Method and apparatus for carrier aggregation

Abstract

Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method for carrier aggregation. The method performed by a user equipment includes receiving, from a base station, a first indication to activate or deactivate a sidelink carrier configured for the user equipment. According to an example embodiment, the method further includes determining whether the first indication activates or deactivates the sidelink carrier. According to another example embodiment, the method further includes transmitting a second indication to one or more other UEs configured with an SL carrier to activate or deactivate the SL carrier.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to communication networks, and more particularly to methods and apparatus for carrier aggregation (CA). [Background technology]

[0002] This section introduces aspects that may facilitate a better understanding of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the statements in this section are to be read in this light and are not to be understood as admissions about what is in the prior art or what is not in the prior art.

[0003] Communication service providers and network operators are continually challenged to deliver value and convenience to consumers, for example, by providing compelling network services and performance. As wireless communications evolve, requirements have been proposed to support device-to-device (D2D) communication features in various applications. An extension to D2D operations may consist of supporting vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications, which may include any combination of direct vehicle-to-vehicle, pedestrian-to-pedestrian, and infrastructure-to-infrastructure communications. Wireless communication networks, such as fourth-generation (4G) / long-term evolution (LTE) and fifth-generation (5G) / new radio (NR) networks, may be expected to use V2X services and support communications for V2X-enabled user equipment (UE). Summary of the Invention

[0004] This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0005] D2D communication between nearby devices (also called sidelink (SL) communication or communication over the PC5 interface) is specified by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) in Release 12 (Rel-12). Some extensions to SL are introduced in subsequent releases for vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) or V2X communication. In a wireless communication network that supports SL communication, a V2X-capable UE can act as a relay UE that can provide functionality to support network connectivity for another UE that may be located outside cell coverage and may not be able to connect directly with the network. In some cases, a UE may communicate with another UE directly or through one or more relay UEs.

[0006] Carrier aggregation (CA) is a technique that may be used in wireless communications to increase bandwidth and thereby increase bit rates. Each aggregated carrier may be referred to as a component carrier (CC). When CA is used, a UE may be configured with several serving cells, including, for example, one primary cell (PCell) and one or more secondary cells (SCells) for each component carrier. The coverage of multiple serving cells may differ, for example, because each CC on a different frequency band may experience a different path loss. Multiple SCells can be activated or deactivated as needed. For example, a base station may send signaling over the Uu interface to activate or deactivate an SCell for the UE. However, for CA, there is no existing solution for activating or deactivating SL carriers. Signaling for CA in the Uu may not be used for SL UEs in CA, especially when the SL UE is out of network coverage. Additionally, because SL radio bearers (RBs) are of a different direction than Uu RBs, mechanisms for activating or deactivating carriers in Uu may not be applicable to SL UEs in CA. Therefore, it may be desirable to perform SL carrier activation or deactivation in a more efficient manner.

[0007] Various example embodiments of the present disclosure propose a solution for CA that may allow the base station or the UE to activate or deactivate the SL carrier in the case of CA.

[0008] It should be appreciated that a link or radio link over which signals are transmitted between at least two UEs for D2D operations may be referred to herein as a sidelink (SL). Signals transmitted between UEs for D2D operations may be referred to herein as SL signals. The terms "sidelink" and "SL" may refer to a D2D link, a V2X link, a Pr It is sometimes referred to interchangeably as an oSe link, a peer-to-peer link, or a PC5 link. SL signals are used for V2X signals, D2D signals, and Pr It is sometimes referred to interchangeably as oSe signaling, PC5 signaling, peer-to-peer signaling, etc.

[0009] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method performed by a UE, the method including receiving, from a base station, a first indication to activate or deactivate a SL carrier configured for the UE, and according to an example embodiment, the method further includes determining whether to activate or deactivate the SL carrier according to the first indication.

[0010] According to an example embodiment, the method according to the first aspect of the present disclosure may further include transmitting a second indication of activating or deactivating the SL carrier to one or more other UEs configured with the SL carrier.

[0011] According to an example embodiment, the first indication may include one or more of the following information: ● SL carrier identifier. ● Indicator that the SL carrier needs to be activated or deactivated. ● One or more destination identifiers associated with the SL carrier. One or more factors 。 When one or more factors are met, the SL carrier needs to be activated or deactivated.

[0012] According to an example embodiment, the one or more factors may include one or more of the following: ● A time threshold indicating the period for which the SL carrier should be deactivated. ● The buffer threshold above which the SL carrier must be activated. ● When to activate the SL carrier; and ●Timing for deactivating the SL carrier.

[0013] According to an example embodiment, the indicator that the SL carrier needs to be activated or deactivated may be a bit associated with the SL carrier in a bitmap.

[0014] According to an example embodiment, the UE may determine whether to activate or deactivate a SL carrier based at least in part on one or more factors.

[0015] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, when the UE decides to activate the SL carrier, the method according to the first aspect of the present disclosure further includes activating the SL carrier based on the first indication.

[0016] According to an exemplary embodiment, the method according to the first aspect of the present disclosure includes: Non Upon determining to activate, the method may further include deactivating the SL carrier according to the first indication.

[0017] According to an example embodiment, deactivation of the SL carrier may include one or more of the following: ● Complete any Mode 2 SL grant related to the SL career. ● If the UE adopts Mode 2 resource allocation, it shall stop sensing on the SL carrier. ● Stop sending SL on the SL carrier; and ● Stop receiving SL on the SL carrier.

[0018] According to an example embodiment, the SL carrier may be activated or deactivated according to timing information that may be determined based at least in part on the first indication.

[0019] According to an example embodiment, the second indication may include an identifier of the SL carrier and / or an indicator that the SL carrier needs to be activated or deactivated, or the like.

[0020] According to an example embodiment, one or more other UEs may be associated with the SL carrier and associated with one or more destination identifiers indicated by the first indication.

[0021] According to an example embodiment, the method according to the first aspect of the present disclosure may further include receiving, from at least one of the one or more other UEs, an acknowledgment indicating that the second indication was received by the at least one of the one or more other UEs. Alternatively or additionally, the method according to the first aspect of the present disclosure may further include receiving, from the at least one of the one or more other UEs, a message indicating that the at least one of the one or more other UEs accepts or rejects the activation or deactivation of the SL carrier.

[0022] According to an example embodiment, the activation or deactivation of the SL carrier may be performed by the UE upon receiving an acknowledgment from at least one of the one or more other UEs indicating that the second indication has been received by at least one of the one or more other UEs. Alternatively or additionally, the activation or deactivation of the SL carrier may be performed by the UE upon receiving a message from at least one of the one or more other UEs indicating that at least one of the one or more other UEs accepts the activation or deactivation of the SL carrier.

[0023] According to an example embodiment, activation or deactivation of the SL carrier may be applicable in the direction from the UE to its peer UEs.

[0024] According to an example embodiment, the method according to the first aspect of the present disclosure may further include transmitting information about the SL carrier to a base station and / or peer UEs of the UE. According to an embodiment, the information about the SL carrier may be used by the base station and / or peer UEs of the UE to determine whether to activate or deactivate the SL carrier.

[0025] According to an example embodiment, the transmission of information about the SL carrier may be performed by the UE in one or more of the following ways: ● Run periodically. ● Triggered by an event difference When it is. ● Upon receiving a request from a peer UE of the UE. ● Upon receiving signaling from the base station.

[0026] According to an example embodiment, information regarding the SL carrier may include one or more of the following: ● Buffer status report for all services or one or more services mapped to the SL carrier. ● Current data buffer status report. ● Buffer status report of future data expected to arrive. ● SL carrier resource status. ● Channel measurement information; and ● Power saving preferences.

[0027] According to an example embodiment, the method according to the first aspect of the present disclosure may further include receiving information about the SL carrier from a peer UE of the UE. According to one embodiment, the information about the SL carrier may be used by the UE to determine whether to activate or deactivate the SL carrier.

[0028] According to an example embodiment, when the UE is configured with a timer for the SL carrier, the method according to the first aspect of the present disclosure may further include performing one or more of the following actions: ● When the SL carrier is activated, a timer is started. ● Restarting a timer in response to one or more events. ● When the timer expires, the SL carrier of Initiate deactivation; and ● UE is SL carrier of The timer shall be stopped when deactivation begins.

[0029] According to an example embodiment, the one or more events may include one or more of the following: ● Reception by the UE of Downlink Control Information (DCI) indicating one or more SL grants for the SL carriers. ● Transmission of Medium Access Control (MAC) Protocol Data Units (PDUs) by the UE on the SL carrier in the configured SL grant. ● Transmission of Sidelink Control Information (SCI) on the SL carrier after the UE has obtained an SL grant. ● Reception by the UE of an SCI on the SL carrier indicating future reception from the UE's peer UE.

[0030] According to an example embodiment, activation or deactivation of an SL carrier may be applicable for transmitting on the SL carrier, for receiving on the SL carrier, or for both.

[0031] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an apparatus that may be implemented as a UE. The apparatus may include one or more processors and one or more memories that store computer program code. The one or more memories and the computer program code, together with the one or more processors, may be configured to cause the apparatus to perform at least any steps of a method according to the first aspect of the present disclosure.

[0032] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer readable medium having computer program code embodied thereon which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform any step of the method according to the first aspect of the present disclosure.

[0033] According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an apparatus that may be implemented as a UE. The apparatus may include a receiving unit and a determining unit. According to some example embodiments, the receiving unit may be operable to perform at least the receiving step of the method according to the first aspect of the present disclosure. The determining unit may be operable to perform at least the determining step of the method according to the first aspect of the present disclosure.

[0034] According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method performed by a base station. The method includes determining a first indication to activate or deactivate a SL carrier configured for a UE. According to an example embodiment, the method further includes transmitting the first indication to the UE. According to an embodiment, the UE may be capable of transmitting a second indication to activate or deactivate a SL carrier (e.g., a second indication as described according to the first aspect of the present disclosure) to one or more other UEs configured with an SL carrier.

[0035] According to an example embodiment, the first indication transmitted by the base station according to the fifth aspect of the present disclosure may correspond to the first indication received by the UE according to the first aspect of the present disclosure. Thus, the first indication as described according to the first and fifth aspects of the present disclosure may include the same or similar content and / or features.

[0036] According to an example embodiment, the method according to the fifth aspect of the present disclosure may further include receiving a notification from a peer UE of the UE that the SL carrier is activated or deactivated.

[0037] According to an example embodiment, the method according to the fifth aspect of the present disclosure may further include sending an instruction to a peer UE of the UE to accept or reject the activation or deactivation of the SL carrier.

[0038] According to an example embodiment, a peer UE of the UE may be associated with the SL carrier and associated with the destination identifier indicated by the first indication.

[0039] According to an example embodiment, the method according to the fifth aspect of the present disclosure may further include receiving information about the SL carrier from the UE. According to one embodiment, the information about the SL carrier may be used by the base station to determine whether to activate or deactivate the SL carrier.

[0040] According to an example embodiment, the information about the SL carrier received by the base station according to the fifth aspect of the present disclosure may correspond to the information about the SL carrier transmitted by the UE according to the first aspect of the present disclosure. Thus, the information about the SL carrier described according to the first and fifth aspects of the present disclosure may include the same or similar content and / or features.

[0041] According to an example embodiment, the method according to the fifth aspect of the present disclosure may further include exchanging information with one or more other base stations to determine whether to activate or deactivate the SL carrier.

[0042] According to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an apparatus that may be implemented as a base station. The apparatus may include one or more processors and one or more memories that store computer program code. The one or more memories and the computer program code, together with the one or more processors, may be configured to cause the apparatus to perform at least any step of a method according to the fifth aspect of the present disclosure.

[0043] According to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer readable medium having computer program code embodied thereon which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform any step of the method according to the fifth aspect of the present disclosure.

[0044] According to an eighth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an apparatus that may be implemented as a base station. The apparatus may include a determining unit and a transmitting unit. According to some exemplary embodiments, the determining unit may be operable to perform at least the determining step of the method according to the fifth aspect of the present disclosure. The transmitting unit may be operable to perform at least the transmitting step of the method according to the fifth aspect of the present disclosure.

[0045] According to a ninth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method performed by a UE, the method comprising determining whether to activate or deactivate a SL carrier configured for the UE. According to an example embodiment, the method further includes performing one or more actions according to a result of the determination.

[0046] According to an example embodiment, the one or more actions may include generating a second indication to activate or deactivate the SL carrier.

[0047] According to an example embodiment, the one or more actions may further include transmitting a second indication to one or more other UEs configured with the SL carrier.

[0048] According to an example embodiment, the decision of whether to activate or deactivate the SL carrier may be made by the UE itself without receiving a first indication to activate or deactivate the SL carrier from the base station (e.g., the first indication described with respect to the first aspect of the present disclosure).

[0049] According to an example embodiment, the one or more actions may include activating or deactivating a SL carrier according to timing information determined by the UE.

[0050] According to an example embodiment, deactivating an SL carrier may include clearing any Mode 2 SL grants associated with the SL carrier, stopping sensing on the SL carrier if the UE employs Mode 2 resource allocation, stopping SL transmissions on the SL carrier, and / or stopping SL reception on the SL carrier, etc.

[0051] According to an example embodiment, the second indication may include an identifier of the SL carrier and / or an indicator that the SL carrier needs to be activated or deactivated, or the like.

[0052] According to an example embodiment, the indicator that the SL carrier needs to be activated or deactivated may be a bit associated with the SL carrier in a bitmap.

[0053] According to an example embodiment, one or more other UEs may be associated with the SL carrier and associated with one or more destination identifiers determined by the UE.

[0054] According to an example embodiment, the one or more actions may further include receiving, from at least one of the one or more other UEs, an acknowledgment indicating that the second indication was received by at least one of the one or more other UEs, and / or a message indicating that at least one of the one or more other UEs accepts or rejects the activation or deactivation of the SL carrier, or the like.

[0055] According to an example embodiment, the activation or deactivation of the SL carrier may be performed by the UE upon receiving, from at least one of the one or more other UEs, an acknowledgment indicating that the second indication has been received by at least one of the one or more other UEs, and / or a message indicating that at least one of the one or more other UEs accepts the activation or deactivation of the SL carrier, or the like.

[0056] According to an example embodiment, activation or deactivation of the SL carrier may be applicable in the direction from the UE to the UE's peer UE.

[0057] According to an example embodiment, the method according to the ninth aspect of the present disclosure may further include transmitting information about the SL carrier to a base station and / or peer UEs of the UE. According to an embodiment, the information about the SL carrier may be used by the base station and / or peer UEs of the UE to determine whether to activate or deactivate the SL carrier.

[0058] According to an example embodiment, the transmission of information about the SL carrier may be performed by the UE in at least one of the following ways: ● Regularly. ● Triggered by an event difference When it is. ● Upon receiving a request from a peer UE of the UE. ● Upon receiving signaling from the base station.

[0059] According to an example embodiment, the information regarding the SL carrier may include one or more of the following: ● Buffer status report for all services or one or more services mapped to the SL carrier. ● Current data buffer status report. ● Buffer status report of future data expected to arrive. ● SL carrier resource status. ● Channel measurement information, and ● Preferences regarding power conservation.

[0060] According to an example embodiment, the method according to the ninth aspect of the present disclosure may further include receiving information about the SL carrier from a peer UE of the UE. According to an embodiment, the information about the SL carrier may be used by the UE to determine whether to activate or deactivate the SL carrier.

[0061] According to an example embodiment, the UE may be configured with a timer for the SL carrier, in which case the UE may perform various actions for the timer as described with respect to the first aspect of the present disclosure, e.g., start, restart, or stop the timer according to different requirements.

[0062] According to an example embodiment, activation or deactivation of an SL carrier may be applicable for transmitting on the SL carrier, for receiving on the SL carrier, or for both.

[0063] According to a tenth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an apparatus that may be implemented as a UE. The apparatus may include one or more processors and one or more memories that store computer program code. The one or more memories and the computer program code, together with the one or more processors, may be configured to cause the apparatus to perform at least any steps of a method according to the ninth aspect of the present disclosure.

[0064] According to an eleventh aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer-readable medium having computer program code embodied thereon which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform any step of the method according to the ninth aspect of the present disclosure.

[0065] According to a twelfth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an apparatus that may be implemented as a UE. The apparatus may include a determining unit and an executing unit. According to some exemplary embodiments, the determining unit may be operable to perform at least the determining step of the method according to the ninth aspect of the present disclosure. The executing unit may be operable to perform at least the executing step of the method according to the ninth aspect of the present disclosure.

[0066] According to a thirteenth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method performed by a UE (e.g., a peer UE of a UE as described with respect to the first through fourth and ninth through twelfth aspects of the present disclosure), the method including receiving, from a peer UE of the UE, an indication to activate or deactivate a SL carrier configured for the UE and the peer UE of the UE.

[0067] According to an example embodiment, the indication to activate or deactivate the SL carrier may include an identifier of the SL carrier and / or an indicator that the SL carrier needs to be activated or deactivated, or the like.

[0068] According to an example embodiment, the indicator that the SL carrier needs to be activated or deactivated may be a bit associated with the SL carrier in a bitmap.

[0069] According to an example embodiment, the UE may be associated with a destination identifier associated with the SL carrier. According to one embodiment, the destination identifier may be determined by the peer UE itself. According to another embodiment, the destination identifier may be indicated to the peer UE by the base station.

[0070] According to an example embodiment, the method according to the thirteenth aspect of the present disclosure may further include transmitting a notification to the base station that the SL carrier is activated or deactivated.

[0071] According to an example embodiment, the method according to the thirteenth aspect of the present disclosure may further include receiving, from the base station, an instruction to accept or reject the activation or deactivation of the SL carrier.

[0072] According to one embodiment, the method according to the thirteenth aspect of the present disclosure may further include, in response to receiving an indication to activate or deactivate the SL carrier, determining whether to accept or reject the activation or deactivation of the SL carrier.

[0073] According to an example embodiment, the decision to accept or reject activation or deactivation of the SL carrier may be made by the UE itself. According to another example embodiment, the decision to accept or reject activation or deactivation of the SL carrier may be made by the UE following an instruction by the base station to the UE to accept or reject activation or deactivation of the SL carrier.

[0074] According to an example embodiment, the method according to the thirteenth aspect of the present disclosure may further include transmitting one or more of the following to a peer UE of the UE: - an acknowledgement that an indication to activate or deactivate the SL carrier is received by the UE; and ● A message indicating that the UE accepts or rejects the activation or deactivation of an SL carrier.

[0075] According to an example embodiment, activation or deactivation of the SL carrier may be applicable in the peer UE to UE direction.

[0076] According to an example embodiment, the method according to the thirteenth aspect of the present disclosure may further include determining whether to activate or deactivate the SL carrier for a direction from the UE to a peer UE of the UE.

[0077] According to an example embodiment, the method according to the thirteenth aspect of the present disclosure may further include receiving information about the SL carrier from a peer UE of the UE. According to one embodiment, the information about the SL carrier may be used by the UE to determine whether to activate or deactivate the SL carrier.

[0078] According to an example embodiment, information regarding the SL carrier may include one or more of the following: ● Buffer status report for all services or one or more services mapped to the SL carrier. ● Current data buffer status report. ● Buffer status report of future data expected to arrive. ● SL carrier resource status. ● Channel measurement information, and ● Preferences regarding power conservation.

[0079] According to an example embodiment, the method according to the thirteenth aspect of the present disclosure may further include transmitting information about the SL carrier to a base station and / or peer UEs of the UE. According to an embodiment, the information about the SL carrier may be used by the base station and / or peer UEs of the UE to determine whether to activate or deactivate the SL carrier.

[0080] According to example embodiments, the transmission of information about the SL carrier may be performed by the UE periodically and / or event-triggered. Alternatively or additionally, the transmission of information about the SL carrier may be performed by the UE upon receiving a request from a peer UE of the UE and / or upon receiving signaling from a base station.

[0081] According to an example embodiment, when the UE sets (configures) a timer for the SL carrier, the method according to the thirteenth aspect of the present disclosure may further include performing one or more of the following actions: ● Activating the SL carrier starts a timer. Restarting a timer in response to one or more events. ● When the timer expires, the SL carrier of Initiate deactivation; and ●UE is SL carrier of When deactivation begins, the timer is stopped.

[0082] According to an example embodiment, the one or more events may include one or more of the following: ● Receiving DCI indicating one or more SL grants for the SL carriers by the UE. ● Transmission by the UE of MAC PDUs on the SL carrier in the configured SL grant. ● Transmission of SCI on SL carrier after UE has obtained SL grant, and ● Reception by the UE of an SCI on the SL carrier indicating future reception from the UE's peer UE.

[0083] According to an example embodiment, activation or deactivation of an SL carrier may be applicable for transmitting on the SL carrier, for receiving on the SL carrier, or for both.

[0084] According to a fourteenth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an apparatus that may be implemented as a UE. The apparatus may include one or more processors and one or more memories that store computer program code. The one or more memories and the computer program code, together with the one or more processors, may be configured to cause the apparatus to perform at least any step of a method according to the thirteenth aspect of the present disclosure.

[0085] According to a fifteenth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer-readable medium having computer program code embodied thereon which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform any step of the method according to the thirteenth aspect of the present disclosure.

[0086] According to a sixteenth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an apparatus that may be implemented as a UE. The apparatus may include a receiving unit and, optionally, a determining unit. According to some exemplary embodiments, the receiving unit may be operable to perform at least the receiving step of the method according to the thirteenth aspect of the present disclosure. The determining unit may be operable to perform at least the determining step of the method according to the thirteenth aspect of the present disclosure.

[0087] According to a seventeenth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method performed by a base station. The method includes receiving notification from a UE that a SL carrier configured for the UE and a peer UE of the UE are to be activated or deactivated. According to an example embodiment, the method further includes transmitting instructions to the UE to accept or reject the activation or deactivation of the SL carrier.

[0088] According to an example embodiment, a UE may be associated with a destination identifier associated with the SL carrier. According to an embodiment, the destination identifier may be determined by the UE's peer UEs and / or another base station serving the UE's peer UEs.

[0089] According to an example embodiment, activation or deactivation of the SL carrier may be applicable in the peer UE to UE direction.

[0090] According to an example embodiment, the method according to the seventeenth aspect of the present disclosure may further include receiving information about the SL carrier from the UE. According to one embodiment, the information about the SL carrier may be used by the base station to determine whether to activate or deactivate the SL carrier.

[0091] According to an example embodiment, the information about the SL carrier may include a buffer status report for all services or one or more services mapped to the SL carrier, a buffer status report for current data, a buffer status report for expected upcoming future data, resource status of the SL carrier, channel measurement information, and / or power saving preferences, etc.

[0092] According to an example embodiment, activation or deactivation of an SL carrier may be applicable for transmitting on the SL carrier, for receiving on the SL carrier, or for both.

[0093] According to an example embodiment, the method according to the seventeenth aspect of the present disclosure may further include transmitting and receiving (exchanging) information with one or more other base stations to determine whether to accept or reject the activation or deactivation of the SL carrier.

[0094] According to an eighteenth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an apparatus that may be implemented as a base station. The apparatus may include one or more processors and one or more memories that store computer program code. The one or more memories and the computer program code, together with the one or more processors, may be configured to cause the apparatus to perform at least any step of a method according to the seventeenth aspect of the present disclosure.

[0095] According to a nineteenth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer-readable medium having computer program code embodied thereon which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform any step of the method according to the seventeenth aspect of the present disclosure.

[0096] According to a twentieth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an apparatus that may be implemented as a base station. The apparatus may include a receiver and a transmitter. According to some exemplary embodiments, the receiver may be operable to perform at least the receiving step of the method according to the seventeenth aspect of the present disclosure. The transmitter may be operable to perform at least the transmitting step of the method according to the seventeenth aspect of the present disclosure.

[0097] According to a twenty-first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method implementable in a communication system that may include a host computer, a base station, and a UE. The method may include providing user data at the host computer. Optionally, the method may include initiating, at the host computer, a transmission carrying the user data to the UE over a cellular network that includes a base station capable of performing any step of the method according to the fifth or seventeenth aspects of the present disclosure.

[0098] According to a twenty-second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a communication system including a host computer. The host computer may include a processing circuit configured to provide user data and a communication interface configured to transfer the user data to a cellular network for transmission to a UE. The cellular network may include a base station having a wireless interface and the processing circuit. The processing circuit of the base station may be configured to perform any step of a method according to the fifth or seventeenth aspects of the present disclosure.

[0099] According to a twenty-third aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method implemented in a communication system that may include a host computer, a base station, and a UE. The method may include providing user data at the host computer. Optionally, the method may include initiating a transmission at the host computer carrying the user data to the UE over a cellular network that includes the base station. The UE may perform any step of the method according to the first, ninth, or thirteenth aspects of the present disclosure.

[0100] According to a twenty-fourth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a communication system including a host computer. The host computer may include a processing circuit configured to provide user data and a communication interface configured to transfer the user data to a cellular network for transmission to a UE. The UE may include a wireless interface and a processing circuit. The processing circuit of the UE may be configured to perform any step of a method according to the first, ninth, or thirteenth aspects of the present disclosure.

[0101] According to a twenty-fifth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method implemented in a communication system that may include a host computer, a base station, and a UE, the method may include receiving, at the host computer, user data transmitted to the base station from the UE, which may perform any step of the method according to the first, ninth, or thirteenth aspects of the present disclosure.

[0102] According to a twenty-sixth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a communication system including a host computer. The host computer may include a communication interface configured to receive user data originating from a transmission from a UE to a base station. The UE may include a wireless interface and processing circuitry. The processing circuitry of the UE may be configured to perform any step of a method according to the first, ninth, or thirteenth aspects of the present disclosure.

[0103] According to a twenty-seventh aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method implemented in a communication system that may include a host computer, a base station, and a UE. The method may include receiving, at the host computer, from the base station, user data originating from a transmission received by the base station from the UE. The base station may perform any step of the method according to the fifth or seventeenth aspects of the present disclosure.

[0104] According to a twenty-eighth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a communication system including a host computer. The host computer may include a communication interface configured to receive user data originating from a transmission from a UE to a base station. The base station may include a wireless interface and processing circuitry. The processing circuitry of the base station may be configured to perform any step of a method according to the fifth or seventeenth aspects of the present disclosure.

[0105] According to various exemplary embodiments, SL carriers among all SL carriers configured for a UE may be activated or deactivated by the UE itself and / or according to signaling from a base station. This may make SL carrier activation / deactivation feasible regardless of whether the UE has a direct connection to a base station or is out of network coverage. Additionally, implementing adaptive SL carrier activation / deactivation may be beneficial in order to achieve a satisfactory quality of service (Q). oS) and saving the power of the UE. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0106] The disclosure itself, its preferred mode of use, and further objects, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of the embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0107] [Figure 1] 1A-1C are flowcharts illustrating various methods according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] 1A-1C are flowcharts illustrating various methods according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] 1A-1C are flowcharts illustrating various methods according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] 1A-1C are flowcharts illustrating various methods according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] 1A-1C are flowcharts illustrating various methods according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0108] [Figure 6A] 1A-1C are block diagrams illustrating various devices according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 6B] 1A-1C are block diagrams illustrating various devices according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 6C] 1A-1C are block diagrams illustrating various devices according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 6D] 1A-1C are block diagrams illustrating various devices according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 6E] 1A-1C are block diagrams illustrating various devices according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 6F] 1A-1C are block diagrams illustrating various devices according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0109] [Figure 7]1 is a block diagram illustrating a telecommunications network connected to a host computer through an intermediate network in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0110] [Figure 8] 1 is a block diagram illustrating a host computer communicating with a UE via a base station over a partial wireless connection, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0111] [Figure 9] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0112] [Figure 10] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0113] [Figure 11] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0114] [Figure 12] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0115] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. It should be understood that these embodiments are discussed solely to enable those skilled in the art to better understand and therefore practice the present disclosure, and are not intended to imply any limitations on the scope of the present disclosure. Throughout this specification, reference to features, advantages, or similar terms does not imply that all of the features and advantages that may be realized by the present disclosure should be in or be present in any single embodiment of the present disclosure. Rather, the terms referring to features and advantages should be used in conjunction with embodiments and Related It is understood that any specific feature, advantage, or characteristic described herein is meant to be included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the described features, advantages, and characteristics of the present disclosure can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the present disclosure may be practiced without one or more of the specific features or advantages of a particular embodiment. In other cases, additional features and advantages may be recognized in certain embodiments that may not be present in all embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0116] As used herein, the term "communications network" refers to a network conforming to any suitable communications standard, such as New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), etc. Furthermore, communications between terminal devices and network nodes within the communications network may be performed in accordance with any suitable generation communications protocol, including, but not limited to, first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), 4G, 4.5G, 5G communications protocols, and / or any other protocols now known or to be developed in the future.

[0117] The term "network node" refers to a network device in a communication network through which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services from it. The network node may be a base station (BS), an access point (AP), a multi-cell / multicast coordination entity (MCE), or a controller A base station may refer to, for example, a Node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), a next generation Node B (gNodeB or gNB), a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio header (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a relay, a low power node such as a femto, a pico, etc.

[0118] Further embodiments of the present network node include multi-standard radio (MSR) radio equipment such as an MSR BS, a network controller such as a radio network controller (RNC) or base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a transmission point, a transmitting node, a positioning node, etc. However, more generally, a network node may represent any suitable device (or group of devices) configured, arranged, and / or operable to enable and / or provide terminal device access to a wireless communication network or to provide some service to terminal devices that have accessed the wireless communication network.

[0119] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device capable of accessing and receiving services from a communications network. By way of example and not limitation, a terminal device may refer to a mobile terminal, a user equipment (UE), or other suitable device. A UE may be, for example, a subscriber station, a portable subscriber station, a mobile station (MS), or an access terminal (AT). Terminal devices may include portable computers, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback equipment, mobile telephones, move This may include, but is not limited to, phones, smartphones, tablets, wearable devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), vehicles, etc.

[0120] As yet another specific example, in an Internet of Things (IoT) scenario, a terminal device, also referred to as an IoT device, may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring, sensing, and / or measurement, etc., and transmits results of such monitoring, sensing, and / or measurement, etc. to another terminal device and / or network equipment. The terminal device, in this case, may be a machine-to-machine (M2M) device, which in a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP®) context may be referred to as a machine-type communication (MTC) device.

[0121] As one particular example, the terminal device may be a UE implementing the 3GPP® Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) standard. Specific examples of such machines or devices are sensors, metering devices such as power meters, industrial machinery, or home or personal appliances, e.g., refrigerators, televisions, clocks, and other personal wearables. In other scenarios, the terminal device may represent a vehicle or other equipment, e.g., a medical device, that can monitor, sense, and / or report its operational status or other functions related to its operation.

[0122] As used herein, the terms "first," "second," etc. refer to different elements. The singular forms "a" and "an" are intended to include the plural unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The terms "comprises," "comprising," "has," "having," "includes," and / or "including," as used herein, identify the presence of stated features, elements, and / or components, etc., but not one or more others. The term "based on" should be read as "based at least in part on." The terms "one embodiment" and "embodiment" should be read as "at least one embodiment." The term "another embodiment" should be read as "at least one other embodiment." Other definitions, both explicit and implied, may be included below.

[0123] Wireless communication networks are widely deployed to provide various telecommunication services, such as voice, video, data, messaging, and broadcasting. To meet the dramatic increase in network requirements for traffic capacity and data rates, one interesting option for communication technology development is to enable D2D communication to be implemented in wireless communication networks, such as 4G / LTE or 5G / NR networks. As used herein, D2D may be referred to in a broader sense to include communication between any type of UE and may include V2X communication between vehicular UEs and any other type of UE. D2D and / or V2X may be components of many existing wireless technologies when it comes to direct communication between wireless devices. D2D and / or V2X communication as an underlay to a cellular network may be proposed as an approach to take advantage of device proximity.

[0124] NR SL communication is specified by 3GPP in Rel-16. NR SL is an evolution of LTE SL, and in particular of the features introduced in Rel-14 and Rel-15 for V2X communication. Some of the most relevant features of NR SL are: ● Support for unicast and groupcast transmissions in addition to the broadcast transmissions already supported in LTE. ● Support for Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) feedback over SL for unicast and groupcast. This feedback is conveyed by the receiving UE to the transmitting UE using the Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel (PSFCH). This feature is new in NR compared to LTE. ● To mitigate resource collisions between different sidelink transmissions initiated by different UEs, it enhances the channel sensing and resource selection procedures, which in turn leads to a new design of the physical channel carrying the sidelink control information (SCI). The new design of the SCI simplifies coexistence between different standard releases by grouping together all information related to resource allocation (which is important for coexistence) in a single channel using a robust and predefined format. Other control information is carried by other means in a more flexible way. ● Grant-free transmission, which is supported in NR uplink transmission, is also provided in NR sidelink transmission to improve latency performance. ● To achieve high connection density, congestion control and therefore QoS management is supported in NR sidelink transmissions.

[0125] In the NR sidelink, the following physical layer (PHY) channels are defined: ● PSCCH (Physical Sidelink Common Control Channel): This channel carries the SCI, which contains a portion of the Scheduling Assignment (SA), that allows the receiver to further process and decode the corresponding PSSCH (e.g., Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS) pattern and antenna ports, Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS), etc.). The PSCCH also indicates future reserved resources, which allows the receiver (RX) to sense and predict future channel utilization. This sensing information is used for UE autonomous resource allocation (MAS) as described below. ode 2). ● PSSCH (Physical Sidelink Shared Channel): The PSSCH is transmitted by the sidelink transmitter UE, carrying part of the sidelink transmission data (i.e., the SL Shared Channel SL-SCH) and the SCI. Furthermore, higher layer control information may be carried using the PSSCH (e.g., Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE), RRC signaling, etc.). For example, Channel State Information (CSI) is carried in the MAC CE via the PSSCH instead of the PSFCH. ● PSFCH (Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel): The PSFCH is transmitted by the sidelink receiver UE for unicast and groupcast. It carries SL HARQ acknowledgments, which may consist of ACK / NACK (used for unicast and groupcast option 2) or NACK-only (used for groupcast option 1). ● PSBCH (Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel): The PSBCH carries synchronization information such as the Direct Frame Number (DFN), an indication of time resources at slot and symbol level for sidelink transmission, and an in-coverage indicator. The synchronization signal block (SSB) is transmitted periodically every 160 ms. The PSBCH is transmitted together with the sidelink primary synchronization signal / sidelink secondary synchronization signal (S-PSS / S-SSS) as the sidelink synchronization signal block (S-SSB). o Sidelink Primary / Secondary Synchronization Signals (S-PSS / S-SSS) are used by UEs to establish a common timing reference between them in the absence of another reference, such as Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) time for network (NW) time.

[0126] Along with different physical channels, reference signals (RS) are transmitted for different purposes, including demodulation RS (DM-RS), phase tracking RS (PT-RS), or RS for channel state information acquisition (CSI-RS).

[0127] Another new feature is the two-stage SCI. The first part of the SCI (first stage) is transmitted on the PSCCH. This part is used for channel sensing purposes (including reserved time-frequency resources for transmission, demodulation reference signal (DMRS) pattern, and antenna ports, etc.), and the remaining part of the SCI (second stage) carries the remaining scheduling and control information, such as an 8-bit source identification (ID) and a 16-bit destination ID, a new data indicator (NDI), a redundancy version (RV), and a HARQ process ID, which can be read by all UEs. R and is sent on the PSSCH to be decoded by the receiver UE.

[0128] According to an example embodiment, the NR sidelink can support two resource allocation modes: ● Mode 1: Sidelink resources are scheduled by the gNB. ● Mode 2: The UE autonomously selects sidelink resources from a (pre-)configured sidelink resource pool. A procedure based on channel sensing and resource reservation is used to avoid collisions between UEs.

[0129] In-coverage UEs may be configured by the gNB to use Mode 1 or Mode 2. For out-of-coverage UEs, only Mode 2 may be used.

[0130] Similar to LTE, scheduling on the sidelink in NR is done differently for Mode 1 and Mode 2. In Mode 1, grants are provided by the gNB. Two types of grants are supported: ● Dynamic grants are given for one or more transmissions of a single packet (i.e., transport block). When traffic to be transmitted over the sidelink arrives at the transmitter UE (i.e., in the corresponding TX buffer), the UE initiates a four-message exchange procedure to request sidelink resources from the gNB on the UL (Scheduling Request (SR), Grant, Buffer Status Report (BSR) on the UL, and Grant for data on the SL transmitted to the UE). The gNB indicates the resource allocation for the PSCCH and PSSCH in downlink control information (DCI) conveyed by the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) with a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) scrambled with the corresponding UE's sidelink radio network temporary identity (SL-RNTI). A UE receiving such DCI assumes that an SL dynamic grant has been given only if it detects that the DCI CRC is scrambled with that SL-RNTI. The transmitter UE then indicates the allocated PSSCH time-frequency resources and transmission scheme in the PSCCH and launches the PSCCH and PSSCH on the allocated resources for sidelink transmission. When a grant is obtained from a gNB, the transmitter UE can transmit only a single transport block (TB). As a result, this type of grant is suitable for traffic with moderate latency requirements. ● Configured grant: For traffic with strict delay requirements, performing a four-message exchange procedure to request sidelink resources may induce unacceptable delays. In this case, before the traffic arrives, the transmitter UE may perform a four-message exchange procedure to request a set of resources. If a grant is available from the gNB, the requested resources are reserved periodically. Once the traffic arrives at the transmitter UE, the UE can activate PSCCH and PSSCH at the next resource opportunity. This type of grant is also known as grant-free transmission.

[0131] Note that only the transmitter UE is scheduled by the gNB. The receiver UE does not receive information directly from the gNB. Instead, it is scheduled by the transmitter UE through the SCI. Therefore, the receiver UE may need to perform blind decoding to identify the presence of a PSCCH and find resources for the PSSCH via the SCI.

[0132] In Mode 2 resource allocation, grants are generated by the UE itself. When traffic arrives at the transmitter UE (i.e., in the corresponding TX buffer), the transmitter autonomously selects resources for the PSCCH and PSSCH. To further increase the probability of successful TB decoding in one shot and thus reduce the probability of performing retransmissions, the transmitter UE can repeatedly transmit the TB transmission along with the initial TB transmission. These retransmissions may be triggered by the corresponding SL HARQ feedback or may be transmitted blindly by the transmitter UE. In either case, to minimize the probability of collisions causing potential retransmissions, the transmitter UE may further reserve corresponding resources for the PSCCH / PSSCH for retransmissions. That is, the transmitter UE selects resources for: 1) PSCCH / PSSCH corresponding to the first (initial) transmission. 2) PSCCH / PSCCH corresponding to retransmission. Resources for up to two retransmissions may be reserved. These reserved resources may always be used in case of blind retransmission. If SL HARQ feedback is used, the use of reserved resources may be conditional on a negative SL HARQ acknowledgment.

[0133] Since each transmitter UE in a sidelink transmission may need to autonomously select resources for its own transmission, preventing different transmitter UEs from selecting the same resources proves to be a significant issue in Mode 2. Therefore, specific resource selection procedureis imposed on Mode 2 based on channel sensing. The channel sensing algorithm involves detecting reservations sent by other UEs and performing power measurements (i.e., Reference Signal Received Power or RSRP) on the incoming transmitted signal.

[0134] As specified in clause 5.9 of 3GPP® Technical Specification (TS) 38.321 V16.6.0, when a MAC entity is configured with one or more SCells, the network can activate and deactivate the configured SCells. When an SCell is configured, it is deactivated unless a parameter called sCellState is set by higher layers to be activated for the SCell.

[0135] According to an example embodiment, a configured SCell is activated or deactivated by: ● Receipt of an SCell activation / deactivation MAC CE, for example as described in clause 6.1.3.10 of 3GPP TS 38.321 V16.6.0. ● Configuring a timer called sCellDeactivationTimer for each configured SCell (except for SCells configured with a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH)): the associated SCell will become deactivated when the timer expires. ● Configuring sCellState for each configured SCell: If this is configured, the associated SCell is activated upon SCell configuration.

[0136] According to an example embodiment, for each configured SCell, the MAC entity may perform the following operations: 1> The SCell is configured with sCellState set to be activated at SCell configuration time. hand Or, When activating SCell,When a MAC CE is received to activate / deactivate a SCell 。 2> If the SCell was deactivated before receiving this SCell activation / deactivation MAC CE, or 2> If the SCell is configured with sCellState set to active at the time of SCell configuration, 3> If firstActiveDownlinkBWP-Id is not set to Dormant Bandwidth Portion (BWP), 4> Activate the SCell according to the timing for MAC CE activation and according to the timing for direct SCell activation, i.e. apply normal SCell operations including the following processes: 5> Transmit a sounding reference signal (SRS) on the SCell. 5> CSI reporting on SCell. 5> PDCCH monitoring on SCell. 5> PDCCH monitoring for SCell. 5> Structure If configured, PUCCH transmission on the SCell. 3> Otherwise, ( That is, the firstActiveDownlinkBWP-Id is set to the dormant BWP. ) 4> If the bwp-InactivityTimer of this serving cell is running, stop it. 3> Activate the downlink (DL) BWP and uplink (UL) BWP indicated by firstActiveDownlinkBWP-Id and firstActiveUplinkBWP-Id respectively. 2> Start or restart the sCellDeactivationTimer associated with the SCell according to the MAC CE activation timing and direct SCell activation timing. 2> If the active DL BWP is not a dormant BWP, 3> (Re)initialize any suspended configured uplink grants of configured grant type 1 associated to this SCell according to the stored configuration if any, starting at that symbol according to the rules of clause 5.8.2 of 3GPP TS 38.321 V16.6.0. 3> Trigger (start) Power Headroom (PHR) according to 3GPP TS 38.321 V16.6.0 clause 5.4.6. 1> Otherwise, a SCell activation / deactivation MAC CE is received and deactivates the SCell 1> If the sCellDeactivationTimer associated with an activated SCell expires, 2> Deactivate the SCell at that timing. 2> Stop the sCellDeactivationTimer associated with the SCell. 2> Stop the bwp-InactivityTimer associated with the SCell. 2> Deactivate the active BWP associated with the SCell. 2> Clear any configured downlink allocation and any configured uplink grant type 2 respectively associated with the SCell. 2> Clear any Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) resources for semi-persistent CSI reporting associated with the SCell. 2> Suspend the configured uplink grant type 1 associated with the SCell. 2> Flush all HARQ buffers associated with the SCell. 2> SCell consistent Listen Before Talk (LBT) Cancel if failure occurs. 1> If the PDCCH on an activated SCell indicates an uplink grant or a downlink allocation, or 1> If the PDCCH on the serving cell that schedules the activated SCell indicates an uplink grant or a downlink allocation for the activated SCell, or 1> A MAC PDU is sent with a configured uplink grant but no LBT failure indication has been received from the lower layer, or 1> If a MAC PDU is received in the configured downlink allocation, 2> Restart the sCellDeactivationTimer associated with the SCell. 1> If SCell is inactive: 2> Do not transmit SRS on the SCell. 2> Do not report CSI for SCells. 2> No transmission on UL-SCH on SCell. 2> Do not transmit on the random access channel (RACH) on the SCell. 2> Do not monitor the PDCCH on the SCell. 2> Do not monitor the PDCCH of the SCell. 2> Do not transmit PUCCH on the SCell.

[0137] According to an example embodiment, HARQ feedback for a MAC PDU containing an SCell activation / deactivation MAC CE may not be affected by PCell, Primary Secondary Cell (PSCell), and PUCCH SCell interruptions due to SCell activation / deactivation.

[0138] In 3GPP, CA has been proposed for the sidelink (SL) topic in Rel-18 and will most likely be agreed upon by 3GPP as a Rel-18 topic. For CA in Uu, the SCell may be activated or deactivated via different signaling alternatives. This may be used to activate or deactivate data transmission on the SCell for a UE while the UE is using CA. For similar reasons, it may also be necessary to introduce an activation / deactivation mechanism for SL UEs in CA. In Uu, the gNB can send signaling to activate or deactivate the SCell for the UE using RRC signaling or MAC CE. Such signaling alternatives may not be directly reused for SL UEs in CA, for example, for the following reasons: ● SL Radio Bearers (RBs) have directionality, which is different from the directionality of Uu RBs. In this case, for a UE pair such as UE1 and UE2, for a certain service, the UE pair may need to set up two SL RBs, for example, SL RB1 and SL RB2, where SL RB1 is for the transmission direction from UE1 to UE2, and SL RB2 is for the transmission direction from UE2 to UE1. Therefore, UE1 and UE2 are equally configured. UE1 or UE2 can usually control only one direction, but not the reverse direction. ● Outside network coverage a In the case of an SL UE pair, the gNB may not be able to control the link of the SL UE pair.

[0139] Therefore, for SL CA, it may be desirable to design mechanisms for activation and deactivation of SL carriers.

[0140] Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure propose a solution for enabling a gNB or an SL UE to activate or deactivate an SL carrier when using CA. According to an exemplary embodiment, for a UE configured for SL CA, the gNB can determine when to activate or deactivate the SL carrier when the UE connects to the gNB. According to another exemplary embodiment, for one or more UEs that are out of network coverage and configured for SL CA, at least one of these UEs may determine when to activate or deactivate the SL carrier. According to one embodiment, SL UEs can exchange SL carrier status information, based on which the UE can determine when to activate or deactivate the SL carrier. According to another embodiment, a timer may be defined for each SL carrier for the UE in the case of CA. The UE can operate the timer according to different requirements, e.g., start, restart, or stop the timer. The timer operation may be associated with the activation and deactivation of the corresponding SL carrier.

[0141] By applying the proposed solution, many advantages can be achieved. For example, it may be feasible for an SL UE to activate or deactivate certain SL carriers among all configured SL carriers. Furthermore, the SL UE can achieve power saving and Q of service. It may be possible to achieve a good balance between OS satisfaction.

[0142] Although some example embodiments are described in the context of an NR random access technology (RAT), it should be appreciated that the various embodiments described in this disclosure may be generally applicable to any type of communication scenario involving D2D communication. For example, the various embodiments described in this disclosure may also be applicable to the LTE RAT and any other RAT that enables direct communication between two (or more) nearby devices without loss of meaning.

[0143] Various embodiments described in this disclosure may be applicable to activating and / or deactivating SL carriers in the case of CA for one or more SL UEs with SL transmission types including unicast, groupcast, and broadcast. It may be understood that the connection between UEs is not limited to sidelink. Any short-range communication technology, such as Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), may be applicable as well.

[0144] An SL UE configured with SL CA means that the UE may be configured with multiple SL carriers for its SL transmission or reception. The UE can therefore aggregate these SL carriers together for its SL transmission or reception. The UE may be able to perform transmission or reception according to at least one of the following modes: ● The UE may use only one of the SL carriers to perform SL transmission or reception. ● The UE may simultaneously use more than one of the configured SL carriers to perform SL transmission or reception. A transmission or reception on an SL carrier may fully or partially overlap in the time domain with another transmission or reception on another SL carrier.

[0145] According to an example embodiment, for one or more SL UEs configured with SL CA, if at least one of the UEs has network coverage, e.g., a direct connection to the gNB, the gNB may send signaling to the UE to activate or deactivate a particular SL carrier. According to an embodiment, the gNB may send signaling to the UE via at least one of the following signaling alternatives: ● System information. ● Dedicated RRC signaling. ● MAC CE. and ● Physicals such as DCI layer (L1) Signaling.

[0146] According to an example embodiment, the signaling sent from the gNB to the UE may carry at least one of the following information: ● Identifiers (e.g., indices) of one or more SL carriers that may need to be activated or deactivated. - Indicators of one or more SL carriers, each indicator may indicate whether the associated SL carrier needs to be activated or deactivated. ● One or more destination IDs associated with the SL carrier. One or more conditions under which the SL carrier may need to be activated or deactivated. For example, the one or more conditions may include: a threshold indicating the minimum period of time during which there can be no SL transmission or reception on a carrier, such that this carrier may be deactivated; and / or, according to one embodiment, one separate threshold per SL carrier; and / or □ Buffer threshold at which the UE may need to activate an SL carrier to cope with larger data volumes.

[0147] According to an example embodiment, a bitmap field including a plurality of bits may be defined in the signaling transmitted from the gNB to the UE. Each bit may represent a particular SL carrier. According to one embodiment, a bit having a value of "1" may indicate that the associated SL carrier should be activated, and a bit having a value of "0" may indicate that the associated SL carrier should be deactivated.

[0148] According to example embodiments, different information content transmitted from the gNB to the UE may be carried by different signaling alternatives, in which case some of the information (e.g., bitmaps, etc.) may be carried in one type of signaling (e.g., MAC CE or DCI, etc.) and other pieces of information (e.g., one or more states, etc.) may be carried in another type of signaling (e.g., system information or dedicated RRC signaling, etc.).

[0149] According to an example embodiment, upon receiving signaling from the gNB, the UE may perform at least one of the following actions: ● Action 1: If the signaling indicates that the SL carrier is activated, the UE may activate the SL carrier as follows: Activating the SL carrier according to a timing that may be determined according to received signaling. o Applying one or more normal SL carrier actions, including, for example, at least one of the following actions: ■ SL carrier CSI requirements. ■ CSI report of SL carriers. ■ SCI monitoring on SL carriers. ■ Sensing on SL carriers if the UE adopts Mode 2 resource allocation. ■ PSSCH reception. ■ PSFCH monitoring on SL carriers. ■ PSSCH transmission on SL carrier if triggered. ■ If triggered, PSCCH transmission on SL carrier. ■ If triggered, PSFCH transmission on SL carrier. ● Action 2: If the signaling indicates that the SL carrier is deactivated, the UE may deactivate the SL carrier as follows. Deactivate the SL carrier according to timing that may be determined by the UE according to received signaling. o Deactivate any active BWPs associated with the SL carrier. o Clear any configured SL grant type 2 associated with the SL carrier. o Suspend any configured SL grant type 1 associated with the SL carrier. o Complete a Mode 2 SL grant associated with the SL carrier. o If the UE adopts Mode 2 resource allocation, it stops sensing on the SL carrier. o Flushes (clears) all HARQ buffers associated with the SL carrier. o Stop sending / receiving SL on the SL carrier. Action 3: Based on which condition(s) the SL carrier may need to be activated or deactivated. thing If the signaling indicates that the SL carrier needs to be activated or deactivated, the UE may determine whether the SL carrier needs to be activated or deactivated based on the condition(s), and then perform the operation(s) described in operation 1 or operation 2 accordingly.

[0150] According to an example embodiment, for one or more SL UEs configured with SL CA, in the case where at least one of the UEs has network coverage, i.e., a direct connection to the gNB, the gNB may send signaling to the UE to activate or deactivate a particular SL carrier. Upon receiving the signaling, the UE may further send signaling to one or more other SL UEs configured with the same SL carrier to inform them of the SL carrier activation or deactivation via at least one of the following signaling alternatives: ● PC5-S signaling. ● PC5-RRC signaling. ● MAC CE. and ● L1 signaling on physical channels such as PSSCH, PSCCH, and PSFCH.

[0151] According to an example embodiment, the signaling sent from the UE to one or more other SL UEs may convey at least one of the following information: ● Identifiers (e.g., indices) of one or more SL carriers that may need to be activated or deactivated. - Indicators for one or more SL carriers. Each indicator may indicate whether the associated SL carrier needs to be activated or deactivated.

[0152] According to an example embodiment, a bitmap field including a plurality of bits may be defined in signaling transmitted from a UE to one or more other SL UEs. Each bit may represent a particular SL carrier. According to one embodiment, a bit having a value of "1" may indicate that the associated SL carrier should be activated, and a bit having a value of "0" may indicate that the associated SL carrier should be deactivated.

[0153] According to an example embodiment, the UE may transmit signaling to one or more other SL UEs in the currently activated SL carrier. According to one embodiment, the UE may transmit signaling only to associated destinations that may be indicated in the signaling received from the gNB.

[0154] According to an example embodiment, upon receiving signaling from a gNB indicating activation or deactivation of an SL carrier, the UE may first send signaling to one or more other SL UEs configured with the same SL carrier to notify them of the activation or deactivation of the SL carrier. If the UE then receives an acknowledgment from at least one of the one or more other SL UEs indicating that the at least one UE received the signaling indicating activation or deactivation of the SL carrier, the UE may perform one or more operations, such as those described in operation 1 or operation 2, to activate or deactivate the SL carrier. Alternatively or additionally, if the UE receives a response message from at least one of the one or more other SL UEs indicating acceptance of the activation or deactivation of the SL carrier, the UE may perform one or more operations to activate or deactivate the SL carrier.

[0155] According to an exemplary embodiment, upon receiving signaling from a gNB indicating activation or deactivation of an SL carrier, the UE may perform one or more operations, such as those described in operation 1 or operation 2, to activate or deactivate the SL carrier without sending further signaling to one or more other SL UEs configured with the same SL carrier informing them of the activation or deactivation of the SL carrier.

[0156] According to an example embodiment, when the UE is out of network coverage, the UE may decide to activate or deactivate the SL carrier by itself. In this case, the UE may generate signaling by itself and send the signaling to one or more other SL UEs (e.g., peer UEs) configured with the same SL carrier to notify them of the activation or deactivation of the SL carrier. According to one embodiment, at least one peer UE may provide the UE with a response message indicating acceptance or rejection of the UE's decision to activate or deactivate the SL carrier. In this case, the UE may perform further operations to activate or deactivate the SL carrier only when the UE receives a response message from at least one peer UE indicating acceptance of the UE's decision to activate or deactivate the SL carrier. Alternatively or additionally, the UE may perform one or more operations to activate or deactivate the SL carrier if the UE receives an acknowledgment from at least one peer UE indicating that the at least one peer UE has received signaling indicating activation or deactivation of the SL carrier.

[0157] According to an example embodiment, for one or more SL UEs configured with SL CA, in the case where at least one of the UEs has network coverage, i.e., has a direct connection to the gNB, the gNB may send signaling to the UE to activate or deactivate a particular SL carrier. Upon receiving the signaling, the UE may further send signaling to one or more other SL UEs configured with the same SL carrier to notify them of the SL carrier activation or deactivation. Upon receiving the signaling, the one or more other UEs may perform an operation such as described in operation 1 or operation 2 to activate or deactivate the SL carrier. For example, upon receiving signaling from the UE indicating the activation or deactivation of an SL carrier, the UE's peer UE may further perform one or more operations such as described in operation 1 or operation 2 to activate or deactivate the same SL carrier. In this case, the UE can only activate or deactivate the SL carrier for the UE-to-peer UE direction, and the peer UE can activate or deactivate the SL carrier for the peer-to-UE direction. In other words, the UE may be able to activate or deactivate the SL carrier for a particular direction.

[0158] According to an example embodiment, for a UE configured with SL CA, if the UE receives signaling from one of its peer UEs for activation or deactivation of a particular SL carrier, the UE may forward the signaling to the gNB if the UE has a connection to the gNB. The gNB may provide further signaling to the UE indicating acceptance or rejection for activation or deactivation of the SL carrier. After receiving the signaling from the gNB, the UE may further forward the signaling to its peer UE.

[0159] According to an example embodiment, a UE configured with SL CA may provide information on the SL carrier to its peer UEs, including at least one of the following information: - Buffer status reports, including for example buffer size and / or priority indications. Optionally, the UE can report buffer status reports for all services. o Another option is for the UE to report buffer status reports for services mapped to that SL carrier. o Buffer status reports may include the status of the current data and / or the status of future data expected to arrive. ● The resource state of the SL carrier, including one or more of the following: o Percentage of resources occupied / consumed by the UE. ○ Percentage of available resources. • Radio channel quality measured by the UE in terms of metrics such as RSRP, Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ), Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI), Signal-to-Interference and Noise Ratio (SINR), and Signal-to-Interference Ratio (SIR). ● Measurements by the UE regarding channel occupancy, channel busy ratio (CBR) or other metrics such as channel utilization (CR). ● Other information such as power saving preferences.

[0160] According to an example embodiment, upon receiving information about the SL carrier from the UE, the UE's peer UE may consider the information to determine whether to activate or deactivate the SL carrier, and the UE's peer UE may further respond to the UE with the determination result.

[0161] According to an example embodiment, a UE may provide information about SL carriers to one or more of its peer UEs via at least one of the following manners: ● Regularly. ● Triggered by an event difference It was. ● When a request message is received from a peer UE 。 ● Upon receiving signaling from the gNB.

[0162] According to an example embodiment, the UE and / or its peer UEs may further report / forward information about the SL carrier to their gNBs, respectively, so that the gNBs may take the information into account to decide whether to activate or deactivate the SL carrier.

[0163] According to an example embodiment, for a UE configured with SL CA, a timer may be defined per SL carrier to monitor the UE's activity on the SL carrier. According to an embodiment, for each configured SL carrier, the UE may start a timer upon activation of the SL carrier and / or the timer may be restarted when any one of the following conditions is met: ● The UE receives DCI signaling on the PDCCH in the serving cell indicating one or more SL grants for the SL carriers. ● MAC PDUs are transmitted by the UE on the SL carrier in the configured SL grant. ● The SCI is transmitted on the SL carrier after the UE obtains an SL grant using Mode 2 resource allocation. ● SCI indicating an incoming received signal from another UE is received by the UE from the SL carrier.

[0164] According to another example embodiment, the timer may be restarted when any one of the following conditions is met: ● The SCI is transmitted on the SL carrier after the UE obtains an SL grant using either Mode 1 or Mode 2 resource allocation. ● SCI is received by the UE from the SL carrier indicating an incoming received signal from another UE.

[0165] According to an exemplary embodiment, when the timer defined for the SL carrier expires, the UE of Alternatively or additionally, a timer defined for the SL carrier may be used to determine whether the UE is in a SL carrier. of It may be stopped when deactivation begins.

[0166] According to an exemplary embodiment, SL carrier activation / deactivation may be performed separately for transmission and reception by the UE, i.e., the SL carrier may be activated only by the UE for transmission, reception, or both, and the signaling / parameters / procedures for activating or deactivating the SL carrier as described above may be defined / executed separately for transmission and reception of the SL carrier, respectively.

[0167] According to an example embodiment, for SL CA, if only one gNB is involved in the procedure for determining whether to activate or deactivate an SL carrier for SL UEs configured with the same set of SL carriers, that gNB can decide when to activate or deactivate the SL carrier. If there may be multiple gNBs involved in the procedure for determining whether to activate or deactivate an SL carrier, these gNBs may need to exchange information or signaling via an inter-gNB interface. During the procedure, there may be one gNB selected to make the final decision for SL carrier activation or deactivation. Alternatively or additionally, the gNB serving the UE may only decide whether to activate or deactivate an SL carrier for SL transmission, while the gNB serving the UE's peer UE may accept or reject the decision for SL carrier activation or deactivation. If this decision is acceptable, the peer UE may activate the associated SL carrier, at least for SL reception. If there is no gNB involved in the procedure to decide whether to activate or deactivate the SL carrier, i.e., if all UEs are out of network coverage, there may be one UE selected to make the final decision when to activate or deactivate the SL carrier.

[0168] It should be noted that some embodiments of the present disclosure are primarily described in conjunction with 4G / LTE or 5G / NR specifications, used as non-limiting examples for specific exemplary network configurations and system deployments. Accordingly, the descriptions of exemplary embodiments provided herein specifically refer to terminology directly related thereto. Such terminology is used solely in the context of the presented non-limiting examples and embodiments and does not necessarily limit the present disclosure in any way. Rather, any other system configuration or radio technology may equally be utilized, so long as the exemplary embodiments described herein are applicable.

[0169] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method 100 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 may be performed by a UE or an apparatus communicatively coupled to the UE. According to an example embodiment, the UE may be configured to support D2D communication (e.g., V2X or SL communication, etc.) with other devices. According to an example embodiment, the UE may be configured to communicate with a network node (e.g., a base station such as a gNB) directly or via a relay UE.

[0170] 1 , a UE may receive, from a base station, a first indication to activate or deactivate an SL carrier configured for the UE, as shown in block 102. According to the first indication, the UE may decide whether to activate or deactivate the SL carrier, as shown in block 104.

[0171] According to an example embodiment, the first indication may include one or more of the following information: ● SL carrier identifier. ● Indicator that the SL carrier needs to be activated or deactivated. ● One or more destination identifiers associated with the SL carrier. One or more factors, where an SL carrier may need to be activated or deactivated when one or more factors are met.

[0172] According to an example embodiment, the one or more factors may include one or more of the following: • A time threshold indicating the period during which the SL carrier may need to be deactivated. • A buffer threshold above which the SL carrier may need to be activated. ● When to activate the SL carrier; and ●Timing for deactivating the SL carrier.

[0173] According to an example embodiment, the indicator that the SL carrier needs to be activated or deactivated may be a bit associated with the SL carrier in a bitmap.

[0174] According to an example embodiment, the UE may determine whether to activate or deactivate a SL carrier based at least in part on one or more factors.

[0175] According to an example embodiment, when the UE determines to activate the SL carrier, the UE may activate the SL carrier according to the first indication. According to another example embodiment, when the UE determines to deactivate the SL carrier, the UE may deactivate the SL carrier according to the first indication.

[0176] According to an example embodiment, deactivation of the SL carrier may include one or more of the following: ● Clear any Mode 2 SL grants related to the SL carrier. ● Cessation of sensing on SL carriers when UE adopts Mode 2 resource allocation. ● Stop sending SL on SL carriers. ● Stop receiving SL on the SL carrier.

[0177] It should be appreciated that deactivating an SL carrier may further include any other suitable operation for deactivating the SL carrier, such as deactivating any active BWPs associated with the SL carrier, clearing any configured SL grant type 2 associated with the SL carrier, suspending any configured SL grant type 1 associated with the SL carrier, flushing all HARQ buffers associated with the SL carrier, etc.

[0178] According to an example embodiment, the SL carrier may be activated or deactivated according to timing information that may be determined based at least in part on the first indication.

[0179] According to an example embodiment, the UE may transmit a second indication to activate or deactivate the SL carrier to one or more other UEs configured with the SL carrier, as shown in block 106. According to an embodiment, the second indication may include an identifier of the SL carrier and / or an indicator that the SL carrier needs to be activated or deactivated, or the like.

[0180] According to an example embodiment, one or more other UEs may be associated with the SL carrier and associated with one or more destination identifiers indicated by the first indication.

[0181] According to an example embodiment, the UE may receive an acknowledgment from at least one of the one or more other UEs indicating that the second indication was received by at least one of the one or more other UEs. Alternatively or additionally, the UE may receive a message from at least one of the one or more other UEs indicating that at least one of the one or more other UEs accepts or rejects the activation or deactivation of the SL carrier.

[0182] According to an example embodiment, the activation or deactivation of the SL carrier may be performed by the UE upon receiving an acknowledgment from at least one of the one or more other UEs indicating that the second indication has been received by at least one of the one or more other UEs. Alternatively or additionally, the activation or deactivation of the SL carrier may be performed by the UE upon receiving a message from at least one of the one or more other UEs indicating that at least one of the one or more other UEs accepts the activation or deactivation of the SL carrier.

[0183] According to an example embodiment, the activation or deactivation of the SL carrier described with respect to FIG. 1 may be applicable in the direction from the UE to the UE's peer UE.

[0184] According to an example embodiment, the UE may transmit information about the SL carrier to the UE's base station and / or peer UEs. According to an embodiment, the information about the SL carrier may be used by the base station and / or peer UEs of the UE to determine whether to activate or deactivate the SL carrier.

[0185] According to an example embodiment, the transmission of information about the SL carrier may be performed by the UE in one or more of the following ways: ● Regularly. ● Triggered by an event difference To be able to do so. ● When a request is received from the UE's peer UE. ● When signaling is received from the base station.

[0186] According to an example embodiment, information regarding the SL carrier may include one or more of the following: ● Buffer status report for all services or one or more services mapped to the SL carrier. ● Current data buffer status report. ● Buffer status report of future data expected to arrive. ● SL carrier resource status. ● Channel measurement information, and ● Preferences regarding power conservation.

[0187] According to an example embodiment, the UE may receive information about the SL carrier from its peer UEs. According to one embodiment, the information about the SL carrier may be used by the UE to determine whether to activate or deactivate the SL carrier.

[0188] According to an example embodiment, when the UE configures a timer for the SL carrier, the UE may perform one or more of the following actions: ● Timer starts when SL carrier is activated. ● Restarting a timer in response to one or more events. Initiating the deactivation of the SL carrier when the timer expires; and ● UE is SL carrier of Stop the timer when you start deactivating.

[0189] According to an example embodiment, the one or more events may include one or more of the following: ● Reception of DCI by the UE indicating one or more SL grants for the SL carrier(s). ● The UE has transmitted a MAC PDU on the SL carrier in the configured SL grant. ● The UE has transmitted an SCI on the SL carrier after obtaining an SL grant. - Receiving an SCI on the SL carrier by the UE, indicating a received signal coming from the UE's peer UE.

[0190] According to an example embodiment, the activation or deactivation of an SL carrier described with respect to FIG. 1 may be applicable to transmission on an SL carrier, or to reception on an SL carrier, or both.

[0191] 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method 200 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 200 illustrated in FIG. 2 may be performed by a base station (e.g., a gNB, an AP, etc.) or an apparatus communicatively coupled to the base station. According to an example embodiment, the base station may be configured to support cellular coverage extension using D2D communication (e.g., V2X or SL communication, etc.). According to an example embodiment, the base station may be configured to communicate with a terminal device, such as a UE, for example, directly or via a relay UE.

[0192] According to the example method 200 shown in Figure 2, a base station may determine a first indication to activate or deactivate a SL carrier configured for a UE (e.g., a UE as described with respect to Figure 1), as shown in block 202. According to an example embodiment, the base station may transmit the first indication to the UE, as shown in block 204. According to an embodiment, the UE may be capable of transmitting a second indication to activate or deactivate the SL carrier (e.g., the second indication described with respect to Figure 1) to one or more other UEs configured with an SL carrier.

[0193] According to an example embodiment, the first indication transmitted by the base station according to method 200 may correspond to the first indication received by the UE according to method 100. Thus, the first indications described with respect to Figures 1 and 2 may include the same or similar content and / or features.

[0194] According to an example embodiment, the base station may receive notification from the UE's peer UE that the SL carrier is to be activated or deactivated. According to one embodiment, the base station may send an instruction to the UE's peer UE to accept or reject the activation or deactivation of the SL carrier.

[0195] According to an example embodiment, a peer UE of the UE may be associated with the SL carrier and associated with the destination identifier indicated by the first indication.

[0196] According to an example embodiment, the base station can receive information about the SL carrier from the UE, which, according to one embodiment, can be used by the base station to determine whether to activate or deactivate the SL carrier.

[0197] According to an example embodiment, the information about the SL carrier received by the base station according to method 200 may correspond to the information about the SL carrier transmitted by the UE according to method 100. Thus, the information about the SL carrier described with respect to Figures 1 and 2 may include the same or similar content and / or features.

[0198] According to an exemplary embodiment, a base station may exchange information with one or more other base stations to determine whether to activate or deactivate a SL carrier.

[0199] 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method 300 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 300 illustrated in FIG. 3 may be performed by a UE or an apparatus communicatively coupled to the UE. According to an example embodiment, the UE may be configured to support D2D communication (e.g., V2X or SL communication, etc.) with other devices. According to an example embodiment, the UE may be configured to communicate with a network node (e.g., a base station such as a gNB) directly or via a relay UE.

[0200] 3, the UE may determine whether to activate or deactivate a SL carrier configured for the UE, as shown in block 302. According to an example embodiment, the UE may perform one or more actions according to the result of the determination, as shown in block 304.

[0201] According to an example embodiment, the decision of whether to activate or deactivate the SL carrier may be made by the UE itself without receiving a first indication to activate or deactivate the SL carrier from the base station (e.g., the first indication described with respect to Figures 1 and 2).

[0202] According to an example embodiment, the one or more actions performed by the UE may include activating or deactivating a SL carrier according to timing information determined by the UE.

[0203] According to an example embodiment, deactivating an SL carrier may include clearing any Mode 2 SL grants associated with the SL carrier, stopping sensing on the SL carrier if the UE employs Mode 2 resource allocation, stopping SL transmissions on the SL carrier, and / or stopping SL reception on the SL carrier, etc.

[0204] According to an example embodiment, the one or more actions performed by the UE may include generating a second indication to activate or deactivate the SL carrier. According to another example embodiment, the one or more actions performed by the UE may further include transmitting a second indication to one or more other UEs configured with an SL carrier.

[0205] According to an example embodiment, the second indication may include an identifier of the SL carrier and / or an indicator that the SL carrier needs to be activated or deactivated, etc. According to one embodiment, the indicator that the SL carrier needs to be activated or deactivated may be a bit associated with the SL carrier in a bitmap.

[0206] According to an example embodiment, one or more other UEs may be associated with the SL carrier and associated with one or more destination identifiers determined by the UE.

[0207] According to an example embodiment, the one or more actions performed by the UE may further include receiving, from at least one of the one or more other UEs, an acknowledgment indicating that the second indication was received by at least one of the one or more other UEs. According to another example embodiment, the one or more actions performed by the UE may further include receiving, from at least one of the one or more other UEs, a message or the like indicating that at least one of the one or more other UEs accepts or rejects the activation or deactivation of the SL carrier.

[0208] According to an example embodiment, the activation or deactivation of the SL carrier may be performed by the UE upon receiving, e.g., an acknowledgment from at least one of the one or more other UEs indicating that the second indication has been received by at least one of the one or more other UEs. According to another example embodiment, the activation or deactivation of the SL carrier may be performed by the UE upon receiving, e.g., a message from at least one of the one or more other UEs indicating that at least one of the one or more other UEs accepts the activation or deactivation of the SL carrier.

[0209] According to an example embodiment, the activation or deactivation of the SL carrier described with respect to FIG. 3 may be applicable in the direction from the UE to the UE's peer UE.

[0210] According to an example embodiment, the UE may transmit information about the SL carrier to the UE's base station and / or peer UEs. According to an embodiment, the information about the SL carrier may be used by the base station and / or peer UEs of the UE to determine whether to activate or deactivate the SL carrier.

[0211] According to example embodiments, the transmission of information about the SL carriers may be performed by the UE periodically and / or event-triggered. Alternatively or additionally, the transmission of information about the SL carriers may be performed by the UE upon receipt of a request from a peer UE of the UE and / or upon receipt of signaling from a base station.

[0212] According to an example embodiment, information regarding the SL carrier may include one or more of the following: ● Buffer status report for all services or one or more services mapped to the SL carrier. ● Current data buffer status report. ● Buffer status report of future data expected to arrive. ● SL carrier resource status. ● Channel measurement information, and ● Preferences regarding power conservation.

[0213] According to an example embodiment, the UE may receive information about the SL carrier from its peer UEs. According to one embodiment, the information about the SL carrier may be used by the UE to determine whether to activate or deactivate the SL carrier.

[0214] According to an example embodiment, the UE may be configured with a timer for the SL carrier, in which case the UE may perform various actions for the timer as described with respect to the UE in accordance with method 100. For example, the UE may start, restart, or stop the timer according to different requirements and application scenarios.

[0215] According to an example embodiment, the activation or deactivation of the SL carrier described with respect to FIG. 3 may be applicable to transmission on the SL carrier, or to reception on the SL carrier, or both.

[0216] 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method 400 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 400 illustrated in FIG. 4 may be performed by a UE or an apparatus communicatively coupled to the UE. According to an example embodiment, the UE may be configured to support D2D communication (e.g., V2X or SL communication, etc.) with other devices. According to an example embodiment, the UE may be configured to communicate with a network node (e.g., a base station such as a gNB) directly or via a relay UE.

[0217] According to the example method 400 shown in FIG. 4, the UE may receive an indication from a peer UE of the UE (e.g., from the UE as described with respect to FIGS. 1 and 3) to activate or deactivate an SL carrier configured for the UE and the peer UE of the UE, as shown in block 402.

[0218] According to an example embodiment, the indication to activate or deactivate the SL carrier may include an identifier of the SL carrier and / or an indicator that the SL carrier needs to be activated or deactivated, etc. According to one embodiment, the indicator that the SL carrier needs to be activated or deactivated may be a bit associated with the SL carrier in a bitmap.

[0219] According to an example embodiment, the UE may be associated with a destination identifier associated with the SL carrier. According to one embodiment, the destination identifier may be determined by the peer UE itself. According to another embodiment, the destination identifier may be indicated to the peer UE by a base station (e.g., a base station as described with respect to FIG. 2).

[0220] According to an example embodiment, the UE can send a notification to the base station that the SL carrier is to be activated or deactivated. According to one embodiment, the UE can receive an instruction from the base station to accept or reject the activation or deactivation of the SL carrier.

[0221] According to the example method 400 shown in FIG. 4, the UE may selectively decide to accept or reject the activation or deactivation of the SL carrier in response to receiving an indication to activate or deactivate the SL carrier, as shown in block 404.

[0222] According to an example embodiment, the decision to accept or reject activation or deactivation of the SL carrier may be made by the UE itself. According to another example embodiment, the decision to accept or reject activation or deactivation of the SL carrier may be made by the UE following an instruction by the base station to the UE to accept or reject activation or deactivation of the SL carrier.

[0223] According to an example embodiment, a UE may send an acknowledgment to its peer UE indicating that an indication to activate or deactivate the SL carrier has been received by the UE. Alternatively or additionally, a UE may send a message to its peer UE indicating that the UE accepts or rejects the activation or deactivation of the SL carrier.

[0224] According to an example embodiment, the activation or deactivation of the SL carrier described with respect to FIG. 4 may be applicable in the peer UE to UE direction.

[0225] According to an example embodiment, the UE may determine whether to activate or deactivate the SL carrier for the direction from the UE to the UE's peer UE.

[0226] According to an example embodiment, the UE may receive information about the SL carrier from its peer UEs. According to one embodiment, the information about the SL carrier may be used by the UE to determine whether to activate or deactivate the SL carrier.

[0227] According to an example embodiment, information regarding the SL carrier may include one or more of the following: ● Buffer status report for all services or one or more services mapped to the SL carrier. ● Current data buffer status report. ● Buffer status report of future data expected to arrive. ● SL carrier resource status. ● Channel measurement information, and ● Preferences regarding power conservation.

[0228] According to an example embodiment, the UE may transmit information about the SL carrier to the UE's base station and / or peer UEs. According to an embodiment, the information about the SL carrier may be used by the base station and / or the UE's peer UEs to determine whether to activate or deactivate the SL carrier.

[0229] According to example embodiments, the transmission of information about the SL carriers may be performed by the UE periodically and / or event-triggered. Alternatively or additionally, the transmission of information about the SL carriers may be performed by the UE upon receipt of a request from a peer UE of the UE and / or upon receipt of signaling from a base station.

[0230] According to an example embodiment, when the UE configures a timer for the SL carrier, the UE may perform one or more of the following actions: ● Timer starts when SL carrier is activated. ● Restarting a timer in response to one or more events. ● When the timer expires, the SL carrier of Initiate deactivation; and ● Stopping the timer when the UE starts to deactivate the SL carrier.

[0231] According to an example embodiment, the one or more events may include one or more of the following: ● Reception of DCI by the UE indicating one or more SL grants for the SL carrier(s). ● Transmission of MAC PDUs on the SL carrier by the UE in the configured SL grant. ● Transmission of SCI on SL carrier after UE has obtained SL grant. Receiving by the UE on the SL carrier an SCI indicative of a received signal coming from the UE's peer UE.

[0232] According to an example embodiment, the activation or deactivation of the SL carrier described with respect to FIG. 4 may be applicable to transmission on the SL carrier, or to reception on the SL carrier, or both.

[0233] 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method 500 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 500 illustrated in FIG. 5 may be performed by a base station (e.g., a gNB, an AP, etc.) or an apparatus communicatively coupled to the base station. According to an example embodiment, the base station may be configured to support cellular coverage extension using D2D communication (e.g., V2X or SL communication, etc.). According to an example embodiment, the base station may be configured to communicate with a terminal device, such as a UE, for example, directly or via a relay UE.

[0234] According to the example method 500 shown in Figure 5, a base station may receive notification from a UE (e.g., a UE as described with respect to Figure 4) that a SL carrier configured for the UE and a peer UE of the UE will be activated or deactivated, as shown in block 502. According to an example embodiment, the base station may send an instruction to the UE to accept or reject the activation or deactivation of the SL carrier, as shown in block 504.

[0235] According to an example embodiment, a UE may be associated with a destination identifier associated with the SL carrier. According to an embodiment, the destination identifier may be determined by a peer UE of the UE (e.g., according to method 300 as described with respect to FIG. 3) and / or by another base station serving a peer UE of the UE (e.g., according to method 100 as described with respect to FIG. 1).

[0236] According to an example embodiment, the activation or deactivation of the SL carrier described with respect to FIG. 5 may be applicable in the peer UE to UE direction.

[0237] According to an example embodiment, the base station can receive information about the SL carrier from the UE, which, according to one embodiment, can be used by the base station to determine whether to activate or deactivate the SL carrier.

[0238] According to an example embodiment, the information about the SL carrier may include a buffer status report for all services or one or more services mapped to the SL carrier, a buffer status report for current data, a buffer status report for expected upcoming future data, resource status of the SL carrier, channel measurement information, and / or power saving preferences, etc.

[0239] According to an example embodiment, the activation or deactivation of the SL carrier described with respect to FIG. 5 may be applicable to transmission on the SL carrier, or to reception on the SL carrier, or both.

[0240] According to an exemplary embodiment, a base station may exchange information with one or more other base stations to determine whether to accept or reject the activation or deactivation of an SL carrier.

[0241] It should be appreciated that a UE such as that described with respect to FIG. 1 may also be configured to perform the method 300 as described with respect to FIG. 3 and / or the method 400 as described with respect to FIG. 4 according to different application scenarios and service requirements.

[0242] Similarly, it may be appreciated that a UE such as that described with respect to FIG. 3 may also be configured to perform method 100 as described with respect to FIG. 1 and / or method 400 as described with respect to FIG. 4 according to different application scenarios and service requirements.

[0243] Similarly, it may be appreciated that a UE such as that described with respect to FIG. 4 may also be configured to perform method 100 as described with respect to FIG. 1 and / or method 300 as described with respect to FIG. 3 according to different application scenarios and service requirements.

[0244] It may also be understood that the base station described with respect to Figure 2 may be configured to perform the method 500 described with respect to Figure 5 according to different application scenarios and service requirements. Similarly, it may be appreciated that a base station as described with respect to Figure 5 may also be configured to perform the method 200 as described with respect to Figure 2 according to different application scenarios and service requirements.

[0245] The various blocks illustrated in Figures 1-5 may be considered as method steps and / or as operations resulting from the operation of computer program code and / or as a plurality of combined logic circuit elements configured to perform the associated functions. The schematic flowchart diagrams described above are generally described as logic flowchart diagrams. As such, the depicted order and labeled steps represent specific embodiments of the presented methods. Other steps and methods may be conceived that are equivalent in function, logic, or effect to one or more steps, or portions thereof, of the illustrated method. Furthermore, the order in which a particular method is performed may or may not strictly follow the order of the corresponding steps shown.

[0246] FIG. 6A is a block diagram illustrating an apparatus 610 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 6A, the apparatus 610 may include one or more processors, such as processor 611, and one or more memories, such as memory 612, that store computer program code 613. The memory 612 may be a non-transitory machine / processor / computer-readable storage medium. According to some demonstrative embodiments, the apparatus 610 may be implemented as an integrated circuit chip or module that can be plugged into or installed in a UE such as described with respect to FIG. 1, a base station such as described with respect to FIG. 2, a UE such as described with respect to FIG. 3, a UE such as described with respect to FIG. 4, or a base station such as described with respect to FIG. 5. In such cases, the apparatus 610 may be implemented as a UE such as described with respect to FIG. 1, a base station such as described with respect to FIG. 2, a UE such as described with respect to FIG. 3, a UE such as described with respect to FIG. 4, or a base station such as described with respect to FIG. 5.

[0247] In some implementations, the one or more memories 612 and the computer program code 613, together with the one or more processors 611, may be configured to cause the device 610 to perform at least any operations of a method such as that described in connection with FIG. 1. In other implementations, the one or more memories 612 and the computer program code 613, together with the one or more processors 611, may be configured to cause the device 610 to perform at least any operations of a method such as that described in connection with FIG. 2. In other implementations, the one or more memories 612 and the computer program code 613, together with the one or more processors 611, may be configured to cause the device 610 to perform at least any operations of a method such as that described in connection with FIG. 3. In other implementations, the one or more memories 612 and the computer program code 613, together with the one or more processors 611, may be configured to cause the device 610 to perform at least any operations of a method such as that described in connection with FIG. 4. In other implementations, the one or more memories 612 and the computer program code 613 may be configured to cause the device 610, together with the one or more processors 611, to perform at least any of the operations of the method as described in connection with Figure 5. Alternatively or additionally, the one or more memories 612 and the computer program code 613, together with the one or more processors 611, may be configured to cause the device 610 to perform at least more or fewer operations to implement the proposed method according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0248] 6B is a block diagram illustrating an apparatus 620 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 6B, the apparatus 620 may include a receiver 621 and a determiner 622. According to an example embodiment, the apparatus 620 may be implemented in a UE. The receiver 621 may be operable to perform the operations in block 102, and the determiner 622 may be operable to perform the operations in block 104. Optionally, the receiver 621 and / or the determiner 622 may be operable to perform more or less operations to implement the proposed method according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0249] 6C is a block diagram illustrating an apparatus 630 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 6C, the apparatus 630 may include a determining unit 631 and a transmitting unit 632. According to an example embodiment, the apparatus 630 may be implemented in a base station (e.g., a gNB, etc.). The determining unit 631 may be operable to perform the operations in block 202, and the transmitting unit 632 may be operable to perform the operations in block 204. Optionally, the determining unit 631 and / or the transmitting unit 632 may be operable to perform more or less operations to implement the proposed method according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0250] 6D is a block diagram illustrating an apparatus 640 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 6D, the apparatus 640 may include a determiner 641 and an implementer 642. According to an example embodiment, the apparatus 640 may be implemented in a UE. The determiner 641 may be operable to perform the operations in block 302, and the implementer 642 may be operable to perform the operations in block 304. Optionally, the determiner 641 and / or the implementer 642 may be operable to perform more or less operations to implement the proposed method according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0251] 6E is a block diagram illustrating an apparatus 650 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 6E, the apparatus 650 may include a receiver 651 and, optionally, a determiner 652. According to an example embodiment, the apparatus 650 may be implemented in a UE. The receiver 651 may be operable to perform the operations in block 402, and the determiner 652 may be operable to perform the operations in block 404. Optionally, the receiver 651 and / or the determiner 652 may be operable to perform more or less operations to implement the proposed method according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0252] 6F is a block diagram illustrating an apparatus 660 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 6F, the apparatus 660 may include a receiver 661 and a transmitter 662. According to an example embodiment, the apparatus 660 may be implemented in a base station (e.g., a gNB, etc.). The receiver 661 may be operable to perform the operations in block 502, and the transmitter 662 may be operable to perform the operations in block 504. Optionally, the receiver 661 and / or the transmitter 662 may be operable to perform more or less operations to implement the proposed method according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0253] FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a telecommunications network connected to a host computer through an intermediate network, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0254] With reference to FIG. 7, according to one embodiment, the communication system is a 3GPP type cellular system comprising an access network 711, such as a radio access network, and a core network 714. -The access network 711 includes a telecommunications network 710, such as a wireless access point (eNB), an eNB, a gNB, or other type of wireless access point (gNB), each defining a corresponding coverage area 713a, 713b, 713c. Each base station 712a, 712b, 712c can be connected to a core network 714 via a wired or wireless connection 715. A first UE 791 located in the coverage area 713c is wirelessly connected to or configured to be paged by the corresponding base station 712c. A second UE 792 within the coverage area 713a can be wirelessly connected to the corresponding base station 712a. While multiple UEs 791, 792 are shown in this example, the disclosed embodiments are equally applicable to situations where a single UE is present within a coverage area or connected to a corresponding base station 712.

[0255] The communications network 710 is itself connected to a host computer 730, which may be implemented in hardware and / or software as a standalone server, a cloud-based server, a distributed server, or processing resources within a server farm. The host computer 730 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider, or may be operated by or on behalf of the service provider. Connections 721 and 722 between the communications network 710 and the host computer 730 may extend directly from the core network 714 to the host computer 730 or may go through an optional intermediate network 720. The intermediate network 720 may be one of a public network, a private network, or a hosted network, or a combination of two or more thereof; the intermediate network 720 may be a backbone network or the Internet, if any; and, in particular, the intermediate network 720 may comprise two or more subnetworks (not shown).

[0256] The communication system of FIG. 7 generally enables connectivity between connected UEs 791, 792 and a host computer 730. The connectivity may be described as an over-the-top (OTT) connection 750. The host computer 730 and connected UEs 791, 792 are configured to communicate data and / or signaling via the OTT connection 750 using the access network 711, the core network 714, any intermediate networks 720, and possible additional infrastructure (not shown) as intermediaries. The OTT connection 750 may be transparent in the sense that participating communication devices through which the OTT connection 750 passes are unaware of the routing of uplink and downlink communications. For example, the base station 712 does not need to be informed of the past routing of incoming downlink communications with data originating from the host computer 730 to be forwarded (e.g., handed over) to the connected UE 791. Similarly, the base station 712 does not need to be aware of the future routing of outgoing uplink communications from the UE 791 towards the host computer 730 .

[0257] FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a host computer communicating with a UE via a base station over a partial wireless connection, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0258] An exemplary implementation according to one embodiment of the UE, base station, and host computer described in the previous paragraphs is described below with reference to Figure 8. In the communication system 800, a host computer 810 is connected to another communication deviceThe host computer 810 includes hardware 815 having a communications interface 816 configured to set up and maintain a wired or wireless connection with the host computer 810. The host computer 810 further includes processing circuitry 818, which may have storage and / or processing capabilities. In particular, the processing circuitry 818 may include one or more programmable processors, application specific integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays, or combinations thereof (not shown) adapted to execute instructions. The host computer 810 further includes software 811, which is stored on or accessible to the host computer 810 and executable by the processing circuitry 818. The software 811 includes a host application 812. The host application 812 may be operable to provide services to a remote user, such as a UE 830, connecting via an OTT connection 850 terminated at the host computer 810. In providing services to the remote user, the host application 812 may provide user data to be transmitted using the OTT connection 850.

[0259] The communication system 800 further includes a base station 820 having hardware 825 disposed within the communication system that enables communication with the host computer 810 and the UE 830. The hardware 825 is connected to other communication interfaces of the communication system 800, as well as a wireless interface 827 for establishing and maintaining at least a wireless connection 870 while the UE 830 is located within a coverage area (not shown in FIG. 8) provided by the base station 820. deviceThe base station 820 may include a communications interface 826 for establishing and maintaining a wired or wireless connection with the communications interface. The communications interface 826 may be configured to facilitate a connection 860 to the host computer 810. The connection 860 may be direct, may pass through a core network of the telecommunications system (not shown in FIG. 8), and / or may pass through one or more intermediate networks external to the telecommunications system. According to the illustrated embodiment, the hardware 825 of the base station 820 further includes processing circuitry 828, which may include one or more programmable processors, application-specific integrated circuits, field-programmable gate arrays, or combinations thereof (not shown) adapted to execute instructions. Additionally, the base station 820 includes software 821 stored internally or accessible via an external connection.

[0260] The communication system 800 further includes the previously mentioned UE 830, whose hardware 835 may include a wireless interface 837 configured to set up and maintain a wireless connection 870 with a base station serving the coverage area in which the UE 830 is currently located. The UE 830's hardware 835 further includes processing circuitry 838, which may comprise one or more programmable processors, application specific integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays, or combinations thereof (not shown) adapted to execute instructions. The UE 830 further includes software 831 stored within or accessible to the UE 830 and executable by the processing circuitry 838. The software 831 includes a client application 832. The client application 832, with support from a host computer 810, is operable to provide services to a human or non-human user via the UE 830. The host application 812 running on the host computer 810 may communicate with the running client application 832 via the host computer 810 and an OTT connection 850 terminating at the UE 830. In providing services to a user, the client application 832 receives the request Receive the data, request The client application 832 may provide user data in response to the data. The OTT connection 850 may carry both the request data and the user data. The client application 832 may interact with the user and generate the user data that the user provides.

[0261] It should be noted that the host computer 810, base station 820, and UE 830 shown in Figure 8 may be similar to or identical to the host computer 730, one of the base stations 712a, 712b, and 712c, and one of the UEs 791 and 792 of Figure 7, respectively. That is, the internal operation of these entities may be as shown in Figure 8, and alternatively, the surrounding network topology may be that of Figure 7.

[0262] 8, the OTT connection 850 is depicted abstractly to illustrate communication between the host computer 810 and the UE 830 via the base station 820, without explicit reference to intermediate devices and the precise routing of messages through these devices. The network infrastructure may determine the routing, which may be configured to be hidden from the UE 830, the service provider-operated host computer 810, or both. While the OTT connection 850 is active, the network infrastructure may further decide to dynamically change the routing (e.g., based on load balancing considerations or network reconfiguration).

[0263] The wireless connection 870 between the UE 830 and the base station 820 follows the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. One or more of the various embodiments improve the performance of the OTT service provided to the UE 830 using the OTT connection 850 of which the wireless connection 870 forms the final leg. More precisely, the teachings of these embodiments: Latency and power consumption can be improved, thereby providing benefits such as lower complexity, reduced time required to access a cell, better responsiveness, and extended battery life.

[0264] data rates, which may be improved by one or more embodiments; Latency, and other factors. Additionally, there may be optional network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection 850 between the host computer 810 and the UE 830 in response to variations in the measurement results. The measurement procedures and / or network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection 850 may be implemented in the software 811 and hardware 815 of the host computer 810, or in the software 831 and hardware 835 of the UE 830, or both. According to an embodiment, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or associated with the communication devices through which the OTT connection 850 passes, and the sensors may measure the monitored quantities by providing values ​​of the monitored quantities exemplified above, or by providing values ​​of other physical quantities from which the software 811, 831 can calculate or estimate the monitored quantities. procedure Reconfiguration of the OTT connection 850 may involve changes to message formats, retransmission settings, preferred routing, etc., and the reconfiguration need not affect the base station 820 and may be unknown or imperceptible to the base station 820. procedure The measurements and functionality may be those known and practiced in the art. According to certain embodiments, the measurements may include host computer 810 throughput, propagation time, Latency The measurements may involve proprietary UE signaling that facilitates measurements such as: Measurements may be performed by having software 811 and 831 send messages, particularly empty or "dummy" messages, using the OTT connection 850 while monitoring propagation times, errors, etc.

[0265] FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system according to one embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station, and a UE, as described in connection with FIGS. 7 and 8. To simplify this disclosure, only the figures that refer to FIG. 9 are included in this section. In step 910, the host computer provides user data. In sub-step 911 of step 910, the host computer provides the user data by executing a host application. In step 920, the host computer initiates a transmission carrying the user data to the UE. In step 930 (which may be optional), the base station transmits the user data carried in the host computer-initiated transmission to the UE, according to the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In step 940 (which may be optional), the UE executes a client application associated with the host application executed by the host computer.

[0266] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system according to one embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station, and a UE, as described in connection with FIGS. 7 and 8. To simplify this disclosure, only the figures that refer to FIG. 10 are included in this section. In step 1010 of the method, the host computer provides user data. In an optional substep (not shown), the host computer provides the user data by executing a host application. In step 1020, the host computer initiates a transmission carrying the user data to the UE. The transmitted signal may be passed through a base station in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In step 1030 (which may be optional), the UE receives the user data carried by the transmitted signal.

[0267] FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system according to one embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station, and a UE, as described in connection with FIGS. 7 and 8. To simplify this disclosure, only the figures that refer to FIG. 11 are included in this section. In step 1110 (which may be optional), the UE receives input data provided by the host computer. Additionally or alternatively, in step 1120, the UE provides user data. In sub-step 1121 (which may be optional) of step 1120, the UE provides the user data by executing a client application. In sub-step 1111 (which may be optional) of step 1110, the UE executes a client application that provides user data in response to the received input data provided by the host computer. In providing the user data, the executed client application may further consider user input received from the user. Regardless of the particular manner in which the user data is provided, the UE begins transmitting the user data to the host computer in sub-step 1130 (which may be optional). In step 1140 of the method, the host computer receives user data transmitted from the UE according to the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure.

[0268] Figure 12 is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system according to one embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station, and a UE as described in connection with Figures 7 and 8. To simplify this disclosure, only the figures that refer to Figure 12 are included in this section. In step 1210 (which may be optional), the base station receives user data from the UE in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In step 1220 (which may be optional), the base station initiates transmission of the received user data to the host computer. In step 1230 (which may be optional), the host computer receives the user data carried in a transmission initiated by the base station.

[0269] According to some exemplary embodiments, a method is provided that may be implemented in a communication system that may include a host computer, a base station, and a UE. The method may include providing user data at the host computer. Optionally, the method may include initiating a transmission at the host computer carrying the user data to the UE over a cellular network that includes a base station that may perform any step of the exemplary method 200 described with reference to FIG. 2 or any step of the exemplary method 500 described with reference to FIG. 5.

[0270] According to some exemplary embodiments, a communication system is provided that includes a host computer. The host computer may include processing circuitry configured to provide user data and a communication interface configured to transfer the user data to a cellular network for transmission to a UE. The cellular network may include a base station having a wireless interface and processing circuitry. The processing circuitry of the base station may be configured to perform any step of the exemplary method 200 described with reference to FIG. 2 or any step of the exemplary method 500 described with reference to FIG. 5.

[0271] According to some exemplary embodiments, a method is provided that may be implemented in a communication system that may include a host computer, a base station, and a UE. The method may include providing user data at the host computer. Optionally, the method may include initiating a transmission at the host computer that carries the user data to the UE over a cellular network that includes the base station. The UE may perform any step of the exemplary method 100 described with reference to FIG. 1, any step of the exemplary method 300 described with reference to FIG. 3, or any step of the exemplary method 400 described with reference to FIG. 4.

[0272] According to some exemplary embodiments, a communication system is provided that includes a host computer. The host computer may include a processing circuit configured to provide user data and a communication interface configured to transfer the user data to a cellular network for transmission to a UE. The UE may include a wireless interface and a processing circuit. The processing circuit of the UE may be configured to perform any step of the exemplary method 100 described with reference to FIG. 1, any step of the exemplary method 300 described with reference to FIG. 3, or any step of the exemplary method 400 described with reference to FIG. 4.

[0273] According to some exemplary embodiments, a method is provided that may be implemented in a communication system that may include a host computer, a base station, and a UE. The method may include receiving, at the host computer, user data transmitted to the base station from a UE that may perform any step of exemplary method 100 described with reference to FIG. 1, any step of exemplary method 300 described with reference to FIG. 3, or any step of exemplary method 400 described with reference to FIG. 4.

[0274] According to some exemplary embodiments, a communication system is provided that includes a host computer. The host computer may include a communication interface configured to receive user data originating from a transmission from a UE to a base station. The UE may include a wireless interface and processing circuitry. The processing circuitry of the UE may be configured to perform any step of the exemplary method 100 described with reference to FIG. 1, any step of the exemplary method 300 described with reference to FIG. 3, or any step of the exemplary method 400 described with reference to FIG. 4.

[0275] According to some exemplary embodiments, a method is provided that may be implemented in a communication system that may include a host computer, a base station, and a UE. The method may include receiving, at the host computer, user data from the base station derived from a transmission signal received by the base station from the UE. The base station may perform any step of the exemplary method 200 described with reference to FIG. 2 or any step of the exemplary method 500 described with reference to FIG. 5.

[0276] According to some exemplary embodiments, a communication system is provided that may include a host computer. The host computer may include a communication interface configured to receive user data derived from a transmission signal from a UE to a base station. The base station may include a wireless interface and processing circuitry. The processing circuitry of the base station may be configured to perform any step of the exemplary method 200 described with reference to FIG. 2 or any step of the exemplary method 500 described with reference to FIG. 5.

[0277] In general, various exemplary embodiments may be implemented in hardware or dedicated chips, circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. For example, some aspects 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, although the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Although various aspects of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be illustrated and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other graphical representations, these blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, or other suitable forms, by way of non-limiting illustration. Eh software, firmware, dedicated circuitry or logic, general-purpose hardware or controller, or other Computing Devices , or some combination thereof.

[0278] Accordingly, it should be appreciated that at least some aspects of the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be embodied in a variety of components, such as integrated circuit chips and modules. Accordingly, it should be appreciated that the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be realized in an apparatus embodied as an integrated circuit, which may comprise circuitry (and possibly firmware) for implementing at least one or more of a data processor, a digital signal processor, baseband circuitry, and radio frequency circuitry configurable to operate in accordance with the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0279] It will be appreciated that at least some aspects of the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be embodied in computer-executable instructions, such as one or more program modules, executed by one or more computers or other devices. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, or other programs that, when executed by a processor in a computer or other device, perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Object , component, data structure Construction etc. The computer-executable instructions may be stored on a computer-readable medium such as a hard disk, optical disk, removable storage medium, solid-state memory, random access memory (RAM), etc. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the functionality of the program modules may be combined or distributed as desired in various embodiments. Further, the functionality may be embodied, in whole or in part, in firmware or hardware equivalents, such as integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), etc.

[0280] The present disclosure includes any novel feature or combination of features disclosed herein, either explicitly or in any generalization thereof. Various modifications and adaptations to the foregoing exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may become apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the foregoing description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, any and all changes will still fall within the scope of the non-limiting and exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A method (100) performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving (102) a first indication from a base station to activate or deactivate a side link (SL) carrier configured for the UE; determining whether to activate or deactivate the SL carrier according to the first indication (104); sending a second indication of activating or deactivating the SL carrier to one or more other UEs configured with the SL carrier; and the first indication has one or more factors, where the SL carrier should be activated or deactivated if the one or more factors are satisfied; The one or more factors are: a time threshold indicating a period of time for which the SL carrier should be deactivated; a buffer threshold above which the SL carrier needs to be activated; A method comprising one or more of:

2. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first indication comprises: an identifier of the SL carrier; and an indicator that the SL carrier needs to be activated or deactivated; one or more destination identifiers associated with said SL carrier; The method includes one or more pieces of information.

3. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more factors are: the timing of activating the SL carrier; the timing of deactivating the SL carrier; A method comprising one or more of:

4. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the indicator that the SL carrier needs to be activated or deactivated is a bit associated with the SL carrier in a bitmap.

5. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the UE determines whether to activate or deactivate the SL carrier based at least in part on the one or more factors.

6. 2. The method of claim 1, when the UE decides to activate the SL carrier, the method further comprising: activating the SL carrier according to the first indication; A method having the following.

7. 2. The method of claim 1, when the UE decides to deactivate the SL carrier, the method further comprising: deactivating the SL carrier according to the first indication; A method having the following.

8. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the deactivation of the SL carrier comprises: clearing any Mode 2 SL grants associated with said SL carrier; stopping sensing on the SL carrier when the UE adopts Mode 2 resource allocation; ceasing SL transmission on said SL carrier; ceasing SL reception on said SL carrier; A method comprising one or more of:

9. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the SL carrier is activated or deactivated according to timing information determined based at least in part on the first indication.

10. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second indication comprises: an identifier of the SL carrier; and an indicator that the SL carrier needs to be activated or deactivated; The method includes one or more pieces of information.

11. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more other UEs are associated with the SL carrier and associated with one or more destination identifiers indicated by the first indication.

12. 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving from at least one of the one or more other UEs: an acknowledgment indicating that the second indication was received by the at least one of the one or more other UEs; and a message indicating that the at least one of the one or more other UEs accepts or rejects the activation or deactivation of the SL carrier; and receiving one or more of:

13. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the activation or deactivation of the SL carrier is initiated by at least one of the one or more other UEs: an acknowledgment indicating that the second indication was received by the at least one of the one or more other UEs; and a message indicating that the at least one of the one or more other UEs accepts the activation or deactivation of the SL carrier; and a method performed by the UE upon receiving one or more of:

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the activation or deactivation of the SL carrier is applicable in a direction from the UE to its peer UE.

15. 10. The method of claim 1 further comprising: and transmitting information about the SL carrier to the base station and / or a peer UE of the UE, wherein the information about the SL carrier can be used by the base station and / or the peer UE of the UE to decide whether to activate or deactivate the SL carrier.

16. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the transmitting of the information about the SL carrier comprises: Regularly, When triggered by an event, Upon receiving a request from the peer UE of the UE, and Upon receiving signaling from the base station, The method is performed by the UE in one or more of the following ways:

17. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the information about the SL carrier comprises: a buffer status report for all services or one or more services mapped to said SL carrier; Current data buffer status report, A buffer status report of the expected future data, The resource status of the SL carrier; and channel measurement information; preferences for power conservation; A method comprising one or more of:

18. 10. The method of claim 1 further comprising: receiving information about the SL carrier from a peer UE of the UE, wherein the information about the SL carrier can be used by the UE to decide to activate or deactivate the SL carrier.

19. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein when the UE is configured with a timer for the SL carrier, the method further comprises: starting the timer in response to the activation of the SL carrier; restarting the timer in response to one or more events; initiating deactivation of the SL carrier when the timer expires; stopping the timer when the UE starts to deactivate the SL carrier; performing one or more actions of

20. 10. The method of claim 1, comprising restarting a timer for the SL carrier in response to one or more events, the one or more events being: Receipt by the UE of Downlink Control Information (DCI) indicating one or more SL grants for the SL carrier; transmission by the UE of a Medium Access Control (MAC) Protocol Data Unit (PDU) on the SL carrier in a configured SL grant; transmitting sidelink control information (SCI) on the SL carrier after the UE has obtained a SL grant; receiving, by the UE on the SL carrier, an SCI indicative of a received signal coming from a peer UE of the UE; A method comprising one or more of:

21. A user equipment (UE) (610), 21. A UE having one or more processors configured to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 20.

22. A method (200) performed by a base station, comprising: determining (202) a first indication to activate or deactivate a side link (SL) carrier configured for a user equipment (UE); transmitting (204) the first indication to the UE, which may transmit a second indication to activate or deactivate the SL carrier to one or more other UEs configured with the SL carrier; and the first indication has one or more factors, where the SL carrier should be activated or deactivated if the one or more factors are satisfied; The one or more factors are: a time threshold indicating a period of time for which the SL carrier should be deactivated; a buffer threshold above which the SL carrier needs to be activated; A method comprising one or more of:

23. 23. The method of claim 22, wherein the first indication comprises: an identifier of the SL carrier; and an indicator that the SL carrier needs to be activated or deactivated; one or more destination identifiers associated with said SL carrier; The method includes one or more pieces of information.

24. A base station (610), A base station having one or more processors (611) configured to perform the method according to claim 22 or 23.

Images