Resource allocation enhancement in beam‑based sidelink transmissions

Abstract

The present disclosure generally relates to sidelink resource allocation and exclusion for beam‑based sidelink transmissions. One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a method that includes: receiving an indication of a transmit beam to use for a sidelink transmission; using one or more receive beams associated with the transmit beam to monitor a plurality of candidate single‑slot resources; selecting at least one candidate single‑slot resource from the plurality of candidate single‑slot resources in accordance with a sidelink resource allocation scheme; and transmitting the sidelink transmission using the at least one candidate single‑slot resource.

Description

RESOURCE ALLOCATION ENHANCEMENT IN BEAM-BASED SIDELINK TRANSMISSIONSCROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 605,312, filed on December 1, 2023, entitled “RESOURCE ALLOCATION ENHANCEMENT IN BEAM-BASED SIDELINK TRANSMISSIONS,” which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.BACKGROUND

[0002] Wireless communication networks provide integrated communication platforms and telecommunication services to wireless user devices. Example telecommunication services include telephony, data (e.g., voice, audio, and / or video data), messaging, and / or other services. The wireless communication networks have wireless access nodes that exchange wireless signals with the wireless user devices using wireless network protocols, such as protocols described in various telecommunication standards promulgated by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Example wireless communication networks include time division multiple access (TDMA) networks, frequency-division multiple access (FDMA) networks, orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) networks, Long Term Evolution (LTE), and Fifth Generation New Radio (5G NR). The wireless communication networks facilitate mobile broadband service using technologies such as OFDM, multiple input multiple output (MIMO), advanced channel coding, massive MIMO, beamforming, and / or other features.SUMMARY

[0003] One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a method performed by a first user equipment (UE), the method including receiving a control message from a second UE at an antenna of the first UE; determining, from the received control message, a direction of the second UE relative to the first UE; determining an initial resource selection window comprising a plurality of candidate single-slot resources for transmission SM, each candidate single-slot resource for transmission, Rx,y,b, comprising a set of contiguous sub-channels LsubCH with sub-channel x+j in slot tySL, where j = 0, . . LsubCH-i with transmit beam (Tx beam) index Z>; transmitting data to the second UE using a selected resource for transmission from the plurality of candidate single-slot resources.

[0004] In some implementations, the Tx beam index b indicates a direction of a transmission beam for a candidate single-slot resource for transmission, Rx,y,b.

[0005] In some implementations, the method further includes obtaining an initial reference signal received power (RSRP) threshold for a received reference signal based on quality of service (QoS) of sidelink data to be transmitted; detecting a reference signal and determining the RSRP of the reference signal; and using the RSRP threshold to exclude candidate single-slot resources.

[0006] In some implementations, the method further includes defining a set of candidate single-slot resources SA that includes the plurality of candidate single-slot resources for transmission SM.

[0007] In some implementations, the method further includes performing sensing of received beams in each of a single direction of reception.

[0008] In some implementations, the method further includes excluding a candidate single-slot resource Rx,y,b from the set SA if the candidate single-slot resource Rx,y,b meets the following conditions: the first UE has not monitored slot ty'SLusing a receive beam B, which has overlap with a Tx beam index b, or which is equal to Tx beam index b, and wherein a sensing direction aligns with the Tx beam, and for any periodicity value in high layer parameter sl-ResourceReservePeriodList and a hypothetical SCI format 1-A received in slot tySLwith a resource reservation period field set to that periodicity value and indicating all sub-channels of the resource pool in this slot, condition c in step 6 would be met.

[0009] In some implementations, if the number of candidate single-slot resource Rx,y,b remaining in SA is smaller than a threshold value, the UE may forego reporting SA to MAC layer and indicate to the MAC layer to perform random resource selection.

[0010] In some implementations, the method further includes performing beam-based resource exclusion with a reference signal received power (RSRP) threshold depending on a received beam used for sensing.

[0011] In some implementations, the method further includes excluding a candidate single-slot resource Rx,y,b from the set SA if it meets all the following conditions: the first UE receives an SCI format 1-A in slot tyLwith a resource reservation period field (prsvp,RX) and a priority field (prioRX) an RSRP measurement performed for SCI format 1-A is higher than threshold Th(prioRX, prioTx), and the received beam is received in slot(s) t m'SL+, , where = 1, 2, q *rsVpRx. . ., Q, and determines the set of resource blocks and slots which overlaps with Rv, ,•h’r x>y+J*^rsvpTX’° for and j = 1, 2, . . ., Cresel~ 1.

[0012] In some implementations, the threshold Th(prioRX, prioTX) is dependent on the Rx beam used in sensing (e.g., ?) and the Tx beam (e.g., Z>) to be used for sidelink transmission.

[0013] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a UE including one or more processors and one or more storage devices on which are stored instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform any of the operations described herein.

[0014] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a non-transitory computer storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to perform any of the operations described herein.

[0015] The details of one or more embodiments of these systems and methods are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of these systems and methods will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0016] FIG. 1 illustrates an example communication system that supports sidelink communications, according to some implementations.

[0017] FIG. 2 is a process flow diagram of a resource allocation scheme for beam-based sidelink operations in frequency range 2 (FR2), according to some implementations.

[0018] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an example sidelink buffer status report (SL BSR) medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), according to some implementations.

[0019] FIG. 4 illustrates an example inter-UE coordination (IUC) information exchange between a first UE and a second UE, according to some implementations.

[0020] FIGs. 5-6 are schematic diagrams of example IUC request MAC-CEs, according to some implementations.

[0021] FIGS. 7-8 are schematic diagrams of example IUC information MAC-CEs, according to some implementations.

[0022] FIG. 9 illustrates an example user equipment (UE), according to some implementations.

[0023] FIG. 10 illustrates an example access node, according to some implementations.

[0024] FIG. 11 illustrates a flowchart of an example method, according to some implementations.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] This disclosure pertains to sidelink beam management, and more particularly to beam-based mechanisms for resource allocation in millimeter-wave (mmW) frequency ranges. Some wireless systems support different resource allocation strategies for sidelink communications. In Mode 1 (e.g., network-assisted resource allocation), the network is responsible for assigning / allocating sidelink resources to user equipment (UEs). In Mode 2 (e.g., autonomous resource allocation), UEs can autonomously select and reserve sidelink resources without direct assistance from the network. Existing resource selection techniques, however, may not be suitable for beam-based sidelink communications because they do not consider which transmit beam (Tx beam) and / or receive beam (Rx beam) is used for sensing, transmission, reception, etc.

[0026] Some aspects of the present disclosure involve modifying physical (PHY) layer and medium access control (MAC) layer operations for Mode 1 and Mode 2 sidelink resource selection to account for spatial information, such as the transmit or receive beam used for a particular sidelink transmission. For example, during Mode 2 resource selection, the MAC layer of a UE may provide the PHY layer with a Tx beam index for a sidelink transmission. In turn, the PHY layer of the UE can use this information to perform beam -based channel monitoring and resource exclusion. In Mode 1 resource selection, the UE may be configured to include the Tx beam index in a sidelink buffer status report (SL BSR). Additionally, or alternatively, the UE may be configured to include the Tx beam index in an inter-UE coordination (IUC) request message.

[0027] FIG. 1 illustrates an example communication system 100 that supports sidelink communications, according to some implementations. It is noted that the system of FIG. 1 is merely one example of a possible system, and that features of this disclosure can be implemented in other wireless communication systems.

[0028] The following description is provided for an example communication system that operates in conjunction with fifth generation (5G) networks as provided by 3GPP technical specifications. However, the example implementations are not limited in this regard and the described examples may apply to other networks that may benefit from the principles described herein, such as 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks, Wi-Fi or Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMaX) networks, and the like. Furthermore, other types of communication standards are possible, including future 3 GPP systems (e.g., SixthGeneration (6G)), IEEE 802.16 protocols, or the like. While aspects may be described herein using terminology commonly associated with 5G NR, aspects of the present disclosure can be applied to other systems, such as 3G, 4G, and / or systems subsequent to 5G (e.g., 6G).

[0029] Frequency bands for 5G NR may be separated into two different frequency ranges. Frequency Range 1 (FR1) includes frequency bands operating in sub-6 GHz frequencies, some of which are bands that may be used by previous standards, and may potentially be extended to cover new spectrum offerings from 410 MHz to 7125 MHz. Frequency Range 2 (FR2) includes frequency bands from 24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz. Bands in the mmW frequency range of FR2 may have smaller coverage but potentially higher available bandwidth than bands in the FR1.

[0030] As shown, the communication system 100 includes a number of user devices. More specifically, the communication system 100 includes two UEs 105 (UE 105-1 and UE 105-2 are collectively referred to as “UE 105” or “UEs 105”), two base stations 110 (base station 110-1 and base station 110-2 are collectively referred to as “base station 110” or “base stations 110”), two cells 115 (cell 115-1 and cell 115-2 are collectively referred to as “cell 115” or “cells 115”), and one or more servers 135 in a core network (CN) 140 that is connected to the Internet 145.

[0031] In some implementations, the UEs 105 can directly communicate with base stations 110 via links 120 (link 120-1 and link 120-2 are collectively referred to as “link 120” or “links 120”), which utilize a direct interface with the base stations referred to as a “Uu interface.” Each of the links 120 can represent one or more channels. The links 120 are illustrated as an air interface to enable communicative coupling, and can be consistent with cellular communication protocols, such as a GSM protocol, a CDMA network protocol, a UMTS protocol, a 3 GPP LTE protocol, an Advanced long term evolution (LTE-A) protocol, a LTE-based access to unlicensed spectrum (LTE-U), a 5G protocol, a NR protocol, an NR-based access to unlicensed spectrum (NR-U) protocol, and / or any of the other communications protocols discussed herein.

[0032] As shown, certain user devices may be able to conduct communications with one another directly, e.g., without an intermediary infrastructure device such as base station 110-1. In this example, UE 105-1 may conduct communications directly with UE 105-2. Similarly, the UE 105-2 may conduct communications directly with UE 105-1. Such peer-to-peer communications may utilize a “sidelink” interface such as a PC5 interface. In certainimplementations, the PC5 interface supports direct cellular communication between user devices (e.g., between UEs 105), while the Uu interface supports cellular communications with infrastructure devices such as base stations. For example, the UEs 105 may use the PC5 interface for a radio resource control (RRC) signaling exchange between the UEs (also called PC5-RRC signaling). The PC5 / Uu interfaces are used only as an example, and PC5 as used herein may represent various other possible wireless communications technologies that allow for direct sidelink communications between user devices, while Uu in turn may represent cellular communications conducted between user devices and infrastructure devices, such as base stations.

[0033] In some implementations, the UEs 105 may be configured with parameters for communicating via the Uu interface and / or the sidelink interface. In some examples, the UEs 105 may be “pre-configured” with some parameters. In these examples, the parameters may be hardwired into the UEs 105 or coded into spec. Additionally and / or alternatively, the UEs 105 may receive the parameters from the one or more of the base stations 110.

[0034] To transmit / receive data to / from one or more base stations 110 or UEs 105, the UEs 105 may include a transmitter / receiver (or alternatively, a transceiver), memory, one or more processors, and / or other like components that enable the UEs 105 to operate in accordance with one or more wireless communications protocols and / or one or more cellular communications protocols. The UEs 105 may have multiple antenna elements that enable the UEs 105 to maintain multiple links 120 and / or sidelinks 125 to transmit / receive data to / from multiple base stations 110 and / or multiple UEs 105. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, UE 105-1 may connect with base station 110-1 via link 120 and simultaneously connect with UE 105-2 via sidelink 125.

[0035] In some implementations, one or more sidelink radio bearers may be established on the sidelink 125. The sidelink radio bearers can include signaling radio bearers (SL-SRB) and / or data radio bearers (SL-DRB).

[0036] The PC5 interface may alternatively be referred to as a sidelink interface and may include one or more logical channels, including but not limited to a Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH), a Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH), a Physical Sidelink Discovery Channel (PSDCH), a Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel (PSBCH), Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel (PSFCH), and / or any other like communications channels. The PSFCH carries feedback related to the successful or failed reception of a sidelink transmission.The PSSCH can be scheduled by sidelink control information (SCI) carried in the sidelink PSCCH. In some examples, the sidelink interface can operate on an unlicensed spectrum (e.g., in the unlicensed 5 Gigahertz (GHz) and 6 GHz bands) or a (licensed) shared spectrum.

[0037] In one example, the sidelink interface implements vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications. The V2X communications may, for example, adhere to 3GPP Cellular V2X (C-V2X) specifications, or to one or more other or subsequent standards whereby vehicles and other devices and network entities may communicate. V2X communications may utilize both long-range (e.g., cellular) communications as well as short to medium-range (e.g., non-cellular) communications. Cellular-capable V2X communications may be called Cellular V2X (C-V2X) communications. C-V2X systems may use various cellular radio access technologies (RATs), such as 4G LTE or 5G NR RATs (or RATs subsequent to 5G, e.g., 6G RATs). Certain LTE standards usable in V2X systems may be called LTE-Vehicle (LTE-V) standards. As used herein in the context of V2X systems, and as defined above, the term “user devices” may refer generally to devices that are associated with mobile actors or traffic participants in the V2X system, e.g., mobile (able-to-move) communication devices such as vehicles, pedestrian user equipment (PUE) devices, and road side units (RSUs).

[0038] In some implementations, UEs 105 may be physical hardware devices capable of running one or more applications, capable of accessing network services via one or more radio links 120 with a corresponding base station 110 (also referred to as a “serving” base station), and capable of communicating with one another via sidelink 125. Link 120 may allow the UEs 105 to transmit and receive data from the base station 110 that provides the link 120. The sidelink 125 may allow the UEs 105 to transmit and receive data from one another. The sidelink 125 between the UEs 105 may include one or more channels for transmitting information from UE 105-1 to UE 105-2 and vice versa and / or between UEs 105 and UE-type RSUs and vice versa.

[0039] In some implementations, the base stations 110 are capable of communicating with one another over a backhaul connection 130 and may communicate with the one or more servers 135 within the CN 140 over another backhaul connection 133. The backhaul connections can be wired and / or wireless connections.

[0040] In some implementations, the UEs 105 are configured to use a resource pool for sidelink communications. A sidelink resource pool defines the time-frequency resources used for sidelink communications, and may be divided into multiple time slots, frequency channels, andfrequency sub-channels. In some examples, the UEs 105 are synchronized and perform sidelink transmissions aligned with slot boundaries. A UE may be expected to select several slots and sub-channels for transmission of the transport block. In some examples, a UE may use different sub-channels for transmission of the transport block across multiple slots within its own resource selection window.

[0041] In some implementations, an exceptional resource pool may be configured for the UEs 105, perhaps by the base stations 110. The exceptional resource pool includes resources that the UEs 105 can use in exceptional cases, such as Radio Link Failure (RLF). The exceptional resource pool may include resources selected based on a random allocation of resources.

[0042] In some implementations, a UE that is initiating a communication with another UE is referred to as a transmitter UE (Tx UE), and the UE receiving the communication is referred to as a receiver UE (Rx UE). For example, UE 105-1 may be a Tx UE and UE 105-2 may be an Rx UE. Although FIG. 1 illustrates a single Tx UE communicating with a single Rx UE, a Tx UE may communicate with more than one Rx UE via sidelink.

[0043] In some implementations, the communication system 100 supports different cast types, including unicast, broadcast, and groupcast (or multicast) communications. Unicast refers to direction communications between two UEs. Broadcast refers to a communication that is broadcast by a single UE to a plurality of other UEs. Groupcast refers to communications that are sent from a single UE to a set of UEs that satisfy a certain condition (e.g., being a member of a particular group).

[0044] In some implementations, a Tx UE that is initiating sidelink communication may determine available resources (e.g., sidelink resources) and may select a subset of these resources to communicate with an Rx UE based on a resource allocation scheme. Example resource allocation schemes include Mode 1 and Mode 2 resource allocation schemes. In Mode 1 resource allocation scheme (referred to as “Mode 1”), the resources are allocated by a network node for in-coverage UEs. In Mode 2 resource allocation scheme (referred to as “Mode 2”), the TX UE selects the sidelink resources (e.g., sidelink transmission resources).

[0045] NR V2X supports Mode 1 and Mode 2 resource allocation. In Mode 2, the TX UE autonomously selects resources for sidelink transmission based on sensing results. No feedback information is reported from the RX UE.

[0046] In FR1, sensing and resource selection can be performed using a set of omni-directional antennas that sense and measure resources within an allocation pool (Mode 2). A UE 105 can select resources for transmission and re-transmission if the resources are being used by other UEs 105 for higher priority traffic. In Mode 1, gNB-connected UEs 105 can use resources assigned by the gNB. For example, a sidelink configured grant that is configured / released for the UE 105 via RRC signaling can be used immediately (Type 1). In another example, a gNB can grant the UE permission to activate or deactivate configured resources via Downlink Control Information (DCI) signaling (Type 2). In FR2, beam-based transmissions are used to overcome pathloss associated with high frequencies.

[0047] Some aspects of the present disclosure are applicable to sidelink operations in the FR2 licensed spectrum. Operations in this frequency range can be enhanced to support sidelink beam management using a sidelink channel state information (CSI) or synchronization signal block (SSB) framework and Uu beam management features.

[0048] Beam management generally involves establishing and maintaining a sidelink connection between two devices. Beam management encompasses initial beam pairing, beam maintenance, and beam failure recovery. Initial beam pairing is a mechanism for pairing one UE with another UE over a sidelink interface (e.g., a Uu link). A UE can receive a control message, such as an SSB (e.g., a sidelink SSB) or a CSI message, from another device. The UE can report information about the received control message to the network. This information can include, for example, the directionality of the received control message, which is based on the receiving antenna, signal strength, etc. The network can then identify a suitable beam to use for sidelink operations between the two devices.

[0049] For beam maintenance, the UE can refine a wide beam from 90 degrees to a narrower beam. The Tx UE can use narrower beams (within 90 degrees), and the Rx UE can identify a suitable beam. The Rx UE can also use CSI to refine the beam(s).

[0050] In some cases, Tx / Rx beam pairs may fail due to interference, blockage, etc. When this occurs, a UE can perform beam failure recovery. To do so, the UE uses wider beams, recovers the connection, and identifies suitable beam pairs to use for subsequent communications.

[0051] Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to channel sensing and resource selection for beam-based sidelink transmissions. In Mode 2, a candidate resource includes three dimensions: time, frequency, and spatial parameters. Legacy resource allocation schemes consider time and frequency, but for beam-based sidelink resource allocation, a spatialcomponent is added. Monitoring of a slot may depend on the Rx beam that is used for sensing. The Rx UE may refrain from using omni-directional beams in FR2 due to the pathloss associated with high-frequency wavelength transmissions.

[0052] Mode 2 resource selection may involve dynamic switching between full sensing and no sensing (e.g., using random selection), depending on the number of slots with sensing. As described herein, random selection involves randomly selecting a resource within a resource selection window. Random selection implies that sensing results are not used (or there are no sensing results), thus every resource in the resource selection window is a candidate resource. Dynamic switching can promote greater power savings. By reducing the sensing frequency, the UE can reduce its overall power consumption. However, this can be problematic when the number of Rx UEs increases (due to the risk of collision / interference). For Mode 2 resource selection, reference signal received power (RSRP) thresholds and / or measurements may consider the degree of overlap between Rx beams (for sensing) and Tx beams (for sidelink transmissions).

[0053] FIG. 2 is a process flow diagram 200 of a resource allocation scheme for beam-based sidelink operations in FR2, according to some implementations. In the resource allocation scheme shown in FIG. 2, the MAC layer triggers the resource allocation procedure at the PHY layer. In NR V2X, resource selection involves identifying three-dimensional candidate resources that include a time component, a frequency component, and a spatial component. One parameter that is passed from the MAC layer to PHY layer is the Tx beam index (denoted as Z>) to be used for the sidelink transmission. This index represents the spatial dimension of a candidate resource.

[0054] At 202, a resource selection window is determined with a total number of candidate resources SM. The resource selection window is a time window. If the UE receives a message or data at slot n, resources are selected from candidates within a time window slot n+t2. The total number of candidate resources SM is three-dimensional for beam-based resource allocation mechanics, as opposed to being two-dimensional (e.g., subchannels and slots). As described herein, a candidate three-dimensional, single-slot resource, Rx,y,b, is defined as a set of contiguous sub-channels LsubCH with sub-channel x+j in slot tySL, where j= 0, . . ., LsubCH-i with Tx beam index b. The dimension x represents the frequency domain, y represents the time domain, and b represents the spatial domain. At 202, after determining the time window forresource selection, a total number of candidate resources S within the time window is determined, where each candidate resource has three dimensions: frequency, time, and space.

[0055] Not all of the candidate resources within the resource window may be available, however. For example, other UEs may be using one or more of the candidate resources. The following procedure describes mechanisms for excluding candidate resources that are unavailable or otherwise unsuitable for sidelink transmissions in FR2.

[0056] At 204, the UE determines a sensing window and performs sensing within the sensing window. This sensing is performed using unidirectional sensing for beam-based resource allocation, as opposed to omnidirectional sensing. As mentioned above, the UE knows which direction to sense because of the prior directionality of expected beams from other UEs. As such, the UE knows where the other (paired) sidelink UE is relative to itself.

[0057] At 206, the UE obtains one or more initial RSRP thresholds based on a quality of service (QoS) of sidelink data to be transmitted. This operation can be performed earlier in the process, such (e.g., before determinin the resource selection window).

[0058] At 208, the UE can set SA as the set of candidate resources, where SA initially equals SM.

[0059] At 210, the UE excludes any candidate single-slot resource Rx,y,b from the set SA if said resource if the following conditions are met: the UE has not monitored slot ty'SL(at 204) using a receive beam B, which has overlap with the Tx beam index b, or which is equal to the Tx beam index b and which has a sensing direction aligned with the Tx beam; for any periodicity value in the high layer parameter sl-ResourceReservePeriodList, a hypothetical sidelink control information (SCI) format 1-A is received in slot tyLwith a resource reservation period field set to that periodicity value and indicating all sub-channels of the resource pool in this slot.

[0060] If the UE does not have sufficient candidate resources after the initial exclusion, the UE can perform dynamic switching between full sensing and random resource selection. If, after the aforementioned exclusion, the number of candidate single-slot resources Rx,y,b remaining in SA is below a threshold, the UE can forgo reporting SA to the MAC layer, and instruct the MAC layer to perform random resource selection.

[0061] At 212, the UE can exclude candidate resources from SA that are reserved. Beam -based resource exclusion with a modified RSRP threshold (that depends on the Rx beam) can be used for sensing. The UE may exclude any candidate single-slot resource Rx,y,b from the set SA if the candidate resource meets all of the following conditions: the UE has received an SCI format1-A in slot tySLwith a resource reservation period field (prsvp,Rx), and a priority field (priorix),' an RSRP measurement performed for SCI format 1-A is higher than h(prionx, priorx),' the slot(s) , for q = 1, 2, . . Q, used for SCI reception, determine the set of resourceblocks and slots which overlap r with R xv, ,• >y+J *^rsvpTX>Dhfor and J / = 1, 2, . . ., Cresei-1.

[0062] The threshold Th(priorx, priorx may depend on the Rx beam used in sensing (e.g., 7?) and the Tx beam (e.g., Z>) to be used for sidelink transmission. The larger the overlap between the sensing Rx beam B and the Tx beam Z>, the larger the threshold h(prionx, priorx). In some implementations, a scaling factor S can be used on top of h(prionx, priorx , or a scaling factor S can be used (in addition to RSRP measurement) before comparison with the RSRP threshold.

[0063] Value ranges of the threshold Th(priorx, priorx) can be from minus infinity to infinity. In some instances, values can be set from 0 to 66, where 0 corresponds to minus infinity and 66 corresponds to infinity. Other values (n = 1,.., 65) may be interpreted as (-128 + (n-l)*2) dBm. In some instances, these thresholds can range from -128 dBm to 0 dBm.

[0064] The scaling factor S can provide some flexibility on the threshold adjustment procedure. Since candidate selection relies on beam-based RSRP measurements, these measurements may not be as accurate as RSRP measurements from omni-directional RSRP measurements. For example, if RSRP measurement is based on an Rx beam facing in one direction, and future transmissions are directed in another direction, RSRP measurements from the first direction may be inaccurate. The scaling factor S can help address these issues.

[0065] The value of Cresei represents a total number of periodicities of data transmission from the UE. If a UE has periodic data to transmit, this periodic transmission should stop at some point. The periodicity limit is Cresei. After Cresei occurrences, the UE can reassess whether to continue periodic transmissions.

[0066] When a UE selects resources for periodic data transmission, the UE may consider a set of periodic resources with total number of periodicities of Cresei. Hence, Rx,y+j*p,b is taken from j=l, . . ., Cresei-1. Here, x represents sub-channels in the frequency domain, y+j*P represents a set of Cresei slots in the time domain, and b represents the spatial domain.

[0067] After performing resource exclusion, the UE can determine whether there are candidate resources remaining in SA that the UE can use for sidelink transmissions. At 214, if the number of resources in SA is smaller than X*SM, where Vis a (pre)configured percentage and SM is the total number of candidate resources within the resource window, the UE can increase the RSRPthreshold (216) and return to 208. In some implementations, the UE can increase the RSRP threshold by 3dB.

[0068] At 218, the UE can report SA to higher layer. The UE can use candidate resources from SA to perform sidelink transmissions.

[0069] For Mode 1 resource selection, the UE reports the Tx beam in the SL BSR. The UE can then receive a dynamic grant, or a Type-1 or Type-2 configured grant, with an indication of the Tx beam to use for sidelink transmissions.

[0070] Some aspects of the present disclosure relate to Mode 1 resource allocation enhancements for beam-based sidelink transmissions. An SL BSR can be used to indicate the Tx beam for a sidelink transmission.

[0071] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an example SL BSR MAC-CE 300 that indicates a Tx beam for a sidelink transmission, according to some implementations. The SL BSR MAC-CE shown in FIG. 3 can be used to enhance scheduling for dynamic and Type-2 configured grants.

[0072] In some implementations, the SL BSR MAC-CE 300 can be a DCI format 3 0 enhancement. A new field indicating a Tx beam indicator or Tx beam index is shown in the MAC-CE of FIG. 3. The Tx beam indicator can occupy 3 bits from a reserved field of the SL BSR MAC-CE. A Tx beam indicator can be encoded or set for each sidelink Tx beam.

[0073] In some implementations, a new DCI format (e.g., DCI format 3 2) can be defined to include a number of Tx beams. Another DCI field can indicate the number of Tx beams that are scheduled for a sidelink transmission. Another field can include the Tx beam indicator or Tx beam index described above.

[0074] For scheduling Type-1 configured grants, in the SL-ConfiguredGrant-rl6 information element (IE) of the rrc-ConfiguredSidelinkGrant structure, a new parameter SL CSLRS Resource Index can be introduced. IUC may not be supported for beam-based sidelink transmission. For IUC scheme 1 support for multi-carrier, including modifications of SCI stage 2, SL MAC CE may indicate beam information.

[0075] FIG. 4 illustrates an example IUC information exchange 400 for beam-based sidelink transmission. In the IUC information exchange depicted in FIG. 4, a second UE (UE B) sends an IUC request for Tx beam #1 to a first UE (UE A). UE A can respond with an IUC response for Tx beam #1, which can include an IUC MAC-CE. UE B can then send a PSSCHtransmission to UE A using Tx beam #1. In SCI format 2-C, a new field (indicating the Tx beam index) can be added. This field can be applied when the providing / requesting indicator field is equal to 0 or 1. In the IUC request MAC-CE, add a new field (indicating the Tx beam index) can be introduced.

[0076] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an example IUC request MAC-CE 500, according to some implementations. As depicted in FIG. 5, the IUC request MAC-CE 500 indicates a Tx beam index for a sidelink transmission. In some implementations, reserved bits can be used to indicate the Tx beam index. In other implementations, additional bits can be added (e.g., a new MAC-CE format can be introduced).

[0077] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of another example IUC request MAC-CE 600, according to some implementations. The IUC request MAC-CE 600 also indicates a Tx beam index for a sidelink transmission. In some implementations, reserved bits can be used to indicate the Tx beam index. In other implementations, additional bits can be added (e.g., a new MAC-CE format can be introduced).

[0078] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of an IUC information MAC CE 700 that indicates a Tx beam index, according to some implementations. The IUC information MAC CE 700 of FIG. 7 includes a new field to indicate the Tx beam index. Reserved bits can be used to indicate various resource combinations.

[0079] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of another IUC information MAC-CE 800, according to some implementations. The IUC information MAC-CE 800 also indicates a Tx beam index to be used for sidelink transmission(s).

[0080] FIG. 9 illustrates an example UE 900, according to some implementations. The UE 900 may be similar to and substantially interchangeable with the UEs 105 of FIG. 1.

[0081] The UE 900 may be any mobile or non-mobile computing device, such as, for example, mobile phones, computers, tablets, industrial wireless sensors (for example, microphones, pressure sensors, thermometers, motion sensors, accelerometers, inventory sensors, electric voltage / current meters, etc.), video devices (for example, cameras, video cameras, etc.), wearable devices (for example, a smart watch), relaxed-IoT devices.

[0082] The UE 900 may include processors 902, RF interface circuitry 904, memory / storage 906, user interface 908, sensors 910, driver circuitry 912, power management integrated circuit (PMIC) 914, one or more antenna(s) 916, and battery 918. The components of the UE 900 maybe implemented as integrated circuits (ICs), portions thereof, discrete electronic devices, or other modules, logic, hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. The block diagram of FIG. 9 is intended to show a high-level view of some of the components of the UE 900. However, some of the components shown may be omitted, additional components may be present, and different arrangement of the components shown may occur in other implementations.

[0083] The components of the UE 900 may be coupled with various other components over one or more interconnects 920, which may represent any type of interface, input / output, bus (local, system, or expansion), transmission line, trace, optical connection, etc. that allows various circuit components (on common or different chips or chipsets) to interact with one another.

[0084] The processors 902 may include processor circuitry such as, for example, baseband processor circuitry (BB) 922A, central processor unit circuitry (CPU) 922B, and graphics processor unit circuitry (GPU) 922C. The processors 902 may include any type of circuitry or processor circuitry that executes or otherwise operates computer-executable instructions, such as program code, software modules, or functional processes from memory / storage 906 to cause the UE 900 to perform operations as described herein.

[0085] In some implementations, the baseband processor circuitry 922A may access a communication protocol stack 924 in the memory / storage 906 to communicate over a 3 GPP compatible network. In general, the baseband processor circuitry 922A may access the communication protocol stack to: perform user plane functions at a physical (PHY) layer, MAC layer, radio link control (RLC) layer, packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, and PDU layer; and perform control plane functions at a PHY layer, MAC layer, RLC layer, PDCP layer, RRC layer, and a non-access stratum layer. In some implementations, the PHY layer operations may additionally / alternatively be performed by the components of the RF interface circuitry 904. The baseband processor circuitry 922A may generate or process baseband signals or waveforms that carry information in 3 GPP-compatible networks. In some implementations, the waveforms for NR may be based cyclic prefix orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) “CP-OFDM” in the uplink or downlink, and discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM “DFT-S-OFDM” in the uplink.

[0086] The memory / storage 906 may include one or more non -transitory, computer-readable media that includes instructions (for example, communication protocol stack 924) that may beexecuted by one or more of the processors 902 to cause the UE 900 to perform various operations described herein. The memory / storage 906 include any type of volatile or non-volatile memory that may be distributed throughout the UE 900. In some implementations, some of the memory / storage 906 may be located on the processors 902 themselves (for example, LI and L2 cache), while other memory / storage 906 is external to the processors 902 but accessible thereto via a memory interface. The memory / storage 906 may include any suitable volatile or non-volatile memory such as, but not limited to, dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), Flash memory, solid-state memory, or any other type of memory device technology.

[0087] The RF interface circuitry 904 may include transceiver circuitry and radio frequency front module (RFEM) that allows the UE 900 to communicate with other devices over a radio access network. The RF interface circuitry 904 may include various elements arranged in transmit or receive paths. These elements may include, for example, switches, mixers, amplifiers, filters, synthesizer circuitry, control circuitry, etc.

[0088] In the receive path, the RFEM may receive a radiated signal from an air interface via antenna(s) 916 and proceed to filter and amplify (with a low-noise amplifier) the signal. The signal may be provided to a receiver of the transceiver that downconverts the RF signal into a baseband signal that is provided to the baseband processor of the processors 902.

[0089] In the transmit path, the transmitter of the transceiver up-converts the baseband signal received from the baseband processor and provides the RF signal to the RFEM. The RFEM may amplify the RF signal through a power amplifier prior to the signal being radiated across the air interface via the antenna(s) 916. In various implementations, the RF interface circuitry 904 may be configured to transmit / receive signals in a manner compatible with NR access technologies.

[0090] The antenna(s) 916 may include one or more antenna elements to convert electrical signals into radio waves to travel through the air and to convert received radio waves into electrical signals. The antenna elements may be arranged into one or more antenna panels. The antenna(s) 916 may have antenna panels that are omnidirectional, directional, or a combination thereof to enable beamforming and multiple input, multiple output communications. The antenna(s) 916 may include microstrip antennas, printed antennas fabricated on the surface of one or more printed circuit boards, patch antennas, phased array antennas, etc. The antenna(s)916 may have one or more panels designed for specific frequency bands including bands in FR1 or FR2.

[0091] The user interface 908 includes various input / output (VO) devices designed to enable user interaction with the UE 900. The user interface 908 includes input device circuitry and output device circuitry. Input device circuitry includes any physical or virtual means for accepting an input including, inter alia, one or more physical or virtual buttons (for example, a reset button), a physical keyboard, keypad, mouse, touchpad, touchscreen, microphones, scanner, headset, or the like. The output device circuitry includes any physical or virtual means for showing information or otherwise conveying information, such as sensor readings, actuator position(s), or other like information. Output device circuitry may include any number or combinations of audio or visual display, including, inter alia, one or more simple visual outputs / indicators (for example, binary status indicators such as light emitting diodes “LEDs” and multi -character visual outputs), or more complex outputs such as display devices or touchscreens (for example, liquid crystal displays “LCDs,” LED displays, quantum dot displays, projectors, etc.), with the output of characters, graphics, multimedia objects, and the like being generated or produced from the operation of the UE 900.

[0092] The sensors 910 may include devices, modules, or subsystems whose purpose is to detect events or changes in its environment and send the information (sensor data) about the detected events to some other device, module, subsystem, etc. Examples of such sensors include, inter alia, inertia measurement units including accelerometers, gyroscopes, or magnetometers; microelectromechanical systems or nanoelectromechanical systems including 3-axis accelerometers, 3-axis gyroscopes, or magnetometers; level sensors; temperature sensors (for example, thermistors); pressure sensors; image capture devices (for example, cameras or lensless apertures); light detection and ranging sensors; proximity sensors (for example, infrared radiation detector and the like); depth sensors; ambient light sensors; ultrasonic transceivers; microphones or other like audio capture devices; etc.

[0093] The driver circuitry 912 may include software and hardware elements that operate to control particular devices that are embedded in the UE 900, attached to the UE 900, or otherwise communicatively coupled with the UE 900. The driver circuitry 912 may include individual drivers allowing other components to interact with or control various input / output (I / O) devices that may be present within, or connected to, the UE 900. For example, driver circuitry 912 may include a display driver to control and allow access to a display device, atouchscreen driver to control and allow access to a touchscreen interface, sensor drivers to obtain sensor readings of sensors 910 and control and allow access to sensors 910, drivers to obtain actuator positions of electro-mechanic components or control and allow access to the electro-mechanic components, a camera driver to control and allow access to an embedded image capture device, audio drivers to control and allow access to one or more audio devices.

[0094] The PMIC 914 may manage power provided to various components of the UE 900. In particular, with respect to the processors 902, the PMIC 914 may control power-source selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-to-DC conversion.

[0095] In some implementations, the PMIC 914 may control, or otherwise be part of, various power saving mechanisms of the UE 900. A battery 918 may power the UE 900, although in some examples the UE 900 may be mounted deployed in a fixed location, and may have a power supply coupled to an electrical grid. The battery 918 may be a lithium ion battery, a metal-air battery, such as a zinc-air battery, an aluminum-air battery, a lithium-air battery, and the like. In some implementations, such as in vehicle-based applications, the battery 918 may be a typical lead-acid automotive battery.

[0096] FIG. 10 illustrates an example access node 1000 (e.g., abase station or gNB), according to some implementations. The access node 1000 may be similar to and substantially interchangeable with base stations 110. The access node 1000 may include processors 1002, RF interface circuitry 1004, core network (CN) interface circuitry 1006, memory / storage circuitry 1008, and one or more antenna(s) 1010.

[0097] The components of the access node 1000 may be coupled with various other components over one or more interconnects 1012. The processors 1002, RF interface circuitry 1004, memory / storage circuitry 1008 (including communication protocol stack 1014), antenna(s) 1010, and interconnects 1012 may be similar to like-named elements shown and described with respect to FIG. 9. For example, the processors 1002 may include processor circuitry such as, for example, baseband processor circuitry (BB) 1016A, central processor unit circuitry (CPU) 1016B, and graphics processor unit circuitry (GPU) 1016C.

[0098] The CN interface circuitry 1006 may provide connectivity to a core network, for example, a 5th Generation Core network (5GC) using a 5GC -compatible network interface protocol such as carrier Ethernet protocols, or some other suitable protocol. Network connectivity may be provided to / from the access node 1000 via a fiber optic or wireless backhaul. The CN interface circuitry 1006 may include one or more dedicated processors orFPGAs to communicate using one or more of the aforementioned protocols. In some implementations, the CN interface circuitry 1006 may include multiple controllers to provide connectivity to other networks using the same or different protocols.

[0099] As used herein, the terms “access node,” “access point,” or the like may describe equipment that provides the radio baseband functions for data and / or voice connectivity between a network and one or more users. These access nodes can be referred to as BS, gNBs, RAN nodes, eNBs, NodeBs, RSUs, TRxPs or TRPs, and so forth, and can include ground stations (e.g., terrestrial access points) or satellite stations providing coverage within a geographic area (e.g., a cell). As used herein, the term “NG RAN node” or the like may refer to an access node 1000 that operates in an NR or 5G system (for example, a gNB), and the term “E-UTRAN node” or the like may refer to an access node 1000 that operates in an LTE or 4G system (e.g., an eNB). According to various implementations, the access node 1000 may be implemented as one or more of a dedicated physical device such as a macrocell base station, and / or a low power (LP) base station for providing femtocells, picocells or other like cells having smaller coverage areas, smaller user capacity, or higher bandwidth compared to macrocells.

[0100] In some implementations, all or parts of the access node 1000 may be implemented as one or more software entities running on server computers as part of a virtual network, which may be referred to as a CRAN and / or a virtual baseband unit pool (vBBUP). In V2X scenarios, the access node 1000 may be or act as a “Road Side Unit.” The term “Road Side Unit” or “RSU” may refer to any transportation infrastructure entity used for V2X communications. An RSU may be implemented in or by a suitable RAN node or a stationary (or relatively stationary) UE, where an RSU implemented in or by a UE may be referred to as a “UE-type RSU,” an RSU implemented in or by an eNB may be referred to as an “eNB-type RSU,” an RSU implemented in or by a gNB may be referred to as a “gNB-type RSU,” and the like.

[0101] FIG. 11 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 1100, according to some implementations. For clarity of presentation, the method 1100 is described in the context of the preceding figures. For example, the method 1100 can be performed by the UE 105 of FIG. 1, or any suitable system, environment, software, hardware, or combination thereof. In some implementations, operations of the method 1100 can be run in parallel, in combination, in loops, or in any order. The example method 1100 shown in FIG. 11 can be modified orreconfigured to include additional, fewer, or different steps (not shown in FIG. 11), which can be performed in the order shown or in a different order.

[0102] At 1102, the method 1100 includes receiving an indication of a Tx beam to use for a sidelink transmission.

[0103] At 1104, the method 1100 includes using one or more Rx beams associated with the Tx beam to monitor a set of candidate single-slot resources.

[0104] At 1106, the method 1100 includes selecting at least one candidate single-slot resource from the set of candidate single-slot resources in accordance with a sidelink resource allocation scheme.

[0105] At 1108, the method 1100 includes transmitting the sidelink transmission using the at least one candidate single-slot resource.

[0106] Various components may be described as performing a task or tasks, for convenience in the description. Such descriptions should be interpreted as including the phrase “configured to.” Reciting a component that is configured to perform one or more tasks is expressly intended not to invoke 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) interpretation for that component.

[0107] For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components set forth in one or more of the preceding figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes, or methods as set forth in the example section below. For example, the baseband circuitry as described above in connection with one or more of the preceding figures may be configured to operate in accordance with one or more of the examples set forth below. For another example, circuitry associated with a UE, base station, network element, etc. as described above in connection with one or more of the preceding figures may be configured to operate in accordance with one or more of the examples set forth below in the example section.

[0108] Example 1 is a method including: receiving an indication of a Tx beam to use for a sidelink transmission; using one more Rx beams associated with the Tx beam to monitor a set of candidate single-slot resources; selecting at least one candidate single-slot resource from the set of candidate single-slot resources in accordance with a sidelink resource allocation scheme; and transmitting the sidelink transmission using the at least one candidate single-slot resource.

[0109] Example 2 includes the method of example 1, where transmitting the sidelink transmission includes transmitting the sidelink transmission via the at least one candidate single-slot resource using the Tx beam.

[0110] Example 3 includes the method of any of examples 1 to 2, where the at least one candidate single-slot resource includes a set of contiguous sub-channels in a slot that are associated with an index of the Tx beam.

[0111] Example 4 includes the method of example 3, where selecting the at least one candidate single-slot resource includes excluding a single-slot resource from the set of candidate single-slot resources in response to determining that the single-slot resource has not been monitored in the slot using a Rx beam that corresponds to the Tx beam.

[0112] Example 5 includes the method of any of examples 1 to 4, further including dynamically switching between a full sensing mode and a random resource selection mode in accordance with the sidelink resource allocation scheme.

[0113] Example 6 includes the method of example 5, further including outputting an indication to use the random resource selection mode based on a quantity of candidate single-slot resources available for the sidelink transmission.

[0114] Example 7 includes the method of any of examples 1 to 6, further including determining a reference signal power threshold for sidelink resource selection based on a Rx beam used for channel sensing and the Tx beam used for the sidelink transmission.

[0115] Example 8 includes the method of example 7, where the reference signal power threshold is based on a degree of overlap between the Rx beam and the Tx beam.

[0116] Example 9 includes the method of any of examples 7 to 8, further including selecting the at least one candidate single-slot resource for the sidelink transmission based on determining that a reference signal power of the at least one candidate single-slot resource is above the reference signal power threshold.

[0117] Example 10 includes the method of any of examples 1 to 9, further including transmitting a SL BSR that indicates the Tx beam for the sidelink transmission.

[0118] Example 11 includes the method of example 10, where the sidelink BSR further indicates a quantity of Tx beams to be used for the sidelink transmission.

[0119] Example 12 includes the method of any of examples 1 to 11, further including transmitting an IUC request message that includes an index of the Tx beam for the sidelink transmission.

[0120] Example 13 includes the method of example 12, further including receiving an IUC response message that includes the index of the Tx beam for the sidelink transmission.

[0121] Example 14 includes the method of any of examples 1 to 13, where the sidelink transmission includes a PSCCH transmission or a PSSCH transmission.

[0122] Example 15 includes one or more processors configured to perform the method of any of examples 1-14.

[0123] Example 16 is a UE including: one or more processors; and memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the UE to perform the method of any of examples 1-14.

[0124] Example 17 is a non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors to perform the method of any of examples 1-14.

[0125] The previously described examples are implementable using a computer-implemented method; a non-transitory, computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions to perform the computer-implemented method; and a computer system including a computer memory interoperably coupled with a hardware processor configured to perform the computer-implemented method or the instructions stored on the non-transitory, computer-readable medium.

[0126] A system, e.g., a base station, an apparatus including one or more baseband processors, and so forth, can be configured to perform particular operations or actions by virtue of having software, firmware, hardware, or a combination of them installed on the system that in operation causes or cause the system to perform the actions. The operations or actions performed either by the system can include the methods of any one of examples 1-#.

[0127] Any of the above-described examples may be combined with any other example (or combination of examples), unless explicitly stated otherwise. The foregoing description of one or more implementations provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of embodiments to the precise form disclosed. Modificationsand variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of various embodiments.

[0128] Although the embodiments above have been described in considerable detail, numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such variations and modifications.

[0129] It is well understood that the use of personally identifiable information should follow privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmental requirements for maintaining the privacy of users. In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and handled so as to minimize risks of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly indicated to users.

Claims

CLAIMSWe Claim:

1. A method comprising: receiving an indication of a transmit beam to use for a sidelink transmission; using one more receive beams associated with the transmit beam to monitor a plurality of candidate single-slot resources; selecting at least one candidate single-slot resource from the plurality of candidate single-slot resources in accordance with a sidelink resource allocation scheme; and transmitting the sidelink transmission using the at least one candidate single-slot resource.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the sidelink transmission comprises transmitting the sidelink transmission via the at least one candidate single-slot resource using the transmit beam.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one candidate single-slot resource comprises a set of contiguous sub-channels in a slot that are associated with an index of the transmit beam.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein selecting the at least one candidate single-slot resource comprises excluding a single-slot resource from the plurality of candidate single-slot resources in response to determining that the single-slot resource has not been monitored in the slot using a receive beam that corresponds to the transmit beam.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising dynamically switching between a full sensing mode and a random resource selection mode in accordance with the sidelink resource allocation scheme.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising outputting an indication to use the random resource selection mode based at least in part on a quantity of candidate single-slot resources available for the sidelink transmission.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a reference signal power threshold for sidelink resource selection based at least in part on a receive beam used for channel sensing and the transmit beam used for the sidelink transmission.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the reference signal power threshold is based at least in part on a degree of overlap between the receive beam and the transmit beam.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising selecting the at least one candidate single-slot resource for the sidelink transmission based at least in part on determining that a reference signal power of the at least one candidate single-slot resource is above the reference signal power threshold.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a sidelink buffer status report (BSR) that indicates the transmit beam for the sidelink transmission.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the sidelink BSR further indicates a quantity of transmit beams to be used for the sidelink transmission.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting an inter-UE coordination (IUC) request message that includes an index of the transmit beam for the sidelink transmission.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising receiving an IUC response message that includes the index of the transmit beam for the sidelink transmission.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the sidelink transmission comprises a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) transmission or a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) transmission.

15. One or more processors configured to perform the method of any of claims 1-14.

16. A user equipment (UE) comprising: one or more processors; andmemory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the UE to perform the method of any of claims 1-14.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors to perform the method of any of claims 1-14.

Images