Relay discovery within a sidelink groupcast

Inventors: Vinh Van Phan (Oulu, FI); Ling Yu (Espoo, FI); Lianghai Ji (Aalborg, DK); Rudraksh Shrivastava (Stuttgart, DE); Sudeep Hegde (Stuttgart, DE)

Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy

H04L1/1864 H04L1/1896 H04W72/25

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Quick Facts

Patent No.: US 12700956
App. No.: 18/260,995
Filed: Jul 11, 2023
Granted: Aug 4, 2026
Kind: B2
Examiner: ZAIDI, IQBAL
Art Unit: 2464
USPC: 370/329

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Abstract

It is provided a method comprising: indicating that a HARQ process is initiated for transmitting at least a first HARQ message comprising an inquiry as the first message of the HARQ process, wherein the inquiry inquires whether a relay terminal for relaying a communication of a transmitting terminal is available; transmitting the first HARQ message using the HARQ process; monitoring whether a HARQ feedback is received from at least one relay terminal in response to the first HARQ message according to the HARQ process; deciding that the at least one relay terminal is available if the HARQ feedback is received from the at least one relay terminal; deciding that the at least one relay terminal is not available if the HARQ feedback is not received from the at least one relay terminal.

Claims (40)

1 . An apparatus comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

indicate that a hybrid automatic repeat request process is initiated for transmitting at least a first hybrid automatic repeat request message comprising an inquiry as the first message of the hybrid automatic repeat request process, wherein the inquiry requests an availability indication of a relay terminal for relaying a communication of a transmitting terminal, wherein the communication is one of a unicast communication and a groupcast communication, and wherein the transmitting terminal and the relay terminal are members of the unicast and groupcast, respectively;

transmit the first hybrid automatic repeat request message using the hybrid automatic repeat request process, wherein the first hybrid automatic repeat request message comprises an exception criterion for being available as the relay terminal for the relaying of the communication, wherein the first hybrid automatic repeat request message is transmitted on a first resource, and wherein the first resource is excluded for any other hybrid automatic repeat request process comprising a hybrid automatic repeat request message not comprising the inquiry as the first message, and wherein the indicating indicates that the first message is transmitted on the first resource;

determine that a hybrid automatic repeat request feedback is received from at least one relay terminal in response to the first hybrid automatic repeat request message according to the hybrid automatic repeat request process, wherein the determining is performed on a second resource different from the first resource; and the second resource is related to the first resource according to the hybrid automatic repeat request process;

decide that the at least one relay terminal is available based on the hybrid automatic repeat request feedback being received from the at least one relay terminal; and

based on the at least one relay terminal being available, transmit a second hybrid automatic repeat request message using the hybrid automatic repeat request process, wherein the second hybrid automatic repeat request message does not comprise the inquiry.

2 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the indicating comprises sending a sidelink control information indicating the hybrid automatic repeat request process and the communication is a sidelink communication.

3 . The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to: inhibit using the at least one relay terminal for the relaying of the communication depending on a content of the hybrid automatic repeat request feedback.

4 . The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the first hybrid automatic repeat request message further comprises configuration data for the relaying.

5 . The apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the inquiry is a discovery solicitation message.

6 . The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the hybrid automatic repeat request feedback is one of an acknowledgment and a non-acknowledgment of the hybrid automatic repeat request process.

7 . The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the transmitting terminal comprises the apparatus.

8 . A system comprising:

an apparatus;

one or more processors; and

a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

indicate that a hybrid automatic repeat request process is initiated for transmitting at least a first hybrid automatic repeat request message comprising an inquiry as the first message of the hybrid automatic repeat request process, wherein the inquiry requests an availability indication of a relay terminal for relaying a communication of a transmitting terminal, wherein the communication is one of the unicast communication and the groupcast communication, and wherein the transmitting terminal and the relay terminal are members of the unicast and groupcast, respectively;

decide that the at least one relay terminal is available based on the hybrid automatic repeat request feedback being received from the at least one relay terminal; and

9 . The apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the indicating comprises sending a sidelink control information indicating the hybrid automatic repeat request process and the communication is a sidelink communication.

10 . The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to: inhibit using the at least one relay terminal for the relaying of the communication depending on a content of the hybrid automatic repeat request feedback.

11 . The apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the first hybrid automatic repeat request message further comprises configuration data for the relaying.

12 . The apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the inquiry is a discovery solicitation message.

13 . The apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein the hybrid automatic repeat request feedback is one of an acknowledgment and a non-acknowledgment of the hybrid automatic repeat request process.

14 . The apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the transmitting terminal comprises the apparatus.

15 . A method performed by an apparatus, the method comprising:

indicating, by the apparatus, that a hybrid automatic repeat request process is initiated for transmitting at least a first hybrid automatic repeat request message comprising an inquiry as the first message of the hybrid automatic repeat request process, wherein the inquiry requests an availability indication of a relay terminal for relaying a communication of a transmitting terminal, wherein the communication is one of the unicast communication and the groupcast communication, and wherein the transmitting terminal and the relay terminal are members of the unicast and groupcast, respectively;

transmitting, by the apparatus, the first hybrid automatic repeat request message using the hybrid automatic repeat request process, wherein the first hybrid automatic repeat request message comprises an exception criterion for being available as the relay terminal for the relaying of the communication, wherein the first hybrid automatic repeat request message is transmitted on a first resource, and wherein the first resource is excluded for any other hybrid automatic repeat request process comprising a hybrid automatic repeat request message not comprising the inquiry as the first message, and wherein the indicating indicates that the first message is transmitted on the first resource;

determining, by the apparatus, that a hybrid automatic repeat request feedback is received from at least one relay terminal in response to the first hybrid automatic repeat request message according to the hybrid automatic repeat request process, wherein the determining is performed on a second resource different from the first resource; and the second resource is related to the first resource according to the hybrid automatic repeat request process;

deciding, by the apparatus, that the at least one relay terminal is available based on the hybrid automatic repeat request feedback being received from the at least one relay terminal; and

based on the at least one relay terminal being available, transmitting, by the apparatus, a second hybrid automatic repeat request message using the hybrid automatic repeat request process, wherein the second hybrid automatic repeat request message does not comprise the inquiry.

16 . The method according to claim 15 , wherein the indicating comprises sending a sidelink control information indicating the hybrid automatic repeat request process and the communication is a sidelink communication.

17 . The method according to claim 16 , further comprising inhibiting using the at least one relay terminal for the relaying of the communication depending on a content of the hybrid automatic repeat request feedback.

18 . The method according to claim 17 , wherein the first hybrid automatic repeat request message further comprises configuration data for the relaying.

19 . The method according to claim 18 , wherein the inquiry is a discovery solicitation message.

20 . The method according to claim 19 , wherein the hybrid automatic repeat request feedback is one of an acknowledgment and a non-acknowledgment of the hybrid automatic repeat request process.