CN111316718B

CN111316718B - Carrier aggregation for sidelink communications

Info

Publication number: CN111316718B
Application number: CN201780096670.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: V·V·潘; 李海涛; 于�玲; J·斯坦科扎克
Original assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co Ltd; Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy
Current assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co Ltd; Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy
Priority date: 2017-11-09
Filing date: 2017-11-09
Publication date: 2022-08-30
Anticipated expiration: 2037-11-09
Also published as: EP3707938A4; EP3707938A1; WO2019090605A1; CN111316718A

Abstract

Various communication systems can benefit from improved carrier aggregation. For example, certain communication systems may benefit from improved side-link carrier aggregation in vehicle-to-all communications. In some embodiments, a method may include receiving, at a user equipment, a sidelink carrier aggregation configuration. The side link carrier aggregation configuration may include timing offsets. The method may also include determining, based on the timing offset and the timing of the resources of the first carrier, to transmit data using sidelink carrier aggregation on the resources of the first carrier and the resources of the second carrier. Additionally, the method may include transmitting data from the user equipment using sidelink carrier aggregation on resources of the first carrier and resources of the second carrier.

Description

Carrier aggregation for sidelink communications

Technical Field

Various communication systems may benefit from improved carrier aggregation. For example, certain communication systems may benefit from enhanced sidechain carrier aggregation in vehicle-to-all (vehicle-to-eventing) communications.

Background

Recent developments in third generation partnership project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology or LTE-advanced (LTE-a) have sought to improve vehicle-to-all communication. Vehicle-to-all communication is the transfer of information from the vehicle to any entity that may affect the vehicle. For example, vehicle-to-all communications may involve vehicle-to-infrastructure, vehicle-to-vehicle, vehicle-to-pedestrian, vehicle-to-device, or vehicle-to-grid (vehicle-to-grid) communications.

Vehicle-to-all communication supports Carrier Aggregation (CA) on Sidelink (SL) for vehicle-to-all communication, hereinafter referred to as sidelink carrier aggregation (SLCA). SL is a vehicle-to-all interface that allows direct communication and direct discovery. CA is used for parallel transmission of Medium Access Control (MAC) Protocol Data Units (PDUs), where the MAC PDU payloads are different. CA may also be used for parallel transmission of duplicate copies of the same packet. Parallel refers to at the same or different transmission times, but on different carriers. From the receiver perspective, simultaneous reception on multiple carriers is assumed. From the transmitter perspective, the transmission occurs over a subset of the available carriers.

Disclosure of Invention

According to certain embodiments, an apparatus may include at least one memory including computer program code and at least one processor. The at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus at least to receive a sidelink carrier aggregation configuration. The sidelink carrier aggregation configuration may include a timing offset. The at least one memory and the computer program code may also be configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to determine to transmit data using sidelink carrier aggregation over resources of the first carrier and resources of the second carrier based on the timing offset and a timing of the resources of the first carrier. Additionally, the at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus at least to transmit data using sidelink carrier aggregation over resources of a first carrier and resources of a second carrier.

In certain embodiments, a method may include receiving, at a user equipment, a sidelink carrier aggregation configuration. The sidelink carrier aggregation configuration may include a timing offset. The method may also include determining to transmit data using sidelink carrier aggregation over resources of the first carrier and resources of the second carrier based on the timing offset and the timing of the resources of the first carrier. In addition, the method can include transmitting data from the user equipment using sidelink carrier aggregation on resources of the first carrier and resources of the second carrier.

In certain embodiments, an apparatus may include means for receiving a sidelink carrier aggregation configuration at a user equipment. The sidelink carrier aggregation configuration may include a timing offset. The apparatus may also include means for determining to transmit data using sidelink carrier aggregation over resources of the first carrier and resources of the second carrier based on the timing offset and the timing of the resources of the first carrier. In addition, the apparatus may include transmitting data from the user equipment using sidelink carrier aggregation on resources of the first carrier and resources of the second carrier.

According to certain embodiments, a computer program product is embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium and encodes instructions that, when executed in hardware, perform a process. The process may include receiving, at a user equipment, a sidelink carrier aggregation configuration. The sidelink carrier aggregation configuration may include a timing offset. The process may also include determining to transmit data using sidelink carrier aggregation over resources of the first carrier and resources of the second carrier based on the timing offset and the timing of the resources of the first carrier. In addition, the process may include transmitting data from the user equipment using sidelink carrier aggregation over resources of the first carrier and resources of the second carrier.

According to some other embodiments, a computer program product may encode instructions for performing a process. The process may include receiving, at a user equipment, a sidelink carrier aggregation configuration. The sidelink carrier aggregation configuration may include a timing offset. The process may also include determining to transmit data using sidelink carrier aggregation over resources of the first carrier and resources of the second carrier based on the timing offset and the timing of the resources of the first carrier. In addition, the process can include transmitting data from the user equipment using sidelink carrier aggregation over resources of the first carrier and resources of the second carrier.

According to certain embodiments, an apparatus may include at least one memory including computer program code and at least one processor. The at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus at least to configure a sidelink carrier aggregation configuration comprising a timing offset. The at least one memory and the computer program code may also be configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus at least to transmit a sidelink carrier aggregation configuration including a timing offset to a user equipment. The timing offset may relate to data transmission using resources of the first carrier and resources of the second carrier.

In certain embodiments, a method may include configuring, at a network entity, a sidelink carrier aggregation configuration that includes a timing offset. The method may also include sending, from the network entity to the user equipment, a sidelink carrier aggregation configuration including the timing offset. The timing offset may relate to data transmission using resources of the first carrier and resources of the second carrier.

In certain embodiments, an apparatus may include means for configuring, at a network entity, a sidelink carrier aggregation configuration including a timing offset. The apparatus can also include means for transmitting, from the network entity to the user equipment, a sidelink carrier aggregation configuration including a timing offset. The timing offset may relate to data transmission using resources of the first carrier and resources of the second carrier.

According to certain embodiments, a computer program product embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium and encoding instructions that, when executed in hardware, perform a process. The process may include configuring, at a network entity, a sidelink carrier aggregation configuration including a timing offset. The process may also include sending, from the network entity to the user equipment, a sidelink carrier aggregation configuration including the timing offset. The timing offset may relate to data transmission using resources of the first carrier and resources of the second carrier.

According to some other embodiments, a computer program product may encode instructions for performing a process. The process may include configuring, at a network entity, a sidelink carrier aggregation configuration including a timing offset. The process may also include sending, from the network entity to the user equipment, a sidelink carrier aggregation configuration including the timing offset. The timing offset may relate to data transmission using resources of the first carrier and resources of the second carrier.

Drawings

For a proper understanding of the invention, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1 shows LTE vehicle to all resource allocation.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a system according to some embodiments.

Fig. 3 illustrates an example of a signal flow diagram according to some embodiments.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a flow chart according to some embodiments.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a flow chart according to some embodiments.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a system according to some embodiments.

Detailed Description

Certain embodiments may allow a network configured SLCA timing offset (Tca) to control the SLCA transmission of a transmitting user equipment (Tx UE). The Tx UE may determine the timing offset between the SLCA transmissions, and the related resource selection based on the received network configuration. The SLCA may utilize a first carrier (which may be referred to as a PC5 carrier) and/or a second carrier (which may be referred to as another PC5 carrier). In some embodiments, the user equipment may use mode 4 resource allocation in the second carrier, and the user equipment may use mode 3 resource allocation or mode 4 resource allocation in the first carrier.

As will be discussed below, certain embodiments help to distinguish SLCA from generic non-coordinated or autonomous SL transmissions on different carriers. Multi-carrier SL transmission may utilize mode 4Tx UEs. Mode 4 resource allocation refers to autonomous resource selection by a UE from one or more configured resource pools. In other embodiments, the multi-carrier SL transmission may utilize mode 3 resource allocation, which refers to resource allocation based on network scheduling.

Carrier aggregation including Dual Connectivity (DC) has been standardized for cellular links, such as radio connection over the Uu interface between the UE and the serving Radio Access Network (RAN). The serving RAN may include a primary cell and a secondary cell. In inter-site CA and DC, the primary and secondary cells may be provided by two different enhanced nodebs (enbs) or Access Nodes (ANs). For some EPC bearer services, transmission over the Uu interface may be connection-oriented. Thus, CA and/or DC on the Uu interface may be tightly controlled by the primary cell. On the other hand, for per-packet device-to-device applications, the transmission on SL is based on Tx UE oriented broadcast. Both network scheduled and autonomous UE selected resource allocation modes (referred to as mode 3 and mode 4) may be supported for vehicle-to-all transmissions over SL.

Some embodiments may help facilitate network controlled SLCA in LTE release 15 or any future LTE release. Certain embodiments are directed to a UE using mode 4 resource allocation in a second carrier. On the other hand, the UE may use mode 3 resource allocation or mode 4 resource allocation in the first carrier. Although the primary cell and the secondary cell are used in the conventional carrier aggregation on the Uu interface, in the SLCA, for example, the first carrier and the second carrier may be used. The first carrier and the second carrier may be PC5 carriers.

Fig. 1 shows LTE vehicle to all resource allocation. In particular, fig. 1 shows a timeline for an LTE vehicle to all PC5 based resource allocation mechanism for a transmitting UE using mode 4 resource allocation. The PC5 may be a device-to-device or vehicle-to-vehicle interface, also referred to as a sidelink connection in the physical layer. The detailed mechanism of sensing and semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) resource allocation shown in fig. 1 includes a sliding sensing window. The sensing window indicates that the user equipment should continue to sense transmissions from other UEs in each received subframe in the sliding sensing window 110, which sliding sensing window 110 may be 1000 milliseconds in duration. The sliding sensing window in fig. 1 may range from n-1000 to n-1, where n is the point in time at which resource selection or reselection is triggered. If and when resource selection or reselection is triggered 120, the UE may select an available resource in a resource selection window 130, which resource selection window 130 may range from n + T1 to n + T2.

The upper edge of the resource selection window may be limited by the current payload latency, and the lower edge of the resource selection window may be determined by a UE-based implemented process delay. According to the occupancy state of the resources detected in the sensing window 110, if and when the UE selects an available resource in the resource selection window at the subframe (n + d), the same frequency resources of (n + d + SPS period) will be reserved by the scheduling assignment sent in (n + d). d may be a time period it takes for the UE to select or reselect resources after a trigger for resource selection or reselection.

The SPS counter value may be randomly selected evenly between the proposed ranges when resource selection or reselection is triggered. The scope of the proposal may be determined by the upper and lower edges of the resource selection window. The value of the SPS counter may be decreased by 1 after each transmission of a traffic packet. When the SPS counter satisfies the expiration condition, the current resource may have a probability p to be reserved, and the SPS counter may be reset, or reselection may be triggered with a probability (1-p).

Some embodiments introduce a network configured SLCA timing offset, also referred to hereinafter as Tca. Tca may be used to control the SLCA transmission of Tx UEs, especially in embodiments where the UE uses mode 4 resource allocation. The user equipment may determine whether to transmit data using the SLAC on resources of at least one of the first carrier or the second carrier. In particular, the user equipment may determine the timing between the transmissions of the SLCA, and the related resource selection, signalling indication and second layer (L2) behaviour on the SL according to the configured Tca. L2 includes a Medium Access Control (MAC), Radio Link Control (RLC), and/or Packet Data Conversion Protocol (PDCP) sublayer. L2 behavior may involve moving data between physical links in a network. For example, the Tca may be configured or pre-configured by the network, or may be predefined by the network operator. The Tca configuration may then be sent to the user equipment as shown in fig. 2.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a system according to some embodiments. In particular, fig. 2 shows sidelink carrier aggregation with both a first carrier and a second carrier, and a method for controlling selection of the second carrier and mode 4 resource allocation on the second carrier in an SLCA using Tca. As can be seen in fig. 2, the transmitting UE may be able to select between a first carrier 210 (referred to as carrier #1) and two different second carriers 220 and 230 (referred to as carrier #2 and carrier # L). The UE may use mode 3 resource allocation or mode 4 resource allocation in the first carrier and mode 4 resource allocation in the second carrier. In the first carrier 210, the UE may send data on resource blocks 240. The UE may then continue to transmit data on resource blocks 250 in the second carrier 220. In some embodiments, when the UE uses mode 4 on the first carrier, the first carrier may be selected by the UE between selectable carriers that the network pre-configures to the UE.

The delta T in fig. 2 may represent a time offset between data transmission in resource blocks 240 in the first carrier 210 and data transmission in resource blocks 250 in the second carrier 220. The delta T in fig. 2 may also be a time offset, referred to as Tca. As shown in fig. 2, the value of delta T (representing Tca used by Tx UE) may be between Tca minimum (Tca _ min) and Tca maximum (Tca _ max). The Tca may be pre-configured or pre-defined by a network entity or operator of the network. The timing offset may include a minimum value and a maximum value. In some embodiments, Tca _ min may be set to zero. In certain embodiments, the Tca may be derived, set or determined based on at least one of quality of service (QoS) used by Tx UEs in the second carrier, SLCA operation and/or mode 4 resource allocation operation.

As described above, a Tca may comprise one or more predefined or preconfigured elements or components. For example, Tca may include a minimum value, a maximum value, and/or a single norm, which may be a single number or value. In some embodiments, a single norm may be considered implicitly by the UE and derived up to the UE, or explicitly configured to the UE as Tca _ max, with Tca _ min being zero. In another example, a single norm may be considered or configured as Tca _ min, while Tca-max may be derived by the UE. The implicit option can be implemented via a constraint or actual value of the single norm. In other words, the UE may compare the value of the single norm to the delay requirements of the corresponding application or service, e.g., corresponding to the PPPP of the packet, to determine whether the single norm is for Tca _ min or Tca _ max.

Tca may also include specific values for different instances corresponding to different target usage scenarios. For example, different target usage may be determined based on different proximity services (ProSe) per packet priority (PPPP) of data and/or different QoS classes of SLCA. In some embodiments, the Tca may be UE-specific, which may be configured using dedicated signaling, and/or the Tca may be first carrier-specific, which may be configured using dedicated signaling or common signaling.

Although some components of Tca may be configured jointly, such as Tca _ max, some other components of Tca may be configured using dedicated signaling, such as Tca _ min. Common configuration may mean configuring the Tca components for one or more UEs in a cell using, for example, broadcast, whereas configuring using dedicated signaling may mean configuring each individual UE using dedicated signaling. In some other embodiments, some elements or components of the Tca may be configured implicitly. When Tca is implicitly configured, Tca may be derived from at least one of the SPS periods of the corresponding SPS instance on the first carrier. In yet another embodiment, Tca may be derived based on a time interval between two consecutive SL hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) repetitions on the first carrier. Tca may also be derived from time constraints of the configured study selection window and/or delays or latencies corresponding to PPPP or QoS configurations. Tca may be derived based on one or more of the factors described above.

In some embodiments, components or elements of Tca such as Tac _ min or Tac _ max may not be explicitly configured by the network entity. The network entity may be, for example, an eNB. As described above, without explicitly configuring components or elements of Tca, the Tx UE may implicitly derive these components or elements. However, in other embodiments, these components may be predefined or preconfigured. For example, if there is no further explicit configuration, Tca _ min may be set to zero. Tca _ max may also have a predefined or preconfigured value.

The transmission of data from the user equipment on the second carrier using side link carrier aggregation may be made to occur between a minimum value and a maximum value from the time of transmission of data on the first carrier. Thus, in some embodiments, the timing difference between two consecutive transmissions of the SLCA on the first carrier and the second carrier may occur between Tca _ min and Tca _ max. In other words, two consecutive Transmission Time Intervals (TTIs) of the SLCA for the corresponding SL resource block may be made to occur between Tca _ min and Tca _ max. This may allow control of network resource usage while also providing the required data rate, e.g., when the Tx UE allocates mode 4 resources for SLCA.

In some embodiments where SCLA may be used to replicate critical packets that may require high reliability and low latency, Tca _ max may be set according to the time interval between two consecutive SL HARQ repetitions on the first carrier. In other embodiments, Tca _ max may be set according to the required latency and/or delay of the corresponding PPPP or QoS configuration. Deriving or setting Tca _ max from the above can help ensure the validity of the SLCA on single carrier transmission.

In some embodiments, the Tx UE may be configured to select the second carrier and the resources on the second carrier such that a timing difference between two consecutive transmission time intervals of the SLCA on the first carrier and the second carrier is minimized when the SLCA is used for data splitting. In other embodiments, the Tx UE may be configured to select the second carrier and the resources on the second carrier such that a timing difference between two consecutive time intervals of the SLCA on the first carrier and the second carrier is maximized when the SLCA is used for data repetition. Configuring the Tx UE according to the above can increase the data rate in case of splitting or increase the time diversity in case of copying.

In other embodiments, Tca _ max as shown in fig. 2 may be less than the time constraint of the configured resource selection window on the second carrier. The Tx UE may select resources on the second carrier before or after transmitting a scheduling assignment for transmission of data on the first carrier. In some embodiments, whether the resources of the second carrier are selected before or after the scheduling assignment for transmission of data on the first carrier is transmitted, the determined resources for transmission may depend on the timing offset and a pre-configured resource selection time window of the second carrier. The time constraint may refer to a duration of time required for the UE to perform sensing and/or resource selection, as shown in fig. 1.

Sensing and/or resource selection may be performed by considering the timing of the trigger (e.g., n slots in fig. 1) for selecting resources on the second carrier, which may be linked with the timing of the SLCA transmission determined and scheduled on the first carrier, hereinafter referred to as the n _ first carrier. The n parameter of the first carrier may indicate the nth slot of the first carrier on which the SLCA may be triggered. For example, if Tca _ max or (Tca _ max + Tca _ min)/2 is less than n + T2 of the first carrier, the Tx UE may select a resource on the second carrier before sending a scheduling assignment on the first carrier. T2 may be a configured parameter specific to the second carrier. Thus, n + T2 for the first carrier may represent the end of a resource selection window, similar to the resource selection window shown in fig. 1. The above embodiment may be applied when Tca _ max is smaller than n + T1 of the first carrier and the second carrier.

In some embodiments, the scheduling assignment for the SLCA may be transmitted on the first carrier. The scheduling assignment may include an indication of the SLCA, such as whether the SLCA may be used for split transmission or repeated transmission. The scheduling assignment indicating the SLCA may require explicit resources to be provided for the SLCA on the second carrier. This may help to enhance sensing and/or avoid collisions on the second carrier. If Tca _ max is greater than n first carrier + T2, the scheduling assignment sent on the first carrier may skip the indication for the SLCA.

Fig. 3 illustrates an example of a signal flow diagram according to some embodiments. In particular, fig. 3 shows a network entity 301 (e.g., eNB) and a Tx UE302 utilizing SLCA. In some embodiments, the network entity configures a sidelink carrier aggregation configuration, the sidelink carrier aggregation configuration including a timing offset. In step 310, the network entity sends the SLAC configuration including the timing offset to the user equipment. The timing offset may relate to data transmission using resources of the first carrier and resources of the second carrier. In other words, in step 310, the Tx UE302 may receive the SLAC configuration including the timing offset.

In step 320, Tx UE302 may determine the SLCA transmission and resources for the first carrier of the SLCA. In step 330, the Tx UE302 may determine whether to transmit on the first carrier resource for the SLCA before determining the second carrier resource based on the configured Tca. In other words, in step 330, the Tx UE302 may determine whether the Tx UE has sufficient time to transmit data on the first carrier, select resources of the second carrier, and transmit data on the second carrier for sidelink carrier aggregation. In some embodiments, the Tx UE does not have enough time and needs to select the resources of the second carrier before transmitting data on the first carrier. The determination may be based on Tca. When the Tx UE determines to transmit for SLCA on the first carrier resource before determining the second carrier resource, referred to as "yes" in fig. 3, the UE may perform SLCA transmission for the first carrier with a scheduling assignment indicating the first carrier resource, as shown in step 340. In other words, the Tx UE302 transmits data using the SLCA on the resources of the first carrier. For example, a "yes" decision in fig. 3 may be based on the Tca minimum being greater than the earliest selectable resource on the selectable second carrier.

The first carrier for the SLCA may be the control cell when the TxUE uses mode 3 or a mix of mode 3 and mode 4 resource allocations. When the Tx UE uses mode 4 resource allocation, the UE may choose to transmit in the first carrier in SLCA. The other carrier may be a second carrier. In some embodiments, the minimum Tca may be set to zero. The capabilities of the UE, such as the transmit or receive antennas of the UE, may be considered when configuring the Tca. Thus, Tca may help resolve UE capability limitations.

If Tx UE302 determines to transmit the first carrier resource for SLCA without first determining the second carrier resource, referred to as "no" in fig. 3, the UE may perform SLCA transmission on the first carrier with a scheduling assignment indicating the first carrier resource and optionally the second carrier resource, as shown in step 360. In step 350, the Tx UE302 may determine a suitable second carrier among the selectable second carriers, and resources for the second carrier of the SLCA, based on the configured Tca. In step 330, the Tx UE302 may determine whether to transmit data using sidelink carrier aggregation on resources of the second carrier. In step 370, the UE may perform an SLCA Tx on a second carrier with a scheduling assignment indicating a second carrier resource.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flow diagram in accordance with certain embodiments. In particular, fig. 4 shows an embodiment of a Tx UE, which may be used in vehicle-to-all communications. The Tx UE may be, for example, the Tx UE302 shown in fig. 3. In step 410, the Tx UE may receive an SLCA configuration, wherein the SLCA configuration includes a timing offset, similar to step 310 shown in fig. 3. In step 420, the Tx UE may determine to transmit data using the SLCA on the resources of the first carrier and the resources of the second carrier, e.g., based on the timing offset and the timing of the resources of the first carrier, as shown in

steps

330 and 350 in fig. 3. The Tx UE may select a second carrier from a plurality of second carriers, as shown in fig. 2. The user equipment may use the mode 4 resource allocation in the second carrier and the user equipment may use the mode 3 resource allocation or the mode 4 resource allocation in the first carrier. The timing offset may be preconfigured by the network entity.

In some embodiments, the timing offset may include a minimum value and a maximum value. The use of SLCA on the second carrier to transmit data from the user equipment may occur between a minimum or maximum value from the time of transmission of data on the first carrier. In some embodiments, the timing offset may be derived based on at least one of a time interval between two consecutive SL HARQ repetitions on the first carrier or a latency corresponding to a per-packet priority or QoS configuration of the data.

The UE selects resources on the second carrier before or after sending the scheduling assignment for the first carrier according to the timing offset and/or a pre-configured resource selection time window for the second carrier. The UE may select resources on the second carrier that minimize or maximize the timing difference between two consecutive TTIs of the SLCA on the first carrier and the second carrier. The UE may indicate a scheduling assignment of resources for at least one of the first carrier or the second carrier, as shown in step 430. In step 440, the user equipment may transmit data using the SLCA on the resources of the first carrier and the resources of the second carrier. The SLCA may be used in vehicle-to-all communications (e.g., vehicle-to-vehicle communications).

FIG. 5 illustrates a flow diagram in accordance with certain embodiments. In particular, fig. 5 shows an embodiment of a network entity such as an eNB similar to eNB 301 in fig. 3. The network entity shown in fig. 5 may communicate with the user equipment shown in fig. 4. In step 510, the network entity configures an SLCA configuration that includes a timing offset. The timing offset may include a minimum value and a maximum value. The timing offset may be derived based on at least one of a time interval between SL HARQ repetitions on the first carrier or a latency corresponding to a per-packet priority or QoS configuration of the data. In step 520, the network entity may send the SLCA configuration including the timing offset to the user equipment. The timing offset may relate to data transmission using resources of the first carrier and resources of the second carrier. The UE may use the mode 4 resource allocation in the second carrier and the user equipment may use the mode 3 resource allocation or the mode 4 resource allocation in the first carrier.

FIG. 6 illustrates a system according to some embodiments. It should be understood that each signal or block in fig. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 may be implemented by various means or combinations thereof, such as hardware, software, firmware, one or more processors, and/or circuitry. In one embodiment, the system may include several devices, such as, for example, network entity 620 or user equipment 610. The system may include more than one UE 610 and more than one network node 620, although only one access node is shown for purposes of illustration. The network entity may be a network node, an access node, a base station, an eNB, a 5G NodeB (5G-NB), a server, a host, or any other access or network node discussed herein.

Each of these devices may include at least one processor or control unit or module, respectively designated 611 and 621. At least one memory, respectively referenced 612 and 622, may be provided in each device. The memory may include computer program instructions or computer code embodied therein. One or

more transceivers

613 and 623 may be provided, and each device may also include an antenna, shown as 614 and 624, respectively. Although only one antenna is shown per device, many antennas and multiple antenna elements may be provided per device. Higher category UEs typically include multiple antenna panels. For example, other configurations of these devices may be provided. For example, in addition to wireless communication, network node 620 and UE 610 may additionally be configured for wired communication, and in

such cases antennas

614 and 624 may illustrate any form of communication hardware, and are not limited to only antennas.

The transceiver 613 and the transceiver 623 may each independently be a transmitter, a receiver, or both a transmitter and a receiver, or may be configured as a unit or device for both transmission and reception. In other embodiments, the UE or network node may have at least one separate receiver or transmitter. The transmitter and/or receiver (in the case of radio parts) can also be implemented as a remote radio head which is not located in the device itself, but for example in the mast. These operations and functions may be performed in a flexible manner in different entities, such as nodes, hosts, or servers. In other words, the division of labor may vary from case to case. One possible use is for network nodes to deliver local content. One or more functions may also be implemented as virtual applications in software that may run on a server.

The user device or user equipment 610 may be a Mobile Station (MS), such as a mobile phone or smart phone or multimedia device, a computer with wireless communication capabilities, such as a tablet computer, a personal data or digital assistant (PDA) with wireless communication capabilities, a portable media player, a digital camera, a camcorder, a navigation unit with wireless communication capabilities, or any combination thereof. The user equipment 610 may utilize LTE mode 4 resource allocation or LTE mode 3 resource allocation. The user equipment 610 may be used in vehicle-to-all communications. Thus, the user device 610 may be located inside the vehicle or may be part of the vehicle.

In some embodiments, an apparatus, such as a network entity, may include modules to perform the embodiments described above with respect to fig. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. In certain embodiments, the at least one memory including the computer program code may be configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus at least to perform any of the processes described herein.

The

processors

611 and 621 may be embodied by any computing or data processing device, such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Programmable Logic Device (PLD), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), digital enhancement circuitry, or the like, or a combination thereof. The processor may be implemented as a single controller or as multiple controllers or processors.

For firmware or software, the implementation may include at least one module or unit (e.g., procedure, function, etc.) of a chipset. The

memories

612 and 622 may independently be any suitable storage device, such as a non-transitory computer-readable medium. A Hard Disk Drive (HDD), Random Access Memory (RAM), flash memory, or other suitable memory may be used. The memory may be combined on a single integrated circuit as the processor or may be separate therefrom. Furthermore, the computer program instructions, which may be stored in a memory and processed by a processor, may be computer program code in any suitable form, such as a compiled or interpreted computer program written in any suitable programming language. The memory or data storage entity is typically internal, but may also be external, or a combination thereof, such as in the case of additional storage capacity obtained from a service provider. The memory may be fixed or removable.

The memory and computer program instructions may be configured to, with the processor for a particular device, cause a hardware device, such as network entity 620 or UE 610, to perform any of the processes described above (e.g., see fig. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5). Thus, in certain embodiments, a non-transitory computer readable medium may be encoded with computer instructions or one or more computer programs (such as added or updated software routines, applets, or macros) that, when executed in hardware, may perform processes such as one of the processes described herein. The computer program may be coded by a programming language, which may be a high-level programming language, such as object-oriented C, C, C + +, C #, Java, or the like, or a low-level programming language, such as a machine language or an assembly language. Alternatively, some embodiments may be implemented entirely in hardware.

Furthermore, although fig. 6 illustrates a system including network entity 620 and UE 610, certain embodiments may be applicable to other configurations and configurations involving additional elements, as shown and discussed herein. For example, there may be multiple user equipment devices and multiple network entities, or other nodes providing similar functionality, such as nodes combining the functionality of user equipment and network entities, such as relay nodes. In addition to the communication network node 620, the UE 610 may similarly be provided with various configurations for communication. For example, the UE 610 may be configured for device-to-device, machine-to-machine, vehicle-to-all, or vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

The above embodiments may provide significant improvements to the functionality of the network and/or the functionality of network entities within the network. In particular, certain embodiments allow Tx UEs to perform efficient and efficient network-controlled SLCA transmissions. In one example, the Tx UE may be included as part of a vehicle-to-all communication, such as a direct vehicle-to-vehicle communication. The network configured timing offset may be used to determine timing between transmissions of the SLCA and related resource selection in the first carrier and the second carrier.

The features, structures, or characteristics of certain embodiments described throughout this specification may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. For example, throughout the specification, use of the phrases "certain embodiments," "some embodiments," "other embodiments," or other similar language refers to the fact that: the particular features, structures, or characteristics described in connection with the embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of the invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases "in certain embodiments," "in some embodiments," "in other embodiments," or other similar language throughout this specification do not necessarily refer to the same group of embodiments, and the described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

One of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that the invention as described above may be practiced with steps in a different order and/or with hardware elements in configurations other than those disclosed. Thus, while the invention has been described based upon these preferred embodiments, it would be apparent to those skilled in the art that certain modifications, variations, and alternative constructions would be apparent, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Part of the vocabulary

3 GPP: third generation partnership project

LTE: long term evolution

LTE-A: long term evolution advanced

CA: carrier aggregation

And SA: scheduling assignments

SL: side link

SLCA: side Link CA

TTI: transmission time interval

V2V: vehicle-to-vehicle communication

MAC: media access control

RAN: radio access network

eNB: evolved NodeB

SPS: semi-persistent scheduling

PPPP: per-packet priority proximity services

HARQ: hybrid automatic repeat request

Tca: SLCA timing offset

Claims

1. A method of communication, comprising:

receiving, at a user equipment, a side link carrier aggregation configuration, wherein the side link carrier aggregation configuration comprises a timing offset, wherein the timing offset comprises a minimum value and a maximum value;

determining to transmit data using sidelink carrier aggregation on the resources of the first carrier and resources of a second carrier based on the timing offset and a timing of the resources of the first carrier; and

transmitting data from the user equipment using the sidelink carrier aggregation over the resources of the first carrier and the resources of the second carrier, wherein the transmitting of the data from the user equipment using the sidelink carrier aggregation over the second carrier occurs between the minimum and maximum values from a time of the transmitting of the data over the first carrier.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user equipment uses a mode 4 resource allocation in the second carrier, and wherein the user equipment uses a mode 3 resource allocation or the mode 4 resource allocation in the first carrier.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the timing offset is preconfigured by a network entity.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the timing offset is derived based on at least one of a time interval between two consecutive sidelink hybrid automatic repeat request repetitions on the first carrier or a latency corresponding to a per-packet priority or quality of service configuration of the data.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting, at the user equipment, the resources on the second carrier before or after transmitting a scheduling assignment for the transmission of the data on the first carrier in accordance with the timing offset and a preconfigured resource selection time window for the second carrier.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting, at the user equipment, the resource on the second carrier that minimizes or maximizes a timing difference between two consecutive transmission time intervals of the sidelink carrier aggregation on the first carrier and the second carrier.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

indicating a scheduling assignment of the resources for at least one of the first carrier or the second carrier.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the sidelink carrier aggregation configuration is used in vehicle-to-all communications.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1-8, further comprising:

selecting the second carrier from a plurality of second carriers.

10. A method of communication, comprising:

configuring, at a network entity, a sidelink carrier aggregation configuration comprising a timing offset, wherein the timing offset comprises a minimum and a maximum; and

transmitting, from the network entity to a user equipment, the sidelink carrier aggregation configuration comprising the timing offset, wherein the timing offset relates to data transmission using resources of a first carrier and resources of a second carrier, and wherein a timing difference between two consecutive transmissions of sidelink carrier aggregation on the first carrier and the second carrier occurs between the minimum and maximum values.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the user equipment uses a mode 4 resource allocation in the second carrier, and wherein the user equipment uses a mode 3 resource allocation or the mode 4 resource allocation in the first carrier.

12. The method of any of claims 10-11, wherein the timing offset is derived based on at least one of a time interval between two consecutive sidelink hybrid automatic repeat request repetitions on the first carrier or a latency corresponding to a per packet priority or quality of service configuration of the data.

13. A communication device, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code,

wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform a process comprising:

receiving a sidelink carrier aggregation configuration, wherein the sidelink carrier aggregation configuration comprises a timing offset, wherein the timing offset comprises a minimum value and a maximum value;

transmitting data using the sidelink carrier aggregation over the resources of the first carrier and the resources of the second carrier, wherein the transmitting of the data from a user equipment using the sidelink carrier aggregation over the second carrier occurs between the minimum and maximum values from a time of the transmitting of the data over the first carrier.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the user equipment uses a mode 4 resource allocation in the second carrier, and wherein the user equipment uses a mode 3 resource allocation or the mode 4 resource allocation in the first carrier.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the timing offset is preconfigured by a network entity.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform processes further comprising:

17. A communication device, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code,

configuring a sidelink carrier aggregation configuration comprising a timing offset, wherein the timing offset comprises a minimum and a maximum; and

transmitting the sidelink carrier aggregation configuration comprising the timing offset to a user equipment, wherein the timing offset relates to data transmission using carrier resources of a first carrier and resources of a second carrier, and wherein a timing difference between two consecutive transmissions of sidelink carrier aggregation on the first carrier and the second carrier occurs between the minimum and maximum values.

18. A communication device, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code,

wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform a process comprising the method of any of claims 4 to 6, 8, 9 and 11 to 12.

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium encoding instructions that, when executed in hardware, perform a process, the process comprising the method according to any of claims 1-12.

20. An apparatus comprising means for performing a process, the process comprising the method of any of claims 1-12.