IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,556,317
Granted Patent B2
US 12,556,317 · App. 17/924,937 · Granted Feb 17, 2026

Methods and apparatus for transmitting sidelink control information indicating no sidelink data

Inventors: Joachim Loehr (Wiesbaden, DE); Prateek Basu Mallick (Dreieich, DE); Karthikeyan Ganesan (Kronberg im Taunus, DE); Ravi Kuchibhotla (Chicago, IL)
Assignee: Lenovo (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
H04L1/1864H04W72/25
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,556,317
App. No.
17/924,937
Granted
Feb 17, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

Apparatuses, methods, and systems are disclosed for transmitting sidelink control information indicating no sidelink data. One method includes determining, at a user equipment, that there is no sidelink data available for a destination. The method includes transmitting sidelink control information to the destination that indicates that there is no sidelink data available for the destination and triggers a feedback response from the destination. The method includes receiving the feedback response from the destination.

Claims (34)

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

determining that there is no sidelink data available for a destination;

transmitting sidelink control information (SCI) to the destination without any associated data, wherein the SCI indicates that there is no sidelink data available for the destination and triggers a feedback response from the destination; and

receiving the feedback response from the destination.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) is associated with the SCI, and the SCI indicates that data carried by the PSSCH comprises only padding or only random data.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the data carried by the PSSCH comprises a sidelink medium access control (MAC) protocol data unit (PDU) that comprises the padding or the random data.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein a header of the sidelink MAC PDU comprises a predetermined logical channel identifier that indicates that data carried by the sidelink MAC PDU is to be discarded.

5 . The method of claim 3 , wherein a subheader of a sidelink shared channel MAC indicates that the sidelink MAC PDU carries no useful data.

6 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising retransmitting only the SCI without any associated data.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a reserved bit in the SCI indicates that there is no sidelink data available for the destination and triggers the feedback response from the destination.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a reserved bit in the SCI indicates that there is no physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) associated with the SCI.

9 . A user equipment (UE), comprising:

at least one memory; and

at least one processor coupled with the at least one memory and configured to cause the UE to:

determine that there is no sidelink data available for a destination;

transmit sidelink control information (SCI) to the destination without any associated data, wherein the SCI that indicates that there is no sidelink data available for the destination and triggers a feedback response from the destination; and

receive the feedback response from the destination.

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

receiving sidelink control information (SCI) without any associated data, wherein the SCI indicates that there is no sidelink data available for the UE and triggers a feedback response from the UE; and

transmitting the feedback response from the UE.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the feedback response is an acknowledgement indicating that the SCI was received by the UE.

12 . The method of claim 10 , wherein a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) is associated with the SCI, and the SCI indicates that data carried by the PSSCH comprises only padding or only random data.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the data carried by the PSSCH comprises a sidelink medium access control (MAC) protocol data unit (PDU) that comprises the padding or the random data.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein a header of the sidelink MAC PDU comprises a predetermined logical channel identifier that indicates that data carried by the sidelink MAC PDU is to be discarded.

15 . The method of claim 13 , wherein a subheader of a sidelink shared channel MAC indicates that the sidelink MAC PDU carries no useful data.

16 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising discarding the data carried by the PSSCH without decoding the data in response to the SCI indicating that data carried by the PSSCH comprises only padding or only random data.

17 . The method of claim 10 , wherein a reserved bit in the SCI indicates that there is no sidelink data available for the UE and triggers the feedback response from the UE.

18 . The method of claim 10 , wherein a reserved bit in the SCI indicates that there is no physical sidelink shared channel associated with the SCI.

19 . A user equipment (UE), comprising:

at least one memory; and

at least one processor coupled with the at least one memory and configured to cause the UE to:

receive sidelink control information (SCI) without any associated data, wherein the SCI indicates that there is no sidelink data available for the UE and triggers a feedback response from the UE; and

transmit the feedback response from the UE.

20 . The UE of claim 19 , wherein the feedback response is an acknowledgement indicating that the SCI was received by the UE.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 16, 2022
From: LOEHR, JOACHIM; BASU MALLICK, PRATEEK; GANESAN, KARTHIKEYAN; KUCHIBHOTLA, RAVI
To: LENOVO (SINGAPORE) PTE. LTD.
Reel/Frame 061797/0607 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 63022963 · May 11, 2020
Related Publication 20230198685A1 · Jun 22, 2023
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