Terminal device and method

Abstract

An exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a solution for transport block size (TBS) determination for sidelink communication. In this solution, a first terminal device determines a subchannel including a first number of resource block (RB) interlaces, each RB interlace of the first number of RB interlaces having a target interlace size. The first terminal device determines a transport block size (TBS) for at least one transmission of a transport block (TB) for SL-U communication based on a target criterion associated with the subchannel. The first terminal device then transmits the at least one transmission of the TB to a second terminal device based on the TBS. In this way, interlaced RB-based transmission and contiguous RB-based transmission in SL-U are improved in terms of resource allocation, TBS determination, and utilization efficiency.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The exemplary embodiments of this disclosure relate, as a whole, to the field of communications technology, and more particularly to methods, apparatus, and media for sidelink communications. [Background technology]

[0002] In 5G NR, sidelink communication is being developed in the unlicensed spectrum (also known as SL-U). SL-U supports both interlaced resource block (RB)-based transmission and continuous RB-based transmission. The frequency domain resource allocation granularity for SL-U is subchannels for the Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH). For interlaced RB-based transmission, a subchannel can consist of one or more interlaces. Depending on the specific channel configuration and overhead, subchannels differ in the number of interlaces and the number of physical resource blocks (PRBs) contained within each interlace. For continuous RB-based transmission, subchannel division is independent of the division of resource sets within the resource pool. Therefore, SL-U is expected to improve resource allocation, transport block size (TBS) determination, and utilization efficiency. [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0003] Embodiments of this disclosure, as a whole, provide a method, apparatus, and computer storage medium for TBS determination in sidelink communications. [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] In a first embodiment, a communication method is provided which is performed by a first terminal device. The communication method includes, in the first terminal device, determining a subchannel comprising a first number of resource block (RB) interlaces, each of the first number of RB interlaces having a target interlace size; determining a transport block size (TBS) for at least one transmission of transport blocks (TB) for sidelink communication based on a target criterion associated with the subchannel; and transmitting at least one transmission of TB to a second terminal device based on the TBS.

[0005] In a second embodiment, a communication method is provided which is performed by a second terminal device. The communication method includes, in the second terminal device, determining a subchannel comprising a first number of resource block (RB) interlaces, each of the first number of RB interlaces having a target interlace size; determining a transport block size (TBS) for at least one transmission of transport blocks (TB) for sidelink communication based on a target criterion associated with the subchannel; and receiving at least one transmission of TB from the first terminal device based on the TBS.

[0006] In a third embodiment, a communication method is provided which is performed by a first terminal device. This communication method includes the first terminal device obtaining subchannel settings for a set of resource blocks (RBs) allocated for sidelink-unlicensed (SL-U) communication; determining a pair of subchannels for each of at least one set of RBs based on the subchannel settings and the settings for at least one set of RBs, wherein the start position of the pair of subchannels coincides with the start position of each set of RBs in the frequency domain; and transmitting at least one transmission of transport blocks (TBs) to a second terminal device based on the pair of subchannels.

[0007] A fourth aspect provides a communication method performed by a second terminal device. This communication method includes the second terminal device obtaining subchannel settings for a set of resource blocks (RBs) allocated for sidelink-unlicensed (SL-U) communication; determining a pair of subchannels for each of at least one set of RBs based on the subchannel settings and the settings for at least one set of RBs, wherein the start position of the pair of subchannels coincides with the start position of each set of RBs in the frequency domain; and receiving at least one transmission of transport blocks (TBs) from the first terminal device based on the pair of subchannels.

[0008] In a fifth embodiment, a communication device is provided, comprising a processing unit and a memory coupled to the processing unit, which stores instructions, when executed by the processing unit, causes the device to perform the method according to the first embodiment.

[0009] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided. The communication device comprises a processing unit and a memory coupled to the processing unit, which stores instructions, and when the instructions are executed by the processing unit, causes the device to execute the method according to the second aspect.

[0010] In the seventh aspect, a communication device is provided. The communication device comprises a processing unit and a memory coupled to the processing unit, which stores instructions, and when the instructions are executed by the processing unit, causes the device to execute the method according to the third aspect.

[0011] In the eighth aspect, a communication device is provided. The communication device comprises a processing unit and a memory coupled to the processing unit, which stores instructions, and when the instructions are executed by the processing unit, causes the device to execute the method according to the fourth aspect.

[0012] In the ninth aspect, a computer-readable medium is provided, which, when executed on at least one processor, stores instructions for implementing the method according to the first aspect in at least one processor.

[0013] In a tenth aspect, a computer-readable medium is provided, which, when executed on at least one processor, stores instructions in at least one processor that implement the method according to the second aspect.

[0014] In the eleventh aspect, a computer-readable medium is provided, which, when executed on at least one processor, stores instructions in at least one processor that implement the method according to the third aspect.

[0015] In the twelfth aspect, a computer-readable medium is provided, which, when executed on at least one processor, stores instructions in at least one processor that implement the method according to the fourth aspect.

[0016] Other features of this disclosure should be easily understood through the following description. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0017] By further describing some embodiments of the present disclosure in the accompanying drawings, the above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent.

[0018] [Figure 1] It is a diagram showing an exemplary communication environment in which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented.

[0019] [Figure 2] It is a diagram showing an exemplary method for sidelink according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0020] [Figure 3A] It is a schematic diagram showing an exemplary configuration for interlace RB-based communication in SL-U according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 3B] It is a schematic diagram showing an exemplary configuration for interlace RB-based communication in SL-U according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0021] [Figure 4A] It is a schematic diagram showing an exemplary configuration of subchannels in sidelink according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0022] [Figure 4B] It is a schematic diagram showing an exemplary configuration for interlace RB-based communication in sidelink according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0023] [Figure 5] It is a schematic diagram showing an exemplary configuration for interlace RB-based communication in sidelink according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0024] [Figure 6] It is a diagram showing an exemplary method for sidelink according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0025] [Figure 7] This is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary configuration for continuous RB-based communication in a sidelink according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0026] [Figure 8] This figure shows an exemplary method for a side link according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0027] [Figure 9] This figure shows an exemplary method for a side link according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0028] [Figure 10] This is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus suitable for implementing an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0029] Throughout the entire drawing, identical or similar reference numbers represent identical or similar elements. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0030] The principles of this disclosure will be described with reference to several embodiments. These embodiments are described solely for illustrative purposes and should be helpful to those skilled in the art in understanding and implementing this disclosure, and should not be considered to imply any limitation on the scope of this disclosure. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various other ways than those described below.

[0031] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used have the same meaning as those generally understood by those skilled in the art to which this disclosure pertains.

[0032] In this disclosure, the term "terminal device" refers to any device having wireless or wired communication capabilities. Examples of terminal devices include user equipment (UE), personal computers, desktops, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, personal digital assistants (PDA), portable computers, tablets, wearable devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, Ultra-reliable and Low Latency Communication (URLLC) devices, Internet of Everything (IoE) devices, machine-type communication (MTC) devices, in-vehicle devices for V2X communication where X represents a pedestrian, vehicle, or infrastructure / network, devices for Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB), spacecraft or aircraft in non-terrestrial networks (NTN) including satellites and high-altitude platforms (HAP), Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR) This includes, but is not limited to, extended reality (XR) devices that encompass different types of reality such as reality, virtual reality (VR), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as drones (i.e., aircraft without human pilots), equipment on high-speed trains (HST), or image capture devices such as digital cameras, sensors, and game consoles, music storage and playback devices, and internet appliances that enable wireless or wired internet access and browsing.The “terminal device” may further have “multicast / broadcast” functionality and can support public safety and mission-critical, V2X applications, transparent IPv4 / IPv6 multicast delivery, IPTV, smart TV, wireless services, wireless software delivery, group communications, and IoT applications. It may also incorporate one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs) referred to as multi-SIMs. The term “terminal device” may be used interchangeably with UE, mobile station, subscriber station, mobile terminal, user terminal, or wireless device.

[0033] The term "network device" refers to a device capable of providing or hosting a cell or coverage from which terminal devices can communicate. Examples of network devices include, but are not limited to, Node B (NodeB or NB), evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), next generation Node B (gNB), transmission reception point (TRP), remote radio unit (RRU), radio head (RH), remote radio head (RRH), low-power nodes such as IAB nodes, femtonodes, and piconodes, and reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS).

[0034] Terminal devices or network devices may have artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning capabilities. Typically, these include models trained from a large amount of collected data for a specific function and can be used to predict some kind of information.

[0035] Terminal or network devices may operate in multiple frequency ranges, such as FR1 (410 MHz to 7125 MHz), FR2 (24.25 GHz to 71 GHz), frequency bands greater than 100 GHz, and terahertz (THz). Furthermore, they can operate in licensed / unlicensed / shared spectrum. Terminal devices may have multiple connections to network devices in multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC) application scenarios. Terminal or network devices can operate in full-duplex, flexible-duplex, and cross-division-duplex modes.

[0036] Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented, for example, in test equipment such as signal generators, signal analyzers, spectrum analyzers, network analyzers, test terminal devices, test network devices, and channel emulators.

[0037] In some embodiments, the terminal device may be connected to a first network device and a second network device. One of the first and second network devices may be a master node and the other a secondary node. The first and second network devices may use different radio access technologies (RATs). In some embodiments, the first network device may be a first RAT device, and the second network device may be a second RAT device. In some embodiments, the first RAT device is an eNB, and the second RAT device is a gNB. Information regarding different RATs may be transmitted to the terminal device from at least one of the first and second network devices. In some embodiments, the first information may be transmitted from the first network device to the terminal device, and the second information may be transmitted from the second network device to the terminal device directly or via the first network device. In some embodiments, information regarding the configuration of the terminal device set by the second network device may be transmitted from the second network device via the first network device. Information regarding the reconfiguration of terminal devices set by the second network device may be transmitted from the second network device directly to the terminal device or via the first network device.

[0038] In this disclosure, unless otherwise specified in the text, the singular forms of “a,” “the said,” and “the said” are also plural. The term “including” and its variations are interpreted as an open term meaning “including but not limited to.” The term “based on” is interpreted as “based at least partially on.” The terms “one embodiment” and “embodiment” are interpreted as “at least one embodiment.” The term “another embodiment” is interpreted as “at least one other embodiment.” Terms such as “first,” “second,” etc., may refer to different or the same subject. The following content may include other explicit and implicit definitions.

[0039] In some examples, values, procedures, or devices are referred to as “optimal,” “lowest,” “highest,” “minimum,” “maximum,” etc. It is understood that such descriptions are intended to indicate that a choice is available from among several functional alternatives, and that such a choice does not necessarily have to be better, smaller, higher, or more preferable than the others.

[0040] In this specification, the terms “resource,” “transmitting resource,” “uplink resource,” or “downlink resource” may refer to any resource for performing communication, such as a time-domain resource, a frequency-domain resource, a space-domain resource, a code-domain resource, or any other resource that enables communication. Hereafter, unless otherwise specified, both frequency-domain and time-domain resources will be used as examples of transmitting resources to describe some exemplary embodiments of this disclosure. It should be noted that the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure are equally applicable to other resources in other domains.

[0041] In this specification, the terms “RB interlace” and “interlace RB” refer to {m, M+m, 2M+m, 3M+m, ...} as RB, where M is the number of interlaces given in Table 1 below. In the context of this disclosure, the terms “RB interlace” and “interlace RB” are used interchangeably. [Table 1]

[0042] It is expected that the channel structures of NR sidelinks and NR-Us will be reused for SL-Us. In NR sidelinks, the resource pool contains a continuous physical resource block (PRB) in the frequency domain. Specifically, the resource pool is defined by the starting RB, which is the lowest RB in the resource pool, represented as sl-StartRB-Subchannel, and the total number of RBs in the resource pool, represented as sl-RB-Number. A subchannel is a frequency resource unit of a PSSCH, and each subchannel consists of a continuous RB. For example, the size of a subchannel is SubchannelSize=[10,12,15,20,25,50,75,100] RBs.

[0043] In NR-U, the system bandwidth is divided into multiple RB sets by a few guard bands, and one or more RB sets may be contained within a single bandwidth part (BWP). Depending on the subcarrier space (SCS), an RB set may contain a different number of RBs; for example, 100-110 RBs per RB set when SCS=15kHz, and 50-55 RBs per RB set when SCS=30kHz.

[0044] As mentioned above, the NR sidelink supports both continuous RB-based transmission and interlaced RB-based transmission. For interlaced RB-based transmission in SL-U, the resource allocation granularity in the frequency domain is subchannels for the PSSCH, and each subchannel consists of K RB interlaces, where K is fixed to 1, or alternatively, K is a preset integer. In one embodiment, subchannels may be confined to an RB set. Alternatively, in some other embodiments, subchannels may span one or more RB sets belonging to a resource pool.

[0045] In the case of interlaced Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) transmissions in BWP, the Y bit in the frequency domain resource allocation (FDRA) field indicates which RB set is allocated to the UE, and the allocated RB set corresponds to the Listen-Before-Talk (LBT) bandwidth. This applies to the following types of PUSCH: PUSCH, scheduled by at least one non-fallback downlink control information (DCI), • Configured Grant PUSCH Type 2, i.e., FDRA as indicated by DCI, • Setting Grant PUSCH Type 1, i.e., FDRA set by Radio Resource Control (RRC).

[0046] Therefore, the UE may determine the overall PUSCH frequency domain resource allocation by the following common intersection: • The assigned interlace, indicated by the X bits of the FDRA field. • At least the available PRBs derived from the allocated RB sets indicated by the Y bit in the FDRA field, and the carrier-in-guard bands between RB sets corresponding to consecutive LBT bandwidths. Note that an RB set includes PRBs within the LBT bandwidth and does not include inter-carrier or intra-carrier guard PRBs. PRBs between adjacent RB sets include intra-carrier guards.

[0047] In one embodiment, Y is determined by the number of RB sets included in the BWP. The Y bits indicate the number of RB sets corresponding to the first RB set and the consecutive LBT bandwidths. Therefore, the maximum possible value of Y is The filename is TIFF0007856216000002.tif1444, where N is the number of RB sets included in BWP.

[0048] In one embodiment, the TBS determination procedure for a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) may be reused for TBS determination on a sidelink.

[0049] For the overhead of the Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel (PSFCH) in TBS determination, the number of PSFCH symbols indicated by SCI is used. For the overhead of the Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS) in TBS determination, the number of RE references occupied by the PSSCH DMRS is used, where the RE reference count is the average number of DMRS REs among the set pattern or pre-set patterns. For the overhead of the Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS) and Phase Track Reference Signal (PT-RS) in TBS determination, a new higher-level parameter (e.g., sl-xOverhead) is introduced for each resource pool.

[0050] In one embodiment, the number of PRBs for each subchannel may differ for PSCCH and PSSCH in SL-U, taking into account aspects such as TBS determination and UE blind decoding. Therefore, for interlaced RB-based transmission, different interlaces may have different numbers of PRBs. However, the UE is not expected to receive a retransmission with a TB size different from the last effective TB size signaled for that TB. For continuous RB-based transmission, the number of PRBs in the resource pool may not be an integer multiple of the number of PRBs for each subchannel, resulting in wasted frequency resources.

[0051] Embodiments of this disclosure provide a solution for resource allocation and resource determination in sidelink communications. In this solution, for interlaced RB-based transmissions, TBS determination for multiple TB transmissions is performed based on consistent or deterministic subchannel sizes and interlace sizes. Furthermore, for continuous RB-based transmissions, subchannels for each RB set are defined individually based on their respective RB set configurations. In this way, resource efficiency, blind decoding, and system performance for sidelinks can be improved.

[0052] The principles and embodiments of this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0053] Examples of communication networks Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary communication environment 100 in which an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure can be implemented.

[0054] The communication environment 100 comprises a first terminal device 110 and a second terminal device 120. The first terminal device 110 and the second terminal device 120 may communicate with each other via a side link. In some cases, the communication environment 100 may further include a network device (not shown) that provides services to the first terminal device 110 and the second terminal device 120.

[0055] Please understand that the number of devices and their connections shown in Figure 1 are for illustrative purposes only and do not limit this disclosure. The communication environment 100 may comprise any appropriate number of network devices and / or terminal devices adapted to implement embodiments of this disclosure.

[0056] Communication in communication environment 100 includes, but is not limited to, GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE-Evolution, LTE-A (LTE-Advanced), NR (New Radio), WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), GERAN (GSM EDGE Radio Access Network), MTC (Machine Type Communication), and any other suitable standard. Embodiments of this disclosure may be implemented in accordance with any generation of communication protocol that is currently known or will be developed in the future. Examples of communication protocols include, but are not limited to, first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G) communication protocols, 5.5G, 5G-Advanced networks, or sixth generation (6G) networks.

[0057] In some embodiments, a first terminal device 110 and a second terminal device 120 may communicate with each other via a sidelink channel in the unlicensed spectrum. A sidelink is a communication mode that allows direct communication between two or more terminal devices without communication through a network device. SL communication may be performed over a wireless interface (such as a PC5 interface). SL communication may be unicast, groupcast, or broadcast, and may be used for device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, emergency rescue applications, etc. The sidelink channel may include a Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel (PSFCH), a Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH), a Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH), and a Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel (PSBCH).

[0058] In the context of this disclosure, the first terminal device 110 may operate as a transmitting (Tx) device that transmits at least one TB transmission to the second terminal device 120. Thus, the second terminal device may operate as a receiving (Rx) device. However, it should be understood that, in some cases, the first terminal device 110 may operate as an Rx device and the second terminal device 120 may operate as a Tx device.

[0059] Depending on whether they are covered within the serving area of ​​the network device, sidelink communication scenarios include in-coverage, partial-coverage, and out-of-coverage (OOC) scenarios. In some cases, the communication network 100 may further include network devices (not shown in Figure 1) that facilitate the scheduling of resources for sidelink communication. In other cases, sidelink communication is performed between a first terminal device 110 and a second terminal device 120 without the use of network devices.

[0060] A sidelink resource allocation scheme may be applied to allocate resources within a resource pool for sidelink communication. There can be two sidelink resource allocation schemes. In the first sidelink resource allocation scheme (also called Mode 1 for sidelink resource allocation), the network device can schedule sidelink resources via a communication interface with terminal devices 110 or 120. Resource allocation includes dynamic grants based on downlink control information (DCI) or configuration grants (e.g., Type 1 or Type 2 configuration grants). In the second sidelink resource allocation scheme (also called Mode 2 for sidelink resource allocation), resources for sidelink communication are autonomously selected by terminal devices 110 or 120 based on a contention scheme.

[0061] In some embodiments, the first terminal device 110 may transmit interlaced RB-based transmissions to the second terminal device 120. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, the first terminal device 110 may transmit continuous RB-based transmissions to the second terminal device 120. Before any transmission, the first terminal device 110 may determine the TBS for TB transmission or retransmission, which will be described in detail below.

[0062] Operating principle and process example Exemplary embodiments of this disclosure provide a solution for resource allocation and resource determination for sidelink communication. In this solution, the TBS for at least one transmission of a TB is determined according to a target criterion. This ensures that multiple transmissions of a TB, including the initial transmission and one or more retransmissions, are executed based on a consistent or deterministic TBS. In other words, the TBS for multiple transmissions has a consistent size, whether at the interlace level or the PRB level.

[0063] Referring to Figure 2, Figure 2 shows a flowchart of a process 200 for communication according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. For convenience of explanation, the process 200 will be described with reference to Figure 1. The process 200 is performed in a first terminal device 110 and may involve a second terminal device 120.

[0064] In process 200, sidelink communication between the first terminal device 110 and the second terminal device 120 is based on interlaced RB-based transmission. In block 210, the first terminal device 110 determines a subchannel. The subchannel contains a first number of RB interlaces, each of which has a target interlace size.

[0065] In block 220, the first terminal device 110 determines the TBS for at least one transmission of TB for sidelink transmission based on a target criterion associated with the subchannel.

[0066] In some embodiments, the first terminal device 110 may determine the TBS based on a first number of RB interlaces and the target interlace size.

[0067] In block 230, the first terminal device 110 transmits at least one TB to the second terminal device 120 based on the TBS.

[0068] In some embodiments, at least one RB set is allocated for sidelink communication. A first number of RB interlaces exist within each of the at least one RB set or across multiple RB sets.

[0069] In some embodiments, subchannels of consistent size may be defined and supported within the RB set for sidelink communication, for example, a subchannel containing K interlaces, where K corresponds to a first number in process 200. This effectively avoids a situation where different subchannels contain different numbers of interlaces.

[0070] In some exemplary embodiments, the value of K may be defined based on the SCS in the resource pool for the first terminal device 110 and the second terminal device 120. For example, the set of candidate numbers for RB interlacing may be predetermined based on the SCS, and the value of K may be preset or set via an RRC parameter.

[0071] In these embodiments, the first terminal device 110 may receive a setting of a first number of RB interlaces for a subchannel from a set of candidate numbers of RB interlaces. The set of candidate numbers corresponds to an SCS for at least one RB set. The first terminal device 110 may then determine the TBS based on the first number of RB interlaces.

[0072] Figures 3A and 3B are schematic diagrams illustrating exemplary configurations for interlaced RB-based communication in a sidelink according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In the examples shown in Figures 3A and 3B, SCS = 30 kHz, each RB set may contain 50 to 55 RBs, and the set of candidate numbers for RB interlacing when SCS = 30 kHz is {1, 5}. The set of candidate numbers is an integer divisible by the number of interlaces for at least one RB set. The value of K is selected from {1, 5} and is indicated by the RRC parameter. In this way, each subchannel can have the same number of interlaces.

[0073] In example setting 300, K=1, so each subchannel consists of one interlace, with interlace 0 for subchannel 0, interlace 1 for subchannel 1, interlace 2 for subchannel 2, interlace 3 for subchannel 3, interlace 4 for subchannel 4, and so on. In example setting 310, K=5, so each subchannel consists of five interlaces, with the first set of five consecutive interlaces 0-4 for subchannel 0, the second set of five consecutive interlaces 0-4 for subchannel 1, and so on.

[0074] In an exemplary configuration where SCS=15KHz and each RB set contains 100-110 RBs, the set of candidate numbers for RB interlacing when SCS=15KHz is {1,2,5,10}. Similarly, the value of K is selected from {1,2,5,10} and is indicated by the RRC parameter.

[0075] In some embodiments, subchannels of inconsistent size may be defined and supported within the RB set for sidelink communication. Figure 4A is a schematic diagram showing an exemplary configuration of subchannels in a sidelink according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 4A, the RB set associated with sidelink communication may include three subchannels 0-2, where subchannel 0 and subchannel 1 each consist of two interlaces (i.e., K=2) and subchannel 2 consists of one interlace (i.e., K'=1).

[0076] To support the same TBS across multiple transmissions or retransmissions, in some exemplary embodiments, the first terminal device 110 may assume, when determining the TBS, that each subchannel has the same number of RB interlaces. For example, a first number (e.g., M) of RB interlaces may be assumed across all subchannels. In this case, the assumed subchannels for TBS determination may differ from the actual subchannels set up for sidelink communication, and the assumed subchannel size is used solely for TBS determination. Additionally, or selectively, the first terminal device 110 may further adjust the coding rate based on the determined TBS.

[0077] In some embodiments, the first number M may be the value of K, the value of K', the average value of K or K', the average number of interlaces across all subchannels in the RB set, or any other suitable value as pre-set. In the example in Figure 4A, M is selected from {1, 3 / 2, 5 / 3, 2}.

[0078] FIG. 4B is a schematic diagram showing an exemplary configuration 410 for interlace RB-based communication in sidelink according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 4B, for a first transmission that refers to the transmission of a relatively earlier TB and may be either an initial transmission or a retransmission, subchannel 0 and subchannel 1 are each composed of two interlaces (i.e., K = 2), and subchannel 2 is composed of one interlace (i.e., K' = 1). When determining the TBS for a second transmission that refers to the transmission of a later TB in time and may be a retransmission, subchannel 2 is considered to have an interlace of K = 2. In other words, even for a subchannel that includes a relatively small number of interlaces (i.e., K' < K), the first terminal device 110 assumes that the subchannel includes M interlaces when determining the TBS.

[0079] In some embodiments, the first terminal device 110 may indicate the number of interlaces of each subchannel of the PSSCH for different transmissions of the TB via sidelink control information (SCI). In this case, the number of interlaces may be maintained the same over a plurality of transmissions or retransmissions of the TB for TBS determination. In this case, upon receiving the SCI, the second terminal device 120 knows the interlace size of each interlace for each transmission of the plurality of transmissions of the TB.

[0080] Furthermore, the number of PRBs included in one RB interlace may also be considered in the determination of the TBS. In some embodiments, a consistent interlace size is defined and supported for sidelink communication. For example, an interlace size of 10 PRBs may be allowed across all RB sets. In this case, the TBS may be maintained the same among a plurality of transmissions of the TB.

[0081] As another example, the first terminal device 110 may allow a consistent interlace size of 10 PRB or 11 PRB per RB set. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing an exemplary configuration 500 for interlaced RB-based communication in a sidelink according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 5, interlace 0 and interlace 1 each consist of 11 PRBs, and the remaining interlaces 2-9 each consist of 10 PRBs. To maintain consistency in interlace size in TBS determination, the first terminal device 110 does not use the last few PRBs. These last few PRBs may be determined as (N_PRB mod 5) when SCS=30KHz and (N_PRB mod 10) when SCS=15KHz, where N_PRB is the number of PRBs in the RB set.

[0082] Additionally, or alternatively, in the above embodiment, one RB set may be associated with an interlace size of 10PRB, and another RB set may be associated with an interlace size of 11PRB. In this case, the first terminal device 110 may always use an RB set having the same interlace size for multiple transmissions of the same TB.

[0083] In some embodiments, inconsistent interlace sizes are defined and supported for sidelink communication. In this case, the first terminal device 110 may allow two interlace sizes, for example, 10PRB and 11PRB. To support the same TBS for multiple TB transmissions, the first terminal device 110 may assume, when determining the TBS, that each subchannel contains the same number of PRBs. For example, each interlace may be assumed to contain a predefined number (e.g., N) of PRBs. Thus, the assumed interlace size for TBS determination may differ from the actual interlace size set for sidelink communication, and the assumed interlace size is used only for TBS determination. In addition, or selectively, the first terminal device 110 may further adjust the coding rate based on the determined TBS.

[0084] In some embodiments, the predefined number N may be any of the actual interlace sizes (e.g., 10PRB, 11PRB, etc.), the average of the actual interlace sizes, or any appropriate interlace size set in advance. In the example in Figure 5, N is selected from {10, 10.5, 11}.

[0085] In some embodiments, when determining the TBS for a TB retransmission, the first terminal device 110 may directly use the TBS determined or used for the initial transmission or previous retransmission. In this case, the transmitting device does not need to recalculate the TBS based on the PRB or RE, further reducing the complexity and overhead of the calculation.

[0086] Alternatively, in some embodiments, the first terminal device 110 may, via the SCI, indicate the number of PRBs for each interlace of the PSSCH for different transmissions of the TB. In this case, the number of PRBs for each interlace may be kept the same across multiple transmissions or retransmissions of the TB for TBS determination. In this case, upon receiving the SCI, the second terminal device 120 knows the number of PRBs for each interlace.

[0087] From the perspective of the second terminal device 120, the target criterion is also used when determining the TBS, so the same TBS is obtained for multiple TB transmissions. This point will be explained in detail below with reference to Figure 6.

[0088] Please understand that the examples, settings, and structures in Figures 3A to 5 are provided for illustrative purposes only. There are many variations in resource allocation in the frequency domain, and the scope of this disclosure is not limited to these.

[0089] This solution enables consistent and deterministic TBS for multiple PSSCH transmissions in sidelinks, which is particularly effective for resource determination and blind decoding in SL-U. In this way, interlaced resource block (RB)-based transmission improves communication reliability, TBS determination, blind decoding, and resource efficiency.

[0090] Figure 6 shows a flowchart of an exemplary method 600 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Method 600 can be implemented in any suitable terminal device. For convenience of explanation, Method 600 will be described with reference to Figure 1. For example, Method 600 may be implemented in a second terminal device 120.

[0091] In block 610, the second terminal device 120 determines a subchannel. The subchannel contains a first number of RB interlaces, and each of the first number of RB interlaces has a target interlace size.

[0092] In block 620, the second terminal device 120 determines the TBS for at least one transmission of TB for sidelink communication based on a target criterion associated with the subchannel. The at least one transmission may be based on an interlaced RB-based transmission.

[0093] For example, at least one transmission of a TB may include at least one of the following: an initial transmission of a TB and at least one retransmission of a TB.

[0094] In some embodiments, the target criterion may be predetermined in the first terminal device 110 and the second terminal device 120. Alternatively, or additionally, the target criterion may be indicated via at least one RRC parameter.

[0095] In some embodiments, at least one RB set may be allocated for sidelink communication. A first number of RB interlaces exist within each of at least one RB set or across multiple RB sets.

[0096] In some embodiments, the second terminal device 120 may receive a setting of a first number of RB interlaces for a subchannel from a set of candidate numbers of RB interlaces, the set of candidate numbers corresponding to a subcarrier space for at least one RB set. The second terminal device 120 may then determine the TBS based on the first number of RB interlaces.

[0097] In some embodiments, the second terminal device 120 may determine the TBS based on the first number of RB interlaces and the target interlace size.

[0098] In some embodiments, each of the at least one RB set may be associated with its respective interlace size, and at least one transmission of TB may include multiple transmissions of TB. In this case, the second terminal device 120 may determine the TBS for each of the multiple transmissions based on the at least one RB set associated with the same interlace size.

[0099] In some embodiments, at least one RB set may include at least a first RB set and a second RB set, the first RB set being associated with a first interlace size, and the second RB set being associated with a second interlace size, the first interlace size being different from the second interlace size. In this case, the second terminal device 120 may determine a target interlace size for each interlace of at least one RB set. The target interlace size may be one of the first interlace size, the second interlace size, and the average of the first and second interlace sizes. The second terminal device 120 may then determine the TBS based on a first number of RB interlaces and the target interlace size.

[0100] In some embodiments, at least one transmission of TB may include multiple transmissions of TB. In this case, the second terminal device 120 may receive from the first terminal device 110 an SCI indicating the target interlace size for each interlace for transmitting each of the multiple transmissions of TB.

[0101] In some embodiments, the RB set associated with sidelink communication may include a second subchannel containing a second number of RB interlaces and a third subchannel containing a third number of RB interlaces different from the second number.

[0102] In some embodiments, the second terminal device 120 may determine a first number of RB interlaces for each subchannel of the RB set. The first number may be one of a second number, a third number, and the average of the second and third numbers. The second terminal device 120 may determine the TBS based on the first number of RB interlaces.

[0103] In some embodiments, at least one transmission of TB includes multiple transmissions of TB. In this case, the second terminal device 120 may receive from the first terminal device 110 an SCI indicating a first number of RB interlaces for each subchannel for transmitting each of the multiple transmissions of TB.

[0104] In some embodiments, at least one transmission of a TB includes at least one retransmission of a TB. In this case, the second terminal device 120 may determine the TBS for the previous transmission of the TB as the TBS for at least one retransmission of the TB. The previous transmission may include one of the initial transmission and the previous retransmission of the TB.

[0105] In block 630, the second terminal device 120 receives at least one TB transmission from the first terminal device 110 based on the TBS.

[0106] A detailed explanation of the improvements to continuous RB-based transmission in sidelinks is provided below. This solution improves resource utilization efficiency because subchannels are defined individually for each RB set based on the RB set configuration.

[0107] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary configuration for continuous RB-based communication in a sidelink according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 7, in the frequency domain, the resource pool 700 may include a plurality of RB sets 710-730. Additionally, the resource pool 700 may consist of a set of consecutive subchannels 712-716, 722-726, and 732-736, each defined within the plurality of RB sets 710-730.

[0108] Referring to Figure 8, which shows a flowchart of a process 800 for communication according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. For convenience of explanation, the process 800 will be described with reference to Figure 1. The process 800 is performed in a first terminal device 110 and may involve a second terminal device 120.

[0109] In process 800, sidelink communication between the first terminal device 110 and the second terminal device 120 is performed based on continuous RB-based transmission. In block 810, the first terminal device 110 obtains subchannel settings for the RB set to be allocated for sidelink communication.

[0110] In block 820, the first terminal device 110 determines a set of subchannels for each of the at least one set of RBs based on the subchannel settings and the settings of at least one RB set. In this case, the starting position of the set of subchannels coincides with the starting position of each RB set in the frequency domain.

[0111] In some embodiments, the first terminal device 110 starts the RB for each RB set having indices as follows (for example, TIFF0007856216000003.tif919) and termination RB (for example, TIFF0007856216000004.tif820) can be determined, and here, It is TIFF0007856216000005.tif858, TIFF0007856216000006.tif730 represents the number of guard bands within the cell. TIFF0007856216000007.tif41168 Here, μ is the SCS setting, TIFF0007856216000008.tif915 is a carrier size, TIFF0007856216000009.tif916 is the starting RB of the resource block grid, TIFF0007856216000010.tif821 is the size of the corresponding guard band. TIFF0007856216000011.tif821 is the starting RB of the corresponding guard band.

[0112] In some exemplary embodiments, the subchannel configuration includes, but is not limited to, the number of consecutive subchannels within each RB set, the size of the subchannels, etc. And the first terminal device 110 may individually determine the number of subchannels within each RB set of the determined RB sets. In the frequency domain, each RB set may be composed of sl-NumSubchannelwithinRBSet consecutive subchannels. A subchannel may be composed of sl-SubchannelSizewithinRBSet consecutive PRBs, where sl-NumSubchannelwithinRBSet and sl-SubchannelSizewithinRBSet are upper layer parameters.

[0113] In each of the RB sets 710 to 730, for subchannel m where m = 0, 1,..., sl-NumSubchannelwithinRBSet - 1, the number of PRBs n for j = 0, 1,..., n subCHsize - 1 PRB = n subCHRBstart + m·n subCHsize + j for n subCHsize may be composed of a set of n consecutive RBs, where n subCHsize is given by the upper layer parameter sl-SubchannelSizewithinRBSet, and n subCHRBstart is the start CRB index of each determined RB set respectively.

[0114] Neither the first terminal device 110 nor the second terminal device 120 is expected to use the last few PRBs within the RB set (for example, the PRBs 740 and 742 that can be determined as N PRB mod n subCHsize , and NPRB is the number of PRBs in each RB set of the RB sets 710 to 730).

[0115] In block 830, the first terminal device 110 transmits at least one transmission of the TB to the second terminal device 120 based on a set of subchannels.

[0116] In some embodiments, for continuous PRB-based transmission, in order to use N (N ≤ M) consecutive RB sets, it is necessary to perform Listen-Before-Talk (LBT) on multiple RB sets containing at least M consecutive RB sets.

[0117] In some embodiments, PRBs 740 and 742 between consecutive RB sets 710-730 are permitted for transmission or reception. In this case, PRBs 740 and 742 are considered partial subchannels, and subchannels 712-716, 722-726, and 732-736 are considered full subchannels. Terminal device 110 may transmit an SCI containing a frequency resource indication (FRIV) to indicate the partial subchannels 740 and 742 between two consecutive RB sets 710-730. Thus, a second terminal device 120 may decode the FRIV from the SCI to know the final resource allocation.

[0118] Alternatively, or additionally, in some other embodiments, PRBs 740 and 742 between consecutive RB sets 710-730 are permitted for transmission or reception. The first terminal device 110 may ignore the PRBs between two consecutive RB sets and transmit an SCI containing a FRIV indicating only the full subchannels 712-716, 722-726, and 732-736 within the RB set. Thus, the second terminal device 120 may decode the FRIV from the SCI, know the indicated subchannels 712-716, 722-726, and 732-736, and assume that PRBs 740 and 742 between the assigned subchannels are included in the ultimately allocated resource.

[0119] From the perspective of the second terminal device 120, the same subchannel settings are used, and therefore the same set of subchannels is acquired for sidelink communication. This will be explained in detail below with reference to Figure 9.

[0120] Please understand that the examples, settings, and structures in Figure 7 are provided for illustrative purposes only. There are many variations in resource allocation in the frequency domain, and the scope of this disclosure is not limited to these.

[0121] Figure 9 shows a flowchart of an exemplary method 900 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Method 900 can be implemented in any suitable terminal device. For convenience of explanation, Method 900 will be described with reference to Figure 1. For example, Method 900 may be implemented in a second terminal device 120.

[0122] In block 910, the second terminal device 120 obtains subchannel settings for the resource block (RB) set to be allocated for sidelink communication.

[0123] In some embodiments, the subchannel setting is an RRC parameter that may include at least one of the number of targets for subchannels in a set and the target size for each subchannel in the set of subchannels.

[0124] In block 920, the second terminal device 120 determines a set of subchannels for each of the at least one set of RBs based on the subchannel settings and the settings of at least one RB set. The starting position of the set of subchannels coincides with the starting position of each RB set in the frequency domain.

[0125] In some embodiments, the second terminal device 120 may determine at least a starting position in the frequency domain for each RB set of at least one RB set based on the settings of at least one RB set. The second terminal device 120 may then determine a set of subchannels that start from the starting position of each RB set of at least one RB set and distribute a number of target subchannels consecutively within each RB set of at least one RB set, each of which has a target size.

[0126] In block 930, the second terminal device 120 receives at least one transmission of TB from the first terminal device 110 based on a set of subchannels.

[0127] In some embodiments, the second terminal device 120 may receive TB transmissions in multiple consecutive RB sets in the frequency domain.

[0128] In some embodiments, the second terminal device 120 may receive frequency resource instructions (e.g., FRIV) for the first subchannel within a plurality of consecutive RB sets from the first terminal device 110.

[0129] In addition, or alternatively, in some embodiments, the frequency resource indication may further indicate at least one second subchannel between two consecutive RB sets.

[0130] Figure 10 is a schematic block diagram of a device 1000 suitable for carrying out embodiments of the present disclosure. Device 1000 can be considered another exemplary implementation of the first terminal device 110 or the second terminal device 120 shown in Figure 1. Thus, device 1000 may be implemented in or as part of the first terminal device 110 or the second terminal device 120.

[0131] As shown in the figure, the device 1000 comprises a processor 1010, a memory 1020 coupled to the processor 1010, a suitable transmitter (TX) / receiver (RX) 1040 coupled to the processor 1010, and a communication interface coupled to the TX / RX 1040. The memory 1010 stores at least a portion of the program 1030. The TX / RX 1040 is for bidirectional communication. The TX / RX 1040 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication, although in practice the access node referred to in this disclosure may have multiple antennas. The communication interface may represent any interface necessary for communication with other network elements, such as the X2 / Xn interface for bidirectional communication between eNBs / gNBs, the S1 / NG interface for communication between Mobility Management Entity (MME) / Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) / SGW / UPF and eNBs / gNBs, the Un interface for communication between eNBs / gNBs and relay nodes (RNs), or the Uu interface for communication between eNBs / gNBs and terminal devices.

[0132] Program 1030 is assumed to include program instructions that, when executed by the associated processor 1010, enable the device 1000 to operate according to embodiments of the disclosure, as described in this disclosure with reference to Figures 1 to 9. Embodiments in this disclosure may be implemented by computer software executable by the processor 1010 of the device 1000, by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. The processor 1010 may be configured to implement various embodiments of the disclosure. Furthermore, a combination of the processor 1010 and memory 1020 may form processing means 1050 suitable for implementing various embodiments of the disclosure.

[0133] Memory 1020 may, in non-limiting examples, be any type suitable for a local technology network and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as non-temporary computer-readable storage media, semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory and removable memory. Although only one memory 1020 is shown for device 1000, device 1000 may have multiple physically different memory modules. Processor 1010 may, in non-limiting examples, be any type suitable for a local technology network and may include one or more of general-purpose computers, dedicated computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), and processors based on multicore processor architectures. Device 1000 may have multiple processors, such as application-specific integrated circuit chips that are temporally slewn to a clock that synchronizes the main processor.

[0134] In some embodiments, a communication device (e.g., a first terminal device) comprises a circuit configured to determine a subchannel including a first number of resource block (RB) interlaces, each of which has a target interlace size; to determine a transport block size (TBS) for at least one transmission of transport blocks (TBs) for sidelink communication based on a target criterion associated with the subchannel; and to transmit at least one transmission of TBs to another terminal device (e.g., a second terminal device) based on the TBS.

[0135] In some embodiments, at least one RB set is allocated for sidelink communication. A first number of RB interlaces exist within each of the at least one RB set or across multiple RB sets.

[0136] In some embodiments, the circuit is configured to determine the TBS based on a target criterion by receiving a setting of a first number of RB interlaces for a subchannel from a set of candidate numbers of RB interlaces, the set of candidate numbers corresponding to a subcarrier space for at least one RB set, and determining the TBS based on the first number of RB interlaces.

[0137] In some embodiments, the circuit is configured to determine the TBS based on a target criterion by determining the TBS based on a first number of RB interlaces and the target interlace size.

[0138] In some embodiments, each of the at least one set of RBs is associated with its respective interlace size, and at least one transmission of TB includes multiple transmissions of TB. The circuit is configured to determine the TBS based on a target criterion by determining the TBS for each of the multiple transmissions based on the at least one set of RBs associated with the same interlace size.

[0139] In some embodiments, at least one RB set includes at least a first RB set and a second RB set, the first RB set being associated with a first interlace size, the second RB set being associated with a second interlace size, and the first interlace size being different from the second interlace size. The circuit is configured to determine TBS based on a target criterion by determining a target interlace size for each interlace in at least one RB set, which is one of the first interlace size, the second interlace size, and the average of the first and second interlace sizes, and determining TBS based on a first number of RB interlaces and the target interlace size.

[0140] In some embodiments, at least one transmission of TB includes a plurality of transmissions of TB. The circuit is further configured to transmit sidelink control information (SCI) to another communication device, which indicates the target interlace size for each interlace for transmitting each of the plurality of transmissions of TB.

[0141] In some embodiments, the RB set associated with sidelink communication includes a second subchannel containing a second number of RB interlaces and a third subchannel containing a third number of RB interlaces different from the second number.

[0142] In some embodiments, the circuit is configured to determine TBS based on a target criterion by determining a first number of RB interlaces for each subchannel of an RB set, wherein the first number is one of a second number, a third number, and the average of the second and third numbers, and determining TBS based on the first number of RB interlaces.

[0143] In some embodiments, at least one transmission of TB includes a plurality of transmissions of TB. The circuit is configured to transmit an SCI to another communication device indicating a first number of RB interlaces for each subchannel for transmitting each of the plurality of transmissions of TB.

[0144] In some embodiments, at least one transmission of a TB includes at least one retransmission of a TB. The circuit is configured to determine the TBS based on a target criterion by determining the TBS for a previous transmission of a TB as the TBS for at least one retransmission of a TB, wherein the previous transmission includes one of the initial transmission and the previous retransmission of a TB.

[0145] In some embodiments, at least one transmission of TB includes at least one of an initial transmission of TB and at least one retransmission of TB.

[0146] In some embodiments, the target criteria are predetermined in the communication device and another communication device.

[0147] In some embodiments, the target criterion is indicated via at least one radio resource control (RRC) parameter.

[0148] In some embodiments, a communication device (e.g., a second terminal device) comprises a circuit configured to determine a subchannel including a first number of resource block (RB) interlaces, each of which has a target interlace size; to determine a transport block size (TBS) for at least one transmission of transport blocks (TBs) for sidelink communication based on a target criterion associated with the subchannel; and to receive at least one transmission of TBs from another communication device (e.g., a first terminal device) based on the TBS.

[0149] In some embodiments, at least one RB set is allocated for sidelink communication, and a first number of RB interlaces exist within each of the at least one RB set or across multiple RB sets.

[0150] In some embodiments, the TBS is determined based on a target criterion by receiving a setting of a first number of RB interlaces for a subchannel from a set of candidate numbers of RB interlaces, wherein the set of candidate numbers corresponds to a subcarrier space for at least one RB set, and determining the TBS based on the first number of RB interlaces.

[0151] In some embodiments, the circuit is configured to determine the TBS based on a target criterion by determining the TBS based on a first number of RB interlaces and the target interlace size.

[0152] In some embodiments, each of the at least one set of RBs is associated with its respective interlace size, and at least one transmission of TB includes multiple transmissions of TB. The circuit is configured to determine the TBS based on a target criterion by determining the TBS for each of the multiple transmissions based on the at least one set of RBs associated with the same interlace size.

[0153] In some embodiments, at least one RB set includes at least a first RB set and a second RB set, the first RB set being associated with a first interlace size, the second RB set being associated with a second interlace size, and the first interlace size being different from the second interlace size. The circuit is configured to determine TBS based on a target criterion by determining a target interlace size for each interlace in at least one RB set, which is one of the first interlace size, the second interlace size, and the average of the first and second interlace sizes, and determining TBS based on a first number of RB interlaces and the target interlace size.

[0154] In some embodiments, at least one transmission of TB includes a plurality of transmissions of TB. The circuit is further configured to receive sidelink control information (SCI) from another communication device, which indicates the target interlace size for each interlace for transmitting each of the plurality of transmissions of TB.

[0155] In some embodiments, the RB set associated with sidelink communication includes a second subchannel containing a second number of RB interlaces and a third subchannel containing a third number of RB interlaces different from the second number.

[0156] In some embodiments, the circuit is configured to determine TBS based on a target criterion by determining a first number of RB interlaces for each subchannel of an RB set, wherein the first number is one of a second number, a third number, and the average of the second and third numbers, and determining TBS based on the first number of RB interlaces.

[0157] In some embodiments, at least one transmission of TB includes a plurality of transmissions of TB. The circuit is further configured to receive an SCI from another communication device indicating a first number of RB interlaces for each subchannel for transmitting each of the plurality of transmissions of TB.

[0158] In some embodiments, at least one transmission of a TB includes at least one retransmission of a TB. The circuit is configured to determine the TBS based on a target criterion by determining the TBS for a previous transmission of a TB as the TBS for at least one retransmission of a TB, wherein the previous transmission includes one of the initial transmission and the previous retransmission of a TB.

[0159] In some embodiments, at least one transmission of TB includes at least one of an initial transmission of TB and at least one retransmission of TB.

[0160] In some embodiments, the target criteria are predetermined in the communication device and another communication device.

[0161] In some embodiments, the target criterion is indicated via at least one radio resource control (RRC) parameter.

[0162] In some embodiments, a communication device (e.g., a first terminal device) comprises a circuit configured to: obtain subchannel settings for a set of resource blocks (RBs) allocated for sidelink communication; determine a set of subchannels for each of at least one set of RBs based on the subchannel settings and the settings for at least one set of RBs, such that the start position of the set of subchannels coincides with the start position of each set of RBs in the frequency domain; and transmit at least one transmission of transport blocks (TBs) to another communication device based on the set of subchannels.

[0163] In some embodiments, the subchannel setting is an RRC parameter that includes at least one of the number of targets for subchannels in a set and the target size for each subchannel in the set of subchannels.

[0164] In some embodiments, the circuit is configured to determine a set of subchannels by: determining at least a starting position in the frequency domain for each RB set of at least one RB set based on the settings of at least one RB set; and determining a set of subchannels including a target number of subchannels to be distributed consecutively within each RB set of at least one RB set, starting from the starting position of each RB set of at least one RB set, wherein each of the target number of subchannels has a target size.

[0165] In some embodiments, the circuit is configured to transmit at least one transmission of TB by transmitting a transmission of TB in multiple consecutive sets of RBs in the frequency domain.

[0166] In some embodiments, the circuit is further configured to transmit frequency resource instructions for a first subchannel within a plurality of consecutive RB sets to another communication device.

[0167] In some embodiments, the frequency resource indication further indicates at least one second subchannel between two consecutive RB sets.

[0168] In some embodiments, a communication device (e.g., a second terminal device) comprises a circuit configured to acquire subchannel settings for a set of resource blocks (RBs) allocated for sidelink communication; determine a set of subchannels for each of at least one set of RBs based on the subchannel settings and the settings for at least one set of RBs, such that the start position of the set of subchannels coincides with the start position of each set of RBs in the frequency domain; and receive at least one transmission of transport blocks (TBs) from another communication device based on the set of subchannels.

[0169] In some embodiments, the subchannel setting is an RRC parameter that includes at least one of the number of targets for subchannels in a set and the target size for each subchannel in the set of subchannels.

[0170] In some embodiments, the circuit is configured to determine a set of subchannels by: determining at least a starting position in the frequency domain for each RB set of at least one RB set based on the settings of at least one RB set; and determining a set of subchannels including a target number of subchannels to be distributed consecutively within each RB set of at least one RB set, starting from the starting position of each RB set of at least one RB set, wherein each of the target number of subchannels has a target size.

[0171] In some embodiments, the circuit is configured to receive at least one transmission of TB by receiving transmissions of TB in multiple consecutive sets of RB in the frequency domain.

[0172] In some embodiments, the circuit is further configured to receive frequency resource instructions for a first subchannel within a plurality of consecutive RB sets from another communication device.

[0173] In some embodiments, the frequency resource indication further indicates at least one second subchannel between two consecutive RB sets.

[0174] As used in this disclosure, the term “circuit” may refer to a hardware circuit and / or a combination of a hardware circuit and software. For example, a circuit may be a combination of an analog and / or digital hardware circuit and software / firmware. As another example, a circuit may be any part of a hardware processor having software, the hardware processor including (multiple) digital signal processors, software, and (multiple) memories, which work together to enable a device such as a terminal or network device to perform various functions. In yet another example, a circuit may be a hardware circuit and / or processor, such as a microprocessor or a part of a microprocessor, which requires software / firmware to operate, but the software may not be present when not required for operation. As used in this disclosure, the term “circuit” may also include simply a hardware circuit or (multiple) processors or a part of a hardware circuit or (multiple) processors and the implementation of the software and / or firmware associated with it (or them).

[0175] In summary, embodiments of this disclosure provide the following solutions.

[0176] One solution provides a communication method comprising: determining a subchannel in a first terminal device that includes a first number of resource block (RB) interlaces, each of which has a target interlace size; determining a transport block size (TBS) for at least one transmission of transport blocks (TB) for sidelink communication based on a target criterion associated with the subchannel; and transmitting at least one transmission of TB to a second terminal device based on the TBS.

[0177] In some embodiments, at least one RB set is allocated for sidelink communication, and a first number of RB interlaces exist within each of the at least one RB set or across multiple RB sets.

[0178] In some embodiments, determining the TBS based on a target criterion includes receiving a setting of a first number of RB interlaces for a subchannel from a set of candidate numbers of RB interlaces, the set of candidate numbers corresponding to a subcarrier space for at least one RB set, and determining the TBS based on the first number of RB interlaces.

[0179] In some embodiments, determining the TBS based on a target criterion includes determining the TBS based on a first number of RB interlaces and the target interlace size.

[0180] In some embodiments, each of the at least one set of RBs is associated with its respective interlace size, and at least one transmission of TB comprises multiple transmissions of TB, and determining the TBS based on a target criterion includes determining the TBS for each transmission of the multiple transmissions based on at least one set of RBs associated with the same interlace size.

[0181] In some embodiments, at least one RB set comprises at least a first RB set and a second RB set, the first RB set being associated with a first interlace size, the second RB set being associated with a second interlace size, the first interlace size being different from the second interlace size, and determining the TBS based on a target criterion includes determining a target interlace size for each interlace in at least one RB set, the target interlace size being one of the first interlace size, the second interlace size, and the average of the first and second interlace sizes, and determining the TBS based on a first number of RB interlaces and the target interlace size.

[0182] In some embodiments, at least one transmission of TB comprises a plurality of transmissions of TB. The method further includes transmitting sidelink control information (SCI) to a second terminal device, which indicates the target interlace size for each interlace for transmitting each of the plurality of transmissions of TB.

[0183] In some embodiments, the RB set associated with sidelink communication includes a second subchannel containing a second number of RB interlaces and a third subchannel containing a third number of RB interlaces different from the second number.

[0184] In some embodiments, determining the TBS based on a target criterion includes determining a first number of RB interlaces for each subchannel of an RB set, wherein the first number is one of a second number, a third number, and the average of the second and third numbers, and determining the TBS based on the first number of RB interlaces.

[0185] In some embodiments, at least one transmission of TB comprises a plurality of transmissions of TB. The method includes transmitting an SCI to a second terminal device indicating a first number of RB interlaces for each subchannel for transmitting each of the plurality of transmissions of TB.

[0186] In some embodiments, at least one transmission of TB includes at least one retransmission of TB, and determining the TBS based on a target criterion includes determining the TBS for a previous transmission of TB as the TBS for at least one retransmission of TB, wherein the previous transmission includes one of the initial transmission and the previous retransmission of TB.

[0187] In some embodiments, at least one transmission of TB includes at least one of an initial transmission of TB and at least one retransmission of TB.

[0188] In some embodiments, the target criteria are predetermined in the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0189] In some embodiments, the target criterion is indicated via at least one radio resource control (RRC) parameter.

[0190] In another solution, the communication method includes determining a subchannel in a second terminal device that includes a first number of resource block (RB) interlaces, each of the first number of RB interlaces having a target interlace size, determining a transport block size (TBS) for at least one transmission of transport blocks (TB) for sidelink communication based on a target criterion associated with the subchannel, and receiving at least one transmission of TB from the first terminal device based on the TBS.

[0191] In some embodiments, at least one RB set is allocated for sidelink communication, and a first number of RB interlaces exist within each of the at least one RB set or across multiple RB sets.

[0192] In some embodiments, determining the TBS based on a target criterion includes receiving a setting of a first number of RB interlaces for a subchannel from a set of candidate numbers of RB interlaces, the set of candidate numbers corresponding to a subcarrier space for at least one RB set, and determining the TBS based on the first number of RB interlaces.

[0193] In some embodiments, determining the TBS based on a target criterion includes determining the TBS based on a first number of RB interlaces and the target interlace size.

[0194] In some embodiments, each of the at least one set of RBs is associated with its respective interlace size, and at least one transmission of TB comprises multiple transmissions of TB, and determining the TBS based on a target criterion includes determining the TBS for each transmission of the multiple transmissions based on at least one set of RBs associated with the same interlace size.

[0195] In some embodiments, at least one RB set comprises at least a first RB set and a second RB set, the first RB set being associated with a first interlace size, the second RB set being associated with a second interlace size, the first interlace size being different from the second interlace size, and determining the TBS based on a target criterion includes determining a target interlace size for each interlace in at least one RB set, the target interlace size being one of the first interlace size, the second interlace size, and the average of the first and second interlace sizes, and determining the TBS based on a first number of RB interlaces and the target interlace size.

[0196] In some embodiments, at least one transmission of TB comprises a plurality of transmissions of TB. The method further includes receiving sidelink control information (SCI) from a first terminal device, which indicates the target interlace size for each interlace for transmitting each of the plurality of transmissions of TB.

[0197] In some embodiments, the RB set associated with sidelink communication includes a second subchannel containing a second number of RB interlaces and a third subchannel containing a third number of RB interlaces different from the second number.

[0198] In some embodiments, determining the TBS based on a target criterion includes determining a first number of RB interlaces for each subchannel of an RB set, wherein the first number is one of a second number, a third number, and the average of the second and third numbers, and determining the TBS based on the first number of RB interlaces.

[0199] In some embodiments, at least one transmission of TB comprises a plurality of transmissions of TB. The method includes receiving an SCI from a first terminal device indicating a first number of RB interlaces for each subchannel for transmitting each of the plurality of transmissions of TB.

[0200] In some embodiments, at least one transmission of TB includes at least one retransmission of TB, and determining the TBS based on a target criterion includes determining the TBS for a previous transmission of TB as the TBS for at least one retransmission of TB, wherein the previous transmission includes one of the initial transmission and the previous retransmission of TB.

[0201] In some embodiments, at least one transmission of TB includes at least one of an initial transmission of TB and at least one retransmission of TB.

[0202] In some embodiments, the target criteria are predetermined in the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0203] In some embodiments, the target criterion is indicated via at least one radio resource control (RRC) parameter.

[0204] In another solution, the communication method includes: a first terminal device obtaining subchannel settings for a set of resource blocks (RBs) allocated for sidelink communication; determining a set of subchannels for each of at least one set of RBs based on the subchannel settings and the settings for at least one set of RBs, such that the starting position of the set of subchannels coincides with the starting position of each set of RBs in the frequency domain; and transmitting at least one transport block (TB) transmission to a second terminal device based on the set of subchannels.

[0205] In some embodiments, the subchannel setting is an RRC parameter that includes at least one of the number of targets for subchannels in a set and the target size for each subchannel in the set of subchannels.

[0206] In some embodiments, determining a set of subchannels includes determining at least a starting position in the frequency domain for each RB set of at least one RB set, based on the configuration of at least one RB set, and determining a set of subchannels that include a target number of subchannels to be distributed consecutively within each RB set of at least one RB set, starting from the starting position of each RB set of at least one RB set, wherein each of the target number of subchannels has a target size.

[0207] In some embodiments, transmitting at least one TB transmission includes transmitting TB transmissions in multiple consecutive RB sets in the frequency domain.

[0208] In some embodiments, the method further includes transmitting frequency resource instructions for a first subchannel in a plurality of consecutive RB sets to a second communication device.

[0209] In some embodiments, the frequency resource indication further indicates at least one second subchannel between two consecutive RB sets.

[0210] In another solution, the communication method includes: a second terminal device obtaining subchannel settings for a set of resource blocks (RBs) allocated for sidelink communication; determining a set of subchannels for each of at least one set of RBs based on the subchannel settings and the settings for at least one set of RBs, such that the starting position of the set of subchannels coincides with the starting position of each set of RBs in the frequency domain; and receiving at least one transmission of transport blocks (TBs) from the first terminal device based on the set of subchannels.

[0211] In some embodiments, the subchannel setting is an RRC parameter that includes at least one of the number of targets for subchannels in a set and the target size for each subchannel in the set of subchannels.

[0212] In some embodiments, determining a set of subchannels includes determining at least a starting position in the frequency domain for each RB set of at least one RB set, based on the configuration of at least one RB set, and determining a set of subchannels that include a target number of subchannels to be distributed consecutively within each RB set of at least one RB set, starting from the starting position of each RB set of at least one RB set, wherein each of the target number of subchannels has a target size.

[0213] In some embodiments, receiving at least one TB transmission includes receiving TB transmissions in multiple consecutive RB sets in the frequency domain.

[0214] In some embodiments, the method further includes receiving frequency resource instructions for a first subchannel in a plurality of consecutive RB sets from a first communication device.

[0215] In some embodiments, the frequency resource indication further indicates at least one second subchannel between two consecutive RB sets.

[0216] In another solution, the communication device comprises at least one processor and at least one memory in which instructions are stored, and when the instructions are executed by at least one processor, the device causes the device to perform one of the methods described above.

[0217] Another solution is a computer-readable medium that, when executed on at least one processor, stores instructions that cause at least one processor to perform one of the methods described above.

[0218] Another solution is a computer program that, when run on at least one processor, contains instructions that cause at least one processor to perform one of the methods described above.

[0219] Generally, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuitry, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some embodiments may be implemented in hardware, while others may be implemented in firmware or software that can be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Various embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described using block diagrams, flowcharts, or any other pictorial representation, but it should be understood that the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described in the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuitry or logic, general-purpose hardware or controllers, or other computing devices, or any combination thereof, as non-limiting examples.

[0220] This disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-temporary computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions (such as computer-executable instructions contained in a program module) that are executed in the device on a target real processor or virtual processor to perform the processes or methods described above with reference to Figures 1 to 9. Generally, a program module includes routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc., that perform a specific task or implement a specific abstract data type. The functions of the program modules may be combined or divided among the program modules as desired in various embodiments. The machine-executable instructions to the program modules may be executed locally or in a distributed device. In a distributed device, the program modules may be located on both local and remote storage media.

[0221] Program code for carrying out the methods of this disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. This program code may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a dedicated computer, or other programmable data processing device, so that when executed by the processor or controller, the program code implements functions / operations specified in flowcharts and / or block diagrams. The program code may run entirely on a machine, partially on a machine, as a standalone software package, partially on a machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0222] The above program code may be embodied in a machine-readable medium, which may be any tangible medium that contains or can store a program for use by or with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The machine-readable medium may be a machine-readable signal medium or a machine-readable storage medium. The machine-readable medium includes, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, apparatus, or devices, or any suitable combination thereof. More specific examples of machine-readable storage media include electrical connections having one or more wires, portable computer disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fibers, portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination thereof.

[0223] Furthermore, although operations are described in a specific order, it should not be understood that such operations must be performed in a specific order indicated, or sequentially, or that all indicated operations must be performed in order to achieve the desired result. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although some specific implementation details are included in the above description, these should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of this disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to a particular embodiment. Certain features described in the context of individual embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented individually or in any suitable subcombination in multiple embodiments.

[0224] While this disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological logic and operation, it should be understood that this disclosure, limited to the appended claims, is not necessarily limited to the specific features or operations described above. Rather, the specific features and operations described above are disclosed as exemplary forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A means for receiving configuration information including a first number of interlaces per subchannel in a resource pool and a second number of physical resource blocks (PRBs) of one interlace in a set of resource blocks (RBs), For interlaced RB-based sidelink transmission, means for determining the transport block size (TBS) based on a first number of interlaces and a second number of PRBs in one interlace, A terminal device equipped with the following features.

2. For a 15 kHz subcarrier space, the first number is 1 or 2. For a 30 kHz subcarrier space, the aforementioned first number is 1. The terminal device according to claim 1.

3. The second number is 10 or 11. The terminal device according to claim 1.

4. A method performed by a terminal device, Receiving configuration information including a first number of interlaces per subchannel in the resource pool and a second number of physical resource blocks (PRBs) of one interlace in one set of resource blocks (RBs), For interlaced RB-based sidelink transmission, the transport block size (TBS) is determined based on the first number of interlaces and the second number of PRBs in one interlace, A method that includes this.

5. For a 15 kHz subcarrier space, the first number is 1 or 2. For a 30 kHz subcarrier space, the aforementioned first number is 1. The method according to claim 4.

6. The second number is 10 or 11. The method according to claim 4.

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