PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-11818672-B2
Application Number: US-201917258994-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: In-device coordination of sidelink over LTE and NR PC5 interfaces

Abstract:
Embodiments of a User Equipment (UE), Next Generation Node-B (gNB), Evolved Node-B (eNB) and methods of communication are generally described herein. The UE may determine, based on one or more detected synchronization signals, a reference timing to be used for a common synchronization of Long Term Evolution (LTE) sidelink communication on an LTE PC5 interface and New Radio (NR) sidelink communication on an NR PC5 interface in accordance with time division multiplexing (TDM) operation, wherein subframe boundaries of the LTE PC5 interface and the NR PC5 interface are aligned in time. If the UE detects, during a time period, an in-device conflict between a service configured for the LTE PC5 interface and a service configured for the NR PC5 interface, the UE may determine which of the services to support during the time period based on corresponding priorities.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An apparatus comprising:
 a memory; and 
 at least one processor in communication with the memory and configured to cause a user equipment (UE) to:
 detect one or more synchronization signals for sidelink synchronization; 
 based on the one or more synchronization signals, determine a reference timing to be used for a common synchronization of Long Term Evolution (LTE) sidelink communication on an LTE PC5 interface and New Radio (NR) sidelink communication on an NR PC5 interface in accordance with time division multiplexing (TDM) operation, wherein subframe boundaries of the LTE PC5 interface and the NR PC5 interface are aligned in time; 
 decode, from an Evolved Node-B (eNB) of an LTE network or a Next Generation Node-B (gNB) of an NR network, information related to priorities of:
 one or more services configured for the LTE PC5 interface, and 
 one or more services configured for the NR PC5 interface; and 
 
 if the UE detects, during a time period, an in-device conflict between a service configured for the LTE PC5 interface and a service configured for the NR PC5 interface, determine which of the services to support during the time period based on the corresponding priorities. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein if the in-device conflict is between a transmission on the NR PC5 interface for a first service, and a transmission on the LTE PC5 interface for a second service, 
 wherein if a first priority of the first service and a second priority for the second service are available to the UE, and 
 wherein if the first and second priorities are different, the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to:
 select the service for which the corresponding priority is highest; prioritize transmission of the selected service; and 
 encode one or more packets for transmission for the selected service on the corresponding PC5 interface. 
 
 
     
     
       3. The apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
 of the first and second services, for the service that is not selected, perform one or more of:
 postpone the corresponding transmission, 
 trigger resource reselection and determine non-conflicting resources for transmission, 
 drop the corresponding transmission, and 
 reduce a transmit power of the corresponding transmission. 
 
 
     
     
       4. The apparatus according to  claim 2 ,
 wherein if either the first priority of the first service or the second priority for the second service is not available to the UE, or 
 wherein if the first and second priorities are available to the UE and the first and second priorities are the same, the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to:
 select either the first service or the second service based on preconfigured information; or 
 share TX power for transmission on both interfaces; and encode one or more packets for transmission for delivery of the selected service(s) on the corresponding PC5 interface(s). 
 
 
     
     
       5. The apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein the preconfigured information includes channel busy ratio measured on each of the PC5 interfaces. 
     
     
       6. The apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
 indicate, to the eNB or the gNB, UE capability of in-device coordination on PC5 interfaces to mitigate potential conflicts between eNB and gNB implementation; 
 decode first signaling that schedules the transmission on the NR PC5 interface for the first service; 
 decode second signaling that schedules the transmission on the LTE PC5 interface for the second service; or 
 apply in-device coordination actions if it is detected that scheduled transmissions are in conflict. 
 
     
     
       7. The apparatus according to  claim 2 ,
 wherein if the in-device conflict is between the transmission on the NR PC5 interface for the first service, and reception on the LTE PC5 interface for the second service, or 
 wherein if the in-device conflict is between reception on the NR PC5 interface for the first service, and the transmission on the LTE PC5 interface for the second service, the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to:
 select the service for which the corresponding priority is highest; re-select resources for service transmission if reception was prioritized; or 
 drop transmission if reception of the service was prioritized. 
 
 
     
     
       8. The apparatus according to  claim 2 ,
 wherein if the in-device conflict is between reception on the NR PC5 interface for the first service, and reception on the LTE PC5 interface for the second service, and 
 wherein if the processing circuitry is configured for shared processing of the reception on the NR PC5 interface and reception on the LTE PC5 interface, the at least one processor is further configured to cause the UE to:
 select the service for which the corresponding priority is highest; receive one or more packets for the selected service on the corresponding PC5 interface; and 
 refrain from reception for the service, of the first and second services, that is not selected; and 
 
 wherein if the at least one processor is not configured for shared processing of the reception on the NR PC5 interface and reception on the LTE PC5 interface, the at least one processor is further configured to cause the UE to:
 receive one or more packets for the first service on the NR PC5 interface; and 
 receive one or more packets for the second service on the LTE PC5 interface. 
 
 
     
     
       9. The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the information related to the priorities is included in packets received as part of the services. 
     
     
       10. The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the common synchronization is further in accordance with an alignment of system frame numbers (SFNs) and direct frame numbers (DFNs) for the LTE sidelink communication on the LTE PC5 interface and NR sidelink communication on the NR PC5 interface. 
     
     
       11. The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the in-device conflict is based on one or more of:
 leakage from a transmission for one of the services that affects transmission or reception for the other service, and 
 whether the UE is capable of simultaneous transmission for one of the services and reception for the other service or simultaneous transmission or reception of both services. 
 
     
     
       12. The apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the common synchronization is further in accordance with a time alignment of resource grids for the LTE sidelink communication on the LTE PC5 interface and NR sidelink communication on the NR PC5 interface. 
 
     
     
       13. The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor further configured to cause the UE to:
 decode, from the eNB or gNB or UE LTE PC5 or UE NR PC5 interface, additional signaling that includes one or more of:
 sidelink resource allocation and radio-layer configuration settings, radio-layer conditions and measurements for the NR PC5 interface or the LTE PC5 interface, or 
 status information related to a delivered service on the NR PC5 interface or the LTE PC5 interface; and 
 
 determine which of the services to support during the time period based at least partly on the information included in the additional signaling. 
 
     
     
       14. The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to cause the UE to:
 decode, from the eNB or gNB or UE LTE PC5 or UE NR PC5 interface, additional signaling that includes inter radio access technology (inter-RAT) assistance information, including information related to one or more of:
 sidelink resource configurations, 
 sidelink synchronization, 
 reserved sidelink resources, reserved time intervals, active resource reservations and semi-persistent resource allocation, or active hybrid automatic repeat request (HARD) processes with resource reservations, and 
 delivered service priority and resources selected for delivery (either transmission or reception); and 
 
 determine which of the services to support during the time period based at least partly on the information included in the additional signaling. 
 
     
     
       15. The apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the time period includes one or more orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, slots or subframes, 
 wherein the synchronization signals include one or more of: an LTE synchronization signal from the eNB, an NR synchronization signal from the gNB, and a sidelink synchronization signal (SLSS) from another UE or GNSS signals, and 
 wherein the LTE sidelink communication and the NR sidelink communication include one or more of: vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, and enhanced V2X (eV2X) communication. 
 
     
     
       16. The apparatus of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the at least one processor includes a baseband processor to determine the reference timing, and 
 wherein the apparatus further comprises a transceiver to receive the signaling. 
 
     
     
       17. A computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions for execution by processing circuitry of a User Equipment (UE), the operations to configure the processing circuitry to:
 decode, from an Evolved Node-B (eNB) of an LTE network or a Next Generation Node-B (gNB) of an NR network or UE LTE PC5 or UE NR PC5 interface, signaling that configures the UE for one or more services on an LTE PC5 interface and one or more services on an NR PC5 interface, wherein the signaling further includes information to configure the UE to resolve in-device conflicts between communication on the LTE PC5 interface and communication on the NR PC5 interface, wherein the information includes one or more of:
 priorities of the services, 
 sidelink resource allocation and reservation information, radio-layer conditions and measurements for the NR PC5 interface or the LTE PC5 interface, and 
 status information related to a service on the NR PC5 interface or the LTE PC5 interface; and 
 
 if the UE detects, during a time period, an in-device conflict between a service configured for the LTE PC5 interface and a service configured for the NR PC5 interface, determine which of the services to support during the time period based on the information included in the signaling. 
 
     
     
       18. The computer-readable storage medium according to  claim 17 , the operations to further configure the processing circuitry to:
 detect one or more synchronization signals; and 
 determine, based on the one or more synchronization signals, a reference timing to:
 configure time division multiplexing (TDM) operation for the LTE PC5 interface and the NR PC5 interface, or 
 align subframe boundaries of the LTE PC5 interface and the NR PC5 interface. 
 
 
     
     
       19. An apparatus comprising:
 a memory; and 
 at least one processor in communication with the memory and configured to cause a user equipment (UE) to:
 decode, from an Evolved Node-B (eNB) of an LTE network or a Next Generation Node-B (gNB) of an NR network or UE LTE PC5 or UE NR PC5 interface, signaling that configures the UE for one or more services on an LTE PC5 interface and one or more services on an NR PC5 interface, wherein the signaling includes information that includes one or more of:
 priorities of the services, 
 sidelink resource allocation and reservation information, radio-layer conditions and measurements for the NR PC5 interface or the LTE PC5 interface, and 
 status information related to a service on the NR PC5 interface or the LTE PC5 interface; and 
 
 if the UE detects, during a time period, an in-device conflict between a service configured for the LTE PC5 interface and a service configured for the NR PC5 interface, determine which of the services to support during the time period based on the information included in the signaling, and 
 
 wherein the memory is configured to store at least a portion of the information included in the signaling. 
 
     
     
       20. The apparatus according to  claim 19 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
 detect one or more synchronization signals; and 
 determine, based on the one or more synchronization signals, a reference timing to:
 configure time division multiplexing (TDM) operation for the LTE PC5 interface and the NR PC5 interface, or 
 align subframe boundaries of the LTE PC5 interface and the NR PC5 interface.

Description:
PRIORITY CLAIM 
     This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/717,562, filed Aug. 10, 2018, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     Embodiments pertain to wireless communications. Some embodiments relate to wireless networks including 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project) networks, and 3GPP LTE (Long Term Evolution) networks, Fifth Generation (5G) networks, and/or New Radio (NR) networks. Some embodiments relate to sidelink communication, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication and/or vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication. Some embodiments relate to methods of in-device coordination of sidelink communication over an LTE PC5 interface and an NR PC5 interface to ensure seamless co-existence of both interfaces in a single device. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Efficient use of the resources of a wireless network is important to provide bandwidth and acceptable response times to the users of the wireless network. However, often there are many devices trying to share the same resources and some devices may be limited by the communication protocol they use or by their hardware bandwidth. Moreover, wireless devices may need to operate with both newer protocols and with legacy device protocols. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1 A  is a functional diagram of an example network in accordance with some embodiments; 
         FIG.  1 B  is a functional diagram of another example network in accordance with some embodiments; 
         FIG.  2    illustrates a block diagram of an example machine in accordance with some embodiments; 
         FIG.  3    illustrates an exemplary communication circuitry according to some aspects; 
         FIG.  4    illustrates the operation of a method of communication in accordance with some embodiments. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The following description and the drawings sufficiently illustrate specific embodiments to enable those skilled in the art to practice them. Other embodiments may incorporate structural, logical, electrical, process, and other changes. Portions and features of some embodiments may be included in, or substituted for, those of other embodiments. Embodiments set forth in the claims encompass all available equivalents of those claims. 
       FIG.  1 A  is a functional diagram of an example network in accordance with some embodiments.  FIG.  1 B  is a functional diagram of another example network in accordance with some embodiments. In references herein, “ FIG.  1   ” may include  FIG.  1 A  and  FIG.  1 B . In some embodiments, the network  100  may be a Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) network. In some embodiments, the network  150  may be a 3GPP network, a new radio (NR) network and/or Fifth Generation (5G) network. Other networks may be used in some embodiments. In some embodiments, a network may include one or more of: one or more components shown in  FIG.  1 A ; one or more components shown in  FIG.  1 B ; and one or more additional components. Some embodiments may not necessarily include all components shown in  FIG.  1 A  and  FIG.  1 B . 
     The network  100  may comprise a radio access network (RAN)  101  and the core network  120  (e.g., shown as an evolved packet core (EPC)) coupled together through an S1 interface  115 . For convenience and brevity sake, only a portion of the core network  120 , as well as the RAN  101 , is shown. In some embodiments, the RAN  101  may include one or more of: one or more components of an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN), one or more components of an NR network, and/or one or more other components. 
     The core network  120  may include a mobility management entity (MME)  122 , a serving gateway (serving GW)  124 , and packet data network gateway (PDN GW)  126 . In some embodiments, the networks  100 ,  150  may include (and/or support) one or more Evolved Node-B&#39;s (eNBs)  104  and/or one or more Next Generation Node-B&#39;s (gNBs)  105 . The eNBs  104  and/or gNBs  105  may operate as base stations for communicating with User Equipment (UE)  102 . In some embodiments, one or more eNBs  104  may be configured to operate as gNBs  105 . Embodiments are not limited to the number of eNBs  104  shown in  FIG.  1 A  or to the number of gNBs  105  shown in  FIG.  1 B . Embodiments are also not limited to the connectivity of components shown in  FIG.  1 A . 
     It should be noted that references herein to an eNB  104  or to a gNB  105  are not limiting. In some embodiments, one or more operations, methods and/or techniques (such as those described herein) may be practiced by a base station component (and/or other component), including but not limited to a gNB  105 , an eNB  104 , a serving cell, a transmit receive point (TRP) and/or other. In some embodiments, the base station component may be configured to operate in accordance with one or more of: a 3GPP LTE protocol/standard, an NR protocol/standard, a Fifth Generation (5G) protocol/standard; and/or other protocol/standard, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect. 
     Descriptions herein of one or more operations, techniques and/or methods practiced by a component (such as the UE  102 , eNB  104 , gNB  105  and/or other) are not limiting. In some embodiments, one or more of those operations, techniques and/or methods may be practiced by another component. 
     The MME  122  manages mobility aspects in access such as gateway selection and tracking area list management. The serving GW  124  terminates the interface toward the RAN  101 , and routes data packets between the RAN  101  and the core network  120 . In addition, it may be a local mobility anchor point for inter-eNB handovers and also may provide an anchor for inter-3GPP mobility. The serving GW  124  and the MME  122  may be implemented in one physical node or separate physical nodes. 
     In some embodiments, UEs  102 , the eNB  104  and/or gNB  105  may be configured to communicate Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) communication signals over a multicarrier communication channel in accordance with an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) communication technique. 
     In some embodiments, the network  150  may include one or more components configured to operate in accordance with one or more 3GPP standards, including but not limited to an NR standard. The network  150  shown in  FIG.  1 B  may include a next generation RAN (NG-RAN)  155 , which may include one or more gNBs  105 . In some embodiments, the network  150  may include the E-UTRAN  160 , which may include one or more eNBs. The E-UTRAN  160  may be similar to the RAN  101  described herein, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect. 
     In some embodiments, the network  150  may include the MME  165 , which may be similar to the MME  122  described herein, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some embodiments, the network  150  may include the SGW  170 , which may be similar to the SGW  124  described herein, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect. 
     Embodiments are not limited to the number or type of components shown in  FIG.  1 B . Embodiments are also not limited to the connectivity of components shown in  FIG.  1 B . 
     As used herein, the term “circuitry” may refer to, be part of, or include an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group), and/or memory (shared, dedicated, or group) that execute one or more software or firmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and/or other suitable hardware components that provide the described functionality. In some embodiments, the circuitry may be implemented in, or functions associated with the circuitry may be implemented by, one or more software or firmware modules. In some embodiments, circuitry may include logic, at least partially operable in hardware. Embodiments described herein may be implemented into a system using any suitably configured hardware and/or software. 
       FIG.  2    illustrates a block diagram of an example machine in accordance with some embodiments. The machine  200  is an example machine upon which any one or more of the techniques and/or methodologies discussed herein may be performed. In alternative embodiments, the machine  200  may operate as a standalone device or may be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines. The machine  200  may be a UE  102 , eNB  104 , gNB  105 , access point (AP), station (STA), user, device, mobile device, base station, another device, or any machine capable of executing instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. Further, while only a single machine is illustrated, the term “machine” shall also be taken to include any collection of machines that individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein, such as cloud computing, software as a service (SaaS), other computer cluster configurations. 
     Examples as described herein, may include, or may operate on, logic or a number of components, modules, or mechanisms. 
     The machine (e.g., computer system)  200  may include a hardware processor  202  (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a hardware processor core, or any combination thereof), a main memory  204  and a static memory  206 , some or all of which may communicate with each other via an interlink (e.g., bus)  208 . The machine  200  may further include one or more of  210 - 228 . 
     The storage device  216  may include a machine readable medium  222  on which is stored one or more sets of data structures or instructions  224  (e.g., software) embodying or utilized by any one or more of the techniques or functions described herein. The instructions  224  may also reside, completely or at least partially, within the main memory  204 , within static memory  206 , or within the hardware processor  202  during execution thereof by the machine  200 . In an example, one or any combination of the hardware processor  202 , the main memory  204 , the static memory  206 , or the storage device  216  may constitute machine readable media. In some embodiments, the machine readable medium may be or may include a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. In some embodiments, the machine readable medium may be or may include a computer-readable storage medium. 
     While the machine readable medium  222  is illustrated as a single medium, the term “machine readable medium” may include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, and/or associated caches and servers) configured to store the one or more instructions  224 . The term “machine readable medium” may include any medium that is capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructions for execution by the machine  200  and that cause the machine  200  to perform any one or more of the techniques of the present disclosure, or that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying data structures used by or associated with such instructions. Non-limiting machine readable medium examples may include solid-state memories, and optical and magnetic media. Specific examples of machine readable media may include: non-volatile memory, such as semiconductor memory devices (e.g., Electrically Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM)) and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; Random Access Memory (RAM); and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. In some examples, machine readable media may include non-transitory machine readable media. In some examples, machine readable media may include machine readable media that is not a transitory propagating signal. 
     The instructions  224  may further be transmitted or received over a communications network  226  using a transmission medium via the network interface device  220  utilizing any one of a number of transfer protocols. In an example, the network interface device  220  may include a plurality of antennas to wirelessly communicate using at least one of single-input multiple-output (SIMO), multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), or multiple-input single-output (MISO) techniques. In some examples, the network interface device  220  may wirelessly communicate using Multiple User MIMO techniques. The term “transmission medium” shall be taken to include any intangible medium that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying instructions for execution by the machine  200 , and includes digital or analog communications signals or other intangible medium to facilitate communication of such software. 
       FIG.  3    illustrates an exemplary communication circuitry according to some aspects. It should be noted that a device, such as a UE  102 , eNB  104 , gNB  105 , the machine  200  and/or other device may include one or more components of the communication circuitry  300 , in some aspects. The communication circuitry  300  may include protocol processing circuitry  305 , which may implement one or more of: medium access control (MAC), radio link control (RLC), packet data convergence protocol (PDCP), radio resource control (RRC) and non-access stratum (NAS) functions. The communication circuitry  300  may further include digital baseband circuitry  310 , which may implement one or more physical layer (PHY) functions. The communication circuitry  300  may further include transmit circuitry  315 , receive circuitry  320  and/or antenna array circuitry  330 . The communication circuitry  300  may further include radio frequency (RF) circuitry  325 . In an aspect of the disclosure, RF circuitry  325  may include multiple parallel RF chains for one or more of transmit or receive functions, each connected to one or more antennas of the antenna array  330 . 
     In some embodiments, processing circuitry may perform one or more operations described herein and/or other operation(s). In a non-limiting example, the processing circuitry may include one or more components such as the processor  202 , protocol processing circuitry  305 , digital baseband circuitry  310 , similar component(s) and/or other component(s). 
     In some embodiments, a transceiver may transmit one or more elements (including but not limited to those described herein) and/or receive one or more elements (including but not limited to those described herein). In a non-limiting example, the transceiver may include one or more components such as transmit circuitry  315 , receive circuitry  320 , radio frequency circuitry  325 , similar component(s) and/or other component(s). 
     Although the UE  102 , eNB  104 , gNB  105 , machine  200  and/or other device described herein may each be illustrated as having several separate functional elements, one or more of the functional elements may be combined and may be implemented by combinations of software-configured elements, such as processing elements including digital signal processors (DSPs), one or more microprocessors, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), radio-frequency integrated circuits (RFICs) and combinations of various hardware and logic circuitry for performing at least the functions described herein. In some embodiments, the functional elements may refer to one or more processes operating on one or more processing elements. 
     Embodiments may be implemented in one or a combination of hardware, firmware and software. Embodiments may also be implemented as instructions stored on a computer-readable storage device, which may be read and executed by at least one processor to perform the operations described herein. A computer-readable storage device may include any non-transitory mechanism for storing information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., a computer). For example, a computer-readable storage device may include read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media, flash-memory devices, and other storage devices and media. Some embodiments may include one or more processors and may be configured with instructions stored on a computer-readable storage device. 
     It should be noted that in some embodiments, an apparatus of the UE  102 , eNB  104 , gNB  105 , machine  200 , and/or other device may include various components shown in  FIGS.  2 - 3    and/or other components. Accordingly, techniques and operations described herein that are performed by a device may be performed by an apparatus of the device, in some embodiments. 
     In accordance with some embodiments, the UE  102  may detect one or more synchronization signals for sidelink synchronization. The UE  102  may, based on the one or more synchronization signals, determine a reference timing to be used for a common synchronization of Long Term Evolution (LTE) sidelink communication on an LTE PC5 interface and New Radio (NR) sidelink communication on an NR PC5 interface in accordance with time division multiplexing (TDM) operation, wherein subframe boundaries of the LTE PC5 interface and the NR PC5 interface are aligned in time. The UE  102  may receive, from an eNB  104  of an LTE network or a gNB  105  of an NR network, information related to priorities of: one or more services configured for the LTE PC5 interface, and one or more services configured for the NR PC5 interface. If the UE  102  detects, during a time period, an in-device conflict between a service configured for the LTE PC5 interface and a service configured for the NR PC5 interface, the UE  102  may determine which of the services to support during the time period based on the corresponding priorities. These embodiments are described in more detail below. 
       FIG.  4    illustrates the operation of a method of communication in accordance with some embodiments. Embodiments of the method  400  may include additional or even fewer operations or processes in comparison to what is illustrated in  FIG.  4   . Embodiments of the method  400  are not necessarily limited to the chronological order that is shown in  FIG.  4   . 
     In some embodiments, a UE  102  may perform one or more operations of the method  400 , but embodiments are not limited to performance of the method  400  and/or operations of it by the UE  102 . In some embodiments, a device and/or component (including but not limited to the UE  102 , gNB  105  and/or eNB  104 ) may perform one or more operations that may be the same as, similar to, reciprocal to and/or related to an operation of the method  400 . 
     Discussion of various operations, techniques and/or concepts regarding one method described herein (such the method  400  and/or other) may be applicable to another method described herein (such as the method  400  and/or other). One or more of the techniques, operations and/or methods described herein may be performed by a device other than an eNB  104 , gNB  105 , and UE  102 , including but not limited to a Wi-Fi access point (AP), station (STA) and/or other. 
     In some embodiments, an apparatus of a device (including but not limited to the UE  102 , eNB  104 , gNB  105  and/or other) may comprise memory that is configurable to store one or more elements, and the apparatus may use them for performance of one or more operations. The apparatus may include processing circuitry, which may perform one or more operations (including but not limited to operation(s) of the method  400  and/or other methods described herein). The processing circuitry may include a baseband processor. The baseband circuitry and/or the processing circuitry may perform one or more operations described herein. The apparatus may include a transceiver to transmit and/or receive one or more blocks, messages and/or other elements. 
     Embodiments are not limited by references herein to transmission, reception and/or exchanging of elements such as frames, messages, requests, indicators, signals or other elements. In some embodiments, such an element may be generated, encoded or otherwise processed by processing circuitry for transmission by a transceiver or other component cases. In some embodiments, such an element may be received by a transceiver or other component, and may be decoded, detected or otherwise processed by processing circuitry. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry and the transceiver may be included in a same apparatus. In some embodiments, the transceiver may be separate from the apparatus that comprises the processing circuitry, in some embodiments. 
     One or more of the elements (such as messages, operations and/or other) described herein may be included in a 3GPP protocol, 3GPP LTE protocol, 4G protocol, 5G protocol, NR protocol and/or other protocol, but embodiments are not limited to usage of those elements. In some embodiments, other elements may be used, including other element(s) in a same standard/protocol, other element(s) in another standard/protocol and/or other. In addition, the scope of embodiments is not limited to usage of elements that are included in standards. 
     In some embodiments, the UE  102 , eNB  104  and/or gNB  105  may be arranged to operate in accordance with a 3GPP protocol, NR protocol, and/or other protocol. 
     At operation  405 , the UE  102  may detect one or more synchronization signals. At operation  410 , the UE  102  may determine a reference timing based on the one or more synchronization signals. At operation  415 , the UE  102  may receive signaling that indicates control information related to sidelink configuration, resource allocation and service priorities. At operation  420 , the UE  102  may receive signaling that schedules transmission/reception for one or more services. At operation  425 , the UE  102  may detect an in-device conflict. At operation  430 , the UE  102  may determine which service to support and/or prioritize delivery. At operation  435 , the UE  102  may transmit one or more packets. At operation  440 , the UE  102  may postpone, reselect resource(s) for, drop, or reduce power for a transmission. 
     In some embodiments, the UE  102  may detect one or more synchronization signals. In some embodiments, the synchronization signals may include one or more of: an LTE synchronization signal from the eNB  104 , an NR synchronization signal from the gNB  105 , a sidelink synchronization signal (SLSS) from another UE  102 , GNSS signals, and/or other. 
     In some embodiments, the UE  102  may determine a reference timing. In some embodiments, the UE  102  may determine the reference timing based on the one or more synchronization signals and/or other. In some embodiments, the UE  102  may determine the reference timing to be used for a common synchronization of Long Term Evolution (LTE) sidelink communication on an LTE PC5 interface and New Radio (NR) sidelink communication on an NR PC5 interface. In some embodiments, the LTE sidelink communication and the NR communication may be in accordance with time division multiplexing (TDM) operation although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some embodiments, subframe boundaries of the LTE PC5 interface and the NR PC5 interface may be aligned in time. 
     In some embodiments, the UE  102  may receive, from an eNB  104  of an LTE network or a gNB  105  of an NR network, signaling that indicates control information. In some embodiments, control information may be exchanged between UE NR PC5 and LTE PC5 interfaces through in-device coordination function. In some embodiments, the control information may indicate sidelink resource allocation information for each PC5 interface and sidelink priorities of: one or more services configured for the LTE PC5 interface, and one or more services configured for the NR PC5 interface. In some embodiments, the control information may include additional information and/or other information. 
     In some embodiments, the UE  102  may detect an in-device conflict. In a non-limiting example, the UE  102  may detect an in-device conflict between a service configured for the LTE PC5 interface and a service configured for the NR PC5 interface. In some embodiments, the detected in-device conflict may occur during a time period (such as one or more subframes, slots or orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, slots or subframes). References herein to “in-device conflicts” and operations related to the in-device conflicts are not limiting. In some embodiments, UE  102  may determine that a conflict occurs or would occur (such as a conflict between a transmission by the UE  102  and a reception by the UE  102 , two transmissions by the UE  102 , two receptions by the UE  102 , and/or other), and may perform one or more of the operations described herein as a result. Such a conflict may not necessarily be an “in-device conflict,” in some embodiments. 
     In some embodiments, if the UE  102  detects an in-device conflict (during a time period) between two services, the UE  102  may determine which of the services to support during the time period. In some embodiments, the UE  102  may determine which of the services to support based on the corresponding priorities and/or other information/parameters. In some embodiments, the UE  102  may prioritize transmissions of a service that the UE  102  has determined to support. One or more of the operations, techniques and/or methods described herein that are related to two services may be extended to more than two services, in some embodiments. For instance, the UE  102  may determine that a conflict between three or more transmissions/receptions occurs or would occur. 
     In some embodiments, if the in-device conflict is between a transmission on the NR PC5 interface for a first service, and a transmission on the LTE PC5 interface for a second service; and if a first priority of the first service and a second priority for the second service are available to the UE  102 ; and if the first and second priorities are different, the UE  102  may perform one or more of: select the service for which the corresponding priority is highest; prioritize transmission of the selected service; transmit one or more packets for transmission for the selected service on the corresponding PC5 interface; and/or other. In some embodiments, of the first and second services, for the service that is not selected, the UE  102  may perform one or more of: postpone the corresponding transmission; trigger resource reselection; determine non-conflicting resources for transmission; reselect resource for transmission; drop the corresponding transmission; reduce a transmit power of the corresponding transmission; and/or other. 
     In some embodiments, if either the first priority of the first service or the second priority for the second service is not available to the UE  102 ; or if the first and second priorities are available to the UE  102  and the first and second priorities are the same, the UE  102  may perform one or more of: select either the first service or the second service based on preconfigured information; prioritize transmission of the selected service; share transmit power for transmission on both interfaces (NR PC5 and LTE PC5); transmit one or more packets for the selected service on the corresponding PC5 interface; transmit one or more packets for delivery of the selected service on the corresponding PC5 interface; and/or other. In some embodiments, the preconfigured information may include a channel busy ratio of each of the PC5 interfaces and/or other. 
     In some embodiments, the UE  102  may perform one or more of: indicate, to the eNB  104  or the gNB  105 , UE capability of in-device coordination on PC5 interfaces to mitigate potential conflicts between eNB  104  and gNB  105  implementation; receive first signaling that schedules the transmission on the NR PC5 interface for the first service; receive second signaling that schedules the transmission on the LTE PC5 interface for the second service; receive signaling that schedules either or both of the transmission on the NR PC5 interface for the first service and the transmission on the LTE PC5 interface for the second service; apply in-device coordination actions if it is detected that scheduled transmissions are in conflict; and/or other. 
     In some embodiments, if the in-device conflict is between the transmission on the NR PC5 interface for the first service, and reception on the LTE PC5 interface for the second service; or if the in-device conflict is between reception on the NR PC5 interface for the first service, and the transmission on the LTE PC5 interface for the second service: the UE  102  may select the service for which the corresponding priority is highest. In some embodiments, the UE  102  may prioritize transmission of the selected service. In some embodiments, the UE  102  may re-select resources for service transmission if reception was prioritized; and/or drop transmission if reception of the service was prioritized. 
     In some embodiments, if the in-device conflict is between reception on the NR PC5 interface for the first service, and reception on the LTE PC5 interface for the second service; and if the processing circuitry is configured for shared processing of the reception on the NR PC5 interface and reception on the LTE PC5 interface, the UE  102  may perform one or more of: select the service for which the corresponding priority is highest; prioritize reception of the selected service; receive one or more packets for the selected service on the corresponding PC5 interface; refrain from reception for the service, of the first and second services, that is not selected; refrain from reception for the service, of the first and second services, that is not selected if reception of both services is not feasible and/or if it is determined that reception of both services is not feasible; and/or other. 
     In some embodiments, if the in-device conflict is between reception on the NR PC5 interface for the first service, and reception on the LTE PC5 interface for the second service; and if the processing circuitry is not configured for shared processing of the reception on the NR PC5 interface and reception on the LTE PC5 interface, the UE  102  may perform one or more of: receive one or more packets for the first service on the NR PC5 interface; receive one or more packets for the second service on the LTE PC5 interface; and/or other. 
     In some embodiments, the common synchronization may be further in accordance with an alignment of system frame numbers (SFNs) and direct frame numbers (DFNs) for the LTE sidelink communication on the LTE PC5 interface and NR sidelink communication on the NR PC5 interface. In some embodiments, the common synchronization may be further in accordance with an alignment of SFNs and/or direct frame numbers (DFNs). 
     In some embodiments, the in-device conflict may be based on one or more of: leakage from a transmission for one of the services that affects transmission or reception for the other service; whether the UE  102  is capable of simultaneous transmission for one of the services and reception for the other service or simultaneous transmission or reception of both services; and/or other. 
     In some embodiments, the common synchronization may be further in accordance with a time alignment of resource grids for the LTE sidelink communication on the LTE PC5 interface and NR sidelink communication on the NR PC5 interface. 
     In some embodiments, the UE  102  may receive, from the eNB  104  or gNB  105  or UE LTE PC5 or UE NR PC5 interface, additional signaling that includes one or more of: sidelink resource allocation and radio-layer configuration settings, radio-layer conditions and measurements for the NR PC5 interface or the LTE PC5 interface, status information related to a delivered service on the NR PC5 interface or the LTE PC5 interface, and/or other. In some embodiments, the UE  102  may determine which of the services to support during the time period based at least partly on the information included in the additional signaling. It should be noted that the additional signaling may not necessarily be received from just one of the eNB  104  and the gNB  105 . In some embodiments, the UE  102  may receive additional signaling from the eNB  104  that includes some or all of the above information, and the UE  102  may also receive additional signaling from the gNB  105  that includes some or all of the above information. 
     In some embodiments, the UE  102  may receive from the eNB  104  or gNB  105  or UE LTE PC5 or UE NR PC5 interface, additional signaling that includes inter radio access technology (inter-RAT) assistance information, including information related to one or more of: sidelink resource configurations, sidelink synchronization, reserved sidelink resources, reserved time intervals, active resource reservation processes, semi-persistent processes, active hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) processes, active resource reservations and semi-persistent resource allocation, active HARQ processes with resource reservations, delivered service priority and resources selected for delivery (either transmission or reception), and/or other. The UE  102  may determine which of the services to support during the time period based at least partly on the information included in the additional signaling. It should be noted that the additional signaling may not necessarily be received from just one of the eNB  104  and the gNB  105 . In some embodiments, the additional signaling may be exchanged between UE NR PC5 and UE LTE PC5 interfaces through in-device coordination function. In some embodiments, the UE  102  may receive additional signaling from the eNB  104  that includes some or all of the above information, and the UE  102  may also receive additional signaling from the gNB  105  that includes some or all of the above information. 
     In some embodiments, the UE  102  may receive, from an eNB  104  of an LTE network or a gNB  105  of an NR network, signaling that configures the UE  102  for one or more services on an LTE PC5 interface and one or more services on an NR PC5 interface. In some embodiments, the signaling may further include information to configure the UE  102  to resolve in-device conflicts between communication on the LTE PC5 interface and communication on the NR PC5 interface. The information may include one or more of: priorities of the services, radio-layer conditions and measurements for the NR PC5 interface or the LTE PC5 interface, status information related to a service on the NR PC5 interface or the LTE PC5 interface, and/or other. It should be noted that the signaling may not necessarily be received from just one of the eNB  104  and the gNB  105 . In some embodiments, listed above information may be shared with coordination function by UE LTE PC5 and UE NR PC5 interfaces to further control UE behavior on each interface. In some embodiments, the UE  102  may receive signaling from the eNB  104  that includes some or all of the above information, and the UE  102  may also receive signaling from the gNB  105  that includes some or all of the above information. 
     In some embodiments, if the UE  102  detects, during a time period, an in-device conflict between a service configured for the LTE PC5 interface and a service configured for the NR PC5 interface, the UE  102  may determine which of the services to support during the time period based at least partly on the information included in the signaling. 
     In some embodiments, the UE  102  may detect one or more synchronization signals; and determine, based on the one or more synchronization signals, a reference timing for one or more of: configure time division multiplexing (TDM) operation for the LTE PC5 interface and the NR PC5 interface; align subframe boundaries of the LTE PC5 interface and the NR PC5 interface; and/or other. 
     In some embodiments, the UE  102  may receive, from an eNB  104  of an LTE network or a gNB  105  of an NR network, signaling that configures the UE  102  for one or more services on an LTE PC5 interface and one or more services on an NR PC5 interface. In some embodiments, the signaling may include sidelink resource allocation information and information that includes one or more of: priorities of the services, radio-layer conditions and measurements for the NR PC5 interface or the LTE PC5 interface, status information related to a service on the NR PC5 interface or the LTE PC5 interface, and/or other. It should be noted that the signaling may not necessarily be received from just one of the eNB  104  and the gNB  105 . In some embodiments, UE NR PC5 may share such signaling with UE LTE PC5 interface and vice versa. In some embodiments, the UE  102  may receive signaling from the eNB  104  that includes some or all of the above information, and the UE  102  may also receive signaling from the gNB  105  that includes some or all of the above information. In some embodiments, information related to the priorities may be included in one or more packets received as part of one or more services. 
     In some embodiments, if the UE  102  detects, during a time period, an in-device conflict between a service configured for the LTE PC5 interface and a service configured for the NR PC5 interface, the UE  102  may determine which of the services to support during the time period based at least partly on the information included in the signaling. The UE  102  may perform one or more of: detect one or more synchronization signals; determine, based on the one or more synchronization signals, a reference timing; and/or other. The UE  102  may use the reference timing and/or other information to perform one or more of: align subframe boundaries of the LTE PC5 interface and the NR PC5 interface; configure TDM operation for the LTE PC5 interface and the NR PC5 interface; trigger resource reselection for conflicting resources, drop transmission and/or other. 
     In some embodiments, the LTE sidelink communication and the NR sidelink communication may include one or more of: vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, enhanced V2X (eV2X) communication, device-to-device (D2D) communication, and/or other. 
     The Abstract is provided to comply with 37 C.F.R. Section 1.72(b) requiring an abstract that will allow the reader to ascertain the nature and gist of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to limit or interpret the scope or meaning of the claims. The following claims are hereby incorporated into the detailed description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20190808
Publication Date: 20231114
Grant Date: 20231114
Priority Date: 20180810
Inventors: KHORYAEV, ALEXEY
ALI, Ansab
JEONG, KYEONGIN
Shilov, Mikhail
PANTELEEV, Sergey
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H04W56/001", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W72/569", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W84/047", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W88/04", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W92/18", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W56/00", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W56/001", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W92/18", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W84/047", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W88/04", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W84/047", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W88/04", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W92/18", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W72/569", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 69413636