IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,593,327
Granted Patent B2
US 12,593,327 · App. 16/995,505 · Granted Mar 31, 2026

Methods of scheduling with inactivity in sidelink unicast

Inventors: Hong Cheng (Basking Ridge, NJ); Zhibin Wu (Los Altos, CA); Kapil Gulati (Hillsborough, NJ); Junyi Li (Chester, NJ); Tien Viet Nguyen (Bridgewater, NJ); Sudhir Kumar Baghel (Hillsborough, NJ)
Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
H04W72/121H04L5/18H04W72/12H04W76/14
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,593,327
App. No.
16/995,505
Granted
Mar 31, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communications are described. A method may include identifying, by a first user equipment (UE), a schedule associated with the first UE and a second UE of the group of UEs in direct communications with the first UE. The schedule may include an awake period reserved for directional communications between the first UE and the second UE. The first UE may manage the awake period reserved for the directional communications based on traffic information associated with the first UE, and may communicate with the second UE in accordance with the managing. The awake period reserved for directional communications may include an awake period reserved for uni-directional communications or an awake period reserved for bi-directional communications.

Claims (134)

1 . A method for wireless communications at a first user equipment (UE), comprising:

identifying a schedule associated with the first UE in direct communications with a second UE, the schedule comprising an awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving uni-directional communications;

determining the awake period of a discontinuous reception configuration associated with transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications, wherein the discontinuous reception configuration is for at least one discontinuous reception cycle controlled by a set of timers associated with the first UE, and wherein the awake period of the discontinuous reception configuration is based at least in part on a traffic load associated with slots used for transmissions by the first UE and a predicted sidelink traffic load between the first UE and one or more other UEs including the second UE; and

communicating with the second UE in accordance with the discontinuous reception configuration.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

transmitting a request message to the second UE based at least in part on traffic information associated with the first UE; and

receiving a response message from the second UE based at least in part on the request message, wherein the discontinuous reception configuration associated with transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications is based at least in part on the response message.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein one or more of the request message or the response message is a PC5 radio resource control message or a medium access control-control element message.

4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the request message comprises an indication of a quantity of cycles associated with modifying the awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications.

5 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising:

determining that the traffic load associated with the first UE satisfies a threshold based at least in part on the traffic information, wherein the discontinuous reception configuration associated with transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications is based at least in part on the traffic load satisfying the threshold; and

including a cause indication in the request message based at least in part on the determining, the cause indication indicating that the traffic load associated with the first UE satisfies the threshold, wherein transmitting the request message to the second UE comprises:

transmitting, to the second UE, the request message carrying the cause indication.

6 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising:

including, in the request message, an indication to remove the awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications based at least in part on the traffic information, wherein communicating with the second UE is based at least in part on the indication.

7 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising:

including, in the request message, an indication to modify the awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications based at least in part on the traffic information, wherein communicating with the second UE is based at least in part on the indication.

8 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising:

assigning a bit-value to a field in the request message, wherein the bit-value corresponds to a duration of the awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications.

9 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising:

including, in the request message, an indication to remove or modify the awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications based at least in part on the traffic information, wherein communicating with the second UE is based at least in part on the indication.

10 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising:

assigning a bit-value to a field in the request message, wherein the bit-value corresponds to a duration of the awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications.

11 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising:

including, in the request message, an indication to allocate the awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications exclusively to the second UE based at least in part on the traffic information, wherein communicating with the second UE is based at least in part on the indication.

12 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising:

including, in the request message, an indication to remove the awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications for a single cycle after a current cycle based at least in part on the traffic information, wherein communicating with the second UE is based at least in part on the indication.

13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications comprises sidelink unicast from the first UE to the second UE and wherein the awake period reserved for the uni-directional communications is unshared between the first UE and the second UE.

14 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving, from the second UE, an indication to allocate the awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications exclusively to the first UE, wherein communicating with the second UE is based at least in part on the indication.

15 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

transmitting a first message to the second UE comprising an indication of a duration of the awake period reserved for the uni-directional communications; and

receiving, in response to the first message, a second message from the second UE indicating acceptance of or rejection of the awake period, wherein communicating with the second UE in accordance with the discontinuous reception configuration is based at least in part on the second message.

16 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

estimating an amount of resources that the first UE uses for communications between the first UE and the one or more other UEs including the second UE, the predicted sidelink traffic load corresponding to the amount of resources.

17 . A method for wireless communications at a first user equipment (UE), comprising:

identifying a schedule associated with the first UE in direct communications with a second UE, the schedule comprising an awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving uni-directional communications;

determining the awake period of a discontinuous reception configuration associated with transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications based at least in part on traffic information associated with the first UE or the second UE, wherein the discontinuous reception configuration is for at least one discontinuous reception cycle controlled by a set of timers associated with the first UE, and wherein the awake period of the discontinuous reception configuration is based at least in part on a traffic load associated with slots used for transmissions by the first UE and a predicted sidelink traffic load between the first UE and one or more other UEs including the second UE; and

communicating with the second UE in accordance with the discontinuous reception configuration.

18 . The method of claim 17 , further comprising:

receiving a request message from the second UE, the request message comprising the traffic information associated with the second UE; and

transmitting a response message to the second UE based at least in part on the request message and the traffic information associated with the first UE, wherein the discontinuous reception configuration associated with transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications is based at least in part on the request message and the traffic information associated with the first UE.

19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein one or more of the request message or the response message is a PC5 radio resource control message or a medium access control-control element message.

20 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the request message comprises an indication of a quantity of cycles associated with modifying the awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications.

21 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the request message carries a cause indication indicating that a first traffic load associated with the second UE satisfies a threshold based at least in part on the traffic information associated with the second UE, and wherein the discontinuous reception configuration associated with transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications is based at least in part on an inactivity associated with the uni-directional communications between the second UE and the first UE.

22 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising:

identifying, in the request message, an indication to remove the awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications;

releasing one or more resources associated with the awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications based at least in part on the request message and the traffic information; and

including, in the response message, an acknowledgement associated with releasing the one or more resources associated with the awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications, wherein communicating with the second UE is based at least in part on one or more of releasing the one or more resources associated with the awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications and the response message.

23 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising:

identifying, in the request message, an indication to modify the awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications; and

including, in the response message, an acknowledgement associated with adjusting a duration of the awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications, wherein communicating with the second UE is based at least in part on the response message.

24 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising:

identifying one or more bit-values assigned to a field in the request message, wherein the one or more bit-values correspond to a duration of the awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications.

25 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising:

identifying, in the request message, an indication to remove or modify the awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications; and

including, in the response message, an acknowledgement associated with releasing one or more resources associated with the awake period for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications, wherein communicating with the second UE is based at least in part on the response message.

26 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising:

identifying a bit-value assigned to a field in the request message, wherein the bit-value corresponds to a duration of the awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications.

27 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising:

identifying, in the request message, an indication to allocate the awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications exclusively to the first UE; and

including, in the response message, an acknowledgement associated with allocating the awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications exclusively to the first UE, wherein communicating with the second UE is based at least in part on the response message.

28 . The method of claim 17 , further comprising:

communicating with a third UE in accordance with the discontinuous reception configuration associated with transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications.

29 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications comprises sidelink unicast from the first UE to the second UE and wherein the awake period reserved for the uni-directional communications is unshared between the first UE and the second UE.

30 . The method of claim 17 , further comprising:

transmitting, to the second UE, an indication associated with allocating the awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications exclusively to the second UE, wherein communicating with the second UE is based at least in part on the indication.

31 . A first apparatus for wireless communications, comprising:

one or more processors, and

at least one memory coupled with the one or more processors, the one or more processors configured to:

identify a schedule associated with the first apparatus in direct communications with a second apparatus, the schedule comprising an awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving uni-directional communications;

determine the awake period of a discontinuous reception configuration associated with transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications, wherein the discontinuous reception configuration is for at least one discontinuous reception cycle controlled by a set of timers associated with the first apparatus, and wherein the awake period of the discontinuous reception configuration is based at least in part on a traffic load associated with slots used for transmissions by the first apparatus and a predicted sidelink traffic load between the first apparatus and one or more other apparatuses including the second apparatus; and

communicate with the second apparatus in accordance with the discontinuous reception configuration.

32 . The first apparatus of claim 31 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to cause the first apparatus to:

transmit a request message to the second apparatus based at least in part on traffic information associated with the first apparatus; and

receive a response message from the second apparatus based at least in part on the request message, wherein the awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications is based at least in part on the response message.

33 . The first apparatus of claim 32 , wherein one or more of the request message or the response message is a PC5 radio resource control message or a medium access control-control element message.

34 . The first apparatus of claim 32 , wherein the request message comprises an indication of a quantity of cycles associated with modifying the awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications.

35 . The first apparatus of claim 32 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to cause the first apparatus to:

determine that the traffic load associated with the first apparatus satisfies a threshold based at least in part on the traffic information, wherein the awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications is based at least in part on the traffic load satisfying the threshold; and

include a cause indication in the request message based at least in part on the traffic load associated with the first apparatus satisfying the threshold, the cause indication indicating that the traffic load associated with the first apparatus satisfies the threshold, wherein, to transmit the request message, the one or more processors are configured to cause the first apparatus to:

transmit, to the second apparatus, the request message carrying the cause indication.

36 . The first apparatus of claim 32 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to cause the first apparatus to:

include, in the request message, an indication to remove the awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications based at least in part on the traffic information, wherein communication with the second apparatus is based at least in part on the indication.

37 . The first apparatus of claim 32 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to cause the first apparatus to:

include, in the request message, an indication to modify the awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications based at least in part on the traffic information, wherein communication with the second apparatus is based at least in part on the indication.

38 . The first apparatus of claim 32 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to cause the first apparatus to:

assign a bit-value to a field in the request message, wherein the bit-value corresponds to a duration of the awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications.

39 . The first apparatus of claim 32 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to cause the first apparatus to:

include, in the request message, an indication to remove or modify the awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications based at least in part on the traffic information, wherein communication with the second apparatus is based at least in part on the indication.

40 . The first apparatus of claim 32 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to cause the first apparatus to:

assign a bit-value to a field in the request message, wherein the bit-value corresponds to a duration of the awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications.

41 . The first apparatus of claim 32 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to cause the first apparatus to:

include, in the request message, an indication to allocate the awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications exclusively to the second apparatus based at least in part on the traffic information, wherein communication with the second apparatus is based at least in part on the indication.

42 . The first apparatus of claim 31 , wherein the awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications comprises sidelink unicast from the first apparatus to the second apparatus and wherein the awake period reserved for the uni-directional communications is unshared between the first apparatus and the second apparatus.

43 . The first apparatus of claim 31 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to cause the first apparatus to:

receive, from the second apparatus, an indication to allocate the awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications exclusively to the first apparatus, wherein communication with the second apparatus is based at least in part on the indication.

44 . The first apparatus of claim 31 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to cause the first apparatus to:

transmit a first message to the second apparatus comprising an indication of a duration of the awake period reserved for the uni-directional communications; and

receive, in response to the first message, a second message from the second apparatus indicating acceptance of or rejection of the awake period, wherein communicating with the second apparatus in accordance with the discontinuous reception configuration is based at least in part on the second message.

45 . A first apparatus for wireless communications, comprising:

one or more processors, and

at least one memory coupled with the one or more processors, the one or more processors configured to:

identify a schedule associated with the first apparatus in direct communications with a second apparatus, the schedule comprising an awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving uni-directional communications;

determine the awake period of a discontinuous reception configuration associated with transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications based at least in part on traffic information associated with the first apparatus or the second apparatus, wherein the discontinuous reception configuration is for at least one discontinuous reception cycle controlled by a set of timers associated with the first apparatus, and wherein the awake period of the discontinuous reception configuration is based at least in part on a traffic load associated with slots used for transmissions by the first apparatus and a predicted sidelink traffic load between the first apparatus and one or more other apparatuses including the second apparatus; and

communicate with the second apparatus in accordance with the discontinuous reception configuration.

46 . The first apparatus of claim 45 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to cause the first apparatus to:

receive a request message from the second apparatus, the request message comprising the traffic information associated with the second apparatus; and

transmit a response message to the second apparatus based at least in part on the request message and the traffic information associated with the first apparatus, wherein the awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications is based at least in part on the request message and the traffic information associated with the first apparatus.

47 . The first apparatus of claim 46 , wherein one or more of the request message or the response message is a PC5 radio resource control message or a medium access control-control element message.

48 . The first apparatus of claim 46 , wherein the request message comprises an indication of a quantity of cycles associated with modifying the awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications.

49 . The first apparatus of claim 46 , wherein the request message carries a cause indication indicating that a first traffic load associated with the second apparatus satisfies a threshold based at least in part on the traffic information associated with the second apparatus, and wherein the awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications is based at least in part on an inactivity associated with the uni-directional communications between the second apparatus and the first apparatus.

50 . The first apparatus of claim 46 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to cause the first apparatus to:

identify, in the request message, an indication to remove the awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications;

releasing one or more resources associated with the awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications based at least in part on the request message and the traffic information; and

including, in the response message, an acknowledgement associated with releasing the one or more resources associated with the awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications, wherein communication with the second apparatus is based at least in part on one or more of releasing the one or more resources associated with the awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications and the response message.

51 . The first apparatus of claim 46 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to cause the first apparatus to:

identify, in the request message, an indication to modify the awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications; and

include, in the response message, an acknowledgement associated with adjusting a duration of the awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications, wherein communication with the second apparatus is based at least in part on the response message.

52 . The first apparatus of claim 46 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to cause the first apparatus to:

identify one or more bit-values assigned to a field in the request message, wherein the one or more bit-values correspond to a duration of the awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications.

53 . The first apparatus of claim 46 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to cause the first apparatus to:

identify, in the request message, an indication to remove or modify the awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications; and

include, in the response message, an acknowledgement associated with releasing one or more resources associated with the awake period for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications, wherein communication with the second apparatus is based at least in part on the response message.

54 . The first apparatus of claim 46 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to cause the first apparatus to:

identify a bit-value assigned to a field in the request message, wherein the bit-value corresponds to a duration of the awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications.

55 . The first apparatus of claim 46 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to cause the first apparatus to:

identify, in the request message, an indication to allocate the awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications exclusively to the first apparatus; and

include, in the response message, an acknowledgement associated with allocating the awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications exclusively to the first apparatus, wherein communication with the second apparatus is based at least in part on the response message.

56 . The first apparatus of claim 45 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to cause the first apparatus to:

communicate with a third apparatus in accordance with the discontinuous reception configuration associated with transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications.

57 . The first apparatus of claim 45 , wherein the awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications comprises sidelink unicast from the first apparatus to the second apparatus and wherein the awake period reserved for the uni-directional communications is unshared between the first apparatus and the second apparatus.

58 . The first apparatus of claim 45 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to cause the first apparatus to:

transmit, to the second apparatus, an indication associated with allocating the awake period reserved for transmitting or receiving the uni-directional communications exclusively to the second apparatus, wherein communication with the second apparatus is based at least in part on the indication.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 7, 2021
From: CHENG, HONG; WU, ZHIBIN; GULATI, KAPIL; LI, JUNYI; NGUYEN, TIEN VIET; BAGHEL, SUDHIR KUMAR
To: QUALCOMM INCORPORATED
Reel/Frame 056181/0805 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62891183 · Aug 23, 2019
Related Publication 20210058941A1 · Feb 25, 2021
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