Methods and apparatus for sidelink communications and resource allocation

1. A method performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising:

receiving, by the UE, a message indicating a sidelink (SL) communication resource configuration to be used by the UE for communicating SL control information and SL data between the UE and another UE;

transmitting, by the UE, the SL control information to the other UE using a communication resource indicated by the SL communication resource configuration; and

transmitting, by the UE, the SL data to the other UE using the communication resource indicated by the SL communication resource configuration,

wherein the SL communication resource configuration comprises an indication of a periodicity of the communication resource,

wherein the SL control information and the SL data are transmitted by the UE without the UE receiving, in a downlink control information (DCI), a grant of the communication resource, and

wherein the SL communication resource configuration indicates a number of symbols, a starting resource block (RB), and a number of RBs, for defining a part of the communication resource used for transmitting the SL control information to the other UE.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the SL control information indicates the communication resource used for transmitting the SL data.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the received message indicating the SL communication resource configuration is a radio resource control (RRC) message.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the communication resource comprises a time slot and a frequency sub-channel, and wherein the SL communication resource configuration indicates the time slot and the frequency sub-channel for transmitting the SL data and the SL control information.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the SL communication resource configuration indicates a plurality of communication resources within a time window, each of the plurality of communication resources comprising a combination of one time slot and one or more frequency sub-channels, and the periodicity is a periodicity of the plurality of communication resources.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the SL communication resource configuration further indicates the time slot of a first communication resource in the time window.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the SL control information further indicates a redundancy version, a transmitting UE identity (ID) and a destination UE ID of the SL data transmission.

8. A user equipment (UE) comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing programming for execution by the processor, the programming including instructions to:

receive, by the UE, a message indicating a sidelink (SL) communication resource configuration to be used by the UE for communicating SL control information and SL data between the UE and another UE;

transmit, by the UE, the SL control information to the other UE using a communication resource indicated by the SL communication resource configuration; and

transmit, by the UE, the SL data to the other UE using the communication resource indicated by the SL communication resource configuration,

wherein the SL communication resource configuration comprises an indication of a periodicity of the communication resource,

wherein the SL control information and the SL data are transmitted by the UE without the UE receiving, in a downlink control information (DCI), a grant of the communication resource, and

wherein the SL communication resource configuration indicates a number of symbols, a starting resource block (RB), and a number of RBs, for defining a part of the communication resource used for transmitting the SL control information to the other UE.

9. The UE of claim 8 , wherein the SL control information indicates the communication resource used for transmitting the SL data.

10. The UE of claim 8 , wherein the received message indicating the SL communication resource configuration is a radio resource control (RRC) message.

11. The UE of claim 8 , wherein the communication resource comprises a time slot and a frequency sub-channel, and wherein the SL communication resource configuration indicates the time slot and the frequency sub-channel for transmitting the SL data and the SL control information.

12. The UE of claim 11 , wherein the SL communication resource configuration indicates a plurality of communication resources within a time window, each of the plurality of communication resources comprising a combination of one time slot and one or more frequency sub-channels, and the periodicity is a periodicity of the plurality of communication resources.

13. The UE of claim 12 , wherein the SL communication resource configuration further indicates the time slot of a first communication resource in the time window.

14. The UE of claim 8 , wherein the SL control information further indicates a redundancy version, a transmitting UE identity (ID) and a destination UE ID of the SL data transmission.

15. A method performed by a base station, the method comprising:

transmitting, by the base station, a message to a first UE, the message indicating a sidelink (SL) communication resource configuration to be used by the first UE for communicating SL control information and SL data between the first UE and a second UE,

wherein the SL communication resource configuration indicates a communication resource to be used for communicating the SL control information and the SL data between the first UE and the second UE,

wherein the SL communication resource configuration comprises an indication of a periodicity of the communication resource,

wherein the SL control information and the SL data are transmitted by the first UE without the base station transmitting, in a downlink control information (DCI), a grant of the communication resource to the first UE, and

wherein the SL communication resource configuration indicates a number of symbols, a starting resource block (RB), and a number of RBs, for defining a part of the communication resource used for transmitting the SL control information to the second UE.

16. A base station comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing programming for execution by the processor, the programming including instructions to transmit a message to a first UE, the message indicating a sidelink (SL) communication resource configuration to be used by the first UE for communicating SL control information and SL data between the first UE and a second UE,

wherein the SL communication resource configuration indicates a communication resource to be used for communicating the SL control information and the SL data between the first UE and the second UE,

wherein the SL communication resource configuration comprises an indication of a periodicity of the communication resource,

wherein the SL control information and the SL data are transmitted by the first UE without the base station transmitting, in a downlink control information (DCI), a grant of the communication resource to the first UE, and

wherein the SL communication resource configuration indicates a number of symbols, a starting resource block (RB), and a number of RBs, for defining a part of the communication resource used for transmitting the SL control information to the second UE.

17. A method performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising:

receiving, by the UE, a message indicating a sidelink (SL) communication resource configuration to be used by the UE for communicating SL control information and SL data between the UE and another UE;

transmitting, by the UE, the SL control information to the other UE using a communication resource indicated by the SL communication resource configuration; and

transmitting, by the UE, the SL data to the other UE using the communication resource indicated by the SL communication resource configuration,

wherein the SL communication resource configuration comprises an indication of a periodicity of the communication resource,

wherein the SL control information and the SL data are transmitted by the UE without the UE receiving, in a downlink control information (DCI), a grant of the communication resource,

wherein the communication resource comprises a time slot and a frequency sub-channel, and wherein the SL communication resource configuration indicates the time slot and the frequency sub-channel for transmitting the SL data and the SL control information,

wherein the SL communication resource configuration indicates a plurality of communication resources within a time window, each of the plurality of communication resources comprising a combination of one time slot and one or more frequency sub-channels, and the periodicity is a periodicity of the plurality of communication resources, and

wherein transmitting the SL data to the other UE comprises transmitting the SL data in a first transmission according to a first communication resource of the plurality of communication resources and transmitting the SL data in a second transmission according to a second communication resource of the plurality of communication resources.

18. A user equipment (UE) comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing programming for execution by the processor, the programming including instructions to:

receive, by the UE, a message indicating a sidelink (SL) communication resource configuration to be used by the UE for communicating SL control information and SL data between the UE and another UE;

transmit, by the UE, the SL control information to the other UE using a communication resource indicated by the SL communication resource configuration; and

transmit, by the UE, the SL data to the other UE using the communication resource indicated by the SL communication resource configuration,

wherein the SL communication resource configuration comprises an indication of a periodicity of the communication resource,

wherein the SL control information and the SL data are transmitted by the UE without the UE receiving, in a downlink control information (DCI), a grant of the communication resource,

wherein the communication resource comprises a time slot and a frequency sub-channel, and wherein the SL communication resource configuration indicates the time slot and the frequency sub-channel for transmitting the SL data and the SL control information,

wherein the SL communication resource configuration indicates a plurality of communication resources within a time window, each of the plurality of communication resources comprising a combination of one time slot and one or more frequency sub-channels, and the periodicity is a periodicity of the plurality of communication resources, and

wherein the instructions to transmit the SL data to the other UE comprise instructions to transmit the SL data in a first transmission according to a first communication resource of the plurality of communication resources and to transmit the SL data in a second transmission according to a second communication resource of the plurality of communication resources.