RU2814210C1 - Method and device for controlling sidelink, communication device and data medium - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: communication equipment.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to communication. Method of sidelink (SL) control includes response of the first UE to the first timer configured to start after the SL transmission, and monitoring the SL channel for the duration of the countdown triggered by the first timer. Consequently, after the first UE sends the transmission over the SL, the activity time of the first UE can be extended, so that the first UE can monitor the SL channel during the duration of the first timer countdown, thus, the probability of loss of data and/or signals sent by the UE at the opposite end over the SL channel can be reduced.

EFFECT: improved quality of communication with SL.

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Description

Field of technology to which the invention relates

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of communication technology, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for direct connection control, direct connection control, communication device and storage medium.

Prerequisites for creating the invention

[0002] To maintain direct communication between one User Equipment (UE) and another UE, a SideLink (SL) communication model is introduced. The interface between the UEs can be PC-5. According to the correspondence between the transmitting UE and the receiving UE, three transmission models are supported in SL, i.e. unicast, multicast and broadcast.

[0003] To save power consumption of the UE, the network may configure a Discontinuous Reception (DRX) mode for the UE. The UE monitors the channel only during wake-up and does not need to monitor the channel at other times. Thus, when a UE sends a data packet to a peer UE and the peer UE returns a data packet to the UE, there is a possibility that the UE will not be able to receive the data packet returned by the peer UE.

The essence of the invention

[0004] Embodiments of the present invention implement a method and apparatus for direct connection control, a communication device, and a storage medium.

[0005] In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, a forward connection control method is provided which is performed by a first user equipment (UE) and includes: in response to configuration with a first timer that starts timing after SL transmission, monitoring the SL channel for duration of the time count started by the first timer.

[0006] In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a direct link (SL) control apparatus applied to a first user equipment (UE), comprising: a control module configured such that, in response to configuration with a first timer, which starts counting time after SL transmission, monitor the SL channel for the duration of the countdown started by the first timer.

[0007] In accordance with a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communication device comprising a processor and a memory for storing instructions executed by the processor. The processor is configured to implement the SL control method in accordance with any of the embodiments of the present invention when executing executable instructions.

[0008] In accordance with a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer storage medium on which is stored a computer-executable program that, when executed by a processor, causes the implementation of an SL control method according to any of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0009] The technical solution presented in the embodiments of the present invention includes the following beneficial effects.

[0010] In embodiments of the present invention, in response to the first timer being configured to start timing after SL transmission, the first UE monitors the SL channel for the timing duration triggered by the first timer. Thus, in embodiments of the present invention, the active time of the first UE may be extended after the first UE sends an SL transmission, for example, after the first UE sends data and/or signaling based on the SL, so that the first UE can monitor the channel SL during extended activity time. In this way, the first UE will be able to receive data and/or signaling returned by the peer UE on the SL channel, thereby reducing the probability of losing data and/or signaling sent by the peer UE on the SL channel, increasing the probability that the first UE will successfully receive the data and/ or signaling sent by the peer UE and the quality of communication with the SL is improved.

[0011] It is understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are examples only and are not intended to limit the embodiments of the present invention.

Brief description of drawings

[0012] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a wireless communication system.

[0013] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a direct connection control method according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

[0014]

[0015] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a direct connection control method according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

[0016] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a direct connection control method according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

[0017] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a direct connection control method according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

[0018] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a direct connection control method according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

[0019] FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a direct connection control method according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

[0020] FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a direct connection control method according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

[0021] FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a direct connection control method according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

0022] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a direct connection control method according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

[0023] FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a direct connection control method according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

[0024] FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating an apparatus for controlling a direct communication connection according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

[0025] FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating a user equipment according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

[0026] FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating a base station according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

Detailed description

[0027] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, examples are illustrated in the drawings. When the following description refers to the accompanying drawings, the same or similar elements are designated by the same reference numerals throughout the different drawings unless otherwise indicated. The implementations described in the following embodiments do not represent all implementations that are consistent with the embodiments of the present invention. Rather, they are only examples of devices and methods that are consistent with certain aspects of the embodiments of the present invention as described in the accompanying claims.

[0028] The terms used in the embodiments of the present invention are intended only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the embodiments of the present invention. As used in the embodiments and the accompanying claims, the singular forms are intended to also include plural forms unless the context clearly requires otherwise. It should also be understood that the term “and/or” as used herein includes any and all possible combinations of one or more of the related listed elements.

[0029] It should be understood that although embodiments of the present invention may use the terms “first,” “second,” “third,” and the like to describe various information, such information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one type of information from another. For example, without departing from the embodiments of the present invention, the first information may also be referred to as second information, and likewise, the second information may also be referred to as first information. Depending on the context, the word "if" used here can be interpreted as "at the time," "when," or "in response to the definition."

[0030] Referring to FIG. 1, which is a diagram of a wireless communication system according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the wireless communication system is a communication system based on mobile communication technology, and the wireless communication system may include multiple user equipment 110 and multiple base stations 120.

[0031] User equipment 110 may be a device that provides communications to transmit voice and/or data to the user. The software user equipment may communicate with one or more core networks via a Radio Access Network (RAN), and the user equipment 110 may be an Internet of Things (IoT) user equipment such as a sensor, a mobile phone (also called cell phone) and computers with IoT user equipment. For example, user equipment 110 may be stationary, portable, handheld, portable, computer-integrated, or vehicle-mounted devices. For example, user equipment 110 may be a station (ST A), subscriber unit, subscriber station, mobile station, mobile console, remote station, access point, remote terminal, access terminal, user terminal, user agent, user device, or user equipment . Alternatively, user equipment 110 may also be equipment of an unmanned aerial vehicle. Alternatively, user equipment 110 may also be a vehicle-mounted device, such as a trip computer with wireless communication capability, or a wireless user device externally connected to the trip computer. Alternatively, user equipment 110 may also be a roadside device, such as a street lamp, signal light, or other roadside devices with wireless communication functionality.

[0032] Base station 120 may be a network device in a wireless communication system. The wireless communication system may be a fourth generation (4G) mobile communication system, also known as a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system. Alternatively, the wireless communication system may also be a 5th generation (5G) system, also known as a new 5G radio system or a New Radio (NR) system. Alternatively, the wireless communication system may also be a next generation system after the 5G system. The access network in the 5G system can be called a new generation radio access network (NG-RAN).

[0033] The base station 120 may be an evolved Node B (eNB) adopted in the 4G system. Alternatively, base station 120 may also be a next generation node B (gNode B, gNB) that uses a centralized distributed architecture in a 5G system. When base station 120 employs a centralized distributed architecture, it typically includes a central unit (CU, Central Unit) and at least two distributed units (DU, Distributed Unit). The central unit is equipped with protocol stacks for the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCD), Radio Link Control (RLC), and Media Access Control (MAC). The central unit is provided with a physical (PHYsical) layer protocol stack, and the specific implementation method of the base station 120 is not limited in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0034] A wireless connection may be established between the base station 120 and the user equipment 110 via a wireless air interface. In various embodiments of the invention, the wireless radio interface is a wireless radio interface based on a 4th generation (4G) mobile network technology standard. Alternatively, the wireless radio interface is a wireless radio interface based on a technology standard for 5th generation (5G) mobile communications networks, such as New Radio. Alternatively, the wireless radio interface may also be a wireless radio interface based on a technical standard for a next-generation mobile communication network based on 5G.

[0035] In some embodiments, an end-to-end (E2E) connection may also be established between instances of user equipment 110. For example, in the Vehicle to Vehicle (V2V), Vehicle to Infrastructure (V2I), Vehicle to Pedestrian (V2P) and Vehicle to Everything scenarios Everything, V2X).

[0036] Here, the above-mentioned user equipment can be considered as terminal equipment in the following embodiments of the invention.

[0037] In some embodiments of the invention, the aforementioned wireless communication system may further include a network management device 130.

[0038] Several base stations 120 are respectively connected to the network management device 130. The network management device 130 may be a core network device in a wireless communication system. For example, network management device 130 may be a Mobility Management Entity (MME). Alternatively, the network management device may also be another core network device, such as a Serving GateWay (SGW), a Public Data Network GateWay (PGW), a Policy and Charging Functional Entity (POE). And Charging Rules Function, PCRF) or home subscriber server (Home Subscriber Server, HSS), etc. The implementation form of the network management device 130 is not limited in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0039] To better understand the technical solution described in any embodiment of the present invention, SL communication is first described.

[0040] At the User to Network interface universal (Uu), the network may configure the DRX mode for the UE, and the DRX configuration may include at least one of the following: inactivity timer, active timer, duration, start offset , the uplink Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest (HARQ) Round-Trip Time (RTT) timer, the downlink HARQ RTT timer, the uplink retransmission timer, and downlink retransmission timer. The uplink HARQ RTT timer and the downlink HARQ RTT timer represent the number of symbols, and the uplink retransmission timer and the downlink retransmission timer represent the number of time slots. Duration, start offset, and activity timer can be used together to determine when the activity timer cycle begins.

[0041] In response to receiving Downlink Control Information (DCI) carrying its own Cell-Radio Network Temporary Identifier (C-RNTI) on the Physical Downlink Control Channel, PDCCH), the UE starts an inactivity timer. In response to receiving a Medium Access Control (MAC) Protocol Data Unit (PDU), the UE sends a feedback indication to the base station and starts the downlink HARQ RTT timer after sending the feedback indication. In response to the expiration of the downlink HARQ RTT timer, the UE starts the downlink retransmission timer. In response to a transmission on the Physical Uplink Shared Control Channel (PUSCH), the UE starts the uplink HARQ RTT timer. In response to the expiration of the uplink HARQ RTT timer, the UE starts the uplink retransmission timer.

[0042] The UE monitors the PDCCH only during activity, and the UE does not need to monitor the PDCCH at other times, which saves resource consumption. The active duration includes the duration of an active timer, an inactivity timer, an uplink retransmission timer, and/or a downlink retransmission timer. In the existing DXR mechanism, after the UE sends a transmission, the UE's active time will not be extended. However, when communicating over SL, the service has bidirectional characteristics. For example, after UE1 sends a data packet to UE2, it is likely that UE2 will return the data packet to UE1 as a response. Thus, if the active time of UE1 cannot be extended, it is very likely that UE1 will not be able to receive the data packet that UE2 responded to.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 2, embodiments of the present invention provide an SL control method that is performed by the first UE and includes:

[0044] Step S21, in response to configuration with a first timer that starts timing after SL transmission, monitoring the SL channel for the duration of the timing started by the first timer.

[0045] In some embodiments, the first UE may be various mobile terminals or fixed terminals. For example, the first UE may be, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a computer, a server, a wearable device, a game management platform, a multimedia device, or the like.

[0046] In some embodiments, the first UE may be a UE that establishes SL communication with any other UE. For example, the first UE may be a UE that establishes SL communication with the second UE. The second UE here may also be various mobile terminals or fixed terminals. For example, the second UE may be, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a computer, a server, a wearable device, a game management platform, a multimedia device, or the like.

[0047] In some embodiments, in step S21, the response to the first timer configured to start after SL transmission may be a response to the first timer configured to start after sending data and/or signaling on the SL. Sending data and/or signaling over SL here may also be sending SL transmission over SL or sending SL data and/or SL signaling over SL and the like.

[0048] In other embodiments of the invention, in step S21, the response to the first timer configured to start after transmission on the SL may be a response to the first timer configured to start after sending the MAC PDU on the SL. In embodiments of the present invention, the SL MAC PDU may be sent by the first UE on the SL. Here, SL data and/or SL signaling may be carried and sent in the SL MAC PDU. For example, data to be sent by the first UE is combined into a MAC PDU, and the MAC PDU is sent to the peer UE based on SL.

[0049] In some embodiments, SL control includes, but is not limited to: Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH) control and/or Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSSCH) control ). In embodiments of the present invention, after the first UE sends data and/or signaling on the SL, if the first UE is configured with a first timer, the first UE may monitor SL transmission on the PSCCH and/or PSSCH within the timing duration of the first timer. The SL transmission here includes SL data and/or SL signaling and the like. In some embodiments, the SL transmission also includes an SL MAC PDU.

[0050] In one embodiment, the above-mentioned step S21 may monitor the SL channel for a timing duration triggered by the first timer, in response to configuration with a first timer that triggers timing after transmission of the SL on the PSCCH.

[0051] In other embodiments, the above-mentioned step S21 may monitor the SL channel for a timing duration triggered by the first timer, in response to configuration with a first timer that triggers timing after transmission of the SL on the PSSCH.

[0052] The SL control method proposed in embodiments of the present invention may include starting a first timer in response to the first timer being configured to start after SL transmission, and monitoring the SL channel for a timing duration of the first timer. In embodiments of the present invention, if the first timer is configured for the first UE, the first timer may be started so that the first UE can monitor the SL channel for the duration of the countdown started by the first timer.

[0053] The SL control method proposed in embodiments of the present invention may include starting a first timer in response to an SL transmission. For example, the first UE starts the first timer in response to the first timer being configured to start after an SL transmission and sending an SL transmission on the SL. Thus, in embodiments of the present invention, if the first UE is configured with a first timer, the first timer may be started after the SL transmission, so that the first UE can monitor the SL channel for the duration of the timing started by the first timer.

[0054] In embodiments of the present invention, the first UE may send an SL transmission to a peer UE over the SL through one of unicast, multicast, and broadcast. Here, the peer UE may be any one UE or multiple UEs.

[0055] In embodiments of the present invention, after the first UE sends a transmission over the SL, for example, after the first UE sends data and/or signaling over the SL, the first UE's active time may be extended so that the first UE can monitor SL channel during extended active time. Thus, it is possible for the first UE to receive data and/or signaling returned by the peer UE via the SL channel, which reduces the likelihood of loss of data and/or signaling sent by the peer UE via the SL, increasing the likelihood that the first UE will successfully receive the data and/or signaling. or signaling sent by the peer UE and improving the quality of communication with the SL.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 3, embodiments of the present invention provide an SL control method that is executed by the first UE and includes: [0057] step S31: starting a first timer in response to receiving a feedback indication returned after SL transmission.

[0058] The feedback indication here may be any SL transmission returned based on the SL transmission sent by the first UE on the SL, which is not limited here. The SL transmission here may include SL data and/or SL signaling.

[0059] In some embodiments of the invention, the above-mentioned step S31 may start the first timer in response to the first timer being configured to start after transmission of the SL and receiving a feedback indication returned after transmission of the SL.

[0060] In embodiments of the present invention, the timer may start after the first UE receives a feedback indication returned based on the first UE's transmission. Thus, the first UE starts the post-transmission timer only when the peer UE is likely to send an SL transmission to the first UE, so that the power consumption of the first UE can be further saved under the condition that the first UE receives the SL transmission sent by the peer UE.

[0061] In other embodiments of the invention, the SL control method may also include not starting the first timer in response to failure to receive a feedback indication returned after SL transmission within a predetermined time range. Thus, in embodiments of the present invention, if the first UE does not receive a feedback indication from the peer UE, it may be assumed that the peer UE will not send an SL transmission to the first UE, and the first UE may not start the first timer so that the first UE does not extend the time activity, that is, the power consumption of the first UE can be further saved.

[0062] In other embodiments of the invention, the SL control method may also include resending an SL transmission across the SL in response to failure to receive a feedback indication returned after the SL transmission within a predetermined time range. SL transmission here includes, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: SL data, SL signaling, and an SL MAC PDU. Thus, in embodiments of the present invention, the probability of successfully sending an SL transmission by the first UE can be improved, so that the communication quality of the SL can be improved.

[0063] It should be noted that those skilled in the art may appreciate that the method presented in the embodiments of the present invention may be performed independently or in conjunction with certain other methods of the embodiments of the present invention or certain methods of the related art.

[0064] As shown in FIG. 4, embodiments of the present invention provides an SL control method that is applied to a first UE and includes:

[0065] Step S41: Start the first timer after sending the SL MAC PDU.

[0066] For example, after sending an SL MAC PDU on the SL, the first UE starts the first timer. Here, the first UE is configured with a first timer.

[0067] Here, the MAC PDU may include a destination address. The destination address here can be used to indicate the address of the UE to which the SL transmission is sent.

[0068] Thus, in embodiments of the present invention, the first timer may be started only after the first UE sends an SL MAC PDU, which may increase the probability that the first UE will successfully receive an SL transmission sent by a peer UE and improve quality connection with SL. In addition, if the MAC PDU further includes a destination address, it can also be used to determine whether the peer UE to which the first UE sends an SL transmission based on the SL is the UE that correctly receives the SL transmission.

[0069] It should be noted that those skilled in the art will appreciate that the method presented in the embodiments of the present invention may be performed independently or in conjunction with certain other methods of the embodiments of the present invention or certain methods of the related art.

[0070] As shown in FIG. 5, embodiments of the present invention provide an SL control method that is applied to a first UE and includes: [0071] step S51: starting a second timer after sending an SL MAC PDU;

[0072] Step S52: Start the first timer after the second timer has expired.

[0073] In one embodiment of the invention, the first UE may monitor the SL channel during the timing duration of the first timer, and the first UE does not monitor the SL channel during the timing duration of the second timer. The second timer here can only be used to count down time. For example, a second timer is used to determine when to start the first timer, and if the second timer times out and it is determined that the first timer's starting time has been reached, the first timer is started.

[0074] In another embodiment of the invention, the second timer may be a receive timer indicating feedback, and the feedback indication may be received within the scope of the second timer.

[0075] Of course, in other embodiments of the invention, the second timer may also be a timer indicating any predetermined time. For example, the predetermined time may be less than or equal to the time during which the peer UE analyzes the SL transmission sent by the first UE, or less than or equal to the time when the peer UE prepares to send the SL transmission after receiving the SL transmission from the first UE, etc. .

[0076] The SL control method proposed in embodiments of the present invention may include starting a first timer in response to reaching a predetermined time after sending the SL MAC PDU. The predetermined time here may be the timing duration of the second timer in the above-mentioned embodiments.

[0077] For example, in embodiments of the present invention, the first UE does not start the first timer immediately after transmitting the SL, for example, after sending the SL MAC PDU; instead, the first UE starts the second timer and then starts the first timer after the second timer expires. Thus, the first UE may reserve a timeout, for example, may wait for the peer UE to parse and receive an SL MAC PDU sent by the first UE to monitor the SL channel after the reserved timeout.

[0078] In embodiments of the present invention, the first UE may start the first timer only after a predetermined time has been reached after sending the SL MAC PDU. Thus, the first UE can send the corresponding SL transmission after waiting for the peer UE to perform the corresponding operations after receiving the SL MAC PDU, so that the first UE does not wake up long before the peer UE has sent the corresponding SL transmission. Thus, in embodiments of the present invention, the active time of the first UE can be shortened, and it is ensured that the first UE can control SL transmission on the SL channel, which can further save power consumption of the first UE and improve the SL communication quality of the first UE.

[0079] It should be noted that those skilled in the art may appreciate that the method presented in the embodiments of the present invention may be performed independently or in conjunction with certain other methods of the embodiments of the present invention or certain methods of the related art.

[0080] As shown in FIG. 6, embodiments of the present invention provide an SL control method that is performed by the first UE and includes:

[0081] Step S61: Determining the timing duration of the first timer.

[0082] Here, the timing duration of the first timer may be related to the destination address, that is, the destination address has a corresponding relationship with the timing duration of the first timer. Here, the timing duration of the first timer can also be associated with a logical channel, that is, the logical channel has a corresponding relationship with the timing duration of the first timer.

[0083] A logical channel here is a virtual channel that carries various types of information over a physical channel. For example, one physical channel may correspond to multiple logical channels, and different logical channels map different types of data and/or signaling to the physical channel.

[0084] In some embodiments, the destination address may include, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: a destination address of the second UE, a multicast address, and a broadcast address. Here, the second UE is a UE that establishes a unicast SL connection with first UE.

[0085] In embodiments of the present invention, the duration of the first timer may be determined such that the first UE monitors the SL channel only during the corresponding active time, thereby saving power consumption of the first UE.

[0086] It should be noted that those skilled in the art may appreciate that the method presented in the embodiments of the present invention may be performed independently or in conjunction with certain other methods of the embodiments of the present invention or certain methods of the related art.

[0087] As shown in FIG. 7, embodiments of the present invention provide an SL control method that is applied to a first UE and includes:

[0088] Step S71: Determining the duration of the first timer based on the SL transmission destination address.

[0089] Here, the destination address may include, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: a second UE address, a multicast address, and a broadcast address.

[0090] The SL control method proposed in embodiments of the present invention may include pre-configuring an SL transmission destination address and a first timer duration corresponding to the destination address.

[0091] For example, the first UE preconfiguring the SL transmission destination address and the first timer timing duration corresponding to the destination address may be the first UE configuring the SL transmission destination address and the first timer timing duration corresponding to the destination address, according to with the stored history information or the first UE configuring the SL transmission destination address and the timing duration of the first timer corresponding to the destination address according to the corresponding information in the communication protocol. Here, the history information may include at least a corresponding relationship between the SL transmission sent on the SL and the destination address and/or a corresponding relationship between the destination address and the duration of the first timer.

[0092] The SL control method proposed in embodiments of the present invention may include obtaining an SL transmission destination address and a first timer duration corresponding to the destination address, which are configured by the base station.

[0093] The base station here may be one of various types of base stations. For example, the base station may be, but is not limited to, a 3rd generation (3G) mobile network base station, a 4th generation (4G) mobile network base station, a 5th generation (5G) mobile network base station, or other subsequent base station. The base station here may also be a terrestrial network base station or a non-terrestrial network base station.

[0094] The SL control method proposed in embodiments of the present invention may include configuring an SL transmission destination address and a first timer duration corresponding to the destination address by an upper layer of the first UE.

[0095] For example, the upper layer of the first UE may be an application layer of the first UE.

[0096] Of course, in other embodiments, the pre-configuration or configuration of the SL transmission destination address and the timing duration of the first timer corresponding to the destination address may not be performed by the upper layer of the first UE.

[0097] The SL control method proposed in embodiments of the present invention may include receiving a destination address and a first timer duration that are sent by the second UE in response to the first UE establishing a unicast connection with the second UE. The destination address contains the address of the second UE.

[0098] For example, the first UE receiving a destination address and a first timer duration that are sent by a second UE may constitute the first UE receiving a destination address and a first timer duration that are sent by the second UE via a Radio Resource control message Control, RRC) SL, or the receipt by the first UE of the destination address and the duration of the first timer, which are sent by the second UE through the Control Element (CE) SL MAC.

[0099] In embodiments of the present invention, the first UE may determine the duration of the first timer based on the SL transmission destination address. Thus, in embodiments of the present invention, a configuration of different first timer timing durations for the destination addresses of different SL transmissions may be implemented, so that the first UE has corresponding active times for the different destination addresses. On the one hand, the power consumption of the first UE can be saved, and on the other hand, the first UE can adapt to extend the active time in more application scenarios based on SL transmission.

[00100] In addition, embodiments of the present invention also provide a plurality of methods for determining the destination address and a first timer timing duration corresponding to the destination address, which realizes a variety of methods for determining the timing duration of the first timer and adapts to more application scenarios in which the active time of the first UE is extended.

[00101] It should be noted that those skilled in the art may appreciate that the method presented in the embodiments of the present invention may be performed independently or in conjunction with certain other methods of the embodiments of the present invention or certain methods of the related art.

[00102] As shown in FIG. 8, embodiments of the present invention provide an SL control method that is performed by the first UE and includes:

[00103] Step S81: determining the duration of the first timer based on the logical channel corresponding to the SL transmission.

[00104] The SL control method proposed in embodiments of the present invention may include:

[00105] selecting, from the first timers in the plurality of logical channels, the longest timing duration as the timing duration of the first timer started after the SL transmission in response to the fact that the logical channel corresponding to the SL transmission is a plurality of logical channels configured with the first timers.

[00106] Here, an SL transmission sent over the SL, such as an SL MAC PDU, may be associated with a plurality of logical channels, where each logical channel is configured with one first timer. In embodiments of the present invention, if the SL transmission sent on the SL is associated with a plurality of logical channels, the longest timing duration may be selected from the first timers configured in the plurality of logical channels as the timing duration of the first timer started by the first UE.

[00107] The SL control method proposed in embodiments of the present invention may include:

[00108] pre-configuring the logical channel corresponding to the SL transmission and the timing duration of the first timer corresponding to the logical channel.

[00109] For example, the first UE pre-configuring a logical channel corresponding to an SL transmission and a first timer duration corresponding to the logical channel may be the first UE configuring a logical channel corresponding to an SL transmission and a first timer duration corresponding to the logical channel , according to the stored history information, or configuring by the first UE a logical channel corresponding to the SL transmission and a timing duration of the first timer corresponding to the logical channel, according to corresponding information in the communication protocol. The history information here may include at least a correspondence relationship between an SL transmission sent on the SL and a logical channel, and/or a corresponding relationship between a logical channel and a timing duration of the first timer.

[00110] In other embodiments of the invention, pre-configuring or configuring the logical channel for SL transmission and the timing duration of the first timer corresponding to the logical channel may not be performed by the upper layer of the first UE.

[00111] The SL control method proposed in embodiments of the present invention may include:

[00112] obtaining a logical channel corresponding to the SL transmission and a first timer timing duration corresponding to the logical channel, which are configured by the base station.

[00113] The base station here may be one of various types of base stations. For example, the base station may be, but is not limited to, a 3G network base station, a 4G network base station, a 5G network base station, or other subsequent base station. The base station here may also be a terrestrial network base station or a non-terrestrial network base station.

[00114] The SL control method proposed in embodiments of the present invention may include:

[00115] configuring the logical channel corresponding to the SL transmission and the timing duration of the first timer corresponding to the logical channel by the upper layer of the first UE.

[00116] For example, the upper layer of the first UE may be an application layer of the first UE.

[00117] The SL control method proposed in embodiments of the present invention may include:

[00118] receiving a logical channel and a first timer duration corresponding to the logical channel, which are sent by the second UE in response to the first UE establishing a unicast connection with the second UE.

[00119] For example, the first UE receiving a logical channel and a first timer duration corresponding to the logical channel, which are sent by the second UE, may include the first UE receiving a logical channel and a first timer duration corresponding to the logical channel, which are sent by the second UE via a message SL RRC, or reception by the first UE of a logical channel and a first timer duration corresponding to the logical channel, which are sent by the second UE via the SL MAC CE.

[00120] In other embodiments of the invention, the first UE knows the logical channel associated with the SL transmission of the first UE, and the first UE can receive only the timing duration of the first timer from the second UE. For example, in response to establishing a unicast connection between the first UE and the second UE, a first timer duration sent by the second UE via an SL RRC message is received, or a first timer duration sent by the second UE via an SL MAC CE is received.

[00121] In embodiments of the present invention, the duration of the first timer may be determined through a logical channel associated with the transmission of the SL by the first UE. Thus, in embodiments of the present invention, configurations of different timing durations of the first timer can be implemented for different logical channels associated with SL transmission, such that the first UE has an optimal active time for different logical channels associated with SL transmission. On the one hand, the power consumption of the first UE can be saved, and on the other hand, the first UE can adapt to extend the active time in additional application scenarios based on SL transmission.

[00122] In addition, embodiments of the present invention also provide a plurality of methods for determining a logical channel and a first timer timing duration corresponding to the logical channel, which realizes a variety of methods for determining the timing duration of a first timer, and is also adapted to more application scenarios in which the active time of the first UE is extended.

[00123] It should be noted that those skilled in the art may appreciate that the method presented in the embodiments of the present invention may be performed independently or in conjunction with certain other methods of the embodiments of the present invention or certain methods of the related art.

[00124] As shown in FIG. 9, embodiments of the present invention provide an SL control method that is applied to a first UE and includes:

[00125] Step S91: failure to start the first timer in response to the first timer not being configured for the UE indicated by the SL transmission destination address.

[00126] For example, in response to the fact that the first timer is not configured for the UE indicated by the SL transmission destination address of the SL MAC PDU, the first UE does not start the first timer after the first UE sends the SL MAC PDU.

[00127] Thus, in embodiments of the present invention, if the UE indicated by the SL transmission destination address is not configured with the first timer, the UE indicated by the destination address will not be activated for SL transmission, and thus the first UE will not the active time needs to be extended to control the SL channel, which further saves the power consumption of the first UE.

[00128] It should be noted that those skilled in the art will appreciate that the method presented in the embodiments of the present invention may be performed independently or in conjunction with certain other methods of the embodiments of the present invention or certain methods of the related art.

[00129] As shown in FIG. 10, embodiments of the present invention provide an SL control method that is applicable to a first UE and includes:

[00130] step S101: failure to start the first timer in response to the fact that the logical channel corresponding to the SL transmission is not configured with the first timer.

[00131] For example, the first UE does not start the first timer after the first UE sends the SL MAC PDU, in response to the fact that the first timer is not configured for a logical channel corresponding to the SL transmission of the SL MAC PDU.

[00132] There may be multiple logical channels in a UE. For example, the first UE has a plurality of physical channels, and one physical channel corresponds to a plurality of logical channels. At least one of the plurality of logical channels may be configured with a first timer or not configured with a first timer. If the first UE is not configured with a first timer on the logical channel associated with the SL transmission, the first timer may not start.

[00133] Thus, in embodiments of the present invention, if the logical channel corresponding to the SL transmission is not configured with the first timer, the first UE will not receive the SL transmission based on the logical channel, and the first UE is not required to extend the active time to monitor the SL channel ,to further save the power consumption of the first UE.

[00134] Of course, in other embodiments, the SL control method is performed by the first UE and includes not starting the first timer in response to the first UE not being configured with the first timer after transmission of the SL. Thus, in embodiments of the present invention, since the first UE is not configured with the first timer, it is not possible to start the first timer.

[00135] It should be noted that those skilled in the art may appreciate that the method presented in the embodiments of the present invention may be performed independently or in conjunction with certain other methods of the embodiments of the present invention or certain methods of the related art.

[00136] The following is an example in combination with any of the above embodiments.

[00137] As shown in FIG. 11, an SL control method is proposed that is applicable to the first UE and includes the following steps.

[00138] In step S1101, the SL transmission destination address of the first UE is determined, which includes an address of the second UE, an address of the third UE, a multicast address, and a broadcast address.

[00139] In step S1102, the UE timer duration indicated by the group address is obtained as the first duration.

[00140] In one embodiment, the first UE receives, as the first duration, the duration of the UE timer clock indicated by the multicast address based on the application layer. For example, the first duration is 10 milliseconds.

[00141] In step S1103, the second UE timer duration sent by the second UE is received as the second duration.

[00142] In one embodiment, the first UE receives the second UE's timer duration sent by the second UE via the SL RRC message. The duration of the second UE's timer is a second duration. For example, the second duration is 20 milliseconds.

[00143] In step S1104, the UE timer duration indicated by the broadcast address sent by the base station is received as the third duration.

[00144] In one embodiment of the invention, the first UE receives the duration of the UE timer countdown indicated by the broadcast address sent by the base station. The duration of the timer for the broadcast address is the third duration. For example, the third duration is 30 milliseconds.

[00145] In step S1105, the timer is started after sending the SL MAC PDU based on the multicast address, and the PSCCH and PSSCH are monitored during the first timer duration.

[00146] In one embodiment, after the first UE sends an SL MAC PDU based on the multicast address, the first UE's timer is started and SL transmissions on the PSCCH and PSSCH are monitored for the first timer duration. For example, SL transmissions on PSCCH and PSSCH are monitored within 10 milliseconds after the SL MAC PDU is sent.

[00147] In step S1106, the timer is not started after sending the SL MAC PDU to the third UE.

[00148] Here, since the first UE has not received the timing duration of the third UE's timer, it can be considered that the third UE is not configured with a timer and the first UE does not start its own timer after sending the SL MAC PDU.

[00149] In embodiments of the present invention, after the first UE sends an SL transmission (such as an SL MAC PDU) to the UE indicated by the destination address, for the UE indicated by the destination address that is configured with a timer, the timer of the first U.E. In this way, the active time of the first UE can be extended so that the first UE can monitor the SL transmission sent by the UE indicated by the destination address on the SL channel (eg, PSCCH and/or PSSCH). Thus, the SL transmission sent by the UE specified by the destination address, which is received by the first UE, can be improved while saving power consumption of the first UE.

[00150] Alternatively, after the first UE sends an SL transmission to the UE indicated by the destination address, the first UE's timer is not started for the UE indicated by the destination address that is not configured with a timer. Thus, for an application scenario in which the UE indicated by the destination address does not have an SL transmission to the first UE, the first UE will not extend the active time, thereby further saving the power consumption of the first UE.

[00151] It should be noted that those skilled in the art may appreciate that the method presented in the embodiments of the present invention may be performed independently or in conjunction with certain other methods of the embodiments of the present invention or certain methods of the related art.

[00152] As shown in FIG. 12, embodiments of the present invention provides an SL control device that is applicable to a first UE and includes:

[00153] a monitoring module 51 configured to, in response to configuration with a first timer that starts timing after SL transmission, monitor the SL channel for the duration of the timing started by the first timer.

[00154] The SL control apparatus provided in embodiments of the present invention may include a trigger unit 52 configured to start a first timer in response to an SL transmission. For example, the trigger module 52 is configured to start the first timer in response to the first timer being configured to start after the SL transmission and the SL transmission is sent on the SL.

[00155] The SL control apparatus provided in embodiments of the present invention may include a trigger unit 52 configured to start the first timer after receiving the feedback indication returned after the SL transmission.

[00156] The SL control apparatus provided in embodiments of the present invention may include a trigger unit 52 configured to start a first timer after sending the SL MAC PDU.

[00157] The SL control apparatus of embodiments of the present invention may include a trigger unit 52 configured to start a second timer after sending the SL MAC PDU and start a first timer after the second timer has expired.

[00158] The SL control apparatus proposed in embodiments of the present invention may include a monitoring module 51 configured to monitor a physical forward connection control channel (PSCCH) and/or a physical forward connection shared channel (PSSCH).

[00159] The SL control apparatus proposed in embodiments of the present invention may include a determination unit 53 configured to determine the timing duration of the first timer.

[00160] The SL control apparatus proposed in embodiments of the present invention may include a determination unit 53 configured to determine the timing duration of the first timer based on the SL transmission destination address.

[00161] The SL control apparatus provided in embodiments of the present invention may include a determination module 53 configured to:

[00162] pre-configuring the SL transmission destination address and the timing duration of the first timer corresponding to the destination address;

[00163] obtaining the SL transmission destination address and the first timer timing duration corresponding to the destination address, which are configured by the base station;

[00164] configuring the SL transmission destination address and the timing duration of the first timer corresponding to the destination address;

[00165] receiving a destination address and a first timer duration that are sent by the second UE in response to the first UE establishing a unicast connection with the second UE, wherein the destination address contains the address of the second UE.

[00166] The definition module 53 here may be in the upper layer of the first UE or not in the upper layer of the first UE. If the determination module 53 is located in an upper layer of the first UE, the device for managing the SL may include a determination module 53 configured to configure the destination address sent on the SL and the timing duration corresponding to the destination address by the upper layer of the first UE.

[00167] The SL control apparatus proposed in embodiments of the present invention may include a determination module 53 configured to determine the duration of a first timer based on a logical channel corresponding to the SL transmission.

[00168] The SL control apparatus proposed in embodiments of the present invention may include a determination unit 53 configured to select, from the first timers in the plurality of logical channels, the longest timing duration as the timing duration of the first timer started after the SL is transmitted to the response is that the logical channel corresponding to the SL transmission is a plurality of logical channels configured with first timers.

[00169] The SL control apparatus provided in embodiments of the present invention may include a determination module 53 configured to:

[00170] pre-configuring a logical channel corresponding to the SL transmission and a timing duration of the first timer corresponding to the logical channel;

[00171] obtaining a logical channel corresponding to the SL transmission and a first timer timing duration corresponding to the logical channel, which are configured by the base station;

[00172] configuring a logical channel corresponding to the SL transmission and a timing duration of the first timer corresponding to the logical channel;

[00173] receiving a logical channel and a first timer duration corresponding to the logical channel, which are sent by the second UE in response to the first UE establishing a unicast connection with the second UE.

[00174] The definition module 53 here may be in the upper layer of the first UE or not in the upper layer of the first UE. If the determination module 53 is located in an upper layer of the first UE, the apparatus for controlling the SL may include a determination module 53 configured to configure a logical channel corresponding to the SL transmission and a first timer timing duration corresponding to the logical channel by the upper layer of the first UE.

[00175] The SL control apparatus proposed in embodiments of the present invention may include a determination module 53 configured to receive a first timer countdown duration sent by the second UE via an SL Radio Resource Control (RRC) message; or

[00176] a determination module configured to receive the timing duration of the first timer sent by the second UE via the SL MAC control element (CE).

[00177] The SL control apparatus proposed in embodiments of the present invention may include a trigger unit 52 configured not to start a first timer in response to the fact that the first timer is not configured for the UE indicated by the SL transmission destination address.

[00178] The SL control apparatus provided in embodiments of the present invention may include a trigger unit 52 configured not to start a first timer in response to the fact that a logical channel corresponding to SL transmission is not configured with the first timer.

[00179] It should be noted that those skilled in the art will understand that the device proposed in the embodiments of the present invention may be implemented independently or together with certain other devices of the embodiments of the present invention or a device in the related art.

[00180] As for the apparatus in the above embodiments, the specific manner in which each module performs operations has been described in detail in the method embodiments and will not be described in detail here.

[00181] Embodiments of the present invention provide a communication device that includes:

[00182] processor;

[00183] memory for storing instructions executed by the processor.

[00184] The processor is configured to implement the SL control method in any embodiment of the present invention when executing executable instructions.

[00185] The communication device here is any UE. For example, the communication device may be the first UE in any of the above embodiments of the invention.

[00186] The processor may include various types of storage media, which are computer media designed for long-term storage of data, and may continue to store and store information thereon after power is removed from the user equipment.

[00187] The processor may be coupled to memory via a bus or the like to read an executable program stored in memory, such as at least one of the methods shown in FIG. 2-11.

[00188] Embodiments of the present invention further provide a computer storage medium on which an executable computer program is stored, and when the executable program is executed by a processor, the SL control method of any embodiment of the present invention is implemented. For example, at least one of the methods shown in FIG. 2-11.

[00189] As for the device or storage medium in the above embodiments of the present invention, the specific manner in which each module performs operations has been described in detail in the method embodiments and will not be described again here.

[00190] FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing user equipment 800 according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention. For example, the user equipment 800 may be a mobile phone, a computer, a digital broadcast user equipment, a messaging device, a game console, a tablet device, a medical device, a fitness device, a personal digital assistant, and the like.

[00191] As shown in FIG. 13, user equipment 800 may include one or more of the following components: a processing component 802, a memory 804, a power component 806, a multimedia component 808, an audio component 810, an Input/Output (I/O) interface 812, a sensor component 814 and a communication component 816.

[00192] Processing component 802 typically manages general operations of the user equipment 800, such as operations related to display, telephone calls, data transmission, camera operations, and recording operations. Processing component 802 may include one or more processors 820 for executing instructions to perform all or part of the steps of the above-described method. In addition, the processing component 802 may contain one or more modules that provide interaction between the processing component 802 and other components. For example, the processing component 802 may include a media module that provides interaction between the multimedia component 808 and the processing component 802.

[00193] The memory 804 is configured to store various types of data to support the operation of the user equipment 800. Examples of such data include commands for any applications or methods used in the user equipment 800, contact data, phone book data, messages, images, video data, and The memory 804 may be implemented using any type of volatile or nonvolatile memory, or a combination thereof, such as Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory , EEPROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), read-only memory (ROM), magnetic memory, flash memory, magnetic or optical disk.

[00194] Power component 806 provides power to various components of user equipment 800. Power component 806 may include a power management system, one or more power supplies, and any other components associated with generating, managing, and distributing power to user equipment 800.

[00195] The multimedia component 808 includes a screen that provides an output interface between the user equipment 800 and the user. In some embodiments of the invention, the screen may be a liquid crystal display (LCD, Liquid Crystal Display) and a touch panel (TP, Touch Panel). If the screen is a touch panel, the screen may be implemented as a touch screen to receive input signals from the user. The touchpad contains one or more haptic sensors to recognize touches, swipes, and gestures on the touchpad. Tactile sensors can not only sense the area of touch or slide, but also detect the duration and pressure associated with touch or slide operations. In some embodiments, media component 808 includes a front camera and/or a rear camera. The front camera and/or rear camera may receive external media data while the user equipment 800 is in an operating mode, such as a photo mode or a video mode. Each of the front and rear cameras can be equipped with a fixed optical lens system or have optical focusing and zoom capabilities.

[00196] Audio component 810 is configured to output and/or input audio signals. For example, audio component 810 includes a microphone (MIC) configured to receive an external audio signal when the user equipment 800 is in an operating mode, such as a call mode, a recording mode, and a voice recognition mode. The received audio signal may then be stored in memory 804 or transmitted through communication component 816. In some embodiments, audio component 810 further includes a speaker for outputting audio signals.

[00197] An input/output (I/O) interface 812 provides an interface between processing component 802 and peripheral interface modules such as a keyboard, mouse click wheel, buttons, and the like. These buttons may include, but are not limited to, the Home button, volume button, start button, and lock button.

[00198] Sensor component 814 includes one or more sensors for obtaining estimates of various aspects of the operation of user equipment 800. For example, sensor component 814 may detect the opening/closing status of user equipment 800, the relative positioning of components such as the display and keyboard of user equipment 800, change the position of the user equipment 800 or a component thereof, the presence or absence of user contact with the user equipment 800, the orientation or acceleration/deceleration of the user equipment 800, and temperature changes of the user equipment 800. The sensor component 814 may include a proximity sensor configured to detect the presence of nearby objects without any or physical contact with them. Sensor component 814 may also include an optical sensor, such as a Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) or Charge Coupled Device (CCD) image sensor, for use in applications image formation. In some embodiments, the sensor component 814 may also include an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, a magnetic sensor, a pressure sensor, or a temperature sensor.

[00199] Communications component 816 is configured to provide wired or wireless communications between user equipment 800 and other devices. The user equipment 800 may access a wireless network based on communication standards such as Wi-Fi, second generation (2G), third generation (3G), or a combination thereof. In one illustrative embodiment, communication component 816 receives a broadcast signal or broadcast-related information from an external broadcast control system over a broadcast channel. In one exemplary embodiment of the invention, communication component 816 further includes a Near Field Communication (NFC) module for providing short range communications. For example, an NFC module can be implemented based on Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), technology developed by the Infrared Data Association (IrDA), Ultra-Wideband (UWB) technology, Bluetooth (BT) technology and other technologies.

[00200] In illustrative embodiments of the invention, user equipment 800 may be implemented using one or more Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Digital Signal Processors (DSPs), Digital Signal Processors (DSPs), Processing Device (DSPD), Programmable Logic Devices (PLD), Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, or other electronic components to perform the method described above.

[00201] Illustrative embodiments of the invention also provide a computer-readable storage medium containing instructions, such as those included in memory 804, executed by processor 820 in user equipment 800 to perform the method described above. For example, a computer-readable storage medium may be read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), compact disk read only memory (CD-ROM), magnetic tape, floppy disk, and optical storage device.

[00202] As shown in FIG. 14, embodiments of the present invention propose a base station structure. For example, base station 900 may be a network device. As shown in FIG. 14, base station 900 includes a processing component 922, which further includes one or more processors, and a memory resource, represented by memory 932, for storing instructions, such as application programs, that can be executed by the processing component 922. The application program stored in memory 932 may contain one or more modules, each of which corresponds to a set of instructions. In addition, the processing component 922 is configured to execute instructions for the base station to perform a method in any of the above embodiments of the invention, for example, the methods shown in FIG. 4-10.

[00203] Base station 900 may also include a power component 926 configured to manage power to base station 900, a wired or wireless network interface 950 configured to connect base station 900 to a network, and an input/output (I/O) interface 958. . Base station 900 may operate based on an operating system stored in memory 932, such as Windows Server™, Mac OS X™, Unix™, Linux™, FreeBSD™, and the like.

[00204] Other embodiments of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of this description and practice of the invention disclosed herein. The present description is intended to cover any variations, applications or adaptations of the invention in accordance with its general principles, including such departures from the invention as are known or generally accepted practice in the art not disclosed in this description. It is intended that the description and examples be construed as illustrative only and that the true scope and spirit of the invention are set forth in the appended claims.

[00205] It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the precise structure that has been described above and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and that various modifications and changes may be made within the scope. It is intended that the scope of the present invention be limited only by the appended claims.

Claims (23)

1. A direct link (SL) control method performed by a first user equipment (UE), comprising: determining the timing duration of the first timer based on the SL transmission destination address; And monitoring the SL channel for a duration of timing triggered by the first timer, wherein the first timer is configured to start timing after transmission of the SL. 2. The method according to claim 1, additionally including: starting the first timer in response to the SL transmission; or start the first timer after receiving the feedback indication returned from the SL transmission. 3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, additionally including: starting the first timer after sending the SL Medium Access Control (MAC) Protocol Data Unit (PDU); or starting the second timer after sending the SL MAC PDU and starting the first timer after the second timer expires. 4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, in which the control of the SL channel includes: physical forward connection control channel (PSCCH) control; and/or control of the physical forward connection shared channel (PSSCH). 5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising one of the following: pre-configuring the SL transmission destination address and the timing duration of the first timer corresponding to the destination address; obtaining an SL transmission destination address and a first timer duration corresponding to the destination address, which are configured by the base station; configuring an SL transmission destination address and a first timer duration corresponding to the destination address by an upper layer of the first UE; receiving a destination address and a first timer duration that are sent by the second UE in response to the first UE establishing a unicast connection with the second UE, wherein the destination address contains the address of the second UE. 6. The method according to claim 1, additionally including: failure to start the first timer in response to the fact that the first timer is not configured for the UE indicated by the SL transmission destination address. 7. Communication device containing: processor and memory for storing instructions executed by the processor; wherein the processor is configured to implement the SL control method according to any one of claims 1 to 6 when executing executable instructions.