WO2025217920A1

WO2025217920A1 - Sidelink integration and coexistence

Info

Publication number: WO2025217920A1
Application number: PCT/CN2024/088897
Authority: WO
Inventors: Lin Chen; Wei Luo; Weiqiang DU; Mengzhen WANG; Ying Huang
Original assignee: ZTE Corp
Current assignee: ZTE Corp
Priority date: 2024-04-19
Filing date: 2024-04-19
Publication date: 2025-10-23
Anticipated expiration: 2026-10-19

Abstract

Systems, methods, and apparatus for wireless communication are described. The methods, among other benefits, improve the sidelink communication. An example method includes receiving, by a wireless device, a long term evolution (LTE) or new radio (NR) sidelink configuration. The method further includes performing, by the wireless device and based on the LTE or NR sidelink configuration, a sidelink operation. Another example method includes receiving, by a wireless device, a radio access technology (RAT) information associated with a sidelink service flow. The method further includes determining, by the wireless device and based on the RAT information, whether to perform a long term evolution (LTE) or new radio (NR) sidelink operation.

Description

SIDELINK INTEGRATION AND COEXISTENCE

TECHNICAL FIELD

This patent document is directed generally to wireless communications.

BACKGROUND

Mobile telecommunication technologies are moving the world toward an increasingly connected and networked society. In comparison with the existing wireless networks, next-generation systems and wireless communication techniques will need to support a much wider range of use-case characteristics and provide a more complex and sophisticated range of access requirements and flexibilities.

Long-Term Evolution (LTE) is a standard for wireless communication for mobile devices and data terminals developed by 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) . LTE Advanced (LTE-A) is a wireless communication standard that enhances the LTE standard. The 5th generation of wireless system, known as 5G, and the 6th generation of wireless system, known as 6G, advance the LTE and LTE-Awireless standards and are committed to supporting higher data rates, large number of connections, ultra-low latency, high reliability, and other emerging business needs.

SUMMARY

The present patent document solves the coexistence and integration issues of vehicle to everything (V2X) /sidelink communication in a sixth generation (6G) network. The disclosed methods include long-term evolution (LTE) /new radio (NR) sidelink configuration reception via 6G Uu, user equipment (UE) selected and scheduled resource allocation support, sidelink UE information reporting via 6G Uu, handling of LTE/NR medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) , cell selection/reselection, and service continuity. The disclosed methods, among other benefits, improve the sidelink communication.

A first example wireless communication method includes receiving, by a wireless device, a long term evolution (LTE) or new radio (NR) sidelink configuration. The method further includes performing, by the wireless device and based on the LTE or NR sidelink configuration, a sidelink operation.

A second example wireless communication method includes performing, by a network device, a transmission or reception of a long term evolution (LTE) or new radio (NR) sidelink configuration to or from a neighboring network device.

A third example wireless communication method includes receiving, by a wireless device, a radio access technology (RAT) information associated with a sidelink service flow. The method further includes determining, by the wireless device and based on the RAT information, whether to perform a long term evolution (LTE) or new radio (NR) sidelink operation.

Note that where the patent document discloses a method of transmitting an information by a first device to a second device, it will be understood that a method of receiving the information by the second device from the first device is also disclosed. Similarly, where a method of receiving a message by a first device from a second device is disclosed, it will be understood that the message is transmitted by the second device to the first device.

In yet another example embodiment, a device that is configured or operable to perform the above-described methods is disclosed. The device includes at least one processor configured to implement the above-described methods.

In yet another example embodiment, the above-described methods are embodied in the form of processor-executable code and stored in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The code included in the computer readable storage medium when executed by a processor, causes the processor to implement the methods described in this patent document.

The above and other aspects and their implementations are described in greater detail in the drawings, the descriptions, and the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example sidelink communication.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example sidelink configuration reception.

FIG. 3 illustrates another example sidelink configuration reception.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example logical channel identifier (LCID) table.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example container medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) .

FIG. 6 is an example flowchart for receiving a sidelink configuration.

FIG. 7 is an example flowchart for communicating a sidelink configuration with a neighboring network device.

FIG. 8 is an example flowchart for receiving a radio access technology (RAT) information.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example block diagram of a hardware platform that may be a part of a network device or a wireless device.

FIG. 10 illustrates example wireless communication including a Base Station (BS) and User Equipments (UEs) based on some implementations of the disclosed technology.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The example headings for the various sections below are used to facilitate the understanding of the disclosed subject matter and do not limit the scope of the claimed subject matter in any way. Accordingly, one or more features of one example section can be combined with one or more features of another example section. Furthermore, 5G and 6G terminology is used for the sake of clarity of explanation, but the techniques disclosed in the present document are not limited to 5G and 6G technology only and may be used in wireless systems that implemented other protocols, e.g., ambient-IoT.

I.Introduction

The present patent document discloses methods to solve the coexistence and integration issues of vehicle to everything (V2X) /sidelink communication in a sixth generation (6G) network. The disclosed methods, among other benefits, improve the sidelink communication.

This patent document solves the co-existence and integration issue of vehicle-to-everything (V2X) /sidelink communication in a sixth generation (6G) network, such as the long term evolution (LTE) /new radio (NR) sidelink configuration reception via 6G Uu, the UE selected and scheduled resource allocation support, the sidelink UE information report via 6G Uu and the handling of LTE/NR medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) , the cell selection/reselection as well as the service continuity.

With the development of wireless multimedia services, demands of high data rate services significantly increase. Under such a condition, requirements of system capacity and coverage of conventional cellular network become higher. On the other hand, due to application scenarios of public safety, social network, short distance data sharing, local advertisement, …, etc., demands of proximity services which allow people to acknowledge or to communicate with adjacent people or objects also increase. However, the current cellular network has obvious limitations with regard to supporting the high data rate services and the proximity services. As a result, device-to-device (D2D) communication technology is proposed to serve such demands. By adopting the D2D technology, burden of the cellular network can be decreased, power consumption of user equipment can be reduced, data rate can be increased, and robustness of network infrastructures can be improved, so as to fulfill the demands of the high data rate services and the proximity services. The D2D technology is also called the proximity service (ProSe) or sidelink communications and an interface between equipment is known as PC5 interface.

V2X is one of the most popular use scenarios of sidelink communication. With the development of communication technology and electronic technology, more and more vehicles are equipped with vehicle communication modules. Through such vehicle equipment there can be a variety of information exchange, such as accident pre-warning information, traffic status reminder information and so on. In addition to the V2X service for basic safety, more advanced V2X services are specified. For example, the advanced V2X services can be divided into four categories: vehicle platooning, extended sensors) , semi-automated or full-automated driving, and remote driving. In LTE and NR, sidelink based V2X communication is one of the main research issues. That is, the V2X data packet is transmitted from source user equipment (UE) to target UE directly via radio interface as shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 1 shows a scenario of V2X sidelink communication. It is not necessary to go through the base station or core network. It is called PC5-based V2X communication or V2X sidelink communication.

In addition to V2X sidelink communication, a lot of proximity services and discovery are proposed to be supported via PC5 communication in 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) to improve the throughput, reduce latency, and improve power consumption of the network. For example, the sidelink communication may be applied to wearables, smart farming, smart factory, and public safety services.

This patent document relates to methods, systems, and devices for the support of sidelink in 6G wireless network communication via the integration of LTE and NR sidelink in 6G.

II. Embodiment 1

In this embodiment, the 6G RRC_IDLE or RRC_INACTIVE UE may perform the LTE sidelink or NR sidelink discovery/communication based on the LTE sidelink configuration and or the NR sidelink configuration received via system information broadcast by 6G capable base station (e.g., xNB) .

In LTE, the following System Information Block (SIB) is defined for sidelink:

- SIB 18 indicates Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) supports the sidelink UE information procedure and may contain sidelink communication related resource configuration information.

- SIB19 indicates E-UTRAN supports the sidelink UE information procedure and may contain sidelink discovery related resource configuration information.

- SIB 21 contains V2X sidelink communication configuration.

-SIB 26 contains V2X sidelink communication configurations which can be used jointly with those included in SIB 21.

On the other hand, in NR, the following SIB is defined for sidelink:

- SIB12 contains NR sidelink communication/discovery configuration. It should be noted this SIB includes the configuration for V2X, sidelink for unlicensed spectrum (SL-U) , UE-to-network relay and UE-to-UE relay.

In order to support the 6G control of LTE or NR sidelink, the xNB (e.g., 6G base station) may broadcast the V2X sidelink communication configuration of E-UTRA SIB 21 and or SIB 26 via a new SIB. Moreover, xNB may broadcast the LTE non-V2X sidelink configuration of E-UTRA SIB 18 and or SIB 19 via new SIB. In this way, the LTE non-V2X sidelink as well as the LTE V2X sidelink can be supported by 6G. On the other hand, the xNB may broadcast the NR sidelink communication/discovery configuration of NR SIB 12 via a new SIB. In this way, the NR sidelink communication/discovery can be supported by 6G.

FIG. 2 shows UE1 receiving the LTE or NR V2X sidelink configuration via system information. As shown in FIG. 2, the RRC_IDLE or RRC_INACTIVE UE may receive the LTE V2X sidelink configuration and or the NR sidelink configuration via the SIB broadcast by xNB. Suppose the UE is interested in the LTE V2X sidelink monitoring, UE may decode the receive (Rx) sidelink resource pool from the LTE V2X sidelink configuration and start to monitoring the LTE V2X sidelink resource pool. Moreover, if the UE is also interested in the LTE V2X sidelink monitoring and the transmit (Tx) sidelink resource pool is included in the LTE V2X sidelink configuration broadcast by xNB, the UE may decode the Tx sidelink resource pool from the LTE V2X sidelink configuration and start to send V2X message via the LTE V2X sidelink Tx resource pool.

III. Embodiment 2

In this embodiment, the 6G RRC_IDLE or RRC_INACTIVE UE may perform the LTE sidelink or NR sidelink discovery/communication based on the pre-configured LTE sidelink configuration and or the NR sidelink configuration.

Suppose the UE is interested in the NR sidelink transmission or reception and xNB does not provide the sidelink relevant configuration via system information, the UE may check the preconfigured NR sidelink configuration if any. If the preconfigured NR sidelink configuration exists and the frequency band and or available time slot for the preconfigured NR sidelink Tx and or Rx resource pool does not overlap with the xNB’s Uu resource, the UE may perform the NR sidelink Tx or Rx operation based on the preconfigured NR sidelink Tx and or Rx resource pool.

IV. Embodiment 3

Embodiment 3 is shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 3 shows UE1 receiving the LTE and or NR sidelink resource configuration via dedicated signaling.

In this embodiment, the 6G RRC_Connected UE may perform the LTE sidelink or NR sidelink discovery/communication based on the LTE sidelink configuration and or the NR sidelink configuration provided by xNB.

6G capable UE is connected to the xNB. The xNB broadcast the LTE sidelink support indication and or NR sidelink support indication. Based on the LTE sidelink support indication and NR sidelink support indication broadcast by xNB, 6G capable RRC_Connected UE is aware that the xNB can provide the LTE sidelink and NR sidelink configuration. RRC_Connected UE may send SIB request to xNB. The SIB request includes the LTE sidelink SIB indication and or the NR sidelink SIB indication. The SIB indication may be in the form of SIB number. For example, if the LTE sidelink SIB is included in SIB 8, the SIB request may indicate the SIB8. Upon receiving the SIB request, the xNB send the relevant SIB which include the LTE sidelink configuration and or NR sidelink configuration to UE via dedicated signaling.

Alternatively, xNB may broadcast the LTE sidelink and or NR sidelink discovery and communication configuration via system information. The LTE sidelink and NR sidelink discovery and communication configuration may include not only the sidelink configuration of xNB’s cell or carrier, it may also include the sidelink configuration of neighboring cell or carrier.

Suppose the UE is interested in the LTE sidelink transmission or reception, UE send the E-UTRA sidelinkUEInformation to xNB. Moreover, UE may send the E-UTRA UEAssistanceInformation to xNB. The E-UTRA sidelinkUEInformation and E-UTRA UEAssistanceInformation may be included in an OCTET string container. According to the E-UTRA sidelinkUEInformation and or E-UTRA UEAssistanceInformation, xNB may send the E-UTRA RRCConnectionReconfiguration to UE, which includes the LTE sidelink discovery configuration or LTE sidelink communication configuration or LTE V2X sidelink configuration, resource allocation mode configuration, etc.

Similarly, suppose the UE is interested in the NR sidelink transmission or reception, UE send the NR sidelinkUEInformation to xNB. Moreover, UE may send the NR UEAssistanceInformation to xNB. The NR sidelinkUEInformation and NR UEAssistanceInformation may be included in a OCTET string container. According to the NR sidelinkUEInformation and or NR UEAssistanceInformation, xNB may send the NR RRCConnectionReconfiguration to UE, which include the NR sidelink discovery configuration or NR sidelink communication configuration, resource allocation mode configuration, etc.

Suppose the UE selected resource allocation is configured, the UE selects the sidelink Tx resource from the sidelink Tx resource pool autonomously and then performs the sidelink transmission. Suppose the scheduled resource allocation is configured, it can be further divided into two cases as follows:

1) Dynamic scheduling is configured: In this case, the xNB needs to send the sidelink grant via the downlink control information (DCI) . The DCI may include at least one of the following fields: the Radio Access Technology (RAT) indication (e.g., LTE or NR) , resource pool index, time/frequency domain resource index, Modulation Coding Scheme (MCS) .

2) Semi Persistent Scheduling (SPS) for sidelink is configured: In this case, SPS may indicate the SPS sidelink (SL) configuration in LTE. In NR, SPS may indicate the type 1 and type 2 configured grant for SL transmission.

In LTE, the SPS grant for sidelink can be configured via RRC signaling. For the SPS grant activation and or deactivation and or reactivation and or retransmission, it can also be sent by xNB to the UE via RRC signaling. Alternatively, the activation and or deactivation and or reactivation and or retransmission for SL can be delivered to UE via DCI. Suppose DCI is used, it may include at least one of the following fields: the RAT indication (e.g., LTE or NR) , SPS id, time/frequency domain resource index, MCS, etc.

In NR, both type 1 and type 2 configured grant are supported for SL transmission. For the type1 configured grant, the grant for SCI and sidelink data transmission can be configured via RRC signaling. For the type 2 configured grant, it is provided via the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) (i.e., DCI addressed to SLCS-Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI) ) . In this case, the DCI for SL may include at least one of the following fields: the RAT indication (e.g., LTE or NR) , SPS id, time/frequency domain resource index, MCS, etc.

For the scheduled resource allocation, UE needs to send the sidelink Buffer Status Report (BSR) to xNB. In this case, the sidelink BSR may include the logical channel group (LCG) identifier (ID) , buffer size, destination index. In order to reduce the spec impact, the sidelink BSR MAC subheader as well as the MAC CE can also be included in a container MAC CE. To be specific, a dedicated LCID is allocated for the container MAC CE. The container MAC CE includes the OCTET string which actually encapsulates the sidelink BSR MAC subheader and the sidelink BSR MAC CE.

Considering that the UE may initiate the LTE sidelink transmission as well as the NR sidelink transmission, UE may send the LTE sidelink BSR and the NR sidelink BSR. In order to differentiate them, two dedicated LCIDs may be allocated for the LTE container MAC CE and NR container MAC CE respectively as shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 4 shows values of LCID for UL-SCH. For the MAC subheader with LCID for LTE container MACE, the corresponding container MAC CE includes the LTE MAC subheader and the LTE MAC CE, e.g., LTE sidelink BSR. For the MAC subheader with LCID for NR container MAC CE, the corresponding container MAC CE may include the NR MAC subheader and the NR MAC CE as shown in FIG. 5, e.g., NR sidelink BSR. FIG. 5 shows a NR container MAC CE.

In addition to the sidelink BSR MAC CE, a lot of sidelink relevant MAC CE is defined in NR. For example, the Sidelink Configured Grant Confirmation MAC CE and SL Listen-Before-Talk (LBT) failure MAC CE are sent by UE to base station for the SL configured grant and SL-U operation respectively. These NR MAC CEs for SL may be delivered by the UE to xNB via the NR container MAC CE.

V. Embodiment 4

In this embodiment, the RAT selection of UE for the sidelink operation is presented.

For the 6G capable UE served by the xNB, it may support the LTE sidelink and or the NR sidelink. For UE that is capable of LTE sidelink, it may detect whether the xNB supports LTE sidelink based on whether the LTE sidelink indication or LTE sidelink configuration is broadcast by the xNB. If xNB supports LTE sidelink, UE may initiate the LTE sidelink operation based on the network configuration. On the other hand, for UE that is capable of NR sidelink, it may detect whether the xNB supports NR sidelink based on whether the NR sidelink indication or NR sidelink configuration is broadcast by the xNB. If xNB supports NR sidelink, UE may initiate the NR sidelink operation based on the network configuration.

Suppose UE is capable of both LTE sidelink and NR sidelink and the xNB also supports both LTE sidelink and NR sidelink, it is questionable whether LTE or NR sidelink should be used by UE. One option is that the UE’s Non-Access Stratum (NAS) layer determines the RAT associated with a sidelink service flow and delivers it to Access Stratum (AS) layer. For a given sidelink quality of service (QoS) flow, if it is associated with LTE RAT, UE map this service flow to LTE SL logical channel. If it is associated with NR RAT, UE map this service flow to NR SL resource block (RB) . Suppose the NAS layer determines that both LTE and NR RAT can be used for this sidelink QoS flow, the NAS layer may provide the LTE relevant QoS as well as the NR relevant QoS parameters to AS layer and then it is up to AS layer to determine whether LTE or NR sidelink shall be used. For this case, it can be up to UE implementation to determine whether LTE or NR sidelink shall be used. Alternatively, the UE may select the RAT based on Constant Bit Rate (CBR) of the sidelink resource pool. For example, if CBRs of the available LTE SL Tx pools are larger than a configured threshold, the UE should select NR sidelink. If CBRs of the available NR SL Tx pools are larger than a configured threshold, the UE should select LTE sidelink. If CBRs of any LTE and NR SL Tx pools available are not larger than a configured threshold, the UE may select either LTE sidelink or NR sidelink.

Alternatively, the RAT associated with a sidelink service flow can be indicated via the Tx profile. To be specific, the Tx profile may be associated with sidelink service flow or sidelink destination ID. The Tx profile for sidelink RAT selection may indicate at least one of the following fields: LTE, NR, LTE and NR, LTE or NR. Suppose the UE receive the Tx profile that indicates the LTE and NR, it means that the UE should transmit sidelink packet for the given sidelink service flow or monitor the sidelink destination ID via both LTE and NR sidelink RAT. Suppose the UE receive the Tx profile that indicates the LTE or NR, it is up to UE implementation to select LTE or NR RAT. Moreover, the UE may select the RAT for SL based on CBR as mentioned before.

VI. Embodiment 5

If the 6G capable RRC_IDLE/INACTIVE UE is configured to perform both NR sidelink communication or discovery and LTE sidelink communication or discovery, the UE may consider the frequency providing both NR sidelink communication configuration and LTE sidelink communication configuration to be the highest priority.

If the UE is configured to perform NR sidelink communication or discovery and not perform LTE sidelink communication or discovery, the UE may consider the frequency providing NR sidelink communication or discovery configuration to be the highest priority.

If the UE is configured to perform LTE sidelink communication or discovery and not perform NR sidelink communication or discovery, the UE may consider the frequency providing LTE sidelink communication or discovery configuration to be the highest priority.

When UE is configured to perform both NR sidelink communication or discovery and LTE sidelink communication or discovery, but cannot find a frequency which can provide both NR sidelink communication or discovery configuration and V2X sidelink communication or discovery configuration, UE may consider the frequency providing either NR sidelink communication or discovery configuration or LTE sidelink communication or discovery configuration to be the highest priority.

VII. Embodiment 6

xNB may send its LTE sidelink or NR sidelink configuration to neighboring xNB or gNB or eNB. Similarly, eNB or gNB may send its LTE sidelink or NR sidelink configuration to neighboring xNB. In this way, xNB have the knowledge of whether and which neighboring cell support LTE sidelink and or NR sidelink.

For a xNB which support the LTE sidelink or NR sidelink configuration, core network may send the sidelink authorization information element (IE) to xNB for a specific UE. The sidelink authorization IE may indicate whether the UE is authorized to perform LTE V2X, LTE discovery, LTE communication, NR discovery, NR communication, and or SL-U operation. When UE needs to handover to another cell, the source xNB try to select the candidate target xNB or gNB which support LTE/NR sidelink. During UE’s HO, the sidelink authorization IE may be sent from source xNB to target xNB.

FIG. 6 is an example flowchart for receiving a sidelink configuration. Operation 602 includes receiving, by a wireless device, a long term evolution (LTE) or new radio (NR) sidelink configuration. Operation 604 includes performing, by the wireless device and based on the LTE or NR sidelink configuration, a sidelink operation. In some embodiments, the method can be implemented according to Embodiments 1-6. In some embodiments, performing further steps of the method can be based on a better system performance than a legacy protocol.

In some embodiments, the LTE or NR sidelink configuration is received in a system information broadcast by a network device with a sixth generation (6G) capability.

In some embodiments, the network device broadcasts at least one of the following as a new signal information block (SIB) : a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) sidelink configuration of an evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) SIB 21 or SIB 26; a non-V2X sidelink configuration of an E-UTRA SIB 18 or SIB 19; or a sidelink configuration of a NR SIB 12.

In some embodiments, performing the sidelink operation includes monitoring, by the wireless device, a receive (Rx) sidelink resource pool in the LTE or NR sidelink configuration; or transmitting, by the wireless device, a sidelink message via a transmit (Tx) sidelink resource pool in the LTE or NR sidelink configuration.

In some embodiments, the LTE or NR sidelink configuration is a pre-configured LTE or NR sidelink configuration.

In some embodiments, a frequency band and/or a time slot for a preconfigured LTE or NR sidelink transmit (Tx) or receive (Rx) resource pool does not overlap with a Uu resource of a network device with a sixth generation (6G) capability.

In some embodiments, performing the sidelink operation includes performing a sidelink transmit (Tx) or receive (Rx) operation via a preconfigured LTE or NR sidelink Tx or Rx resource pool.

In some embodiments, the LTE or NR sidelink configuration is provided by a network device with a sixth generation (6G) capability.

In some embodiments, receiving the LTE or NR sidelink configuration includes receiving, by the wireless device, an LTE or NR sidelink support indication indicating that the network device is capable of providing the LTE or NR sidelink configuration.

In some embodiments, receiving the LTE or NR sidelink configuration includes transmitting, by the wireless device, a signal information block (SIB) request; and receiving, by the wireless device, a SIB including the LTE or NR sidelink configuration in a dedicated signaling, where the LTE or NR sidelink configuration includes at least one of the following: a sidelink configuration of a cell or carrier of the network device; or a sidelink configuration of a neighboring cell or carrier.

In some embodiments, the SIB request includes an LTE or NR sidelink SIB indication.

In some embodiments, performing the sidelink operation includes transmitting, by the wireless device, at least one of the following: an evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) sidelink user equipment (UE) information or an E-UTRA UE assistance information; or a NR sidelink UE information or a NR UE assistance information.

In some embodiments, the E-UTRA sidelink UE information, the E-UTRA UE assistance information, the NR sidelink UE information, or the NR UE assistance information is included in an octet string container.

In some embodiments, performing the sidelink operation includes receiving, by the wireless device, at least one of the following: an evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) radio resource control (RRC) connection reconfiguration message, where the E-UTRA RRC connection reconfiguration message includes at least one of an LTE sidelink discovery configuration, an LTE sidelink communication configuration, or an LTE vehicle-to-everything (V2X) sidelink configuration; or a NR radio resource control (RRC) connection reconfiguration message, where the NR RRC connection reconfiguration message includes at least one of a NR sidelink discovery configuration or a NR sidelink communication configuration.

In some embodiments, the E-UTRA RRC connection reconfiguration message or the NR RRC connection reconfiguration message includes a scheduled resource allocation or a UE-selected resource allocation for the sidelink operation.

In some embodiments, the scheduled resource allocation includes a dynamic scheduling resource allocation or a semi persistent scheduling (SPS) resource allocation, where the SPS resource allocation includes an LTE SPS configuration for sidelink transmission or a NR type 1 or type 2 configured grant for sidelink transmission.

In some embodiments, the dynamic scheduling resource allocation is configured in a downlink control information (DCI) , where the DCI includes at least one of the following: an LTE or NR radio access technology (RAT) indication; a resource pool index; a time or frequency domain resource index; or a modulation coding scheme (MCS) .

In some embodiments, the LTE SPS configuration for sidelink transmission is configured in a RRC signaling or a downlink control information (DCI) , where the DCI includes at least one of the following: an LTE or NR radio access technology (RAT) indication; a SPS identifier (ID) ; a time or frequency domain resource index; or a modulation coding scheme (MCS) .

In some embodiments, the NR type 1 configured grant for sidelink transmission is configured in a RRC signaling, the NR type 2 configured grant for sidelink transmission is configured in a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) in a downlink control information (DCI) , where the DCI includes at least one of the following: a NR radio access technology (RAT) indication; a SPS identifier (ID) ; a time or frequency domain resource index; or a modulation coding scheme (MCS) .

In some embodiments, the method further includes transmitting, by the wireless device, a container medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) to a network device, where the container MAC CE includes at least one of the following: a MAC CE subheader; a sidelink buffer status report (BSR) MAC CE; a sidelink configured grant confirmation MAC CE; or a sidelink listen-before-talk (LBT) failure MAC CE.

In some embodiments, a dedicated logical channel identifier (LCID) is allocated for the container MAC CE.

In some embodiments, a sidelink BSR includes an LTE sidelink BSR and a NR sidelink BSR, where a first dedicated logical channel identifier (LCID) is allocated for an LTE container MAC CE and a second dedicated LCID is allocated for a NR container MAC CE.

In some embodiments, if the wireless device is configured to perform both an LTE sidelink operation and a NR sidelink operation, a frequency providing both the LTE sidelink configuration and the NR sidelink configuration is of a highest priority.

FIG. 7 is an example flowchart for communicating a sidelink configuration with a neighboring network device. Operation 702 includes performing, by a network device, a transmission or reception of a long term evolution (LTE) or new radio (NR) sidelink configuration to or from a neighboring network device. In some embodiments, the method can be implemented according to Embodiments 1-6. In some embodiments, performing further steps of the method can be based on a better system performance than a legacy protocol.

In some embodiments, the method further includes determining, by the network device and based on the LTE or NR sidelink configuration, whether the neighboring network device supports an LTE or NR sidelink.

In some embodiments, the method further includes receiving, by the network device, a sidelink authorization information element (IE) from a core network for a wireless device, where the sidelink authorization IE indicates whether the wireless device is authorized to perform an LTE vehicle-to-everything (V2X) operation, an LTE sidelink discovery, an LTE sidelink communication, a NR sidelink discovery, a NR sidelink communication, or a NR sidelink for unlicensed spectrum (SL-U) operation.

In some embodiments, during a handover of the wireless device, the sidelink authorization IE is sent from a source network device to a target network device.

In some embodiments, the source network device selects a candidate target network device that supports an LTE or NR sidelink.

FIG. 8 is an example flowchart for receiving a radio access technology (RAT) information. Operation 802 includes receiving, by a wireless device, a radio access technology (RAT) information associated with a sidelink service flow. Operation 804 includes determining, by the wireless device and based on the RAT information, whether to perform a long term evolution (LTE) or new radio (NR) sidelink operation. In some embodiments, the method can be implemented according to Embodiments 1-6. In some embodiments, performing further steps of the method can be based on a better system performance than a legacy protocol.

In some embodiments, at least one of the following applies: if a sidelink quality of service (QoS) flow is associated with an LTE RAT, the wireless device maps the sidelink QoS flow to an LTE sidelink logical channel; or if a sidelink QoS flow is associated with a NR RAT, the wireless device maps the sidelink QoS flow to a NR sidelink resource block (RB) .

In some embodiments, determining whether to perform the LTE or NR sidelink operation is based on a user equipment (UE) implementation.

In some embodiments, determining whether to perform the LTE or NR sidelink operation is based on a constant bit rate (CBR) of a sidelink resource pool, where at least one of the following applies: if a CBR of an LTE sidelink transmit (Tx) pool is greater than a configured threshold, the wireless device selects a NR sidelink; if a CBR of a NR sidelink Tx pool is greater than a configured threshold, the wireless device selects an LTE sidelink; or if CBRs of LTE and NR sidelink Tx pools are not greater than a configured threshold, the wireless device selects either an LTE sidelink or a NR sidelink.

In some embodiments, the RAT information is indicated in a transmit (Tx) profile associated with the sidelink service flow or a sidelink destination identifier (ID) , where the Tx profile indicates at least one of the following: LTE; NR; LTE and NR, where the wireless device transmits a sidelink packet for the sidelink service flow or monitors the sidelink destination ID via both LTE and NR sidelink RATs; or LTE or NR, where whether to perform the LTE or NR sidelink operation is based on a user equipment (UE) implementation or a constant bit rate (CBR) of a sidelink resource pool.

FIG. 9 shows an example block diagram of a hardware platform 900 that may be a part of a network device (e.g., a base station (BS) , a transmission and reception point (TRP) , or a radio access network (RAN) ) or a wireless device (e.g., a user equipment (UE) ) . The hardware platform 900 includes at least one processor 910 and a memory 905 having instructions stored thereupon. The instructions upon execution by the processor 910 configure the hardware platform 900 to perform the operations described in FIGS. 1-8 and in the various embodiments described in this patent document. The transmitter 915 transmits or sends information or data to another device. For example, a network device transmitter can send a message to a user equipment. The receiver 920 receives information or data transmitted or sent by another device. For example, a user equipment can receive a message from a network device. For example, a UE, a wireless device, or a network device, as described in the present document, may be implemented using the hardware platform 900.

The implementations as discussed above will apply to a wireless communication. FIG. 10 shows an example of a wireless communication system (e.g., a 6G, 5G, or NR cellular network) that includes a base station 1020 and one or more user equipment (UE) 1011, 1012, 1013, and 1014. In some embodiments, the UEs access the BS (e.g., the network) using a communication link to the network (sometimes called uplink direction, as depicted by dashed arrows 1031, 1032, 1033) , which then enables subsequent communication (e.g., shown in the direction from the network to the UEs, sometimes called downlink direction, shown by arrows 1041, 1042, 1043) from the BS to the UEs. In some embodiments, the BS sends information to the UEs (sometimes called downlink direction, as depicted by arrows 1041, 1042, 1043) , which then enables subsequent communication (e.g., shown in the direction from the UEs to the BS, sometimes called uplink direction, shown by dashed arrows 1031, 1032, 1033) from the UEs to the BS. In some embodiments, the UEs can perform sidelink communication among themselves (as depicted by arrow 1044) . The UE may be, for example, a smartphone, a tablet, a mobile computer, a machine to machine (M2M) device, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, and so on. The UEs described in the present document may be communicatively coupled to the base station 1020 depicted in FIG. 10.

It will be appreciated by one of skill in the art that the present patent document discloses methods that, among other benefits, improve the sidelink communication. The methods solve the coexistence and integration issues of vehicle to everything (V2X) /sidelink communication in a sixth generation (6G) network. The methods disclosed include long-term evolution (LTE) /new radio (NR) sidelink configuration reception via 6G Uu, user equipment (UE) selected and scheduled resource allocation support, sidelink UE information reporting via 6G Uu, handling of LTE/NR medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) , cell selection/reselection, and service continuity.

Some of the embodiments described herein are described in the general context of methods or processes, which may be implemented in one embodiment by a computer program product, embodied in a computer-readable medium, including computer-executable instructions, such as program code, executed by computers in networked environments. A computer-readable medium may include removable and non-removable storage devices including, but not limited to, Read Only Memory (ROM) , Random Access Memory (RAM) , compact discs (CDs) , digital versatile discs (DVD) , etc. Therefore, the computer-readable media can include a non-transitory storage media. Generally, program modules may include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Computer-or processor-executable instructions, associated data structures, and program modules represent examples of program code for executing steps of the methods disclosed herein. The particular sequence of such executable instructions or associated data structures represents examples of corresponding acts for implementing the functions described in such steps or processes.

Some of the disclosed embodiments can be implemented as devices or modules using hardware circuits, software, or combinations thereof. For example, a hardware circuit implementation can include discrete analog and/or digital components that are, for example, integrated as part of a printed circuit board. Alternatively, or additionally, the disclosed components or modules can be implemented as an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) and/or as a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) device. Some implementations may additionally or alternatively include a digital signal processor (DSP) that is a specialized microprocessor with an architecture optimized for the operational needs of digital signal processing associated with the disclosed functionalities of this application. Similarly, the various components or sub-components within each module may be implemented in software, hardware, or firmware. The connectivity between the modules and/or components within the modules may be provided using any one of the connectivity methods and media that is known in the art, including, but not limited to, communications over the Internet, wired, or wireless networks using the appropriate protocols.

While this document contains many specifics, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of an invention that is claimed or of what may be claimed, but rather as descriptions of features specific to particular embodiments. Certain features that are described in this document in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable sub-combination. Moreover, although features may be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more features from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the combination, and the claimed combination may be directed to a sub-combination or a variation of a sub-combination. Similarly, while operations are depicted in the drawings in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results.

Only a few implementations and examples are described, and other implementations, enhancements and variations can be made based on what is described and illustrated in this patent document.

Claims

A method of wireless communication, comprising:

receiving, by a wireless device, a long term evolution (LTE) or new radio (NR) sidelink configuration; and

performing, by the wireless device and based on the LTE or NR sidelink configuration, a sidelink operation.
The method of claim 1, wherein the LTE or NR sidelink configuration is received in a system information broadcast by a network device with a sixth generation (6G) capability.
The method of claim 2, wherein the network device broadcasts at least one of the following as a new signal information block (SIB) :

a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) sidelink configuration of an evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) SIB 21 or SIB 26;

a non-V2X sidelink configuration of an E-UTRA SIB 18 or SIB 19; or

a sidelink configuration of a NR SIB 12.
The method of any of claims 1-3, wherein performing the sidelink operation comprises:

monitoring, by the wireless device, a receive (Rx) sidelink resource pool in the LTE or NR sidelink configuration; or

transmitting, by the wireless device, a sidelink message via a transmit (Tx) sidelink resource pool in the LTE or NR sidelink configuration.
The method of claim 1, wherein the LTE or NR sidelink configuration is a pre-configured LTE or NR sidelink configuration.
The method of claim 5, wherein a frequency band and/or a time slot for a preconfigured LTE or NR sidelink transmit (Tx) or receive (Rx) resource pool does not overlap with a Uu resource of a network device with a sixth generation (6G) capability.
The method of claim 5 or 6, wherein performing the sidelink operation comprises performing a sidelink transmit (Tx) or receive (Rx) operation via a preconfigured LTE or NR sidelink Tx or Rx resource pool.
The method of claim 1, wherein the LTE or NR sidelink configuration is provided by a network device with a sixth generation (6G) capability.
The method of claim 8, wherein receiving the LTE or NR sidelink configuration comprises:

receiving, by the wireless device, an LTE or NR sidelink support indication indicating that the network device is capable of providing the LTE or NR sidelink configuration.
The method of claim 8 or 9, wherein receiving the LTE or NR sidelink configuration comprises:

transmitting, by the wireless device, a signal information block (SIB) request; and

receiving, by the wireless device, a SIB comprising the LTE or NR sidelink configuration in a dedicated signaling, wherein the LTE or NR sidelink configuration comprises at least one of the following:

a sidelink configuration of a cell or carrier of the network device; or

a sidelink configuration of a neighboring cell or carrier.
The method of claim 10, wherein the SIB request comprises an LTE or NR sidelink SIB indication.
The method of any of claims 8-11, wherein performing the sidelink operation comprises:

transmitting, by the wireless device, at least one of the following:

an evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) sidelink user equipment (UE) information or an E-UTRA UE assistance information; or

a NR sidelink UE information or a NR UE assistance information.
The method of claim 12, wherein the E-UTRA sidelink UE information, the E-UTRA UE assistance information, the NR sidelink UE information, or the NR UE assistance information is comprised in an octet string container.
The method of any of claims 8-13, wherein performing the sidelink operation comprises:

receiving, by the wireless device, at least one of the following:

an evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) radio resource control (RRC) connection reconfiguration message, wherein the E-UTRA RRC connection reconfiguration message comprises at least one of an LTE sidelink discovery configuration, an LTE sidelink communication configuration, or an LTE vehicle-to-everything (V2X) sidelink configuration; or

a NR radio resource control (RRC) connection reconfiguration message, wherein the NR RRC connection reconfiguration message comprises at least one of a NR sidelink discovery configuration or a NR sidelink communication configuration.
The method of claim 14, wherein the E-UTRA RRC connection reconfiguration message or the NR RRC connection reconfiguration message comprises a scheduled resource allocation or a UE-selected resource allocation for the sidelink operation.
The method of claim 15, wherein the scheduled resource allocation comprises a dynamic scheduling resource allocation or a semi persistent scheduling (SPS) resource allocation, and wherein the SPS resource allocation comprises an LTE SPS configuration for sidelink transmission or a NR type 1 or type 2 configured grant for sidelink transmission.
The method of claim 16, wherein the dynamic scheduling resource allocation is configured in a downlink control information (DCI) , and wherein the DCI comprises at least one of the following:

an LTE or NR radio access technology (RAT) indication;

a resource pool index;

a time or frequency domain resource index; or

a modulation coding scheme (MCS) .
The method of claim 16, wherein the LTE SPS configuration for sidelink transmission is configured in a RRC signaling or a downlink control information (DCI) , and wherein the DCI comprises at least one of the following:

an LTE or NR radio access technology (RAT) indication;

a SPS identifier (ID) ;

a time or frequency domain resource index; or

a modulation coding scheme (MCS) .
The method of claim 16, wherein the NR type 1 configured grant for sidelink transmission is configured in a RRC signaling, wherein the NR type 2 configured grant for sidelink transmission is configured in a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) in a downlink control information (DCI) , and wherein the DCI comprises at least one of the following:

a NR radio access technology (RAT) indication;

a SPS identifier (ID) ;

a time or frequency domain resource index; or

a modulation coding scheme (MCS) .
The method of any of claims 1-19, further comprising:

transmitting, by the wireless device, a container medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) to a network device, wherein the container MAC CE comprises at least one of the following:

a MAC CE subheader;

a sidelink buffer status report (BSR) MAC CE;

a sidelink configured grant confirmation MAC CE; or

a sidelink listen-before-talk (LBT) failure MAC CE.
The method of claim 20, wherein a dedicated logical channel identifier (LCID) is allocated for the container MAC CE.
The method of claim 20 or 21, wherein a sidelink BSR comprises an LTE sidelink BSR and a NR sidelink BSR, and wherein a first dedicated logical channel identifier (LCID) is allocated for an LTE container MAC CE and a second dedicated LCID is allocated for a NR container MAC CE.
The method of any of claims 1-22, wherein if the wireless device is configured to perform both an LTE sidelink operation and a NR sidelink operation, a frequency providing both the LTE sidelink configuration and the NR sidelink configuration is of a highest priority.
A method of wireless communication, comprising:

performing, by a network device, a transmission or reception of a long term evolution (LTE) or new radio (NR) sidelink configuration to or from a neighboring network device.
The method of claim 24, further comprising:

determining, by the network device and based on the LTE or NR sidelink configuration, whether the neighboring network device supports an LTE or NR sidelink.
The method of claim 24 or 25, further comprising:

receiving, by the network device, a sidelink authorization information element (IE) from a core network for a wireless device, wherein the sidelink authorization IE indicates whether the wireless device is authorized to perform an LTE vehicle-to-everything (V2X) operation, an LTE sidelink discovery, an LTE sidelink communication, a NR sidelink discovery, a NR sidelink communication, or a NR sidelink for unlicensed spectrum (SL-U) operation.
The method of claim 26, wherein during a handover of the wireless device, the sidelink authorization IE is sent from a source network device to a target network device.
The method of claim 27, wherein the source network device selects a candidate target network device that supports an LTE or NR sidelink.
A method of wireless communication, comprising:

receiving, by a wireless device, a radio access technology (RAT) information associated with a sidelink service flow; and

determining, by the wireless device and based on the RAT information, whether to perform a long term evolution (LTE) or new radio (NR) sidelink operation.
The method of claim 29, wherein at least one of the following applies:

if a sidelink quality of service (QoS) flow is associated with an LTE RAT, the wireless device maps the sidelink QoS flow to an LTE sidelink logical channel; or

if a sidelink QoS flow is associated with a NR RAT, the wireless device maps the sidelink QoS flow to a NR sidelink resource block (RB) .
The method of claim 29 or 30, wherein determining whether to perform the LTE or NR sidelink operation is based on a user equipment (UE) implementation.
The method of claim 29 or 30, wherein determining whether to perform the LTE or NR sidelink operation is based on a constant bit rate (CBR) of a sidelink resource pool, and wherein at least one of the following applies:

if a CBR of an LTE sidelink transmit (Tx) pool is greater than a configured threshold, the wireless device selects a NR sidelink;

if a CBR of a NR sidelink Tx pool is greater than a configured threshold, the wireless device selects an LTE sidelink; or

if CBRs of LTE and NR sidelink Tx pools are not greater than a configured threshold, the wireless device selects either an LTE sidelink or a NR sidelink.
The method of any of claims 29-32, wherein the RAT information is indicated in a transmit (Tx) profile associated with the sidelink service flow or a sidelink destination identifier (ID) , and wherein the Tx profile indicates at least one of the following:

LTE;

NR;

LTE and NR, wherein the wireless device transmits a sidelink packet for the sidelink service flow or monitors the sidelink destination ID via both LTE and NR sidelink RATs; or

LTE or NR, wherein whether to perform the LTE or NR sidelink operation is based on a user equipment (UE) implementation or a constant bit rate (CBR) of a sidelink resource pool.
An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising a processor, wherein the processor is configured to implement a method recited in any one or more of claims 1 to 33.
A computer readable program storage medium having code stored thereon, the code, when executed by a processor, causing the processor to implement a method recited in any one or more of claims 1 to 33.