Shared Sidelink Control Sensing for Low-Power NR Relays
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Solution Overview
Problem
Sidelink channel sensing in 5G NR networks leads to significant power inefficiency due to frequent blind decoding by user equipment, particularly exacerbated in sidelink relays performing additional RAN functions, leading to rapid battery drain.
Innovation Solution
A shared sidelink control channel sensing scheme with member-specific sensing periods and inactive modes for user equipment, allowing power-saving deep sleep during designated periods, and coordinated channel resource reporting among group members.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If user equipment performs frequent channel sensing through blind decoding to detect occupied sidelink resources, then resource allocation efficiency and collision avoidance are improved, but power consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the sidelink group into different roles (sensing UEs and non-sensing UEs) and segments the channel sensing task into member-specific sensing periods. Each sensing UE is assigned specific time periods to perform sensing, while other UEs remain in inactive mode. This segmentation allows the group to maintain efficient resource allocation through distributed sensing while reducing overall power consumption by not requiring all UEs to sense continuously.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements periodic channel sensing through member-specific sensing periods, where sensing UEs perform blind decoding at scheduled intervals rather than continuously. The sensing UE alternates between active sensing periods and inactive periods, creating a periodic sensing pattern. This periodic action maintains adequate channel awareness for resource allocation while significantly reducing power consumption compared to continuous sensing.
2Adaptability or versatility
If sidelink relays perform both relaying functions and channel sensing, then communication coverage and resource awareness are improved, but power consumption increases rapidly due to the combined functions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the channel sensing function from all sidelink relays and assigns it specifically to designated sensing UEs within the group. Non-sensing relays can focus their power resources on relaying functions without the additional burden of continuous channel sensing. This extraction allows relays to maintain communication coverage through relaying while avoiding the rapid power drain that would result from performing both relaying and continuous sensing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a multi-functional system where sensing UEs perform both channel sensing and relaying functions, while non-sensing UEs focus solely on relaying. This universal approach allows the sidelink group to distribute sensing tasks across capable members, ensuring that relaying coverage is maintained while power consumption is managed through specialized role assignment.
3Reliability
If all user equipment continuously monitor and decode channel reservations, then transmission collision avoidance is improved, but battery charge drains rapidly due to frequent blind decoding
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the collision avoidance function by assigning channel monitoring responsibilities to specific sensing UEs rather than requiring all UEs to continuously monitor. Each sensing UE is responsible for detecting channel reservations during its assigned sensing periods, and this information is shared with the group. This segmentation maintains adequate collision avoidance capability while distributing the power consumption burden across fewer devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces sensing UEs as intermediaries that perform channel sensing and provide resource availability information to non-sensing UEs. The sensing UE acts as a mediator between the physical channel and the non-sensing relays, translating channel conditions into actionable resource allocation information. This intermediary approach allows non-sensing UEs to avoid collision without performing power-intensive blind decoding themselves.
Data Source
AI summary
Sidelink relay and remote sidelink devices of a sidelink group negotiate a distributed sidelink control channel sensing arrangement such that one sidelink device monitors control channel sensing occasions during a configured sensing period corresponding to the monitoring sielink device while other members of the group sleep their respective control channel sensing circuitry. More than one member of the group may be awake during a configured channel sensing reporting occasion that is used to communicate available channel resource reports among group members. A report may be unicast, multicast, or broadcast, and may be transmitted in a SCI. Group members may be configured to transmit or receive an interruption request that requests by a non-sensing member a partial available channel resource report from a group member that is currently sensing. The partial report may be transmitted before the configured reporting occasion.