JP7488392B2 - Base station, wireless communication method and integrated circuit - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to the field of wireless communication, and more particularly to a user equipment (UE), a base station (gNB), and a wireless communication method related to resource configuration for sidelink communication, sidelink discovery, or any other sidelink operation in NR (New Radio Access Technology).

In LTE (Long Term Evolution) V2X (Vehicle to anything), the concept of resource pool is adopted to realize resource (pre)configuration for sidelink communication, i.e., to indicate the operating time/frequency location of sidelink transmission/reception. The resource pool configuration is semi-statically indicated by Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling and includes both time and frequency information on the carrier. One resource pool is selected for transmission based on the UE (vehicle) zone location on the carrier (the relationship between zone and resource pool is (pre)configured).

In NR, the concept of Bandwidth Part (BWP) is adopted to realize resource configuration mainly for power saving. BWP is a new concept specified in NR, which consists of one or more contiguous physical resource blocks (PRBs) in the frequency domain in a carrier. Therefore, BWP may be considered as a subdivision of a carrier. For example, a UE can operate in a wide BWP when there is traffic and in a narrow BWP when there is no or little traffic. In NR, up to four BWPs may be configured in a carrier, and only one BWP is active in one direction (downlink (DL) or uplink (UL)) at a time. Dynamic BWP switching via downlink control information (DCI) is also currently supported in NR.

So far, sidelink discussions in NR are still in a very early stage, and it is unclear how to configure resources for sidelink communication, sidelink discovery, or any other sidelink operation in NR.

A non-limiting and exemplary embodiment facilitates determining resources for sidelink communication, sidelink discovery, or any other sidelink operation in NR to reduce receiver design complexity and improve system performance.

In a first general aspect of the present disclosure, a user equipment is provided, comprising: a circuit operative to determine an allocated bandwidth portion (BWP) for sidelink transmission and reception on a carrier; and a transceiver operative to perform the sidelink transmission and reception on the determined BWP on the carrier, wherein dynamic BWP switching is not supported for the sidelink transmission and reception on the carrier.

In a second general aspect of the present disclosure, a method of wireless communication for a user equipment is provided, comprising: determining an allocated bandwidth portion (BWP) for sidelink transmission and reception on a carrier; and performing the sidelink transmission and reception on the determined BWP on the carrier, wherein dynamic BWP switching is not supported for the sidelink transmission and reception on the carrier.

In a third general aspect of the present disclosure, a base station is provided, comprising: a circuit operative to generate a bandwidth portion (BWP) configuration signaling including a bitmap indicating time domain resources for sidelink transmission and reception; and a transmitter operative to transmit the BWP configuration signaling to a user equipment, wherein a BWP assigned for the sidelink transmission and reception on a carrier is determined by the user equipment based on the BWP configuration signaling, and dynamic BWP switching is not supported for the sidelink transmission and reception on the carrier.

In a fourth general aspect of the present disclosure, a wireless communication method for a base station is provided, the method comprising: generating a bandwidth portion (BWP) configuration signaling including a bitmap indicating time domain resources for sidelink transmission and reception; and transmitting the BWP configuration signaling to a user equipment, wherein a BWP assigned for the sidelink transmission and reception on a carrier is determined by the user equipment based on the BWP configuration signaling; and dynamic BWP switching is not supported for the sidelink transmission and reception on the carrier.

It should be noted that the general or specific embodiments may be realized as a system, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, a storage medium, or any selective combination thereof.

Further benefits and advantages of the disclosed embodiments will become apparent from the specification and drawings. These benefits and/or advantages may be obtained individually by the various embodiments and features of the specification and drawings. However, it is not necessary for all of these features to be present in order to obtain one or more of such benefits and/or advantages.

The foregoing and other features of the present disclosure will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: The present disclosure will be described with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings, with the understanding that these drawings are merely illustrative of certain embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure and therefore should not be considered as limiting its scope.
2 illustrates a block diagram of a portion of a user equipment according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. 1 illustrates an exemplary scenario of sidelink transmission and reception in NR. 1 illustrates another exemplary scenario of sidelink transmission and reception in NR. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of an exemplary scenario of BWP allocation for both sidelink and Uu according to one embodiment of the present disclosure; 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of an exemplary scenario of association between an uplink/sidelink BWP and a downlink BWP according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. 13 illustrates, in schematic form, another exemplary scenario of association between an uplink/sidelink BWP and a downlink BWP according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 2 shows a block diagram of a portion of a base station according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. 2 illustrates a block diagram of details of a user equipment according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. 2 illustrates generally an example of a flow chart of communication between a base station and two user equipments according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. 2 illustrates generally an example of a flow chart of communication between two user equipments according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 1 illustrates a flowchart of a wireless communication method for a user equipment according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. 4 illustrates a flowchart of a wireless communication method for a base station according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

In the following detailed description, reference will be made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this application. In the drawings, like symbols generally identify like elements unless context dictates otherwise. It will be readily understood that aspects of the present disclosure can be arranged, substituted, combined and designed in a wide variety of configurations, all of which are expressly contemplated and form a part of the present disclosure.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a user equipment is provided as shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a portion of a user equipment 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1, the UE 100 may include a circuit 110 and a transceiver 120. The circuit 110 operates to determine a bandwidth portion (BWP) allocated for sidelink transmission and reception on the carrier. The transceiver 120 operates to perform sidelink transmission and reception on the determined BWP on the carrier. Dynamic BWP switching is not supported for sidelink transmission and reception on the carrier.

As mentioned above, the BWP concept is adopted in NR mainly for the purpose of power saving, and dynamic BWP switching is currently supported in NR. However, there is no motivation for dynamic BWP switching for sidelink operation. For example, first, vehicles are not limited by battery power. Second, dynamic BWP switching complicates receiver design because the UE may need to simultaneously monitor multiple BWPs on a carrier, which is not consistent with the existing NR framework. Therefore, in this disclosure, dynamic BWP switching is not supported for sidelink transmission and reception on a carrier.

For example, for clarity, FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of an exemplary scenario of sidelink transmission and reception in NR. As shown in FIG. 2, communication may be performed between two vehicles 201 and 202 via a sidelink indicated by two thick arrows labeled "SL". The UE 100 shown in FIG. 1 may be the vehicle 201, and another user equipment communicating with the UE 100 may be the vehicle 202, or vice versa.

For example, the vehicle 201 can determine a BWP assigned for sidelink transmission and reception on a carrier, and then transmit a sidelink signal to the vehicle 202 on this BWP on the carrier. Here, the sidelink signal transmitted from the UE 100 (e.g., the vehicle 201) to another UE (e.g., the vehicle 202) can be, for example, a control channel such as a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH), a data channel such as a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), or a synchronization channel such as a physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH)/primary sidelink synchronization signal (PSSS). Also, the vehicle 201 can receive a sidelink signal from the vehicle 202 on this BWP.

Unlike the current standard in NR, in this disclosure, dynamic BWP switching is not supported for sidelink transmission and reception in a carrier. Since dynamic BWP switching is not supported for sidelink transmission and reception, there is no need to complicate the receiver design.

In addition, the example scenarios described with reference to Figures 1-2 may correspond to the case of an unlicensed carrier where there is no signaling between user equipment and base stations in the carrier. For example, the carrier is an unlicensed carrier for ITS. In this case, one BWP may be equivalent to one carrier. Further details of the unlicensed carrier case are described below.

It may be specified in the standard that dynamic BWP switching is not supported for sidelink transmission and reception. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Also, the fact that dynamic BWP switching is not supported for sidelink transmission and reception may be set or pre-configured by signaling. For example, when UE100 is within the coverage of a BS, UE100 may receive signaling from the BS that sets that dynamic BWP switching is not supported for sidelink transmission and reception. On the other hand, when UE100 is outside the coverage of any BS, it may be pre-configured that dynamic BWP switching is not supported for sidelink transmission and reception, for example, via signaling that is set and stored in UE100 by an operator in advance when designing UE100.

According to the user equipment 100 shown in FIG. 1, dynamic BWP switching is not supported for sidelink transmission and reception, which can reduce the receiver design complexity and improve system performance.

As mentioned above, the discussion of sidelink in NR is still in its very early stages, and it is unclear how to configure resources for sidelink communication, sidelink discovery, or any other sidelink operation in NR. For example, one of the issues to consider is how signal interaction with the base station (Uu) and sidelink transmission and reception can coexist on uplink carriers in NR. For example, if sidelink transmission and reception coexist with Uu communication in the same BWP, it seems difficult to apply dynamic BWP switching for Uu. The reason is that dynamic BWP switching complicates the sidelink receiver, which needs to monitor multiple BWPs to receive sidelink messages on the carrier, and dynamic BWP switching affects sidelink sensing performance due to interference fluctuations. This also applies to sidelink operation for ITS carriers. However, dynamic BWP switching for Uu (e.g., for enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) or ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC)) may not affect Uu performance in terms of power saving, load balancing, etc.

It should be noted that ITS carriers are like regulated 5.9 GHz spectrum for intelligent transportation systems, while Uu carriers are licensed carriers that operate in specific bands managed by operators. Since the concepts of ITS carriers and Uu carriers are well known to those skilled in the art, they will not be described in detail to avoid confusing the ideas of this disclosure.

In view of the above, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, in the UE 100 shown in FIG. 1, the above BWP is used only for sidelink transmission and reception, and another BWP is assigned for transmission between the user equipment and the base station on the carrier.

For example, for ease of understanding, FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of another exemplary scenario of sidelink transmission and reception in NR. Similar to FIG. 2, in FIG. 3, communication can be performed between two vehicles 201 and 202 via a sidelink indicated by two thick arrows labeled "SL". The UE 100 shown in FIG. 1 may be the vehicle 201, and another user equipment communicating with the UE 100 may be the vehicle 202, or vice versa. To avoid redundancy, the same contents as those in FIG. 2 are not described again. Unlike FIG. 2, in FIG. 3, a BS 310 is further present, and both of the two vehicles 201 and 202 are within the coverage of the BS 310. Also, Uu communication can be performed between each of the two vehicles 201 and 202 and the BS 310, as indicated by the respective thin arrows labeled "DL" or "UL".

Figure 3 shows an exemplary scenario in which sidelink transmission and reception and Uu communication coexist in NR. For example, the BWPs assigned for sidelink transmission and reception in a carrier are used only for sidelink, i.e., are not shared with Uu communication. And, as described above, dynamic BWP switching is not supported for sidelink transmission and reception. In addition, another BWP is assigned for Uu communication in the same carrier. For example, assuming that the vehicle 201 is a UE 100, another BWP in the carrier may be assigned for signaling between the vehicle 201 and the BS 310. Furthermore, more BWPs may be assigned for signaling between the vehicle 201 and the BS 310, and dynamic BWP switching may still be supported within these BWPs assigned for Uu communication.

For example, FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic diagram of an exemplary scenario of BWP allocation for both sidelink and Uu according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 illustrates an example of BWP allocation for both sidelink and Uu in the same uplink carrier in the case of frequency division duplexing (FDD). As illustrated in FIG. 4, two BWPs, namely uplink BWP1 and uplink BWP2, are assigned for Uu communication and can be dynamically switched between each other, whereas one BWP, namely sidelink BWP, is assigned only for sidelink transmission and reception. Uplink BWP1, uplink BWP2, and sidelink BWP are in the same carrier. Such a carrier may correspond to a licensed carrier in which sidelink and Uu may coexist.

Here, uplink BWP1 and uplink BWP2 may be considered as Uu BWPs, meaning BWPs for eMBB traffic, URLLC traffic, or similar traffic.

According to the above configuration of the present disclosure, Uu communication and sidelink communication do not affect each other on the same carrier, simplifying the sidelink receiver design and not affecting Uu operations in the uplink, such as dynamic BWP switching.

In accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure, in the UE 100 shown in FIG. 1, a BWP and another BWP are active simultaneously on a carrier.

For example, as shown in FIG. 4, during a first period T1, the sidelink BWP and the uplink BWP2 are active, and during a second period T2, the sidelink BWP and the uplink BWP1 are active.

Thus, in this disclosure, two or more BWPs may be active simultaneously on an uplink carrier to support coexistence of sidelink and Uu.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, in the UE 100 shown in FIG. 1, the BWP and another BWP are associated with the same downlink (DL) BWP within a carrier.

For example, in the case of FDD, one UL BWP is paired with one DL BWP. However, in this disclosure, as described above, multiple BWPs may be associated with the same DL BWP on a carrier, since multiple BWPs may be active simultaneously.

For example, FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary scenario of association between an uplink/sidelink BWP and a downlink BWP according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 corresponds to the FDD case. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the Uu UL BWP and the BWP for sidelink are in the same uplink carrier and are both associated with the same Uu DL BWP, as indicated by the two curved arrows. For example, both UL grants for scheduling resources in the Uu UL BWP and sidelink grants for scheduling sidelink resources may be transmitted in this Uu DL BWP. Here, the sidelink transmission and reception may be, for example, gNB-based scheduled transmissions.

5 illustrates the FDD case, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. FIG. 6 illustrates another exemplary scenario of association between uplink/sidelink BWP and downlink BWP according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 corresponds to the time division duplex (TDD) case. In the TDD case, it is well known that the same BWP is operated for both UL and DL. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the Uu BWP and the sidelink BWP are in the same carrier. The Uu BWP is assigned for both UL and DL transmissions, and the UL and DL use the Uu BWP in a time division manner. For example, there may be a gap between the duration for DL and the duration for UL, as shown by the dotted box labeled "GAP" in FIG. 6. In this case, both the sidelink BWP and the Uu UL BWP (i.e., the UL in the Uu BWP) are associated with the same Uu DL BWP (i.e., the DL in the Uu BWP), as indicated by the two curved arrows.

Similar to the FDD case shown in FIG. 5, in the TDD case, both UL grants for scheduling resources in the Uu UL BWP and sidelink grants for scheduling sidelink resources may be transmitted in the Uu DL BWP. Here, the sidelink transmission and reception may be, for example, gNB-based scheduled transmissions.

Furthermore, when Uu is switched to another BWP, the sidelink BWP may be associated with the DL in that BWP.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, in the UE 100 shown in FIG. 1, the sidelink duration of a slot in a BWP is changed in the case of time division duplex (TDD) with a change in the slot format in another BWP,

For example, as shown in FIG. 6, in the Uu BWP, the ratio of DL duration to UL duration of a slot may be changed, i.e., the UL duration T may be changed. Correspondingly, the duration of the sidelink resources in a slot on the sidelink BWP is changed with the change in UL duration to be aligned with the UL duration.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, in the UE 100 shown in FIG. 1, whether to transmit a first channel in one BWP or receive a second channel in another BWP is determined based on the priority of the first channel and the priority of the second channel.

For example, this relates to solving the half-duplex problem. As mentioned above, when sidelink and Uu communications coexist on a carrier, two BWPs, one for sidelink and one for Uu, may be active at the same time. However, in this case, the reception or transmission of the UE may be limited by half-duplex. According to the present disclosure, whether the UE transmits one channel or receives another channel may be based on the priority of the two channels, e.g., the UE should drop the channel with a lower priority. Here, the above priority may relate to traffic priority, content priority, etc.

For example, assume that a UE needs to transmit a Uu signal on one BWP in a carrier while receiving a sidelink signal on another BWP in the same carrier, and the sidelink always has higher priority. In this case, the UE should drop the Uu signal and receive the sidelink signal. Note that this example is for illustrative purposes only and the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, in the UE 100 shown in FIG. 1, whether a first channel on a BWP or a second channel on another BWP is transmitted is determined based on the priority of the first channel and the priority of the second channel when a power spectral density (PSD) difference between the first channel and the second channel is greater than a threshold.

For example, this relates to solving the problem of PSD difference. As mentioned above, when sidelink and Uu communications coexist on a carrier, two BWPs, one for sidelink and one for Uu, may be active at the same time. However, when a UE needs to transmit one channel on the sidelink BWP and another channel on the Uu BWP at the same time, the UE may encounter a case where the PSD difference between these two channels is too large, e.g., larger than a predefined threshold. According to the present disclosure, which of the two channels is transmitted can be based on the priority of the two channels, e.g., the UE should drop the channel with the lower priority. Here, the priority may relate to traffic priority, content priority, etc.

For example, assume that a UE needs to transmit a Uu signal on one BWP in a carrier while transmitting a sidelink signal on another BWP in the same carrier, and the sidelink always has a higher priority. In this case, the UE should drop the Uu signal and transmit the sidelink signal. Note that this example is for illustrative purposes only and the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

As mentioned above, it is unclear so far how to configure resources for sidelink transmission and reception in NR. To realize resource configuration for sidelink communication in LTE V2X, the concept of resource pool is adopted, and to realize resource configuration in NR, the concept of BWP is adopted. However, reusing both existing BWP and resource pool signaling seems to be a redundant and complicated signaling design for sidelink resources (at least in frequency).

In view of the above, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, in the UE 100 shown in FIG. 1, the BWP is configured by BWP configuration signaling that includes a bitmap indicating time domain resources for sidelink transmission and reception.

For example, first, to configure a sidelink-specific BWP, e.g., a sidelink-specific field in the LTE resource pool may be added to the BWP configuration signaling to indicate the frequency and other information for the NR sidelink (e.g., take the fields in Rel. 14 as an example). Basically, the sidelink-specific BWP may be configured, e.g., as shown in Figure 4. Furthermore, a bitmap is added to the BWP configuration signaling to indicate the time domain resources for the sidelink. In this way, no resource pool configuration for the sidelink is required. For example, the following code shows an example of BWP configuration signaling:

In the above example code, the LTE resource pool related fields are included in the NR BWP configuration, as shown by the bold code in the last few lines. Please note that the above example code is for illustration purposes only, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and one skilled in the art would be able to write various codes according to specific requirements.

In addition, when UE100 is within the coverage of a BS (e.g., BS310 shown in FIG. 3), it can receive BWP setting signaling from the BS and set one BWP by the BWP setting signaling from the BS. Otherwise, when UE100 is outside the coverage of the BS, i.e., when it cannot receive BWP setting signaling from the BS, one BWP can be pre-configured by the operator. For example, the operator can set BWP setting signaling in advance when designing the UE and store it in the UE. Therefore, in this case, the UE does not need to receive BWP setting signaling from the BS.

Based on the above BWP configuration signaling, this disclosure has little impact on the NR protocol.

The above embodiment has been described using the BWP as an example of a form of sidelink resource, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, in the case of an unlicensed carrier as described above, one BWP may be equivalent to one carrier. In other words, in the case of an unlicensed carrier, there may no longer be a BWP configuration. In this case, in the UE 100 shown in FIG. 1, the BWP is configured by resource pool configuration signaling that includes BWP-specific information.

For example, the principles of resource pool signaling in LTE V2X can be reused. NR BWP-specific information, such as subcarrier spacing, can be directly indicated in the resource pool configuration signaling. For example, the following code shows an example of resource pool configuration signaling:

In the above example code, the NR BWP related fields are included in the resource pool configuration, as shown by the bold code in the last line. Please note that the above example code is for illustration purposes only, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and a person skilled in the art could write various codes according to specific requirements. Thus, the signaling design and UE behavior can be simplified.

Similarly, when UE100 is within the coverage of a BS (e.g., BS310 shown in FIG. 3), it can receive resource pool configuration signaling from the BS. Otherwise, when UE100 is outside the coverage of the BS, one BWP can be pre-configured by the operator. For example, the operator can configure resource pool configuration signaling in advance when designing the UE and store it in the UE. Therefore, in this case, the UE does not need to receive resource pool configuration signaling from the BS.

The above exemplary design of sidelink resource configuration signaling is applicable to both gNB-scheduled and UE-autonomous transmission modes. For example, in the case of gNB-scheduled transmission mode, the BWP ID in the sidelink grant may be interpreted as a resource pool ID or no such field exists. Furthermore, the exemplary design of sidelink resource configuration signaling is applicable to both Uu and ITS carriers, as well as to both regular resources (e.g., BWP or resource pool) and exceptional resources for sidelink operation. In addition, different sidelink resources may have different cyclic prefixes (CPs)/subcarrier spacings.

The UE 100 has been described in detail above with reference to Figures 1 to 6. According to the UE 100, since dynamic BWP switching is not supported for sidelink transmission and reception, the complexity of the receiver design can be reduced and system performance can be improved.

In another embodiment of the present disclosure, a user equipment is provided that includes a circuit operative to determine an allocated bandwidth portion (BWP) for sidelink transmission and reception on a carrier, and a transceiver operative to perform sidelink transmission and reception on the determined BWP on the carrier, where two or more BWPs are active simultaneously on the carrier.

For example, compared to current NR, which only supports one active BWP at a time on an uplink/downlink carrier, in a user equipment according to this embodiment of the present disclosure, two or more BWPs can be active simultaneously on an uplink carrier.

Please note that unlike the UE 100 shown in FIG. 1, in the user equipment according to this embodiment, there is no restriction that dynamic BWP switching is not supported for sidelink transmission and reception, i.e., in this embodiment, dynamic BWP switching may or may not be supported for sidelink transmission and reception based on the specific situation.

In accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure, the two or more BWPs include a BWP assigned for sidelink transmission and reception on the carrier and another BWP assigned for transmission between user equipment and a base station on the carrier.

For example, one BWP dedicated to sidelink transmission and reception and another BWP dedicated to uplink communication may be active simultaneously on an uplink carrier, such that sidelink and Uu may coexist on an uplink carrier.

In another embodiment of the present disclosure, a base station is provided as shown in FIG. 7. FIG. 7 illustrates a block diagram of a portion of a base station 700 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 7, the BS 700 may include a circuit 710 and a transmitter 720. The circuit 710 operates to generate a bandwidth portion (BWP) configuration signaling including a bitmap indicating time domain resources for sidelink transmission and reception. The transmitter 720 operates to transmit the BWP configuration signaling to a user equipment. The BWP assigned for sidelink transmission and reception on the carrier is determined by the user equipment based on the BWP configuration signaling, and dynamic BWP switching is not supported for sidelink transmission and reception on the carrier.

For example, the BS 700 may be the BS 310 shown in FIG. 3, and the user equipment may be the UE 100 shown in FIG. 1 or the vehicle 201 shown in FIG. 3. As described above, when the UE 100 is within the coverage of the BS 700, the UE 100 can receive BWP configuration signaling from the BS 700 and determine the BWP assigned for sidelink transmission and reception on the carrier based on the BWP configuration signaling.

In accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure, the above BWP is used only for sidelink transmission and reception, and another BWP is assigned for transmission between the user equipment and the base station on the carrier, and the transmitter 720 further operates to transmit a downlink signal to the user equipment on a downlink (DL) BWP on the carrier.

For example, as described above with reference to FIG. 3, vehicle 201 can perform Uu communication with BS 310 and sidelink transmission and reception with vehicle 202.

According to BS700, since dynamic BWP switching is not supported for sidelink transmission and reception, the receiver design complexity can be reduced and system performance can be improved. In addition, according to the above BWP configuration signaling, the present disclosure has little impact on the NR protocol.

Figure 8 illustrates a detailed block diagram of a user equipment 800 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 8, the UE 800 includes an encoder 801, a modulator 802, a resource mapper 803, a resource multiplexer 804, a first signal processor 805, a transmitter 806, an antenna 807, a receiver 808, a second signal processor 809, a resource demultiplexer 810, a resource demapper 811, a demodulator 812, a decoder 813, and a control circuit 814.

For example, the encoder 801 performs an encoding process on the transmission data, and the modulator 802 performs a modulation process on the encoded transmission data to generate data symbols. The resource mapper 803 maps the data symbols to physical resources. For example, if the transmission data belongs to sidelink data to be transmitted to another UE, the resource mapper 803 maps the data symbols to the BWP assigned for sidelink transmission and reception. The resource multiplexer 804 multiplexes the data symbols and possible control and/or synchronization information. The first signal processor 805 performs signal processing on the multiplexed signal output from the resource multiplexer 804. The transmitter 806 transmits the processed sidelink signal, for example via the antenna 807, to another UE.

Here, the operation of the encoder 801, the modulator 802, the resource mapper 803, and the resource multiplexer 804 is controlled by the control circuit 814. For example, the control circuit 814 can determine the BWP assigned for sidelink transmission and reception on the carrier. The resource mapper 803 maps the sidelink data symbols to the determined BWP, and the transmitter 806 transmits a sidelink signal to another UE on the determined BWP on the carrier. The control circuit 814 may also control dynamic switching for sidelink transmission and reception. In this disclosure, dynamic switching is not supported for sidelink transmission and reception.

In addition, the receiver 808 can receive a sidelink signal via the antenna 807 from another UE. The second signal processor 809 performs signal processing on the sidelink signal received by the receiver 808. The resource demultiplexer 810 demultiplexes the processed sidelink signal into sidelink data and possible sidelink control and/or synchronization information. The resource demapper 811 demaps the sidelink data symbols and possible sidelink control and/or synchronization information from the physical resources, e.g., the BWPs, assigned for sidelink transmission and reception. The demodulator 812 performs a demodulation process on the sidelink data symbols, and the decoder 813 performs a decoding process on the demodulated sidelink data symbols to obtain received data. In addition, the demodulator 812 may also perform a demodulation process on any sidelink control information and/or synchronization information that may be present, and the decoder 813 performs a decoding process on the demodulated sidelink control information and/or synchronization information, and outputs the sidelink control information and/or synchronization information to the control circuitry 814 for controlling sidelink transmission and reception.

The above case may correspond to the case of an unlicensed carrier without Uu communication, as described above, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In the case of a licensed carrier, the UE 800 can transmit an uplink signal to a base station (e.g., BS 310 shown in FIG. 3) through the encoder 801, the modulator 802, the resource mapper 803, the resource multiplexer 804, the first signal processor 805, the transmitter 806, the antenna 807, and the control circuit 814. For example, the control circuit 814 can determine a different BWP assigned for transmission between the UE 800 and the base station on the carrier and control the resource mapper 803 accordingly. The transmitter 806 transmits an UL signal to the BS via the antenna 807 on the different BWP assigned for transmission between the UE 800 and the BS on the carrier.

Further, as described above, the control circuitry 814 can determine two or more BWPs assigned for transmission between the UE 800 and the base station on the carrier and control the resource mapper 803 accordingly. The transmitter 806 transmits an UL signal to the BS via the antenna 807 on one of the two or more BWPs assigned for transmission between the UE 800 and the BS on the carrier. Dynamic BWP switching is supported within these BWPs.

Similarly, in the case of a licensed carrier, the UE 800 can also receive downlink signals from a base station (e.g., BS 310 shown in FIG. 3) through an antenna 807, a receiver 808, a second signal processor 809, a resource demultiplexer 810, a resource demapper 811, a demodulator 812, and a decoder 813. The principle of receiving DL signals from a BS is well known to those skilled in the art, so a detailed description is not provided to avoid redundancy.

It should be noted that the user equipment 800 shown in FIG. 8 may function as the UE 100 shown in FIG. 1. Specifically, the combination of the transmitter 806 and the receiver 808 may correspond to the transceiver 120. The circuit 110 may include an encoder 801, a modulator 802, a resource mapper 803, a resource multiplexer 804, a first signal processor 805, a second signal processor 809, a resource demultiplexer 810, a resource demapper 811, a demodulator 812, a decoder 813, and a control circuit 814. Alternatively, one or more of these units may be separated from the circuit 110 according to specific requirements.

Figure 9 illustrates an example of a flowchart of communication between BS 930 and UEs 910, 920 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. For example, BS 930 may be BS 700 shown in Figure 7, and UE 910 may be UE 100 shown in Figure 1 or UE 800 shown in Figure 8.

For example, FIG. 9 may correspond to the case where UEs 910 and 920 are within the coverage of BS 930, which is similar to that shown in FIG. 3. That is, UEs 910 and 920 may correspond to vehicles 201 and 202, respectively, and BS 930 may correspond to BS 310.

As shown in FIG. 9, in step ST901, UEs 910, 920 and BS 930 can connect to each other in a connection procedure. The connection may be established by implementing a known or future developed method, the details of which are omitted in this specification.

In step ST902, UE910 may transmit a sidelink scheduling request to BS930. Then, in step ST903, BS930 decodes the sidelink scheduling request received from UE910 and generates sidelink control information. For example, as described above, the sidelink control information may include BWP configuration signaling for configuring a dedicated BWP for sidelink transmission and reception in the carrier.

In step ST904, BS930 transmits the generated sidelink control information to UE910. Then, in step S905, UE910 processes the sidelink control information received from BS930. For example, UE910 can determine a BWP dedicated to sidelink transmission and reception in the carrier based on the BWP configuration signaling received from BS930.

In step ST906, UE910 and UE920 can perform sidelink transmission and reception between each other on a BWP dedicated to sidelink transmission and reception on the carrier.

Note that, although not shown in FIG. 9, UE 910 and/or UE 920 may further perform signal interaction with BS 930 on the BWPs assigned for uplink and downlink transmissions. For example, UE 910 may send a scheduling request for Uu to BS 930 and receive control information for Uu from BS 930. Uplink and downlink communication between UEs and BSs is well known to those skilled in the art and is not described herein.

Figure 10 illustrates an example of a flowchart of communication between UE 1010 and UE 1020 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. For example, UE 1010 may be UE 100 shown in Figure 1 or UE 800 shown in Figure 8.

For example, FIG. 10 may correspond to the case where UEs 1010 and 1020 are outside the coverage of any BS, which is similar to that shown in FIG. 2. That is, UEs 1010 and 1020 may correspond to vehicles 201 and 202, respectively, shown in FIG. 2.

As described above, when the UE 1010 is out of the coverage of any BS, the UE 1010 cannot receive control information including sidelink resource configuration signaling from any BS. In this case, the UE 1010 needs to preconfigure sidelink resources before performing sidelink transmission and reception with another UE. As shown in FIG. 10, in step ST1001, the UE 1010 preconfigures sidelink resources. For example, the BWP dedicated to sidelink transmission and reception in the carrier may be preconfigured by the operator. For example, the operator may configure BWP configuration signaling in advance when designing the UE and store it in the UE 1010, and the UE 1010 may determine the BWP dedicated to sidelink transmission and reception in the carrier based on the BWP configuration signaling.

In step ST1002, UE1010 can connect to UE1020 in a connection procedure. The connection may be established by implementing a known or future developed method, the details of which are omitted in this specification.

In step ST1003, UE1010 and UE1020 can perform sidelink transmission and reception between each other on a BWP dedicated to sidelink transmission and reception on the carrier.

It should be noted here that no connection procedure is required during sidelink transmission and reception, and it is also possible to eliminate step ST1002, since two user equipments may perform communication directly between each other without a connection procedure.

In a further embodiment of the present disclosure, a wireless communication method for a user equipment is provided, as shown in FIG. 11. FIG. 11 shows a flowchart of a wireless communication method 1100 for a user equipment according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. For example, the wireless communication method 1100 may be applied to the UE 100/800 shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 8.

As shown in FIG. 11, the wireless communication method 1100 starts in step S1101, where a BWP assigned for sidelink transmission and reception on a carrier is determined. Then, in step S1102, sidelink transmission and reception is performed on the determined BWP on the carrier. Dynamic BWP switching is not supported for sidelink transmission and reception on the carrier. After step S1102, the wireless communication method 1100 ends. For example, another user equipment performing sidelink transmission and reception with this user equipment may be the vehicle 202 shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3.

According to wireless communication method 1100, dynamic BWP switching is not supported for sidelink transmission and reception, thereby reducing receiver design complexity and improving system performance.

Other technical features of the user equipment 100 described above may also be incorporated into the wireless communication method 1100, but will not be described here to avoid redundancy.

In a further embodiment of the present disclosure, a wireless communication method for a base station is provided, as shown in FIG. 12. FIG. 12 shows a flowchart of a wireless communication method 1200 for a base station according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. For example, the wireless communication method 1200 may be applied to the BS 700 shown in FIG. 7.

As shown in FIG. 12, the wireless communication method 1200 starts in step S1201, where a bandwidth portion (BWP) configuration signaling is generated, the BWP configuration signaling including a bitmap indicating time domain resources for sidelink transmission and reception. Then, in step S1202, the BWP configuration signaling is transmitted to a user equipment. A BWP to be assigned for sidelink transmission and reception on the carrier is determined by the user equipment based on the BWP configuration signaling. And, dynamic BWP switching is not supported for sidelink transmission and reception on the carrier. After step S1202, the wireless communication method 1200 ends. For example, the user equipment may be the UE 100/800 shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 8.

According to the wireless communication method 1200, since dynamic BWP switching is not supported for sidelink transmission and reception, the receiver design complexity can be reduced and system performance can be improved. In addition, due to the BWP configuration signaling, the present disclosure has little impact on the NR protocol.

Other technical features of the base station 700 described above may also be incorporated into the wireless communication method 1200, but will not be described here to avoid redundancy.

In a further embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of wireless communication for a user equipment is provided, comprising determining a bandwidth portion (BWP) allocated for sidelink transmission and reception on a carrier and performing sidelink transmission and reception on the determined BWP on the carrier, where two or more BWPs are active simultaneously on the carrier.

The present disclosure can be realized by software, hardware, or software working with hardware. Each functional block used in the description of each embodiment above can be realized by an LSI as an integrated circuit, and each process described in each embodiment can be controlled by an LSI. The LSI can be formed individually as a chip, or a single chip can be formed to include some or all of the functional blocks. The LSI can include a data input/output unit coupled to it. Here, the LSI may be called an IC, a system LSI, a super LSI, or an ultra LSI depending on the degree of integration. However, the technology for realizing an integrated circuit is not limited to an LSI, and can be realized by using a dedicated circuit or a general-purpose processor. In addition, an FPGA (field programmable gate array) that can be programmed after the LSI is manufactured, or a reconfigurable processor that can reconfigure the connections and settings of the circuit cells arranged inside the LSI, can also be used.

The present disclosure is intended to be modified or amended in various ways by those skilled in the art based on the description and known techniques presented herein without departing from the content and scope of the present disclosure, and such modifications and applications are included in the scope of the claims to be protected. Furthermore, the components of the above-described embodiments may be combined in any manner without departing from the content of the present disclosure.

Embodiments of the present disclosure can provide at least the following subject matter:

(1)
a circuit operative to determine an allocated bandwidth portion (BWP) for sidelink transmission and reception on the carrier;
a transceiver operative to perform the sidelink transmission and reception over the determined BWP for the carrier; and
Equipped with
Dynamic BWP switching is not supported for the sidelink transmission and reception on the carrier.
User equipment.

(2)
the BWP is used only for the sidelink transmission and reception, and another BWP is assigned for transmissions between the user equipment and a base station on the carrier.
A user equipment as described in (1).

(3)
the BWP and the other BWP are simultaneously active on the carrier;
(2) A user equipment according to the present invention.

(4)
The BWP and the other BWP are associated with the same downlink (DL) BWP on the carrier.
(2) A user equipment according to the present invention.

(5)
The sidelink duration of a slot in the BWP is changed in case of Time Division Duplex (TDD) due to a change in the slot format in the other BWP.
(2) A user equipment according to the present invention.

(6)
Whether to transmit a first channel in one BWP or receive a second channel in another BWP is determined based on a priority of the first channel and a priority of the second channel.
(2) A user equipment according to the present invention.

(7)
determining whether a first channel on one BWP and a second channel on another BWP are transmitted based on a priority of the first channel and a priority of the second channel when a power spectral density (PSD) difference between the first channel and the second channel is greater than a threshold;
(2) A user equipment according to the present invention.

(8)
the BWP is configured by a BWP configuration signaling that includes a bitmap indicating time domain resources for the sidelink transmission and reception.
A user equipment as described in (1).

(9)
1. A wireless communication method for a user equipment, comprising:
determining a bandwidth portion (BWP) allocated for sidelink transmission and reception on a carrier; and
performing the sidelink transmission and reception on the determined BWP for the carrier; and
Including,
Dynamic BWP switching is not supported for the sidelink transmission and reception on the carrier.
A wireless communication method.

(10)
the BWP is used only for the sidelink transmission and reception, and another BWP is assigned for transmissions between the user equipment and a base station on the carrier.
(9) A wireless communication method according to (9).

(11)
the BWP and the other BWP are simultaneously active on the carrier;
A wireless communication method as described in (10).

(12)
The BWP and the other BWP are associated with the same downlink (DL) BWP on the carrier.
A wireless communication method as described in (10).

(13)
The sidelink duration of a slot in the BWP is changed in case of Time Division Duplex (TDD) due to a change in the slot format in the other BWP.
A wireless communication method as described in (10).

(14)
Whether to transmit a first channel in one BWP or receive a second channel in another BWP is determined based on a priority of the first channel and a priority of the second channel.
A wireless communication method as described in (10).

(15)
determining whether a first channel on one BWP and a second channel on another BWP are transmitted based on a priority of the first channel and a priority of the second channel if a power spectral density (PSD) difference between the first channel and the second channel is greater than a threshold;
A wireless communication method as described in (10).

(16)
the BWP is configured by a BWP configuration signaling that includes a bitmap indicating time domain resources for the sidelink transmission and reception.
(9) A wireless communication method according to (9).

(17)
a circuit operative to generate a bandwidth portion (BWP) configuration signaling including a bitmap indicating time domain resources for sidelink transmission and reception;
a transmitter operative to transmit the BWP configuration signaling to a user equipment;
Equipped with
the BWP assigned for the sidelink transmission and reception on a carrier is determined by the user equipment based on the BWP configuration signaling;
Dynamic BWP switching is not supported for the sidelink transmission and reception on the carrier.
base station.

(18)
the BWP is used only for the sidelink transmission and reception, and another BWP is assigned for transmissions between the user equipment and a base station on the carrier;
The transmitter is further operative to transmit a downlink signal to the user equipment on a downlink (DL) BWP on the carrier.
A base station as described in (17).

(19)
the BWP and the other BWP are simultaneously active on the carrier;
(18) A base station as described in (18).

(20)
The BWP and the other BWP are associated with the same downlink (DL) BWP on the carrier.
(18) A base station as described in (18).

(21)
The sidelink duration of a slot in the BWP is changed in case of Time Division Duplex (TDD) due to a change in the slot format in the other BWP.
(18) A base station as described in (18).

(22)
Whether to transmit a first channel in one BWP or receive a second channel in another BWP is determined based on a priority of the first channel and a priority of the second channel.
(18) A base station as described in (18).

(23)
determining whether a first channel on one BWP and a second channel on another BWP are transmitted based on a priority of the first channel and a priority of the second channel if a power spectral density (PSD) difference between the first channel and the second channel is greater than a threshold;
(18) A base station as described in (18).

(24)
1. A wireless communication method for a base station, comprising:
generating a Bandwidth Part (BWP) configuration signaling including a bitmap indicating time domain resources for sidelink transmission and reception;
sending the BWP configuration signaling to a user equipment;
Including,
the BWP assigned for the sidelink transmission and reception on a carrier is determined by the user equipment based on the BWP configuration signaling;
Dynamic BWP switching is not supported for the sidelink transmission and reception on the carrier.
A wireless communication method.

(25)
the BWP is used only for the sidelink transmission and reception, and another BWP is assigned for transmissions between the user equipment and a base station on the carrier;
The method further includes transmitting a downlink signal to the user equipment on a downlink (DL) BWP on the carrier.
(24) A wireless communication method according to (24).

(26)
the BWP and the other BWP are simultaneously active on the carrier;
(25) A wireless communication method according to (24).

(27)
The BWP and the other BWP are associated with the same downlink (DL) BWP on the carrier.
(25) A wireless communication method according to (24).

(28)
The sidelink duration of a slot in the BWP is changed in case of Time Division Duplex (TDD) due to a change in the slot format in the other BWP.
(25) A wireless communication method according to (24).

(29)
Whether to transmit a first channel in one BWP or receive a second channel in another BWP is determined based on a priority of the first channel and a priority of the second channel.
(25) A wireless communication method according to (24).

(30)
determining whether a first channel on one BWP and a second channel on another BWP are transmitted based on a priority of the first channel and a priority of the second channel if a power spectral density (PSD) difference between the first channel and the second channel is greater than a threshold;
(25) A wireless communication method according to (24).

(31)
a circuit operative to determine an allocated bandwidth portion (BWP) for sidelink transmission and reception on the carrier;
a transceiver operative to perform the sidelink transmission and reception over the determined BWP for the carrier; and
Equipped with
Two or more BWPs are simultaneously active on the carrier;
User equipment.

(32)
The two or more BWPs include the BWP assigned for the sidelink transmission and reception on the carrier and another BWP assigned for transmission between the user equipment and a base station on the carrier.
(31) A user equipment according to the present invention.

(33)
1. A wireless communication method for a user equipment, comprising:
determining a bandwidth portion (BWP) allocated for sidelink transmission and reception on a carrier; and
performing the sidelink transmission and reception on the determined BWP for the carrier; and
Including,
Two or more BWPs are simultaneously active on the carrier;
A wireless communication method.

(34)
The two or more BWPs include the BWP assigned for the sidelink transmission and reception on the carrier and another BWP assigned for transmission between the user equipment and a base station on the carrier.
(33) A wireless communication method according to (33).

Claims (13)

a controller for allocating a first bandwidth portion (BWP) for sidelink communications in a carrier and a second BWP for communications between a base station and a terminal in the carrier;
A transceiver unit that communicates with the terminal in the assigned second BWP and transmits a BWP setting indicating the assigned first BWP to the terminal;
Equipped with
The second BWP is a BWP that is dynamically switched among a plurality of second BWPs, and the first BWP is a BWP that is not dynamically switched.
base station. Whether the terminal performs the sidelink communication in the first BWP or the communication with the base station in the second BWP is determined based on a priority order.
The base station according to claim 1 . the first BWP and the second BWP are active simultaneously;
The base station according to claim 1 . The second BWP is a BWP dynamically switched using a DCI among a plurality of second BWPs, and the first BWP is a BWP that is not dynamically switched using a DCI.
The base station according to claim 1 . The duration of the slots in the first BWP is changed in accordance with the change in the slot format in the second BWP in the case of TDD (Time Division Duplex);
The base station according to claim 1 . The first BWP is configured by BWP configuration signaling including a bitmap indicating time domain resources used for the sidelink communication.
The base station according to claim 1 . allocating a first bandwidth portion (BWP) for sidelink communications on a carrier and a second BWP for communications between a base station and a terminal on the carrier;
communicating with the terminal in the assigned second BWP and sending a BWP configuration to the terminal indicating the assigned first BWP;
Equipped with
The second BWP is a BWP that is dynamically switched among a plurality of second BWPs, and the first BWP is a BWP that is not dynamically switched.
A wireless communication method. Whether the terminal performs the sidelink communication in the first BWP or the communication with the base station in the second BWP is determined based on a priority order.
The wireless communication method according to claim 7. the first BWP and the second BWP are active simultaneously;
The wireless communication method according to claim 7. The second BWP is a BWP dynamically switched using a DCI among a plurality of second BWPs, and the first BWP is a BWP that is not dynamically switched using a DCI.
The wireless communication method according to claim 7. The duration of the slots in the first BWP is changed in accordance with the change in the slot format in the second BWP in the case of TDD (Time Division Duplex);
The wireless communication method according to claim 7. The first BWP is configured by a BWP configuration signaling including a bitmap indicating time domain resources to be used for the sidelink communication.
The wireless communication method according to claim 7. allocating a first bandwidth portion (BWP) for sidelink communications on a carrier and a second BWP for communications between a base station and a terminal on the carrier;
A process of communicating with the terminal in the assigned second BWP and transmitting a BWP setting indicating the assigned first BWP to the terminal;
Control the
The second BWP is a BWP that is dynamically switched among a plurality of second BWPs, and the first BWP is a BWP that is not dynamically switched.
Integrated circuits.

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