Sidelink DRX Negotiation for Aligned UE Active Times
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sidelink communication technologies in NR lack efficient mechanisms for negotiating sidelink discontinuous reception (SL DRX) configurations between user equipments (UEs), leading to misaligned active times and increased latency, power consumption, and signaling overhead.
Innovation Solution
A method for negotiating SL DRX configurations between UEs through signaling and response processes, allowing UEs to suggest, accept, reject, or partially accept DRX configurations, with fallback options and negotiation protocols to align active times and optimize power consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If SL DRX configurations are negotiated between UEs, then power consumption is reduced and active times are aligned, but signaling overhead and negotiation complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the second UE responds to DRX configuration suggestions from the first UE with acceptance or rejection indications. This feedback loop enables iterative negotiation until both UEs agree on compatible DRX parameters, resolving the contradiction by allowing power saving through configuration alignment while managing complexity through structured interaction protocols.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes DRX parameters (such as active time duration, sleep duration, and timing offsets) through negotiation between UEs. By dynamically adjusting these parameters to match each other's active times, the system reduces power consumption while the parameter change process itself becomes part of the standardized negotiation protocol, managing the complexity through predefined adjustment rules.
2Device complexity
If SL DRX configurations are not negotiated, then signaling overhead is reduced, but latency increases due to misaligned active times
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by having UEs exchange DRX configuration suggestions and responses before actual data transmission begins. This preliminary negotiation aligns active times in advance, preventing latency caused by misalignment during data communication. The structured preliminary exchange minimizes ongoing signaling overhead by establishing parameters once before data flow starts.
3Reliability
If DRX configurations are aligned between UEs, then data loss is minimized, but negotiation and configuration management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The feedback mechanism in the patent ensures reliability by having the second UE explicitly indicate acceptance or rejection of DRX configurations suggested by the first UE. This feedback loop continues until both UEs agree on compatible parameters, preventing data loss due to misaligned active times while managing configuration complexity through clear acceptance/rejection protocol.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent achieves equipotentiality by ensuring both UEs end up with matching DRX configurations after negotiation. The active times, sleep durations, and timing parameters are adjusted so that both UEs are in the same state regarding reception timing, eliminating data loss risks while the standardized negotiation process manages the complexity of achieving this alignment.
Data Source
AI summary
A method implemented by a first terminal device (1101) is provided. The method comprises: transmitting a signaling indicating a suggestion on one or more sidelink discontinuous reception, SL DRX, configurations to a second terminal device (1102); receiving a first response for each of the SL DRX configurations from the second terminal device (1102). The first response may indicate one of: fully accepting, by the second terminal device, the suggestion; fully rejecting, by the second terminal device (1102), the suggestion; and partly accepting, by the second terminal device, the suggestion. Latency, power consumption and signaling overhead may be reduced. Data loss due to active time misalignment may be minimized. A good tradeoff between UE power consumption and performance of sidelink transmissions may be achieved.