Discovery Resource Selection Based on Discovery Submission Type

Abstract

Apparatus, systems, and methods described herein include a first user equipment (UE) device that receives discovery resource pool configuration information from a base station indicating a first discovery resource pool associated with a first type of discovery transmission and a second discovery resource pool associated with a second type of discovery transmission, The first UE device selects the first discovery resource pool for communication via the first type of discovery transmission and selects the second discovery resource pool for communication via the second type of discovery transmission.

Description

Priority claims

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 186,556, filed May 10, 2021, bearing Docket No. TPRO 00361 US, and entitled "Coexistence Processing of Multiple Discovery Resource Types," which is assigned to the assignee of the present application and is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. [Technical Field]

[0002] The present invention relates generally to wireless communications, and more particularly to selecting discovery resources for use in discovery transmissions between wireless communication devices. [Background technology]

[0003] The sidelink relay function enables a remote user equipment (UE) device that is out-of-coverage (OoC) to connect to a gNB or base station via a relay UE device. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Apparatus, systems, and methods described herein include a first user equipment (UE) device that receives discovery resource pool configuration information from a base station indicating that a first discovery resource pool is associated with a first type of discovery transmission and a second discovery resource pool is associated with a second type of discovery transmission, and the first UE device selects the first discovery resource pool for communications via the first type of discovery transmission and the second discovery resource pool for communications via the second type of discovery transmission. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0005] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example system in which a relay user equipment (UE) device acts as a relay between a base station and a remote UE device.

[0006] [Figure 2A] FIG. 2A is a block diagram of an example of the base station shown in FIG.

[0007] [Figure 2B] FIG. 2B is a block diagram of an example of a user equipment device shown in FIG.

[0008] [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a process flow diagram of an example in which a remote UE device performs relay UE device selection / reselection based on discovery transmission type.

[0009] [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart of an example method in which a first UE device receives discovery resource pool configuration information from a base station indicating that a first discovery resource pool is associated with a first type of discovery transmission and a second discovery resource pool is associated with a second type of discovery transmission. The first UE device selects the first discovery resource pool for communication via the first type of discovery transmission and selects the second discovery resource pool for communication via the second type of discovery transmission. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] There are two types of sidelink relaying: UE-to-Network (U2N) relaying and UE-to-UE (U2U) relaying. In U2N relaying, both the relay UE and the remote UE may be within the coverage of a cell provided by a base station (e.g., a gNB). In other cases, the relay UE may be in coverage and the remote UE may be out-of-coverage (OoC), as shown in the example of Figure 1. Therefore, in U2N relaying, the relay UE must be within the coverage of the cell and connected to the gNB providing radio service within the cell. In U2U relaying, there is no such restriction. Therefore, in U2U relaying, the relay UE may be in coverage or out-of-coverage.

[0011] In the context of U2N relaying, both UEs can discover each other as part of the relay selection and reselection procedure using either a Model A or Model B discovery procedure. In the Model A discovery procedure, either a remote UE or a relay UE can announce its presence with an "I'm here" transmission, but no response is expected. Discovery transmissions sent during the Model A discovery procedure are referred to herein as "unsolicited discovery transmissions."

[0012] In Model B discovery, one of the UEs transmits a request asking, "Are you there?" The receiving UE can respond to the request by announcing its presence. Discovery transmissions transmitted during a Model B discovery procedure are referred to herein as "solicited discovery transmissions."

[0013] One of the key elements in the discovery procedure is determining which discovery resources will be used for discovery transmission. Generally, when a UE device is within the coverage of a cell, the discovery resources should be controlled by the gNB providing radio services within the cell. When the UE device is OoC, the UE device can use pre-configured discovery resources.

[0014] One way that a gNB provides discovery resources is through the use of a discovery resource pool. A discovery resource pool is a pool of communication resources allocated for UEs to use for discovery transmissions. Both remote and relay UEs can use communication resources from a designated discovery resource pool. The gNB typically provides discovery resource pool information to UEs via System Information Block (SIB) (e.g., SIB12) messaging. In some examples, the UE can use sensing to prevent UEs from using all the same resources in a discovery resource pool.

[0015] Generally, there are two types of discovery resource pools that may be provided to a UE. For example, a first type of discovery resource pool may be a shared discovery and data resource pool, in which case communication resources can be used for both discovery and data transmissions. A second type of discovery resource pool is a dedicated discovery resource pool (e.g., containing resources used only for discovery transmissions) that is separate from a data resource pool (e.g., containing resources used only for data transmissions). In some examples, the network may decide to use only one type of resource pool for discovery. However, in other examples, the network may determine that it is advantageous to deploy a shared discovery resource pool and a dedicated discovery resource pool simultaneously, as each type of discovery resource pool has its own potential advantages.

[0016] For example, with a shared discovery and data resource pool, the network only needs to manage one resource pool applicable to both discovery and data transmission. More specifically, a network utilizing a single resource pool has the advantages of (1) reducing the resource waste that can result from having separate discovery and data resource pools, and (2) reducing the complexity of handling the shared discovery and data resource pool as well as the separate discovery and data resource pools.

[0017] A network utilizing separate discovery and data resource pools may have various advantages, such as: reduced collisions between data and discovery transmissions; reduced power consumption by having separate power saving schemes since data and discovery have different functionality (e.g., transmission periodicity); the ability to use a fixed discovery transmit power without the complex power control required when a shared discovery resource pool is used; and no prioritization between discovery and data transmissions or the need to identify whether a transmission is for discovery or data.

[0018] However, if both types of discovery resource pools are deployed in a network, the UE needs to understand how to choose between the two types of resource pools. Although there are different solutions to guide the UE in selecting which discovery resource pool to use, the examples described here are generally based on the UE selecting a discovery resource pool based on the type of discovery transmission that the UE uses for discovery.

[0019] Apparatus, systems, and methods described herein include a first user equipment (UE) device that receives discovery resource pool configuration information from a base station indicating that a first discovery resource pool is associated with a first type of discovery transmission and a second discovery resource pool is associated with a second type of discovery transmission. The first UE device selects the first discovery resource pool for communication via the first type of discovery transmission and selects the second discovery resource pool for communication via the second type of discovery transmission. In some examples, an out-of-coverage first user equipment (UE) device may use discovery resource pools associated with the pre-configured first and second discovery resource pools.

[0020] Although different examples described herein may be discussed separately, any feature of any example may be added to, removed from, or combined with any other example. Likewise, any feature of any example may be performed in parallel or in a different manner / order than described or illustrated herein.

[0021] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example system 100 in which a relay user equipment (UE) device functions as a relay between a base station and a remote UE device. For simplicity, FIG. 1 shows only one relay UE device 102 and one remote UE device 104. However, in other examples, any number of relay UE devices and remote UE devices may be used. As shown in FIG. 2B, the user equipment device (UE) 102 includes a controller 216, a transmitter 218, a receiver 214, and an antenna 212, as well as other electronics, hardware, and software code. The relay UE device 102 may also be referred to herein as a relay UE or a relay wireless communication device (WCD). The UE 102 is wirelessly connected to a radio access network (not shown) via a base station 106, which provides various wireless services to the UE 102. As illustratively shown in FIG. 1, the UE 102 operates in accordance with at least one revision of the 3GPP 3rd Generation Partnership Project 5G New Radio (5G NR) communication specification. In other examples, the UE 102 may operate according to other communication specifications. As exemplarily shown in Figure 1, both UEs have the same configuration, circuitry, and structure as the UE 102 of Figure 2B. However, in other examples, either UE of Figure 1 may have a different configuration, circuitry, and structure than the UE 102.

[0022] The UE 102 is any fixed, mobile, or portable device that performs the functions described herein. The various functions and operations of the blocks described with reference to the UE 102 may be implemented in any number of devices, circuits, or elements. Two or more functional blocks may be integrated into a single device, and functions described as being performed in any single device may be implemented across multiple devices.

[0023] The controller 216 includes any combination of hardware, software, and / or firmware for performing the functions described herein as well as for making all functions of the user equipment device more efficient. An example of a suitable controller 216 includes software code executing on a microprocessor or processor array coupled to memory. The transmitter 218 includes electronics configured to transmit wireless signals. In some cases, the transmitter 218 may include multiple transmitters. The receiver 214 includes electronics configured to receive wireless signals. In some cases, the receiver 214 may include multiple receivers. The receiver 214 and the transmitter 218 receive and transmit signals, respectively, via the antenna 212. The antenna 212 may include separate transmit and receive antennas. In some cases, the antenna 212 may include multiple transmit and receive antennas.

[0024] The transmitter 218 and receiver 214 in the example of FIG. 2B perform radio frequency (RF) processing, including modulation and demodulation. Accordingly, the receiver 214 may include components such as low noise amplifiers (LNAs) and filters. The transmitter 218 may include filters and amplifiers. Other components may include isolators, matching circuits, and other RF components. These components, in combination with or in conjunction with other components, perform the functions of the user equipment device. The required components may depend on the specific functionality required by the user equipment device.

[0025] The transmitter 218 includes a modulator (not shown), and the receiver 214 includes a demodulator (not shown). The modulator can apply any one of multiple modulation orders to modulate the signal transmitted by the transmitter 218. The demodulator demodulates the received signal according to one of multiple modulation orders.

[0026] For clarity and brevity, only one base station is shown in Figure 1. However, in other examples, any suitable number of base stations may be utilized. In the example of Figure 1, a base station 106 provides wireless service to UEs within a coverage area 108. Although not explicitly shown, the coverage area 108 may be comprised of multiple cells. In the example shown in Figure 1: As exemplarily shown in Figure 1, a base station 106, sometimes referred to as a gNodeB or gNB, may receive uplink messages from and transmit downlink messages to UE devices.

[0027] The base station 106 is connected to the network via a backhaul (not shown) in accordance with known techniques. As shown in FIG. 2A , the base station 106 comprises a controller 204, a transmitter 206, a receiver 208, and an antenna 210, as well as other electronics, hardware, and code. The base station 106 is any fixed, mobile, or portable device that performs the functions described herein. The various functions and operations of the blocks described with reference to the base station 106 can be implemented in any number of devices, circuits, or elements. Two or more functional blocks may be integrated into a single device, and functions described as being performed in any single device may be implemented across multiple devices.

[0028] As exemplarily shown in FIG. 2A , the base station 106 may be a fixed device or equipment that is installed at a specific location during system deployment. Examples of such equipment include a fixed base station or a fixed transceiver station. In some cases, the base station 106 may be a mobile device that is temporarily installed at a specific location. Some examples of such equipment include a mobile transceiver station, which may include power generation equipment such as a generator, solar panels, and / or batteries. Larger and heavier versions of such equipment may be transported on a trailer. In still other cases, the base station 106 may be a portable device that is not fixed to a specific location. Thus, the base station 106 may in some cases be a mobile user device, such as a UE device.

[0029] The controller 204 may include any combination of hardware, software, and / or firmware for performing the functions described herein as well as for making all functions of the base station 106 more efficient. An example of a suitable controller 204 includes software code executing on a microprocessor or processor array coupled to memory. The transmitter 206 includes electronics configured to transmit wireless signals. In some cases, the transmitter 206 may include multiple transmitters. The receiver 208 includes electronics configured to receive wireless signals. In some cases, the receiver 208 may include multiple receivers. The receiver 208 and the transmitter 206 receive and transmit signals, respectively, via an antenna 210. The antenna 210 may include separate transmit and receive antennas. In some cases, the antenna 210 may include multiple transmit and receive antennas.

[0030] The transmitter 206 and receiver 208 in the example of FIG. 2A perform radio frequency (RF) processing, including modulation and demodulation. Accordingly, the receiver 208 may include components such as low noise amplifiers (LNAs) and filters. The transmitter 206 may include filters and amplifiers. Other components may include isolators, matching circuits, and other RF components. These components, in combination with or in conjunction with other components, perform the functions of the user equipment device. The required components may depend on the specific functionality required by the user equipment device.

[0031] The transmitter 206 includes a modulator (not shown), and the receiver 208 includes a demodulator (not shown). The modulator modulates the signal to be transmitted and can apply any one of multiple modulation orders. The demodulator demodulates any uplink signal received at the base station 106 according to one of multiple modulation orders.

[0032] 1, the base station 106 and the relay UE device 102 are connected by a Uu link 110, which is an air interface between the base station and the UE device. The relay UE device 102 and the remote UE device 104 are connected by a PC5 link 112, which is an interface that allows both UEs to communicate directly with each other over a direct channel. In other examples, other suitable types of communication links may be utilized in the system 100.

[0033] During operation, the relay UE device 102 receives discovery resource pool configuration information from the base station 106 via its antenna 212 and receiver 214, indicating that a first discovery resource pool is associated with a first type of discovery transmission and a second discovery resource pool is associated with a second type of discovery transmission. In some examples, the first discovery resource pool is a discovery resource pool separate from the data resource pool. In other examples, the first discovery resource pool is a shared discovery and data resource pool. Regardless of which discovery resource pool is preferred, in some examples, the relay UE device 102 receives the configuration information via system information block (SIB) messaging.

[0034] The relay UE device 102 utilizes its controller 216 to select a first discovery resource pool for communication via a first type of discovery transmission. The controller 216 selects a second discovery resource pool for communication via a second type of discovery transmission. The relay UE device 102 selects a discovery resource pool from a plurality of discovery resource pools, at least one of which is a discovery resource pool separate from a data resource pool, and at least one of which is a shared discovery and data resource pool.

[0035] In some examples, regardless of whether the discovery resource pool configuration information indicates that the shared discovery and data resource pool is associated with a particular type of discovery transmission, the controller 216 of the relay UE 102 is further configured to select a discovery resource pool separate from the data resource pool based on whether the remote UE 104 has knowledge of the discovery transmit power used by the relay. For example, in some cases, a shared discovery and data resource pool may be selected to be used for discovery transmission, but the relay UE 102 has identified that the remote UE 104 is unaware of the discovery transmit power used by the relay UE 102 (e.g., if the relay UE 102 has not informed the remote UE 104 of the discovery transmit power or if the transmit power is not fixed). In these cases, the relay UE 102 may be allowed to use a dedicated discovery resource pool that should have a fixed transmit power, despite the fact that the relay UE 102 may have pre-selected a shared discovery and data resource pool. This tolerance is important because in some examples, the remote UE 104 can determine which relay UE to select as a relay to the network based on the signal strength of discovery transmissions received from one or more relay UEs.

[0036] Once the controller 216 of the relay UE 102 selects a discovery resource pool, the relay UE 102 performs a discovery transmission using the selected discovery resource pool using its transmitter 218 and antenna 212. In some examples, the discovery transmission is an unsolicited discovery transmission. In other examples, the discovery transmission is a solicited discovery transmission.

[0037] In some examples where the discovery transmission is a solicited discovery transmission transmitted over a first discovery resource pool, the receiver 214 of the relay UE 102 is configured to monitor the first discovery resource pool for a discovery response. Thus, in these examples, a UE responding to the solicited discovery transmission with a discovery response may be configured to use the same discovery resource pool in which the solicited discovery transmission (e.g., a discovery query) was transmitted. One potential advantage of such a configuration is that the relay UE 102 only needs to monitor one discovery resource pool (e.g., to save power) if it identifies that the discovery response is also transmitted over the same discovery resource pool type in which the discovery query was transmitted.

[0038] The above examples illustrate how discovery resource pools can be separated based on whether Model A (e.g., unsolicited) or Model B (e.g., solicited) discovery is used. For example, in some examples, Model A can use a dedicated discovery resource pool, and Model B can use a shared discovery resource pool. Typically, Model A discovery uses periodic announcements sent by relay UEs because relay UEs are less sensitive to power consumption. Conversely, Model B discovery is primarily used by remote UEs, which request relay-related information in discovery solicitation messages (e.g., discovery queries). As described in more detail below with reference to FIG. 3, if a remote UE is not sending a discovery solicitation message according to Model B, the remote UE only needs to monitor a separate discovery pool for Model A discovery reception in case it wishes to receive discovery transmissions from candidate relay UEs. In some examples, discovery resource pools may be configured or associated with the category to which they apply (e.g., Model A / B, relay UE, or remote UE).

[0039] 3 is a process flow diagram of an example remote UE device selection / reselection of a relay UE device based on a discovery transmission type. Process 300 begins at 302 with a remote UE 104 that is out of coverage (OoC) of a base station 106. At 304, the remote UE 104 determines whether its upper layers have instructed the remote UE 104 to connect to the base station 106. If no instruction to connect to the base station 106 is received, process 300 continues at 302. If the remote UE 104 has received an instruction to connect and is attempting to connect to the base station 106 via a relay UE, process 300 proceeds to 306.

[0040] At 306, the remote UE 104 monitors a dedicated discovery resource pool for Model A discovery. If Model A discovery transmissions are received by the remote UE 104 from one or more relay UEs at 308, the remote UE 104 creates a list of one or more candidate relay UEs from which the remote UE 104 has received Model A discovery transmissions at 310. In some examples, the list is ordered based on Sidelink Discovery Reference Signal Received Power (SD RSRP) measured by the remote UE 104 for each received Model A discovery transmission. At 312, the remote UE 104 selects the best candidate relay UE from the list and will connect to the selected relay UE.

[0041] If a Model A discovery transmission is not received at 308, the remote UE 104 transmits a Model B discovery transmission (e.g., a discovery query) over the shared discovery resource pool at 314. If the remote UE 104 receives a discovery response from one or more relay UEs at 316, the remote UE 104 creates a list of candidate relay UEs at 310 and connects to the best candidate relay UE at 312. If a discovery response is not received at 316, the process 300 continues with the remote UE 104 monitoring dedicated discovery resources for a Model A discovery transmission at 306.

[0042] 4 is a flowchart of an example method in which a first UE device receives discovery resource pool configuration information from a base station indicating that a first discovery resource pool is associated with a first type of discovery transmission and a second discovery resource pool is associated with a second type of discovery transmission. The first UE device selects a first discovery resource pool for communication via the first type of discovery transmission and a second discovery resource pool for communication via the second type of discovery transmission. Method 400 begins in step 402 with the first UE device receiving discovery resource pool configuration information from the base station indicating that the first discovery resource pool is associated with the first type of discovery transmission and the second discovery resource pool is associated with the second type of discovery transmission. In step 404, the first UE device selects the first discovery resource pool for communication via the first type of discovery transmission. In step 406, the first UE device selects a second discovery resource pool for communication via the second type of discovery transmission. In step 408, the first UE device performs a discovery transmission using the discovery resource pool selected by the first UE device. In other examples, one or more of the steps of method 400 may be omitted, combined, performed in parallel, or performed in a different order other than as described herein or shown in FIG. 4. In yet other examples, additional steps not explicitly described relative to the example shown in FIG. 4 may be added to method 400.

[0043] Clearly, other forms and modifications of the present invention will occur to those skilled in the art in light of these teachings. The foregoing description is intended to be illustrative and not limiting. The present invention is limited only by the claims, which include all such forms and modifications, when viewed in conjunction with the above specification and accompanying drawings. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should be determined not with reference to the above description, but should instead be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with their full scope of equivalents.

Claims

1. 1. A user equipment (UE) device, comprising: a receiver configured to receive from a base station a system information block (SIB) message including discovery resource pool configuration information indicating a dedicated discovery resource pool and a shared discovery resource pool, the dedicated discovery resource pool being dedicated for sidelink discovery transmissions and the shared discovery resource pool being shared for both sidelink discovery transmissions and sidelink communication transmissions; and a control unit that monitors the individual discovery resource pool; The control unit selects a resource pool for the sidelink discovery transmission from the dedicated discovery resource pool and the shared discovery resource pool based on a monitoring result of the dedicated discovery resource pool. UE device.

2. 1. A communication control method performed in a user equipment (UE) device, comprising: receiving, from a base station, a system information block (SIB) message including discovery resource pool configuration information indicating a dedicated discovery resource pool and a shared discovery resource pool, the dedicated discovery resource pool being dedicated for sidelink discovery transmissions and the shared discovery resource pool being shared for both sidelink discovery transmissions and sidelink communication transmissions; and monitoring the individual discovery resource pool; selecting a resource pool for the sidelink discovery transmission from the dedicated discovery resource pool and the shared discovery resource pool based on a result of monitoring the dedicated discovery resource pool. Communication control method.

3. 1. A chipset for a user equipment (UE) device, comprising: receiving, from a base station, a system information block (SIB) message including discovery resource pool configuration information indicating a dedicated discovery resource pool and a shared discovery resource pool, the dedicated discovery resource pool being dedicated for sidelink discovery transmissions and the shared discovery resource pool being shared for both sidelink discovery transmissions and sidelink communication transmissions; monitoring the individual discovery resource pool; and selecting a resource pool for the sidelink discovery transmission from the dedicated discovery resource pool and the shared discovery resource pool based on a monitoring result of the dedicated discovery resource pool. Chipset.

4. A user equipment (UE) device, receiving, from a base station, a system information block (SIB) message including discovery resource pool configuration information indicating a dedicated discovery resource pool and a shared discovery resource pool, the dedicated discovery resource pool being dedicated for sidelink discovery transmissions and the shared discovery resource pool being shared for both sidelink discovery transmissions and sidelink communication transmissions; monitoring the individual discovery resource pool; and selecting a resource pool for the sidelink discovery transmission from the dedicated discovery resource pool and the shared discovery resource pool based on a monitoring result of the dedicated discovery resource pool. program.

5. 1. A mobile communication system having a user equipment (UE) device and a base station, The UE device receives a system information block (SIB) message from a base station, the system information block (SIB) message including discovery resource pool configuration information indicating a dedicated discovery resource pool and a shared discovery resource pool; the dedicated discovery resource pool is dedicated for sidelink discovery transmissions; the shared discovery resource pool is shared for both sidelink discovery transmissions and sidelink communication transmissions; The UE device monitors the dedicated discovery resource pool; The UE device selects a resource pool for the sidelink discovery transmission from the dedicated discovery resource pool and the shared discovery resource pool based on a result of monitoring the dedicated discovery resource pool. Mobile communication system.

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