POWER EFFICIENT TRANSMISSION AND SCHEDULING OF COOPERATIVE DEVICES IN THE UPLINK

Smart overview of the Invention

Overview: The patent application outlines a method and system for enhancing data transmission efficiency in a group of cooperative devices using sidelink and uplink communication. It involves scheduling group data transmissions by transmitting data over a sidelink and ensuring that each group device meets a minimum radio quality threshold before cooperatively transmitting data to a network node.

Technical Field: This innovation is related to wireless communications, specifically focusing on methods and devices that support cooperative device-to-device (D2D) communication to improve uplink coverage and user bit rate in high-frequency 5G networks. The approach leverages sidelink multi-path transmissions, as explored in recent 3GPP projects, to facilitate effective group communication.

Methodology: The process begins with a user equipment (UE) transmitting data to neighboring UEs in a group over a sidelink. Subsequently, these UEs cooperatively transmit the data to a network node over the cellular uplink. This coordinated transmission relies on the radio quality of each device being above a specified threshold, which helps enhance uplink coverage and reduce latency compared to traditional repeated transmissions.

Sidelink Transmission Enhancements: The patent introduces several enhancements to NR sidelink transmissions, including support for unicast and groupcast transmissions, grant-free transmissions to reduce latency, a redesigned physical sidelink shared channel (PSCCH) to minimize resource collisions, and improved quality of service (QoS) management. These enhancements aim to optimize the cooperative transmission process.

Resource Allocation Modes: Similar to LTE's PROSE, NR sidelink transmissions offer two modes of resource allocation: Mode 1, where resources are scheduled by a gNB, and Mode 2, where UEs autonomously select resources based on channel sensing. Mode 1 or Mode 2 can be used for in-coverage UEs, while only Mode 2 is applicable for out-of-coverage UEs, ensuring flexible and efficient resource management.