Methods to enable high data rate relay operation using D2D air-interface

One or more non-transitory, computer-readable media having instructions that, when executed on one or more processors, cause a device to:

• receive a reference signal on a sidelink interface;
• determine one or more sidelink quality indicators based on the received reference signal;
• transmit the determined sidelink quality indicators to an Evolved Node B(eNB);
• determine whether data was successfully received on the sidelink interface;
• determine Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) information, including acknowledgements (ACKs) or negative-acknowledgements (NACKs) for multiple received subframes on the sidelink interface based on determination of whether the data was successfully received;
• multiplex the HARQ information for the multiple received subframes;
• and
• transmit the multiplexed HARQ information in a single uplink transmission.

An Evolved Node B (eNB) for controlling relay transmission via a sidelink interface in a wireless network, the eNB comprising:

• receive circuitry to receive sidelink quality indicators associated with at least one sidelink channel between a remote UE and at least one Relay UE;
• control circuitry to select one of a direct path and a relay path via a Relay UE based on the received sidelink quality indicators;
• and
• transmit circuitry to:
• transmit an indication of radio resources on the sidelink interface between the selected Relay UE and the Remote UE to be used for relay transmission between the eNB and the Remote UE in response to selection of a relay path;
• and
• transmit a shared indication, via a downlink control channel, of first radio resources on the sidelink interface to be used by the selected Relay UE for transmitting data and used by the Remote UE for receiving data, wherein the indication of first radio resources is scrambled with a radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) common to the Remote UE and the selected Relay UE,
• wherein the control circuitry is further to obtain a relay candidate set that includes the at least one Relay UE within communication range of the Remote UE, to obtain the relay candidate set, the control circuitry is to:
• determine Relay UEs within communication range of the Remote UE with the most desirable sidelink quality indicators;
• and select the Relay UEs with the most desirable sidelink quality indicators.

One or more non-transitory, computer-readable media having instructions that, when executed on one or more processors, cause a device to:

• receive sidelink quality indicators associated with sidelink channels between a Remote user equipment (UE) and Relay UEs;
• obtain a relay candidate set comprising at least one Relay UE within communication range of the Remote UE by determining the Relay UEs within communication range of the Remote UE with the most desirable sidelink quality indicators, and selecting the Relay UEs with the most desirable sidelink quality indicators;
• selecting one of a direct path and a relay path via a Relay UE based on the received sidelink quality indicators;
• transmit an indication of radio resources on a sidelink between a selected Relay UE and the Remote UE to be used for relay transmission between an Evolved Node B (eNB) and the Remote UE in response to selection of a relay path;
• and
• transmit a shared indication, via a downlink control channel, of first radio resources on a sidelink interface to be used by the selected Relay UE for transmitting data and used by the Remote UE for receiving data, wherein the indication of first radio resources is scrambled with a RNTI common to the Remote UE and the selected Relay UE.