NR Sidelink Transmission in Downlink Slots with Selective Puncturing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Sidelink (SL) transmissions in New Radio (NR) are restricted to uplink (UL) slots only, leading to degraded throughput and increased latency due to limited transmission slots, and there are no procedures to handle collisions between downlink (DL) receptions and SL transmissions in the same slot.

Innovation Solution

Allow SL transmissions in both DL and UL slots by updating the SL resource pool configuration and implementing priority-based procedures to minimize interference and collisions, using DCI signaling and TDD configurations to manage slot accessibility.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-affected harmful factors

If SL transmissions are restricted to UL slots only, then interference to neighboring UEs receiving DL transmissions is avoided, but SL throughput is degraded and latency is increased

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinterference to neighboring UEsVSAvoidSL throughput

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the slot structure by introducing puncturing patterns that selectively remove specific resource elements (REs) from SL transmissions in DL slots. This segmentation allows SL transmissions to occur in DL slots while avoiding interference with DL DMRS by puncturing only the conflicting REs, thereby resolving the contradiction between enabling SL in DL slots and protecting DL reception

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies local quality by making the SL transmission characteristics location-dependent. Specifically, different puncturing patterns are applied to different resource elements within the slot based on whether they overlap with DL DMRS. This allows SL transmissions to maintain high quality in non-overlapping regions while being punctured only where necessary to avoid interference

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Productivity

If SL transmissions are allowed in DL slots, then SL throughput is improved and latency is reduced, but interference to DL channel/signal of neighboring UEs occurs

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveSL throughputVSAvoidinterference to DL channel

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent converts the potential harm of SL transmissions in DL slots into a benefit by using the same time-frequency resources for both purposes. By allowing SL transmissions in DL slots with selective puncturing, the system transforms what would be pure interference into a shared resource utilization scenario where both SL and DL can coexist, improving overall spectral efficiency

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

3Ease of operation

If legacy SL frame structure is used in DL slots, then SL transmissions can be performed, but collisions with DL DMRS occur causing detrimental impact

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveSL transmission capabilityVSAvoidDL reception quality

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-configuring puncturing patterns that are determined before SL transmissions occur. These patterns are signaled to UEs in advance through RRC configuration or DCI, allowing UEs to proactively avoid transmitting on resource elements that would collide with DL DMRS, thereby preventing reliability issues before they occur

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS20250294592A1Systems and methods for enabling sidelink transmissions in downlink slots

Publication Date: 2025.09.18 SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD

AI summary

A system and a method are disclosed for performing sidelink communications. The method includes determining, by a user equipment (UE), based on a priority metric satisfying a first threshold and/or a channel-congestion metric satisfying a second threshold, that a first downlink slot within a subset of downlink slots is a candidate for a first sidelink transmission, and performing, by the UE, the first sidelink transmission in the first downlink slot based on one or more transmission parameters, the transmission parameters being pre-configured or indicated to the UE.