IP Library Granted Patent US 12,726,894
Granted Patent B2
US 12,726,894 · App. 18/006,825 · Granted Sep 1, 2026

Relay selection and re-selection assisted by discovery information

Inventors: Peng Cheng (Beijing, CN); Karthika Paladugu (San Diego, CA)
H04W48/20H04W8/005
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,726,894
App. No.
18/006,825
Granted
Sep 1, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide techniques for relay selection and reselection based on discovery information. An example method generally includes receiving, from a network entity, relay selection assistance information identifying a plurality of relay UEs available for selection by the UE; selecting a first relay UE of the plurality of relay UEs based, at least in part, on the relay selection assistance information; and connecting, via a sidelink, to the selected first relay UE.

Claims (60)

1 . An apparatus for wireless communications at a user equipment (UE), comprising:

one or more memories comprising instructions; and

one or more processors, individually or collectively, configured to execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to:

receive, from a network entity, relay selection assistance information identifying a plurality of relay UEs available for selection by the UE;

select a first relay UE of the plurality of relay UEs based, at least in part, on the relay selection assistance information, wherein selecting the first relay UE of the plurality of relay UEs comprises selecting the first relay UE from a subset of the plurality of relay UEs, each relay UE in the subset being associated with a same cell as the UE and having a signal strength exceeding a threshold signal strength; and

connect, via a sidelink, to the selected first relay UE.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the relay selection assistance information is received in a discovery message.

3 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the relay selection assistance information is received in a dedicated message received during a discovery procedure.

4 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the relay selection assistance information is received in a system information block (SIB) broadcast to the UE by the network entity.

5 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the relay selection assistance information comprises information related to UE-to-network entity relays, and wherein the relay selection assistance information is organized on a per-cell basis.

6 . The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the relay selection assistance information for each cell comprises one or more of:

cell identifier information,

cell load information,

minimum quality of service (QOS) metrics supported by a link between a relay UE and the cell;

neighbor relay information;

a connection status of each neighbor relay;

public land mobile network (PLMN) information for the cell; or

relay selection and reselection parameters for relay UEs connected with the cell.

7 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the relay selection assistance information comprises information related to UE-to-UE relays that are in coverage of the network entity, and wherein the relay selection assistance information is organized on a per-UE basis.

8 . The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the relay selection assistance information for each relay UE comprises one or more of:

information identifying the relay UE,

cell identifier information for cells associated with the relay UE,

cell load information for cells associated with the relay UE,

minimum quality of service (QOS) metrics supported by a link between the relay UE and the cell;

neighbor relay information;

a connection status of each neighbor relay;

public land mobile network (PLMN) information for the cell associated with the relay UE; or

relay selection and reselection parameters for the relay UE.

9 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors, individually or collectively, are configured to execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to:

adjust radio link monitoring (RLM) parameters for performing measurements in respect of the network entity where the UE is in a connected mode.

10 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors, individually or collectively, are configured to execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to:

establish a unicast connection with each relay UE in the subset of relay UEs.

11 . The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the one or more processors, individually or collectively, are configured to execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to:

determine that a measured signal strength for a relay UE in the subset of relay UEs has fallen below the threshold signal strength;

based on at least the determination, send a sidelink medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) (MAC-CE) to activate the relay UE in the subset of relay UEs; and

terminate the unicast connection for the relay UE in the subset of relay UEs.

12 . The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the one or more processors, individually or collectively, are configured to execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to:

measure a signal strength of a connection with the selected first relay UE; and

measure signal strength for only the subset of relay UEs based on a determination that the measured signal strength of the connection with the selected first relay UE exceeds the threshold signal strength.

13 . The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the one or more processors, individually or collectively, are configured to execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to:

measure a signal strength of a connection with a relay UE having a lowest signal strength in the subset of relay UEs; and

measure signal strength for only the subset of relay UEs based on a determination that the measured signal strength of the connection with the relay UE having the lowest signal strength in the subset of relay UEs exceeds the threshold signal strength.

14 . The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the one or more processors, individually or collectively, are configured to execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to:

measure a signal strength of at least one of a connection with the selected first relay UE or a connection with a relay UE having a lowest signal strength in the subset of relay UEs; and

measure signal strength for the plurality of relay UEs based on a determination that at least one of the measured signal strength of the connection with the selected first relay UE or the measured signal strength of the connection with the relay UE having a lowest signal strength in the subset of relay UEs is less than the threshold signal strength.

15 . The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the one or more processors, individually or collectively, are configured to execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to:

determine that a signal strength of a connection with the selected first relay UE has fallen below a threshold signal strength; and

based on the determination:

release the connection with the selected first relay UE; and

activate a connection with a second relay UE of the subset of relay UEs via a sidelink medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) (MAC-CE), wherein second relay UE comprises a UE of the subset of relay UEs having a highest connection signal strength.

16 . The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the one or more processors, individually or collectively, are configured to execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to:

determine that a signal strength of a connection with the selected first relay UE has fallen below a threshold signal strength and that no relay UE in the subset of relay UEs is suitable for reselection; and

based on the determination:

release the connection with the selected first relay UE; and

trigger a cell reselection procedure.

17 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors, individually or collectively, are configured to execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to adjust radio resource management (RRM) parameters for performing measurements in respect of the network entity and one or more neighboring network entities where the UE is in an idle, inactive, or connected mode using a first set of adjusted RRM parameters for the network entity and a second set of adjusted RRM parameters for the one or more neighboring network entities.

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

receiving, from a network entity, relay selection assistance information identifying a plurality of relay UEs available for selection by the UE;

selecting a first relay UE of the plurality of relay UEs based, at least in part, on the relay selection assistance information, wherein selecting the first relay UE of the plurality of relay UEs comprises selecting the first relay UE from a subset of the plurality of relay UEs, each relay UE in the subset being associated with a same cell as the UE and having a signal strength exceeding a threshold signal strength; and

connecting, via a sidelink, to the selected first relay UE.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 25, 2023
From: CHENG, PENG; PALADUGU, KARTHIKA
To: QUALCOMM INCORPORATED
Reel/Frame 062486/0839 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20230292233A1 · Sep 14, 2023
References Cited (42)
US 10736019B2 · Bressanelli et al. · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 10827558B2 · Gupta et al. · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 12082005B2 · Zhang · 2024 [cited by examiner]
US 12418944B2 · Dai · 2025 [cited by examiner]
US 20100080166A1 · Palanki · 2010 [cited by examiner]
US 20100110974A1 · Zhang · 2010 [cited by examiner]
US 20130136131A1 · Hirai · 2013 [cited by examiner]
US 20140133387A1 · Wagner · 2014 [cited by examiner]
US 20150271765A1 · Hakola et al. · 2015 [cited by applicant]
US 20160192439A1 · Phuyal · 2016 [cited by examiner]
US 20160286374A1 · Baghel et al. · 2016 [cited by applicant]
US 20160337954A1 · Gulati et al. · 2016 [cited by applicant]
US 20170086114A1 · Jung · 2017 [cited by examiner]
US 20180069664A1 · Khoryaev · 2018 [cited by examiner]
US 20180115940A1 · Abedini et al. · 2018 [cited by applicant]
US 20180139794A1 · Chae · 2018 [cited by examiner]
US 20180227736A1 · Lee · 2018 [cited by examiner]
US 20200008127A1 · Ohtsuji · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 20200008183A1 · Chen · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 20200059848A1 · Lee · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 20200221532A1 · Jung et al. · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 20200305139A1 · Xu · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 20200374857A1 · Zeng · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 20200389900A1 · Lee · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 20220007217A1 · Mondal · 2022 [cited by examiner]
US 20220167370A1 · Chen · 2022 [cited by examiner]
US 20220369186A1 · Diao · 2022 [cited by examiner]
US 20230180097A1 · Zhang · 2023 [cited by examiner]
US 20230247513A1 · Paladugu · 2023 [cited by examiner]
US 20230309009A1 · Back · 2023 [cited by examiner]
US 20240147497A1 · Ashraf · 2024 [cited by examiner]
CN 106304257A · 2017 [cited by applicant]
CN 107771410A · 2018 [cited by applicant]
CN 108809897A · 2018 [cited by applicant]
EP 3618391A1 · 2020 [cited by applicant]
WO 2016163745A1 · 2016 [cited by applicant]
WO 2019005283 · 2019 [cited by applicant]
WO 2019067179 · 2019 [cited by applicant]
International Search Report and Written Opinion—PCT/CN2020/119525—ISA/EPO—Jul. 8, 2021. [cited by applicant]
LG Electronics Inc: “Introduction of 5G V2X With NR Sidelink”, 3GPP TSG-RAN WG2 Meeting #109-e, R2-2002264, Mar. 6, 2020 (Mar. 6, 2020), 18 Pages, the whole document. [cited by applicant]
Ericsson: “Overview of ProSe UE to Network Relay Service Continuity”, 3GPP TSG-RAN WG2 #89bis, R2-151147, 3rd Generation Partnership Project, Mobile Competence Centre, 650, Route Des Lucioles, F-06921 Sophia-Antipolis C… [cited by applicant]
Supplementary European Search Report—EP20955740—Search Authority—Munich—Jun. 5, 2024. [cited by applicant]