WO2024200176A1

WO2024200176A1 - Enhanced resource allocation for beamformed nr sidelink communication

Info

Publication number: WO2024200176A1
Application number: PCT/EP2024/057517
Authority: WO
Inventors: Daniel Medina; Torsten WILDSCHEK
Original assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy
Priority date: 2023-03-31
Filing date: 2024-03-21
Publication date: 2024-10-03
Also published as: GB2628632A; GB202304785D0

Abstract

In a system, apparatus, method, and non-transitory computer readable medium for implementing enhanced sidelink (SL) resource allocation, a UE device may be caused to, determine a first beam among a plurality of beams of the UE device for SL transmission to a target UE device, determine, based on the first beam, at least one undesirable SL resource that is undesirable for SL communication using the first beam, receive a first SL transmission resource set from the target UE device, the first SL transmission resource set indicating at least one first SL resource for transmission to the target UE device, determine a second SL transmission resource set based on the first SL transmission resource set and the determined at least one undesirable SL resource, the second SL transmission resource set indicating at least one second SL resource, and transmit the second SL transmission resource set to at least one RAN node.

Description

ENHANCED RESOURCE ALLOCATION FOR BEAMFORMED NR SIDELINK COMMUNICATION

BACKGROUND

Field

[1] Various example embodiments relate to methods, apparatuses, systems, and/or non- transitory computer readable media for implementing enhanced sidelink (SL) resource allocation.

Description of the Related Art

[2] A 5^th generation mobile network (5G) standard, referred to as 5G New Radio (NR), is being developed to provide higher capacity, higher reliability, higher positioning accuracy, and lower latency communications than the 4G long term evolution (LTE) standard.

[3] The 5G NR standard provides user equipment (UE) devices (hereinafter referred to as UE devices or UEs) with an ability to perform direct UE-to-UE communications (e.g., point-to-point communication), referred to as sidelink (SL) communication, without having the communications transmitted to an intermediary, such as a base station (BS), radio access network (RAN) node, transmission-reception point (TRP), etc.

SUMMARY

[4] At least one example embodiment relates to a user equipment (UE) device.

[5] In at least one example embodiment, the UE device includes a memory storing computer readable instructions, and processing circuitry configured to execute the computer readable instructions to cause the UE device to, determine a first beam among a plurality of beams of the UE device for sidelink (SL) transmission to a target UE device, determine, based on the first beam, at least one undesirable SL resource that is undesirable for SL communication using the first beam, receive a first SL transmission resource set from the target UE device, the first SL transmission resource set indicating at least one first SL resource for transmission to the target UE device, determine a second SL transmission resource set based on the first SL transmission resource set and the determined at least one undesirable SL resource, the second SL transmission resource set indicating at least one second SL resource, and transmit the second SL transmission resource set to at least one radio access network (RAN) node.

[6] Some example embodiments provide that the UE device is further caused to, receive a SL grant from the RAN node based on the transmitted second SL transmission resource set, the SL grant indicating at least one allocated SL transmission resource selected from the at least one second SL resource, and transmit SL data to the target UE device on the at least one allocated SL transmission resource using the first beam.

[7] Some example embodiments provide that the UE device is further caused to, transmit a request to the target UE device indicating a second beam among a plurality of beams of the target UE device for SL reception from the UE device, wherein the request enables the target UE device to, determine the first SL transmission resource set based on measurements using the indicated second beam.

[8] Some example embodiments provide that the second SL transmission resource set is a subset of the first SL transmission resource set.

[9] Some example embodiments provide that the first SL transmission resource set includes the at least one undesirable SL resource, and the second SL transmission resource excludes the at least one undesirable SL resource.

[10] Some example embodiments provide that the UE device is further caused to determine the at least one undesirable SL resource that is undesirable for SL communication using the first beam by, detecting at least one radio transmission from at least one non-target UE device using the first beam, and determining the at least one undesirable SL resource based on the detected at least one radio transmission.

[11] Some example embodiments provide that the UE device is further caused to determine the second SL transmission resource set by, measuring a received signal strength of the at least one radio transmission from the at least one non-target UE device using the first beam, determining whether the measured signal strength is above a received signal strength threshold, updating the first SL transmission resource set by excluding the at least one undesirable SL resource from the first SL transmission resource set based on results of the determining, and setting the updated first SL transmission resource set as the second SL transmission resource set.

[12] Some example embodiments provide that the at least one radio transmission from the at least one non-target UE device comprises an inter-UE coordination (IUC) message indicating the at least one undesirable SL resource, the at least one undesirable SL resource determined by the at least one non-target UE device.

[13] Some example embodiments provide that the at least one radio transmission from the at least one non-target UE device is a physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) transmission, and the UE device is further caused to, determine the at least one undesirable SL resource based on the PSFCH transmission and a mapping between PSFCH resources and physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) resources.

[14] At least one example embodiment relates to a user equipment (UE) device.

[15] In at least one example embodiment, the UE device includes a memory storing computer readable instructions, and processing circuitry configured to execute the computer readable instructions to cause the UE device to, receive a request from a source UE device, wherein the request indicates a first beam among a plurality of beams of the UE device for sidelink (SL) reception from the source UE device, determine a first SL transmission resource set based on the indicated first beam, the first SL transmission resource set indicating at least one first SL resource for transmission to the UE device, and transmit the first SL transmission resource set to the source UE device or a radio access network (RAN) node.

[16] Some example embodiments provide that the UE device is further caused to, receive SL data from the source UE device on at least one allocated SL transmission resource using the first beam, wherein the at least one allocated SL transmission resource is selected by the RAN node based on a second SL transmission resource set determined by the source UE device, and the second SL transmission resource set is determined based on the first SL transmission resource set and at least one undesirable SL resource determined by the source UE device using a second beam of the source UE device, the at least one undesirable SL resource being at least one SL resource that is undesirable for SL communication using the second beam.

[17] Some example embodiments provide that the request is an inter-UE coordination (IUC) request, and the second SL transmission resource set is a subset of the first SL transmission resource set.

[18] At least one example embodiment relates to a method of operating a user equipment (UE) device. [19] In at least one example embodiment, the method includes determining a first beam among a plurality of beams of the UE device for sidelink (SL) transmission to a target UE device, determining, based on the first beam, at least one undesirable SL resource that is undesirable for SL communication using the first beam, receiving a first SL transmission resource set from the target UE device, the first SL transmission resource set indicating at least one first SL resource for transmission to the target UE device, determining a second SL transmission resource set based on the first SL transmission resource set and the determined at least one undesirable SL resource, the second SL transmission resource set indicating at least one second SL resource, and transmitting the second SL transmission resource set to at least one radio access network (RAN) node.

[20] Some example embodiments provide that the method further includes, receiving a SL grant from the RAN node based on the transmitted second SL transmission resource set, the SL grant indicating at least one allocated SL transmission resource selected from the at least one second SL resource, and transmitting SL data to the target UE device on the at least one allocated SL transmission resource using the first beam.

[21] Some example embodiments provide that the method further includes, transmitting a request to the target UE device indicating a second beam among a plurality of beams of the target UE device for SL reception from the UE device, wherein the request enables the target UE device to, determine the first SL transmission resource set based on measurements using the indicated second beam.

[22] Some example embodiments provide that the second SL transmission resource set is a subset of the first SL transmission resource set, the first SL transmission resource set includes the at least one undesirable SL resource, and the second SL transmission resource excludes the at least one undesirable SL resource.

[23] Some example embodiments provide that the determining the at least one undesirable SL resource that is undesirable for SL communication using the first beam further includes, detecting at least one radio transmission from at least one non-target UE device using the first beam, and determining the at least one undesirable SL resource based on the detected at least one radio transmission.

[24] Some example embodiments provide that the determining the second SL transmission resource set further includes, measuring a received signal strength of the at least one radio transmission from the at least one non-target UE device using the first beam, determining whether the measured signal strength is above a received signal strength threshold, updating the first SL transmission resource set by removing the at least one undesirable SL resource from the first SL transmission resource set based on results of the determining, and setting the updated first SL transmission resource set as the second SL transmission resource set.

[25] Some example embodiments provide that the at least one radio transmission from the at least one non-target UE device comprises an inter-UE coordination (IUC) message indicating the at least one undesirable SL resource, the at least one undesirable SL resource determined by the at least one non-target UE device.

[26] Some example embodiments provide that the at least one radio transmission from the at least one non-target UE device is a physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) transmission, and the method further includes, determining the at least one undesirable SL resource based on the PSFCH transmission and a mapping between PSFCH resources and physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) resources.

[27] At least one example embodiment relates to a user equipment (UE) device.

[28] In at least one example embodiment, the UE device includes means for determining a first beam among a plurality of beams of the UE device for sidelink (SL) transmission to a target UE device, determining, based on the first beam, at least one undesirable SL resource that is undesirable for SL communication using the first beam, receiving a first SL transmission resource set from the target UE device, the first SL transmission resource set indicating at least one first SL resource for transmission to the target UE device, determining a second SL transmission resource set based on the first SL transmission resource set and the determined at least one undesirable SL resource, the second SL transmission resource set indicating at least one second SL resource, and transmitting the second SL transmission resource set to at least one radio access network (RAN) node.

[29] Some example embodiments provide that the UE device further includes means for, receiving a SL grant from the RAN node based on the transmitted second SL transmission resource set, the SL grant indicating at least one allocated SL transmission resource selected from the at least one second SL resource, and transmitting SL data to the target UE device on the at least one allocated SL transmission resource using the first beam.

[30] Some example embodiments provide that the UE device further includes means for, transmitting a request to the target UE device indicating a second beam among a plurality of beams of the target UE device for SL reception from the UE device, wherein the request enables the target UE device to, determine the first SL transmission resource set based on measurements using the indicated second beam.

[31] Some example embodiments provide that the second SL transmission resource set is a subset of the first SL transmission resource set.

[32] Some example embodiments provide that the first SL transmission resource set includes the at least one undesirable SL resource, and the second SL transmission resource excludes the at least one undesirable SL resource.

[33] Some example embodiments provide that the UE device further includes means for determining the at least one undesirable SL resource that is undesirable for SL communication using the first beam by, detecting at least one radio transmission from at least one non-target UE device using the first beam, and determining the at least one undesirable SL resource based on the detected at least one radio transmission.

[34] Some example embodiments provide that the UE device further includes means for determining the second SL transmission resource set by, measuring a received signal strength of the at least one radio transmission from the at least one non-target UE device using the first beam, determining whether the measured signal strength is above a received signal strength threshold, updating the first SL transmission resource set by excluding the at least one undesirable SL resource from the first SL transmission resource set based on results of the determining, and setting the updated first SL transmission resource set as the second SL transmission resource set.

[35] Some example embodiments provide that the at least one radio transmission from the at least one non-target UE device comprises an inter-UE coordination (IUC) message indicating the at least one undesirable SL resource, the at least one undesirable SL resource determined by the at least one non-target UE device.

[36] Some example embodiments provide that the at least one radio transmission from the at least one non-target UE device is a physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) transmission, and the UE device further includes means for, determining the at least one undesirable SL resource based on the PSFCH transmission and a mapping between PSFCH resources and physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) resources.

[37] At least one example embodiment relates to a user equipment (UE) device. [38] In at least one example embodiment, the UE device includes means for, receiving a request from a source UE device, wherein the request indicates a first beam among a plurality of beams of the UE device for sidelink (SL) reception from the source UE device, determining a first SL transmission resource set based on the indicated first beam, the first SL transmission resource set indicating at least one first SL resource for transmission to the UE device, and transmitting the first SL transmission resource set to the source UE device or a radio access network (RAN) node.

[39] Some example embodiments provide that the UE device further includes means for, receiving SL data from the source UE device on at least one allocated SL transmission resource using the first beam, wherein the at least one allocated SL transmission resource is selected by the RAN node based on a second SL transmission resource set determined by the source UE device, and the second SL transmission resource set is determined based on the first SL transmission resource set and at least one undesirable SL resource determined by the source UE device using a second beam of the source UE device, the at least one undesirable SL resource being at least one SL resource that is undesirable for SL communication using the second beam.

[40] Some example embodiments provide that the request is an inter-UE coordination (IUC) request, and the second SL transmission resource set is a subset of the first SL transmission resource set.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[41] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate one or more example embodiments and, together with the description, explain these example embodiments. In the drawings:

[42] FIG. 1 illustrates a wireless communication system according to at least one example embodiment;

[43] FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of an example RAN node according to at least one example embodiment;

[44] FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of an example UE device according to at least one example embodiment; and [45] FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate example transmission flow diagrams according to some example embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[46] Various example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings in which some example embodiments are shown.

[47] Detailed example embodiments are disclosed herein. However, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are merely representative for purposes of describing the example embodiments. The example embodiments may, however, be embodied in many alternate forms and should not be construed as limited to only the example embodiments set forth herein.

[48] It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and, similarly, a second element could be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of the example embodiments. As used herein, the term “and/or,” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[49] It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “connected,” or “coupled,” to another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly connected,” or “directly coupled,” to another element, there are no intervening elements present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between,” versus “directly between,” “adjacent,” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.).

[50] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the,” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” and/or “including,” when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

[51] It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions/acts noted may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two figures shown in succession may in fact be executed substantially concurrently or may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality/acts involved.

[52] Specific details are provided in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of the example embodiments. However, it will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that example embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. For example, systems may be shown in block diagrams in order not to obscure the example embodiments in unnecessary detail. In other instances, well-known processes, structures and techniques may be shown without unnecessary detail in order to avoid obscuring example embodiments.

[53] Also, it is noted that example embodiments may be described as a process depicted as a flowchart, a flow diagram, a data flow diagram, a structure diagram, or a block diagram. Although a flowchart may describe the operations as a sequential process, many of the operations may be performed in parallel, concurrently or simultaneously. In addition, the order of the operations may be re-arranged. A process may be terminated when its operations are completed, but may also have additional steps not included in the figure. A process may correspond to a method, a function, a procedure, a subroutine, a subprogram, etc. When a process corresponds to a function, its termination may correspond to a return of the function to the calling function or the main function.

[54] Moreover, as disclosed herein, the term “memory” may represent one or more devices for storing data, including random access memory (RAM), magnetic RAM, core memory, and/or other machine readable mediums for storing information. The term “storage medium” may represent one or more devices for storing data, including read only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic RAM, core memory, magnetic disk storage mediums, optical storage mediums, flash memory devices and/or other machine readable mediums for storing information. The term “computer-readable medium” may include, but is not limited to, portable or fixed storage devices, optical storage devices, wireless channels, and various other mediums capable of storing, containing or carrying instruction(s) and/or data. [55] Furthermore, example embodiments may be implemented by hardware circuitry and/or software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, etc., in combination with hardware (e.g., software executed by hardware, etc.). When implemented in software, firmware, middleware or microcode, the program code or code segments to perform the desired tasks may be stored in a machine or computer readable medium such as a non-transitory computer storage medium, and loaded onto one or more processors to perform the desired tasks.

[56] A code segment may represent a procedure, a function, a subprogram, a program, a routine, a subroutine, a module, a software package, a class, or any combination of instructions, data structures, or program statements. A code segment may be coupled to another code segment or a hardware circuit by passing and/or receiving information, data, arguments, parameters, or memory contents. Information, arguments, parameters, data, etc. may be passed, forwarded, or transmitted via any suitable means including memory sharing, message passing, token passing, network transmission, etc.

[57] As used in this application, the term “circuitry” and/or “hardware circuitry” may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) hardware-only circuit implementation (such as implementations in only analog and/or digital circuitry); (b) combinations of hardware circuits and software, such as (as applicable): (i) a combination of analog and/or digital hardware circuit(s) with software/firmware, and (ii) any portions of hardware processor(s) with software (including digital signal processor(s)), software, and memory(ies) that work together to cause an apparatus, such as a mobile phone or server, to perform various functions); and (c) hardware circuit(s) and/or processor(s), such as microprocessor(s) or a portion of a microprocessor(s), that requires software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but the software may not be present when it is not needed for operation. For example, the circuitry more specifically may include, but is not limited to, a central processing unit (CPU), an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), a digital signal processor, a microcomputer, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a System-on-Chip (SoC), a programmable logic unit, a microprocessor, application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc.

[58] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of this term in this application, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of merely a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and/or firmware. The term circuitry also covers, for example and if applicable to the particular claim element, a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[59] While the various example embodiments of the present disclosure are discussed in connection with the 5G wireless communication standard for the sake of clarity and convenience, the example embodiments are not limited thereto, and one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize the example embodiments may be applicable to other wireless communication standards, such as the 4G standard, a Wi-Fi standard, a future 6G standard, a future 7G standard, etc.

[60] Various example embodiments are directed towards implementing enhanced sidelink (SL) resource allocation, and more specifically, for implementing enhanced SL resource allocation for use in beamformed NR SL communication (e.g., transmission and/or reception) between at least two UE devices, but the example embodiments are not limited thereto. For example, one or more example embodiments may be implemented for use in SL Mode 1, wherein the network allocates, configures, and/or determines SL resources for SL communication between two UE devices within a desired frequency range (FR), such as FR 2 (e.g., frequency ranges above 24.250 GHz), but the example embodiments are not limited thereto.

[61] While the 4G LTE protocol supported SL broadcast transmission by UE devices, the 4G LTE protocol did not support unicast and/or beamformed SL communication. The 4G network determined the SL broadcast resources for a transmitting UE device based on location information of the transmitting and receiving UE devices and/or radio measurements and/or interference measurements sensed and/or determined by the transmitting UE device. Consequently, the allocation of SL transmission resources (e.g., SL resources, SL time-frequency resources, etc.) was inefficient due to an inability to allocate the same and/or overlapping SL resources to two or more transmitting UE devices due to cross-interference caused by the broadcast nature of the 4G SL communication.

[62] The concept of beamformed SL communication (e.g., in case of unicast SL communication) is currently being studied. The implementation of beamformed SL communication potentially allows for nearby transmitting UEs to use the same and/or overlapping SL transmission resources despite their physical proximity due to the spatially constrained transmission (e.g., the transmission field) of the beam used to transmit the SL data, so long as the transmission fields of the two or more transmitting UEs do not overlap and/or are not adjacent to each other, etc. Accordingly, beamformed SL communication reduces and/or removes the need for using the location information of the transmitting and receiving UE devices during the determination of SL resource allocation by the 5G network, but the radio measurements and/or interference measurements sensed and/or determined by the transmitting UE device continue to be considered.

[63] However, beamformed SL communication is prone to a more severe “hidden node” problem, wherein the radio measurements and/or interference measurements sensed and/or determined by a first transmitting UE device do not account for radio interference experienced by the receiving UE device, potentially from other transmitting UE devices and/or other radio transmitter devices, which are out of the receiving range of the first transmitting UE device, but are within the receiving range of the receiving UE device. Additionally, beamformed SL communication is prone to a more severe “exposed node” problem, causing inefficient, undesirable, and/or unnecessary exclusion of SL transmission resources from being allocated to a transmitting UE device as a result of the transmitting UE device detecting and/or sensing beamformed SL communications from other transmitting UE devices which are not detectable by the receiving UE device.

[64] Accordingly, there is a desire to improve and/or enhance the allocation of SL transmission resources based on radio measurements detected, sensed, and/or determined by the receiving UE device and the transmitting UE device. According to at least one example embodiment, SL transmission resource allocation may be more efficient (e.g., more SL transmission resources may be used and/or re-used by multiple transmitting UE devices at the same time) over conventional SL resource allocation techniques. Additionally, one or more example embodiments may reduce and/or eliminate the impact of the hidden node problem and the exposed node problem, etc.

[65] FIG. 1 illustrates a wireless communication system according to at least one example embodiment.

[66] As shown in FIG. 1, a wireless communication system includes a core network 100 and a first radio access network (RAN) node 110, but is not limited thereto. Additionally, as shown in FIG. 1, a first user equipment device (e.g., UE device or UE, etc.) A, a second UE device B, a third UE device C, and/or a fourth UE device D, etc., may connect to and/or communicate with the RAN node 110, wherein the UE A and UE B are a first SL communication pair and the UE C and the UE D are a second SL communication pair, but the example embodiments are not limited thereto and the example embodiments may include a greater or lesser number of constituent elements. Additionally, according to some example embodiments, there may be additional UEs, such as a UE device E and/or a UE device F, a lesser number of UEs, etc., but the example embodiments are not limited thereto. For example, the wireless communication system may include two or more RAN nodes, additional TRPs (e.g., base stations, routers, access points, gateways, etc.), but the example embodiments are not limited thereto. According to at least one example embodiment, UE device A may be a source UE device (e.g., a UE device which transmits SL data, etc.) and the UE device B may be a target UE device (e.g., a UE device which receives SL data, etc.), wherein UE device A is configured to transmit SL data to the UE device B, etc. Moreover, the UE device C may also be a source UE device and the UE device D may be a target UE device, wherein the UE device C is also configured to transmit SL data to the UE device D, but the example embodiments are not limited thereto.

[67] The RAN node 110, the UE device A, the UE device B, the UE device C, the UE device D, the UE device E, the UE device F, etc., may be connected over a wireless network, such as a cellular wireless access network (e.g., a 3G wireless access network, a 4G-Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, a 5G-New Radio (e.g., 5G) wireless network, a 6G wireless network, a WiFi network, etc.), but the example embodiments are not limited thereto. The wireless network may include a core network 100 which may connect to other networks, such as a Data Network 105, etc. The RAN node 110 may connect to other RAN nodes (not shown), as well as to the core network 100 and/or the Data Network 105, over a wired and/or wireless network. The core network 100 and the Data Network 105 may connect to each other over a wired and/or wireless network. The Data Network 105 may refer to the Internet, an intranet, a private network, a wide area network, etc.

[68] According to some example embodiments, the RAN node 110 may act as a relay node (e.g., an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node) and may communicate with the UE devices A, B, C, D, E, and/or F, etc., in combination with at least one TRP (e.g., base station, access point (AP), router, etc.) (not shown) of the same or different radio access technology (e.g., WiFi, etc.). [69] The UE devices A, B, C, D, E, and/or F, etc., may be any one of, but not limited to, a mobile device, a smartphone, a tablet, a laptop computer, a wearable device, an Internet of Things (loT) device, a sensor (e.g., thermometers, humidity sensors, pressure sensors, motion sensors, accelerometers, etc.), actuators, robotic devices, robotics, drones, connected medical devices, eHealth devices, smart city related devices, a security camera, a ground vehicle, an aerial vehicle, autonomous devices (e.g., autonomous cars, etc.), a desktop computer and/or any other type of stationary or portable device capable of operating according to, for example, the 5G NR communication standard, and/or other wireless communication standard(s). The UE devices A, B, C, D, E, and/or F, etc., may be configurable to transmit and/or receive data in accordance to strict latency, reliability, and/or accuracy requirements, such as SL communication, SL-discontinuous reception (DRX) communications, ultra-reliable, low-latency communications (URLLC), time sensitive communication (TSC), etc., but the example embodiments are not limited thereto.

[70] According to at least one example embodiment, two or more of the UE devices A, B, C, D, E, and/or F, may be members of a SL communication pair, a SL group and/or UE group and may be configured to perform SL communication. For example, the core network 100 and/or the RAN node 110, etc., may provide SL configuration information, which may include SL transmission resource allocation, etc., to one or more of the UE devices A, B, C, D, E, and/or F, etc., and the SL configuration information configures one or more of the UE devices A, B, C, D, E, and/or F, etc., to perform SL communication based on one or more methods discussed herein in connection with FIGS. 4A to 4B, but the example embodiments are not limited thereto.

[71] According to at least one example embodiment, at least one UE device, such as the UE device B, D and/or F, may be target UE devices and/or receiving (RX) UE devices (e.g., UE devices performing SL reception), and at least one UE device, such as the UE devices A, C and/or E, may be source UE devices and/or transmitting (TX) UE devices (e.g., UE devices performing SL transmission), but the example embodiments are not limited thereto. It is noted that a UE device of a SL communication pair and/or SL group may operate as source UE or as target UE from time to time for SL communication of the SL pair and/or SL group. For example, at a first point in time, the UE device A may be configured to operate as a source UE device and the UE device B may be configured to operate as a target UE device, but at a second point in time, the UE device A may be configured to operate as a target UE device and the UE device B may be configured to operate as a source UE device, etc.

[72] The wireless communication system further includes at least one RAN node (e.g., a TRP, a base station, a wireless access point, etc.), such as RAN node 110, etc. The RAN node 110, etc., may operate according to at least one underlying cellular and/or wireless radio access technology (RAT), such as 5G NR, LTE, Wi-Fi, etc. For example, the RAN node 110 may be a 5G gNB node, a LTE eNB node, or a LTE ng-eNB node, etc., but the example embodiments are not limited thereto. The RAN node 110 may provide wireless network services to one or more UE devices within one or more cells (e.g., cell service areas, broadcast areas, serving areas, coverage areas, etc.) surrounding the respective physical location of the RAN node, such as a cell 110A surrounding the RAN node 110, etc.

[73] For example, UE devices A, B, C, D, E, and/or F are located within the cell service area 110A, and may connect to, receive broadcast messages from, receive paging messages from, receive/transmit signaling messages from/to, and/or access the wireless network through, etc., RAN node 110 (e.g., the source RAN node serving the UE device, etc.), but the example embodiments are not limited thereto. According to other example embodiments, one or more UE devices, such as the UE device E and/or F, etc., may not be located within the cell service area 110A, may be connected to a different RAN node than the RAN node 110, may use a different RAT than the RAN node 110, etc.

[74] While FIG. 1 illustrates a single cell for the RAN node 110, the example embodiments are not limited thereto, and for example, the RAN node may provide a plurality of cells, etc.

[75] Additionally, the RAN node 110 may be configured to operate in a multi-user (MU) multiple input multiple out (MIMO) mode and/or a massive MIMO (mMIMO) mode, wherein the RAN node 110 transmits a plurality of beams (e.g., radio channels, datastreams, streams, etc.) in different spatial domains and/or frequency domains using a plurality of antennas (e.g., antenna panels, antenna elements, an antenna array, etc.) and beamforming and/or beamsteering techniques.

[76] The RAN node 110 may be connected to at least one core network device (not shown) residing on the core network 100, such as a core network element, a core network server, access points, switches, routers, nodes, etc., but the example embodiments are not limited thereto. The core network 100 and/or the at least one core network device may provide network functions, such as a location management function (LMF), an access and mobility management function (AMF), a session management function (SMF), a policy control function (PCF), a unified data management (UDM), a user plane function (UPF), an authentication server function (AUSF), an application function (AF), and/or a network slice selection function (NSSF), etc., and/or equivalent functions, but the example embodiments are not limited thereto.

[77] While certain components of a wireless communication network are shown as part of the wireless communication system of FIG. 1, the example embodiments are not limited thereto, and the wireless communication network may include components other than that shown in FIG. 1, which are desired, necessary, and/or beneficial for operation of the underlying networks within the wireless communication system, such as access points, switches, routers, nodes, servers, gateways, etc.

[78] FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of an example RAN node according to at least one example embodiment. The RAN node of FIG. 2 may correspond to the RAN node 110 of FIG. 1, but the example embodiments are not limited thereto.

[79] Referring to FIG. 2, a RAN node 2000 may include processing circuitry 2100, at least one communication bus 2200, a memory 2300, at least one core network interface 2400, and/or at least one wireless antenna array 2500, etc., but the example embodiments are not limited thereto. For example, the core network interface 2400 and the wireless antenna array 2500 may be combined into a single network interface, etc., or the RAN node 2000 may include a plurality of wireless antenna arrays, a plurality of core network interfaces, etc., and/or any combinations thereof. The memory 2300 may include various special purpose program code including computer executable instructions which may cause the RAN node 2000 to perform the one or more of the methods discussed in connection with FIGS. 4A to 4B.

[80] In at least one example embodiment, the processing circuitry 2100 may include at least one processor (and/or processor cores, distributed processors, networked processors, etc.), which may be configured to control one or more elements of the RAN node 2000, and thereby cause the RAN node 2000 to perform various operations. The processing circuitry 2100 is configured to execute processes by retrieving program code (e.g., computer readable instructions) and data from the memory 2300 to process them, thereby executing special purpose control and functions of the entire RAN node 2000. Once the special purpose program instructions are loaded into the processing circuitry 2100, the processing circuitry 2100 executes the special purpose program instructions, thereby transforming the processing circuitry 2100 into a special purpose processor/special purpose processing circuitry.

[81] In at least one example embodiment, the memory 2300 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium and may include a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), and/or a permanent mass storage device such as a disk drive, or a solid state drive. Stored in the memory 2300 is program code (i.e., computer readable instructions) related to operating the RAN node 2000, such as the methods discussed in connection with FIGS. 4A to 4B, the at least one core network interface 2400, and/or at least one wireless antenna array 2500, etc. Such software elements may be loaded from a non- transitory computer-readable storage medium independent of the memory 2300, using a drive mechanism (not shown) connected to the RAN node 2000, or via the at least one core network interface 2400, and/or at least one wireless antenna array 2500, etc.

[82] In at least one example embodiment, the communication bus 2200 may enable communication and data transmission to be performed between elements of the RAN node 2000. The bus 2200 may be implemented using a high-speed serial bus, a parallel bus, and/or any other appropriate communication technology. According to at least one example embodiment, the RAN node 2000 may include a plurality of communication buses (not shown), such as an address bus, a data bus, etc.

[83] The RAN node 2000 may operate as, for example, a 4G RAN node, a 5G RAN node, etc., and may be configured to schedule time domain resource allocations (TDRAs), e.g., orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, physical resource blocks (PRBs), resource elements, etc., for UE devices connected to the RAN node 2000, but the example embodiments are not limited thereto.

[84] For example, the RAN node 2000 may allocate time-frequency resources of a carrier (e.g., resource blocks with time and frequency dimensions) based on operation on the time domain (e.g., time division duplexing) and/or the frequency domain (e.g., frequency division duplexing). In the time domain context, the RAN node 2000 will allocate a carrier (or subbands of the carrier) to one or more UEs (e.g., UE A, etc.) connected to the RAN node 2000 during designated upload (e.g., uplink (UL)) time periods and designated download (e.g., downlink (DL)) time periods, or during designated special (S) time periods which may be used for UL and/or DL, but the example embodiments are not limited thereto. [85] When there are multiple UEs connected to the RAN node 2000, the carrier is shared in time such that each UE is scheduled by the RAN node 2000, and the RAN node 2000 allocates each UE with their own uplink time and/or downlink time. In the frequency domain context and/or when performing spatial domain multiplexing of UEs (e.g., MU MIMO, etc.), the RAN node 2000 will allocate separate frequency subbands of the carrier to UEs simultaneously served by the RAN node 2000, for uplink and/or downlink transmissions. Data transmission between the UE and the RAN node 2000 may occur on a radio frame basis in both the time domain and frequency domain contexts. The minimum resource unit for allocation and/or assignment by the RAN node 2000 to a particular UE device corresponds to a specific downlink/uplink time interval (e.g., one OFDM symbol, one slot, one minislot, one subframe, etc.) and/or a specific downlink/uplink resource block (e.g., twelve adjacent subcarriers, a frequency subband, etc.).

[86] For the sake of clarity and consistency, the example embodiments will be described as using the time domain, but the example embodiments are not limited thereto.

[87] Additionally, the RAN node 2000 may transmit scheduling information via physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) information to the one or more UE devices located within the cell servicing area of the RAN node 2000, which may configure the one or more UE devices to transmit (e.g., UL transmissions via physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) information and/or physical uplink shared channel information (PUSCH), etc.) and/or receive (e.g., DL transmissions via PDCCH and/or physical downlink shared channel information (PDSCH), etc.) data packets to and/or from the RAN node 2000. Additionally, the RAN node 2000 may transmit control messages to the UE device using downlink control information (DCI) messages via physical (PHY) layer signaling, medium access control (MAC) layer control element (CE) signaling, radio resource control (RRC) signaling, etc., but the example embodiments are not limited thereto.

[88] The RAN node 2000 may also include at least one core network interface 2400, and/or at least one wireless antenna array 2500, etc. The at least one wireless antenna array 2500 may include an associated array of radio units (not shown) and may be used to transmit the wireless signals in accordance with a radio access technology, such as 4G LTE wireless signals, 5G NR wireless signals, etc., to at least one UE device, such as UE A, etc. According to some example embodiments, the wireless antenna array 2500 may be a single antenna, or may be a plurality of antennas, etc. For example, the wireless antenna array 2500 may be configured as a grid of beams (GoB) which transmits a plurality of beams in different directions, angles, frequencies, and/or with different delays, etc., but the example embodiments are not limited thereto.

[89] The RAN node 2000 may communicate with a core network (e.g., backend network, backhaul network, backbone network, Data Network, etc.) of the wireless communication network via a core network interface 2400. The core network interface 2400 may be a wired and/or wireless network interface and may enable the RAN node 2000 to communicate and/or transmit data to and from to network devices on the backend network, such as a core network gateway (not shown), a Data Network (e.g., Data Network 105), such as the Internet, intranets, wide area networks, telephone networks, VoIP networks, etc.

[90] While FIG. 2 depicts an example embodiment of a RAN node 2000, the RAN node is not limited thereto, and may include additional and/or alternative architectures that may be suitable for the purposes demonstrated. For example, the functionality of the RAN node 2000 may be divided among a plurality of physical, logical, and/or virtual network elements, such as a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a remote radio head (RRH), and/or a remote radio unit (RRU), etc. Additionally, the RAN node 2000 may operate in standalone (SA) mode and/or non-standalone (NS A) mode using interfaces (not shown) such as X2, Xn, etc., between the RAN node 2000 and other RAN nodes of the wireless network, interfaces, such as SI, NG, etc., between the RAN node 2000 and the core network (e.g., core network 100), interfaces between network functions of the RAN node 2000 operating in a distributed and/or virtual RAN mode (not shown), such as Fl, El, etc., and/or interfaces between the physical layer (e.g., a baseband unit, etc.) and the radio layer (e.g., a remote radio head (RRH), core network interface 2400, etc.) (not shown), such as common public radio interface (CPRI), enhanced CPRI (eCPRI), etc., but the example embodiments are not limited thereto.

[91] FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of an example UE device according to at least one example embodiment. The example UE device 3000 of FIG. 3 may correspond to one or more of the UE devices A, B, C, D, E, and/or F of FIG. 1, but the example embodiments are not limited thereto.

[92] Referring to FIG. 3, a UE 3000 may include processing circuitry 3100, at least one communication bus 3200, a memory 3300, a plurality of wireless antennas and/or wireless antenna panels 3400, at least one input/output (VO) device 3600 (e.g., a keyboard, a touchscreen, a mouse, a microphone, a camera, a speaker, etc.), and/or a display panel 3700 (e.g., a monitor, a touchscreen, etc.), but the example embodiments are not limited thereto. According to some example embodiments, the UE 3000 may include a greater or lesser number of constituent components, and for example, the UE 3000 may also include at least one sensor 3500, such as one or more proximity sensors (e.g., an infra-red proximity sensor, a capacitive proximity sensor, etc.), one or more location sensors (e.g., GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, etc.), other sensors (e.g., thermometers, humidity sensors, pressure sensors, motion sensors, accelerometers, etc.), a battery, actuators, one or more wireless antennas and/or one or more wireless antenna panels, etc. Additionally, the display panel 3700, and/or I/O device 3600, etc., of UE 3000 may be optional.

[93] In at least one example embodiment, the processing circuitry 3100 may include at least one processor (and/or processor cores, distributed processors, networked processors, etc.), which may be configured to control one or more elements of the UE 3000, and thereby cause the UE 3000 to perform various operations. The processing circuitry 3100 is configured to execute processes by retrieving program code (e.g., computer readable instructions) and data from the memory 3300 to process them, thereby executing special purpose control and functions of the entire UE 3000. Once the special purpose program instructions are loaded into the processing circuitry 3100, the processing circuitry 3100 executes the special purpose program instructions, thereby transforming the processing circuitry 3100 into a special purpose processor/special purpose processing circuitry.

[94] In at least one example embodiment, the memory 3300 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium and may include a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), and/or a permanent mass storage device such as a disk drive, or a solid state drive. Stored in the memory 3300 is program code (i.e., computer readable instructions) related to operating the UE 3000, such as the methods discussed in connection with FIGS. 4 A to 4B, etc. Such software elements may be loaded from a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium independent of the memory 3300, using a drive mechanism (not shown) connected to the UE 3000, or via the wireless antenna 3400, etc. Additionally, the memory 3300 may store network configuration information, such as system information, resource block scheduling, SL configuration, SL resource allocation, etc., for communicating with at least one RAN node, e.g., RAN node 110, communicating with at least one UE device, e.g., UE devices A, B, C, D, E, F, etc., accessing a wireless network, etc., but the example embodiments are not limited thereto.

[95] In at least one example embodiment, the at least one communication bus 3200 may enable communication and data transmission/reception to be performed between elements of the UE 3000. The bus 3200 may be implemented using a high-speed serial bus, a parallel bus, and/or any other appropriate communication technology. According to at least one example embodiment, the UE 3000 may include a plurality of communication buses (not shown), such as an address bus, a data bus, etc.

[96] The UE 3000 may also include at least one wireless antenna panel 3400, but is not limited thereto. The at least one wireless antenna panel 3400 may include at least one associated radio unit (not shown) and may be used to transmit wireless signals in accordance with at least one desired radio access technology, such as 4G LTE, 5G NR, Wi-Fi, etc. Additionally, the at least one wireless antenna panel 3400 may be configured to transmit and/or receive SL communications from one or more UE devices, etc., on one or more SL resources, such as a physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH), a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH), a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), and/or SL slots, etc., assigned to an associated SL group and/or SL pair, but the example embodiments are not limited thereto. Additionally, a first UE device may act as a relay for at least one second UE device, for example, wherein the first UE device receives data destined for the at least one second UE device from the RAN node 110, and then forwards the received data to the at least one second UE device, etc., thereby improving the reliability of wireless transmission and/or extending the range of wireless transmissions, but the example embodiments are not limited thereto. For example, there may be more than one UE device, and the relay UE device may receive data from a UE device destined for the RAN node and/or core network, etc. When there are two or more wireless antenna panels 3400 included in the UE 3000, the two or more wireless antenna panels 3400 may be located at different physical locations on the body of the UE 3000, may have the same or different orientations, may operate in the same or different frequency ranges, may operate in accordance with the same or different radio access technology, etc.

[97] According to some example embodiments, the UE 3000 may detect, measure, and/or sense one or more radio signal power and/or signal quality metrics using the at least one wireless antenna panel 3400 corresponding to SL control information (SCI), synchronization signal block (SSB), and/or channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), etc., signals transmitted by one or more RAN nodes, such as a source RAN node (e.g., RAN node 110) and/or one or more source UE devices (e.g., UE devices A, C, E, and/or F, etc.), but the example embodiments are not limited thereto. More specifically, the UE 3000 may measure radio signal power and/or cell quality metrics such as reference signal received power (RSRP) (e.g., SS-RSRP and/or CSI-RSRP, etc.), reference signal received quality (RSRQ) (e.g., SS-RSRQ and/or CSI-RSRQ, etc.), received signal strength indicator (RSSI) (e.g., NR- RSSI, CSI-RSSI, etc.), signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR) (e.g., SS-SINR, CSI- SINR), etc., but the example embodiments are not limited thereto.

[98] While FIG. 3 depicts an example embodiment of a UE 3000, the UE device is not limited thereto, and may include additional and/or alternative architectures that may be suitable for the purposes demonstrated.

[99] FIG. 4A illustrates a first example transmission flow diagram according to some example embodiments. FIG. 4A will be discussed in reference to the example wireless system diagram of FIG. 1, but the example embodiments are not limited thereto, and other wireless systems and/or configurations may be used.

[100] Referring now to FIG. 4A, FIG. 4A is an example transmission flow diagram illustrating SL communication between a first source UE device A configured to transmit beamformed SL data to a first target UE device B, a second source UE device C configured to transmit beamformed SL data to a second target UE device D, and a RAN node (e.g., RAN node 110), but the example embodiments are not limited thereto.

[101] According to at least one example embodiment, in operation S4010, the source UE device A transmits a request to the target UE device B for a SL transmission resource set (e.g., a set of recommended SL transmission resources, a set of preferred SL transmission resources, etc.) to use in SL communication with the target UE device B. According to some example embodiments, the source UE device A determines a desired, selected, and/or preferred transmit beam (TX beam) of a plurality of beams associated with and/or corresponding to the source UE device A, such as the beam a’ shown in FIG. 1, for SL communication with the target UE device B, but the example embodiments are not limited thereto. Moreover, the request may be an inter-UE coordination (IUC) request, which may further indicate a desired, selected, and/or preferred receive beam (RX beam) of a plurality of beams of the target UE device B, such as the beam b’ shown in FIG. 1, for SL communication with the source UE device A, but the example embodiments are not limited thereto. According to some example embodiments, the selection of the desired TX beam and/or RX beam may be performed by the UE device A, may be performed by UE device A and UE device B in cooperation, for example, through beam sweeping and feedback, or may be performed by the RAN node 110 and/or core network 100, etc., and transmitted to the UE device A, etc.

£1021 In operation S4020, the UE device B uses the desired RX beam b’ to detect, measure, scan, and/or sense radio transmissions (e.g., potentially interfering radio transmission, interfering radio transmission, etc.) from one or more UE devices (e.g., non-target UEs, etc.) from which the UE device B is not configured to receive SL communication. For example, the UE device B may determine, sense, and/or detect radio transmissions using the RX beam b’, such as PSCCH/PSSCH transmissions, etc., from UE device C, UE device E, etc., as shown in FIG. 1, may decode the SCI of the PSCCH/PSSCH transmissions to determine the SL transmission resource associated with the potentially interfering and/or interfering PSCCH/PSSCH transmission, and measure an RSRP (and/or SINR, etc.) associated with the PSCCH/PSSCH transmission, etc., but the example embodiments are not limited thereto. As another example, the UE device B may detect, measure, sense, and/or scan for any noise, interference, and/or other indication that a particular SL resource is not preferred, not available, and/or is not desirable. More specifically, the UE device B may detect, measure, sense, and/or scan for available SL resources, determine and/or measure the energy (e.g., RSRP, etc.) and/or noise (e.g., SINR, etc.) present in the SL resource, and compare the determined energy and/or noise to a desired received energy threshold value and/or desired noise threshold value, etc., to determine whether the SL resource is not preferred, not available, and/or is not desirable, etc.

[103] Additionally, the UE device B determines a first SL transmission resource set, Si, based on the detected radio transmissions. The first SL transmission resource set includes at least one recommended SL transmission resource and/or at least one preferred SL transmission resource, etc., for use by the transmitting UE device A to perform SL communication with the receiving UE device B, but the example embodiments are not limited thereto. The UE device B initially identifies a plurality of candidate SL resources for use in SL communication with the UE device A, such as SL resources ro, n, r2, and rs, etc., but the example embodiments are not limited thereto. Assuming that the previously detected potentially interfering and/or interfering radio transmission was transmitted using SL resource ro, the UE device B then determines whether the RSRP (and/or SINR, etc.) of the previously detected potentially interfering and/or interfering radio transmission exceeds a desired RSRP threshold value (and/or a desired received signal power threshold value, a desired energy threshold value, a desired noise threshold value, a desired SINR threshold value, etc.), and determines whether to exclude the associated SL transmission resource, ro, from the SL transmission resource set Si based on the results of the determination. For example, if the RSRP of a detected potentially interfering radio transmission exceeds the desired RSRP threshold value, then the UE device B may exclude, remove, and/or omit the SL transmission resource ro from the first SL transmission resource set, etc.

H041 In operation S4030, the UE device B transmits a response to the UE device A and/or to the RAN node 110, wherein the response includes the first SL transmission resource set Si. According to some example embodiments, the response may be an IUC information MAC CE message, an SCI format 2-C containing IUC information, etc., but is not limited thereto.

£1051 In operation S4040, the second source UE device C transmits a SCI to the second target UE device D. The SCI message may indicate that the SL resource n is reserved for and/or will be used for SL communication between the UE device C and the UE device D, but is not limited thereto. As shown in FIG. 1, the UE device D may lie and/or be located within the receptive field of the TX beam a’ of the UE device A, etc., and in operation S4050, the target UE device D transmits IUC information, which is received by the source UE device A using the TX beam a’. Additionally, according to some example embodiments, the IUC information transmitted by the UE device D indicates a SL transmission resource set (e.g., a non-preferred SL transmission resource set, an occupied SL transmission resource set, an undesirable SL transmission resource set, an unavailable SL transmission resource set, etc.) for use in SL communications between the UE device C and the UE device D, which therefore would be undesirable (e.g., non-preferred, unavailable, etc.) for use in SL communication between the source UE device A and the target UE device B using the TX beam a’ . However, according to one or more of the example embodiments, the undesirable SL resource is non-preferred, undesirable, and/or unavailable with respect to the TX beam a’ of the source UE device A due to the directionality of the TX beam a’ (e.g., the transmission field of a’) with respect to UE devices C and D, and the undesirable SL resource may be allocated for use by the source UE device A on a different TX beam, etc., thereby increasing and/or improving the efficiency of the SL resource management and usage. Additionally, according to at least one example embodiment, the target UE device D determines a non-preferred resource set comprising a SL resource in which it expects to receive SL data from the source UE device C, e.g., based on a condition “1-B-l Option 2” standardized in clause 8.1.4A of 3GPP TS 38.214 (if configured by slThresholdRSRP- Condition l-B-l-Option2List\ but the example embodiments are not limited thereto.

I106J In operation S4060, the UE device A determines the at least one undesirable SL resource, e.g., n, indicated in the SL transmission resource set transmitted by the UE device D, etc. The UE device A further determines whether the received signal strength (e.g., RSRP, etc.) of the at least one undesirable SL resource n exceeds the desired received signal strength threshold value (e.g., a RSRP threshold value), and determines and/or confirms whether to exclude the at least one undesirable SL resource n based on the results of the determination from a second SL transmission resource set, S2. For example, if the RSRP of n exceeds the desired RSRP threshold value, then the UE device A may exclude, remove, and/or omit the SL transmission resource n, but if the RSRP of n is below and/or equals the desired RSRP threshold value, then the UE device A may continue to use the undesirable SL resource n because the interference on n caused to SL communication transmitted by UE device C is within a tolerable range.

£1071 In operation S4070, the UE device A determines a second SL transmission resource set, S2, based on the first SL transmission resource set, Si, transmitted by the UE device B and the determined at least one undesirable SL resource, etc. More specifically, the UE device A determines whether the confirmed at least one undesirable SL resource n is included in the first SL transmission resource set, Si, and if n is present in Si, the UE device A determines and/or sets the second SL transmission resource set S2 by updating, adjusting, and/or modifying the first SL transmission resource set Si to remove, omit, and/or exclude the at least one undesirable SL resource, e.g., S₂ = S_x - r₁ = {r₂, r₃}, but the example embodiments are not limited thereto. In other words, the second SL transmission resource set may be a subset of the first SL transmission resource set.

£108£ In operation S4080, the UE device A reports the second SL transmission resource set S2, e.g., {r₂, r₃}, to the RAN node 110 and/or core network 100, etc. In operation S4090, the RAN node 110 selects and/or allocates at least one of the SL resources included in the second SL transmission resource set S2 for use by the UE device A in SL communication with UE device B, e.g., r₂, but the example embodiments are not limited thereto.

[109] Additionally, in operation S4090, the RAN node 110 and/or the core network 110, etc., transmits an SL grant to the LE device A and/or the LE device B, and the SL grant includes SL configuration information indicating the allocation of the at least one SL transmission resource, e.g., r_2j but the example embodiments are not limited thereto.

11101 In operation S4100, the source LE device A performs SL communication, e.g., PSCCH/PSSCH, etc., with the LE device B on the at least one allocated SL resource r₂ using the desired TX beam a’ and the desired RX beam b’, respectively, but are not limited thereto. Moreover, in optional operation S4110, the source LE device C performs SL communication with the target LE device D using the previously indicated SL resource n using the desired TX beam c’ and the desired RX beam d’, respectively.

Hill FIG. 4B illustrates a second example transmission flow diagram according to some example embodiments. FIG. 4B will be discussed in reference to the example wireless system diagram of FIG. 1, but the example embodiments are not limited thereto, and other wireless systems and/or configurations may be used.

[112] Referring now to FIG. 4B, FIG. 4B is an example transmission flow diagram illustrating SL communication between a first source LE device A configured to transmit beamformed SL data to a first target LE device B, a second source LE device C configured to transmit beamformed SL data to a second target LE device D, and a RAN node (e.g., RAN node 110), but the example embodiments are not limited thereto.

[113] According to at least one example embodiment, in operation S4510, similar to operation S4010 of FIG. 4 A, the source LE device A transmits a request to the target LE device B for a SL transmission resource set (e.g., a set of recommended SL transmission resources, a set of preferred SL transmission resources, etc.) to use in SL communication with the target LE device B. According to some example embodiments, the source LE device A determines a desired, selected, and/or preferred transmit beam (TX beam) of a plurality of beams associated with and/or corresponding to the source LE device A, such as the beam a’ shown in FIG. 1, for SL communication with the target LE device B, but the example embodiments are not limited thereto. Moreover, the request may be an inter-LE coordination (IUC) request, which may further indicate a desired, selected, and/or preferred receive beam (RX beam) of a plurality of beams of the target LE device B, such as the beam b’ shown in FIG. 1, for SL communication with the source UE device A, but the example embodiments are not limited thereto. According to some example embodiments, the selection of the desired TX beam and/or RX beam may be performed by the UE device A, may be performed by UE device A and UE device B in cooperation, for example, through beam sweeping and feedback, or may be performed by the RAN node 110 and/or core network 100, etc., and transmitted to the UE device A, etc.

£1141 In operation S4520, similar to operation S4020 of FIG. 4 A, the UE device B uses the desired RX beam b’ to detect, measure, scan, and/or sense radio transmissions (e.g., potentially interfering radio transmission, interfering radio transmission, etc.) from one or more UE devices (e.g., non-target UEs, etc.) from which the UE device B is not configured to receive SL communication. For example, the UE device B may determine, sense, scan, and/or detect radio transmissions using the RX beam b’, such as PSCCH/PSSCH transmissions, etc., from UE device C and/or UE device E, etc., as shown in FIG. 1, may decode the SCI of the PSCCH/PSSCH transmissions to determine the SL transmission resource associated with the potentially interfering and/or interfering PSCCH/PSSCH transmission, and measure an RSRP (and/or SINR, etc.) associated with the PSCCH/PSSCH transmission, etc., but the example embodiments are not limited thereto. As another example, the UE device B may detect, measure, sense, and/or scan for any noise, interference, and/or other indication that a particular SL resource is not preferred, not available, and/or is not desirable. More specifically, the UE device B may detect, measure, sense, and/or scan for available SL resources, determine and/or measure the energy (e.g., RSRP, etc.) and/or noise (e.g., SINR, etc.) present in the SL resource, and compare the determined energy and/or noise to a desired received energy threshold value and/or desired noise threshold value, etc., to determine whether the SL resource is not preferred, not available, and/or is not desirable, etc.

[115] Additionally, the UE device B may determine a first SL transmission resource set, Si, based on the detected radio transmissions. The first SL transmission resource set may include at least one recommended SL transmission resource and/or at least one preferred SL transmission resource, etc., for use by the transmitting UE device A to perform SL communication with the receiving UE device B, but the example embodiments are not limited thereto. The UE device B may initially identify a plurality of candidate SL resources for use in SL communication with the UE device A, such as SL resources ro, n, r2, and rs, etc., but the example embodiments are not limited thereto. Assuming that the previously detected potentially interfering and/or interfering radio transmission was transmitted using SL resource ro, the UE device B may then determine whether the RSRP (and/or SINR, etc.) of the previously detected potentially interfering and/or interfering radio transmission exceeds a desired RSRP threshold value (and/or a desired received signal power threshold value, a desired noise threshold value, etc.), and determines whether to exclude the associated SL transmission resource, ro, from the SL transmission resource set Si based on the results of the determination. For example, if the RSRP of a detected potentially interfering radio transmission exceeds the desired RSRP threshold value, then the UE device B may exclude, remove, and/or omit the SL transmission resource ro from the first SL transmission resource set, etc.

£1161 In operation S4530, similar to operation S4030 of FIG. 4A, the UE device B transmits a response to the UE device A and/or to the RAN node 110, wherein the response includes the first SL transmission resource set Si. According to some example embodiments, the response may be an IUC information MAC CE message, an SCI format 2-C containing IUC information, etc., but is not limited thereto.

£1171 In operation S4540, similar to operation S4040 of FIG. 4A, the second source UE device C transmits a first SCI to the second target UE device D in a first PSCCH/PSSCH resource n-2T, where T is a time period, periodicity, and/or resource reservation interval, etc., associated with periodic SL transmissions by the second UE device C (e.g., the first PSCCH/PSSCH resource which occurs 2T slots before resource n). The first SCI may indicate that the periodic SL resources n-T, n, n+T, etc., are reserved for and/or will be used for SL communication between the UE device C and the UE device D, but is not limited thereto. In operation S4545, the target UE device D transmits a first PSFCH transmission (PSFCHi), which is received by the source UE device A using the TX beam a’.

[118] Subsequently, in operation S4550, the second source UE device C transmits a second SCI to the second target UE device D in a second PSCCH/PSSCH resource n-T (e.g., the second PSCCH/PSSCH resource which occurs T slots before resource n). The second SCI may indicate that the periodic SL resources n, n+T, etc., are reserved for and/or will be used for SL communication between the UE device C and the UE device D, but is not limited thereto. In operation S4555, the target UE device D transmits a second PSFCH transmission (PSFCH2), which is received by the source UE device A using the TX beam a’. £1191 In operation S4560, similar to operation S4060 of FIG. 4A, the UE device A determines the at least one undesirable SL resource, e.g., n, based on the first and/or second PSFCH transmissions (PSFCHi, PSFCH2) received from the UE device D using the desired TX beam a’. Relying upon a resource mapping between PSFCH resources and PSCCH/PSSCH resources, the UE device A determines the first and/or second PSCCH/PSSCH resources used by the second source UE device C based on the PSFCH resources used for the first and/or second PSFCH transmissions (PSFCHi, PSFCH2) by the second target UE device D, respectively. From the determined first and/or second PSCCH/PSSCH resources, and under the assumption that the second source UE device C transmits using periodic PSCCH/PSSCH resources, the UE device A infers, determines, and/or calculates the periodicity or resource reservation interval T, and determine a third PSCCH/PSSCH resource occurring T slots after the second PSCCH/PSSCH resource n-T, corresponding to the undesirable SL resource n. Additional implementation details related to the above operation(s) are found in PCT/EP2022/084717, filed on December 7, 2022, which is incorporated herein in its entirety.

11201 In operation S4570, similar to operation S4070 of FIG. 4A, the UE device A determines a second SL transmission resource set, S2, based on the first SL transmission resource set, Si, transmitted by the UE device B and the determined at least one undesirable SL resource, etc. More specifically, the UE device A determines whether the at least one undesirable SL resource n is included in the first SL transmission resource set, Si, and if n is present in Si, the UE device A determines and/or sets the second SL transmission resource set S2 by updating, adjusting, and/or modifying the first SL transmission resource set Si to remove, omit, and/or exclude the at least one undesirable SL resource, e.g., S₂ = S_x - r₁ = {r₂, G}, but the example embodiments are not limited thereto. In other words, the second SL transmission resource set may be a subset of the first SL transmission resource set.

11211 In operation S4580, similar to operation S4080 of FIG. 4A, the UE device A reports the second SL transmission resource set S2, e.g., {r₂, G}, to the RAN node 110 and/or core network 100, etc. In operation S4590, similar to operation S4090 of FIG. 4A, the RAN node 110 selects and/or allocates at least one of the SL resources included in the second SL transmission resource set S2 for use by the UE device A in SL communication with UE device B, e.g., r₂, but the example embodiments are not limited thereto. [122] Additionally, in operation S4590, the RAN node 110 and/or the core network 110, etc., transmits an SL grant to the UE device A and/or the UE device B, and the SL grant includes SL configuration information indicating the allocation of the at least one SL transmission resource, e.g., r2, but the example embodiments are not limited thereto. £1231 In operation S4600, similar to operation S4100 of FIG. 4 A, the source UE device A performs SL communication, e.g., PSCCH/PSSCH, etc., with the UE device B on the at least one allocated SL resource r2 using the desired TX beam a’ and the desired RX beam b’, respectively, but are not limited thereto. Moreover, in optional operation S4610, similar to operation S4110 of FIG. 4 A, the source UE device C performs SL communication with the target UE device D using the previously indicated SL resource n using the desired TX beam c’ and the desired RX beam d’, respectively.

£1241 This written description uses examples of the subject matter disclosed to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the same, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the subject matter is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A user equipment (UE) device, comprising: a memory storing computer readable instructions; and processing circuitry configured to execute the computer readable instructions to cause the UE device to, determine a first beam among a plurality of beams of the UE device for sidelink (SL) transmission to a target UE device, determine, based on the first beam, at least one undesirable SL resource that is undesirable for SL communication using the first beam, receive a first SL transmission resource set from the target UE device, the first SL transmission resource set indicating at least one first SL resource for transmission to the target UE device, determine a second SL transmission resource set based on the first SL transmission resource set and the determined at least one undesirable SL resource, the second SL transmission resource set indicating at least one second SL resource, and transmit the second SL transmission resource set to at least one radio access network (RAN) node.

2. The UE device of claim 1, wherein the UE device is further caused to: receive a SL grant from the RAN node based on the transmitted second SL transmission resource set, the SL grant indicating at least one allocated SL transmission resource selected from the at least one second SL resource; and transmit SL data to the target UE device on the at least one allocated SL transmission resource using the first beam.

3. The UE device of any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the UE device is further caused to: transmit a request to the target UE device indicating a second beam among a plurality of beams of the target UE device for SL reception from the UE device, wherein the request enables the target UE device to, determine the first SL transmission resource set based on measurements using the indicated second beam.

4. The UE device of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the second SL transmission resource set is a subset of the first SL transmission resource set.

5. The UE device of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first SL transmission resource set includes the at least one undesirable SL resource; and the second SL transmission resource excludes the at least one undesirable SL resource.

6. The UE device of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the UE device is further caused to determine the at least one undesirable SL resource that is undesirable for SL communication using the first beam by: detecting at least one radio transmission from at least one non-target UE device using the first beam; and determining the at least one undesirable SL resource based on the detected at least one radio transmission.

7. The UE device of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the UE device is further caused to determine the second SL transmission resource set by: measuring a received signal strength of the at least one radio transmission from the at least one non-target UE device using the first beam; determining whether the measured signal strength is above a received signal strength threshold; updating the first SL transmission resource set by excluding the at least one undesirable SL resource from the first SL transmission resource set based on results of the determining; and setting the updated first SL transmission resource set as the second SL transmission resource set.

8. The UE device of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the at least one radio transmission from the at least one non-target UE device comprises an inter-UE coordination (IUC) message indicating the at least one undesirable SL resource, the at least one undesirable SL resource determined by the at least one nontarget UE device.

9. The UE device of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the at least one radio transmission from the at least one non-target UE device is a physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) transmission; and the UE device is further caused to, determine the at least one undesirable SL resource based on the PSFCH transmission and a mapping between PSFCH resources and physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) resources.

10. A user equipment (UE) device, comprising: a memory storing computer readable instructions; and processing circuitry configured to execute the computer readable instructions to cause the UE device to, receive a request from a source UE device, wherein the request indicates a first beam among a plurality of beams of the UE device for sidelink (SL) reception from the source UE device, determine a first SL transmission resource set based on the indicated first beam, the first SL transmission resource set indicating at least one first SL resource for transmission to the UE device, and transmit the first SL transmission resource set to the source UE device or a radio access network (RAN) node.

11. The UE device of claim 10, wherein the UE device is further caused to: receive SL data from the source UE device on at least one allocated SL transmission resource using the first beam, wherein the at least one allocated SL transmission resource is selected by the RAN node based on a second SL transmission resource set determined by the source UE device, and the second SL transmission resource set is determined based on the first SL transmission resource set and at least one undesirable SL resource determined by the source UE device using a second beam of the source UE device, the at least one undesirable SL resource being at least one SL resource that is undesirable for SL communication using the second beam.

12. The UE device of any one of claims 10 to 11, wherein the request is an inter-UE coordination (IUC) request; and the second SL transmission resource set is a subset of the first SL transmission resource set.

13. A method of operating a user equipment (UE) device, comprising: determining a first beam among a plurality of beams of the UE device for sidelink (SL) transmission to a target UE device; determining, based on the first beam, at least one undesirable SL resource that is undesirable for SL communication using the first beam; receiving a first SL transmission resource set from the target UE device, the first SL transmission resource set indicating at least one first SL resource for transmission to the target UE device; determining a second SL transmission resource set based on the first SL transmission resource set and the determined at least one undesirable SL resource, the second SL transmission resource set indicating at least one second SL resource; and transmitting the second SL transmission resource set to at least one radio access network (RAN) node.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising: receiving a SL grant from the RAN node based on the transmitted second SL transmission resource set, the SL grant indicating at least one allocated SL transmission resource selected from the at least one second SL resource; and transmitting SL data to the target UE device on the at least one allocated SL transmission resource using the first beam.

15. The method of any one of claims 13 to 14, further comprising: transmitting a request to the target UE device indicating a second beam among a plurality of beams of the target UE device for SL reception from the UE device, wherein the request enables the target UE device to, determine the first SL transmission resource set based on measurements using the indicated second beam.

16. The method of any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein the second SL transmission resource set is a subset of the first SL transmission resource set; the first SL transmission resource set includes the at least one undesirable SL resource; and the second SL transmission resource excludes the at least one undesirable SL resource.

17. The method of any one of claims 13 to 16, wherein the determining the at least one undesirable SL resource that is undesirable for SL communication using the first beam further includes: detecting at least one radio transmission from at least one non-target UE device using the first beam; and determining the at least one undesirable SL resource based on the detected at least one radio transmission.

18. The method of any one of claims 13 to 17, wherein the determining the second SL transmission resource set further includes: measuring a received signal strength of the at least one radio transmission from the at least one non-target UE device using the first beam; determining whether the measured signal strength is above a received signal strength threshold; updating the first SL transmission resource set by removing the at least one undesirable SL resource from the first SL transmission resource set based on results of the determining; and setting the updated first SL transmission resource set as the second SL transmission resource set.

19. The method of any one of claims 13 to 18, wherein the at least one radio transmission from the at least one non-target UE device comprises an inter-UE coordination (IUC) message indicating the at least one undesirable SL resource, the at least one undesirable SL resource determined by the at least one nontarget UE device.

20. The method of any one of claims 13 to 19, wherein the at least one radio transmission from the at least one non-target UE device is a physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) transmission; and the method further includes, determining the at least one undesirable SL resource based on the PSFCH transmission and a mapping between PSFCH resources and physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) resources.