Methods and apparatuses for coordination in communication systems

Abstract

Disclosed are methods, apparatuses, and systems for coordination between two or more nodes in a communication. One of the methods includes: determining one or more characteristics associated with at least one of a first node or a second node, and selecting, from a plurality of occurrences, at least one occurrence for the communication based on the determined one or more characteristics, the selected at least one occurrence indicating at least one of a parameter value or a functionality to be used by at least one of the first node or the second node for the communication.

Description

METHODS AND APPARATUSES FOR COORDINATION IN COMMUNICATION SYSTEMSCROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 613,600, filed on January 18, 2024, entitled “METHODS AND APPARATUSES FOR COORDINATION IN COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS,” the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein.

[0002] Apparatuses and methods consistent with the present disclosure relate generally to communications, more specifically, methods, systems, and devices for coordination between nodes in communication systems.

[0003] A node in a communication may have the choice to choose a parameter value among a plurality of parameter values, or a functionality among a plurality of functionalities. For example, a node attempting an unlicensed channel access may have the choice to choose a contention window size. While the choice may provide flexibility for the node, in one example, if there are one or more other nodes in the same communication having the same choice, there may be conflict and / or interference between the node and the one or more other nodes in selecting parameter values or functionalities, causing deterioration of the communication. For example, the node attempting the unlicensed channel access may not be able to successfully access an unlicensed channel if one or more other nodes choose the same contention window. In another example, if there are one or more other nodes in the same communication having different choice, there may be conflict and / or interference between the node and the one or more other nodes in selecting parameter values or functionalities, causing deterioration of the communication. For example, it may be necessary that two nodes use sensing functionalities for channel access, that are aligned or compatible. Systems and methods that can ensure efficient and effective coordination between two or more nodes in a communication are desired.

[0004] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for a first node for a communication. The method includes: determining one or more characteristics associated with at least one of the first node or a second node, the one or more characteristics comprising at least one of: one or more numbers selected from a range of numbers by at least one of the first node or the second node, a relative geographical location of at least one of the first node or the second node, a relative separation distance of at least one of the first node or the second node from a specific location, or one or more times associated with at least one of the first node or the second node; and selecting, from a plurality of occurrences, at least one occurrence for the communication based on the determined one or more characteristics, the selected at least one occurrence indicating at least one of a parameter value or a functionality to be used by at least one of the first node or the second node for the communication.

[0005] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a first node for a communication. The first node includes: a memory storing an instruction; and a processor configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to: determine one or more characteristics associated with at least one of the first node or a second node, the one or more characteristics comprising at least one of: one or more numbers selected from a range of numbers by at least one of the first node or the second node, a relative geographical location of at least one of the first node and the second node, a relative separation distance of at least one of the first node or the second node from a specific location, or one or more times associated with at least one of the first node and the second node; and select, from a plurality of occurrences, at least one occurrence for the communication based on the determined one or more characteristics, the selected at least one occurrence indicating at least one of a parameter value or a functionality to be used by at least one of the first node or the second node for the communication.

[0006] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that are executable by one or more processors of a first node for a communication, to perform a method. The method includes: determining one or more characteristics associated with at least one of the first node or a second node, the one or more characteristics comprising at least one of: one or more numbers selected from a range of numbers by at least one of the first node or the second node, a relative geographical location of at least one of the first node or the second node, a relative separation distance of at least one of the first node or the second node from a specific location, or one or more times associated with at least one of the first node or the second node; and selecting, from a plurality of occurrences, at least one occurrence for the communication based on the determined one or more characteristics, the selected at least one occurrence indicating at least one of a parameter value or a functionality to be used by at least one of the first node or the second node for the communication.

[0007] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating coordination between two or more nodes in a sidelink communication system, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0008] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating geographical zones for resource allocation for a node in a communication, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0009] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating coordination between two nodes using two numbers selected by the two nodes, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0010] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating coordination between two nodes using a number selected by one node, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0011] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating coordination between two nodes using a geographic coordination system, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0012] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating coordination between two nodes using a geographic coordination system, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0013] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating coordination between two nodes using cells associated with the nodes, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0014] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating coordination between two nodes using a relative separation distance from a specific location, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0015] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating coordination between two nodes using a current time associated with at least one of the nodes, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0016] FIG. 10 is a flow chart illustrating a method for performing coordination between two or more nodes in a communication, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0017] FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a node, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0018] Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The following description refers to the accompanying drawings in which the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements unless otherwise represented. The implementations set forth in the following description of exemplary embodiments do not represent all implementations consistent with the present disclosure. Instead, they are merely examples of systems, apparatuses, and methods consistent with aspects related to the present disclosure as recited in the appended claims.

[0019] In the present disclosure, the term “node” is used as a general term which includes, but is not limited to, user equipment (UE), relay nodes, vehicle mounted modules, and network infrastructure nodes such as base stations (e.g., eNodeB, gNodeB, etc.), roadside units, repeaters, transponders, wireless routers, controllers, access points and sub-systems thereof. In the present disclosure, the terms “radio system” and “radio interface” are used as general terms which include both terrestrial and satellite systems.

[0020] There are times when two or more nodes need to perform coordination on one or more occurrences to use. The term “occurrence” is used in this disclosure as a general term which includes parameter values or functionalities. The term “occurrence” may also be called an “instance” in the present disclosure. The term “coordination” is used in this disclosure as a general term which includes being equal or being different. For example, two nodes performing coordination on parameter values may adopt the same parameter value or different parameter values.

[0021] Coordination between two or more modes may be necessary if, for example, the choice among the different parameter values, or the choice among the different functionalities, is left as optional in the nodes. This may also be the case if the choice among the different parameter values, or the choice among the different functionalities, was configured differently in the two nodes. For example, 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) vehicle-to-everything (V2X) makes use of configurations via a network or pre-configurations at a UE. The pre-configuration at the UE may be achieved, for example, via a universal subscriber identity module (USIM). If the configuration or the pre-configuration at the UE is incompatible with a configuration or a pre-configuration at another UE in the V2X, the UE may need a follow-up coordination with another UE.

[0022] In some cases, two or more nodes may need to use the same parameter value. For example, a node transmitting signals and a node receiving the signals may need to be aligned on a particular time slot to transmit and receive, respectively. In some cases, it may be possible that the two or more nodes have choices to use different functionalities but need to be aligned for using the same functionality. This may be especially the case if the different functionalities are incompatible. Such examples include resource allocation schemes with different timing granularities. In the present disclosure, a specific functionality is also called “option,” which is consistent with the 3GPP standards. In some examples, a specific functionality may relate to a specific scheme or behavior of a node.

[0023] In some cases, it may be possible that two or more nodes need to perform coordination so that the two or more nodes use different parameter values. This may be the case, for example, with some resource allocation schemes where each node needs to select a different time and / or frequency and / or code resource.

[0024] At least some embodiments of the present disclosure provide efficient and effective methods to achieve coordination between two or more nodes in a communication. The methods described in the present disclosure can be applied to any communication system, including wireless communication system, that makes use of at least two nodes or entities, even though, in the rest of the disclosure, the method is exemplified with, but not limited to, terrestrial mobile radio communication systems, such as 3GPP long term evolution (LTE) and / or new radio (NR) radio access technology, where sidelink (SL) communication is supported.

[0025] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating coordination between two or more nodes in a sidelink communication system, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 1, a sidelink communication system 100 includes a UE 102 and a UE 104. For example, the UE 102 and the UE 104 may be vehicles. Sidelink communication technology may allow the UE 102 to directly communicate with the UE 104 and one or more other UEs. For the sake of simplicity, FIG. 1 shows the UE 102 communicating with only one UE (the UE 104). As shown in FIG. 1, the UE 102 and the UE 104 may be connected to a base station 106 and the direct communication between the UE 102 and the UE 104 may be achieved under the coverage of a cellular network provided via the base station 106. The base station 106 may be, for example, the fifth generation (5G) radio network gNodeB. The radio interface between the UE 102 and the UE 104 may be denoted as PC5 interface and the radio interface between the base station 106 and the UE 102 (or the UE 104) may be denoted as Uu interface.

[0026] Referring to FIG. 1, in some embodiments, an occurrence coordination in the system 100 may be achieved such that one node indicates to another node which occurrence to use. For example, for the coordination between the base station 106 and the UE 102, or the coordination between the base station 106 and the UE 104, the base station 106 may provide to the UE 102 or the UE 104 which parameter to use, for example, by signaling a binary coded parameter. For the coordination between the UE 102 and the UE 104 at the PC5 interface, for example, for resource allocation, the UE 102 may perform sensing to determine on which resource (defined by time and / or frequency) it can use to transmit signals or data. This is, however, restricted to a very specific case of UE autonomous resource allocation, as described below with respect to FIG. 2.

[0027] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating geographical zones for resource allocation for a node in a communication, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 2, a plurality of two-dimensional (2D) zones are configured. Each zone has an identification (ID) number (e.g., 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8) and a corresponding length and width. A location of a UE (e.g., the UE 102 or the UE 104 of FIG. 1) located in a zone having an ID number (id) can be indicated as Zone_id = y'×Nx+ x'; x' = ceil(x / L) mod Nx; y' = ceil(y / W) mod Ny, where x and y are the longitude and latitude of the UE’s location, respectively, L and W are the length and width of the zone, respectively, and Nx, Nyare the number of zones in length and width, respectively. For example, for 3GPP LTE V2X PC5 mode 4 (UE autonomous resource selection), a UE may select resources based on a sensing before performing a transmission. The UE may select and reserve resources based on the sensing and geographical zones, in which the UE may perform transmission within the resource pool(s) associated with the current zone of the UE. As shown in the above formulas, the geographical zones are derived based on the absolute geographical longitude and latitude of the UE location. Thus, coordination between two or more UEs is performed based on absolute geographical locations of the UEs. However, in real life, compared with the absolute geographical locations of the UEs, relative geographical locations / zones between two or more UEs are more important in performing coordination between the two or more UEs and preventing conflicts in resource allocation. For example, a UE may use the time and location values obtained from the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) as keys of a hash function. If only considering absolute geographical locations, all UEs in the same vicinity at the same time may use the same hash function and obtain the same hash value which will point to the same frequency channel, causing signal interference.

[0028] The above noted issues may need coordination between two or more nodes. A problem arises, since there are many possible feature selections, parameter combinations, and a number of possible configurations. It is generally non-trivial to find the most suitable parameter setting for a specific scenario, because finding such solutions may create, for example, complex combinatorial problems. One solution that aims to resolve the problem is using means of computer simulations and heuristics. But in real-life deployments, it is difficult to know in advance if the chosen configuration is more suitable for the scenario than any other configuration because simulation models are based on simplifications.

[0029] At least some embodiments of the present disclosure provide methods for coordination on occurrences in a resource efficient and measurement efficient way, while allowing the methods to be re-used for a lot of different parameter values or functionalities. Generally, if it is infeasible to find one accurate parameter setting and / or configuration that is suitable for a use-case, re-using multiple configurations and changing parameter settings may have an averaging effect, which may improve overall resource and measurement efficiency among all users within the same system.

[0030] A selection of an occurrence among different occurrences (e.g., parameter values and / or functionalities) may impact any access stratum layer, for example, physical layer, radio link control (RLC) layer, packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, medium access control (MAC) layer, and radio resource control (RRC) layer. A selection of an occurrence may also impact any configuration of a node. A selection of an occurrence may also impact a non access stratum (NAS) layer. In the example of the physical / MAC layers, selection of an occurrence among different occurrences may impact parameter setting in unlicensed channel access (e.g., a contention window size in order to use a flexible window size, an energy detection threshold). In another example, a selection of an occurrence among different occurrences may also impact selection of resource pool(s) (e.g., a set of time and frequency resources).

[0031] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating coordination between two nodes using two numbers selected by the two nodes, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 3, a communication system 300 includes a node 302 and a node 304 that perform coordination on one or more occurrences. In some embodiments, the communication system 300 is a sidelink communication system and the node 302 and the node 304 are two UEs (e.g., vehicles) of the sidelink communication. The node 302 may communicate with one or more other nodes. For the sake of simplicity, FIG. 3 shows the node 302 communicating with only one other node (the node 304). The communication between the node 302 and the node 304 may happen under the coverage of a cellular network, out of coverage of a cellular network, or in partial coverage of a cellular network where only one of the two nodes is under the cellular network coverage. The radio interface between the node 302 and the node 304 may be denoted as PC5 interface.

[0032] Referring to FIG. 3, in some embodiments, each of the node 302 and the node 304 may select a number from a range of numbers and indicate its selection result to the other node. For example, each node may send its selection result to the other node. Each node may randomly select a number from a range of numbers. For example, the node 302 may randomly select a number X1 from a range of numbers and send the selection result to the node 304. Similarly, the node 304 may randomly select a number X2 from the range of numbers and send the selection result to the node 302. The range of numbers can be any range of numbers. Exemplary ranges of numbers may be [0, 1], [0, 10], [0, 100], etc. The numbers in the range may have a uniform probabilistic distribution.

[0033] Each node may then compare the two values X1 and X2, and determine an occurrence to be used based on the comparison result. For example, in some embodiments, in response to a determination that X1 is equal to or smaller than X2, both the node 302 and the node 304 may determine to use occurrence 1. On the other hand, in response to a determination that X1 is greater than X2, both the node 302 and the node 304 may determine to use occurrence 2. For another example, in some embodiments, in response to a determination that X1 is equal to or smaller than X2, the node 302 may determine to use occurrence 1, and the node 304 may determine to use occurrence 2. On the other hand, in response to a determination that X1 is greater than X2, the node 302 may determine to use occurrence 2 and the node 304 may determine to use occurrence 1. In the present disclosure, the “occurrence 1” used in different situations may be the same or different. For example, the “occurrence 1” described with respect to FIG. 3 may be the same as or different from the “occurrence 1” described with respect to FIG. 4. For another example, the “occurrence 1” used under one condition may be the same as or different from the “occurrence 1” used under another condition. Similarly, in the present disclosure, the “occurrence 2” used in different situations may be the same or different.

[0034] In some embodiments, the node 302 may be a transmitter (Tx) node that is configured or programmed to transmit signals or data to the node 304, and the node 304 may be a receiver (Rx) node that is configured or programmed to receive signals or data transmitted from the node 302. In some embodiments, the node 302 may be a Rx node that is configured or programmed to receive signals or data from the node 304, and the node 304 may be a Tx node that is configured or programmed to transmit signals or data transmitted to the node 302.

[0035] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating coordination between two nodes using a number selected by one of the nodes, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 4, a communication system 400 includes a node 402 and a node 404 that perform coordination on one or more occurrences. The node 402 and the node 404 may be similar to the node 302 and the node 304 of FIG. 3, respectively. For the sake of simplicity, the detailed descriptions of the node 402 and the node 404 are omitted here.

[0036] Compared with FIG. 3, in the system 400, only one node selects a number from a range of numbers and determines an occurrence to be used. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, among the two nodes (402 and 404), only the node 402 selects a number X from a range of numbers. The node 402 may randomly select the number X from the range of numbers. The node 402 further compares the selected number X with a threshold number. The threshold number may be any number that is configured by the network, pre-configured at the node 402, or pre-stored at the node 402. The threshold number may be set based on consensus between different nodes. The range of numbers can be any range of numbers. For example, the range of numbers may be [0, 1], or [0, 10], or [0, 100]. The numbers in the range may have a uniform probabilistic distribution.

[0037] The node 402 may determine an occurrence to use based on the result of comparison of the X and the threshold. The node 402 may further indicate the outcome of the comparison or the determined occurrence to the node 404. For example, the node 402 may send (transmit) the outcome of the comparison or the determined occurrence to the node 404. In some embodiment, the node 402 may send to the node 404 the selected number X, or the result of comparing the X and the threshold. The node 402 may inform the node 404 of the instance to use. For example, the node 402 may send to the node 404 the determined occurrence that is to be used by the node 402. For example, the node 402 may send a value corresponding to the occurrence to be used by the node 402. This value may be the parameter or occurrence itself in one example. In some embodiments, the node 402 may send to the node 404 indication of an occurrence that is different from the determined occurrence so that the node 402 and the node 404 use different occurrences. In some embodiments, in response to a determination that X is equal to or smaller than the threshold, both the node 402 and the node 404 may use occurrence 1. On the other hand, in response to a determination that X is greater than the threshold, both the node 402 and the node 404 may use occurrence 2. In some embodiments, in response to a determination that X is equal to or smaller than the threshold, the node 402 may use occurrence 1, and the node 404 may use occurrence 2. On the other hand, in response to a determination that X is greater than the threshold, the node 402 may use occurrence 2, and the node 404 may use occurrence 1.

[0038] In some embodiments, two or more nodes may use relative geographical location between the nodes for coordination on one or more occurrences. The relative geographical location may be defined using one-dimensional (1D), two-dimensional (2D), or three-dimensional (3D) geographical coordinates. For example, whether one node is “on the left” or “on the right” of another node may be determined using the longitude values of the nodes, as described below with respect to FIG. 5, and whether a node is “more north” or “more south” than another node may be determined using the latitude values of the nodes, as described below with respect to FIG. 6.

[0039] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating coordination between two nodes using a geographic coordination system, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 5, a communication system 500 includes a node 502 and a node 504 that perform coordination on one or more occurrences. The node 502 and the node 504 may be similar to the node 302 and the node 304 of FIG. 3, respectively. For the sake of simplicity, detailed descriptions of the node 502 and the node 504 are omitted here.

[0040] In some embodiments, the relative geographical location between the node 502 and the node 504 may be determined using a geographic coordination system where a longitude of 0 degree is at Greenwich, East coordinates including longitude values varying from 0 degree to 180 degrees in the East, and West coordinates including longitude values varying from 0 degree to 180 degrees in the West. The geographical location of each of the node 502 and the node 504 may be represented by a longitude value within a range between 0 degree and 360 degrees. The longitude value may be an East coordinate, a value that is 360 minus a West coordinate (360 - a West coordinate), or 180 degrees. A longitude value may be represented as N = East coordinate in degrees (if any) + [ 360 - West coordinates in degrees] (if any) + 180 (if exactly on the 180th meridian).

[0041] In some embodiments, a geographical location of the node 502 is represented by a first longitude value N1, a geographical location of the node 504 is represented by a second longitude value N2, and whether a node is “on the left” and “on the right” of another node is determined using the relative magnitude of N1 and N2. For example, in some embodiments, if N1 is smaller than or equal to N2, then the node 502 is on the left of the node 504; and if N1 is greater than N2, then the node 504 is on the left of the node 502. In this case, the node 502 and the node 504 are not across the zero meridian, or a node among the two nodes (502 and 504) that is on the right is not on the zero meridian. For example, in FIG. 5, assuming the longitude value N1 of the node 502 is 40 degrees East, and the longitude value N2 of the node 504 is 70 degrees East, then since N1 is smaller than N2, the node 502 is on the left of the node 504.

[0042] In some embodiments, if N1 is smaller than or equal to N2, then the node 504 is on the left of the node 502; and if N1 is greater than N2, then the node 502 is on the left of the node 504. In this case, the node 502 and the node 504 may be across the zero meridian, or the node among the two nodes (502 and 504) that is on the right may be on the zero meridian.

[0043] In some embodiments, whether the nodes are across the zero meridian, or whether the node that is on the right is on the zero meridian, may be determined based on a comparison of an absolute difference between N1 and N2 with a threshold longitude value. For example, if the absolute value of (N1 - N2) is greater than a threshold longitude value (e.g., 170 degrees), it can be determined that the two nodes are across the zero meridian. The threshold value may be any value that is configured by the network, pre-configured at the nodes, or stored at the nodes.

[0044] In some embodiments, if the node 502 is on the left of the node 504, occurrence 1 is used by both nodes, and if the node 502 is on the right of the node 504, occurrence 2 is used by both nodes. In an embodiment, the node 502 may be a Tx node that is configured or programmed to transmit signals or data to the node 504, and the node 504 may be a Rx node that is configured or programmed to receive signals or data transmitted from the node 502. In another embodiment, the node 502 may be a Rx node that is configured or programmed to receive signals or data from the node 504, and the node 504 may be a Tx node that is configured or programmed to transmit signals or data transmitted to the node 502. In some embodiments, if the node 502 is on the left of the node 504, occurrence 1 may be used by the node 502, and occurrence 2 may be used by the node 504. On the other hand, if the node 502 is on the right of node 504, occurrence 2 may be used by the node 502, and occurrence 1 may be used by the node 504.

[0045] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating coordination between two nodes using a geographic coordination system, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 6, a communication system 600 includes a node 602 and a node 604 that perform coordination on one or more occurrences. The node 602 and the node 604 may be similar to the node 302 and the node 304 of FIG. 3, respectively. For the sake of simplicity, detailed descriptions of the node 602 and the node 604 are omitted here.

[0046] In some embodiments, the relative geographical location between the node 602 and the node 604 may be determined using a geographic coordination system where a latitude of zero degree is at the equator, North coordinates including latitude values varying from zero degree to 90 degrees in the North, and South coordinates including latitude values varying from zero degree to 90 degrees in the South. The geographical location of each of the node 602 and the node 604 may be represented by a latitude value within a range between zero degree and 90 degrees, the latitude value being a North coordinate or a South coordinate. A latitude value may be represented as M = North coordinate in degrees (if any) - South coordinate in degrees (if any).

[0047] In some embodiments, a geographical location of the node 602 is represented by a first latitude value M1, a geographical location of the node 604 is represented by a second latitude value M2, and whether one node is “more North” or “more South” than another node may be determined based on a relative magnitude of M1 and M2. For example, in some embodiments, if M1 is greater than M2, the node 602 is “more North” than the node 604; and if M1 is smaller than or equal to M2, then the node 602 is “more South” than the node 604. For example, in FIG. 6, assuming M1 is 30 degrees North, and M2 is 50 degrees North, since M1 is smaller than M2, the node 602 is “more South” than the node 604.

[0048] In some embodiments, if the node 602 is “more North” than the node 604, occurrence 1 is used by the node 602 and occurrence 2 is used by the node 604. On the other hand, if the node 602 is “more South” than the node 604, occurrence 2 is used by the node 602 and occurrence 1 is used by the node 604. In some embodiments, if the node 602 is “more North” than the node 604, occurrence 1 is used by both nodes. On the other hand, if the node 602 is “more South” than the node 604, occurrence 2 is used by both nodes. In an embodiment, the node 602 may be a Tx node that is configured or programmed to transmit signals or data to the node 604, and the node 604 may be a Rx node that is configured or programmed to receive signals or data transmitted from the node 602. In another embodiment, the node 602 may be a Rx node that is configured or programmed to receive signals or data from the node 604, and the node 604 may be a Tx node that is configured or programmed to transmit signals or data transmitted to the node 602.

[0049] In some embodiments, the relative geographical location between two nodes may be determined in consideration of both the longitude values and the latitude values of the nodes. For example, coordination between two nodes may be performed based on a determination on whether a node is “on the right” or “on the left” of another node, and whether the node is “more north” or “more south” than another node, using a method similar to that described above with respect to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6. In some embodiments, the relative geographical location between two nodes may be determined using the cell(s) on which the two nodes camp, as described below with respect to FIG. 7.

[0050] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating coordination between two nodes using the cell(s) on which the two nodes camp, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 7, a communication system 700 includes a node 702 and a node 704 that perform coordination on one or more occurrences. The node 702 and the node 704 may be similar to the node 302 and the node 304 of FIG. 3, respectively. For the sake of simplicity, detailed descriptions of the node 702 and the node 704 are omitted here. In some embodiments, the relative geographical location between the node 702 and the node 704 may be determined using the cell(s) on which the nodes camp. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the node 702 camps on a cell 706, the node 704 camps on a cell 708, and the relative geographical location between the node 702 and the node 704 is determined based on a cell distance between the cell 706 and the cell 708. For example, if the cell 706 and the cell 708 are adjacent, then the relative geographical location between the node 702 and the node 704 is a one-cell distance. If the cell 706 and the cell 708 are the same (two nodes camp on the same cell), then the relative geographical location between the node 702 and the node 704 is a zero-cell distance. The relative distance between the node 702 and the node 704 can be generalized to n-cell distance (e.g., n = 0, 1, 2, …).

[0051] In some embodiments, the relative geographical location between two nodes may be determined based on closeness (proximity) of a node from a specific location than another node, as described below with respect to FIG. 8.

[0052] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating coordination between two nodes using a relative separation distance from a specific location, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 8, a communication system 800 includes a node 802 and a node 804 that perform coordination on one or more occurrences. The node 802 and the node 804 may be similar to the node 302 and the node 304 of FIG. 3, respectively. For the sake of simplicity, detailed descriptions of the node 802 and the node 804 are omitted here.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 8, in some embodiments, the relative geographical location of the node 802 or the node 804 is determined using a relative separation distance from a specific location 806. The specific location 806 can be any known location or landscape or building, etc. The separation distance between the node 802 and the specific location 806 is d1 and the separation distance between the node 804 and the specific location 806 is d2. The relative separation distance of the node 802 from the specific location 806 can be indicated as (d1 - d2). Similarly, the relative separation distance of the node 804 can be indicated as (d2 - d1). If (d1 - d2) is greater than zero, the node 804 is closest to the specific location 806, and if (d1 - d2) is smaller than zero, the node 802 is closest to the specific location 806. Similarly, if (d2 - d1) is greater than zero, the node 802 is closest to the specific location 806, and if (d2 - d1) is smaller than zero, the node 804 is closest to the specific location 806.

[0054] In some embodiments, if the node 802 is the node closest to the specific location 806, occurrence 1 is used by the node 802 and occurrence 2 is used by the node 804. On the other hand, if the node 804 is the node closest to the specific location 806, occurrence 2 is used by the node 802 and occurrence 1 is used by node 804. In some embodiments, if the node 802 is the node closest to the specific location 806, occurrence 1 is used by both the node 802 and the node 804. On the other hand, if the node 804 is the node closest to the specific location 806, occurrence 2 is used by both the node 802 and the node 804.

[0055] In some embodiments, two or more nodes may perform coordination on one or more occurrences based on a current time associated with at least one of the nodes, as described below with respect to FIG. 9.

[0056] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating coordination between two nodes using a current time associated with at least one of the nodes, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 9, a communication system 900 includes a node 902 and a node 904 that perform coordination on one or more occurrences. The node 902 and the node 904 may be similar to the node 302 and the node 304 of FIG. 3, respectively. For the sake of simplicity, detailed descriptions of the node 902 and the node 904 are omitted here.

[0057] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 9, the node 902 determines a current time (e.g., 10:24 AM) and coordinates with the node 904 on one or more occurrences based on the feature of the current time. For example, the node 902 may determine an occurrence to be used based on whether the current time (e.g., the minutes portion) is an even or odd number. For another example, the node 902 may determine an occurrence to be used based on whether the current time is within a predetermined range of time (e.g., 6:00 - 10:00 AM). In some embodiments, if the current time (e.g., the minutes portion) is an even number, both the node 902 and the node 904 use occurrence 1. On the other hand, when the current time is an odd number, both the node 902 and the node 904 may use occurrence 2. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, in some embodiments, the node 902 determines that the current time (10:24 AM) and the minutes portion (24) is an even number, and based on this, may further determine that occurrence 1 to be used by both the node 902 and the node 904. The node 902 may further send the information of the determination, for example, the current time or the occurrence corresponding to the current time (occurrence 1) to the node 904 so that the node 904 can also use occurrence 1. In some embodiments, in response to a determination that the current time (e.g., the minutes portion) is an even number, the node 902 may determine that occurrence 1 is to be used by the node 902, and occurrence 2 is to be used by the node 904. On the other hand, in response to a determination that the current time (e.g., the minutes portion) is an odd number, the node 902 may determine that occurrence 2 is to be used by the node 902, and occurrence 1 is to be used by the node 904.

[0058] In the above examples described with respect to FIG. 9, the current minute is considered in determining the occurrence to be used. However, the scope of the present disclosure is not so limited. In some embodiments, other granularities of time, such as hour, second, millisecond, etc., can also be used in determining an occurrence to be used. In some embodiments, both the node 902 and the node 904 may determine the current time associated with each node and determine a corresponding occurrence to be used. In some embodiments, instead of using the absolute current time, a relative time can also be used in determining an occurrence to be used. The relative time can be, for example, a time duration since the last message was sent or received between the nodes 902 and the nodes 904. For example, the node 902 may determine a time (duration) passed since the last message was sent to the node 904 and determine an occurrence corresponding to that time (duration).

[0059] FIG. 10 is a flow chart illustrating a method for performing coordination between two or more nodes in a communication, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 10, a method 1000 may be performed by a first node in a communication. The first node may include at least one of: at least one UE, at least one relay node, at least one vehicle mounted module, at least one base station, at least one roadside unit, at least one repeater, at least one transponder, at least one wireless router, at least one controller, or at least one access point. In some embodiments, the first node may be a node for a sidelink communication, such as the node 302 of FIG. 3, the node 402 of FIG. 4, the node 502 of FIG. 5, the node 602 of FIG. 6, the node 702 of FIG. 7, the node 802 of FIG. 8, and the node 902 of FIG. 9.

[0060] The method 1000 includes a step 1002 of determining one or more characteristics associated with at least one of the first node or a second node. For example, the first node may determine one or more characteristics including at least one of: one or more numbers selected from a range of numbers by at least one of the first node or the second node, a relative geographical location of at least one of the first node or the second node, a relative separation distance of at least one of the first node or the second node from a specific location, or one or more times associated with at least one of the first node or the second node.

[0061] The second node may include at least one of: at least one UE, at least one relay node, at least one vehicle mounted module, at least one base station, at least one roadside unit, at least one repeater, at least one transponder, at least one wireless router, at least one controller, or at least one access point. In some embodiments, the second node may be a node for a sidelink communication, such as the node 304 of FIG. 3, the node 404 of FIG. 4, the node 504 of FIG. 5, the node 604 of FIG. 6, the node 704 of FIG. 7, the node 804 of FIG. 8, and the node 904 of FIG. 9. In some embodiments, the first node is a transmission node that sends a message, and the second node is a reception node that receives the message.

[0062] The method 1000 also includes a step 1002 of selecting, from a plurality of occurrences, at least one occurrence for the communication based on the determined one or more characteristics, the selected at least one occurrence indicating at least one of a parameter value or a functionality to be used by at least one of the first node or the second node for the communication.

[0063] In some embodiments, the first node and the second node may be configured to perform coordination on the plurality of occurrences in at least one of: (1) an allocation of resource including at least one of time or frequency resource, (2) a congestion control process, or (3) an unlicensed channel access process. For example, the first node and the second node may be configured to perform coordination on at least one of a parameter value or a functionality associated with the resource allocation, the congestion control, and the unlicensed channel access. The at least one of a parameter value or a functionality may include, but is not limited to, at least one of: one or more time resources, one or more frequency resources, a selection of one or more resource pools, a resource sensing scheme, a transmission power, a reception power, a transmission beam width, a reception beam width, a contention window size in an unlicensed channel access, an energy detection threshold in the unlicensed channel access, a message interval in a congestion control process, a transmission power in the congestion control process, a channel occupancy ratio in the congestion control process, a modulation and coding rate in the congestion control process, an amount of time resources in the congestion control process, an amount of frequency resources in the congestion control process, a configuration of the first node, a configuration of the second node, a pre-configuration of the first node, or a pre-configuration of the second node.

[0064] In some embodiments, at least one occurrence selected by the first node is the same as at least one occurrence selected by the second node. In some embodiments, at least one occurrence selected by the first node is different from at least one occurrence selected by the second node. In some embodiments, the first node informs the other node of the instance to use. For example, the first node may further send at least one of the determined one or more characteristics or the selected at least one occurrence to the second node for coordination. For example, as shown in FIG. 4 above, the node 402 may send to the node 404 a selected number or at least one occurrence selected based on the feature of the number (e.g., whether the number is greater than a threshold). For another example, as shown in FIG. 9, the node 902 may send to the node 904 the current time or at least one occurrence selected based on the feature of the current time.

[0065] In some embodiments, the one or more characteristics include two numbers selected by the first node and the second node from a range of numbers. In this case, determining the one or more characteristics may further include: selecting a first number from the range of numbers; receiving, from the second node, a second number selected by the second node from the range of numbers; and comparing the first number and the second number. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the node 302 selects a first number X1 from a range of numbers; receives from the node 304 a second number X2 that is selected by the node 304 from the range of numbers; and compares the first number X1 and the second number X2. Based on the comparison, the first node may select at least one occurrence corresponding to the comparison result. The first node may further inform of or transmit the selected number to the second node so that the second node can also compare the number selected by the second node and the number received from the first node, and further determine at least one occurrence to be used by the second node. In some embodiments, at least one of the first number is randomly selected by the first node or the second number is randomly selected by the second node.

[0066] In some embodiments, the at least one occurrence is a first occurrence of the plurality of occurrences, and the first node may select the first occurrence in response to the first number being smaller than or equal to the second number. In some embodiments, the at least one occurrence is a second occurrence of the plurality of occurrences, and the first node may select the second occurrence in response to the first number being greater than or equal to the second number. In some embodiments, the at least one occurrence may include a first occurrence and a second occurrence of the plurality of occurrences, and the first occurrence is selected by the first node and the second occurrence is selected by the second node in response to the first number being smaller than or equal to the second number. In some embodiments, the at least one occurrence may include a first occurrence and a second occurrence of the plurality of occurrences, and the first occurrence is selected by the second node and the second occurrence is selected by the first node in response to the first number being greater than or equal to the second number.

[0067] In some embodiments, the one or more characteristics include a number selected by the first node from a range of numbers. In this case, determining the one or more characteristics may include: selecting a number from the range of numbers, and comparing the number with a threshold number. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the node 402 selects a number X from a range of numbers and compares the number with a threshold number. Based on the comparison, the first node further selects, from the plurality of occurrences, at least one occurrence corresponding to a result of comparing the number with the threshold number.

[0068] In some embodiments, the at least one occurrence is a first occurrence of the plurality of occurrences, and the first node selects the first occurrence in response to the number being smaller than or equal to the threshold number. In some embodiments, the at least one occurrence is a second occurrence of the plurality of occurrences, and the first node may select the second occurrence in response to the number being greater than or equal to the threshold number. In some embodiments, the at least one occurrence may include a first occurrence and a second occurrence of the plurality of occurrences, and the first occurrence is selected by the first node and the second occurrence is selected by the second node in response to the number being smaller than or equal to the threshold number. For example, the first node may determine that the second occurrence is to be used by the second node, and inform the second node about the second occurrence. Alternatively, the first node may inform the second node about the first occurrence that is to be used by the first node so that the second node may select an occurrence that is different from the first occurrence.

[0069] In some embodiments, the at least one occurrence may include a first occurrence and a second occurrence of the plurality of occurrences, and the first occurrence is selected by the second node and the second occurrence is selected by the first node in response to the number being greater than or equal to the threshold number. For example, the first node may determine that the first occurrence is to be used by the second node, and inform the second node about the first occurrence. Alternatively, the first node may inform the second node about the second occurrence that is to be used by the first node so that the second node may select an occurrence that is different from the second occurrence.

[0070] In some embodiments, the one or more characteristics include the relative geographical location of at least one of the first node or the second node. The relative geographical location of at least one of the first node or the second node may be determined based on a geographical location of the first node and a geographical location of the second node in one-dimensional, two-dimensional, or three-dimensional geographical coordinates. In this case, determining the one or more characteristics may include determining a relative geographical location of the first node relative to the second node. For example, the relative geographical location of at least one of the first node or the second node may include a relative location of the first node and the second node with respect to one another, the relative location indicating whether the first node is on the left of the second node or on the right of the second node.

[0071] In some embodiments, the relative geographical location of at least one of the first node or the second node may be determined using a geographic coordination system wherein a longitude of 0 degree is at Greenwich, East coordinates including longitude values varying from 0 degree to 180 degrees in the East, and West coordinates including longitude values varying from 0 degree to 180 degrees in the West. FIG. 5 shows an example geographic coordination system. As shown in FIG. 5, a geographical location of the node 502 and a geographical location of the node 504 are represented by a longitude value within a range between 0 degree and 360 degrees. The longitude value may be one of an East coordinate, a value that is 360 minus a West coordinate, or 180 degrees.

[0072] In some embodiments, a geographical location of the first node is represented by a first longitude value N1, a geographical location of the second node is represented by a second longitude value N2, and the first node may compare the first longitude value N1 and the second longitude value N2, and select at least one occurrence corresponding to a result of the comparing. In some embodiments, the first node and the second node are not across the zero meridian, or a node among the first node and the second node that is on the right is not on the zero meridian. In this case, in response to a determination that the first longitude value N1 is smaller than or equal to the second longitude value N2, the first node may determine that the first node is on the left of the second node, and in response to a determination that the first longitude value N1 is greater than the second longitude value N2, the first node may determine that the second node is on the left of the first node.

[0073] In some embodiments, the first node and the second node are across the zero meridian, or the node among the first node and the second node that is on the right is on the zero meridian. In this case, in response to a determination that the first longitude value N1 is smaller than or equal to the second longitude value N2, the first node may determine that the second node is on the left of the first node, and in response to a determination that the first longitude value N1 is greater than the second longitude value N2, the first node may determine that the first node is on the left of the second node. In some embodiments, whether the first node and the second node are across the zero meridian, or whether the node that is on the right is on the zero meridian, is determined based on a comparison of an absolute difference between the first longitude value N1 and the second longitude value N2 with a threshold longitude value.

[0074] In some embodiments, the at least one occurrence may include a first occurrence and a second occurrence of the plurality of occurrences, and the method may further include: in response to a determination that the first node is on the left of the second node, determining that the first occurrence is to be used by the first node, and in response to a determination that the second node is on the left of the first node, determining that the second occurrence is to be used by the first node.

[0075] In some embodiments, the relative geographical location of at least one of the first node or the second node may be determined using a geographic coordination system where a latitude of 0 degree is at the equator, North coordinates including latitude values varying from 0 degree to 90 degrees in the North, and South coordinates including latitude values varying from 0 degree to 90 degrees in the South. An example of such a geographic coordination system is shown in FIG. 6. In this case, a geographical location of each of the first node and the second node may be represented by a latitude value within a range between 0 degree and 90 degrees, the latitude value being a North coordinate or a South coordinate.

[0076] In some embodiments, a geographical location of the first node is represented by a first latitude value M1, a geographical location of the second node is represented by a second latitude value M2, and selecting the at least one occurrence may include: comparing the first latitude value M1 and the second latitude value M2, and selecting at least one occurrence corresponding to a result of the comparing. In some embodiments, in response to a determination that the first latitude value M1 is greater than the second latitude value M2, the first node may determine that the first node is located more North than the second node, and in response to a determination that the first latitude value M1 is smaller than or equal to the second latitude value M2, the first node may determine that the first node is located more South than the second node.

[0077] In some embodiments, the at least one occurrence may include a first occurrence and a second occurrence of the plurality of occurrences. In response to a determination that the first node is located more North than the second node, the first node may determine that the first occurrence is to be used by the first node, and in response to a determination that the first node is located more South than the second node, the first node may determine that the second occurrence is to be used by the first node.

[0078] In some embodiments, the first node camps on a first cell, the second node camps on a second cell, and the relative geographical location of at least one of the first node or the second node is determined based on a cell distance between the first cell and the second cell. The first cell and the second cell may be the same or different from each other. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the node 702 camps on the cell 706, the node 704 camps on the cell 708, and the relative geographical location of the node 702 or the node 704 may be determined based on the cell distance between the first 706 and the cell 708. In some embodiments, the first cell and the second cell are the same, and the relative geographical location of one of the first node or the second node with respect to the other of the first node or the second node is a zero-cell distance. In some embodiments, the first cell and the second cell are adjacent, and the relative geographical location of one of the first node or the second node with respect to the other of the first node or the second node is a one-cell distance.

[0079] In some embodiments, the one or more characteristics are the relative separation distance of at least one of the first node or the second node from a specific location. In this case, determining the one or more characteristics associated with at least one of the first node or a second node further include: determining a first distance between the first node and the specific location; determining a second distance between the second node and the specific location; and comparing the first distance and the second distance to determine a node that is closest to the specific location. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the node 802 may determine d1 and d2, and based on the difference between d1 and d2, determine that the node 804 is the node closest to the specific location 806.

[0080] In some embodiments, the at least one occurrence includes a first occurrence and a second occurrence of the plurality of occurrences, and in response to a determination that the first node is the node closest to the specific location, the first node may determine that the first occurrence is to be used by the first node and the second occurrence is to be used by the second node, and in response to a determination that the second node is the node closest to the specific location, the first node may determine that the second occurrence is to be used by the first node and the first occurrence is to be used by second node.

[0081] In some embodiments, the at least one occurrence may include a first occurrence and a second occurrence of the plurality of occurrences, and in response to a determination that the first node is the node closest to the specific location, the first node may determine that the first occurrence is to be used by the first node and the second node, and in response to a determination that the second node is the node closest to the specific location, the first node may determine that the second occurrence is to be used by the first node and the second node.

[0082] In some embodiments, the one or more characteristics are the one or more times associated with at least one of the first node or the second node, and determining the one or more characteristics associated with at least one of the first node or a second node includes: determining whether a current time associated with the first node is within a predetermined range. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the node 902 determines whether the current time associated with the node 902 is within a predetermined range. The predetermined range may be a predetermined range of time, a predetermined group of times (e.g., a group of even numbered times or odd numbered times), or a group of predetermined time durations. In some embodiment, determining whether the current time associated with the first node is within the predetermined range may include: determining whether the current time associated with the first node is an even number or an odd number. The current time may be an absolute time, or a relative time between the first node and the second node since a last message is sent or received between the first node and the second node.

[0083] In some embodiments, the at least one occurrence includes the first occurrence and the second occurrence of the plurality of occurrences, and in response to a determination that the current time is within the predetermined range, the first node may determine that the first occurrence is to be used by the first node and the second occurrence is to be used by the second node, and in response to a determination that the current time is outside of the predetermined range, the first node may determine that the second occurrence is to be used by the first node and the first occurrence is to be used by the second node.

[0084] In some embodiments, each of the plurality of occurrences is associated with a corresponding probability value. The probability values corresponding to the plurality of occurrences may be adjusted based on a learning process of one or more prior occurrences. In some embodiments, the one or more prior occurrences include one or more parameters in one or more prior congestion control processes, the one or more parameters including at least one of: a message interval, a transmission power, a channel occupancy ratio, a modulation and coding rate, an amount of time resources, or an amount of frequency resources. In some embodiments, the one or more prior occurrences include one or more parameters in one or more prior unlicensed channel access processes, the one or more parameters including at least one of: a contention window size or an energy detection threshold. In some embodiments, the learning process may include: analyzing one or more prior transmissions or receptions at the first node, and adjusting the probability values corresponding to the plurality of occurrences based on a result of the analyzing.

[0085] Some embodiments in this disclosure may make use of defining which node is the first node and which node is the second node. This may make use of making a distinction between the nodes. This may be achieved, for example, by referring to a node which sent a specific message. This may be achieved by referring to a node which sent first a specific message. For example, the node which sent a specific message first may be defined as the first node. This condition may be erased after a specific time.

[0086] In some embodiments, the choice between the occurrences to choose does not need to be fair or equal in probabilities. Some occurrences may be advantaged compared to others. For example, a non-uniformed probability distribution may be used. Or, the thresholds or ranges used may be such that some occurrences are advantaged in their likelihood to happen, and some others are disadvantaged.

[0087] Any embodiment in this disclosure may be used to choose more than two occurrences, or may be used to choose between more than two occurrences. For example, the concept of the time may be in an example extended to choose between three parameters. For example, if the minute belongs to [0;19] occurrence 1 is chosen. If the minutes belongs to [20;39] occurrence 2 is chosen. If the minutes belongs to [40;59] occurrence 3 is chosen. In another example, this may make use of the modulo. For example, the use of the modulo n of the minutes allows to choose between n occurrences. For example, the use of the modulo 4 of the minutes allows to choose between 4 parameters. It should be noted that in some cases this may create unfairness on the occurrence chosen in some circumstances. This is the case if the number of different occurrences to choose is not small compared with the number of different time values available. For example, re-using the previous example of the minutes, if there is a choice among 40 values, then applying the modulo 40 on the minutes may favor the occurrences 0 to 19 (because they have twice chance of being chosen than the values 20 to 59). A solution to this is to increase the number of time values available, for example by using minutes 0 to 599 over a 10 minutes repeating range.

[0088] In some embodiments, a hysteresis could be added so that once a parameter value (or functionality) is selected, it is not changed immediately. The hysteresis could be defined in time (for example, parameter not changed before one day), or could be defined by use of other criterion. For example, the value of a quantity measured, or received (parameter), could be used as a threshold. Different threshold values could be used to allow the change between instances, depending on the source and direction of the change.

[0089] Any embodiment in this disclosure may be extended to allow coordination between more than two Nodes. For example, the concept of the relative geographical location can be extended to rely on the “First one on the left”, “second one on the left”, “first one on the North”, “second one on the North”, the “first closest to a point”, the “second closest to a point” etc.

[0090] FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a node 1100, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Node 1100 may take any form, including but not limited to, a UE, a relay node, a vehicle, a component mounted in a vehicle (e.g., a vehicle mounted module), a road-side unit, a repeater, a transponder, a controller, an access point, a computer, a wireless terminal including a mobile phone, a wireless handheld device, a wireless personal device, a wireless router, and / or any other form. The node 1100 may be one of two or more nodes that perform coordination on one or more occurrences, such as the node 302 or the node 304 of FIG. 3, the node 402 or the node 404 of FIG. 4, the node 502 or the node 504 of FIG. 5, the node 602 or the node 604 of FIG. 6, the node 702 or the node 704 of FIG. 7, the node 802 or the node 804 of FIG. 8, or the node 902 or the node 904 of FIG. 9.

[0091] Referring to FIG. 11, the node 1100 may include antenna 1102 that may be used for transmission or reception of electromagnetic signals to / from a base station or other nodes. The antenna 1102 may include one or more antenna elements and may enable different input-output antenna configurations, for example, multiple input multiple output (MIMO) configuration, multiple input single output (MISO) configuration, and single input multiple output (SIMO) configuration. In some embodiments, the antenna 1102 may include multiple (e.g., tens or hundreds) antenna elements and may enable multi-antenna functions such as beamforming. In some embodiments, the antenna 1102 is a single antenna.

[0092] The node 1100 may include a transceiver 1104 that is coupled to the antenna 1102. The transceiver 1104 may be a wireless transceiver at the node 1100 and may communicate bi-directionally with a base station or other nodes. For example, the transceiver 1104 may receive / transmit wireless signals from / to a base station via downlink / uplink communication. The transceiver 1104 may also receive / transmit wireless signals from / to another node (e.g., a UE or road side unit) via sidelink communication. The transceiver 1104 may include a modem to modulate the packets and provide the modulated packets to the antenna 1102 for transmission, and to demodulate packets received from the antenna 1102.

[0093] The node 1100 may include a memory 1106. The memory 1106 may be any type of computer-readable storage medium including volatile or non-volatile memory devices, or a combination thereof. The computer-readable storage medium includes, but is not limited to, non-transitory computer storage media. A non-transitory storage medium may be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer. Examples of non-transitory storage medium include, but are not limited to, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD), flash memory, compact disk (CD) ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, etc. A non-transitory medium may be used to carry or store desired program code means (e.g., instructions and / or data structures) and may be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer, or a general-purpose or special-purpose processor. In some examples, the software / program code may be transmitted from a remote source (e.g., a website, a server, etc.) using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave. In such examples, the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are within the scope of the definition of medium. Combinations of the above examples are also within the scope of computer-readable medium.

[0094] The memory 1106 may store information related to identities of node 1100 and the signals and / or data received by antenna 1102. The memory 1106 may also store post-processing signals and / or data. The memory 1106 may also store computer-readable program instructions, mathematical models, and algorithms that are used in signal processing in the receiver 1104 and computations in a processor 1108. The memory 1106 may further store computer-readable program instructions for execution by the processor 1108 to operate the node 1100 to perform various functions described in this disclosure. In some examples, the memory 1106 may include a basic input / output system (BIOS) which may control basic hardware or software operation such as the interaction with peripheral components or devices.

[0095] The computer-readable program instructions of the present disclosure may be assembler instructions, instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine-dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state-setting data, or source code or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object-oriented programming language, and conventional procedural programming languages. The computer-readable program instructions may execute entirely on a computing device as a stand-alone software package, or partly on a first computing device and partly on a second computing device remote from the first computing device. In the latter scenario, the second, remote computing device may be connected to the first computing device through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN).

[0096] The processor 1108 of the node may include a hardware device with processing capabilities. The processor 1108 may include at least one of a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic component, a discrete hardware component, or other programmable logic device. Examples of the general-purpose processor include, but are not limited to, a microprocessor, any conventional processor, a controller, a microcontroller, or a state machine. In some embodiments, the processor 1108 may be implemented using a combination of devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration). The processor 1108 may receive, from transceiver 1104, uplink signals, downlink signals, or sidelink signals and further process the signals. The processor 1108 may also receive, from transceiver 1104, data packets and further process the packets. In some embodiments, the processor 1108 may be configured to operate a memory using a memory controller. In some embodiments, a memory controller may be integrated into the processor 1108. The processor 1108 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (e.g., the memory 1106) to cause the node 1100 to perform various functions.

[0097] The node 1100 may include a global positioning system (GPS) 1110. The GPS 1110 may be used for enabling location-based services or other services based on a geographical position of the node 1100 and / or synchronization among nodes. The GPS 1110 may receive GNSS signals from a single satellite or a plurality of satellite signals via the antenna 1102 and provide a geographical position of the node 1100 (e.g., coordinates of the node 1100). In some embodiments, the GPS 1110 is omitted.

[0098] The node 1100 may include a timer 1112. The timer may be used for determining a time or time duration associated with the node 1100. The timer 1112 may present a time in various granularities, for example, hour, minute, second, millisecond, etc. The timer 1112 may automatically adjust a current time based on the changed location of the node 1100. The timer 1112 may also present a time associated with another node based on the location of the another node or a signal received from another node.

[0099] The node 1100 may include an input / output (I / O) device 1114 that may be used to communicate a result of signal processing and computation to a user or another device. The I / O device 1114 may include a user interface including a display and an input device to transmit a user command to processor 1108. The display may be configured to display a status of signal reception at the node 1100, the data stored at memory 1106, a status of signal processing, and a result of computation, etc. The display may include, but is not limited to, a cathode ray tube (CRT), a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light-emitting diode (LED), a gas plasma display, a touch screen, or other image projection devices for displaying information to a user. The input device may be any type of computer hardware equipment used to receive data and control signals from a user. The input device may include, but is not limited to, a keyboard, a mouse, a scanner, a digital camera, a joystick, a trackball, cursor direction keys, a touchscreen monitor, or audio / video commanders, etc.

[0100] The node 1100 may further include a machine interface 1116, such as an electrical bus that connects the transceiver 1104, the memory 1106, the processor 1108, the GPS 1110, timer 1112, and the I / O device 1114.

[0101] In some embodiments, the node 1100 may be a first node for a communication that is configured or programmed to: determine one or more characteristics associated with at least one of the first node or a second node, the one or more characteristics comprising at least one of: one or more numbers selected from a range of numbers by at least one of the first node or the second node, a relative geographical location of at least one of the first node or the second node, a relative separation distance of at least one of the first node or the second node from a specific location, or one or more times associated with at least one of the first node or the second node; and select, from a plurality of occurrences, at least one occurrence for the communication based on the determined one or more characteristics, the selected at least one occurrence indicating at least one of a parameter value or a functionality to be used by at least one of the first node or the second node for the communication.

[0102] As used in this disclosure, use of the term “or” in a list of items indicates an inclusive list. The list of items may be prefaced by a phrase such as “at least one of” or “one or more of.” For example, a list of at least one of A, B, or C includes A or B or C or AB (i.e., A and B) or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C). Also, as used in this disclosure, prefacing a list of conditions with the phrase “based on” shall not be construed as “based only on” the set of conditions and rather shall be construed as “based at least in part on” the set of conditions. For example, an outcome described as “based on condition A” may be based on both a condition A and a condition B without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0103] In this specification, the terms “comprise,” “include,” or “contain” may be used interchangeably and have the same meaning and are to be construed as inclusive and open-ended. The terms “comprise,” “include,” or “contain” may be used before a list of elements and indicate that at least all of the listed elements within the list exist but other elements that are not in the list may also be present. For example, if A comprises B and C, both {B, C} and {B, C, D} are within the scope of A.

[0104] The present disclosure, in connection with the accompanied drawings, describes example configurations that are not representative of all the examples that may be implemented or all configurations that are within the scope of this disclosure. The term “exemplary” should not be construed as “preferred” or “advantageous compared to other examples” but rather “an illustration, an instance or an example.” By reading this disclosure, including the description of the embodiments and the drawings, it will be appreciated by a person of ordinary skills in the art that the technology disclosed herein may be implemented using alternative embodiments. The person of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that the embodiments, or certain features of the embodiments described herein, may be combined to arrive at yet other embodiments for practicing the technology described in the present disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein but is to be accorded the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

[0105] The flowcharts and block diagrams in the figures illustrate examples of the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and devices according to various embodiments. It should be noted that, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in blocks may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. Likewise, additional steps may be included in such methods, and certain steps may be omitted or combined, in methods consistent with various embodiments.

[0106] It is understood that the described embodiments are not mutually exclusive, and elements, components, materials, or steps described in connection with one example embodiment may be combined with, or eliminated from, other embodiments in suitable ways to accomplish desired design objectives.

[0107] Reference herein to “some embodiments” or “some exemplary embodiments” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment can be included in at least one embodiment. The appearance of the phrases “one embodiment” “some embodiments” or “another embodiment” in various places in the present disclosure do not all necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodiments necessarily mutually exclusive of other embodiments.

[0108] Additionally, the articles “a” and “an” as used in the present disclosure and the appended claims should generally be construed to mean “one or more” unless specified otherwise or clear from context to be directed to a singular form.

[0109] Unless explicitly stated otherwise, each numerical value and range should be interpreted as being approximate as if the word “about” or “approximately” preceded the value of the value or range.

[0110] Although the elements in the following method claims, if any, are recited in a particular sequence, unless the claim recitations otherwise imply a particular sequence for implementing some or all of those elements, those elements are not necessarily intended to be limited to being implemented in that particular sequence.

[0111] It is appreciated that certain features of the present disclosure, which are, for clarity, described in the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of the specification, which are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any suitable subcombination or as suitable in any other described embodiment of the specification. Certain features described in the context of various embodiments are not essential features of those embodiments, unless noted as such.

[0112] It will be further understood that various modifications, alternatives, and variations in the details, materials, and arrangements of the parts which have been described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of described embodiments may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope. Accordingly, the following claims embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations that fall within the terms of the claims.

[0113] Clause 1: A method for a first node for a communication, the method comprising: determining one or more characteristics associated with at least one of the first node or a second node, the one or more characteristics comprising at least one of: one or more numbers selected from a range of numbers by at least one of the first node or the second node, a relative geographical location of at least one of the first node or the second node, a relative separation distance of at least one of the first node or the second node from a specific location, or one or more times associated with at least one of the first node or the second node; and selecting, from a plurality of occurrences, at least one occurrence for the communication based on the determined one or more characteristics, the selected at least one occurrence indicating at least one of a parameter value or a functionality to be used by at least one of the first node or the second node for the communication.

[0114] Clause 2: The method of clause 1, wherein at least one of the first node or the second node comprises at least one of: at least one user equipment (UE), at least one relay node, at least one vehicle mounted module, at least one base station, at least one roadside unit, at least one repeater, at least one transponder, at least one wireless router, at least one controller, or at least one access point.

[0115] Clause 3: The method of clause 1, wherein the communication is a sidelink communication and at least one of the first node or the second node is a node in the sidelink communication.

[0116] Clause 4: The method of clause 1, wherein the first node and the second node are configured to perform coordination on the plurality of occurrences in at least one of: (1) an allocation of resource including at least one of time or frequency resource, (2) a congestion control process, or (3) an unlicensed channel access process.

[0117] Clause 5: The method of clause 1, wherein the first node and the second node are configured to perform coordination on the plurality of occurrences wherein at least one occurrence selected by the first node is the same as at least one occurrence selected by the second node.

[0118] Clause 6: The method of clause 1, wherein the first node and the second node are configured to perform coordination on the plurality of occurrences wherein at least one occurrence selected by the first node is different from at least one occurrence selected by the second node.

[0119] Clause 7: The method of clause 1, wherein the at least one of a parameter value or a functionality comprises at least one of: one or more time resources, one or more frequency resources, a selection of one or more resource pools, a resource sensing scheme, a transmission power, a reception power, a transmission beam width, a reception beam width, a contention window size in an unlicensed channel access, an energy detection threshold in the unlicensed channel access, a message interval in a congestion control process, a transmission power in the congestion control process, a channel occupancy ratio in the congestion control process, a modulation and coding rate in the congestion control process, an amount of time resources in the congestion control process, an amount of frequency resources in the congestion control process, a configuration of the first node, a configuration of the second node, a pre-configuration of the first node, or a pre-configuration of the second node.

[0120] Clause 8: The method of clause 1, further comprising: indicating, to the second node, at least one of the determined one or more characteristics or the selected at least one occurrence for coordination.

[0121] Clause 9: The method of clause 1, further comprising: sending, to the second node, at least one of the determined one or more characteristics or the selected at least one occurrence for coordination.

[0122] Clause 10: The method of clause 1, wherein the one or more characteristics are the one or more numbers selected from the range of numbers, and determining the one or more characteristics comprises: selecting a first number from the range of numbers; receiving, from the second node, an indication of a second number selected by the second node from the range of numbers; and comparing the first number and the second number.

[0123] Clause 11: The method of clause 10, wherein determining the one or more characteristics further comprises: indicating, to the second node, the selected first number.

[0124] Clause 12: The method of clause 10, wherein determining the one or more characteristics further comprises: transmitting, to the second node, the selected first number.

[0125] Clause 13: The method of clause 10, wherein at least one of the first number is randomly selected by the first node or the second number is randomly selected by the second node.

[0126] Clause 14: The method of clause 10, wherein selecting, from the plurality of occurrences, the at least one occurrence for the communication based on the determined one or more characteristics further comprises: selecting, from the plurality of occurrences, at least one occurrence corresponding to a result of comparing the first number and the second number.

[0127] Clause 15: The method of clause 14, wherein the at least one occurrence is a first occurrence of the plurality of occurrences, and the first occurrence is selected in response to the first number being smaller than or equal to the second number.

[0128] Clause 16: The method of clause 14, wherein the at least one occurrence is a second occurrence of the plurality of occurrences, and the second occurrence is selected in response to the first number being greater than or equal to the second number.

[0129] Clause 17: The method of clause 14, wherein the at least one occurrence comprises a first occurrence and a second occurrence of the plurality of occurrences, and the first occurrence is selected by the first node and the second occurrence is selected by the second node in response to the first number being smaller than or equal to the second number.

[0130] Clause 18: The method of clause 14, wherein the at least one occurrence comprises a first occurrence and a second occurrence of the plurality of occurrences, and the first occurrence is selected by the second node and the second occurrence is selected by the first node in response to the first number being greater than or equal to the second number.

[0131] Clause 19: The method of clause 1, wherein the one or more characteristics comprise a number selected by the first node, and determining the one or more characteristics comprises: selecting the number from the range of numbers; and comparing the number with a threshold number.

[0132] Clause 20: The method of clause 19, wherein selecting, from the plurality of occurrences, the at least one occurrence for the communication based on the determined one or more characteristics further comprises: selecting, from the plurality of occurrences, at least one occurrence corresponding to a result of comparing the number with the threshold number.

[0133] Clause 21: The method of clause 20, wherein the at least one occurrence is a first occurrence of the plurality of occurrences, and the first occurrence is selected in response to the number being smaller than or equal to the threshold number.

[0134] Clause 22: The method of clause 20, wherein the at least one occurrence is a second occurrence of the plurality of occurrences, and the second occurrence is selected in response to the number being greater than or equal to the threshold number.

[0135] Clause 23: The method of clause 20, wherein the at least one occurrence comprises a first occurrence and a second occurrence of the plurality of occurrences, and the first occurrence is selected by the first node and the second occurrence is selected by the second node in response to the number being smaller than or equal to the threshold number.

[0136] Clause 24: The method of clause 20, wherein the at least one occurrence comprises a first occurrence and a second occurrence of the plurality of occurrences, and the first occurrence is selected by the second node and the second occurrence is selected by the first node in response to the number being greater than or equal to the threshold number.

[0137] Clause 25: The method of clause 1, wherein the one or more characteristics comprise the relative geographical location of at least one of the first node or the second node, and determining the one or more characteristics comprises: determining a relative geographical location of the first node relative to the second node.

[0138] Clause 26: The method of clause 25, wherein the first node camps on a first cell, the second node camps on a second cell, and the relative geographical location of at least one of the first node or the second node is determined based on a cell distance between the first cell and the second cell.

[0139] Clause 27: The method of clause 26, wherein the first cell and the second cell are the same or different from each other.

[0140] Clause 28: The method of clause 27, wherein the first cell and the second cell are the same, and the relative geographical location of one of the first node or the second node with respect to the other of the first node or the second node is a zero-cell distance.

[0141] Clause 29: The method of clause 27, wherein the first cell and the second cell are adjacent, and the relative geographical location of one of the first node or the second node with respect to the other of the first node or the second node is a one-cell distance.

[0142] Clause 30: The method of clause 1, wherein the relative geographical location of at least one of the first node or the second node comprises a relative location of the first node and the second node with respect to one another, the relative location indicating whether the first node is on the left of the second node or on the right of the second node.

[0143] Clause 31: The method of clause 1, wherein the relative geographical location of at least one of the first node or the second node is determined based on a geographical location of the first node and a geographical location of the second node in one-dimensional, two-dimensional, or three-dimensional geographical coordinates.

[0144] Clause 32: The method of clause 1, wherein the relative geographical location of at least one of the first node or the second node is determined using a geographic coordination system wherein a longitude of 0degree is at Greenwich, East coordinates including longitude values varying from 0 degree to 180 degrees in the East, and West coordinates including longitude values varying from 0 degree to 180 degrees in the West.

[0145] Clause 33: The method of clause 32, wherein each of a geographical location of the first node and a geographical location of the second node is represented by a longitude value within a range between 0 degree and 360 degrees, the longitude value being one of an East coordinate, a value that is 360 minus a West coordinate, or 180 degrees.

[0146] Clause 34: The method of clause 1, wherein a geographical location of the first node is represented by a first longitude value N1, a geographical location of the second node is represented by a second longitude value N2, and wherein selecting, from a plurality of occurrences, the at least one occurrence for the communication based on the determined one or more characteristics comprises: comparing the first longitude value N1 and the second longitude value N2; and selecting at least one occurrence corresponding to a result of the comparing.

[0147] Clause 35: The method of clause 34, wherein comparing the first longitude value N1 and the second longitude value N2 further comprises: in response to a determination that the first longitude value N1 is smaller than or equal to the second longitude value N2, determining that the first node is on the left of the second node, and in response to a determination that the first longitude value N1 is greater than the second longitude value N2, determining that the second node is on the left of the first node.

[0148] Clause 36: The method of clause 35, wherein the first node and the second node are not across the zero meridian, or a node among the first node and the second node that is on the right is not on the zero meridian.

[0149] Clause 37: The method of clause 34, wherein comparing the first longitude value N1 and the second longitude value N2 further comprises: in response to a determination that the first longitude value N1 is smaller than or equal to the second longitude value N2, determining that the second node is on the left of the first node, and in response to a determination that the first longitude value N1 is greater than the second longitude value N2, determining that the first node is on the left of the second node.

[0150] Clause 38: The method of clause 37, wherein the first node and the second node are across the zero meridian, or the node among the first node and the second node that is on the right is on the zero meridian.

[0151] Clause 39: The method of clause 30, wherein the at least one occurrence comprises a first occurrence and a second occurrence of the plurality of occurrences, and the method further comprises: in response to a determination that the first node is on the left of the second node, determining that the first occurrence is to be used by the first node, and in response to a determination that the second node is on the left of the first node, determining that the second occurrence is to be used by the first node.

[0152] Clause 40: The method of clause 35, wherein, whether the first node and the second node are across the zero meridian, or whether the node that is on the right is on the zero meridian, is determined based on a comparison of an absolute difference between the first longitude value N1 and the second longitude value N2 with a threshold longitude value.

[0153] Clause 41: The method of clause 1, wherein the relative geographical location of at least one of the first node or the second node is determined using a geographic coordination system where a latitude of 0degree is at the equator, North coordinates including latitude values varying from 0 degree to 90 degrees in the North, and South coordinates including latitude values varying from 0 degree to 90 degrees in the South.

[0154] Clause 42: The method of clause 41, wherein a geographical location of each of the first node and the second node is represented by a latitude value within a range between 0 degree and 90 degrees, the latitude value being a North coordinate or a South coordinate.

[0155] Clause 43: The method of clause 1, wherein a geographical location of the first node is represented by a first latitude value M1, a geographical location of the second node is represented by a second latitude value M2, and wherein selecting, from a plurality of occurrences, the at least one occurrence for the communication based on the determined one or more characteristics further comprises: comparing the first latitude value M1 and the second latitude value M2; and selecting at least one occurrence corresponding to a result of the comparing.

[0156] Clause 44: The method of clause 43, wherein comparing the first latitude value M1 and the second latitude value M2 further comprises: in response to a determination that the first latitude value M1 is greater than the second latitude value M2, determining that the first node is located more North than the second node, and in response to a determination that the first latitude value M1 is smaller than or equal to the second latitude value M2, determining that the first node is located more South than the second node.

[0157] Clause 45: The method of clause 44, wherein the at least one occurrence comprises a first occurrence and a second occurrence of the plurality of occurrences, and the method further comprises: in response to a determination that the first node is located more North than the second node, determining that the first occurrence is to be used by the first node, and in response to a determination that the first node is located more South than the second node, determining that the second occurrence is to be used by the first node.

[0158] Clause 46: The method of clause 1, wherein the one or more characteristics are the relative separation distance of at least one of the first node or the second node from the specific location, and determining the one or more characteristics associated with at least one of the first node or a second node further comprises: determining a first distance between the first node and the specific location; determining a second distance between the second node and the specific location; and comparing the first distance and the second distance to determine a node that is closest to the specific location.

[0159] Clause 47: The method of clause 46, wherein the at least one occurrence comprises a first occurrence and a second occurrence of the plurality of occurrences, and the method further comprises: in response to a determination that the first node is the node closest to the specific location, determining that the first occurrence is to be used by the first node and the second occurrence is to be used by the second node, and in response to a determination that the second node is the node closest to the specific location, determining that the second occurrence is to be used by the first node and the first occurrence is to be used by second node.

[0160] Clause 48: The method of clause 46, wherein the at least one occurrence comprises a first occurrence and a second occurrence of the plurality of occurrences, and the method further comprises: in response to a determination that the first node is the node closest to the specific location, determining that the first occurrence is to be used by the first node and the second node, and in response to a determination that the second node is the node closest to the specific location, determining that the second occurrence is to be used by the first node and the second node.

[0161] Clause 49: The method of clause 1, wherein the one or more characteristics are the one or more times associated with at least one of the first node or the second node, and determining the one or more characteristics associated with at least one of the first node or a second node comprises: determining whether a current time associated with the first node is within a predetermined range.

[0162] Clause 50: The method of clause 49, wherein determining whether the current time associated with the first node is within the predetermined range comprises: determining whether the current time associated with the first node is an even number or an odd number.

[0163] Clause 51: The method of clause 49, wherein the at least one occurrence comprises the first occurrence and the second occurrence of the plurality of occurrences, and the method further comprises: in response to a determination that the current time is within the predetermined range, determining that the first occurrence is to be used by the first node and the second occurrence is to be used by the second node, and in response to a determination that the current time is outside of the predetermined range, determining that the second occurrence is to be used by the first node and the first occurrence is to be used by the second node.

[0164] Clause 52: The method of clause 49, wherein the current time is an absolute time, or a relative time between the first node and the second node since a last message is sent or received between the first node and the second node.

[0165] Clause 53: The method of clause 1, wherein the first node is a transmission node that sends a message, and the second node is a reception node that receives the message.

[0166] Clause 54: The method of clause 1, wherein each of the plurality of occurrences is associated with a corresponding probability value.

[0167] Clause 55: The method of clause 54, wherein probability values corresponding to the plurality of occurrences are adjusted based on a learning process of one or more prior occurrences.

[0168] Clause 56: The method of clause 55, wherein the one or more prior occurrences comprise one or more parameters in one or more prior congestion control processes, the one or more parameters comprising at least one of: a message interval, a transmission power, a channel occupancy ratio, a modulation and coding rate, an amount of time resources, or an amount of frequency resources.

[0169] Clause 57: The method of clause 55, wherein the one or more prior occurrences comprise one or more parameters in one or more prior unlicensed channel access processes, the one or more parameters comprising at least one of: a contention window size or an energy detection threshold.

[0170] Clause 58: The method of clause 55, wherein the learning process comprises: analyzing one or more prior transmissions or receptions at the first node; and adjusting the probability values corresponding to the plurality of occurrences based on a result of the analyzing.

[0171] Clause 59: A first node for a communication, the first node comprising: a memory storing an instruction; and a processor configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to: determine one or more characteristics associated with at least one of the first node or a second node, the one or more characteristics comprising at least one of: one or more numbers selected from a range of numbers by at least one of the first node or the second node, a relative geographical location of at least one of the first node and the second node, a relative separation distance of at least one of the first node or the second node from a specific location, or one or more times associated with at least one of the first node and the second node; and select, from a plurality of occurrences, at least one occurrence for the communication based on the determined one or more characteristics, the selected at least one occurrence indicating at least one of a parameter value or a functionality to be used by at least one of the first node or the second node for the communication.

[0172] Clause 60: The first node of clause 59, wherein at least one of the first node or the second node comprises at least one of: at least one user equipment (UE), at least one relay node, at least one vehicle mounted module, at least one base station, at least one roadside unit, at least one repeater, at least one transponder, at least one wireless router, at least one controller, or at least one access point.

[0173] Clause 61: The first node of clause 59, wherein the communication is a sidelink communication and at least one of the first node or the second node is a node in the sidelink communication.

[0174] Clause 62: The first node of clause 59, wherein the first node and the second node are configured to perform coordination on the plurality of occurrences in at least one of: (1) an allocation of resource including at least one of time or frequency resource, (2) a congestion control process, or (3) an unlicensed channel access process.

[0175] Clause 63: The first node of clause 59, wherein the first node and the second node are configured to perform coordination on the plurality of occurrences wherein at least one occurrence selected by the first node is the same as at least one occurrence selected by the second node.

[0176] Clause 64: The first node of clause 59, wherein the first node and the second node are configured to perform coordination on the plurality of occurrences wherein at least one occurrence selected by the first node is different from at least one occurrence selected by the second node.

[0177] Clause 65: The first node of clause 59, wherein the at least one of a parameter value or a functionality comprises at least one of: one or more time resources, one or more frequency resources, a selection of one or more resource pools, a resource sensing scheme, a transmission power, a reception power, a transmission beam width, a reception beam width, a contention window size in an unlicensed channel access, an energy detection threshold in the unlicensed channel access, a message interval in a congestion control process, a transmission power in the congestion control process, a channel occupancy ratio in the congestion control process, a modulation and coding rate in the congestion control process, an amount of time resources in the congestion control process, an amount of frequency resources in the congestion control process, a configuration of the first node, a configuration of the second node, a pre-configuration of the first node, or a pre-configuration of the second node.

[0178] Clause 66: The first node of clause 59, wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to: indicate, to the second node, at least one of the determined one or more characteristics or the selected at least one occurrence for coordination.

[0179] Clause 67: The first node of clause 59, wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to: send, to the second node, at least one of the determined one or more characteristics or the selected at least one occurrence for coordination.

[0180] Clause 68: The first node of clause 59, wherein the one or more characteristics are the one or more numbers selected from the range of numbers, and the processor is configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to: select a first number from the range of numbers; receive, from the second node, a second number selected by the second node from the range of numbers; and compare the first number and the second number.

[0181] Clause 69: The first node of clause 68, wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to: indicate, to the second node, the selected first number.

[0182] Clause 70: The first node of clause 68, wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to: transmit, to the second node, the selected first number.

[0183] Clause 71: The first node of clause 68, wherein at least one of the first number is randomly selected by the first node or the second number is randomly selected by the second node.

[0184] Clause 72: The first node of clause 68, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to: select, from the plurality of occurrences, at least one occurrence corresponding to a result of comparing the first number and the second number.

[0185] Clause 73: The first node of clause 72, wherein the at least one occurrence is a first occurrence of the plurality of occurrences, and the first occurrence is selected in response to the first number being smaller than or equal to the second number.

[0186] Clause 74: The first node of clause 72, wherein the at least one occurrence is a second occurrence of the plurality of occurrences, and the second occurrence is selected in response to the first number being greater than or equal to the second number.

[0187] Clause 75: The first node of clause 72, wherein the at least one occurrence comprises a first occurrence and a second occurrence of the plurality of occurrences, and the first occurrence is selected by the first node and the second occurrence is selected by the second node in response to the first number being smaller than or equal to the second number.

[0188] Clause 76: The first node of clause 72, wherein the at least one occurrence comprises a first occurrence and a second occurrence of the plurality of occurrences, and the first occurrence is selected by the second node and the second occurrence is selected by the first node in response to the first number being greater than or equal to the second number.

[0189] Clause 77: The first node of clause 59, wherein the one or more characteristics comprise a number selected by the first node, and the processor is configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to: select the number from the range of numbers; and compare the number with a threshold number.

[0190] Clause 78: The first node of clause 77, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to: select, from the plurality of occurrences, at least one occurrence corresponding to a result of comparing the number with the threshold number.

[0191] Clause 79: The first node of clause 78, wherein the at least one occurrence is a first occurrence of the plurality of occurrences, and the first occurrence is selected in response to the number being smaller than or equal to the threshold number.

[0192] Clause 80: The first node of clause 78, wherein the at least one occurrence is a second occurrence of the plurality of occurrences, and the second occurrence is selected in response to the number being greater than or equal to the threshold number.

[0193] Clause 81: The first node of clause 78, wherein the at least one occurrence comprises a first occurrence and a second occurrence of the plurality of occurrences, and the first occurrence is selected by the first node and the second occurrence is selected by the second node in response to the number being smaller than or equal to the threshold number.

[0194] Clause 82: The first node of clause 78, wherein the at least one occurrence comprises a first occurrence and a second occurrence of the plurality of occurrences, and the first occurrence is selected by the second node and the second occurrence is selected by the first node in response to the number being greater than or equal to the threshold number.

[0195] Clause 83: The first node of clause 59, wherein the one or more characteristics comprise the relative geographical location of at least one of the first node or the second node, and the processor is configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to: determine a relative geographical location of the first node relative to the second node.

[0196] Clause 84: The first node of clause 83, wherein the first node camps on a first cell, the second node camps on a second cell, and the relative geographical location of at least one of the first node or the second node is determined based on a cell distance between the first cell and the second cell.

[0197] Clause 85: The first node of clause 84, wherein the first cell and the second cell are the same or different from each other.

[0198] Clause 86: The first node of clause 85, wherein the first cell and the second cell are the same, and the relative geographical location of one of the first node or the second node with respect to the other of the first node or the second node is a zero-cell distance.

[0199] Clause 87: The first node of clause 85, wherein the first cell and the second cell are adjacent, and the relative geographical location of one of the first node or the second node with respect to the other of the first node or the second node is a one-cell distance.

[0200] Clause 88: The first node of clause 59, wherein the relative geographical location of at least one of the first node or the second node comprises a relative location of the first node and the second node with respect to one another, the relative location indicating whether the first node is on the left of the second node or on the right of the second node.

[0201] Clause 89: The first node of clause 59, wherein the relative geographical location of at least one of the first node or the second node is determined based on a geographical location of the first node and a geographical location of the second node in one-dimensional, two-dimensional, or three-dimensional geographical coordinates.

[0202] Clause 90: The first node of clause 59, wherein the relative geographical location of at least one of the first node or the second node is determined using a geographic coordination system wherein a longitude of 0degree is at Greenwich, East coordinates including longitude values varying from 0 degree to 180 degrees in the East, and West coordinates including longitude values varying from 0 degree to 180 degrees in the West.

[0203] Clause 91: The first node of clause 90, wherein each of a geographical location of the first node and a geographical location of the second node is represented by a longitude value within a range between 0 degree and 360 degrees, the longitude value being one of an East coordinate, a value that is 360 minus a West coordinate, or 180 degrees.

[0204] Clause 92: The first node of clause 59, wherein a geographical location of the first node is represented by a first longitude value N1, a geographical location of the second node is represented by a second longitude value N2, and wherein the processor is configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to: compare the first longitude value N1 and the second longitude value N2; and select at least one occurrence corresponding to a result of the comparing.

[0205] Clause 93: The first node of clause 92, wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to: in response to a determination that the first longitude value N1 is smaller than or equal to the second longitude value N2, determine that the first node is on the left of the second node, and in response to a determination that the first longitude value N1 is greater than the second longitude value N2, determine that the second node is on the left of the first node.

[0206] Clause 94: The first node of clause 93, wherein the first node and the second node are not across the zero meridian, or a node among the first node and the second node that is on the right is not on the zero meridian.

[0207] Clause 95: The first node of clause 92, wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to: in response to a determination that the first longitude value N1 is smaller than or equal to the second longitude value N2, determine that the second node is on the left of the first node, and in response to a determination that the first longitude value N1 is greater than the second longitude value N2, determine that the first node is on the left of the second node.

[0208] Clause 96: The first node of clause 95, wherein the first node and the second node are across the zero meridian, or the node among the first node and the second node that is on the right is on the zero meridian.

[0209] Clause 97: The first node of clause 88, wherein the at least one occurrence comprises a first occurrence and a second occurrence of the plurality of occurrences, and the processor is configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to: in response to a determination that the first node is on the left of the second node, determine that the first occurrence is to be used by the first node, and in response to a determination that the second node is on the left of the first node, determine that the second occurrence is to be used by the first node.

[0210] Clause 98: The first node of clause 94, wherein, whether the first node and the second node are across the zero meridian, or whether the node that is on the right is on the zero meridian, is determined based on a comparison of an absolute difference between the first longitude value N1 and the second longitude value N2 with a threshold longitude value.

[0211] Clause 99: The first node of clause 59, wherein the relative geographical location of at least one of the first node or the second node is determined using a geographic coordination system where a latitude of 0degree is at the equator, North coordinates including latitude values varying from 0 degree to 90 degrees in the North, and South coordinates including latitude values varying from 0 degree to 90 degrees in the South.

[0212] Clause 100: The first node of clause 99, wherein a geographical location of each of the first node and the second node is represented by a latitude value within a range between 0 degree and 90 degrees, the latitude value being a North coordinate or a South coordinate.

[0213] Clause 101: The first node of clause 59, wherein a geographical location of the first node is represented by a first latitude value M1, a geographical location of the second node is represented by a second latitude value M2, and wherein the processor is configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to: compare the first latitude value M1 and the second latitude value M2; and select at least one occurrence corresponding to a result of the comparing.

[0214] Clause 102: The first node of clause 101, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to: in response to a determination that the first latitude value M1 is greater than the second latitude value M2, determine that the first node is located more North than the second node, and in response to a determination that the first latitude value M1 is smaller than or equal to the second latitude value M2, determine that the first node is located more South than the second node.

[0215] Clause 103: The first node of clause 102, wherein the at least one occurrence comprises a first occurrence and a second occurrence of the plurality of occurrences, and wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to: in response to a determination that the first node is located more North than the second node, determine that the first occurrence is to be used by the first node, and in response to a determination that the first node is located more South than the second node, determine that the second occurrence is to be used by the first node.

[0216] Clause 104: The first node of clause 59, wherein the one or more characteristics are the relative separation distance of at least one of the first node or the second node from the specific location, and wherein the processor is configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to: determine a first distance between the first node and the specific location; determine a second distance between the second node and the specific location; and compare the first distance and the second distance to determine a node that is closest to the specific location.

[0217] Clause 105: The first node of clause 104, wherein the at least one occurrence comprises a first occurrence and a second occurrence of the plurality of occurrences, and wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to: in response to a determination that the first node is the node closest to the specific location, determine that the first occurrence is to be used by the first node and the second occurrence is to be used by the second node, and in response to a determination that the second node is the node closest to the specific location, determine that the second occurrence is to be used by the first node and the first occurrence is to be used by second node.

[0218] Clause 106: The first node of clause 104, wherein the at least one occurrence comprises a first occurrence and a second occurrence of the plurality of occurrences, and wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to: in response to a determination that the first node is the node closest to the specific location, determine that the first occurrence is to be used by the first node and the second node, and in response to a determination that the second node is the node closest to the specific location, determine that the second occurrence is to be used by the first node and the second node.

[0219] Clause 107: The first node of clause 59, wherein the one or more characteristics are the one or more times associated with at least one of the first node or the second node, and wherein the processor is configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to: determine whether a current time associated with the first node is within a predetermined range.

[0220] Clause 108: The first node of clause 107, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to: determine whether the current time associated with the first node is an even number or an odd number.

[0221] Clause 109: The first node of clause 107, wherein the at least one occurrence comprises the first occurrence and the second occurrence of the plurality of occurrences, and wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to: in response to a determination that the current time is within the predetermined range, determine that the first occurrence is to be used by the first node and the second occurrence is to be used by the second node, and in response to a determination that the current time is outside of the predetermined range, determine that the second occurrence is to be used by the first node and the first occurrence is to be used by the second node.

[0222] Clause 110: The first node of clause 107, wherein the current time is an absolute time, or a relative time between the first node and the second node since a last message is sent or received between the first node and the second node.

[0223] Clause 111: The first node of clause 59, wherein the first node is a transmission node that sends a message, and the second node is a reception node that receives the message.

[0224] Clause 112: The first node of clause 59, wherein each of the plurality of occurrences is associated with a corresponding probability value.

[0225] Clause 113: The first node of clause 112, wherein probability values corresponding to the plurality of occurrences are adjusted based on a learning process of one or more prior occurrences.

[0226] Clause 114: The first node of clause 113, wherein the one or more prior occurrences comprise one or more parameters in one or more prior congestion control processes, the one or more parameters comprising at least one of: a message interval, a transmission power, a channel occupancy ratio, a modulation and coding rate, an amount of time resources, or an amount of frequency resources.

[0227] Clause 115: The first node of clause 113, wherein the one or more prior occurrences comprise one or more parameters in one or more prior unlicensed channel access processes, the one or more parameters comprising at least one of: a contention window size or an energy detection threshold.

[0228] Clause 116: The first node of clause 113, wherein the learning process comprises: analyzing one or more prior transmissions or receptions at the first node; and adjusting the probability values corresponding to the plurality of occurrences based on a result of the analyzing.

[0229] Clause 117: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that are executable by one or more processors of a first node for a communication, to perform a method, the method comprising: determining one or more characteristics associated with at least one of the first node or a second node, the one or more characteristics comprising at least one of: one or more numbers selected from a range of numbers by at least one of the first node or the second node, a relative geographical location of at least one of the first node or the second node, a relative separation distance of at least one of the first node or the second node from a specific location, or one or more times associated with at least one of the first node or the second node; and selecting, from a plurality of occurrences, at least one occurrence for the communication based on the determined one or more characteristics, the selected at least one occurrence indicating at least one of a parameter value or a functionality to be used by at least one of the first node or the second node for the communication.

Claims

1. A method for a first node for a communication, the method comprising: determining one or more characteristics associated with at least one of the first node or a second node, the one or more characteristics comprising at least one of: one or more numbers selected from a range of numbers by at least one of the first node or the second node, a relative geographical location of at least one of the first node or the second node, a relative separation distance of at least one of the first node or the second node from a specific location, or one or more times associated with at least one of the first node or the second node; and selecting, from a plurality of occurrences, at least one occurrence for the communication based on the determined one or more characteristics, the selected at least one occurrence indicating at least one of a parameter value or a functionality to be used by at least one of the first node or the second node for the communication.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first node or the second node comprises at least one of: at least one user equipment (UE), at least one relay node, at least one vehicle mounted module, at least one base station, at least one roadside unit, at least one repeater, at least one transponder, at least one wireless router, at least one controller, or at least one access point.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication is a sidelink communication and at least one of the first node or the second node is a node in the sidelink communication.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first node and the second node are configured to perform coordination on the plurality of occurrences in at least one of: (1) an allocation of resource including at least one of time or frequency resource, (2) a congestion control process, or (3) an unlicensed channel access process.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first node and the second node are configured to perform coordination on the plurality of occurrences wherein at least one occurrence selected by the first node is the same as at least one occurrence selected by the second node.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first node and the second node are configured to perform coordination on the plurality of occurrences wherein at least one occurrence selected by the first node is different from at least one occurrence selected by the second node.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one of a parameter value or a functionality comprises at least one of: one or more time resources, one or more frequency resources, a selection of one or more resource pools, a resource sensing scheme, a transmission power, a reception power, a transmission beam width, a reception beam width, a contention window size in an unlicensed channel access, an energy detection threshold in the unlicensed channel access, a message interval in a congestion control process, a transmission power in the congestion control process, a channel occupancy ratio in the congestion control process, a modulation and coding rate in the congestion control process, an amount of time resources in the congestion control process, an amount of frequency resources in the congestion control process, a configuration of the first node, a configuration of the second node, a pre-configuration of the first node, or a pre-configuration of the second node.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising: indicating, to the second node, at least one of the determined one or more characteristics or the selected at least one occurrence for coordination.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising: sending, to the second node, at least one of the determined one or more characteristics or the selected at least one occurrence for coordination.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more characteristics are the one or more numbers selected from the range of numbers, and determining the one or more characteristics comprises: selecting a first number from the range of numbers; receiving, from the second node, an indication of a second number selected by the second node from the range of numbers; and comparing the first number and the second number.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more characteristics comprise a number selected by the first node, and determining the one or more characteristics comprises: selecting the number from the range of numbers; and comparing the number with a threshold number.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more characteristics comprise the relative geographical location of at least one of the first node or the second node, and determining the one or more characteristics comprises: determining a relative geographical location of the first node relative to the second node.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the relative geographical location of at least one of the first node or the second node comprises a relative location of the first node and the second node with respect to one another, the relative location indicating whether the first node is on the left of the second node or on the right of the second node.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the relative geographical location of at least one of the first node or the second node is determined based on a geographical location of the first node and a geographical location of the second node in one-dimensional, two-dimensional, or three-dimensional geographical coordinates.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the relative geographical location of at least one of the first node or the second node is determined using a geographic coordination system wherein a longitude of 0degree is at Greenwich, East coordinates including longitude values varying from 0 degree to 180 degrees in the East, and West coordinates including longitude values varying from 0 degree to 180 degrees in the West.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein a geographical location of the first node is represented by a first longitude value N1, a geographical location of the second node is represented by a second longitude value N2, and wherein selecting, from a plurality of occurrences, the at least one occurrence for the communication based on the determined one or more characteristics comprises: comparing the first longitude value N1 and the second longitude value N2; and selecting at least one occurrence corresponding to a result of the comparing.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the relative geographical location of at least one of the first node or the second node is determined using a geographic coordination system where a latitude of 0degree is at the equator, North coordinates including latitude values varying from 0 degree to 90 degrees in the North, and South coordinates including latitude values varying from 0 degree to 90 degrees in the South.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein a geographical location of the first node is represented by a first latitude value M1, a geographical location of the second node is represented by a second latitude value M2, and wherein selecting, from a plurality of occurrences, the at least one occurrence for the communication based on the determined one or more characteristics further comprises: comparing the first latitude value M1 and the second latitude value M2; and selecting at least one occurrence corresponding to a result of the comparing.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more characteristics are the relative separation distance of at least one of the first node or the second node from the specific location, and determining the one or more characteristics associated with at least one of the first node or a second node further comprises: determining a first distance between the first node and the specific location; determining a second distance between the second node and the specific location; and comparing the first distance and the second distance to determine a node that is closest to the specific location.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more characteristics are the one or more times associated with at least one of the first node or the second node, and determining the one or more characteristics associated with at least one of the first node or a second node comprises: determining whether a current time associated with the first node is within a predetermined range.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the first node is a transmission node that sends a message, and the second node is a reception node that receives the message.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of occurrences is associated with a corresponding probability value.

23. A first node for a communication, the first node comprising: a memory storing an instruction; and a processor configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to: determine one or more characteristics associated with at least one of the first node or a second node, the one or more characteristics comprising at least one of: one or more numbers selected from a range of numbers by at least one of the first node or the second node, a relative geographical location of at least one of the first node and the second node, a relative separation distance of at least one of the first node or the second node from a specific location, or one or more times associated with at least one of the first node and the second node; and select, from a plurality of occurrences, at least one occurrence for the communication based on the determined one or more characteristics, the selected at least one occurrence indicating at least one of a parameter value or a functionality to be used by at least one of the first node or the second node for the communication.

24. The first node of claim 23, wherein at least one of the first node or the second node comprises at least one of: at least one user equipment (UE), at least one relay node, at least one vehicle mounted module, at least one base station, at least one roadside unit, at least one repeater, at least one transponder, at least one wireless router, at least one controller, or at least one access point.

25. The first node of claim 23, wherein the communication is a sidelink communication and at least one of the first node or the second node is a node in the sidelink communication.

26. The first node of claim 23, wherein the first node and the second node are configured to perform coordination on the plurality of occurrences in at least one of: (1) an allocation of resource including at least one of time or frequency resource, (2) a congestion control process, or (3) an unlicensed channel access process.

27. The first node of claim 23, wherein the first node and the second node are configured to perform coordination on the plurality of occurrences wherein at least one occurrence selected by the first node is the same as at least one occurrence selected by the second node.

28. The first node of claim 23, wherein the first node and the second node are configured to perform coordination on the plurality of occurrences wherein at least one occurrence selected by the first node is different from at least one occurrence selected by the second node.

29. The first node of claim 23, wherein the at least one of a parameter value or a functionality comprises at least one of: one or more time resources, one or more frequency resources, a selection of one or more resource pools, a resource sensing scheme, a transmission power, a reception power, a transmission beam width, a reception beam width, a contention window size in an unlicensed channel access, an energy detection threshold in the unlicensed channel access, a message interval in a congestion control process, a transmission power in the congestion control process, a channel occupancy ratio in the congestion control process, a modulation and coding rate in the congestion control process, an amount of time resources in the congestion control process, an amount of frequency resources in the congestion control process, a configuration of the first node, a configuration of the second node, a pre-configuration of the first node, or a pre-configuration of the second node.

30. The first node of claim 23, wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to: indicate, to the second node, at least one of the determined one or more characteristics or the selected at least one occurrence for coordination.

31. The first node of claim 23, wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to: send, to the second node, at least one of the determined one or more characteristics or the selected at least one occurrence for coordination.

32. The first node of claim 23, wherein the one or more characteristics are the one or more numbers selected from the range of numbers, and the processor is configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to: select a first number from the range of numbers; receive, from the second node, indication of a second number selected by the second node from the range of numbers; and compare the first number and the second number.

33. The first node of claim 23, wherein the one or more characteristics comprise a number selected by the first node, and the processor is configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to: select the number from the range of numbers; and compare the number with a threshold number.

34. The first node of claim 23, wherein the one or more characteristics comprise the relative geographical location of at least one of the first node or the second node, and the processor is configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to: determine a relative geographical location of the first node relative to the second node.

35. The first node of claim 23, wherein the relative geographical location of at least one of the first node or the second node comprises a relative location of the first node and the second node with respect to one another, the relative location indicating whether the first node is on the left of the second node or on the right of the second node.

36. The first node of claim 23, wherein the relative geographical location of at least one of the first node or the second node is determined based on a geographical location of the first node and a geographical location of the second node in one-dimensional, two-dimensional, or three-dimensional geographical coordinates.

37. The first node of claim 23, wherein the relative geographical location of at least one of the first node or the second node is determined using a geographic coordination system wherein a longitude of 0degree is at Greenwich, East coordinates including longitude values varying from 0 degree to 180 degrees in the East, and West coordinates including longitude values varying from 0 degree to 180 degrees in the West.

38. The first node of claim 23, wherein a geographical location of the first node is represented by a first longitude value N1, a geographical location of the second node is represented by a second longitude value N2, and wherein the processor is configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to: compare the first longitude value N1 and the second longitude value N2; and select at least one occurrence corresponding to a result of the comparing.

39. The first node of claim 23, wherein the relative geographical location of at least one of the first node or the second node is determined using a geographic coordination system where a latitude of 0degree is at the equator, North coordinates including latitude values varying from 0 degree to 90 degrees in the North, and South coordinates including latitude values varying from 0 degree to 90 degrees in the South.

40. The first node of claim 23, wherein a geographical location of the first node is represented by a first latitude value M1, a geographical location of the second node is represented by a second latitude value M2, and wherein the processor is configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to: compare the first latitude value M1 and the second latitude value M2; and select at least one occurrence corresponding to a result of the comparing.

41. The first node of claim 23, wherein the one or more characteristics are the relative separation distance of at least one of the first node or the second node from the specific location, and wherein the processor is configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to: determine a first distance between the first node and the specific location; determine a second distance between the second node and the specific location; and compare the first distance and the second distance to determine a node that is closest to the specific location.

42. The first node of claim 23, wherein the one or more characteristics are the one or more times associated with at least one of the first node or the second node, and wherein the processor is configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to: determine whether a current time associated with the first node is within a predetermined range.

43. The first node of claim 23, wherein the first node is a transmission node that sends a message, and the second node is a reception node that receives the message.

44. The first node of claim 23, wherein each of the plurality of occurrences is associated with a corresponding probability value.

45. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that are executable by one or more processors of a first node for a communication, to perform a method, the method comprising: determining one or more characteristics associated with at least one of the first node or a second node, the one or more characteristics comprising at least one of: one or more numbers selected from a range of numbers by at least one of the first node or the second node, a relative geographical location of at least one of the first node or the second node, a relative separation distance of at least one of the first node or the second node from a specific location, or one or more times associated with at least one of the first node or the second node; and selecting, from a plurality of occurrences, at least one occurrence for the communication based on the determined one or more characteristics, the selected at least one occurrence indicating at least one of a parameter value or a functionality to be used by at least one of the first node or the second node for the communication.

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