阅读说明：本技术 用于设备到设备通信的基于srs的发现 (SRS-based discovery for device-to-device communication ) 是由 J·H·刘 白天阳 K·文努戈帕尔 周彦 骆涛 厉隽怿 于 2020-04-20 设计创作，主要内容包括：公开了用于建立和维护直接用户设备到用户设备通信链路的系统和方法。用户设备(UE)可以从邻近UE接收探测参考信号(SRS)。UE可以根据SRS确定UE是用于直接链路的良好候选。UE还可以根据SRS确定与邻近UE相关联的ID。UE可以向UE服务gNB发送直接链路请求。服务gNB可以将请求转发给服务于邻近UE的gNB。gNB可以协商用于UE到UE波束搜索的波束的联合调度。可以使用SRS资源来进行波束搜索。可以向gNB发送波束搜索的结果,并且gNB可以确定用于直接链路的波束对。(Systems and methods for establishing and maintaining direct user equipment-to-user equipment communication links are disclosed. A User Equipment (UE) may receive a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) from a neighboring UE. The UE may determine from the SRS that the UE is a good candidate for the direct link. The UE may also determine an ID associated with the neighboring UE from the SRS. The UE may send a direct link request to the UE serving the gNB. The serving gbb may forward the request to the gbb serving the neighboring UE. The gNB may negotiate joint scheduling of beams for UE-to-UE beam search. The SRS resources may be used for beam searching. The results of the beam search may be sent to the gNB, and the gNB may determine beam pairs for the direct link.)

1. A method of operating a first User Equipment (UE), comprising:

receiving a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) from a second UE;

measuring a signal quality of the SRS;

determining whether the second UE is a candidate for a direct link based on the signal quality measurement; and

sending a request to the first gNB for establishing a direct link with the second UE.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining an ID of the second UE based on the received SRS.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising: receiving, from the first gNB, a joint schedule for beam search.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising: a beam search process is performed.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising: transmitting a beam search report to the first gNB.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising: receiving information on a direct link beam pair for establishing a direct link with the second UE.

7. A first User Equipment (UE), comprising:

a receiver adapted to: receiving a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) from a second UE;

a processor adapted to:

measuring a signal quality of the SRS; and

determining whether the second UE is a candidate for a direct link based on the signal quality measurement; and

a transmitter adapted to: sending a request to the first gNB for establishing a direct link with the second UE.

8. The first UE of claim 7, wherein the processor is adapted to: determining an ID of the second UE based on the received SRS.

9. The first UE of claim 8, wherein the processor is adapted to: receiving, from the first gNB, a joint schedule for beam search.

10. The first UE of claim 9, wherein the processor is adapted to: a beam search process is performed.

11. The first UE of claim 10, wherein the transmitter is adapted to: transmitting a beam search report to the first gNB.

12. The first UE of claim 11, wherein the receiver is adapted to: receiving information on a direct link beam pair for establishing a direct link with the second UE.

13. A first User Equipment (UE), comprising:

means for receiving a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) from a second UE;

means for measuring a signal quality of the SRS; and

means for determining whether the second UE is a candidate for a direct link based on the signal quality measurement; and

means for sending a request to the first gNB for establishment of a direct link with the second UE.

14. The first UE of claim 13, further comprising: means for determining an ID of the second UE based on the received SRS.

15. The first UE of claim 14, further comprising: means for receiving, from the first gNB, joint scheduling for beam search.

16. The first UE of claim 15, further comprising: means for performing a beam search procedure.

17. The first UE of claim 16, further comprising: means for transmitting a beam search report to the first gNB.

18. The first UE of claim 17, further comprising: means for receiving information on a direct link beam pair for establishing a direct link with the second UE.

Technical Field

The following relates generally to wireless communications, and more specifically to discovering User Equipment (UE) using Sounding Reference Signals (SRS).

Background

Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, and so on. These systems may support communication with multiple users by sharing the available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). Examples of such multiple-access systems include Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) systems, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) systems, Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) systems, and Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) systems (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems or New Radio (NR) systems)). A wireless multiple-access communication system can include base stations (e.g., a gNB or eNB) or other access network nodes that each simultaneously support communication for multiple communication devices, which can otherwise be referred to as User Equipment (UE).

In some wireless systems, a base station and a UE may communicate using directional millimeter wave transmissions (e.g., beams), where beamforming techniques may be applied using one or more antenna arrays or panels to generate beams in different directions. Directional mmwave transmission is expected to be utilized by many 5G-compatible devices, such as UEs. In many cases, it may be desirable for the UE to establish a direct device-to-device communication link. The UE must find good link candidates for the device-to-device communication link and identify good directional beams. Furthermore, the UE may need resources for performing directional beam search.

Therefore, there is a need for systems and methods for UE discovery of other UEs that may be suitable for direct UE-to-UE communication links. Establishing a direct link may require a beam search to determine beam pairs for the direct UE-to-UE communication link. The beam search may require resources for performing the beam search. The following disclosure addresses these needs as well as others.

Disclosure of Invention

In one exemplary aspect, a User Equipment (UE) receives Sounding Reference Signals (SRS) from neighboring UEs. The UE may determine from the SRS that the UE is a good candidate for the direct link. The UE may also determine an ID associated with the neighboring UE from the SRS. The UE may send a direct link request with an ID to the UE serving the gNB. The serving gbb may forward the request to the gbb serving the neighboring UE. The gNB may then negotiate joint scheduling for UE-to-UE beam search. The beam search may be accomplished using SRS resources. The results of the beam search may be sent to the gNB. The gNB may determine a beam pair for the direct link. The beam pair information may be transmitted to the UE to allow the UE and the neighboring UE to establish a direct link.

In another exemplary aspect, a first User Equipment (UE) may receive a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) from a second UE and measure a signal quality of the SRS; the first UE may determine whether the second UE is a candidate for a direct link based on the signal quality measurements and send a request to the first gNB for establishing the direct link with the second UE.

In another exemplary aspect, a second User Equipment (UE) may receive a request from a second gNB to establish a direct link with a first UE, and may receive a joint schedule for beam search from the second gNB. The second UE may perform the beam search procedure according to the joint scheduling.

In another exemplary aspect, a first gNB may receive a request for a direct link from a first User Equipment (UE) and may send the request for the direct link to a second gNB. The second gNB may negotiate joint scheduling for beam search with the second gNB.

In another exemplary aspect, the second gNB may receive a request for a direct link from a first User Equipment (UE); and negotiate joint scheduling for beam search with the first gNB.

Drawings

Fig. 1 illustrates an example of a system for wireless communication that supports SRS discovery and direct UE-to-UE communication in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 illustrates an example of a second UE discovering a first UE, according to aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 3 illustrates an example of a direct link timeline in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 4 illustrates an example of beam searching in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5 illustrates an example of a direct link request in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 6 shows an example of a flow diagram for a first UE, according to aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 7 shows an example of a flow diagram for a second UE, according to aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 8 illustrates an example of a flow diagram for a first gNB, according to aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 9 shows an example of a flow diagram for the second gNB, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 10 illustrates an example of a UE in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 11 illustrates an example of a gNB in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 illustrates an example of a wireless communication system 100 in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. The wireless communication system 100 includes a base station 105, a UE 110, and a core network 115. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may be a Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-advanced (LTE-a) network, or a New Radio (NR) network. In some cases, the wireless communication system 100 may support enhanced broadband communications, ultra-reliable (i.e., mission-critical) communications, low latency communications, and communications with low cost and low complexity devices. The wireless communication system 100 may support calculating uplink transmit power using the difference in transmit and receive array gains.

Base station 105 may communicate wirelessly with UE 110 via one or more base station antennas. Each base station 105 may provide communication coverage for a respective geographic coverage area 130. The communication links 135 shown in the wireless communication system 100 may include: uplink transmissions from UE 110 to base station 105, or downlink transmissions from base station 105 to UE 110. Other communication links, such as device-to-device communication link 138, may be a direct UE 110 to UE 110 link. Control information and data may be multiplexed on an uplink channel or a downlink according to various techniques. For example, control information and data may be multiplexed on the downlink channel using Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) techniques, Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM) techniques, or hybrid TDM-FDM techniques. In some examples, control information transmitted during a Transmission Time Interval (TTI) of a downlink channel may be distributed in a cascaded manner between different control regions (e.g., between a common control region and one or more UE-specific control regions).

UEs 110 may be dispersed throughout wireless communication system 100, and each UE 110 may be stationary or mobile. UE 110 may also be referred to as a mobile station, a subscriber station, a mobile unit, a subscriber unit, a wireless unit, a remote unit, a mobile device, a wireless communication device, a remote device, a mobile subscriber station, an access terminal, a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a remote terminal, a handset, a user agent, a mobile client, a client, or some other suitable terminology. The UE 110 may also be a cellular phone, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, a wireless communication device, a handheld device, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a cordless phone, a personal electronic device, a handheld device, a personal computer, a Wireless Local Loop (WLL) station, an internet of things (IoT) device, an internet of everything (IoE) device, a Machine Type Communication (MTC) device, a home appliance, a vehicle, and so forth.

In some cases, the UE 110 may also be able to communicate directly with other UEs (e.g., using peer-to-peer (P2P) or device-to-device (D2D) protocols). One or more UEs of the set of UEs 110 communicating with D2D may be within the coverage area 130 of the cell. Other UEs 110 in such a group may be outside the coverage area 130 of the cell or otherwise unable to receive transmissions from the base station 105. In some cases, groups of UEs 110 communicating via D2D may utilize a one-to-many (1: M) system in which each UE 110 transmits to every other UE 110 in the group. In some cases, the base station 105 facilitates scheduling of resources for D2D communication. In other cases, D2D communication is performed independently of the base station 105. UE 110 may transmit SRS and receive SRS, allowing UE 110 to discover neighboring UEs.

Some UEs 110, such as MTC or IoT devices, may be low cost or low complexity devices and may offer automated communication between machines (i.e., machine-to-machine (M2M) communication). M2M or MTC may refer to data communication techniques that allow devices to communicate with each other or with a base station without human intervention. For example, M2M or MTC may refer to communications from devices that integrate sensors or meters to measure or capture information and relay the information to a central server or application that may utilize the information or present the information to personnel interacting with the program or application. Some UEs 110 may be designed to collect information or implement automated behavior of machines. Examples of applications for MTC devices include: smart metering, inventory monitoring, water level monitoring, equipment monitoring, medical health monitoring, wildlife monitoring, weather and geological event monitoring, fleet management and tracking, remote security sensing, physical access control, and transaction-based business billing.

In some cases, MTC devices may operate at a reduced peak rate using half-duplex (one-way) communication. MTC devices may also be configured to enter a power saving "deep sleep" mode when not engaged in active communication. In some cases, MTC or IoT devices may be designed to support mission critical functions and wireless communication systems may be configured to provide ultra-reliable communication for these functions.

The base stations 105 may communicate with the core network 115 and with each other. For example, the base station 105 may be connected with the core network 115 through a backhaul link (e.g., S1, etc.). The base stations 105 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., through the core network 115) through backhaul links 134 (e.g., X2, etc.). The backhaul link may be wired or wireless. The base station 105 may perform radio configuration and scheduling for communication with the UE 110 or may operate under the control of a base station controller (not shown). In some examples, the base station 105 may be a macro cell, a small cell, a hot spot, and/or the like. The base station 105 may also be referred to as a gbb.

The base station 105 may be connected to the core network 115 through an S1 interface. The core network may be an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) that may include at least one Mobility Management Entity (MME), at least one serving gateway (S-GW), and at least one Packet Data Network (PDN) gateway (P-GW). The MME may be a control node that handles signaling between UE 110 and the EPC. All user Internet Protocol (IP) packets may be communicated through the S-GW, which may itself be connected to the P-GW. The P-GW may provide IP address assignment as well as other functions. The P-GW may be connected to the IP services of the network operator. Operator IP services may include internet, intranet, IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), and Packet Switched (PS) streaming services.

The core network 120 may provide user authentication, access authorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. At least some of the network devices, such as base stations 105, may include subcomponents, such as access network entities, which may be examples of Access Node Controllers (ANCs). Each access network entity may communicate with multiple UEs 110 through multiple other access network transport entities, each of which may be an example of an intelligent radio head or a transmission/reception point (TRP). In some configurations, the various functions of each access network entity or base station 105 may be distributed across various network devices (e.g., radio heads and access network controllers) or incorporated in a single network device (e.g., base station 105).

The wireless communication system 100 may operate in a very high frequency (UHF) frequency region using a frequency band from 700MHz to 2600MHz (2.6GHz), but some networks, such as Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), may use frequencies as high as 5 GHz. This region may also be referred to as the decimeter band because the wavelength range is from approximately one decimeter to one meter in length. UHF waves may propagate primarily through the line of sight and may be blocked by building and environmental features. However, these waves may be sufficient to penetrate walls to provide service to UEs 110 located indoors. UHF-wave transmission is characterized by smaller antennas and shorter distances (e.g., less than 100km) than transmission of smaller frequencies (and longer waves) using the High Frequency (HF) or Very High Frequency (VHF) portion of the spectrum. In some cases, wireless communication system 100 may also utilize the Extremely High Frequency (EHF) portion of the spectrum (e.g., from 30GHz to 300 GHz). This region may also be referred to as the millimeter-band because the wavelength ranges from approximately one millimeter to one centimeter in length. Accordingly, the EHF antennas may be even smaller and more closely spaced compared to UHF antennas. In some cases, this may facilitate the use of an antenna array (e.g., for directional beamforming) within UE 110. However, EHF transmissions may suffer from even greater atmospheric attenuation and shorter distances than UHF transmissions.

The wireless communication system 100 may support mmW communication between the UE 110 and the base station 105 and in the backhaul link. Devices operating in mmW or EHF bands may have multiple antennas to allow beamforming. That is to say. The base station 105 may use multiple antennas or antenna arrays to perform beamforming operations for directional communications with the UE 110. Beamforming, which may also be referred to as spatial filtering or directional transmission, is a signal processing technique that may be used at a transmitter (e.g., base station 105) to shape and/or steer an overall antenna beam in the direction of a target receiver (e.g., UE 110). This can be achieved by combining elements in an antenna array such that signals transmitted at a particular angle experience constructive interference while other signals experience destructive interference.

A multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless system uses a transmission scheme between a transmitter (e.g., base station 105) and a receiver (e.g., UE 110), both of which are equipped with multiple antennas. Portions of the wireless communication system 100 may use beamforming. For example, the base station 105 may have an antenna array with multiple rows and columns of antenna ports that the base station 105 may use to beamform in its communications with the UEs 110. The signal may be transmitted multiple times in different directions (e.g., each transmission may be beamformed in a different manner). A mmW receiver (e.g., UE 110) may attempt multiple beams (e.g., antenna sub-arrays) when receiving synchronization signals.

In some cases, the antennas of a base station 105 or UE 110 may be located within one or more antenna arrays, which may support beamforming or MIMO operation. One or more base station antennas or antenna arrays may be co-located at an antenna assembly, such as an antenna tower. In some cases, the antennas or antenna arrays associated with the base station 105 may be located in different geographic locations. The base station 105 may perform beamforming operations using multiple antennas or antenna arrays for directional communications with the UE 110.

In some cases, the wireless communication system 100 may be a packet-based network operating according to a layered protocol stack. In the user plane, communication at the bearer or Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer may be IP-based. In some cases, the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer may perform packet segmentation and reassembly to communicate over logical channels. A Medium Access Control (MAC) layer may perform priority processing and multiplexing of logical channels to transport channels. The MAC layer may also use hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) to provide retransmissions at the MAC layer to improve link efficiency. In the control plane, a Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol layer may provide for the establishment, configuration, and maintenance of RRC connections between UE 110 and network devices or core networks 120 supporting radio bearers for user plane data. At the Physical (PHY) layer, transport channels may be mapped to physical channels.

The wireless communication system 100 may support operation over multiple cells or carriers, which may be referred to as Carrier Aggregation (CA) or multi-carrier operation. A carrier may also be referred to as a Component Carrier (CC), a layer, a channel, etc. The terms "carrier," "component carrier," "cell," and "channel" may be used interchangeably herein. UE 110 may be configured with multiple downlink CCs and one or more uplink CCs for carrier aggregation. Carrier aggregation may be used with both FDD and TDD component carriers.

In some cases, the wireless communication system 100 may utilize an enhanced component carrier (eCC). An eCC may be characterized by one or more features including: wider bandwidth, shorter symbol duration, shorter TTI, and modified control channel configuration. In some cases, an eCC may be associated with a carrier aggregation configuration or a dual connectivity configuration (e.g., when multiple serving cells have suboptimal or non-ideal backhaul links). An eCC may also be configured for use in unlicensed spectrum or shared spectrum (where more than one operator is allowed to use the spectrum). An eCC characterized by a wide bandwidth may include one or more segments that may be utilized by UEs 110 that are unable to monitor the entire bandwidth or prefer to use a limited bandwidth (e.g., to save power).

In some cases, an eCC may utilize a different symbol duration than other CCs, which may include the use of a reduced symbol duration compared to the symbol durations of other CCs. Shorter symbol durations are associated with increased subcarrier spacing. A device utilizing an eCC, such as UE 110 or base station 105, may transmit a wideband signal (e.g., 20MHz, 40MHz, 60MHz, 80MHz, etc.) with a reduced symbol duration (e.g., 16.67 microseconds). A TTI in an eCC may include one or more symbols. In some cases, the TTI duration (i.e., the number of symbols in a TTI) may be variable.

The shared radio frequency spectrum band may be utilized in an NR shared spectrum system. For example, NR shared spectrum may utilize any combination of licensed, shared, and unlicensed spectrum, as well as other spectrum. Flexibility in eCC symbol duration and subcarrier spacing may allow for the use of eccs across multiple spectra. In some examples, NR sharing spectrum may increase spectrum utilization and spectral efficiency, particularly through dynamic vertical (e.g., across the frequency domain) and horizontal (e.g., across the time domain) sharing of resources.

In some cases, the wireless communication system 100 may utilize both licensed and unlicensed radio frequency spectrum bands. For example, the wireless communication system 100 may employ LTE licensed assisted access (LTE-LAA) or unlicensed LTE (LTE u) radio access technology, or NR technology in an unlicensed frequency band such as the 5Ghz industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) band. When operating in the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band, wireless devices such as base stations 105 and UEs 110 may employ a Listen Before Talk (LBT) procedure to ensure that the channel is free before transmitting data. In some cases, operation in the unlicensed band may be based on CA configuration in tandem with CCs operating in the licensed band. Operation in the unlicensed spectrum may include downlink transmissions, uplink transmissions, or both. Duplexing in the unlicensed spectrum may be based on Frequency Division Duplexing (FDD), Time Division Duplexing (TDD), or a combination of both.

A UE 110 attempting to access a wireless network may perform an initial cell search by detecting a Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS) from a base station 105. The PSS may enable synchronization of slot timing and may indicate a physical layer identity value. UE 110 may then receive a Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS). The SSS may implement radio frame synchronization and may provide a cell identity value that may be combined with a physical layer identity value to identify a cell. The SSS may also enable duplex mode and cyclic prefix length detection. After receiving the PSS and SSS, the UE 110 may receive a Master Information Block (MIB), which may be sent by the base station 105 in a Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH). The MIB may contain system bandwidth information, System Frame Number (SFN), and Physical HARQ Indicator Channel (PHICH) configuration.

After decoding the MIB, UE 110 may receive one or more System Information Blocks (SIBs). For example, the SIB1 may contain cell access parameters and scheduling information for other SIBs. For example, SIB1 access information, including cell identity information, and it may indicate whether UE 110 is allowed to camp on coverage area 130. The SIB1 also includes cell selection information (or cell selection parameters) and scheduling information for other SIBs, such as SIB 2. Decoding the SIB1 may enable the UE 110 to receive the SIB2, where the SIB2 may contain Radio Resource Control (RRC) configuration information related to Random Access Channel (RACH) procedures, paging, Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), power control, Sounding Reference Signal (SRS), and cell barring. Different SIBs may be defined according to the type of system information transmitted. In some cases, SIB2 may be dynamically scheduled according to information in SIB1, and SIB2 includes access information and parameters related to common and shared channels.

After the UE 110 decodes the SIB2, it may send a RACH preamble to the base station 105. For example, the RACH preamble may be randomly selected from a set of 64 predetermined sequences. This may enable the base station 105 to distinguish between multiple UEs 110 attempting to access the system at the same time. The base station 105 may respond with a random access response that provides an uplink resource grant, a timing advance, and a temporary cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI). UE 110 may then send an RRC connection request along with a Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity (TMSI) (e.g., if UE 110 has been previously connected to the same wireless network) or a random identifier. The RRC connection request may also indicate a reason (e.g., emergency, signaling, data exchange, etc.) that UE 110 is connecting to the network. The base station 105 may respond to the connection request with a contention resolution message (which may provide a new C-RNTI) addressed to the UE 110. If the UE 110 receives the contention resolution message with the correct identity, it may proceed with RRC establishment. If UE 110 does not receive the contention resolution message (e.g., if there is a collision with another UE 110), UE 110 may repeat the RACH procedure by transmitting a new RACH preamble.

Wireless devices in the wireless communication system 100 may transmit transmissions according to a particular link budget. The link budget may take into account the allowed signal attenuation between the UE 110 and the base station 105 and the antenna gains at the UE 110 and the base station 105. Thus, the link budget may, for example, provide a maximum transmit power for various wireless devices within the wireless communication system 100. In some cases, the UE 110 may coordinate transmit power with the serving base station 105 to mitigate interference, improve uplink data rates, and extend battery life.

Some of the communication devices in the wireless communication system 100 may have modems that include direct link components. For example, the base station 105 may have a base station modem 160, the base station modem 160 having direct link components. The direct link component can have a transmit component 762 for transmitting directional beams. The direct link component may also have a receive component 764 for receiving the directional beam. The receiving component 764 can direct the link request allowing the base station to forward the link request to another base station. The direct link component may have a direct link processing component 766, and the direct link processing component 766 may support processing direct link request messages, negotiating joint scheduling, and determining beam pairs. During the beam search process, the transmitting component may transmit on SRS resources.

UE 110 may have UE modem 140, with UE modem 140 having direct link components. The direct link component may have a transmit component 642 for transmitting the directional beam. The direct link component may also have a receive component 644 for receiving one or more directional beams. The direct link component can also have a beam search process component 646 for performing a beam search process. Beam search process component 646 can be adapted to perform a beam search process in cooperation with another UE using SRS resources. The direct link processing component may be adapted to discover the neighboring UE via SRS and determine whether a direct link should be established with the neighboring UE.

Fig. 2 illustrates an example of a second UE discovering a first UE 206, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. A first cell 202 is shown having a first UE 206 and a first gNB 208 in its coverage area. The first UE 206 and the first gNB 208 communicate over a first link 207. Also shown is a second cell 204 having a second UE 210 and a second gNB 208 in its coverage area. The second UE 210 communicates with a second gNB 212 over a second link 211.

A first UE 206 in communication with a first gNB 208 over a first link 207 may occasionally transmit SRS 214. The SRS 214 may be transmitted by the UE 206 to enable the first gNB 208 to estimate uplink channel quality or may be used, for example, for uplink timing estimation. The SRS may also be used by the second UE 210 for discovery purposes. The second UE 210 may receive the SRS 214 from the neighboring UEs, allowing the second UE 210 to discover other UEs transmitting SRS similar to the first UE 206. The SRS may also include a UE ID associated with the first UE 206, allowing the second UE 210 to positively identify the first UE 206. The second UE 210 may evaluate the signal strength and/or quality of the received SRS to determine whether a direct link may be established between the first UE 206 and the second UE 210. If the received SRS 214 signal strength and/or quality is strong, a direct link between the first UE 206 and the second UE 210 may be a good choice.

Fig. 3 shows an example of a direct link timeline 300 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The UE shown in the figures may be the same UE as shown in fig. 1 and 2. The timelines for first UE 301, first gNB 302, second gNB 304, and second UE 306 are shown in fig. 3.

During operation, first UE 301 may transmit SRS 307 to first gNB 302. The second UE 306 may receive the SRS 307 and determine that the received SRS has a signal strength and/or quality that will make the second UE 306 a good candidate for establishing a direct UE-to-UE link. The second UE 306 may also determine the ID of the first UE 301 from the SRS and send a request for the direct link 308 to the second gNB 304. The second gNB 304 may be a serving gNB for the second UE 306. Second gNB 306 may then in turn forward a request for direct link 310 to first gNB 302. The first gNB 302 may be a serving gNB for the first UE 301. The gNB 302 may then forward the request for the direct link 312 to the first UE 301.

To facilitate the beam search process, first and second gnbs 302, 304 may negotiate joint schedule 314 for performing the beam search. The first gNB 302 may transmit the joint schedule 316 to the first UE 301. Similarly, the second gNB 304 may transmit the joint schedule 318 to the second UE 306. Joint scheduling may be used to determine how and when a direct link beam search procedure between the first UE 301 and the second UE 306 is to be performed. Joint scheduling may also require the use of SRS resources during direct link beam search.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that there are many protocols for performing beam searching. In one exemplary aspect, the first UE 301 may transmit in a first Transmit Search (TS) beam 320 in a first beam direction. The first UE 301 may then transmit in the second TS beam 322 in the second beam direction. The first UE 301 may continue to transmit in different search beams in different directions until the nth transmission in TS beam N324 is transmitted. During this process, the second UE 306 may attempt to receive a transmission on a first receive beam in a first direction. The first UE may then retransmit the N TS beam 324 a second time when the second UE 306 attempts to receive the transmit beam on a second receive beam. The transmit sequence may be repeated M times 326, allowing the second UE 306 to attempt to receive N transmissions on all M receive beams.

During the beam search, the second UE 306 may prepare a beam search report. The beam search report may contain a beam pair ID, Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), signal to interference noise ratio (SINR), signal to noise ratio (SNR), Interference Measurement Resource (IMR), or other indication of radio link quality. The second UE 306 may then transmit a beam report 326 to the second gNB 304. Second gNB 304 may then send beam report 328 to first gNB 302. The first gNB 302 may then send a beam report 330 to the first UE 301. The first UE 301 and the second UE 306 may then establish a direct link 332. In various aspects, a beam pair for the direct link may be selected by first UE 301, second UE 306, first gNB 302, or second gNB 306.

Fig. 4 illustrates an example of a beam search 400 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The beam search may be performed, for example, by the UE shown in fig. 1-3. A first UE 401 and a second UE 406 performing an exemplary beam search procedure are shown in fig. 4. The first UE 401 may transmit in a first transmit search (TS 1) beam 410 in a first direction while the second UE 406 receives on a first receive search (RS 1) beam 420. The first UE 401 may then transmit on the TS 2 beam 412 in the second direction while the second UE 406 continues to receive on the RS 1 beam 420. The first UE 401 may scan all N TS beams until the UE 401 transmits on the TS N beam 414 while the second UE continues to receive on the RS 1 beam 420.

The first UE 401 may repeat the N TS beam transmission scan again, wherein the second UE attempts to receive on the RS 2 beam 422. The first UE 401 may repeat the transmission scan M times with the second UE 406 attempting to receive on each RS beam until a final scan when the second UE receives on RS M beam M424.

Fig. 5 illustrates an example of a direct link request 500 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The base station (gbb) and UE shown in fig. 5 may be the base stations shown in fig. 1-4. A first UE 501 and a second UE 506 are shown in fig. 5. The first UE 506 is being served by a first gNB 510. A second UE 501 is being served by a second gNB 512. The second UE 506 may transmit SRS 507 and the first UE 501 may receive SRS 507. The first UE 501 may determine that the SRS 507 is a strong signal and determine that the second UE 506 is a good candidate for a direct link. The first UE 501 may then send a direct link request 503 to the first gNB 510. First gNB 510 may forward direct link request 505 to second gNB 512. The second gNB 512 may then forward the direct link request 509 to the first UE 506.

Fig. 6 shows an example of a flow diagram for a first UE 600, according to aspects of the present disclosure. For example, the first UE performing the procedure may be, for example, one of the UEs shown in fig. 1-5. A first UE performing the procedure may receive SRS 602. The first UE may evaluate the received signal strength 604 and/or quality (e.g., RSRP, SINR, SNR IMR, etc.) of the SRS. The strong SRS may be a good indicator that the second UE transmitting the SRS is a good direct link candidate 606. The SRS may contain an ID that allows the first UE to positively identify the second UE. If the second UE is a good direct link candidate, the first UE may send a direct link request to the gNB 608 serving the first UE. The gNB can then forward the direct link request to a gNB serving the second UE. If it is determined that a link can be established, the gNB can negotiate joint scheduling for beam search.

The first UE may then receive joint scheduling 610 from its serving gbb. Joint scheduling may specify resources for performing beam searching. In some aspects, joint scheduling assigns SRS resources for beam search. Joint scheduling may also include transmitter and receiver assignments for performing beam searching. If the first UE is a receiver during the beam search, it may send beam search results 614 to its serving gNB. The serving gbb may determine transmitter and receiver beam pairs for the direct link or receive information about the beam pairs from other gbbs. The serving gbb may then transmit the beam pair information, allowing the first UE to establish a direct link 616 with the second UE.

Fig. 7 shows an example of a flow diagram for the second UE 700, according to aspects of the present disclosure. For example, the second UE performing the procedure may be, for example, one of the UEs shown in fig. 1-5. The second UE may transmit SRS 702. The SRS may include the second UE ID. The SRS signal may be received by a first UE located in proximity to a second UE. The first UE may send a direct link request to its serving gNB, which may forward the direct link request to a second UE serving gNB, which may in turn forward the direct link request to the second UE, allowing the second UE to receive the direct link request 704. The second UE may also receive joint scheduling 706 from its serving base station, allowing the second UE to perform a beam search procedure 708 with the first UE. In some aspects, joint scheduling assigns SRS resources for beam search. Joint scheduling may also include transmitter and receiver assignments for performing beam searching.

The second UE may perform the beam search procedure 708 according to joint scheduling. If the second UE is a receiver during the beam search, it may send the beam search results 710 to its serving gNB. The serving gbb may determine transmitter and receiver beam pairs for the direct link or receive information about the beam pairs from other gbbs. The serving gbb may then transmit the beam pair information, allowing the second UE to establish a direct link 712 with the first UE.

Fig. 8 shows an example of a flow diagram for the first gNB 800, according to aspects of the present disclosure. The first gbb performing the procedure may be, for example, one of the base stations shown in fig. 1-5. The first gNB may receive a direct link request 802 from a served first UE. The first gNB may send a direct link request 804 to the gNB serving the second UE. The first gNB may negotiate 806 joint scheduling with the gNB serving the second UE. In some aspects, joint scheduling assigns SRS resources for beam search. Joint scheduling may also include transmitter and receiver assignments for performing beam searching.

The first gbb may then send the joint schedule to the first UE 808. Using joint scheduling, the first UE may perform beam search. If the first UE is a receiver during the beam search, the first UE will send a beam search report, allowing the first base station to receive the beam search report from the first UE 810. If the first UE is a transmitter, the first base station may receive a beam search report or beam pair information 811 from another gNB. The first gbb may then send beam pair information 812 to the first UE, allowing the first UE to establish a direct link with the second UE.

Fig. 9 shows an example of a flow diagram for the second gNB 900 according to aspects of the present disclosure. The second gNB may receive a direct link request 902 from another gNB serving the first UE. The first gNB may send a direct link request 904 to the second UE. The second gNB may negotiate 906 joint scheduling with the gNB serving the first UE. In some aspects, joint scheduling assigns SRS resources for beam search. Joint scheduling may also include transmitter and receiver assignments for performing beam searching.

The second gNB may then send the joint schedule to the second UE 908. Using joint scheduling, the second UE may perform beam search. If the second UE is a receiver during the beam search, the second UE will transmit a beam search report, allowing the second base station to receive the beam search report from the second UE 810. If the second UE is a transmitter, the first base station may receive a beam search report or beam pair information 911 from another gNB. The second gNB may then transmit beam pair information 912 to the second UE, allowing the second UE to establish a direct link with the first UE.

Referring to fig. 10, an example 1000 of an implementation of a UE 1010 is shown, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. The UE 1010 may be, for example, one of the UEs 110 depicted in fig. 1-5. The UE 1010 may also be one of the UEs shown in fig. 3 and may be used to perform the flows shown in fig. 7 and 8. The UE 1010 may include various components, some of which have been described above, in addition to components such as: the one or more processors 1012 and memory 1016, as well as the transceiver 1002, in communication via the one or more buses 1044, may operate in conjunction with the modem 1040 and the direct link components to implement one or more of the functions described herein related to discovering another UE via SRS or transmitting SRS to allow other UEs to discover it. In other aspects, some of the functionality of modem 1040 may be performed by other processors 1012. A transmitting component 1044 and a receiving component 1062 may be utilized to perform beam searching, including beam searching using SRS resources. Further, the one or more processors 1012, modem 1040, memory 1016, transceiver 1002, RF front end 1088, and one or more antennas 1065 may be configured to support (simultaneously or non-simultaneously) voice and/or data calls and radar in one or more radio access technologies.

In an aspect, the one or more processors 1012 may include a modem 1040 that uses one or more modem processors. Various functions associated with direct link components may be included in modem 1040 and/or processor 1012 and, in an aspect, may be performed by a single processor, while in other aspects, different ones of the functions may be performed by a combination of two or more different processors. For example, in an aspect, the one or more processors 1012 may include any one or any combination of the following: a modem processor, or a baseband processor, or a digital signal processor, or a transmit processor, or a receiver processor, or a transceiver processor associated with transceiver 1002. In other aspects, some of the features of the one or more processors 1012 and/or the modem 1040 that are associated with the modem 1040 may be performed by the transceiver 1002.

Additionally, the memory 1016 may be configured to store data used herein and/or a local version of the application 1075 or a direct link component executed by the at least one processor 1012 and/or one or more of its subcomponents. The memory 1016 may include any type of computer-readable medium usable by the computer or at least one processor 1012, such as Random Access Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), magnetic tape, magnetic disk, optical disk, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, and any combination thereof. In an aspect, for example, the memory 1016 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores one or more computer-executable codes and/or data associated therewith for defining a radar component and/or one or more of its subcomponents when the UE 1010 is operating the at least one processor 1012.

The transceiver 1002 may include at least one receiver 1006 and at least one transmitter 1008. The receiver 1006 may include hardware, firmware, and/or software code executable by a processor, the code comprising instructions and being stored in a memory (e.g., a computer-readable medium) for receiving data. Receiver 1006 may be, for example, a Radio Frequency (RF) receiver. In an aspect, receiver 1006 can receive signals transmitted by at least one base station. Additionally, receiver 1006 may process these received signals (including SRS), and may also obtain measurements of signals such as, but not limited to, Ec/Io, SNR, RSRP, RSSI, and so on. The transmitter 1008 may include hardware, firmware, and/or software code executable by a processor for transmitting data, the code comprising instructions and being stored in a memory (e.g., a computer-readable medium). Suitable examples of transmitter 1008 can include, but are not limited to, an RF transmitter.

Further, in an aspect, the UE 1010 can include an RF front end 1088 that can operate in communication with the one or more antennas 1065 and the transceiver 1002 to receive and transmit radio transmissions, e.g., radio communications transmitted by at least one base station or radio transmissions transmitted by the UE. The RF front end 1088 may be connected to one or more antennas 1065, and may include one or more Low Noise Amplifiers (LNAs) 1090, one or more switches 1092, one or more Power Amplifiers (PAs) 1098, and one or more filters 1096 for transmitting and receiving RF signals.

In an aspect, LNA1090 may amplify the received signal at a desired output level. In an aspect, each LNA1090 may have a specified minimum gain value and maximum gain value. In an aspect, the RF front end 1088 may use one or more switches 1092 to select a particular LNA1090 and its specified gain value based on the desired gain value for a particular application.

Further, for example, the RF front end 1088 may use one or more PAs 1098 to amplify the signal for RF output at a desired output power level. In an aspect, each PA 1098 may have a specified minimum gain value and maximum gain value. In an aspect, the RF front end 1088 may use one or more switches 1092 to select a particular PA 1098 and its specified gain value based on a desired gain value for a particular application.

Additionally, for example, the RF front end 1088 may filter the received signal using one or more filters 1096 to obtain an input RF signal. Similarly, in an aspect, for example, the output from a respective PA 1098 may be filtered using a respective filter 1096 to produce an output signal for transmission. In an aspect, each filter 1096 may be coupled to a particular LNA1090 and/or PA 1098. In an aspect, the RF front end 1088 may use one or more switches 892 to select a transmit path or a receive path using a designated filter 1096, LNA1090, and/or PA 1098 based on a configuration as specified by the transceiver 1002 and/or the processor 1012.

As such, the transceiver 1002 may be configured to transmit and receive wireless signals through the one or more antennas 1065 via the RF front end 1088. In an aspect, the transceiver may be tuned to operate at a specified frequency such that the UE may communicate with, for example, one or more base stations or one or more cells associated with one or more base stations. In an aspect, for example, the modem 1040 may configure the transceiver 1002 to operate at a specified frequency and power level based on the UE configuration of the UE and the communication protocol used by the modem 1040.

In an aspect, the modem 1040 can be a multi-band, multi-mode modem that can process digital data and communicate with the transceiver 1002 such that the transceiver 1002 is used to transmit and receive digital data. In an aspect, modem 1040 may be multiband and may be configured to support multiple frequency bands for a particular communication protocol. In an aspect, the modem 1040 can be multi-mode and configured to support multiple operating networks and communication protocols. In an aspect, the modem 1040 can control one or more components of the UE (e.g., RF front end 1088, transceiver 1002) to enable transmission and/or reception of signals from the network based on a specified modem configuration. In an aspect, the modem configuration may be based on the mode of the modem and the frequency band in use. In another aspect, the modem configuration may be based on UE configuration information associated with the UE (as provided by the network during cell selection and/or cell reselection).

Referring to fig. 11, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, an example of an implementation of a base station, such as one of the base stations (gnbs) shown in fig. 1-3 and 5, may include a variety of components, some of which have been described above, in addition to components such as: the one or more processors 1112 and the memory 1116, as well as the transceiver 1102, in communication via the one or more buses 1144, may operate in conjunction with the modem 1160 and the direct link components to implement one or more of the functions described herein relating to establishing a direct UE-to-EE link via an SRS discovery process. The base station shown in fig. 11 may also be configured to perform the procedures in fig. 9-10.

The transceiver 1102, receiver 1106, transmitter 1108, one or more processors 1112, memory 1116, applications 1175, bus 1144, RF front end 1188, LNA 1190, switch 1192, filter 1196, PA 1198, and one or more antennas 1165 may be the same as or similar to corresponding components of the UE as described above, but may be configured or otherwise programmed for base station operation as opposed to UE operation.

It should be noted that the above described methods describe possible implementations, and that operations and steps may be rearranged or otherwise modified, and that other implementations are possible. Further, aspects from two or more of the methods may be combined.

The techniques described herein may be used for various wireless communication systems such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA), and others. The terms "system" and "network" are often used interchangeably. Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) systems may implement radio technologies such as CDMA2000, Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), and the like. CDMA2000 covers IS-2000, IS-95 and IS-856 standards. IS-2000 releases may be collectively referred to as CDMA 20001X, 1X, etc. IS-856(TIA-856) IS collectively referred to as CDMA 20001 xEV-DO, High Rate Packet Data (HRPD), etc. UTRA includes wideband CDMA (wcdma) and other variants of CDMA. TDMA systems may implement radio technologies such as global system for mobile communications (GSM).

The OFDMA system may implement radio technologies such as Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)802.11(Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16(WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, flash-OFDM, etc. UTRA and E-UTRA are part of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). LTE and LTE-A are releases of UMTS using E-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, UMTS, LTE-A, NR, and GSM are described in documents from an organization entitled "third Generation partnership project" (3 GPP). CDMA2000 and UMB are described in documents from an organization named "third generation partnership project 2" (3GPP 2). The techniques described herein may be used for the above-mentioned systems and radio technologies, as well as other systems and radio technologies. Although aspects of an LTE or NR system may be described for purposes of example, and LTE or NR terminology may be used in much of the description, the techniques described herein may be applicable beyond LTE or NR applications.

In LTE/LTE-a networks (including those described herein), the term evolved node b (enb) may be used generally to describe a base station. One or more wireless communication systems described herein may include heterogeneous LTE/LTE-a or NR networks, where different types of enbs provide coverage for various geographic areas. For example, each eNB, next generation node b (gnb), or base station may provide communication coverage for a macro cell, a small cell, or other type of cell. The term "cell" can be used to describe a base station, a carrier or component carrier associated with a base station, or a coverage area (e.g., sector, etc.) of a carrier or base station, depending on the context.

A base station may include, or may be referred to by those skilled in the art as, a base transceiver station, a radio base station, an access point, a radio transceiver, a node B, an evolved node B (enb), a gNB, a home node B, a home evolved node B, or some other suitable terminology. The geographic coverage area of a base station can be divided into sectors that form only a portion of the coverage area. One or more wireless communication systems described herein may include different types of base stations (e.g., macro cell base stations or small cell base stations). The UEs described herein may be capable of communicating with various types of base stations and network devices, including macro enbs, small cell enbs, gbbs, relay base stations, and so forth. For different technologies, there may be overlapping geographic coverage areas.

A macro cell typically covers a relatively large geographic area (e.g., several kilometers in radius) and may allow unrestricted access by UEs with service subscriptions with the network provider. Small cells are low power base stations in contrast to macro cells, which may operate as macro cells in the same or different (e.g., licensed, unlicensed, etc.) frequency bands. According to various examples, the small cells may include pico cells, femto cells, and micro cells. A pico cell may, for example, cover a small geographic area and may allow unrestricted access by UEs with service subscriptions with the network provider. A femto cell may also cover a small geographic area (e.g., a home) and may provide restricted access by UEs having an association with the femto cell (e.g., UEs in a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG), UEs for users in the home, etc.). The eNB for the macro cell may be referred to as a macro eNB. An eNB for a small cell may be referred to as a small cell eNB, pico eNB, femto eNB, or home eNB. An eNB may support one or more (e.g., two, three, four, etc.) cells (e.g., component carriers).

The wireless communication systems or systems described herein may support synchronous operation or asynchronous operation. For synchronous operation, base stations may have similar frame timing, and transmissions from different base stations may be approximately aligned in time. For asynchronous operation, the base stations may have different frame timings, and transmissions from different base stations may be misaligned in time. The techniques described herein may be used for synchronous operations or asynchronous operations.

The downlink transmissions described herein may also be referred to as forward link transmissions, while the uplink transmissions may also be referred to as reverse link transmissions. Each of the communication links described herein (including, for example, the wireless communication systems 100 and 200 of fig. 1 and 2) may include one or more carriers, where each carrier may be a signal made up of multiple subcarriers (e.g., waveform signals of different frequencies).

The description set forth herein, in conjunction with the drawings, describes example configurations and is not intended to represent all examples that may be implemented or within the scope of the claims. The term "exemplary" as used herein means "serving as an example, instance, or illustration," and is not "preferred" or "advantageous over other examples. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing an understanding of the described technology. However, these techniques may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the concepts of the described examples.

In the drawings, similar components or features may have the same reference label. Further, various components of the same type may be distinguished by reference labels following a dash and a second label that distinguish among the similar components. If the first reference label is used in the specification only, the description is applicable to any one of the similar components having the same first reference label irrespective of the second reference label.

The information and signals described herein may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

The various illustrative blocks and modules described in connection with the disclosure herein may be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration).

The functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Other examples and implementations are within the scope of the disclosure and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, the functions described above may be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hard wiring, or a combination of any of these. Features implementing functions may also be physically located at various locations, including being distributed such that some of the functions are implemented at different physical locations. Additionally, as used herein, including in the claims, "or" as used in a list of items (e.g., a list of items beginning with a phrase such as "at least one of" or "one or more of") indicates a list of inclusions, such that, for example, a list of at least one of A, B or C means a or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., a and B and C). Additionally, as used herein, the phrase "based on" should not be construed as a reference to a closed condition set. For example, an exemplary step described as "based on condition a" may be based on both condition a and condition B without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In other words, as used herein, the phrase "based on" should be interpreted in the same manner as the phrase "based at least in part on".

Computer-readable media includes both non-transitory computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. Non-transitory storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer. By way of example, and not limitation, non-transitory computer-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), Compact Disc (CD) ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transitory medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code means in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer, or a general-purpose or special-purpose processor. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of medium. Disk and disc, as used herein, includes CD, laser disc, optical disc, Digital Versatile Disc (DVD), floppy disk and blu-ray disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above are also included within the scope of computer-readable media.

The description herein is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples and designs described herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.