Control channel structure design for V2X traffic

Abstract

To provide a method, device, system, and computer program including means for providing first control information using a first control channel and providing at least second control information using a second control channel.SOLUTION: In a provided wireless communication system that wirelessly accesses a mobile communication device or user equipment (UE) through at least one base station or a similar wireless transmitting and / or receiving node or point, first control information includes, at least, an indication of resource reservation for an associated data channel, and second control information includes, at least, transmission format information for the associated data channel. The associated data channel has periodic or non-periodic data traffic.EFFECT: Communication sessions between two or more entities, such as user terminals, base stations, and / or other nodes, are enabled.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present application relates to methods, apparatus, systems, and computer programs, particularly but not exclusively, for controlling channel structure for periodic and aperiodic vehicular-to-everything (V2X) traffic. [Background technology]

[0002] A communication system may be considered as a facility that enables communication sessions between two or more entities, such as user terminals, base stations, and / or other nodes, by providing carriers between the various entities involved in the communication paths. A communication system may be provided, for example, by a communication network and one or more compatible communication devices. A communication session may include, for example, data communications conveying communications such as voice, video, electronic mail (email), text messages, multimedia, and / or content data. Non-limiting examples of services provided include two-way or multi-way calls, data communications or multimedia services, and access to data network systems such as the Internet.

[0003] In a wireless communication system, at least a portion of a communication session between at least two stations is conducted over a wireless link. Examples of wireless systems include public land mobile networks (PLMNs), satellite-based communication systems, and various wireless local networks, such as wireless local area networks (WLANs). Wireless systems can typically be divided into cells, and are therefore often referred to as cellular systems.

[0004] A user may access a communication system by means of a suitable communication device or terminal. A user's communication device may be referred to as user equipment (UE) or user device. The communication device is provided with suitable signal transmission / reception equipment to enable communication, e.g., access to a communication network or direct communication with other users. The communication device may access a carrier provided by a station, e.g., a cell base station, to transmit and / or receive communications on the carrier.

[0005] Communication systems and associated devices typically operate according to a given standard or specification that outlines the permitted behavior of various entities associated with the system and how to achieve it. The standard also typically defines the communication protocols and / or parameters to be used for the connections. An example of a communication system is UTRAN (3G radio). Other examples of communication systems include the Long Term Evolution (LTE) of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) radio access technology, and so-called 5G or New Radio (NR) networks. NR is standardized by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Summary of the Invention

[0006] In a first aspect, an apparatus is provided, comprising: means for providing first control information using a first control channel and providing at least second control information using a second control channel, wherein the first control information comprises at least an indication of resource reservation for an associated data channel, and the second control information comprises at least transmission format information for the associated data channel, wherein the associated data channel comprises periodic or aperiodic data traffic.

[0007] The apparatus may comprise means for providing the first control information and the second control information using a second control channel.

[0008] The first control information may comprise at least one of an indication of data periodicity, data packet information indicative of a quality of service requirement, resource reservation information, and resource allocation information.

[0009] The second control information may comprise at least one of modulation and coding scheme (MCS) information, multi-antenna transmission related information, and destination address information.

[0010] At least one of the first control information and the second control information may comprise at least one of data packet retransmission information and demodulation reference configuration information of an associated data channel.

[0011] The apparatus may comprise means for providing, using a first control channel, first control information comprising an indication of the absence of data transmission in the current period when the associated data channel comprises periodic data traffic and there is no data transmission in the current period.

[0012] The apparatus may comprise means for providing the second control channel or the first control channel and the second control channel together with the associated data channel when the associated data channel comprises periodic data traffic and there is data transmission in the current period.

[0013] The apparatus may comprise means for providing the first control channel in advance of an associated data channel in a time resource when the associated data channel comprises aperiodic data traffic.

[0014] In a second aspect, an apparatus is provided, comprising: means for receiving first control information using a first control channel and receiving at least second control information using a second control channel, wherein the first control information comprises at least an indication of resource reservation for an associated data channel, and the second control information comprises at least transmission format information for the associated data channel, wherein the associated data channel comprises periodic or aperiodic data traffic.

[0015] The apparatus may comprise means for receiving the first control information and the second control information using a second control channel.

[0016] The first control information may comprise at least one of an indication of data periodicity, data packet information indicative of a quality of service requirement, resource reservation information, and resource allocation information.

[0017] The second control information comprises at least one of modulation and coding scheme (MCS) information, multi-antenna transmission related information, and destination address information.

[0018] At least one of the first control information and the second control information may comprise at least one of data packet retransmission information and demodulation reference configuration information of an associated data channel.

[0019] The apparatus may comprise means for receiving, using a first control channel, first control information comprising an indication of an absence of data transmission in a current period when the associated data channel comprises periodic data traffic and there is no data transmission in the current period.

[0020] The apparatus may comprise means for receiving the second control channel or the first control channel and the second control channel together with the associated data channel when the associated data channel comprises periodic data traffic and there is data transmission in the current period.

[0021] The apparatus may comprise means for receiving the first control channel prior to an associated data channel in a time resource when the associated data channel comprises aperiodic data traffic.

[0022] In a third aspect, there is provided a method comprising providing first control information using a first control channel and providing at least second control information using a second control channel, wherein the first control information comprises at least an indication of resource reservation for an associated data channel, and the second control information comprises at least transmission format information for the associated data channel, wherein the associated data channel comprises periodic or aperiodic data traffic.

[0023] The method may comprise providing the first control information and the second control information using a second control channel.

[0024] The first control information may comprise at least one of an indication of data periodicity, data packet information indicative of a quality of service requirement, resource reservation information, and resource allocation information.

[0025] The second control information may comprise at least one of modulation and coding scheme (MCS) information, multi-antenna transmission related information, and destination address information.

[0026] At least one of the first control information and the second control information may comprise at least one of data packet retransmission information and demodulation reference configuration information of an associated data channel.

[0027] The method may comprise, when the associated data channel comprises periodic data traffic and there is no data transmission in the current period, providing, using the first control channel, first control information comprising an indication of the absence of data transmission in the current period.

[0028] The method may comprise providing the second control channel or the first control channel and the second control channel together with the associated data channel when the associated data channel comprises periodic data traffic and there is data transmission in the current period.

[0029] The method may comprise providing the first control channel preceding an associated data channel in a time resource when the associated data channel comprises aperiodic data traffic.

[0030] In a fourth aspect, there is provided a method comprising receiving first control information using a first control channel and receiving at least second control information using a second control channel, wherein the first control information comprises at least an indication of resource reservation for an associated data channel, and the second control information comprises at least transmission format information for the associated data channel, wherein the associated data channel comprises periodic or aperiodic data traffic.

[0031] The method may comprise receiving the first control information and the second control information using a second control channel.

[0032] The first control information may comprise at least one of an indication of data periodicity, data packet information indicative of a quality of service requirement, resource reservation information, and resource allocation information.

[0033] The second control information comprises at least one of modulation and coding scheme (MCS) information, multi-antenna transmission related information, and destination address information.

[0034] At least one of the first control information and the second control information may comprise at least one of data packet retransmission information and demodulation reference configuration information of an associated data channel.

[0035] The method may comprise receiving, using a first channel, first control information comprising an indication of an absence of data transmission in the current period when the associated data channel comprises periodic data traffic and there is no data transmission in the current period.

[0036] The method may comprise receiving the second control channel or the first control channel and the second control channel along with the associated data channel when the associated data channel comprises periodic data traffic and there is data transmission in the current period.

[0037] The method may comprise receiving the first control channel prior to the associated data channel in a time resource when the associated data channel comprises aperiodic data traffic.

[0038] In a fifth aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory containing computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured, together with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to perform at least: providing first control information using a first control channel and providing at least second control information using a second control channel, wherein the first control information comprises at least an indication of resource reservation for an associated data channel, and the second control information comprises at least transmission format information for the associated data channel, and the associated data channel comprises periodic or aperiodic data traffic.

[0039] The apparatus may be configured to provide the first control information and the second control information using a second control channel.

[0040] The first control information may comprise at least one of an indication of data periodicity, data packet information indicative of a quality of service requirement, resource reservation information, and resource allocation information.

[0041] The second control information may comprise at least one of modulation and coding scheme (MCS) information, multi-antenna transmission related information, and destination address information.

[0042] At least one of the first control information and the second control information may comprise at least one of data packet retransmission information and demodulation reference configuration information of an associated data channel.

[0043] The apparatus may be configured to provide, using a first control channel, first control information comprising an indication of the absence of data transmission in the current period when the associated data channel comprises periodic data traffic and there is no data transmission in the current period.

[0044] The device may be configured to provide the second control channel or the first control channel and the second control channel together with the associated data channel when the associated data channel comprises periodic data traffic and there is data transmission in the current period.

[0045] The apparatus may be configured to provide the first control channel prior to an associated data channel in a time resource when the associated data channel comprises aperiodic data traffic.

[0046] In a sixth aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory containing computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured, together with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to at least receive first control information using a first control channel and receive at least second control information using a second control channel, wherein the first control information comprises at least an indication of resource reservation for an associated data channel, and the second control information comprises at least transmission format information for the associated data channel, and the associated data channel comprises periodic or aperiodic data traffic.

[0047] The apparatus may be configured to receive the first control information and the second control information using a second control channel.

[0048] The first control information may comprise at least one of an indication of data periodicity, data packet information indicative of a quality of service requirement, resource reservation information, and resource allocation information.

[0049] The second control information comprises at least one of modulation and coding scheme (MCS) information, multi-antenna transmission related information, and destination address information.

[0050] At least one of the first control information and the second control information may comprise at least one of data packet retransmission information and demodulation reference configuration information of an associated data channel.

[0051] The device may be configured to receive, using the first channel, first control information comprising an indication of the absence of data transmission in the current period when the associated data channel comprises periodic data traffic and there is no data transmission in the current period.

[0052] The device may be configured to receive the second control channel or the first control channel and the second control channel together with the associated data channel when the associated data channel comprises periodic data traffic and there is data transmission in the current period.

[0053] The apparatus may be configured to receive the first control channel prior to the associated data channel in a time resource when the associated data channel comprises aperiodic data traffic.

[0054] In a seventh aspect, a computer-readable medium comprising program instructions is provided, the program instructions causing an apparatus to execute at least: providing first control information using a first control channel and providing at least second control information using a second control channel, the first control information comprising at least an indication of resource reservation for an associated data channel, the second control information comprising at least transmission format information for the associated data channel, the associated data channel comprising periodic or aperiodic data traffic.

[0055] The apparatus may be caused to provide the first control information and the second control information using a second control channel.

[0056] The first control information may comprise at least one of an indication of data periodicity, data packet information indicative of a quality of service requirement, resource reservation information, and resource allocation information.

[0057] The second control information may comprise at least one of modulation and coding scheme (MCS) information, multi-antenna transmission related information, and destination address information.

[0058] At least one of the first control information and the second control information may comprise at least one of data packet retransmission information and demodulation reference configuration information of an associated data channel.

[0059] The device may be configured to, when the associated data channel comprises periodic data traffic and there is no data transmission in the current period, provide, using the first control channel, first control information comprising an indication of the absence of data transmission in the current period.

[0060] The device may be configured to provide the second control channel or the first control channel and the second control channel together with the associated data channel when the associated data channel comprises periodic data traffic and there is data transmission in the current period.

[0061] The apparatus may be caused to provide the first control channel preceding an associated data channel in a time resource when the associated data channel comprises aperiodic data traffic.

[0062] In an eighth aspect, a computer-readable medium comprising program instructions is provided, the program instructions causing an apparatus to at least receive first control information using a first control channel and receive at least second control information using a second control channel, the first control information comprising at least an indication of resource reservation for an associated data channel, the second control information comprising at least transmission format information for the associated data channel, the associated data channel comprising periodic or aperiodic data traffic.

[0063] The apparatus may be caused to receive the first control information and the second control information using a second control channel.

[0064] The first control information may comprise at least one of an indication of data periodicity, data packet information indicative of a quality of service requirement, resource reservation information, and resource allocation information.

[0065] The second control information comprises at least one of modulation and coding scheme (MCS) information, multi-antenna transmission related information, and destination address information.

[0066] At least one of the first control information and the second control information may comprise at least one of data packet retransmission information and demodulation reference configuration information of an associated data channel.

[0067] The device may be configured to receive, using a first channel, first control information comprising an indication of the absence of data transmission in the current period when the associated data channel comprises periodic data traffic and there is no data transmission in the current period.

[0068] The device may be configured to receive the second control channel or the first control channel and the second control channel together with the associated data channel when the associated data channel comprises periodic data traffic and there is data transmission in the current period.

[0069] The apparatus may be caused to receive the first control channel prior to the associated data channel in a time resource when the associated data channel comprises aperiodic data traffic.

[0070] In a ninth aspect, there is provided a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions, the program instructions causing an apparatus to perform at least a method according to the third aspect or a method according to the fourth aspect.

[0071] A number of different exemplary embodiments have been described above, and it should be understood that further exemplary embodiments may be provided by combining any two or more of the foregoing exemplary embodiments.

[0072] Embodiments will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0073] [Figure 1] 1 shows a schematic diagram of an exemplary communication system with a base station and multiple communication devices. [Figure 2] 1 shows a schematic diagram of an exemplary mobile communication device. [Figure 3] 1 shows a schematic diagram of an exemplary control device. [Figure 4] A schematic diagram of the channel structure is shown. [Figure 5] 1 shows a flowchart of a method according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] 1 shows a flowchart of a method according to an embodiment. [Figure 7] 1 shows a schematic diagram of a channel structure according to one embodiment; [Figure 8] 1 shows a schematic diagram of a channel structure according to one embodiment; [Figure 9] 1 shows a schematic diagram of a channel structure according to one embodiment; [Figure 10] 1 shows a schematic diagram of a channel structure according to one embodiment; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0074] Before describing exemplary embodiments in detail, certain general principles of wireless communication systems and mobile communication devices will be briefly described with reference to Figures 1-3 to aid in understanding the technology underlying the described examples.

[0075] In a wireless communication system 100 such as that shown in FIG. 1, wireless access is provided to mobile communication devices or user equipment (UE) 102, 104, 105 via at least one base station or similar wireless transmitting and / or receiving node or point. The base station is typically controlled by at least one suitable controller device to enable operation of the base station and management of the mobile communication devices communicating with the base station. The controller device may be located within a radio access network (e.g., the wireless communication system 100) or within a core network (CN) (not shown) and may be implemented as one central device or its functions may be distributed among several devices. The controller device may be part of a base station and / or provided by a separate entity such as a radio network controller. In FIG. 1, controllers 108 and 109 are shown controlling respective macro-level base stations 106 and 107. The base station controllers may be interconnected with other control entities. The controllers are typically provided with memory capacity and at least one data processor. The controllers and functions may be distributed among several control units. In some systems, the controllers may be provided in addition to or instead of the radio network controller.

[0076] In Figure 1, base stations 106 and 107 are shown connected to a wider communications network 113 via a gateway 112. Further gateway functions may be provided to connect to other networks.

[0077] Smaller base stations 116, 118, and 120 may also be connected to network 113, for example, by separate gateway functions and / or through a macro-level station controller. Base stations 116, 118, and 120 may be pico- or femto-level base stations, etc. In this example, stations 116 and 118 are connected through gateway 111, while station 120 is connected through controller device 108. In some embodiments, no smaller stations may be provided. Smaller base stations 116, 118, and 120 may be part of a second network, for example, a WLAN, and may be WLAN APs.

[0078] The communication devices 102, 104, 105 may access the communication system based on various access techniques, such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), or Wideband CDMA (WCDMA). Other non-limiting examples include Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), and its various schemes, such as Interleaved Frequency Division Multiple Access (IFDMA), Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) and Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), and Spatial Division Multiple Access (SDMA).

[0079] An example of a wireless communication system is an architecture standardized by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). The latest 3GPP-based development is often referred to as the Long Term Evolution (LTE) of Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) radio access technology. Various development stages of the 3GPP specifications are referred to as releases. The most recent development of LTE is often referred to as LTE-Advanced (LTE-A). LTE (LTE-A) employs a radio mobile architecture known as the Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) and a core network known as the Evolved Packet Core (EPC). The base station of such a system is known as an evolved or enhanced Node B (eNB) and provides E-UTRAN functions, such as packet data convergence, radio link control, medium access control, and physical layer protocols (PDCP / RLC / MAC / PHY) in the user plane, and radio resource control (RRC) protocol termination in the control plane, to communication devices. Other examples of wireless access systems include those provided by base stations in systems based on technologies such as Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) and / or WiMax (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access). A base station may provide coverage for an entire cell or similar radio service area. Core network elements include a Mobility Management Entity (MME), a Serving Gateway (S-GW), and a Packet Gateway (P-GW).

[0080] Examples of suitable communication systems include the 5G or NR concept. The network architecture of NR may be similar to that of LTE-Advanced. Base stations in NR systems may be known as next-generation Node Bs (gNBs). Changes to the network architecture may depend on the need to accommodate various radio technologies and more granular QoS support, as well as on-demand requirements regarding QoS levels, for example, corresponding to user-perspective QoE. Network-aware services and applications, as well as service- and application-aware networks, may also bring about changes to the architecture. These are related to information-centric network (ICN) and user-centric content distribution network (UC-CDN) approaches. NR uses multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) antennas, many more base stations or nodes than LTE (the so-called small cell concept), including macro sites operating in conjunction with smaller stations, and may possibly employ various radio technologies for better coverage and increased data rates.

[0081] Future networks may utilize network function virtualization (NFV), a network architecture concept that proposes virtualizing network node functions into "building blocks" or entities that can be operatively connected or linked together to provide services. A virtualized network function (VNF) may comprise one or more virtual machines that run computer program code, using standard or generic-type servers instead of customized hardware. Cloud computing or data storage may also be utilized. In wireless communications, this may mean that node operations are performed at least in part on a server, host, or node operatively connected to a remote radio head. It is also possible that node operations may be distributed across multiple servers, nodes, or hosts. It should also be understood that the division of labor between core network operations and base station operations may differ from, or even not exist, as in, LTE.

[0082] In an exemplary embodiment, a 5G Core Network (CN) includes a functional entity. The CN is connected to a UE via a Radio Access Network (RAN). A User Plane Function (UPF), which plays a role called a PDU Session Anchor (PSA), may be responsible for forwarding frames back and forth between a Data Network (DN) and a tunnel established for a UE(s) that exchanges traffic with the DN via 5G.

[0083] The UPF is controlled by an SMF (Session Management Function) that receives policies from a PCF (Policy Control Function). The CN may also include an AMF (Access and Mobility Function).

[0084] A possible mobile communication device will now be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 2, which shows a schematic, partial cross-sectional view of a communication device 200. Such communication devices are often referred to as user equipment (UE) or terminal. Any device capable of transmitting and receiving wireless signals may provide a suitable mobile communication device. Non-limiting examples include mobile stations (MS) or mobile devices, such as mobile phones or "smartphones," computers equipped with wireless interface cards or other wireless interface facilities (e.g., USB dongles), personal data assistants (PDAs) or tablets with wireless communication capabilities, or any combination thereof. Mobile communication devices may provide data communications for conveying communications such as voice, electronic mail (email), text messages, multimedia, and the like. Thus, numerous services may be offered and provided to a user via the user's communication device. Non-limiting examples of these services include two-way or multi-way calling, data communication or multimedia services, or simply access to a data communication network system such as the Internet. Broadcast or multicast data may also be provided to a user. Non-limiting examples of content include downloads, television and radio programs, videos, advertisements, various alerts, and other information.

[0085] A mobile device typically comprises at least one data processing entity 201, at least one memory 202, and possible other components 203 for use in performing tasks through software and hardware, and is designed to perform tasks including controlling access to and communication with access systems and other communication devices. Data processing, storage, and other related controls may be provided on a suitable circuit board and / or within a chipset. This feature is indicated by reference numeral 204. A user may control the operation of the mobile device through a suitable user interface, such as a keypad 205, voice commands, a touch-sensitive screen or pad, or a combination thereof. A display 208, a speaker, and a microphone may also be provided. Furthermore, the mobile communication device may comprise suitable connectors (wired or wireless) for connecting to other devices and / or for connecting external accessories, such as hands-free devices, to the mobile communication device.

[0086] The mobile device 200 may receive signals via suitable equipment for reception and may transmit signals via suitable equipment for transmission of wireless signals via an air or wireless interface 207. In Figure 2, the transceiver is indicated schematically by block 206. The transceiver 206 may be provided, for example, by radio components and an associated antenna arrangement. The antenna arrangement may be located internal or external to the mobile device.

[0087] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a controller for a communication system, e.g., connected to and / or controlling stations of an access system such as a RAN node, e.g., a base station, eNB, gNB, or relay or core network node such as an MME, S-GW, or P-GW, or a core network function such as an AMF / SMF, or a server or host. The method may be implemented in a single controller or across multiple controllers. The controller may be integrated with or external to a core network or RAN node or module. In some exemplary embodiments, a base station comprises a separate controller unit or module. In another exemplary embodiment, the controller may be another network element such as a radio network controller or spectrum controller. In some exemplary embodiments, each base station may have such a controller, as well as a controller provided in the radio network controller. The controller 300 may be arranged to control communications within a coverage area of ​​the system. The controller 300 comprises at least one memory 301, at least one data processing unit 302, 303, and an input / output interface 304. Via the interface, the controller may be connected to a receiver and a transmitter of the base station. The receiver and / or transmitter may be implemented as a radio front end or a remote radio head.

[0088] LTE V2X sidelink is defined in LTE Release 14 to support direct communication of basic road safety services (e.g., vehicle state information such as location, speed, and heading) between vehicles and vehicles / pedestrians / infrastructure. In LTE Release 15, V2X sidelink is further enhanced with carrier aggregation, higher-order modulation, and latency reduction capabilities to support more diverse services and more stringent service requirements.

[0089] In LTE V2X Release 14 / 15, the involved physical channels include a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) and a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) for control messages and data traffic, respectively. In the LTE V2X design, the PSCCH and associated PSSCH are transmitted over the same time resources using non-overlapping (contiguous or non-contiguous) frequency resources, as shown in Figure 4. The control channel of the PSCCH carries at least the information necessary to decode the associated PSSCH. The PSCCH may indicate resource reservations for the next period, which facilitates efficient resource allocation for periodic V2X traffic. However, even in the case of resource reservations, the next periodic V2X transmission may not occur due to congestion control, for example, due to channel occupancy ratio (CR) / channel busy ratio (CBR) measurements.

[0090] In LTE V2X Release 14 / 15, sensing-based resource (re)selection and reservation is applied in V2X sidelink mode 4 (i.e., UE autonomous resource selection mode) to avoid resource selection collisions as much as possible.

[0091] When a UE has a packet to transmit and the MAC instructs the PHY layer to perform candidate resource selection and report the resource selection to the MAC, the UE performs a candidate resource subset selection procedure based on the channel sensing result, and the sensing UE decodes the PSCCH of the sensed UE to obtain information such as packet priority, resource reservation information, and control CRC bits (to identify the DMRS of the associated PSSCH). The sensing UE performs a reference signal received power (RSRP) measurement of the PSSCH to determine whether to exclude a candidate resource. The UE ranks the remaining resources based on the energy measurement (sidelink received signal strength indicator (S-RSSI)) and reports the candidate resource with the smallest energy measurement.

[0092] Existing LTE V2X designs of control / data channel structure and semi-persistent propagation (SPT) mechanism with channel sensing and reservation are adapted to periodic V2X traffic. However, in NR V2X, there can be a greater variety of V2X traffic types, including both periodic and aperiodic V2X traffic.

[0093] For spectral efficiency, periodic and aperiodic V2X traffic types can coexist in the same resource pool. The LTE V2X design of control / data channel structure and SPT mechanism does not work well for aperiodic V2X traffic due to unpredictable interference caused by its aperiodic nature.

[0094] The following aims to provide a new physical channel structure and mechanism, specifically, a unified sidelink physical channel structure and mechanism that can flexibly accommodate aperiodic V2X traffic and periodic V2X traffic.

[0095] FIG. 5 shows a method that may be used to provide an integrated sidelink physical channel structure.

[0096] In a first step S1, the method comprises providing first control information using a first control channel, the first control information comprising at least an indication of resource reservation for an associated data channel.

[0097] In a second step S2, the method comprises providing at least second control information using a second control channel, the second control information comprising at least transmission format information of an associated data channel.

[0098] The associated data channel comprises periodic or aperiodic data traffic.

[0099] The method may be performed by a user equipment.

[0100] 6 illustrates a method that may be used to provide an integrated sidelink physical channel structure. The method may be performed by a user equipment or a network entity.

[0101] In a first step T1, the method comprises receiving first control information using a first control channel, the first control information comprising an indication of resource reservation for at least an associated data channel.

[0102] In a second step T2, the method comprises receiving at least second control information using a second control channel, the second control information comprising at least transmission format information of an associated data channel.

[0103] The associated data channel comprises periodic or aperiodic data traffic.

[0104] The methods described with reference to Figures 5 and 6 may provide an integrated sidelink physical control channel design that supports efficient physical data channel operation for scheduling and resource allocation for periodic and aperiodic traffic types.

[0105] The first control information and the second control information may comprise sidelink control information.

[0106] In the method described with reference to Figures 5 and 6, the sidelink control information (SCI) is split into two parts: first control information and second control information (referred to as SCI-1 and SCI-2, respectively).

[0107] The first control information and the second control information are conveyed (provided) using a first control channel (PSCCH format 1) and a second control channel (PSCCH format 2), respectively. The first control channel and the second control channel may be denoted by PSCCH-1 and PSCCH-2. This sidelink physical control channel design may support data decoding and resource allocation of the associated physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) for both periodic and aperiodic traffic.

[0108] The channel PSCCH-1 may be used for resource allocation and / or reservation of the data-carrying PSSCH, i.e., for indication of resource reservation of the associated data channel.

[0109] In case of periodic traffic, PSCCH-1 indicates the resource allocation of the associated PSSCH for the current period and / or the resource reservation for the next period.

[0110] For aperiodic traffic, PSCCH-1 indicates the resource allocation of its associated PSSCH.

[0111] Channel PSCCH-2 may be used to assist data decoding of the associated PSSCH, including possible retransmissions, i.e., may comprise the transmission format information of the associated data channel. PSCCH-2 may be multiplexed with the associated PSSCH in FDM (similar to PSCCH / PSSCH in LTE R14 / 15) or in TDM (within TTI) (similar to NR-PDCCH / PDSCH in NR R15).

[0112] The SCI may be exclusively divided into SCI-1 and SCI-2, i.e., SCI-1 and SCI-2 comprise different sidelink control information. SCI-1 is carried by a first control channel, while a second control channel may carry only SCI-2 or both SCI-1 and SCI-2. That is, the method may comprise providing the first control information and the second control information using the second control channel, in which case the second control channel carries all relevant sidelink control information.

[0113] When the second control channel comprises only SCI-2, the receiver decodes both PSCCH-1 and PSCCH-2 before decoding the PSSCH of the data packet.

[0114] In the case where the second control channel carries both SCI-1 and SCI-2, the receiver may decode the PSSCH of a data packet if it decodes at least PSCCH-2 first.

[0115] At least one of the first control information and the second control information may comprise at least one of data packet retransmission information and demodulation reference configuration information of an associated data channel.

[0116] In an exemplary embodiment, PSCCH-1 comprises SCI-1 and DMRS that it conveys, and PSCCH-1 may convey information explicitly (e.g., information included in SCI-1) or implicitly (e.g., information indicated via a different DMRS sequence), depending on the particular design of the PSCCH-1 channel.

[0117] PSCCH-1 may carry SCI-1, which indicates resource allocation / reservation information.

[0118] The first control information comprises at least one of an indication of data periodicity, data packet information indicative of a quality of service requirement, resource reservation information, and resource allocation information.

[0119] That is, SCI-1 may include sidelink control information elements such as packet QoS related information including one or more of priority, latency requirements, and reliability requirements. For example, the packet QoS related information may comprise a 3-bit packet priority indicating the priority level of the associated data packet.

[0120] SCI-1 may comprise, for example, a 1-bit periodicity indication, where 0 indicates periodic traffic and 1 indicates one-off aperiodic traffic.

[0121] SCI-1 may comprise, for example, a 7-bit indication of resource allocation information indicating the resource allocation in frequency, for example, the number of allocated sub-channels.

[0122] PSCCH-1 may carry information indicating the presence of relevant data for periodic traffic, which may indicate that there is no relevant data in the current period but that the UE wishes to maintain periodic resource reservation for the next period. PSCCH-1 may also carry at least one of a part or type of destination address, such as two bits indicating the part or type of destination address, which allows the receiver to determine whether to proceed with decoding the relevant data and reduces reception complexity for non-targeted receivers.

[0123] PSCCH-1 may comprise information about the DMRS of PSCCH-2, e.g., implicitly conveyed by the DMRS information used in PSCCH-1.

[0124] PSCCH-2 may carry SCI-2, which indicates the transmission format of the associated PSSCH.

[0125] The second control information comprises at least one of modulation and coding scheme (MCS) information, multi-antenna transmission related information, and destination address information.

[0126] SCI-2 may comprise, for example, a 5-bit modulation and coding scheme information (MCS) that indicates the MCS index used for the associated PSSCH data packet.

[0127] SCI-2 may comprise retransmission information, such as retransmission index and time / frequency resources.

[0128] PSCCH-2 may carry MIMO related information indicating multi-antenna transmission related information such as the number of layers.

[0129] PSCCH-2 may carry at least a portion, for example, 8 bits, of a destination address corresponding to unicast / groupcast / broadcast.

[0130] PSCCH-2 may contain DMRS information for the associated PSSCH, which may be transmitted implicitly or explicitly.

[0131] The method may comprise providing, using a first control channel, first control information comprising an indication of the absence of data transmission in the current period when the associated data channel comprises periodic data traffic and there is no data transmission in the current period. That is, for a PSSCH of periodic traffic type, if resource reservation was made in the previous period but there is no data transmission in the current period (e.g., due to congestion control), the UE may transmit only PSCCH-1 indicating the absence of associated data in the current period and reserve resources for the next period.

[0132] The method may comprise providing a second control channel or a first control channel and a second control channel together with an associated data channel when the associated data channel comprises periodic data traffic and there is data transmission in the current period. That is, if resource reservation was made in the previous period and there is data transmission in the current period, the UE transmits PSCCH-1, PSCCH-2, and a PSSCH, or transmits PSCCH-2 and a PSSCH (the first control information and the second control information are transmitted using the second channel). PSCCH-1 may be multiplexed with the associated PSSCH using FDM, and PSCCH-2 may be multiplexed with the associated PSSCH using FDM and / or TDM (within a TTI).

[0133] 7 and 8 show examples of proposed control channel structures for periodic V2X traffic.

[0134] In the embodiment shown in Figures 7 and 8, PSCCH-1 indicates that the data packet type is periodic, which specifies the interpretation of the time resource reservation information field specified in Table 1.

[0135] In the embodiment shown in Figure 7, the SCI information is split exclusively into SCI-1 and SCI-2 (i.e., they have different control information): PSCCH-1 indicates periodic traffic, resource reservation period, and the presence or absence of associated PSCCH-2 / PSSCH in the current TTI.

[0136] In the embodiment shown in Figure 8, PSCCH-2 carries SCI-1 and SCI-2, i.e., PSCCH-2 carries all sidelink control information, including at least resource reservation information and transmission format information. PSCCH-1 indicates periodic traffic, resource reservation period, and absence of associated PSCCH-2 / PSSCH in the current TTI.

[0137] Even for periodic traffic, a UE may abandon packet transmission for a certain period, for example, due to congestion control based on CR / CBR measurements. In this case, the UE transmits PSCCH-1 to indicate resource reservation for the next period. This may be beneficial for other UEs' channel sensing and resource selection, as they can recognize the resource reservation rather than relying on long-term energy measurements of S-RSSI over the periodic resource to exclude it. Because PSCCH-1 occupies only limited resources (e.g., one PRB per slot), the interference it causes to sidelink transmissions (if any) may be limited.

[0138] The method may comprise providing the first control channel preceding an associated data channel in a time resource when the associated data channel comprises aperiodic data traffic.

[0139] That is, in the case of PSSCH for aperiodic traffic, the UE transmits PSCCH-1 and PSCCH-2 and the associated PSSCH, where PSCCH-1 precedes PSCCH-2 and the PSSCH in the time domain, and PSCCH-2 may be multiplexed with the associated PSSCH in FDM and / or TDM (within a TTI).

[0140] PSCCH-1 indicates the resource allocation of the associated PSSCH. When PSCCH-1 is transmitted before the associated data carried by the PSSCH, a UE with high priority data to transmit can use PSCCH-1 to block other UEs from transmitting low priority data and trigger other UEs to perform resource reselection or abandon their transmissions.

[0141] 9 and 10 show examples of control channel structures proposed for use with aperiodic V2X traffic. When an aperiodic packet (e.g., an event-driven one-off transmission packet) arrives at the MAC / PHY layer from higher layers for transmission, the UE selects sidelink resource(s) for transmission of the packet (i.e., the packet indicated by the gray rectangle) based on the available channel sensing results and the packet's latency requirements. To prevent other UEs (with periodic or aperiodic traffic) from using this resource, the UE transmits PSCCH-1 before the selected resource to indicate resource reservation. Note that PSCCH-1 also carries packet QoS-related information, which other UEs may take into account in their resource selection / preemption-related operations.

[0142] PSCCH-1 indicates the packet type for aperiodic traffic, which specifies the interpretation of the resource reservation information field for the time specified in Table 1.

[0143] In Figure 9, SCI information is exclusively distributed to SCI-1 and SCI-2 (i.e., they contain different control information), which are transmitted by PSCCH-1 and PSCCH-2, respectively. In this case, as shown in the figure, resources corresponding to the position of PSCCH-1 within the TTI of the PSSCH may remain unused, which may facilitate other PSCCH-1 transmissions from other UEs.

[0144] In Figure 10, PSCCH-2 carries SCI-1 as well as SCI-2, i.e., PSCCH-2 carries all sidelink control information, including at least resource reservation information and transmission format information. The advantage of this configuration is that even if a receiver misses the transmission of PSCCH-1, it can still decode the PSSCH based on PSCCH-2.

[0145] An example configuration of time resource reservation is shown in Table 1. Note that TU indicates a time unit, such as a slot, TTI, or subframe. [Table 1] Table 1

[0146] It should be understood that the device may comprise or be connected to other units or modules, such as a radio section or radio head, used for or intended for transmitting and / or receiving. Although the device has been described as one entity, the different modules and memories may be implemented in one or more physical or logical entities.

[0147] It should be noted that, although exemplary embodiments have been described, similar principles may be applied in connection with other networks and communication systems that support periodic and aperiodic data transmission. Thus, although particular embodiments have been described above by way of example with reference to particular exemplary architectures of wireless networks, technologies, and standards, the embodiments may be applied to any suitable form of communication system other than the communication system illustrated and described herein.

[0148] Although exemplary embodiments have been described above, it is also noted herein that several variations and modifications may be made to the disclosed solutions without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0149] Generally, various exemplary embodiments may be implemented in hardware or special-purpose circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects of the invention may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software that may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device, but the invention is not limited thereto. While various aspects of the invention may be illustrated and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other graphical representation, it will be appreciated that these blocks, apparatus, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in, by way of non-limiting example, hardware, software, firmware, special-purpose circuits or logic, general-purpose hardware or controller or other computing device, or some combination thereof.

[0150] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention may be implemented by computer software executable by a data processor of a mobile device, such as in a processor entity, or by hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. Computer software or programs, also referred to as program products, including software routines, applets, and / or macros, may be stored on any device-readable data storage medium and comprise program instructions for performing specific tasks. A computer program product may comprise one or more computer-executable components configured to perform exemplary embodiments when the program is executed. The one or more computer-executable components may be at least one software code or portions thereof.

[0151] Further, in this regard, it should be noted that any block of logic flow in the diagrams may represent program steps or interconnected logic circuits, blocks, and functions, or a combination of program steps and logic circuits, blocks, and functions. Software may be stored on physical media such as memory chips or blocks implemented within a processor, magnetic media such as a hard disk or floppy disk, and optical media such as, for example, DVDs and their data variants, CDs, etc. Physical media are non-transitory media.

[0152] The memory may be of any type suitable for the local technology environment and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory, and removable memory. The data processor may be of any type suitable for the local technology environment and may include, by way of non-limiting examples, one or more of a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an FPGA, a gate-level circuit, and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture.

[0153] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in a variety of components, such as integrated circuit modules. The design of integrated circuits is generally a highly automated process. Complex and powerful software tools are available to convert logic-level designs into semiconductor circuit designs ready to be etched into semiconductor substrates.

[0154] The foregoing description has provided a complete and informative description of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, by way of non-limiting example. However, various modifications and adaptations may become apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims. However, all such and similar modifications of the teachings of this invention will still fall within the scope of the present invention, as defined by the appended claims. Indeed, additional exemplary embodiments exist that include combinations of one or more of the exemplary embodiments with any of the other exemplary embodiments described above.

Claims

1. 1. A user equipment configured to provide an integrated physical sidelink channel structure, the user equipment comprising: at least one processor; When executed by the at least one processor, the method causes the user equipment to - at least one memory storing instructions causing the implementation of providing first control information using a first control channel of the aggregated physical side link channel structure and at least second control information using a second control channel of the aggregated physical side link channel structure; Equipped with the first control information comprises at least an indication of a resource allocation for an associated data channel of the aggregated physical sidelink channel structure; the second control information comprises at least transmission format information for assisting in decoding data of the associated data channel; the associated data channel comprises periodic or aperiodic data traffic; User equipment.

2. The user equipment of claim 1 , wherein the second control information comprises destination address information.

3. The user equipment of claim 2 , wherein the destination address information is at least a portion of a destination address corresponding to a unicast, groupcast, or broadcast transmission.

4. The user equipment of claim 1 , wherein the second control information comprises data packet retransmission information for the associated data channel.

5. The user equipment of claim 1 , wherein the first control information comprises data packet information indicating a quality of service requirement.

6. The user equipment of claim 5 , wherein the data packet information indicative of quality of service requirements indicates a data packet priority.

7. The user equipment of claim 1 , wherein the first control information comprises resource reservation information.

8. 1. A user equipment configured to receive an aggregated physical sidelink channel structure, the user equipment comprising: at least one processor; When executed by the at least one processor, the method causes the user equipment to - at least one memory storing instructions to receive first control information using a first control channel of the aggregated physical side link channel structure and at least second control information using a second control channel of the aggregated physical side link channel structure; Equipped with the first control information comprises at least an indication of a resource allocation for an associated data channel of the aggregated physical sidelink channel structure; the second control information comprises at least transmission format information for assisting in decoding data of the associated data channel; the associated data channel comprises periodic or aperiodic data traffic; User equipment.

9. The user equipment of claim 8 , wherein the second control information comprises destination address information.

10. The user equipment of claim 9 , wherein the destination address information is at least a portion of a destination address corresponding to a unicast, groupcast, or broadcast transmission.

11. The user equipment of claim 8 , wherein the second control information comprises data packet retransmission information for the associated data channel.

12. The user equipment of claim 8 , wherein the first control information comprises data packet information indicating a quality of service requirement.

13. The user equipment of claim 12 , wherein the data packet information indicative of quality of service requirements indicates a data packet priority.

14. The user equipment of claim 8 , wherein the first control information comprises resource reservation information.

15. 1. A method for providing an integrated physical sidelink channel structure, the method comprising: providing, from a user equipment, first control information using a first control channel of the aggregated physical sidelink channel structure and at least second control information using a second control channel of the aggregated physical sidelink channel structure; the first control information comprises at least an indication of a resource allocation for an associated data channel of the aggregated physical sidelink channel structure; the second control information comprises at least transmission format information for assisting in decoding data of the associated data channel; the associated data channel comprises periodic or aperiodic data traffic; method.

16. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the second control information comprises destination address information, at least a portion of a destination address corresponding to a unicast, groupcast, or broadcast transmission.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the second control information comprises data packet retransmission information for the associated data channel.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein the first control information comprises data packet information indicating quality of service requirements or resource reservation information.

19. 20. The method of claim 18, wherein the data packet information indicative of quality of service requirements indicates a data packet priority.

20. 1. A method for receiving an aggregated physical sidelink channel structure, the method comprising: receiving, from a user equipment, first control information using a first control channel of the aggregated physical sidelink channel structure and at least second control information using a second control channel of the aggregated physical sidelink channel structure; the first control information comprises at least an indication of a resource allocation for an associated data channel of the aggregated physical sidelink channel structure; the second control information comprises at least transmission format information for assisting in decoding data of the associated data channel; the associated data channel comprises periodic or aperiodic data traffic; method.

21. 21. The method of claim 20, wherein the second control information comprises destination address information, at least a portion of a destination address corresponding to a unicast, groupcast, or broadcast transmission.

22. 21. The method of claim 20, wherein the second control information comprises data packet retransmission information for the associated data channel.

23. 21. The method of claim 20, wherein the first control information comprises data packet information indicating quality of service requirements or resource reservation information.

24. 24. The method of claim 23, wherein the data packet information indicative of quality of service requirements indicates a data packet priority.

25. 1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium configured to cause provision of an integrated physical sidelink channel structure, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing program instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a user equipment, cause the user equipment to: providing first control information using a first control channel of the aggregated physical sidelink channel structure and at least second control information using a second control channel of the aggregated physical sidelink channel structure; the first control information comprises at least an indication of a resource allocation for an associated data channel of the aggregated physical sidelink channel structure; the second control information comprises at least transmission format information for assisting in decoding data of the associated data channel; the associated data channel comprises periodic or aperiodic data traffic; A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium.

26. 1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium configured to cause reception of an integrated physical sidelink channel structure, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing program instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a user equipment, cause the user equipment to receive at least the following: receiving first control information using a first control channel of the aggregated physical sidelink channel structure and at least second control information using a second control channel of the aggregated physical sidelink channel structure; the first control information comprises at least an indication of a resource allocation for an associated data channel of the aggregated physical sidelink channel structure; the second control information comprises at least transmission format information for assisting in decoding data of the associated data channel; the associated data channel comprises periodic or aperiodic data traffic; A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium.

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