CN117296421A

CN117296421A - Apparatus, method and computer program

Info

Publication number: CN117296421A
Application number: CN202180097901.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: V·V·潘; 于�玲; 季靓海; T·维尔德斯彻克; B·潘兹纳; 刘勇; D·麦迪纳
Original assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co Ltd; Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy
Current assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co Ltd; Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy
Priority date: 2021-05-06
Filing date: 2021-05-06
Publication date: 2023-12-26
Also published as: WO2022232989A1; EP4335212A1

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer code for one or more programs, the at least one memory and the computer code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: monitoring (800) a resource pool of a plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools for receipt of a service; determining (802) that at least one condition associated with a resource pool is satisfied; and monitoring (804) a subsequent resource pool of the received plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools for the service.

Description

Apparatus, method and computer program

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to an apparatus, method and computer program for monitoring a plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools for reception of a service.

Background

A communication system may be considered a facility that enables communication sessions between two or more entities (e.g., communication devices, base stations, and/or other nodes) by providing a carrier between the various entities involved in a communication path.

The communication system may be a wireless communication system. Examples of wireless systems include Public Land Mobile Networks (PLMNs) operating based on radio standards, such as those provided by 3GPP, satellite-based communication systems, and different wireless local area networks (e.g., wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs)). A wireless system may be generally divided into a plurality of cells and is therefore generally referred to as a cellular system.

Communication systems and associated devices typically operate in accordance with a given standard or specification which sets out what the various entities associated with the system are permitted to do and how that should be achieved. Communication protocols and/or parameters which should be used for the connection are also typically defined. An example of a standard is the so-called 5G standard.

Disclosure of Invention

According to an aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising means for: monitoring a resource pool of a plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools for receipt of a service; determining that at least one condition associated with the resource pool is satisfied; and monitoring a subsequent resource pool of the plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools for receipt of the service.

The at least one condition may include: the load on the resource pool is above a first load threshold; the number of transmissions received via the resource pool within the time window is above a number of transmissions threshold; or an indication received via the resource pool to indicate use of a subsequent resource pool for transmission of the service.

The first load threshold may be used to evaluate the resource pool by the receiving device and may be different from the second load threshold configured to evaluate the resource pool by the transmitting device.

The first load threshold may be determined based on the second load threshold.

The first load threshold may be further determined based on quality of service requirements.

The quality of service requirements may include at least one of: priority, packet error rate, or traffic periodicity.

The second load threshold and/or quality of service requirements may be received from the serving network and/or preconfigured.

The second load threshold and/or quality of service requirements may be received from the serving network via common signaling and/or dedicated signaling.

The second load threshold and/or quality of service requirements may be preconfigured by the operator and/or the application.

The apparatus may comprise means for: before monitoring the resource pool, determining at least one condition, and monitoring subsequent resource pools, it is determined that there is a one-to-one relationship between a plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools for receipt of a service and a plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools for transmission of a service.

The apparatus may comprise means for: before monitoring a resource pool, determining at least one condition, and monitoring a subsequent resource pool, it is determined that the service is a particular service or belongs to a particular service group.

The apparatus may comprise means for: the method comprises determining that a device is located in a particular area or belongs to a particular group of devices before monitoring a resource pool, determining at least one condition, and monitoring a subsequent resource pool.

Monitoring a subsequent resource pool of the plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools for receipt of the service may include: a subsequent resource pool of the plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools for receipt of the service is continuously or periodically monitored.

The load on the resource pool may be measured by the device.

The load on the resource pool may be measured by another device and received by that device.

The plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools may include three or more resource pools.

Monitoring a resource pool of the plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools for receipt of a service may include: the lowest resource pool and/or the next lowest resource pool of the plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools for receipt of the service is monitored.

Multiple sequentially ordered resource pools may be used for side-chain reception of services.

The apparatus may comprise means for: determining that at least one condition associated with the resource pool is no longer satisfied; and no longer monitoring subsequent ones of the plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools for receipt of the service.

According to an aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer code for one or more programs, the at least one memory and the computer code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: monitoring a resource pool of a plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools for receipt of a service; determining that at least one condition associated with the resource pool is satisfied; and monitoring a subsequent resource pool of the plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools for receipt of the service.

The first load threshold may be determined based on the second load threshold.

The at least one memory and the computer code may be configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: before monitoring the resource pool, determining at least one condition, and monitoring subsequent resource pools, it is determined that there is a one-to-one relationship between a plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools for receipt of a service and a plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools for transmission of a service.

The at least one memory and the computer code may be configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: before monitoring a resource pool, determining at least one condition, and monitoring a subsequent resource pool, it is determined that the service is a particular service or belongs to a particular service group.

The at least one memory and the computer code may be configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: the method comprises determining that a device is located in a particular area or belongs to a particular group of devices before monitoring a resource pool, determining at least one condition, and monitoring a subsequent resource pool.

The load on the resource pool may be measured by the device.

The at least one memory and the computer code may be configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: determining that at least one condition associated with the resource pool is not being met; and no longer monitoring subsequent ones of the plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools for receipt of the service.

According to an aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising circuitry configured to: monitoring a resource pool of a plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools for receipt of a service; determining that at least one condition associated with the resource pool is satisfied; and monitoring a subsequent resource pool of the plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools for receipt of the service.

The first load threshold may be determined based on the second load threshold.

The apparatus may include circuitry configured to: before monitoring the resource pool, determining at least one condition, and monitoring subsequent resource pools, it is determined that there is a one-to-one relationship between a plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools for receipt of a service and a plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools for transmission of a service.

The apparatus may include circuitry configured to: before monitoring a resource pool, determining at least one condition, and monitoring a subsequent resource pool, it is determined that the service is a particular service or belongs to a particular service group.

The apparatus may include circuitry configured to: the method comprises determining that a device is located in a particular area or belongs to a particular group of devices before monitoring a resource pool, determining at least one condition, and monitoring a subsequent resource pool.

The load on the resource pool may be measured by the device.

The apparatus may include circuitry configured to: determining that at least one condition associated with the resource pool is no longer satisfied; and no longer monitoring subsequent ones of the plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools for receipt of the service.

According to one aspect, there is provided a method comprising: monitoring a resource pool of a plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools for receipt of a service; determining that at least one condition associated with the resource pool is satisfied; and monitoring a subsequent resource pool of the plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools for receipt of the service.

The first load threshold may be determined based on the second load threshold.

The method may include: before monitoring the resource pool, determining at least one condition, and monitoring subsequent resource pools, it is determined that there is a one-to-one relationship between a plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools for receipt of a service and a plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools for transmission of a service.

The method may include: before monitoring a resource pool, determining at least one condition, and monitoring a subsequent resource pool, it is determined that the service is a particular service or belongs to a particular service group.

The method may include: the method comprises determining that a device is located in a particular area or belongs to a particular group of devices before monitoring a resource pool, determining at least one condition, and monitoring a subsequent resource pool.

The load on the resource pool may be measured by the device implementing the method.

The load on the resource pool may be measured by another device and received by the device implementing the method.

The method may include: determining that at least one condition associated with the resource pool is no longer satisfied; and no longer monitoring subsequent ones of the plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools for receipt of the service.

According to an aspect, there is provided a computer program comprising computer executable code which, when run on at least one processor, is configured to: monitoring a resource pool of a plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools for receipt of a service; determining that at least one condition associated with the resource pool is satisfied; and monitoring a subsequent resource pool of the plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools for receipt of the service.

The first load threshold may be determined based on the second load threshold.

The computer program may comprise computer executable code that, when run on at least one processor, is configured to: before monitoring the resource pool, determining at least one condition, and monitoring subsequent resource pools, it is determined that there is a one-to-one relationship between a plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools for receipt of a service and a plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools for transmission of a service.

The computer program may comprise computer executable code that, when run on at least one processor, is configured to: before monitoring a resource pool, determining at least one condition, and monitoring a subsequent resource pool, it is determined that the service is a particular service or belongs to a particular service group.

The computer program may comprise computer executable code that, when run on at least one processor, is configured to: the method comprises determining that a device is located in a particular area or belongs to a particular group of devices before monitoring a resource pool, determining at least one condition, and monitoring a subsequent resource pool.

The load on the resource pool may be measured by a device integrating at least one processor.

The load on the resource pool may be measured by another device and received by a device integrating at least one processor.

The computer program may comprise computer executable code that, when run on at least one processor, is configured to: determining that at least one condition associated with the resource pool is not being met; and no longer monitoring subsequent ones of the plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools for receipt of the service.

According to an aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising means for: using a resource pool of a plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools for transmission of a service; transmitting an indication via one or more resource pools configured for transmitting an indication, the indication indicating use of a subsequent resource pool for transmission of the service; and using a subsequent resource pool for transmission of the service.

The indication may indicate a highest resource pool of the plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools used by the apparatus for transmission of the service.

The one or more resource pools configured for sending the indication may be part of a plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools.

The one or more resource pools configured for sending the indication may include: a lowest or next lowest resource pool of the plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools used by the apparatus for transmission of the service.

The one or more resource pools configured for sending the indication may not be part of a plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools.

According to an aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer code for one or more programs, the at least one memory and the computer code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: using a resource pool of a plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools for transmission of a service; transmitting an indication via one or more resource pools configured for transmitting an indication, the indication indicating use of a subsequent resource pool for transmission of the service; and using a subsequent resource pool for transmission of the service.

The one or more resource pools configured for sending the indication may include: a lowest resource pool or a next lowest resource pool of the plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools that are used by the device for transmission of the service.

According to an aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising circuitry configured to: using a resource pool of a plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools for transmission of a service; transmitting an indication via one or more resource pools configured for transmitting an indication, the indication indicating use of a subsequent resource pool for transmission of the service; and using a subsequent resource pool for transmission of the service.

The one or more resource pools configured for sending the indication may include: a lowest resource pool or a next lowest resource pool of the plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools used by the device for transmission of the service.

According to one aspect, there is provided a method comprising: using a resource pool of a plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools for transmission of a service; transmitting an indication via one or more resource pools configured for transmitting an indication, the indication indicating use of a subsequent resource pool for transmission of the service; and using a subsequent resource pool for transmission of the service.

According to an aspect, there is provided a computer program comprising computer executable code which, when run on at least one processor, is configured to: using a resource pool of a plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools for transmission of a service; transmitting an indication via one or more resource pools configured to transmit an indication, the indication to indicate use of a subsequent resource pool for transmission of the service; and using a subsequent resource pool for transmission of the service.

According to an aspect, a computer readable medium is provided, comprising program instructions stored thereon for performing at least one of the above methods.

According to an aspect, there is provided a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions stored thereon for performing at least one of the above methods.

According to one aspect, there is provided a non-volatile tangible storage medium comprising program instructions stored thereon for performing at least one of the methods described above.

In the foregoing, many different aspects have been described. It will be appreciated that further aspects may be provided by a combination of any two or more of the above aspects.

Various other aspects are also described in the following detailed description and the appended claims.

Abbreviation list

AF application functionality

AMF (advanced mobile radio function) access and mobility management function

API application protocol interface

BS base station

CU centralized unit

DL downlink

DU: distributed unit

gNB:gNodeB

Global system for mobile communications (GSM)

HSS home subscriber server

IoT (Internet of things)

LTE Long term evolution

MAC-media access control

MCO multichannel operation

MS mobile station

MTC: machine type communication

NEF network opening function

NF: network function

New radio

NRF network function repository function

PDU packet data unit

PER packet error Rate (Packet Error Rate)

PLMN public land Mobile network

RAM (random Access memory)

(R) AN (radio) access network

ROM-ROM

RX: receiving

SIB System information Block

SL side chain

SMF session management function

TR technical report

TS technical Specification

TX: transmission

UE (user equipment)

Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS)

3GPP third Generation partnership project

5G fifth generation

5GC 5G core network

5GS:5G system

Drawings

Embodiments will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of a 5G system;

fig. 2 shows a schematic representation of a control device;

FIG. 3 shows a schematic representation of a terminal;

fig. 4 shows an example of a sequential filling scheme, a load balancing scheme, and an elastic scheme;

FIG. 5 illustrates another example of a sequential fill scheme, a load balancing scheme, and a resiliency scheme;

FIG. 6 illustrates a plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools for side-chain reception and/or transmission of services;

fig. 7 shows a block diagram of a method for monitoring a plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools for side-chain reception of a service, the method being performed, for example, by a side-chain receiving user equipment;

fig. 8 shows a block diagram of a method for monitoring a plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools for side-chain reception of a service, the method being performed, for example, by a side-chain receiving user equipment;

fig. 9 shows a block diagram of a method for using multiple sequentially ordered resource pools for side-chain transmission of services, e.g., performed by a side-chain transmitting user equipment; and

FIG. 10 shows a schematic representation of a non-volatile storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, allow the processor to perform one or more steps of the methods of FIGS. 8 and 9.

Detailed Description

In the following, specific embodiments are explained with reference to mobile communication devices capable of communicating via a wireless cellular system and mobile communication systems serving such mobile communication devices. Before explaining the exemplary embodiments in detail, some general principles of a wireless communication system, an access system thereof and a mobile communication device are briefly explained with reference to fig. 1, 2 and 3 to help understand the technology behind the examples.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic representation of a 5G system (5 GS). The 5GS may include a terminal, (radio) access network ((R) AN), a 5G core network (5 GC), one or more Application Functions (AFs), and one or more Data Networks (DNs).

The 5G (R) AN may include one or more gndeb (gNB) distributed unit functions that are connected to one or more gndeb (gNB) centralized unit functions.

The 5GC may include an access and mobility management function (AMF), a Session Management Function (SMF), an authentication server function (AUSF), user Data Management (UDM), a User Plane Function (UPF), and/or a network open function (NEF).

Fig. 2 shows AN example of a control apparatus 200 for controlling the functions of the (R) AN or 5GC shown in fig. 1. The control means may comprise at least one Random Access Memory (RAM) 211a, at least one Read Only Memory (ROM) 211b, at least one processor 212, 213, and an input/output interface 214. At least one processor 212, 213 may be coupled to the RAM 211a and the ROM 211b. The at least one processor 212, 213 may be configured to execute suitable software code 215. The software code 215 may, for example, allow one or more steps to be performed to perform one or more of the present aspects. The software code 215 may be stored in the ROM 211b. The control device 200 may be interconnected with another control device 200 that controls another function of the 5G (R) AN or 5 GC. In some embodiments, each function of the (R) AN or 5GC includes the control device 200. In alternative embodiments, two or more functions of the (R) AN or 5GC may share one control device.

Fig. 3 shows an example of a terminal 300, such as the terminal shown in fig. 1. The terminal 300 may be provided by any device capable of transmitting and receiving radio signals. Non-limiting examples include user equipment, mobile Stations (MSs) or mobile devices such as mobile phones or so-called "smartphones", computers equipped with wireless interface cards or other wireless interface facilities (e.g., USB dongles), personal Data Assistants (PDAs) or tablet computers equipped with wireless communication capabilities, machine Type Communication (MTC) devices, cellular internet of things (CIoT) devices, or any combination of these devices, etc. The terminal 300 may provide data communication, for example, for bearer communication. The communication may be one or more of the following: voice, electronic mail (email), text messages, multimedia, data, machine data, and the like.

The terminal 300 may receive signals over the air or radio interface 307 via suitable means for receiving and may transmit signals via suitable means for transmitting radio signals. In fig. 3, the transceiver device is schematically represented by block 306. The transceiver means 306 may be provided, for example, by radio components and associated antenna arrangements. The antenna arrangement may be arranged inside or outside the mobile device.

The terminal 300 may be provided with at least one processor 301, at least one memory ROM 302a, at least one RAM 302b and possibly other components 303 for performing tasks it is designed to perform with the aid of software and hardware, including controlling access to and communication with access systems and other communication devices. At least one processor 301 is coupled to RAM 302b and ROM 302a. The at least one processor 301 may be configured to execute suitable software code 308. The software code 308 may, for example, allow one or more of the present aspects to be performed. Software code 308 may be stored in ROM 302a.

The processor, memory device, and other related control means may be provided on a suitable circuit board and/or chip set. This feature is indicated by reference numeral 304. The device may optionally have a user interface such as a keyboard 305, a touch sensitive screen or touchpad, combinations thereof, and the like. Depending on the type of device, one or more of a display, speaker and microphone may optionally be provided.

One or more aspects of the present disclosure relate to release 17 (Rel-17) and higher versions of 3 GPP.

One or more aspects of the present disclosure relate to agenda items: rel-17 NR side chain (SL) enhances resource allocation for power conservation under work item [ RP-202846 ].

Release 16 (Rel-16) NR SL TX/RX UEs can be configured with up to 8 side-chain transmit resource pools (SL TX RP) and 16 side-chain receive resource pools (SL RX RP). For example, the SL RX RP and/or the SL TX RP may be channels. The channel may include a resource pool (e.g., resource blocks and/or resource elements).

For SL RX UEs, continuously monitoring all SL RX RPs may consume a lot of power. Thus, reducing the need to monitor the SL RX RP may help reduce power consumption.

ETSI TR 103439 its multi-channel operation (MCO) study addresses the different channel usage mechanisms of TX UEs, which are divided into three categories: sequential-filling), load balancing, and elasticity. These mechanisms, taken from ETSI TR 103439, are shown in fig. 4. It should be appreciated that each vertical bar may represent a channel.

The MCO mechanism described above, taken from ETSI TR 103439, is shown in fig. 5, considering that channel resources are available for different applications and/or services. It should be appreciated that each shaded region may represent a set of resource elements allocated to an application and/or service.

The sequential fill usage mechanism may organize channels sequentially and not use subsequent channels until the channels are underloaded. The TX UE can determine whether to use the channel for the serving TX based on whether the channel load is below a load threshold. The load threshold may be configured by the service.

Likewise, the RX UE can determine whether to monitor the channel for the serving RX based on whether the channel load is below a load threshold. This may allow the RX UE to avoid unnecessarily monitoring channels not used by the TX UE for the serving TX.

However, since the TX UE and the RX UE may be located at different locations, the TX UE and the RX UE may see different channel loads for the same channel. Therefore, misalignment may occur between the TX UE and the RX UE. Such misalignment may result in data loss at the RX UE. It may be desirable to reduce or avoid such misalignment while enabling a sequential padding use mechanism at the RX UE to save power.

Notably, the RX UE and power saving aspects are not considered in ETSI TR 103 439. In the present disclosure, channels in ETSI TR 103 439RP may be mapped to the RP. In the present disclosure, the channel load in ETSI TR 103 439rp may be mapped to a Channel Busy Rate (CBR).

One or more aspects of the present disclosure are directed to reducing monitoring of a SL RX RP for a SL RX of a service by a SL RX UE when using a sequential pad usage mechanism for a TX of the service by the SL TX UE through the SL TX RP. One or more aspects of the present disclosure aim to save power at a SL RX UE while minimizing data loss at the SL RX UE.

Fig. 6 illustrates a plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools for SL RX and/or SL TX of a service.

The SL Tx UE may be configured with n SL Tx RP { RP1,..rpn } and a corresponding CBR threshold { CBR1,..cbrn } for sequentially populating the usage mechanism. The configuration may be provided to the SL TX UE via a broadcast System Information Block (SIB), dedicated signaling, or pre-configuration. The pre-configuration may include operator provided pre-configuration or application provided pre-configuration. According to the sequential fill usage mechanism, if CBR in RPi is greater than or equal to CBRi and CBR in RP (i+1) is lower than CBR (i+1) (1 < =i < n), the SL TX UE may perform SL TX of the service in RP (i+1). Note that CBRn of the last RPn may not be required or may be set to 100%.

To save power consumption while minimizing data loss at the SL RX UE, it may be proposed to implement a sequential fill monitoring mechanism by the SL RX UE.

It should be understood that in this disclosure, the sequential fill monitoring mechanism refers to the RX side, and the sequential fill usage mechanism refers to the TX side.

When the SL RX UE detects n SL TX RPs and n SL RX RPs (i.e., { RP1,., RPn } each RP is either the SL TX RP, also SL RX RP) and/or when the SL TX UE implements a sequential fill usage mechanism for the serving TX, the SL RX UE may determine to activate the sequential fill monitoring mechanism. This is contemplated in the field of services provided by one or more coordinated Public Land Mobile Networks (PLMNs).

Alternatively, the SL RX UE may determine to deactivate the sequential fill monitoring mechanism when the SL RX UE does not detect a one-to-one mapping between n SL TX RPs and n SL RX RPs (i.e., { RP1,..rpn } at least one RP is not the SL TX RP or the SL RX RP) and/or when the SL TX UE does not implement a sequential fill usage mechanism for the serving TX. It should be appreciated that when the sequential fill monitoring mechanism is disabled, the n SL RX RPs may all be monitored.

The SL TX UE may be configured with CBR thresholds { CBR1,., CBRn } for using n SL TX RP { RP1,., RPn }.

The SL RX UE may be configured with CBR thresholds { CBR1',..cbrn ' } for monitoring the n SL RX RP { RP 1',...

Based on the CBR threshold { CBR1,..cbrn } and/or QoS requirements, the SL RX UE may derive a CBR threshold { CBR1',..cbrn' }. QoS requirements may include a required priority, a required Packet Error Rate (PER), and/or traffic periodicity. To minimize packet loss at the SL RX UE, the CBR threshold { CBR1',..cbrn' } may be less than or equal to the CBR threshold { CBR 1...

In example options, the SL RX UE may be configured with a CBR threshold offset { CBR,..cbrn } to derive a CBR threshold { CBR1',..cbrn ' } (e.g., CBRi ' = (CBRi-CBRi)) based on the CBR threshold { CBR1,..cbrn } and the CBR threshold offset { CBR,..cbrn }. CBR threshold offset { CBR,. Cbrn } may be based on QoS requirements.

First, the SL RX UE may monitor RP1 and RP2. The SL RX UE may monitor RP3 in addition to RP1 and RP2 only if at least one of the following conditions is met:

(i) CBR in RP2 is greater than or equal to CBR2'.

(ii) The SL RX UE receives a service in RP2 during the last monitored time window with a number of SL RX exceeding the threshold number of SL TX N2. The time window may be preconfigured.

The SL TX number threshold N2 may be preconfigured.

(iii) The SL RX UE receives one or more indications from one or more SL TX UEs in RP1 or RP2 that indicate that the one or more SL TX UEs use RP3 for the serving SL TX. The one or more indications may be received by the SL RXUE in RP1 and/or RP2. This means that the SL TX UE may be configured to send an indication in RP1 and/or RP2 even if CBR in RP1 and RP2 measured by the SL TX UE exceeds CBR thresholds CBR1 and CBR 2. Note that in addition to or in lieu of RP1 and RP2, the SL TX UE and the SL RX UE may also be configured with one or more special or dedicated RP(s) for SL TX and RX of data and/or control information (including such indications) in special cases.

More generally, SL RX UE may monitor RP (i+1) (i > =2) in addition to RP1, …, RPi only if at least one of the following conditions is met:

(i) CBR in RP2 is greater than or equal to CBR2', CBR in RP3 is greater than or equal to CBR3',.

(ii) In the last monitoring time window, the SL TX number of the service received by the SL RX UE in RP2 exceeds the SL TX number threshold N2, in the last monitoring time window, the SL TX number of the service received by the SL RX UE in RP3 exceeds the SL TX number threshold N3.

(iii) The SL RX UE receives one or more indications from one or more SL TX UEs in RP1 or RP2, which indicate that the one or more SL TX UEs use RP (i+1) for the serving SL TX. This means that the SL TX UE may be configured to send an indication in RP1 and/or RP2 even if CBR in RP1 and RP2 measured by the SL TX UE exceeds CBR thresholds CBR1 and CBR 2. Note that in addition to or in lieu of RP1 and RP2, the SL TX UE and SL RX UE may also be configured with one or more special or dedicated RP(s) for SL TX and RX of data and/or control information (including such indications) in special cases. Further, if i is greater than the minimum index, the SL TX UE may be configured to send an indication. The minimum index may be set to

The numbers in { 2..sup., (n-1) }.

It is to be understood that conditions (i), (ii) and (iii) may be used alone or in combination. The order of combination may be different. For example, condition (i) may be evaluated before condition (ii). In another example, condition (ii) may be evaluated before condition (i).

Upon monitoring { RP1,..rpi }, the SL RX UE may detect that conditions (i), (ii) and/or (iii) associated with RPk (2 < k < i) are no longer valid. The SL RX UE may then no longer monitor { RPk,..rpi }.

Fig. 7 shows a block diagram of a method for monitoring multiple sequentially ordered RPs for a SL RX for a service, the method being performed, for example, by a SL RX UE.

In step 1, the SL RX UE may activate the sequential fill monitoring mechanism on { RP1,..rpn }.

In step 2, the SL RX UE may derive a CBR threshold { CBR1',..cbrn } based on the CBR threshold { CBR1,..cbrn >.

In step 3, the SL RX UE may monitor { RP1,..rpi } (i < n). The initial value of i may be set to 2.

In step 4, the SL RX UE may determine whether at least one of conditions (i), (ii), or (iii) is satisfied. If none of conditions (i), (ii) or (iii) are met, the method may return to step 3. If at least one of conditions (i), (ii) or (iii) is met, the method may proceed to step 5.

In step 5, the SL RX UE may monitor { RP1,..rpi, RP (i+1) }. The SL RX UE may set the value of i to i+1. The method may return to step 3.

The sequential fill monitoring mechanism may be configured for a particular service, a particular service group, or a particular UE group.

The configuration of the sequential fill monitoring mechanism may be provided by the serving network to the SL RX UE. For SL TX UEs, the configuration for the sequential fill monitoring mechanism may be provided to the SL RX UE via common signaling or dedicated signaling or pre-configuration. The pre-configuration may include operator provided pre-configuration or application provided pre-configuration. The configuration for the sequential fill monitoring mechanism may include CBR thresholds { CBR1,..cbrn }, CBR thresholds { CBR1',..cbrn' }, and/or CBR threshold offsets { CBR1,., CBRn } and/or thresholds { N1,., nn }. Note that CBRn threshold, CBRn' threshold, CBRn threshold offset, and/or Nn for the last RPn may not be required or may be set to 100%, 0%, or unlimited, respectively.

In case that the SL RX UE monitors RP (i+1) due to condition (ii) being met but condition (i) not being met (i.e. the number of SL TX of the service received in RPi by the SL RX UE in the last monitoring time window exceeds the SL TX number threshold Ni, but CBR in RPi is smaller than CBRi'), the SL RX UE may monitor RP (i+1) completely (continuously) or partly (periodically) according to the QoS requirements (PER, priority and/or traffic periodicity) of the service and/or CBR in RPi.

Complete (continuous) monitoring means uninterrupted monitoring. Partial (periodic) monitoring means monitoring with interruption, for example, monitoring with a duty cycle (for example, 20ms every 80 ms). The duty cycle may be adapted based on whether and to what extent the SL TX of the service was received (i.e., the number of SL TX of the service received by the SL RX UE).

In case Ni equals 1, the monitoring time window may be ignored, which means that the SL RX UE may start monitoring RP (i+1) as soon as it receives the SL TX of the service in RPi. The SL RX UE may then determine which monitoring option of RP (i+1) to use (i.e., full (continuous) monitoring or partial (periodic) monitoring). For example, if CBR in RPi is below a threshold (much below CBRi') and/or the required PER is greater than a threshold, then SL RX UE may employ partial (periodic) monitoring.

CBR in RP (i+1) seen by the Rx UE may be based on CBR measurements in RP (i+1) by the SL Rx UE and/or CBR measurements in RP (i+1) by other UEs in the vicinity of the SL Rx UE. CBR measurements for other UEs in the vicinity of the SL RX UE may be received by the SL RX UE in the SL message.

CBR measurements by SL RX UEs in RP (i+1) may be reduced based on whether they use full (continuous) monitoring or partial (periodic) monitoring in RP (i+1). For example, SL RX UE may use partial monitoring in RP (i+1). CBR measurements for SL RX UEs may be skipped every N slots (e.g., every 2 slots) or a reduced averaging window (e.g., 50 slots instead of the conventional 100 slots) may be used. CBR measurements by SL RX UEs in RP (i+1) may then be reduced.

CBR measurements in RP (i+1) for SL RX UEs may be reduced based on CBR measurements in RPi. For example, if the CBR measurement in RPi is below a threshold below CBRi', partial monitoring may be used. Otherwise, full monitoring may be used. It is noted that for different levels or resolutions of partial monitoring, more than one threshold under CBRi' may be configured for SL RX UEs.

The indication received by the SL RX UE in RP1 or RP2 from the SL TX UE (to indicate that the SL TX UE uses RP (i+1) for the SL TX of the service) may indicate the index of the highest RP among { RP1, RPi, RPn } that the SL TX UE uses for the SL TX of the service.

The sequential fill monitoring mechanism may be used by SL RX UEs for a particular UE group. A particular member of the UE group may agree in advance to use a set of RPs or child RPs for SL TX/RX within the UE group. This may be based on distributed coordination or centralized coordination. SL TX UEs may use SL multicasting within the UE group in RP1 or RP2 to indicate the use of RP (i+1).

Fig. 8 shows a block diagram of a method for monitoring a plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools to receive a service, the method being performed, for example, by a SL RX UE.

In step 800, the SL RX UE may monitor an RP of a plurality of sequentially ordered RPs for the serving RX.

In step 802, the SL RX UE may determine that at least one condition associated with the RP is satisfied.

In step 804, the SL RX UE may monitor a subsequent RP of the plurality of sequentially ordered RPs for the serving RX.

The at least one condition may include: the load on the RP is above a first load threshold; the number of TX received via the RP within the time window is above a TX number threshold; or an indication received via the RP to indicate use of a subsequent RP for transmission of the service.

The first load threshold may be used to evaluate RP by the SL RX UE and may be different than the second load threshold configured to evaluate RP by the SL TX UE.

The first load threshold may be determined based on the second load threshold.

The first load threshold may be further determined based on the QoS requirements.

QoS requirements may include at least one of: priority, packet error rate, or traffic periodicity.

The second load threshold and/or QoS requirements may be received from the serving network and/or may be preconfigured.

The second load threshold and/or QoS requirements may be received from the serving network through common signaling and/or dedicated signaling.

The second load threshold and/or QoS requirements may be preconfigured by the operator and/or the application.

Prior to steps 800, 802, and 804, the SL RX UE may determine that there is a one-to-one relationship between the plurality of sequentially ordered RPs for the serving RX and the plurality of sequentially ordered RPs for the serving TX.

Prior to step 800, step 802, and step 804, the SL RX UE may determine that the service is a particular service or belongs to a particular service group.

Prior to step 800, step 802, and step 804, the SL RX UE may determine that the SL RX UE is located in a particular region or belongs to a particular UE group.

Monitoring a subsequent RP of the plurality of sequentially ordered RPs for the serving RX may include: successive ones of the plurality of sequentially ordered RPs for the serving RX are continuously or periodically monitored.

The load on the RP may be measured by the SL RX UE.

The load on the RP may be measured by another UE and received by the SL RX UE.

The plurality of sequentially ordered RPs may include three or more RPs.

Monitoring the RP of the plurality of sequentially ordered RPs for the RX of the service may include: the lowest RP and/or the next lowest RP of the plurality of sequentially ordered RPs for the serving RX is monitored.

Multiple sequentially ordered RPs may be used for the serving SL RX and/or the serving SL TX.

The SL RX UE may determine that at least one condition associated with the resource pool is no longer met. The SL RX UE may no longer monitor the subsequent RP of the multiple sequentially ordered RPs of the RX for service.

Fig. 9 shows a block diagram of a method of using multiple sequentially ordered resource pools for transmission of a service, the method being performed, for example, by a SL TX UE.

In step 900, the SL TX UE may use an RP of a plurality of sequentially ordered RPs for the serving TX.

In step 902, the SL TX UE may transmit an indication via one or more RPs configured to transmit an indication indicating use of a subsequent RP for the TX for the service.

In step 904, the SL TX UE may use the subsequent RP of the TX for the service.

The indication may indicate a highest RP of the plurality of sequentially ordered RPs that is used by the SL TX UE for the serving TX.

The one or more RPs configured to send the indication may be part of a plurality of sequentially ordered RPs.

The one or more RPs configured to send the indication may include: among the multiple sequentially ordered RPs, the lowest RP or next lowest RP of the TX used by the SL TX UE for service.

The one or more RPs configured to send the indication may not be part of a plurality of sequentially ordered RPs.

Fig. 10 shows a schematic representation of non-volatile storage media 1000a (e.g., a Computer Disk (CD) or Digital Versatile Disk (DVD)) and 1000b (e.g., a Universal Serial Bus (USB) memory stick) storing instructions and/or parameters 1002, which instructions and/or parameters 1002, when executed by a processor, allow the processor to perform one or more steps of the methods of fig. 8 and 9.

Note that while the above describes example embodiments, various changes and modifications may be made to the disclosed solution without departing from the scope of the invention.

It should be appreciated that while the concepts described above have been discussed in the context of 5GS, one or more of these concepts may be applied to other cellular systems.

The embodiments may thus vary within the scope of the attached claims. In general, some embodiments may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic or any combination thereof. For example, although embodiments are not limited in this regard, some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor or other computing device. While various embodiments may be illustrated and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other pictorial representation, it is well understood that these blocks, apparatus, systems, techniques or methods described herein may be implemented in, as non-limiting examples, hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

The embodiments may be implemented by computer software stored in a memory and executable by at least one data processor of the relevant entity, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. Further in this regard, it should be noted that any program (e.g., the programs in fig. 8 and 9) may represent program steps, or interconnected logic circuits, blocks and functions, or a combination of program steps and logic circuits, blocks and functions. The software may be stored on such physical media as memory chips or memory blocks implemented within a processor, magnetic media (such as hard or floppy disks) and optical media (such as DVDs and their data variants CDs).

The memory may be of any type suitable to the local technical environment and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory and removable memory. The data processor may be of any type suitable to the local technical environment and may include, as non-limiting examples, one or more of a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a microprocessor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a gate level circuit, and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture.

Alternatively or additionally, some embodiments may be implemented using circuitry. Circuitry may be configured to perform one or more of the functions and/or method steps described previously. Circuitry may be provided in the base station and/or the communication device.

As used in this application, the term "circuitry" may refer to one or more or all of the following:

(a) Pure hardware circuit implementations (such as implementations in analog and/or digital circuitry only), and

(b) A combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as:

(i) Combination of analog and/or digital hardware circuit(s) and software/firmware, and

(ii) Any portion of the hardware processor(s) (including digital signal processor (s)) having software, and memory(s) that work together to cause an apparatus (such as a communication device or base station) to perform the various aforementioned functions; and

(c) Hardware circuit(s) and/or processor(s), such as microprocessor(s) or a portion of microprocessor(s), that require software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but software may not be present when software is not required for operation.

The definition of circuitry applies to all uses of this term in this application, including in any claims. As another example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also encompasses an implementation of only a hardware circuit or processor (or processors) or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and/or firmware. The term circuitry also encompasses, for example, an integrated device.

The foregoing description has provided by way of exemplary and non-limiting examples a complete and informative description of some embodiments. However, various modifications and adaptations may become apparent to those skilled in the relevant arts in view of the foregoing description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims. However, all such and similar modifications of the teachings will still fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer code for one or more programs, the at least one memory and the computer code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:

monitoring a resource pool of a plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools for receipt of a service;

determining that at least one condition associated with the resource pool is satisfied; and

a subsequent resource pool of the plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools for receipt of the service is monitored.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one condition comprises:

the load on the resource pool is above a first load threshold;

the number of transmissions received via the resource pool within a time window is above a number of transmissions threshold; or alternatively

An indication received via the resource pool is used to indicate use of a subsequent resource pool for transmission of the service.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first load threshold is for evaluating the resource pool by a receiving apparatus and is different from a second load threshold configured for evaluating the resource pool by a transmitting apparatus.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the first load threshold is determined based on the second load threshold.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the first load threshold is further determined based on a quality of service requirement.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the quality of service requirements comprise at least one of: priority, packet error rate, or traffic periodicity.

7. The apparatus according to any of claims 3 to 6, wherein the second load threshold and/or the quality of service requirement is received from a serving network and/or preconfigured.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the second load threshold and/or the quality of service requirement is received from the serving network via common signaling and/or dedicated signaling.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the second load threshold and/or the quality of service requirement is preconfigured by an operator and/or an application.

10. The apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 9, wherein the at least one memory and the computer code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:

Before monitoring the resource pool, determining the at least one condition, and monitoring the subsequent resource pool, determining that there is a one-to-one relationship between the plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools for receipt of the service and the plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools for transmission of the service.

11. The apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 10, wherein the at least one memory and the computer code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:

before monitoring the resource pool, determining the at least one condition, and monitoring the subsequent resource pool, determining that the service is a particular service or belongs to a particular service group.

12. The apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 11, wherein the at least one memory and the computer code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:

before monitoring the resource pool, determining the at least one condition, and monitoring the subsequent resource pool, it is determined that the device is located in a particular area or belongs to a particular group of devices.

13. The apparatus of any of claims 1-12, wherein monitoring the subsequent resource pool of the plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools for receipt of the service comprises: the subsequent resource pool of the plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools for receipt of the service is continuously or periodically monitored.

14. The apparatus of any of claims 1-13, wherein the load on the resource pool is measured by the apparatus.

15. The apparatus of any of claims 1-13, wherein the load on the resource pool is measured by another apparatus and received by the apparatus.

16. The apparatus of any of claims 1-15, wherein the plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools comprises three or more resource pools.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein monitoring a resource pool of a plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools for receipt of a service comprises: the lowest resource pool and/or the next lowest resource pool of the plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools for receipt of the service is monitored.

18. The apparatus of any of claims 1-17, wherein the plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools are used for side chain reception of the service.

19. The apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 18, wherein the at least one memory and the computer code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:

determining that the at least one condition associated with the resource pool is no longer satisfied; and

The subsequent resource pool of the plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools for receipt of the service is no longer monitored.

20. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer code for one or more programs, the at least one memory and the computer code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:

using a resource pool of a plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools for transmission of a service;

transmitting an indication via one or more resource pools configured for transmitting the indication, the indication to indicate use of a subsequent resource pool for transmission of the service; and

the subsequent resource pool for transmission of the service is used.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the indication is to indicate a highest resource pool of the plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools used by the apparatus for transmission of the service.

22. The apparatus of claim 20 or claim 21, wherein the one or more resource pools configured to transmit the indication are part of the plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the one or more resource pools configured to transmit the indication comprise: the lowest or next lowest resource pool of the plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools used by the apparatus for transmission of the service.

24. The apparatus of claim 20 or claim 21, wherein the one or more resource pools configured to send the indication are not part of the plurality of sequentially ordered resource pools.

25. A method, comprising:

26. A method, comprising:

transmitting an indication via one or more resource pools configured to transmit the indication, the indication indicating use of a subsequent resource pool for transmission of the service; and

the subsequent resource pool for transmission of the service is used.

27. A computer program comprising computer-executable instructions which, when run on one or more processors, perform the steps of the method of claim 25 or claim 26.