Patent Description:
In order to support direct communication between user equipment (UEs), a sidelink communication mode has been introduced, and sometimes a sidelink is also called a secondary link or a side link.

At present, a UE in the idle state may only use the broadcasted sidelink resource pool. The broadcasted sidelink resource pool needs to reserve resources, but the network cannot know service of the UE in the idle state, and thus cannot reasonably adjust the reserved resources, which may lead to low resource utilization or fierce competition for the use of reserved resources.

"<NPL> discloses that authorised receiving UEs in RRC_IDLE and RRC_CONNECTED monitor resource pools used for UE autonomous resource selection and resource pools for scheduled resource allocation. The eNB provides the resource pool configuration used for discovery message monitoring on intra frequency, inter frequency of same or different PLMNs cells in RRC signalling (SIB19).

According to the present invention, there is provided a method comprising the features of claim <NUM>, a further method comprising the features of claim <NUM>,
a base station comprising the features of claim <NUM> and a user equipment UE comprising the features of claim <NUM>. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are the subject matter of the dependent claims.

The technical solutions provided by embodiments of the present disclosure may include the following beneficial effects.

The base station configures the first sidelink resource pool and the second sidelink resource pool, and sends the information of the first sidelink resource pool and the information of the second sidelink resource pool to the UE, which allocates to the UE the resource pool of the sidelinks that can be used after the UE enters the idle state or the inactive state. Some UEs are allocated sidelink resources in a targeted manner. When the UE, which is allocated by the base station dedicated sidelink resources, enters the idle state or the inactive state, the UE uses the dedicated sidelink resources to send the sidelink data instead of the sidelink resources broadcast by the base station, which can reduce competition between UEs for reserved sidelink resources broadcast by the base station. Since the base station knows the reserved resources allocated for each UE, the base station can adjust, recover and reallocate reserved sidelink resources based on the allocation situation, thereby improving resource utilization.

It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are only exemplary and explanatory, and cannot limit the disclosure.

Example embodiments will be explained in detail here, and examples are shown in the attached drawings. Where the following description relates to appended drawings, the same numbers in different appended drawings indicate the same or similar elements, unless otherwise indicated. Implementations described in the following example embodiments do not represent all implementations consistent with the present invention. Rather, they are merely examples of devices and methods which are consistent with some aspects of the invention as detailed in the attached claims.

The terms used in embodiments of the disclosure are intended merely to describe a particular embodiment and are not intended to limit embodiments of the disclosure. The singular forms "one", "a" and "the" used in embodiments of the disclosure and the attached claims are also intended to include majority forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the terms "and/or" used herein refer to and include any or all possible combinations of one or more associated listed items.

It should be understood that, although terms first, second, third, etc., may be used in embodiments of the disclosure to describe various information, such information should not be limited to those terms. These terms are used only to distinguish information of the same type from one another. For example, without departing from the scope of embodiments of the disclosure, first information may also be referred to as second information, and similarly, second information may also be referred to as first information. Depending on the context, the words "if" used here can be interpreted as "when. " or "in a case that. " or " in response to determining".

Refer to <FIG>, which shows a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system provided by embodiments of the disclosure. As shown in <FIG>, the wireless communication system is a communication system based on cellular mobile communication technology. The wireless communication system can include several terminals <NUM> and several base stations <NUM>.

The terminal <NUM> may be a device that provides voice and/or data connectivity to users. The terminal <NUM> can communicate with one or more core networks over a Radio Access Network (RAN), and the terminal <NUM> may be IoT terminals such as sensor devices, mobile phones (or "cellular" phones), and computers with IoT terminals, for example, which may be stationary, portable, pocket, handheld, computer-built or vehicle-mounted devices. For example, station, STA, subscriber unit, subscriber station, mobile station, mobile, remote station, access point, remote terminal, access terminal, user terminal, user agent, user device, or user equipment (UE). Alternatively, the terminal <NUM> may also be an unmanned vehicle. Alternatively, the terminal <NUM> may also be an on-board device, for example, a driving computer with wireless communication capabilities, or a wireless communication device connected to an external driving computer. Alternatively, the terminal 11may also be a roadside device, such as a street lamp, signal light, or other roadside device with wireless communication capabilities.

The base station <NUM> may be a network side device in a wireless communication system. The wireless communication system may be the 4th generation mobile communication (<NUM>) system, also known as Long Term Evolution (LTE) system. Alternatively, the wireless communication system may be a <NUM> system, also known as a New Radio (NR) system or a <NUM> NR system. Alternatively, the wireless communication system may be the next generation of <NUM> systems. The access network in <NUM> system may be called NG-RAN (New Generation-Radio Access Network). Alternatively, the wireless communication system may be a machine-type Communication (MTC) system.

The base station <NUM> may be an evolved base station (eNB) used in <NUM> systems. Alternatively, the base station <NUM> may also be a base station with a centralized distributed architecture (gNB) in <NUM> systems. When the base station <NUM> adopts a centralized distributed architecture, it usually includes a central unit (CU) and at least two distributed units (DUs). The centralized unit is set with protocol stacks of Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, Media Access Control (Media Access Control) layer. The distributed unit is provided with a Physical (PHY) layer protocol stack. The specific implementation of the base station <NUM> is not limited in embodiments of the disclosure.

A wireless connection may be established between the base station <NUM> and the terminal <NUM> through a radio-based air interface. In different implementations, the radio-based air interface is based on the fourth generation mobile communication network technology (<NUM>) standard; or, the radio-based air interface is based on the fifth generation mobile communication network technology (<NUM>) standard, such as the radio-based air interface is a new air interface; or, the radio air interface may be based on the next generation mobile network technology standards of <NUM>.

In some embodiments, an E2E (End to End) connection may also be established between terminals <NUM>, for example, in vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I), and vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) communication in Vehicle to Everything (V2X) communication scenarios.

In some embodiments, the wireless communication system may also include a network management device <NUM>.

Several base stations <NUM> are connected with the network management device <NUM> respectively. The network management device <NUM> may a core network device in a wireless communication system. For example, the network management device <NUM> may be a Mobility Management Entity (MME) in Evolved Packet Core (EPC) networks. Alternatively, the network management device may be other core network devices, such as the Serving Gate Way (SGW), Public Data Network Gate Way (PGW), Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) or Home Subscriber Server (HSS), etc. The implementation form of the network management device <NUM> is not limited in embodiments of the disclosure.

In the <NUM> era, in order to support direct communication between UEs, a sidelink communication method was introduced. The interface between the UEs is a computer interface, such as a PC-<NUM> interface. The transmission of the sidelink realizes addressing through the source identifier and the destination identifier of the media access control (MAC) layer, and there is no need to establish a connection before transmission.

There are two allocation methods for the transmission resources of the sidelink, one is the UE's autonomous selection method based on the resource pool, and the other is the network-based dynamic scheduling method.

The sidelink resource pool can be configured to the UE through broadcast or dedicated signaling. The sidelink resource pool configured to the UE through the dedicated signaling can only be used in the connected state. When the UE enters the idle state, the sidelink resource pool configured by the dedicated signaling will be deleted, and the dedicated signaling used is an RRC reconfiguration message.

The base station configures a special sidelink resource pool (exceptional pool) for the UE. When the UE cannot obtain the sidelink transmission resources in a short time, the UE can use the resources in the exceptional pool for sidelink transmission.

In the <NUM> era, a new state - inactive state is introduced. The base station may send an RRC release message to the UE in the connected state, to control the UE to enter the inactive state. In the inactive state, the base station retains the context of the UE, and the base station configures a Radio Access Network (RAN) area for the UE. The RAN area may be composed of one or more cells, and the UE can perform cell reselection in the RAN area. When the UE leaves the RAN area, the UE needs to enter the connected state to update the RAN area. When the UE needs to communicate with the base station, it needs to re-enter the connected state. When downlink data arrives, the network can broadcast a RAN paging message, which carries a UE identifier (I-RNTI), in the RAN area to page the UE, and the UE enters the connected state through the Resume process.

At present, the UE in the idle state can only use the broadcast sidelink resource pool. The broadcasted sidelink resource pool needs to reserve resources, but the network cannot know the service of the UE in the idle state, and thus cannot reasonably adjust the reserved resources, which may lead to low resource utilization rate.

Based on the above wireless communication system, in order to improve the resource utilization rate, various embodiments of the method of the present disclosure are proposed.

<FIG> is a flowchart <NUM> of a method for processing resources according to part of the invention.

As shown in <FIG>, the method for processing resources is applied in a base station and includes the following steps.

In step S11, a first sidelink resource pool and a second sidelink resource pool are configured. The first sidelink resource pool is a resource pool of sidelinks that can be used by a user equipment (UE) after entering an idle state or an inactive state, and the second sidelink resource pool is a resource pool of sidelinks that can be used by the UE in the idle state or the inactive state after the first sidelink resource pool is released.

A priority of the first sidelink resource pool is higher than a priority of the second sidelink resource pool.

That is to say, in a case that there is both the first sidelink resource pool and the second sidelink resource pool, the UE uses the resources of the first sidelink resource pool to send sidelink data. In a case that there is only the second sidelink resource pool, the UE uses the resources of the second sidelink resource pool to send sidelink data.

In step S12, information of the first sidelink resource pool and information of the second sidelink resource pool are sent to the UE.

In this way, the base station configures the first sidelink resource pool and the second sidelink resource pool for the UE, and sends the information of the first sidelink resource pool and the information of the second sidelink resource pool to the UE, so that when the UE enters the idle state or the inactive state, the UE uses the dedicated sidelink resources for sidelink data transmission instead of using the sidelink resources broadcast by the base station, reducing competitors for UEs that are not allocated dedicated sidelink resources. Since the base station knows which UEs have allocated sidelink resources, the base station can adjust, recover and reallocate sidelink resources based on the allocation situation, so as to improve resource utilization.

In an embodiment, sending the information of the first sidelink resource pool and the information of the second sidelink resource pool to the UE includes:
sending an RRC reconfiguration message or an RRC release message carrying the information of the first sidelink resource pool and the information of the second sidelink resource pool.

In this way, the information of the first sidelink resource pool and the information of the second sidelink resource pool can be sent to the UE through the RRC reconfiguration message or the RRC release message, so as to inform the UE of the information of sidelink resources allocated by the base station for the UE. By indicating the information of the first sidelink resource pool and the information of the second sidelink resource pool through the existing signaling that can configure the UE, such as the RRC reconfiguration message or the RRC release message, the number of signaling can be saved.

In an embodiment, sending the information of the first sidelink resource pool and the information of the second sidelink resource pool to the UE includes:
sending a dedicated signaling carrying the information of the first sidelink resource pool and the information of the second sidelink resource pool.

Here, the dedicated signaling may be a signaling specially defined for sending the information of the first sidelink resource pool and the information of the second sidelink resource pool.

In this way, the information of the first sidelink resource pool and the information of the second sidelink resource pool can be sent to the UE through dedicated signaling, so as to inform the UE of the information of sidelink resources allocated by the base station for the UE.

In the above solution, the method further includes:
sending usage duration information of the first sidelink resource pool.

It should be noted that the usage duration can be set or adjusted according to the actual situation or design requirements.

In this way, by sending the usage duration information, the UE can be informed of the effective usage duration of the resources in the first sidelink resource pool allocated to the UE, so that the resources in the first sidelink resource pool can be prevented from being occupied for a long time, and the resources in the first sidelink resource pool can be recovered and reallocated, which improves resource utilization.

In this way, it is possible to reduce resource waste caused by being occupied for a long time.

In an embodiment, the method further includes:
sending a Radio Access Network (RAN) paging message to the UE in the inactive state, the RAN paging message carrying information instructing the UE to delete the first sidelink resource pool.

In this way, the information of deleting the first sidelink resource pool can be sent to the UE through the RAN paging message, so as to inform the UE that the base station will recover the resources of the first sidelink resource pool allocated for the UE.

In an embodiment, the method further includes:
sending a paging message to the UE in the idle state, the paging message carrying information instructing the UE to delete the first sidelink resource pool.

In this way, the information of deleting the first sidelink resource pool can be notified to the UE through the paging message, so as to inform the UE that the base station will recover the resources of the first sidelink resource pool allocated for the UE.

In the technical solutions described in embodiments of the present disclosure, the base station configures the first sidelink resource pool and the second sidelink resource pool, and sends the information of the first sidelink resource pool and the information of the second sidelink resource pool to the UE. The UE is allocated the resource pool of sidelinks that the UE can use after entering the idle state or the inactive state, so that the UE can use the dedicated sidelink resources for sidelink data transmission when entering the idle state or the inactive state, instead of using the sidelink resources broadcast by the base station, which reduces the competitors of UEs that have not been allocated dedicated sidelink resources. Since the base station knows which UEs are allocated the sidelink resources, the base station can reasonably adjust and recover the sidelink resources based on the allocation situation, which improves the resource utilization.

As shown in <FIG>, the method for processing resources is applied in a user equipment (UE) and includes the following steps.

In step S21, information of a first sidelink resource pool and information of a second sidelink resource pool are received.

As an implementation, receiving the information of the first sidelink resource pool and the information of the second sidelink resource pool includes:
receiving an RRC reconfiguration message or an RRC release message carrying the information of the first sidelink resource pool and the information of the second sidelink resource pool.

In this way, through the received RRC reconfiguration message or RRC release message, the information of sidelink resources allocated by the base station can be known.

As an implementation, receiving the information of the first sidelink resource pool and the information of the second sidelink resource pool includes:
receiving a dedicated signaling carrying the information of the first sidelink resource pool and the information of the second sidelink resource pool.

In this way, the information of sidelink resources allocated by the base station can be obtained through the received dedicated signaling.

In step S22, the information of the first sidelink resource pool and the information of the second sidelink resource pool are stored.

In step S23, after entering an idle state or an inactive state, resources in the first sidelink resource pool is used for sidelink data transmission.

In step S24, after the first sidelink resource pool is released, resources in the second sidelink resource pool is used for sidelink data transmission.

After entering the idle state or inactive state, the resources in the first sidelink resource pool are used to send sidelink data; after the first sidelink resource pool is released, the resources in the second sidelink resource pool are used to send sidelink data. In this way, the UE can have sidelink resources available for use in the idle state or inactive state, and can choose to use different sidelink resources according to actual situation, which ensures the smooth transmission of sidelink data.

As an implementation, before the first sidelink resource pool is released, the method further includes:
ignoring broadcasted information of a third sidelink resource pool, in which the third sidelink resource pool is a resource pool of sidelinks that can be used by the UE in the idle state or the inactive state.

In an embodiment, ignoring the broadcasted information of the third sidelink resource pool includes:
receiving the information of the third sidelink resource pool broadcasted by the base station, reading the information of the third sidelink resource pool but not storing the information of the third sidelink resource pool.

In an embodiment, ignoring the broadcast information of the third sidelink resource pool includes:
receiving the information of the third sidelink resource pool broadcasted by the base station, but not reading the information of the third sidelink resource pool.

In this way, since the base station has allocated the first resource pool and the second resource pool to the UE, the UE ignores the third resource pool broadcast by the base station and does not use the resources of the third resource pool, which provides convenience for other UEs to use the resources of the third resource pool.

In an embodiment, the method further includes:
receiving usage duration information of the first sidelink resource pool.

After entering the idle state or the inactive state, using the resources in the first sidelink resource pool for sidelink data transmission includes:
after entering the inactive state and being within the range of the usage duration information, using the resources in the first sidelink resource pool for the sidelink data transmission.

In this way, the UE can utilize the resources of the first sidelink resource pool within the range of the usage duration.

In an embodiment, the method further includes:.

That is to say, when the UE enters the idle state or the inactive state, the timer is used to count the time.

In an embodiment, when the UE is in the inactive state, the method further includes:
in response to detecting that the UE leaves the RAN area, deleting the stored information of the first sidelink resource pool and the stored information of the second sidelink resource pool.

When the UE enters the idle state or the inactive state, the first sidelink resource pool is timed through the timer, and when the stored information of the first sidelink resource pool and the stored information of the second sidelink resource pool are deleted, the timer is stopped.

In this way, the UE can release the resources of the first sidelink resource pool and the second link resource pool that do not match the current area in time, so as to facilitate the resources of the first sidelink resource pool and the second sidelink resource pool to be recovered and reallocated, to improve the resource utilization.

In an embodiment, when the UE is in the inactive state, the method further includes:.

When the UE enters the idle state or the inactive state, the first sidelink resource pool is timed through the timer, and when the information of the first sidelink resource pool is deleted based on the RAN paging message, the timer is stopped.

In this way, the information of the first sidelink resource pool can be deleted based on the RAN paging message, and the resources of the first sidelink resource pool can be released, so that the resources of the first sidelink resource pool can be recovered and reallocated, thereby improving the resource utilization.

In an embodiment, when the UE is in the idle state, the method further includes:
in response to detecting that the UE leaves a tracking (TA) area, deleting the stored information of the first sidelink resource pool and the stored information of the second sidelink resource pool.

In this way, the UE can release the resources of the first sidelink resource pool and the second link resource pool that do not match the current area in time, so that the base station can reallocate the resources of the first sidelink resource pool and the second link resource pool to other UEs, thereby improving the utilization rate of sidelink resources.

In an embodiment, when the UE is in the idle state, the method further includes:.

When the UE enters the idle state or the inactive state, the first sidelink resource pool is timed through the timer, and when the information of the first sidelink resource pool is deleted based on the paging message, the timer is stopped.

In this way, the information of the first sidelink resource pool can be deleted based on the paging message, and the resources of the first sidelink resource pool can be released.

In an embodiment, the method further includes:
after the information of the first sidelink resource pool is deleted, using the resources in the second sidelink resource pool for sidelink data transmission until sidelink resources other than the resources in the second sidelink resource pool are obtained.

In this way, it can be ensured that the UE in the idle state or the inactive state has available sidelink resources.

In a specific implementation, after the information of the first sidelink resource pool is deleted, the information of the third sidelink resource pool broadcasted by the base station is received, and based on the information of the third sidelink resource pool, available sidelink resources are determined.

In a specific implementation, after the information of the first sidelink resource pool is deleted, the base station is requested for available sidelink resources.

It should be noted that, the manner of obtaining sidelink resources other than the resources in the second sidelink resource pool is not limited in this embodiment.

In an embodiment, the method further includes:
after obtaining the sidelink resources other than the resources in the second sidelink resource pool, deleting the stored information of the second sidelink resource pool.

In the technical solutions described in embodiments of the present disclosure, the information of the first sidelink resource pool and the information of the second sidelink resource pool are received; the information of the first sidelink resource pool and the information of the second sidelink resource pool are stored; after entering the idle state or inactive state, the resources in the first sidelink resource pool are used for sidelink data transmission; and after the first sidelink resource pool is released, the resources in the second sidelink resource pool is used for sidelink data transmission. In this way, the UE can have sidelink resources available for use in the idle state or the inactive state, and can use different sidelink resources according to different options in actual situations.

<FIG> is a flow chart <NUM> of resource processing according to an example embodiment, which includes the following steps.

In step S401, a base station sends an RRC reconfiguration message to a UE, the RRC reconfiguration message carrying information of a first sidelink resource pool and information of a second sidelink resource pool and indicating that resources in the first sidelink resource pool and the second sidelink resource pool can be used in an idle state or an inactive state.

In step S402, the base station sends an RRC release message to the UE, the RRC release message instructing the UE to enter the inactive state and carrying a timer with a timing duration of <NUM> minutes.

In step S403, the UE enters the inactive state after receiving the RRC release message, uses the resources of the first sidelink resource pool for sidelink data transmission, and starts the timer.

In step S404, in response to a timeout of the timer, the UE releases the stored information of the first sidelink resource pool, and uses the resources of the second sidelink resource pool for sidelink data transmission, and at the same time, tries to read broadcast of the base station to obtain information of a third sidelink resource pool in the broadcast.

In step S405, in response to obtaining the information of the third sidelink resource pool, the UE deletes the stored information of the second sidelink resource pool.

In the solution described in this embodiment, when the UE is in the inactive state, there are sidelink resources available for the UE to use.

<FIG> is a flowchart <NUM> of resource processing according to an example embodiment, which includes the following steps.

In step S501, a base station sends an RRC release message to a UE, the RRC release message carrying information of a first sidelink resource pool and information of a second sidelink resource pool and indicating that resources in the first sidelink resource pool and the second sidelink resource pool can be used in an idle state or an inactive state.

In step S502, the UE enters an inactive state after receiving the RRC release message, and uses the resources of the first sidelink resource pool for sidelink data transmission.

In step S503, the UE receives a RAN paging message broadcast by the base station, the RAN paging message carrying an identifier of the UE and an indication of releasing the information of the first sidelink resource pool.

In step S504, after receiving the RAN paging message carrying the identitier of the UE, the UE releases the stored information of the first sidelink resource pool, uses the resources of the second sidelink resource pool for sidelink data transmission, and at the same time, tries to read broadcast of the base station to obtain information of a third sidelink resource pool in the broadcast.

In step S505, in response to obtaining the information of the third sidelink resource pool, the UE deletes the stored information of the second sidelink resource pool.

<FIG> is a flowchart <NUM> of resource processing according to an example embodiment, which includes following steps.

In step S601, a base station sends an RRC release message to a UE, the RRC release message carrying information of a first sidelink resource pool and information of a second sidelink resource pool and indicating that resources in the first sidelink resource pool and the second sidelink resource pool can be used in an idle state or an inactive state, and configures an RAN area including cell a and cell b.

In step S602, the UE enters the inactive state after receiving the RRC release message, and uses the resources of the first sidelink resource pool for sidelink data transmission.

In step S603, when the UE moves to cell c, the UE deletes the stored information of the first sidelink resource pool and information of the second sidelink resource pool.

<FIG> is a block diagram <NUM> of an apparatus for processing resources according to an example embodiment. The apparatus for processing resources is applied to a base station, and referring to <FIG>, the apparatus includes a determining unit <NUM> and a sending unit <NUM>.

The determining unit <NUM> is configured to configure a first sidelink resource pool and a second sidelink resource pool. The first sidelink resource pool is a resource pool of sidelinks that can be used by a user equipment (UE) after entering an idle state or an inactive state, and the second sidelink resource pool is a resource pool of sidelinks that can be used by the UE in the idle state or the inactive state after the first sidelink resource pool is released.

The sending unit <NUM> is configured to send information of the first sidelink resource pool and information of the second sidelink resource pool to the UE.

In an implementation, the sending unit <NUM> is configured to:
send a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration message or an RRC release message carrying the information of the first sidelink resource pool and the information of the second sidelink resource pool.

In an implementation, the sending unit <NUM> is further configured to send usage duration information of the first sidelink resource pool.

In an implementation, the determining unit <NUM> is further configured to:.

In an implementation, the sending unit <NUM> is further configured to:
send a radio access network (RAN) paging message to the UE in the inactive state, the RAN paging message carrying information instructing the UE to delete the first sidelink resource pool.

In an implementation, the sending unit <NUM> is further configured to:
send a paging message to the UE in the idle state, the paging message carrying information instructing the UE to delete the first sidelink resource pool.

Regarding the apparatus in the above embodiments, the specific manner in which each module performs operations has been described in detail in embodiments of the method, and will not be described in detail here.

In practical applications, the specific structures of the determining unit <NUM> and the sending unit <NUM> may be implemented by the central processing unit (CPU), the micro controller unit (MCU) the digital signal processor (DSP) or the programmable logic controller (PLC) in the apparatus for processing resources or the base station to which the apparatus for processing resources belongs.

The apparatus for processing resources described in this embodiment may be applied on the base station side.

Those skilled in the art should understand that the functions of each processing module in the apparatus for processing resources of embodiments of the present disclosure can be understood by referring to the foregoing description of the method for processing resources applied to the base station side. Each module in the apparatus for processing resources of embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by an analog circuit that implements the functions described in the embodiments of the present disclosure, and may also be implemented by running software on a terminal that implements the functions described in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

The apparatus for processing resources described in embodiments of the present disclosure allocates the resource pool of sidelinks that can be used after entering the idle state or the inactive state for the UE, and allocates and reserves the sidelink resources for some UEs in a targeted manner, which can reduce the competition between UEs for the broadcast reserved sidelink resources. Since the base station knows the reserved resources allocated for each UE, it can reasonably adjust, recover or reallocate the reserved resources based on the allocation situation, which improves the resource utilization rate.

<FIG> is a block diagram <NUM> of an apparatus for processing resources according to an example embodiment. The apparatus for processing resources is applied to the UE side. With reference to <FIG>, the apparatus includes a receiving unit <NUM>, a storage unit <NUM> and a control unit <NUM>.

The receiving unit <NUM> is configured to receive information of a first sidelink resource pool and information of a second sidelink resource pool.

The storage unit <NUM> is configured to store the information of the first sidelink resource pool and the information of the second sidelink resource pool.

The control unit <NUM> is configured to, after a UE enters an idle state or an inactive state, use resources in the first sidelink resource pool for sidelink data transmission.

The control unit <NUM> is further configured to, after the first sidelink resource pool is released, use resources in the second sidelink resource pool for sidelink data transmission.

In the above solution, the control unit <NUM> is further configured to:
before the first sidelink resource pool is released, ignore broadcasted information of a third sidelink resource pool, wherein the third sidelink resource pool is a resource pool of sidelinks that can be used by the UE in the idle state or the inactive state.

In the above solution, the receiving unit <NUM> is configured to: receive an RRC reconfiguration message or an RRC release message carrying the information of the first sidelink resource pool and the information of the second sidelink resource pool.

In the above solution, the receiving unit <NUM> is further configured to receive usage duration information of the first sidelink resource pool;
the control unit <NUM> is further configured to:
after entering the inactive state and being within a range of the usage duration information, use the resources in the first sidelink resource pool for sidelink data transmission.

In the above solution, the control unit <NUM> is further configured to:.

In the above solution, the control unit <NUM> is further configured to:
in a case that the UE is in the inactive state, in response to detecting that the UE leaves a RAN area, delete the stored information of the first sidelink resource pool and the stored information of the second sidelink resource pool.

In the above solution, the receiving unit <NUM> is further configured to receive a RAN paging message, the RAN paging message carrying information instructing the UE to delete the first sidelink resource pool;
the control unit <NUM> is further configured to delete the information of the first sidelink resource pool based on the RAN paging message, in a case that the UE is in the inactive state.

In the above solution, the control unit <NUM> is further configured to: in a case that the UE is in the idle state, in response to detecting that the UE leaves a tracking (TA) area, delete the stored information of the first sidelink resource pool and the stored information of the second sidelink resource pool.

In the above solution, the receiving unit <NUM> is further configured to receive a paging message, the paging message carrying information instructing the UE to delete the first sidelink resource pool;
the control unit <NUM> is further configured to delete the information of the first sidelink resource pool based on the paging message, in a case that the UE is in the idle state.

In the above solution, the control unit <NUM> is further configured to:
after deleting the information of the first sidelink resource pool, use the resources in the second sidelink resource pool for sidelink data transmission until sidelink resources other than the resources in the second sidelink resource pool are obtained.

In the above solution, the control unit <NUM> is further configured to:
delete the stored information of the second sidelink resource pool after obtaining the sidelink resources other than the resources in the second sidelink resource pool.

In practical applications, the specific structures of the receiving unit <NUM>, the storage unit <NUM> and the control unit <NUM> may be implemented by the CPU, the MCU, the DSP or the PLC in the apparatus for processing resources or the terminal to which the apparatus for processing resources belongs.

The apparatus for processing resources described in this embodiment may be applied on the terminal side.

The apparatus for processing resources described in embodiments of the present disclosure enables the UE to have sidelink resources available for use in the idle state or the inactive state, and to select and use different sidelink resources according to different actual situations.

<FIG> is a block diagram of an apparatus <NUM> for implementing information processing according to an example embodiment of the disclosure. For example, the apparatus <NUM> may be a mobile phone, a computer, a digital broadcasting terminal, a messaging device, a game console, a tablet device, a medical equipment, a fitness equipment, a personal digital assistant, etc..

As illustrated in <FIG>, the apparatus <NUM> may include one or more components: a processing component <NUM>, a memory <NUM>, a power component <NUM>, a multimedia component <NUM>, an audio component <NUM>, an input/output (I/O) interface <NUM>, a sensor component <NUM>, and a communication component <NUM>.

The memory <NUM> is configured to store various types of data to support the operation of the apparatus <NUM>. Examples of such data include instructions for any applications or methods operated on the apparatus <NUM>, contact data, phonebook data, messages, pictures, video, etc. The memory <NUM> may be implemented using any type of volatile or non-volatile memory devices, or a combination thereof, such as a static random access memory (SRAM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), a read-only memory (ROM), a magnetic memory, a flash memory, a magnetic or optical disk.

The multimedia component <NUM> includes a screen providing an output interface between the apparatus <NUM> and the user. The front camera and the rear camera may receive an external multimedia datum while the apparatus <NUM> is in an operation mode, such as a photographing mode or a video mode.

The audio component <NUM> is configured to output and/or input audio signals. For example, the audio component <NUM> includes a microphone ("MIC") configured to receive an external audio signal when the apparatus <NUM> is in an operation mode, such as a call mode, a recording mode, and a voice recognition mode. The received audio signal may be further stored in the memory <NUM> or transmitted via the communication component <NUM>. In some embodiments, the audio component <NUM> further includes a speaker to output audio signals.

The sensor component <NUM> includes one or more sensors to provide status assessments of various aspects of the apparatus <NUM>. For instance, the sensor component <NUM> may detect an open/closed status of the apparatus <NUM>, relative positioning of components, e.g., the display and the keypad, of the apparatus <NUM>, a change in position of the apparatus <NUM> or a component of the apparatus <NUM>, a presence or absence of user contact with the apparatus <NUM>, an orientation or an acceleration/deceleration of the apparatus <NUM>, and a change in temperature of the apparatus <NUM>.

The communication component <NUM> is configured to facilitate communication, wired or wirelessly, between the apparatus <NUM> and other devices. The apparatus <NUM> can access a wireless network based on a communication standard, such as WiFi, <NUM>, or <NUM>, or a combination thereof. In one exemplary embodiment, the communication component <NUM> receives a broadcast signal or broadcast associated information from an external broadcast management system via a broadcast channel. In one exemplary embodiment, the communication component <NUM> further includes a near field communication (NFC) module to facilitate short-range communications. For example, the NFC module may be implemented based on a radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, an infrared data association (IrDA) technology, an ultra-wideband (UWB) technology, a Bluetooth (BT) technology, and other technologies.

In an example embodiment, the apparatus <NUM> may be implemented by one or more application specific integrated circuits(ASIC), digital signal processors (DSP), digital signal processing devices (DSPD), programmable logic devices (PLD), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors or other electronics components, to perform the method for processing resources applied on the UE side as described in the above any embodiment.

In an example embodiment, there is also provided a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructions, such as included in the memory <NUM>, executable by the processor <NUM> in the apparatus <NUM>, for performing the above-described methods. For example, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be a ROM, a RAM, a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape, a floppy disc, an optical data storage device, and the like.

<FIG> is a block diagram of an apparatus <NUM> for processing resources according to an example embodiment. For example, the apparatus <NUM> may be provided as a server. Referring to <FIG>, the apparatus <NUM> includes a processing module <NUM>, which in turn includes one or more processors, as well as memory resources represented by a memory <NUM>, for storing instructions that can be executed by the processing module <NUM>, such as applications. Applications stored in memory <NUM> may include one or more modules each corresponding to a set of instructions. In addition, the processing component <NUM> is configured to execute instructions to perform the above method for processing resources applied to the base station side.

The apparatus <NUM> may also include a power component <NUM> configured to perform power management of the apparatus <NUM>, a wired or wireless network interface <NUM> configured to connect the apparatus <NUM> to the network, and an input/output (I/O) interface <NUM>. The apparatus <NUM> can operate operating systems based on the memory <NUM>, such as Windows ServerTM, Mac OS XTM, UnixTM, LinuxTM, FreeBSDTM or the like.

The technical solutions recorded in embodiments of the present disclosure may be arbitrarily combined without conflict.

Claim 1:
A method for processing resources, performed by a base station, comprising:
configuring a first sidelink resource pool and a second sidelink resource pool, wherein the first sidelink resource pool is a resource pool of sidelinks that is used by a user equipment, UE, after entering an idle state or an inactive state, and the second sidelink resource pool is a resource pool of sidelinks that is used by the UE in the idle state or the UE in the inactive state after the first sidelink resource pool is released (S11);
sending information of the first sidelink resource pool and information of the second sidelink resource pool to the UE (S12);
sending usage duration information of the first sidelink resource pool;
configuring a timer for the first sidelink resource pool according to the duration information; and
in response to timeout of the timer, releasing the first sidelink resource pool.