the initiator UE or other candidate UEs is satisfied.

[0117] Example 26 is a method including the subject matter of Example 25, wherein the data priority threshold criterion includes that the highest priority of sidelink data of other candidate UEs other than the initiating UE is lower than the priority threshold.

[0118] Example 27 is a method including the subject matter of Example 25, wherein the data priority threshold criterion includes that the highest priority of the sidelink data for the initiating UE is higher than the data priority threshold.

[0119] Example 28 is a method including the subject matter of Example 25, wherein the priority threshold of the data priority threshold criterion is (pre)configured and transmitted by the base station.

[0120] Example 29 is a method including the subject matter of Example 25, in which the priority threshold of the data priority threshold criterion is transmitted in the shared COT information.

[0121] Example 30 is a method including the subject matter of Example 24, wherein selecting a destination UE includes ignoring the initiating UE only when any of the following conditions are not met: sidelink data for the initiating UE is available; the remaining COT duration is sufficient to transmit sidelink data for the initiating UE; the sidelink data has a priority class equal to or greater than CAPC-COT; or a data priority threshold criterion for the initiating UE or other candidate UEs is met; and selecting as the destination UE a candidate UE having sidelink data with the highest logical channel priority (LCP).

[0122] Example 31 is a method including the subject matter of Example 22, in which if an initiator UE is selected as a destination UE and a COT is shared by the UEs, resources for transmitting sidelink data for the initiator UE are selected within a resource selection window, and the resource selection window is bounded by a COT duration of the COT.

[0123] Example 32 is a method including the subject matter of Example 31, wherein resources are randomly selected in the frequency domain from earliest available candidate resources identified in the time domain within a resource selection window for transmitting sidelink data for the initiating UE.

[0124] Example 33 is a method including the subject matter of Example 22, in which if the initiating UE is selected as the destination UE and the COT is shared by the UE, MAC SDUs having a channel access priority class (CAPC) value greater than the CAPC value (CAPC-COT) for allowing the shared COT are excluded from MAC PDU multiplexing, and the UE performs type 2 listen-before-talk (LBT) before transmitting within the COT duration of the COT.

[0125] Example 34 is a method including the subject matter of Example 22, and is configured to, if an initiating UE is selected as a destination UE and a COT is shared by the UE, perform Type 1 Listen-Before-Talk (LBT) before transmitting within the COT duration of the COT if the Channel Access Priority Class (CAPC) value of the transport block (TB) is greater than the CAPC value (CAPC-COT) for allowing the shared COT, and perform Type 2 Listen-Before-Talk (LBT) if the Channel Access Priority Class (CAPC) value of the transport block (TB) is less than or equal to CAPC-COT.

[0126] Example 35 is a method including the subject matter of Example 22, and further includes, before receiving an SCI including shared COT information from the initiating UE, receiving a query message from the initiating UE including a Channel Access Priority Class (CAPC) value (CAPC-COT) for allowing COT, and sending a response message to the initiating UE if the sidelink data for the initiating UE has a priority equal to or greater than CAPC-COT.

[0127] Example 36 is a method including the subject matter of Example 35, in which the response is sent to the initiating UE if the MAC SDU or MAC-CE of the initiating UE has a CAPC value less than or equal to CAPC-COT.

[0128] Example 37 is a method including the subject matter of Example 22, wherein if the initiator UE is selected as the destination UE and the COT is shared by the UEs, the validity period of the sidelink DRX is extended to the end of the COT duration of the COT.

[0129] Example 38 is a method including the subject matter of Example 37, wherein a COT extension timer is configured to extend the "on" time of the sidelink DRX until the end of the COT duration of the COT.

[0130] Example 39 is a method that includes any action or combination of actions fully described in the Detailed Description of the Invention section of this specification.

[0131] Example 40 is a method as fully described with reference to each or any combination of the figures contained herein, or with reference to each or any combination of the paragraphs of the "Description of the Invention."

[0132] Example 41 is a user equipment configured to perform any action or combination of actions fully described as being included in the user equipment in the "Description of the Invention" section of this specification.

[0133] Example 42 is a network node configured to perform any of the actions or combinations of actions fully described as being included in a network node in the "Forms for Implementing the Invention" section of this specification.

[0134] Example 43 is a non-volatile computer-readable medium that stores instructions that, when executed, result in the performance of any action or combination of actions as fully described in the "Description of Embodiments" section of this specification.

[0135] Example 44 is a baseband processor of a user equipment configured to perform any of the actions or combination of actions fully described as being included in the user equipment in the "Description of the Invention" section of this specification.

[0136] Example 45 is a baseband processor of a network node configured to perform any of the actions or combination of actions fully described as being included in user equipment in the "Description of Embodiments" section of this specification.

[0137] The above description of illustrated examples, implementations, aspects, etc. of the disclosed subject matter, including what is set forth in the Abstract, is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosed aspects to the precise forms disclosed. While specific examples, implementations, aspects, etc. have been described herein for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will recognize that various modifications are possible that are considered to be within the scope of such examples, implementations, aspects, etc.

[0138] In this regard, while the disclosed subject matter has been described in connection with various examples, implementations, aspects, etc. and corresponding drawings, it should be understood that other similar aspects can be used, or modifications and additions can be made to the disclosed subject matter, to perform the same, similar, alternative, or substitute function of the subject matter without departing from the disclosed subject matter. Accordingly, the disclosed subject matter should not be limited to any single example, implementation, aspect described herein, but rather should be construed according to the breadth and scope of the following appended claims.

[0139] In particular, with respect to the various functions performed by the above-described components or structures (assemblies, devices, circuits, systems, etc.), the terms used to describe such components are intended, unless otherwise specified, to correspond to (e.g., be functionally equivalent to) any component or structure that performs the specified function of the described component, even if it is not structurally equivalent to a disclosed structure that performs the function of the exemplary implementations of the invention illustrated herein. Moreover, while a particular feature may be disclosed with respect to only one of several implementations, such feature may be combined with one or more other features of other implementations, as may be desirable and advantageous for any given application or particular application.

[0140] The term "or" as used herein is intended to mean an inclusive "or," not an exclusive "or." That is, unless otherwise specified or clear from the context, "X uses A or B" is intended to mean any of all possible permutations. That is, if "X uses A," "X uses B," or "X uses both A and B," each of the foregoing cases satisfies "X uses A or B." Additionally, the articles "a" and "an," as used in this application and the appended claims, should generally be interpreted to mean "one or more" unless otherwise specified or clear from the context to refer to the singular form. Furthermore, when "including," "includes," "having," "has," "with," or variations thereof are used in either the detailed description or the claims, these terms are intended to be inclusive, similar to the term "comprising." Furthermore, in situations where one or more numbered items (e.g., "first X," "second X," etc.) are described, generally, these one or more numbered items may be distinct or identical, although in some situations, the context may indicate that one or more numbered items are distinct or identical.

[0141] It is well understood that use of personally identifiable information should comply with generally recognized privacy policies and practices that meet or exceed industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and handled in a manner that minimizes the risk of unintended or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly indicated to users.

Claims

1. 1. An apparatus for a user equipment (UE), comprising: Memory and a processor coupled to the memory, the processor, when executing instructions stored in the memory, causing the UE to: receiving, from an initiating UE, sidelink control information (SCI) including shared channel occupation time (COT) information, the shared COT information including information of a COT initiated by the initiating UE; a processor configured to cause a destination UE to be selected based on the shared COT information. Device.

2. After receiving the SCI, the processor is further configured to cause the UE to decode the SCI and send the shared COT information from a physical layer to a MAC layer; The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein selecting the destination UE includes evaluating MAC-CE and / or logical channel availability and priority for the initiating UE and other candidate UEs based on the shared COT information.

3. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the shared COT information includes a duration of the COT, a UE identity of the initiating UE, and a channel access priority class (CAPC) value (CAPC-COT) for granting the COT.

4. selecting the destination UE, sidelink data for the initiating UE is available; and the remaining COT duration is sufficient to transmit the sidelink data for the initiator UE; and the sidelink data for the initiating UE has a CAPC value less than or equal to the CAPC-COT; and If the data priority threshold criterion of the initiator UE or other candidate UE is met, The apparatus of claim 3 , further comprising selecting the initiating UE as a destination UE.

5. 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the data priority threshold criterion comprises that a highest priority of sidelink data for other candidate UEs other than the initiating UE is lower than a priority threshold.

6. 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the data priority threshold criterion comprises a highest priority of sidelink data for the initiating UE being higher than a data priority threshold.

7. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the priority thresholds of the data priority threshold criteria are (pre)configured and transmitted by a base station.

8. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein a priority threshold of the data priority threshold criteria is transmitted in the shared COT information.

9. selecting the destination UE, that sidelink data for the initiating UE is available; the remaining COT duration is sufficient to transmit the sidelink data for the initiating UE; the sidelink data has a priority class equal to or higher than the CAPC-COT, or the data priority threshold criterion of the initiator UE or other candidate UE is met; and 4. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising: ignoring the initiating UE; and selecting as the destination UE a candidate UE having sidelink data with a highest logical channel priority.

10. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein if the initiator UE is selected as the destination UE and the COT is shared by the UEs, resources for transmitting sidelink data for the initiator UE are selected within a resource selection window, the resource selection window being bounded by a COT duration of the COT.

11. 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the resource is selected randomly in the frequency domain from earliest available candidate resources identified in the time domain within the resource selection window for transmitting the sidelink data for the initiating UE.

12. If the initiating UE is selected as the destination UE and the COT is shared by the UEs, a MAC SDU having a channel access priority class (CAPC) value greater than a CAPC value (CAPC-COT) for granting the COT is excluded from MAC PDU multiplexing; The UE performs a Type 2 Listen-Before-Talk (LBT) before transmitting during a COT duration of the COT.

10. The apparatus of claim 1.

13. If the initiator UE is selected as the destination UE and the COT is shared by the UE, before transmitting within a COT duration of the COT: If the channel access priority class (CAPC) value of the transport block (TB) is greater than the CAPC value (CAPC-COT) for granting the COT, perform a type 1 listen-before-talk (LBT); If the channel access priority class (CAPC) value of the transport block (TB) is equal to or less than the CAPC-COT, perform type 2 listen-before-talk (LBT); 10. The apparatus of claim 1.

14. before receiving the SCI including the shared COT information from the initiating UE, receiving a query message from an initiating UE, the query message including a channel access priority class (CAPC) value (CAPC-COT) for granting the COT; If the sidelink data for the initiating UE has a priority equal to or greater than the CAPC-COT, sending a response message to the initiating UE.

10. The apparatus of claim 1.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the response is sent to the initiating UE if a MAC SDU or MAC-CE of the initiating UE has a CAPC value less than or equal to the CAPC-COT.

16. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein if the initiating UE is selected as the destination UE and the COT is shared by the UEs, an effective duration of sidelink DRX is extended to an end of a COT duration of the COT.

17. 17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein a COT extension timer is configured to extend the sidelink DRX "on" time to the end of the COT duration of the COT.

18. 1. A baseband processor for a user equipment (UE), comprising: transmitting sidelink control information (SCI) including shared channel occupation time (COT) information, the shared COT information including priority information of a COT initiated by the UE; and receiving sidelink data from a responding UE based on the priority information within a COT duration of the COT. Baseband processor.

19. Before transmitting the SCI including the shared COT information to the responding UE, the UE: transmitting a query message including a CAPC value (CAPC-COT) for authorizing the COT; 20. The baseband processor of claim 18, further configured to cause receiving a response message from the responding UE if a MAC SDU or MAC-CE from the responding UE has a Channel Access Priority Class (CAPC) value less than or equal to the CAPC-COT.

20. 20. The baseband processor of claim 19, wherein the query message is unicast or groupcast.

21. 20. The baseband processor of claim 19, wherein the response message is an SCI or a sidelink MAC-CE.

22. 1. A method of operating a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving sidelink control information (SCI) from an initiating UE, the sidelink control information including shared channel occupation time (COT) information, the shared COT information including information of a COT initiated by the initiating UE; selecting a destination UE based on the shared COT information.

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