UE Transmission Priority for Uplink-Sidelink Resource Conflicts

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Solution Overview

Problem

User equipment (UE) faces challenges in prioritizing uplink and sidelink transmissions when they share the same resources, leading to potential latency issues in latency-sensitive applications.

Innovation Solution

A mechanism for UE to determine and prioritize uplink or sidelink transmissions based on assigned priority values, considering factors like beam failure recovery and application type, ensuring that latency-sensitive sidelink transmissions are prioritized over uplink transmissions when resource conflicts occur.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If the UE transmits both uplink and sidelink data using the same resource at the same time, then resource utilization is maximized, but transmission reliability deteriorates due to conflicts between the two transmissions

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveresource utilizationVSAvoidtransmission reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The UE performs preliminary determination of priority values for both uplink and sidelink data before the actual transmission occurs. This advance prioritization allows the UE to pre-establish which transmission should take precedence, preventing conflicts during actual transmission and ensuring reliable delivery of high-priority data while maintaining efficient resource utilization

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The invention introduces priority values as a new parameter to resolve the contradiction. By assigning and comparing priority values between uplink and sidelink data, the UE can dynamically adjust transmission behavior based on data importance, thereby maintaining both high resource utilization and transmission reliability through intelligent parameter-based decision making

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If the UE prioritizes uplink transmissions over sidelink transmissions, then network communication reliability is improved, but latency in sidelink communications increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenetwork communication reliabilityVSAvoidsidelink latency
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The invention changes the priority parameter dynamically based on data type and service requirements. Sidelink data with low latency requirements can be assigned higher priority values than uplink data, allowing the UE to prioritize time-sensitive sidelink transmissions over network communications, thereby reducing sidelink latency while maintaining overall system reliability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The priority assignment mechanism is dynamic rather than static. The UE can adjust priority values based on current transmission conditions, data characteristics, and service requirements. This dynamic approach allows the system to adaptively balance between uplink reliability and sidelink latency, ensuring optimal performance for different scenarios

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Device complexity

If the UE assigns equal priority to both uplink and sidelink data, then simplicity of prioritization logic is maintained, but transmission efficiency deteriorates due to unresolved conflicts

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprioritization logic complexityVSAvoidtransmission efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention introduces a simple yet effective priority value parameter that can be assigned based on predefined rules or data characteristics. This single parameter approach maintains relatively simple prioritization logic while significantly improving transmission efficiency by enabling clear conflict resolution between uplink and sidelink transmissions

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The invention segments data into different priority categories, allowing the UE to handle different types of data with appropriate priority levels. This segmentation approach simplifies the prioritization process by providing clear categorization rules while improving transmission efficiency through differentiated handling of high-priority versus low-priority data

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP4055930B1Prioritization between uplink and sidelink communications
Publication Date: 2026.01.28 APPLE INC
  • EP4055930B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4055930B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4055930B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A method performed by a user equipment (UE) configured with an uplink and a sidelink. The method includes determining that a first set of data is to be transmitted in the uplink, assigning a priority value to the first set of data, determining that a second set of data is to be transmitted in the sidelink, assigning a priority value to the second set of data, determining that the first and second set of data are to be transmitted using a same resource at a same time, selecting one of the first set of data or the second set of data to be transmitted first based on at least the first priority value and the second priority value and when the first set of data that is to be transmitted in the uplink is selected, transmitting the first set of data prior to transmitting the second set of data.