Downlink (DL) transmission timing of Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) nodes

Abstract

A radio access node comprises: one or more processors, the one or more processors being configured to: determine a first reference timing of a first communication connection between the radio access node and a second parent radio access node; determine a second reference timing of a second communication connection between the radio access node and a third child radio access node; a memory, the memory storing the first reference timing and the second reference timing; the one or more processors being further configured to: generate a request for performing timing advance adjustment on the child radio access node based on the stored first reference timing and the second reference timing, so that in the case of a frequency division multiplexing signal, an uplink reception signal sent by the child radio access node arrives at the radio access node at the same time as a downlink reception signal sent by the parent radio access node arrives at the radio access node.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application is based on and claims priority from provisional patent application 62 / 742,027 filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on October 5, 2018, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] Various aspects relate generally to the field of wireless communications. Background Art

[0004] The following specific embodiments relate to the accompanying drawings. The same figure numbers may be used to identify the same or similar elements in different drawings. In the following description, for the purpose of illustration rather than limitation, specific details, such as specific structures, architectures, interfaces, technologies, etc., are described to provide a thorough understanding of various aspects of various aspects. However, it is obvious to those skilled in the art who benefit from the present disclosure that various aspects of various aspects can be practiced in other examples that deviate from these specific details. In some cases, descriptions of well-known devices, circuits, and methods are omitted so that the descriptions of various aspects are not obscured by unnecessary details. For the purposes of this document, the phrase "A or B" refers to (A), (B) or (A and B). Architecture includes, but is not limited to, network topology. Examples of architecture include, but are not limited to, networks, network topologies, and systems. Examples of networks include, but are not limited to, time-sensitive networks (TSNs), core networks (CNs), any other suitable networks known in the field of wireless communications, or any combination thereof.

[0005] One or more aspects described herein relate to one or more 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) specifications. Examples of these specifications include, but are not limited to, one or more 3GPP New Air Interface (NR) specifications and one or more specifications for and / or related to Radio Layer 1 (RAN1) and / or fifth generation (5G) mobile networks / systems.

[0006] According to RP-172290 (named "Study on integrated access and backhaul for NR") of the RAN#78 (11.12.2017) meeting, a potential technology aimed at realizing future cellular network deployment scenarios and applications is the support of wireless backhaul and relay links, which enables flexible and very dense deployment of new radio (NR) cells without the need to densify the transmission network proportionally.

[0007] In addition, NR has excellent potential for deploying integrated access and backhaul (IAB) links, thanks to the expected larger bandwidth available with NR compared to long-term evolution (LTE) (e.g., mmWave spectrum) and the inherent deployment of massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) or multi-beam systems. With control channels and data channels / procedures defined for providing access to user equipment (UE), this can allow dense networks of self-backhauled NR cells to be more easily deployed in a more integrated manner. Figure 1 An exemplary diagram of a network with such integrated access and backhaul links is shown in FIG. Here, the relay nodes are also denoted as radio access nodes, namely IAB_N1 and IAB_N2, and are Figure 1 Referred to as '104' for relay radio access nodes and '106' for child radio access nodes, these relay nodes may multiplex access and backhaul links in time, frequency, or space (eg, beam-based operation). Figure 1 Also shown in the figure are a radio access node 102, such as a next generation Node B (gNB) donor or parent radio access node, and a mobile radio communication terminal device 108, such as a UE, and described in more detail below. Figure 1 Also shown are communication connections (e.g., L_(p,DL)), in particular downlink (DL) connections (solid arrows) and uplink (UL) connections (dashed arrows), where the index "p" denotes a connection between the parent radio access node 102 and the radio access node 104, and the index "c" denotes a communication connection between the radio access node 104 and the child radio access node 106. These radio communication connections will be described in more detail below.

[0008] According to 3GPP RAN1-93, Chairman notes, the following alternatives / cases regarding IAB node transmit and receive timing are captured:

[0009] Case #1: DL transmission timing alignment across IAB nodes and donor nodes

[0010] Case #2: DL and UL transmit timings are aligned within the IAB node

[0011] Case #3: DL and UL receive timing are aligned within the IAB node

[0012] Case #4: Inside an IAB node, when sending using Case #2, and receiving using Case #3

[0013] Case #5: Case #1 is used for access link timing and Case #4 is used for backhaul link timing within IAB nodes in different time slots

[0014] In addition, according to 3GPP RAN1-94, Chairman notes, the list of the above cases is extended to include the following two cases:

[0015] Case #6 (Case #1 DL send timing + Case #2 UL send timing):

[0016] o DL transmit timing of all IAB nodes is aligned with the parent IAB node or donor DL ​​timing (e.g. TA / 2 adjustment as in case #1)

[0017] ○ The UL transmission timing of the IAB node can be aligned with the DL transmission timing of the IAB node

[0018] Case #7 (Case #1 DL send timing + Case #3 UL receive timing):

[0019] o DL transmit timing of all IAB nodes is aligned with the parent IAB node or donor DL ​​timing (e.g. TA / 2 adjustment as in case #1)

[0020] ○ The UL reception timing of the IAB node may be aligned with the DL reception timing of the IAB node Due to the potential advantages of synchronous network deployment, it is agreed that at least the timing according to case #1 should be supported. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] In the drawings, similar reference characters generally indicate the same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, but emphasis is generally placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. In the following description, various aspects of the invention are described with reference to the following drawings, in which:

[0022] Figure 1 An architecture of a system of networks according to various aspects is shown.

[0023] Figure 2 Signal flow diagrams in accordance with various aspects are shown.

[0024] Figure 3 Signal flow diagrams in accordance with various aspects are shown.

[0025] Figure 4 Examples of infrastructure equipment according to various aspects are shown.

[0026] Figure 5 An exemplary architecture of a system of networks in accordance with various aspects is shown.

[0027] Figure 6 Examples of infrastructure equipment according to various aspects are shown.

[0028] Figure 7 Examples of platforms (or "devices") in accordance with various aspects are shown.

[0029] Figure 8 Exemplary components of a baseband circuit and a radio front end module (RFEM) according to various aspects are shown.

[0030] Fig. 9 A block diagram of components according to some exemplary aspects is shown that can read instructions from a machine-readable medium or computer-readable medium (eg, a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium) and perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein.

[0031] Fig.10 A flowchart of a process according to some exemplary aspects is shown.

[0032] Fig.11 A flowchart of a process according to some exemplary aspects is shown.

[0033] describe

[0034] The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings that show, by way of illustration, specific details and aspects in which the invention may be practiced.

[0035] The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any aspect or design described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs.

[0036] For one or more aspects, at least one of the components shown in one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes and / or methods described in the following embodiments. For example, the baseband circuit described above in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the following embodiments. For another example, the circuits associated with the UE, base station, network element, etc. described above in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the embodiments shown in the embodiments section below.

[0037] Aspects described herein relate to a transmit timing adjustment technique (e.g., method, system, apparatus, etc.) for an IAB intermediate node (i.e., an IAB child node whose parent node may also be an IAB node). The aspects consider different scenarios regarding DL and UL resource multiplexing and radio frequency (RF) receiver capabilities. Specifically, the aspects described herein include one or more of the following.

[0038] In the following description, the (first) radio access node may be denoted as a relay radio access node, an IAB node, or an IAB-N1. The third child radio access node may be denoted as an IAB N2 or an IAB child node; and the second parent radio access node may be denoted as a gNB donor or an IAB donor. Figure 1-Figure 4 In the embodiment, the first relay radio access node is represented by 106, the child radio access node is represented by 106, the parent radio access node is represented by 102, and the mobile radio terminal device (eg UE) is represented by 108. Different reference numerals may be used for Figures 5 to 11 These components are described in detail below.

[0039] Aspect-1: DL and UL reception of FDM using the same RF receiver : Here, the DL and UL reception sources of the IAB node are configured in a frequency division multiplexing (FDM) manner, and the DL and UL reception branches share the same radio frequency (RF) receiver. The DL Timing Advance (TA) value of its IAB child node should be calculated by considering its UL Timing Advance (TA) value and the additional timing offset.

[0040] Aspect-2: DL and UL reception of TDM using the same RF receiver : Here, the DL and UL receiving sources of the IAB node are configured in a TDM manner, and the DL and UL receiving branches share the same RF receiver. The DL TA value of its IAB child node can be calculated by considering only its UL TA value.

[0041] The method can also be applied to the case where the IAB node has multiple RF receivers, the DL and UL receiving sources of the IAB node are configured in an FDM manner, and the DL and UL receiving branches use different RF beamformer settings for the corresponding RF receivers.

[0042] Aspect-3: Signaling of DL transmission (tx) timing advance of IAB subnode The following options are available for DL ​​TA signaling for IAB child nodes:

[0043] ○ Option-1: DL TA signaling may be associated with the corresponding UL TA.

[0044] o Option-2: DL TA signaling may be associated with the UL TA signal and an additional timing offset.

[0045] ○ Option-3: DL TA may be configured as an independent TA group with no association with UL TA.

[0046] The proposed method enables IABs with different DL and UL resource multiplexing methods and different RF receiver constraints to transmit DL signals approximately simultaneously to achieve a synchronized network.

[0047] The following method is proposed to adjust the DL tx timing of the IAB node to ensure that the transmission timing of the synchronized network is approximately the same. Figure 2 and Figure 3 shows a timing diagram showing the Figure 1 The downlink (DL) signals (corresponding to the Figure 1 The solid rectangle with the solid arrow in the figure) and the uplink (UL) signal (corresponding to Figure 1 The dashed arrows in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are filled with cross lines) of the transmission (Tx) signal and the reception (Rx) signal. In addition, Figure 2 and Figure 3 Different timings up to t1 for receiving and / or transmitting signals are shown in FIG.

[0048] Aspect-1: DL and UL reception of FDM using the same RF receiver

[0049] like Figure 2 As shown, for IAB-N1 104 and IAB-N2 106, they use the same RF receiver for DL ​​and UL reception of FDM. For IAB-N1 104, the DL receive (Rx) signal comes from the gNB donor 102, and its receive timing can be completely determined by the gNB send timing and propagation delay T (d，1) determines and can be defined as Figure 2 The UL Tx timing advance of IAB-N1 104 signaled by gNB Donor 102 can be calculated as follows

[0050]

[0051] To transmit a DL signal at the same time t0 as donor 102, IAB-N1 104 may determine its DL tx timing relative to its reference timing t1 as follows

[0052]

[0053] When the rx signals of FDM from both the gNB donor 102 and the IAB-N2 106 in DL and UL, respectively, are received simultaneously, in order to suppress the non-orthogonality that may exceed the cyclic prefix caused by the misaligned arrival timing, it may be reasonable that the IAB-N1 104 should command the IAB-N2 106 to perform a timing advance adjustment so that the UL rx signal from the IAB-N2 106 may arrive approximately simultaneously with the DL rx signal from the gNB donor 102. The reference timing of the IAB-N2 106 defined as t2 may be determined by the arrival time of the DL rx signal of the IAB-N2 106 from the IAB-N1 104, so that the time advance value relative to t2 signaled from the IAB-N1 104 may be calculated as follows

[0054]

[0055] To achieve synchronized DL transmission, according to equation (3), the DL Tx timing of IAB-N2 106 relative to t2 can be calculated as follows

[0056]

[0057] From formula (4), we can see that for the IAB-N2 106DL sent Timing advance adjustment depends on UL transmission The TA value and another parameter, T (d，1) The parameter may be the timing difference between DL Tx and UL Rx of IAB-N1 104 .

[0058] Aspect-2: DL and UL reception of TDM using the same RF receiver

[0059] like Figure 3 As shown, for IAB-N1 104 and IAB-N2 106, they use the same RF receiver for DL ​​and UL reception of TDM. For similar reasons, the DL and UL transmission times of IAB-N1 104 can be calculated as in equations (1) and (2), respectively.

[0060] When the TDM rx signals from both the gNB donor 102 and the IAB-N2 106 in DL and UL, respectively, are received at different times so that they do not interfere with each other, it may be reasonable that the IAB-N1 104 should command the IAB-N2 106 to perform timing advance adjustment so that the UL rx signal from the IAB-N2 106 can arrive at approximately the same time as the DL Tx signal of the IAB-N1 104, as shown in FIG. Figure 3 The reference timing of IAB-N2 106, defined as t2, can be determined by the arrival time of the DL rx signal of IAB-N2 106 from IAB-N1 104, so the time advance value relative to t2 signaled from IAB-N1 104 can be calculated as follows

[0061]

[0062] To achieve synchronized DL transmission, according to equation (5), the DL Tx timing of IAB N2 106 relative to t2 can be calculated as follows

[0063]

[0064] From formula (6), we can see that the timing advance adjustment sent by IAB N2 106DL is Depends only on the TA value sent in UL Similar to IAB-N1 104 Relative to

[0065] It can be noted that the above The determination may also be valid for a scenario where the IAB-N1 104 may be equipped with multiple RF front ends and different analog spatial beamformers are applied to the received signals from the gNB Donor 102 and the IAB N2 106, so that the baseband received signals of the gNB Donor 102 and the IAB N2 106 do not interfere with each other. For example, Figure 1 As shown, different receive beamformers may be required to receive signals from gNB Donor 102 and IAB N2 106 because the arrival angles of the received signals are very different.

[0066] Aspect-3: Signaling of DL tx timing advance of IAB child node

[0067] Depending on the IAB node (e.g. Figure 1 104), and in terms of aspect-1, the DL tx timing advance of its IAB child node (i.e., IAB N2 106). It is necessary to use And an additional parameter T (d，1) According to the IAB node (for example, Figure 1 DL and UL resource configuration and receiver beamformer settings of IAB-N1104 in Aspect-2, DL tx timing advance of its IAB child node Just depends on As in formula (6). In some scenarios, both methods may be needed. For example, IAB-N1 104 has two IAB child nodes, namely IAB N2 106-1 and IAB-N3 106-2 (in Figure 4 (shown for the intermediate radio access node 104 in FIG), if the DL rx resources from the gNB donor 102 can be FDMed with the UL rx resources from the IAB N2 106, however, the DL rx resources from the gNB donor 102 can be TDMed with the UL rx resources from the IAB-N3, and the same RF beamformer can be used to receive signals from both the gNB donor 102 and the IAB N2 106, then the TA value of the IAB N2 106 DL tx will be calculated according to formula (4), while the TA value of the IAB-N3 DL Tx will be calculated according to formula (6). Therefore, it will be necessary to configure the TA value of the IAB child node by using UE-specific signaling.

[0068] The DL tx timing of the IAB child node may be determined as follows. In one aspect, the DL tx timing from the IAB child node It can be configured according to formula (6) and the UL transmission timing of the IAB child node In another aspect, the DL tx timing from the IAB child node It can be configured according to formula (4) and the UL transmission timing of the IAB child node and an additional timing offset value T (d，1) In yet another aspect, the DL tx timing from the IAB child node It can be configured with an independent TA value without assuming association with the corresponding UL TA. With this approach, the DL cell from the IAB child node can be signaled as a different TA group (TAG) from the corresponding UL transmission of the IAB child node. Therefore, the IAB child node can adjust the DL transmission timing and the UL transmission timing separately.

[0069] Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB)

[0070] Figure 4 An example integrated access and backhaul (IAB) architecture 400 (standalone operation (SA) mode) in accordance with various aspects is shown. Figure 4 The IAB architecture may use the same infrastructure and spectrum resources for both access communications 402 and backhaul communications 404 . Figure 4 is a reference diagram of an IAB in standalone mode, the IAB comprising an IAB donor 102 (also referred to as an "anchor node", etc.) and multiple IAB nodes 104 (also referred to as IAB relay nodes (RNs), relay transmit / receive points (rTRPs), etc.). The IAB donor 102 may be viewed as a single logical node including a set of functions such as a gNB-DU (gNB distributed unit, next generation Node B distributed unit) 416, a gNB-CU-CP (gNB centralized unit, next generation Node B centralized unit) 410, a gNB-CU-UP 412, and potentially other functions 414. In some implementations, the IAB donor 102 may be split according to the aforementioned functions, which may be all collocated or non-collocated as allowed by the 3GPP NG-RAN architecture. Some functions currently associated with the IAB donor 102 may be moved outside the IAB donor 102.

[0071] exist Figure 4 In the example, various UEs 108 (e.g., Figure 5 , Figure 6 and Figure 7UE 501, 601 and 701 in the IAB deployment) accesses IAB node 104, 106-1 / 2. IAB node 104, 106-1 / 2 can be a network node having the functions of UE 108 and gNB (at least part of it) in the IAB deployment. Figure 4 As shown, some IAB nodes 106-1 / 2 access other IAB nodes 104, and some IAB nodes 104 access IAB donors 102. IAB donors 102 may be network nodes that terminate NG (next generation) interfaces via wired connections in an IAB deployment. IAB donors 102 may be network nodes that provide access to core network CN 406 (e.g., Figure 4 5GC (5G core network) and the following discussion Figure 7 A radio access network (RAN) node that provides an interface for a UE and provides wireless backhaul functionality to the IAB node 104. The IAB node may be a relay node and / or a RAN node that supports wireless access to the UE 108 and wireless backhaul access traffic.

[0072] IAB strives to reuse existing functions and interfaces defined for access. Specifically, the mobile terminal (MT), gNB-DU, gNB-CU, UPF, AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function) and Session Management Function (SMF) and the corresponding interfaces NRUu (between the mobile terminal (MT) and gNB), F1, NG, X2 and N4 are used as the baseline of the IAB architecture. Modifications or enhancements to these functions and interfaces to support IAB will be explained in the context of the architecture discussion. The mobile terminal (MT) function has been defined as a part of the mobile equipment. In the context of IAB, MT can be referred to as a function residing on an IAB node that terminates the radio interface layer of the backhaul Uu interface to the IAB donor or other IAB nodes. Additional functions such as multi-hop forwarding may be included in the architecture.

[0073] The IAB node can operate in SA or non-standalone operation mode (NSA) mode. When operating in NSA, the IAB node uses only NR links for backhaul. For example, a UE 108 connected to the IAB node 104, 106-1 / 2 via a wireless access link 402 can select an operation mode different from the IAB node 104, 106-1, 106-2. The UE 108 can also be connected to a core network 406 of a different type from the IAB node 104, 106-1 / 2 to which it can be connected. In this case, (e) Decor or slices can be used for CN selection. An IAB node operating in NSA mode can be connected to the same or different evolved Node Bs (eNBs). A UE also operating in NSA mode can be connected to an eNB that is the same or different from the IAB node to which it is connected.

[0074] Examples of operation in SA and NSA modes include: (1) UE and IAB node operate in SA for NGC; (2) UE operates in NSA for Evolved Packet Core (EPC), and IAB node operates in SA for NGC; and (3) UE and IAB node operate in NSA with EPC. For the third example, UE and IAB node operate in NSA for EPC, and IAB node can use LTE branch for IAB node initial access and configuration, topology management, routing selection and resource partitioning.

[0075] In terms of supporting multi-hop and topology adaptation, the IAB node includes a topology management mechanism and a routing selection and optimization (RSO) mechanism. The topology management mechanism includes a protocol stack, an interface between rTRP or IAB nodes, controls and user plane procedures for identifying one or more hops in the IAB network, forwarding traffic via one or more wireless backhaul links in the IAB network, and processing of quality of service (QoS). The RSO mechanism includes a mechanism for discovering and managing the backhaul link of the TRP with integrated backhaul and access functions; a RAN-based mechanism for supporting dynamic route selection (possibly without the involvement of the core network) to adapt to short-term blocking and transmission of delay-sensitive traffic on the entire backhaul link; and a mechanism for evaluating different resource allocation / routing across multiple nodes for end-to-end RSO.

[0076] The operation of different links may be performed on the same frequency ("in-band") or on different frequencies ("out-of-band"). In-band backhaul includes scenarios where the access link and the backhaul link at least partially overlap in frequency, resulting in half-duplex or interference constraints, which may mean that the IAB node may not transmit and receive on both links simultaneously. In contrast, out-of-band scenarios may not have such constraints. In various aspects, one or more IAB nodes include a mechanism for dynamically allocating resources between the backhaul link and the access link, including a mechanism for efficiently multiplexing the access link and the backhaul link (for both the DL direction and the UL direction) in time, frequency, or space under a per-link half-duplex constraint on one or more backhaul link hops under both time division duplex (TDD) and frequency division duplex (FDD) operations; and cross-link interference (CLI) measurement, coordination, and suppression between rTRPs and UEs.

[0077] Architecture Groups and Types

[0078] There are five different types of IAB architectures divided into two architecture groups. Architecture Group 1 includes Architectures 1a and 1b, which include CU / DU split architectures. Architecture 1a includes backhauling the F1 user plane interface (F1-U) using an adaptation layer or GPRS Tunneling Protocol for User Plane (GTP-U) combined with an adaptation layer, and hop-by-hop forwarding across intermediate nodes using an adaptation layer for operation with NGC or PDN (Packet Data Network, Public Data Network) connection layer routing for operation with EPC. Architecture 1b includes backhauling F1-U using GTP-U / UDP (User Datagram Protocol) / IP on the access node, and hop-by-hop forwarding across intermediate nodes using an adaptation layer.

[0079] Architecture Group 2 includes Architectures 2a, 2b, and 2c. Architecture 2a includes backhauling F1-U or NG-U using GTP-U / UDP / IP at the access node and hop-by-hop forwarding across intermediate nodes using PDU session layer routing. Architecture 2b includes backhauling F1-U or NG-U using GTP-U / UDP / IP at the access node and hop-by-hop forwarding across intermediate nodes using GTP-U / UDP / Internet Protocol (IP) nested tunnels. Architecture 2c includes backhauling F1-U or NG-U using GTP-U / UDP / IP at the access node and hop-by-hop forwarding across intermediate nodes using GTP-U / UDP / IP / PDCP nested tunnels.

[0080] Architecture Group 1

[0081] Architecture 1a utilizes a CU / DU split architecture. In this architecture, each IAB node maintains a DU and a MT. Via the MT, the IAB node is connected to an upstream IAB node or an IAB donor. Via the DU, the IAB node establishes a radio link control (RLC) channel to the UE and to the MT of the downstream IAB node. For the MT, the RLC channel may refer to a modified RLC*. The IAB node may be connected to more than one upstream IAB node or IAB donor DU. The IAB node may contain multiple DUs, but each DU portion of the IAB node has an F1 control plane (F1-C) connection to only one IAB donor CU-CP.

[0082] The donor also holds DUs to support UEs and MTs of downstream IAB nodes. The IAB donor holds CUs for the DUs of all IAB nodes and its own DUs. This can be used to further study whether (FFS) different CUs can serve the DUs of the IAB node. Each DU on the IAB node is connected to the CU in the IAB donor using a modified form of F1, which can be called F1*. F1*-U runs on the RLC channel on the wireless backhaul between the MT on the serving IAB node and the DU on the donor. F1*-U transmission between the MT and DU on the serving IAB node and between the DU and CU on the donor can be further studied. An adaptation layer can be added that can hold routing information to achieve hop-by-hop forwarding. The adaptation layer replaces the IP function of the standard F1 stack. F1*-U can carry a GTP-U header for end-to-end association between CU and DU. In further enhancements, the information carried in the GTP-U header can be included in the adaptation layer. In addition, optimizations to RLC can be considered, such as applying ARQ (automatic repeat request) only to end-to-end connections that are opposite to hop-by-hop. The F1*-U protocol stack of the architecture includes an enhancement of RLC (referred to as RLC*). The MT of each IAB node also maintains a NAS (Non-Access Stratum) connection to the NGC, for example for authentication of the IAB node, and maintains a PDU session via the NGC, for example to provide the IAB node with a connection to the OAM.

[0083] For NSA operation with EPC, the MT may dual connect with the network using Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA)-NR Dual Connectivity (EN-DC). The MT of the IAB node maintains a PDN connection with the EPC, for example to provide the IAB node with a connection to the OAM.

[0084] Architecture 1b also utilizes a CU / DU split architecture. In this architecture, the IAB donor maintains only one logical CU. An IAB node may be connected to more than one upstream IAB node or IAB donor DU. An IAB node may contain multiple DUs, but each DU portion of an IAB node has an F1-C connection to only one IAB donor CU-CP.

[0085] In this architecture, each IAB node and IAB donor maintains the same functions as in architecture 1a. In addition, as in architecture 1a, each backhaul link establishes an RLC channel, and an adaptation layer can be inserted to achieve hop-by-hop forwarding of F1*.

[0086] In contrast to architecture 1a, the MT on each IAB node establishes a PDU session with the UPF residing on the donor. The MT's PDU session carries the F1* of the collocated DU. In this way, the PDU session provides a point-to-point link between the CU and the DU. On intermediate hops, the PDCP-PDU of F1* is forwarded via the adaptation layer in the same manner as described for architecture 1a.

[0087] For NSA operation with EPC, the MT can use EN-DC to dual connect with the network. In this case, the MT of the IAB node maintains a PDN connection with the L-GW residing on the donor.

[0088] Architecture Group 2

[0089] In architecture 2a, the UE and IAB node use SA mode for NGC. In this architecture, the IAB node maintains the MT to establish an NRUu link with the gNB on the parent IAB node or IAB donor. Via this NR-Uu link, the MT maintains a PDU session of the UPF that can be collocated with the gNB. In this way, an independent PDU session can be created on each backhaul link. Each IAB node also supports routing functions to forward data between PDU sessions of adjacent links. This creates a forwarding plane across the wireless backhaul. Based on the PDU session type, the forwarding plane supports IP or Ethernet. In the case where the PDU session type is Ethernet, an IP layer can be established on top. In this way, each IAB node obtains an IP connection to the wired backhaul network. The IAB node can be connected to more than one upstream IAB node or IAB donor.

[0090] All IP-based interfaces such as NG, Xn, F1, N4, etc. are carried on this forwarding plane. In terms of F1, in addition to the UPF for gNB and backhaul links, the UE serving IAB node also contains the DU for the access link. The CU for the access link will reside in or beyond the IAB donor. The NG-U protocol stack for IP-based and Ethernet-based PDU session types can be used for this architecture.

[0091] In the case where the IAB node holds the DU for UE access, it may not be necessary to support PDCP-based protection on each hop because the end-user data will have been protected using end-to-end PDCP between UE and CU. Details are for further study.

[0092] For NSA operation with EPC, MT can use EN-DC to dual connect with the network. In this case, the MT of the IAB node maintains a PDN connection with the L-GW residing on the parent IAB node or IAB donor. All IP-based interfaces such as S1, S5, X2, etc. are carried on this forwarding plane.

[0093] In architecture 2b, the IAB node maintains the MT to establish an NR Uu link with the gNB on the parent IAB node or IAB donor. Via this NR-Uu link, the MT maintains a PDU session with the UPF. In contrast to architecture 2a, the UPF may be located at the IAB donor. In addition, forwarding PDUs across upstream IAB nodes may be achieved via tunnels. Thus, forwarding across multiple hops creates a stack of nested tunnels. As in architecture 2a, each IAB node obtains an IP connection to the wired backhaul network. All IP-based interfaces such as NG, Xn, F1, N4, etc. are carried on the forwarding IP plane. The IAB node may be connected to more than one upstream IAB node or IAB donor.

[0094] For NSA operation with EPC, the MT can use EN-DC to dual connect with the network. In this case, the MT of the IAB node maintains a PDN connection with the L-GW residing on the IAB donor.

[0095] Architecture 2c utilizes DU-CU splitting. The IAB node maintains an MT that maintains an RLC channel with the DU on the parent IAB node or IAB donor. The IAB donor maintains a CU and UPF for the DU of each IAB node. The MT on each IAB node maintains an NR-Uu link with the CU and a PDU session with the UPF on the donor. Forwarding on intermediate nodes can be achieved via tunnels. Forwarding across multiple hops creates a stack of nested tunnels. As in architectures 2a and 2b, each IAB node obtains an IP connection to the wired backhaul network. However, in contrast to architecture 2b, each tunnel includes an SDAP / PDCP layer. All IP-based interfaces such as NG, Xn, F1, N4, etc. are carried on this forwarding plane. The IAB node can be connected to more than one upstream IAB node or IAB donor.

[0096] For NSA operation with EPC, the MT can use EN-DC to dual connect with the network. In this case, the MT of the IAB node maintains a PDN connection with the L-GW residing on the IAB donor.

[0097] Multi-hop backhaul

[0098] In various aspects, the IAB system architecture supports multi-hop backhaul. IAB multi-hop backhaul provides a wider range of expansion than single-hop systems. Multi-hop backhaul also enables backhaul around obstacles (e.g., cluttered buildings in urban environments). The maximum number of hops in a deployment may depend on many factors, such as frequency, cell density, propagation environment, traffic load, various key performance indicators (KPIs), and / or other similar factors. In addition, the weights assigned to each of these factors may change dynamically over time. As the number of hops increases, scalability issues may arise and limit performance or increase signal load to unacceptable levels; therefore, scalability of the number of hops may be considered an important KPI for planning and deployment purposes (e.g., self-organizing networks (SON)). In some specific implementations, there may be no limit on the number of backhaul hops.

[0099] Topology Adaptation

[0100] The IAB system architecture also supports topology adaptation. Topology adaptation refers to the process of autonomously reconfiguring the backhaul network in situations such as blocking or local congestion without interrupting service to the UE and / or mitigating service interruptions to the UE. For example, wireless backhaul links may be susceptible to blocking due to moving objects such as vehicles, weather-related events (e.g., seasonal changes (leaves), infrastructure changes (e.g., new buildings), etc. These vulnerabilities may apply to physically stationary IAB nodes and / or mobile IAB nodes. In addition, traffic changes may produce uneven load distribution on the wireless backhaul link, resulting in local link or node congestion. In various specific implementations, topology adaptation of physically fixed IAB nodes may be supported to achieve robust operation to suppress blocking and load changes on the backhaul link.

[0101] System and implementation

[0102] Figure 5 An exemplary architecture of a system 500 of a network according to various embodiments is shown. The following description is provided for an exemplary system 500 operating in conjunction with LTE system standards and 5G or NR system standards provided by 3GPP technical specifications. However, the exemplary embodiments are not limited in this regard, and the embodiments may be applied to other networks that benefit from the principles described herein, such as future 3GPP systems (e.g., sixth generation (6G)) systems, IEEE 802.16 protocols (e.g., WMAN, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)), etc.), etc.

[0103] like Figure 5As shown, system 500 includes UE 501a and UE 501b (collectively referred to as "multiple UEs 501" or "UE 501"). In this example, UE 501 is shown as a smart phone (e.g., a handheld touch screen mobile computing device that can connect to one or more cellular networks), but may also include any mobile or non-mobile computing device, such as a consumer electronic device, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a feature phone, a tablet computer, a wearable computer device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a pager, a wireless handheld device, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, an in-vehicle infotainment (IVI), an in-car entertainment (ICE) device, an instrument panel (IC), a head-up display (HUD) device, an on-board diagnostic (OBD) device, a dashtop mobile equipment (DME), a mobile data terminal (MDT), an electronic engine management system (EEMS), an electronic / engine electronic control unit (ECU), an electronic / engine electronic control module (ECM), an embedded system, a microcontroller, a control module, an engine management system (EMS), a connected or "smart" appliance, a machine type communication (MTC) device, a machine to machine (M2M) device, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.

[0104] In some embodiments, any of the plurality of UEs 501 may include an IoT UE, which may include a network access layer designed for low-power IoT applications utilizing short-term UE connections. The IoT UE may utilize technologies such as M2M or MTC to exchange data with an MTC server or device via a public land mobile network (PLMN), ProSe (proximity service, a service based on proximity) or device-to-device (D2D) communication, a sensor network or an IoT network. M2M or MTC data exchange may be a machine-initiated data exchange. The IoT network describes interconnected IoT UEs, which may include uniquely identifiable embedded computing devices (within the Internet infrastructure) with short-term connections. The IoT UE may execute background applications (e.g., keep-alive messages, status updates, etc.) to facilitate connectivity to the IoT network.

[0105] Multiple UEs 501 may be configured, for example, to be communicatively coupled to a RAN 510. In an embodiment, the RAN 510 may be an NG RAN or a 5G RAN, an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), or a legacy RAN, such as a UTRAN or a GERAN (GSM EDGE RAN, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) EDGE Radio Access Network). As used herein, the term "NG RAN" or the like may refer to a RAN 510 operating in an NR or 5G system 500, while the term "E-UTRAN" or the like may refer to a RAN 510 operating in an LTE or 4G (fourth generation) system 500. Multiple UEs 501 utilize connections (or channels) 503 and 504, respectively, each connection comprising a physical communication interface or layer (discussed in further detail below).

[0106] In this example, connection 503 and connection 504 are shown as air interfaces to achieve communication coupling, and can be consistent with a cellular communication protocol, such as a GSM protocol, a code division multiple access (CDMA) network protocol, a push-to-talk (PTT) protocol, a cellular PTT (POC) protocol, a universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) protocol, a 3GPP LTE protocol, a 5G protocol, a NR protocol, and / or any of the other communication protocols described herein. In an embodiment, multiple UEs 501 can directly exchange communication data via a ProSe interface 505. The ProSe interface 505 may alternatively be referred to as a sidelink (SL) interface 505 and may include one or more logical channels, including but not limited to a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH), a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), a physical sidelink downlink channel (PSDCH), and a physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH).

[0107] UE 501b is shown as being configured to access AP (antenna port, access point) 506 (also referred to as "WLAN (wireless local area network) node 506", "WLAN 506", "WLAN terminal 506", "WT 506", etc.) via connection 507. Connection 507 may include a local wireless connection, such as a connection consistent with any IEEE 802.11 protocol, where AP 506 will include Wireless Fidelity. router. In this example, the AP 506 shown is connected to the Internet without being connected to the core network of the wireless system (described in further detail below). In various embodiments, the UE 501b, the RAN 510, and the AP 506 may be configured to utilize LTE-WLAN aggregation (LWA) operation and / or LTE / WLAN radio level operation integrated with an IPsec tunnel (LWIP). The LWA operation may involve the UE 501b in the RRC_CONNECTED state being configured by the RAN nodes 511a-b to utilize the radio resources of LTE and WLAN. The LWIP operation may involve the UE 501b using the WLAN radio resources (e.g., connection 507) via an Internet Protocol Security (IPsec) protocol tunnel to authenticate and encrypt packets (e.g., IP packets) sent through the connection 507. IPsec tunneling may include encapsulating the entire original IP packet and adding a new packet header, thereby protecting the original header of the IP packet.

[0108] The RAN 510 includes one or more AN nodes or RAN nodes 511a and 511b (collectively referred to as "multiple RAN nodes 511" or "RAN node 511") that enable connections 503 and 504. As used herein, the terms "access node", "access point", etc. may describe equipment that provides radio baseband functions for data and / or voice connections between a network and one or more users. These access nodes may be referred to as base stations (BS), gNBs, RAN nodes, eNBs, Node Bs, road side units (RSUs), TRxPs or TRPs (transmit receive points), etc., and may include ground stations (e.g., terrestrial access points) or satellite stations that provide coverage within a geographic area (e.g., a cell). As used herein, the terms "NG RAN node" and the like may refer to RNA nodes 511 (e.g., gNBs) operating in NR or 5G systems 500, while the terms "E-UTRAN nodes" and the like may refer to RAN nodes 511 (e.g., eNBs) operating in LTE or 4G systems 500. According to various embodiments, the RAN node 511 may be implemented as one or more of dedicated physical devices such as a macrocell base station and / or a low power (LP) base station for providing a femtocell, picocell or other similar cell with a smaller coverage area, smaller user capacity or higher bandwidth than a macrocell.

[0109] In some embodiments, all or part of the RAN node 511 may be implemented as one or more software entities running on a server computer as part of a virtual network, which may be referred to as a CRAN (Cloud Radio Access Network, Cloud RAN) and / or a Virtual Baseband Unit Pool (vBBUP). In these embodiments, the CRAN or vBBUP may implement RAN functional splitting, such as PDCP splitting, where the Radio Resource Control (RRC) and PDCP layers are operated by the CRAN / vBBUP, and other Layer 2 (Data Link Layer-L2) protocol entities are operated by individual RAN nodes 511; MAC / PHY (Physical Layer) splitting, where the RRC, PDCP, RLC, and MAC (Medium Access Control (Protocol Layer Context)) layers are operated by the CRAN / vBBUP, and the PHY layer is operated by individual RAN nodes 511; or "lower PHY" splitting, where the RRC, PDCP, RLC, MAC layers, and upper portions of the PHY layers are operated by the CRAN / vBBUP, and the lower portions of the PHY layers are operated by individual RAN nodes 511. The virtualization framework allows idle processor cores of multiple RAN nodes 511 to execute other virtualized applications. In some implementations, a separate RAN node 511 may represent a separate F1 interface ( Figure 5 In these embodiments, the gNB-DU may include one or more remote radio heads or RFEMs (see, e.g., Figure 6 ), and the gNB-CU may be operated by a server (not shown) located in the RAN 510 or by a server pool in a manner similar to the CRAN / vBBUP. In addition or alternatively, one or more of the multiple RAN nodes 511 may be a next generation eNB (ng-eNB), which is a RAN node that provides E-UTRA user plane and control plane protocol terminals to multiple UEs 501 and is connected to the 5GC via an NG interface (discussed below).

[0110] In a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) scenario, one or more of the multiple RAN nodes 511 may be an RSU or act as an RSU. The term "roadside unit" or "RSU" may refer to any traffic infrastructure entity used for V2X communication. The RSU may be implemented in or by a suitable RAN node or a stationary (or relatively stationary) UE, wherein an RSU implemented in or by a UE may be referred to as a "UE-type RSU", an RSU implemented in or by an eNB may be referred to as an "eNB-type RSU", an RSU implemented in or by a gNB may be referred to as a "gNB-type RSU", and so on. In one example, the RSU is a computing device coupled to a radio frequency circuit located on the road side that provides connectivity support to a passing vehicle UE 501 (vUE 501). The RSU may also include internal data storage circuitry for storing intersection map geometry, traffic statistics, media, and applications / software for sensing and controlling ongoing vehicle and pedestrian traffic. The RSU may operate on the 5.9 GHz Direct Short Range Communication (DSRC) band to provide extremely low latency communications required for high-speed events, such as collision avoidance, traffic warnings, etc. In addition or alternatively, the RSU may operate on the cellular V2X band to provide the aforementioned low latency communications as well as other cellular communication services. In addition or alternatively, the RSU may operate as a Wi-Fi hotspot (2.4 GHz band) and / or provide connectivity to one or more cellular networks to provide uplink and downlink communications. Some or all of the computing device and the RSU's RF circuitry may be packaged in a weather-resistant enclosure suitable for outdoor installation, and may include a network interface controller to provide a wired connection (e.g., Ethernet) to a traffic signal controller and / or backhaul network.

[0111] Any of the multiple RAN nodes 511 may serve as an endpoint for the air interface protocol and may be the first point of contact for multiple UEs 501. In some embodiments, any of the multiple RAN nodes 511 may perform various logical functions of the RAN 510, including but not limited to the functions of a radio network controller (RNC), such as radio bearer management, uplink and downlink dynamic radio resource management and data packet scheduling, and mobility management.

[0112] In an embodiment, multiple UEs 501 may be configured to communicate with each other or any of RAN nodes 511 on a multi-carrier communication channel using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) communication signals according to various communication techniques, such as but not limited to OFDMA communication techniques (e.g., for downlink communication) or single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) communication techniques (e.g., for uplink and ProSe or sidelink communication), although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. The OFDM signal may include multiple orthogonal subcarriers.

[0113] In some embodiments, a downlink resource grid may be used for downlink transmissions from any one of a plurality of RAN nodes 511 to a plurality of UEs 501, while uplink transmissions may utilize similar techniques. The grid may be a time-frequency grid, referred to as a resource grid or a time-frequency resource grid, which is a physical resource in the downlink in each time slot. For OFDM systems, such a time-frequency plane representation is a common practice, which makes wireless resource allocation intuitive. Each column and each row of the resource grid corresponds to an OFDM symbol and an OFDM subcarrier, respectively. The duration of the resource grid in the time domain corresponds to a time slot in a radio frame. The smallest time-frequency unit in the resource grid is represented as a resource element. Each resource grid includes a plurality of resource blocks, which describe the mapping of certain physical channels to resource elements. Each resource block includes a collection of resource elements. In the frequency domain, this may represent the minimum amount of resources that can currently be allocated. Such resource blocks are used to transmit several different physical downlink channels.

[0114] According to various embodiments, multiple UEs 501, 502 and multiple RAN nodes 511, 512 communicate data (e.g., send data and receive data) through a licensed medium (also referred to as a "licensed spectrum" and / or a "licensed band") and an unlicensed shared medium (also referred to as an "unlicensed spectrum" and / or an "unlicensed band"). The licensed spectrum may include channels operating in a frequency range of approximately 400 MHz to approximately 3.8 GHz, and the unlicensed spectrum may include a 5 GHz band.

[0115] To operate in the unlicensed spectrum, the UEs 501, 502 and the RAN nodes 511, 512 may operate using License Assisted Access (LAA), Enhanced License Assisted Access (eLAA), and / or Additional Enhanced License Assisted Access (feLAA) mechanisms. In these implementations, the plurality of UEs 501, 502 and the plurality of RAN nodes 511, 512 may perform one or more known medium sensing operations and / or carrier sensing operations to determine whether one or more channels in the unlicensed spectrum are unavailable or otherwise occupied before transmitting in the unlicensed spectrum. The medium / carrier sensing operations may be performed according to a Listen Before Talk (LBT) protocol.

[0116] LBT is a mechanism by which devices (e.g., multiple UEs 501, 502, multiple RAN nodes 511, 512, etc.) sense the medium (e.g., a channel or carrier frequency) and transmit when the medium is sensed to be idle (or when a particular channel in the medium is sensed to be unoccupied). The medium sensing operation may include a clear channel assessment (CCA) that utilizes at least energy detection (ED) to determine whether other signals are present on the channel in order to determine whether the channel is occupied or clear. The LBT mechanism allows cellular / LAA networks to coexist with existing systems in unlicensed spectrum and with other LAA networks. ED may include sensing RF energy on an expected transmission band over a period of time and comparing the sensed RF energy to a predefined or configured threshold.

[0117] Typically, existing systems in the 5 GHz band are WLANs based on IEEE 802.11 technology. WLANs employ a contention-based channel access mechanism called carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA / CA). Here, when a WLAN node (e.g., a mobile station (MS) such as UE 501 or 502, AP 506, etc.) intends to transmit, the WLAN node may first perform CCA before transmission. In addition, in the case where more than one WLAN node senses the channel as idle and transmits at the same time, a backoff mechanism is used to avoid collisions. The backoff mechanism may be a counter randomly drawn within a contention window size (CWS), which increases exponentially when a collision occurs and is reset to a minimum value when the transmission is successful. The LBT mechanism designed for LAA is somewhat similar to CSMA / CA for WLAN. In some implementations, the LBT process for a DL or UL transmission burst (including a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) or physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission) may have a variable length LAA contention window between X and Y extended clear channel assessment (ECCA) slots, where X and Y are the minimum and maximum values ​​of the CWS for LAA. In one example, the minimum CWS for LAA transmissions may be 9 microseconds (μs); however, the size of the CWS and the maximum channel occupancy time (MCOT) (e.g., a transmission burst) may be based on government regulatory requirements.

[0118] The LAA mechanism is built on the carrier aggregation (CA) technology of the LTE-Advanced system. In CA, each aggregated carrier is called a component carrier (CC). A CC may have a bandwidth of 1.4MHz, 3MHz, 5MHz, 10MHz, 15MHz, or 20MHz, and up to five CCs may be aggregated, so the maximum aggregate bandwidth is 100MHz. In an FDD system, the number of aggregated carriers may be different for DL ​​and UL, where the number of UL CCs is equal to or lower than the number of DL component carriers. In some cases, each CC may have a different bandwidth from other CCs. In a TDD system, the number of CCs and the bandwidth of each CC are typically the same for DL ​​and UL.

[0119] CA also includes individual service cells to provide individual CCs. The coverage of the service cells may be different, for example, because CCs on different frequency bands will experience different path losses. The primary service cell or primary cell (PCell) may provide a primary component carrier (PCC) for both UL and DL, and may handle activities related to RRC and NAS. Other service cells are called secondary cells (SCells), and each SCell may provide a single secondary component carrier (SCC) for both UL and DL. SCCs may be added and removed as needed, and changing PCCs may require UE 501, 502 to undergo switching. In LAA, eLAA, and feLAA, some or all of the SCells may operate in an unlicensed spectrum (referred to as "LAA SCells"), and the LAA SCells are assisted by PCells operating in a licensed spectrum. When a UE is configured with more than one LAA SCell, the UE may receive UL authorizations on the configured LAA SCells, indicating different PUSCH start positions within the same subframe.

[0120] The PDSCH carries user data and higher layer signaling to multiple UEs 501. The physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) carries information about the transport format and resource allocation related to the PDSCH channel, etc. It can also notify multiple UEs 501 about the transport format, resource allocation, and hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) information related to the uplink shared channel. Generally, downlink scheduling (allocation of control and shared channel resource blocks to UEs 501b within a cell) can be performed on any one of the RAN nodes 511 based on channel quality information fed back from any one of the multiple UEs 501. Downlink resource allocation information can be sent on the PDCCH used for (e.g., allocated to) each UE in the multiple UEs 501.

[0121] PDCCH uses control channel elements (CCE) to transmit control information. Before being mapped to resource elements, the PDCCH complex-valued symbols can first be organized into quadruplets, which can then be arranged using a sub-block interleaver for rate matching. One or more of these CCEs can be used to transmit each PDCCH, where each CCE can correspond to nine sets of four physical resource elements, respectively, called REGs. Four quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) symbols can be mapped to each REG. Depending on the size of the downlink control information (DCI) and channel conditions, one or more CCEs can be used to transmit the PDCCH. There may be four or more different PDCCH formats defined in LTE with different numbers of CCEs (e.g., aggregation levels, L=1, 2, 4, or 8).

[0122] Some embodiments may use the concept of resource allocation for control channel information, which is an extension of the above concept. For example, some embodiments may utilize an enhanced physical downlink control channel (EPDCCH) that uses PDSCH resources for control information transmission. One or more enhanced control channel elements (ECCE) may be used to transmit EPDCCH. Similar to the above, each ECCE may correspond to four sets of nine physical resource elements, referred to as enhanced resource element groups (EREGs). In some cases, ECCE may have other numbers of EREGs.

[0123] The plurality of RAN nodes 511 may be configured to communicate with each other via an interface 512. In an embodiment where the system 500 is an LTE system, the interface 512 may be an X2 interface 512. The X2 interface may be defined between two or more RAN nodes 511 (e.g., two or more eNBs, etc.) connected to the EPC 520, and / or between two eNBs connected to the EPC 520. In some implementations, the X2 interface may include an X2 user plane interface (X2-U) and an X2 control plane interface (X2-C). The X2-U may provide a flow control mechanism for user packets transmitted over the X2 interface, and may be used to transmit information about the delivery of user data between eNBs. For example, X2-U may provide specific sequence number information about user data transmitted from the master eNB (MeNB) to the secondary eNB (SeNB); information about the successful and in-sequence delivery of PDCP (Packet Data Convergence Protocol, Packet Data Convergence Protocol Layer) Protocol Data Units (PDUs) of user data from the SeNB to the UE 501; information about PDCP PDUs that are not delivered to the UE 501; information about the current minimum expected buffer size at the SeNB for transmitting user data to the UE; etc. X2-C may provide intra-LTE access mobility functions, including context transfer from the source eNB to the target eNB, user plane transmission control, etc.; load management functions; and inter-cell interference coordination functions.

[0124] In an embodiment where the system 500 is a 5G or NR system, the interface 512 may be an Xn interface 512. The Xn interface is defined between two or more RAN nodes 511 (e.g., two or more gNBs, etc.) connected to the 5GC 520, between a RAN node 511 (e.g., a gNB) and an eNB connected to the 5GC 520, and / or between two eNBs connected to the 5GC 520. In some specific implementations, the Xn interface may include an Xn user plane (Xn-U) interface and an Xn control plane (Xn-C) interface. The Xn-U may provide non-guaranteed delivery of user plane PDUs and support / provide data forwarding and flow control functions. The Xn-C may provide management and error handling functions for managing the functions of the Xn-C interface; mobility support for the UE 501 in a connected mode (e.g., connection management (CM)-connected) includes functions for managing UE mobility in a connected mode between one or more RAN nodes 511. The mobility support may include context transfer from the old (source) serving RAN node 511 to the new (target) serving RAN node 511; and control of the user plane tunnel between the old (source) serving RAN node 511 and the new (target) serving RAN node 511. The protocol stack of Xn-U may include a transport network layer built on an Internet Protocol (IP) transport layer, and a GTP-U layer on top of a UDP and / or IP layer for carrying user plane PDUs. The Xn-C protocol stack may include an application layer signaling protocol (referred to as the Xn Application Protocol (Xn-AP)) and a transport network layer built on a stream control transmission protocol (SCTP). SCTP may be on top of the IP layer and may provide guaranteed delivery of application layer messages. In the transport IP layer, point-to-point transport is used to deliver signaling PDUs. In other specific implementations, the Xn-U protocol stack and / or the Xn-C protocol stack may be the same or similar to the user plane and / or control plane protocol stacks shown and described herein.

[0125] RAN 510 is shown as being communicatively coupled to a core network—in this embodiment, communicatively coupled to a core network (CN) 520. CN 520 may include a plurality of network elements 522 configured to provide various data and telecommunication services to customers / users (e.g., users of UE 501) connected to CN 520 via RAN 510. The components of CN 520 may be implemented in one physical node or in separate physical nodes, including components for reading and executing instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium). In some embodiments, network function virtualization (NFV) may be used to virtualize any or all of the above-mentioned network node functions via executable instructions stored in one or more computer-readable storage media (described in further detail below). A logical instance of CN 520 may be referred to as a network slice, and a logical instance of a portion of CN 520 may be referred to as a network sub-slice. NFV architecture and infrastructure may be used to virtualize one or more network functions onto physical resources comprising a combination of industry-standard server hardware, storage hardware, or switches (alternatively performed by proprietary hardware). In other words, the NFV system may be used to perform a virtual or reconfigurable implementation of one or more EPC components / functions.

[0126] In general, the application server 530 may be an element that provides applications that use IP bearer resources with the core network (e.g., UMTS packet service (PS) domain, LTE PS data service, etc.). The application server 530 may also be configured to support one or more communication services for the UE 501 via the EPC 520 (e.g., Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) sessions, PTT sessions, group communication sessions, social networking services, etc.).

[0127] In an embodiment, CN 520 may be a 5GC (referred to as "5GC 520" or the like), and RAN 510 may be connected to CN 520 via an NG interface 513. In an embodiment, NG interface 513 may be divided into two parts: an NG user plane (NG-U) interface 514, which carries traffic data between RAN node 511 and user plane function (UPF); and an S1 control plane (NG-C) interface 515, which is a signaling interface between RAN node 511 and AMF.

[0128] In an embodiment, CN 520 may be a 5G CN (referred to as "5GC 520", etc.), while in other embodiments, CN 520 may be an EPC. In the case where CN 520 is an EPC (referred to as "EPC 520", etc.), RAN 510 may be connected to CN 520 via an S1 interface 513. In an embodiment, S1 interface 513 may be divided into two parts: an S1 user plane (S1-U) interface 514, which carries traffic data between RAN node 511 and a serving gateway (S-GW); and an S1-MME (S1 for control plane) interface 515, which is a signaling interface between multiple RAN nodes 511 and multiple mobility management entities (MMEs).

[0129] Figure 6 An example of infrastructure equipment 600 according to various embodiments is shown. Infrastructure equipment 600 (or "system 600") can be implemented as a base station, a radio headquarters, a RAN node (such as the RAN node 511 and / or AP 506 shown and described previously), an application server 530, and / or any other element / device discussed herein. In other examples, system 600 can be implemented in or by a UE.

[0130] System 600 includes application circuit 605, baseband circuit 610, one or more radio front end modules (RFEM) 615, memory circuit 620, power management integrated circuit (PMIC) 625, power tee circuit 630, network controller circuit 635, network interface connector 640, satellite positioning circuit 645 and user interface 650. In some embodiments, device 600 may include additional elements, such as, for example, memory / storage, display, camera, sensor or input / output (I / O) interface. In other embodiments, the following components may be included in more than one device. For example, the circuit may be separately included in more than one device for specific implementation of CRAN, vBBU, etc.

[0131] Application circuit 605 includes circuits such as, but not limited to: one or more processors (or processor cores), cache memory, and one or more of the following: a low dropout regulator (LDO), an interrupt controller, a serial interface such as SPI, I 2C or general programmable serial interface module, real-time clock (RTC), timer-counter including interval timer and watchdog timer, general input / output (I / O or IO), memory card controller such as secure digital (SD) multimedia card (MMC) or similar products, universal serial bus (USB) interface, mobile industry processor interface (MIPI) interface and joint test access group (JTAG) test access port. The processor (or core) of application circuit 605 can be coupled with memory / storage element or can include memory / storage element, and can be configured to execute instructions stored in memory / storage element to enable various applications or operating systems to run on system 600. In some embodiments, memory / storage element can be on-chip memory circuit, which can include any suitable volatile and / or non-volatile memory, such as DRAM, SRAM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, solid-state memory and / or any other type of memory device technology, such as those discussed herein.

[0132] The processor of the application circuit 605 may include, for example, one or more processor cores (CPU-channel state information (CSI) processing unit, central processing unit), one or more application processors, one or more graphics processing units (GPUs), one or more reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processors, one or more Acorn RISC Machine (ARM) processors, one or more complex instruction set computing (CISC) processors, one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), one or more FPGAs, one or more PLDs, one or more ASICs, one or more microprocessors or controllers, or any suitable combination thereof. In some embodiments, the application circuit 605 may include or may be a dedicated processor / controller for operating according to various embodiments herein. As an example, the processor of the application circuit 605 may include one or more Intel or Processor: Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Processor, Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) or Processors; ARM-based processors licensed from ARM Holdings, Ltd., such as the ARM Cortex-A series processors, and processors provided by Cavium(TM), Inc. MIPS-based designs from MIPS Technologies, such as the MIPS Warrior P-class processor; etc. In some embodiments, system 600 may not utilize application circuit 605, and instead may include a dedicated processor / controller to process IP data received, for example, from an EPC or 5GC.

[0133] In some implementations, the application circuit 605 may include one or more hardware accelerators, which may be microprocessors, programmable processing devices, etc. The one or more hardware accelerators may include, for example, computer vision (CV) and / or deep learning (DL) accelerators. For example, the programmable processing device may be one or more field programmable devices (FPDs), such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), etc.; programmable logic devices (PLDs), such as complex PLDs (CPLDs), high capacity PLDs (HCPLDs), etc.; ASICs, such as structured ASICs, etc.; programmable SoCs (PSoCs); etc. In such implementations, the circuits of the application circuit 605 may include logic blocks or logic architectures, as well as other interconnected resources that may be programmed to perform various functions, such as the processes, methods, functions, etc. of the various embodiments discussed herein. In such an embodiment, the circuitry of the application circuit 605 may include a memory unit (e.g., an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a flash memory, a static memory (e.g., a static random access memory (SRAM), an anti-fuse, etc.)) for storing logic blocks, logic architectures, data, etc. in a look-up table (LUT), etc.

[0134] Baseband circuit 610 may be implemented, for example, as a solder-in substrate including one or more integrated circuits, a single packaged integrated circuit soldered to a main circuit board, or a multi-chip module containing two or more integrated circuits. Figure 8 The various hardware electronic components of baseband circuit 610 are discussed.

[0135] The user interface circuit 650 may include one or more user interfaces designed to enable a user to interact with the system 600 or a peripheral component interface designed to enable a peripheral component to interact with the system 600. The user interface may include, but is not limited to, one or more physical or virtual buttons (e.g., a reset button), one or more indicators (e.g., light emitting diodes (LEDs)), a physical keyboard or keypad, a mouse, a touch pad, a touch screen, a speaker or other audio transmitting device, a microphone, a printer, a scanner, a headset, a display screen or display device, etc. The peripheral component interface may include, but is not limited to, a non-volatile memory port, a universal serial bus (USB) port, an audio jack, a power interface, etc.

[0136] The radio front end module (RFEM) 615 may include a millimeter wave (mmWave) RFEM and one or more sub-mmWave radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs). In some implementations, the one or more sub-mmWave RFICs may be physically separated from the mmWave RFEM. The RFIC may include connections to one or more antennas or antenna arrays (see, e.g., below). Figure 8 Antenna array 811), and the RFEM can be connected to multiple antennas. In an alternative implementation, both millimeter wave and sub-millimeter wave radio functions can be implemented in the same physical RFEM 615 that combines both millimeter wave antennas and sub-millimeter waves.

[0137] The memory circuit 620 may include one or more of the following: a volatile memory including a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and / or a synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), a non-volatile memory (NVM) including a high-speed electrically erasable memory (commonly referred to as a "flash memory"), a phase change random access memory (PRAM), a magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM), etc., and may be combined with and The memory circuit 620 may be implemented as one or more of: a solder-in package integrated circuit, a socket memory module, and a plug-in memory card.

[0138] The PMIC 625 may include a voltage regulator, a surge protector, a power alarm detection circuit, and one or more backup power sources, such as a battery or capacitor. The power alarm detection circuit may detect one or more of a brownout (undervoltage) and a surge (overvoltage) condition. The power tee circuit 630 may provide power extracted from a network cable to provide both power and data connections for the infrastructure equipment 600 using a single cable.

[0139] The network controller circuit 635 may provide connectivity to the network using a standard network interface protocol such as Ethernet, Ethernet based on a GRE tunnel, Ethernet based on a multi-protocol label switching (MPLS), or some other suitable protocol. A physical connection may be used to provide a network connection to / from the infrastructure equipment 600 via a network interface connector 640, which may be an electrical connection (commonly referred to as a "copper interconnect"), an optical connection, or a wireless connection. The network controller circuit 635 may include one or more dedicated processors and / or FPGAs for communicating using one or more of the aforementioned protocols. In some implementations, the network controller circuit 635 may include multiple controllers for providing connectivity to other networks using the same or different protocols.

[0140] The positioning circuit 645 includes circuits for receiving and decoding signals transmitted / broadcasted by a positioning network of a global satellite navigation system (GNSS). Examples of navigation satellite constellations (or GNSS) include the United States' Global Positioning System (GPS), Russia's Global Navigation System (GLONASS), the European Union's Galileo system, China's Beidou Navigation Satellite System, regional navigation systems or GNSS augmentation systems (e.g., using the Indian constellation (NAVIC), Japan's Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), France's Doppler Orbit Chart and Satellite Integrated Radio Positioning (DORIS), etc. for navigation), etc. The positioning circuit 645 includes various hardware elements (e.g., including hardware devices such as switches, filters, amplifiers, antenna elements, etc., to facilitate air (OTA) communications) to communicate with components of the positioning network such as navigation satellite constellation nodes. In some embodiments, the positioning circuit 645 may include a micro technology (micro PNT) IC for positioning, navigation, and timing that uses a master timing clock to perform position tracking / estimation without GNSS assistance. The positioning circuit 645 may also be part of or interact with the baseband circuit 610 and / or RFEM 615 to communicate with nodes and components of the positioning network. The positioning circuit 645 may also provide location data and / or time data to the application circuit 605, which may use the data to synchronize operations with various infrastructure (e.g., RAN node 511, etc.), etc.

[0141] Figure 6 The components shown may communicate with each other using interface circuitry that may include any number of bus and / or interconnect (IX) technologies, such as Industry Standard Architecture (ISA), Extended ISA (EISA), Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI), Peripheral Component Interconnect Extended (PCIx), PCI express (PCIe), or any number of other technologies. The bus / IX may be a proprietary bus, such as used in a system on a chip (SoC) based system. Other bus / IX systems may be included, such as I 2 C interface, SPI interface, point-to-point interface and power bus, etc.

[0142] Figure 7 An example of a platform 700 (or "device 700") according to various embodiments is shown. In an embodiment, the computer platform 700 may be suitable for use as multiple UEs 501, 502, an application server 530, and / or any other element / device discussed herein. The platform 700 may include any combination of components shown in the example. The components of the platform 700 may be implemented as an integrated circuit (IC), a portion thereof, a discrete electronic device, or other modules, logic, hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof suitable for use in the computer platform 700, or implemented as components otherwise incorporated within the chassis of a larger system. Figure 7The block diagram is intended to show a high-level view of the components of computer platform 700. However, some of the components shown may be omitted, additional components may be present, and different arrangements of the components shown may occur in other implementations.

[0143] The application circuit 705 includes circuits such as, but not limited to, one or more processors (or processor cores), cache memory, and LDO, interrupt controller, serial interface (such as SPI), I 2 The processor (or core) of the application circuit 705 may be coupled to or may include a memory / storage element and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory / storage element to enable various applications or operating systems to run on the system 700. In some embodiments, the memory / storage element may be an on-chip memory circuit that may include any suitable volatile and / or non-volatile memory, such as DRAM, SRAM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, solid-state memory, and / or any other type of memory device technology, such as those discussed herein.

[0144] The processor of the application circuit 605 may include, for example, one or more processor cores, one or more application processors, one or more GPUs, one or more RISC processors, one or more ARM processors, one or more CISC processors, one or more DSPs, one or more FPGAs, one or more PLDs, one or more ASICs, one or more microprocessors or controllers, multi-threaded processors, ultra-low voltage processors, embedded processors, some other known processing elements, or any suitable combination thereof. In some embodiments, the application circuit 605 may include or may be a dedicated processor / controller for operating according to various embodiments herein.

[0145] As an example, the processor of the application circuit 705 may include a processor based on Architecture Core TM Processors such as Quark TM 、Atom TM , i3, i5, i7 or MCU class processors, or available from Santa Clara, CA The processor of application circuit 705 may also be one or more of the following: Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Processor or Accelerated Processing Unit (APU); from Inc.'s A5-A9 processors, Snapdragon by Technologies, Inc. TM Processor, Texas Instruments, Open Multimedia Applications Platform(OMAP) TM processors; MIPS-based designs from MIPS Technologies, Inc., such as the MIPS Warrior M-class, Warrior I-class, and Warrior P-class processors; ARM-based designs licensed from ARM Holdings, Ltd., such as the ARM Cortex-A, Cortex-R, and Cortex-M series processors; etc. In some implementations, the application circuit 705 can be part of a system on a chip (SoC), in which the application circuit 705 and other components are formed as a single integrated circuit or a single package, such as company( Edison Corporation TM or Galileo TM SoC board.

[0146] Additionally or alternatively, the application circuit 705 may include circuits such as, but not limited to, one or more field programmable devices (FPDs) such as FPGAs, etc.; programmable logic devices (PLDs) such as complex PLDs (CPLDs), high capacity PLDs (HCPLDs), etc.; ASICs such as structured ASICs, etc.; programmable SoCs (PSoCs); etc. In such embodiments, the circuits of the application circuit 705 may include logic blocks or logic structures, and other interconnected resources that can be programmed to perform various functions such as the processes, methods, functions, etc. of the various embodiments discussed herein. In such embodiments, the circuits of the application circuit 705 may include memory cells (e.g., erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, static memory (e.g., static random access memory (SRAM), anti-fuse, etc.)) for storing logic blocks, logic structures, data, etc. in lookup tables (LUTs), etc.

[0147] Baseband circuit 710 may be implemented, for example, as a solder-in substrate including one or more integrated circuits, a single packaged integrated circuit soldered to a main circuit board, or a multi-chip module containing two or more integrated circuits. Figure 8 The various hardware electronic components of baseband circuit 710 are discussed.

[0148] The RFEM 715 may include a millimeter wave (mmWave) RFEM and one or more sub-millimeter wave radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs). In some implementations, the one or more sub-millimeter wave RFICs may be physically separated from the mmWave RFEM. The RFIC may include connections to one or more antennas or antenna arrays (see, e.g., below). Figure 8 Antenna array 811), and the RFEM can be connected to multiple antennas. In an alternative implementation, both millimeter wave and sub-millimeter wave radio functions can be implemented in the same physical RFEM 715 that combines both millimeter wave antennas and sub-millimeter waves.

[0149] The memory circuit 720 may include any number and type of memory devices for providing a fixed amount of system memory. For example, the memory circuit 720 may include one or more of the following: volatile memory, including random access memory (RAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM) and / or synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM); and non-volatile memory, including high-speed electrically erasable memory (commonly referred to as flash memory), phase change random access memory (PRAM), magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM), etc. The memory circuit 720 may be developed according to the Joint Electron Device Engineering Council (JEDEC) based low power double data rate (LPDDR) design such as LPDDR2, LPDDR3, LPDDR4, etc. The memory circuit 720 may be implemented as one or more of the following: a solder-in package integrated circuit, a single die package (SDP), a dual die package (DDP) or a quad die package (Q17P), a socketed memory module, a dual in-line memory module (DIMM) including a micro DIMM or a mini DIMM, and / or soldered to a motherboard via a ball grid array (BGA). In a low-power implementation, the memory circuit 720 may be an on-chip memory or register associated with the application circuit 705. To provide persistent storage of information such as data, applications, operating systems, etc., the memory circuit 720 may include one or more mass storage devices, which may include, among others, a solid-state disk drive (SSDD), a hard disk drive (HDD), a micro HDD, a resistive change memory, a phase change memory, a holographic memory, or a chemical memory. For example, the computer platform 700 may be combined with and Three-dimensional (3D) cross-point (XPOINT) memory.

[0150] Removable memory circuitry 723 may include devices, circuitry, housings / casings, ports or receptacles, etc., for coupling portable data storage devices to platform 700. These portable data storage devices may be used for mass storage, and may include, for example, flash memory cards (e.g., Secure Digital (SD) cards, micro SD cards, xD picture cards, etc.), as well as USB flash drives, optical disks, external HDDs, etc.

[0151] The platform 700 may further include an interface circuit (not shown) for connecting external devices to the platform 700. External devices connected to the platform 700 via the interface circuit include a sensor circuit 721 and an electromechanical component (EMC) 722, and a removable memory device coupled to a removable memory circuit 723.

[0152] Sensor circuitry 721 comprises a device, module, or subsystem that is intended to detect events or changes in its environment, and to send information about the detected events (sensor data) to some other device, module, subsystem, etc. Examples of such sensors include, among others: an inertial measurement unit (IMU) including an accelerometer, a gyroscope, and / or a magnetometer; a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) or a nanoelectromechanical system (NEMS) including a three-axis accelerometer, a three-axis gyroscope, and / or a magnetometer; a level sensor; a flow sensor; a temperature sensor (e.g., a thermistor); a pressure sensor; a barometric pressure sensor; a gravity meter; an altimeter; an image capture device (e.g., a camera or a lensless aperture); a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensor; a proximity sensor (e.g., an infrared radiation detector, etc.), a depth sensor, an ambient light sensor, an ultrasonic transceiver; a microphone or other similar audio capture device; etc.

[0153] The EMC 722 includes devices, modules or subsystems that are intended to enable the platform 700 to change its state, position and / or orientation or to move or control a mechanism or (sub) system. In addition, the EMC 722 can be configured to generate messages / signaling and send messages / signaling to other components of the platform 700 to indicate the current state of the EMC 722. The EMC 722 includes one or more power switches, relays (including electromechanical relays (EMRs) and / or solid-state relays (SSRs)), actuators (e.g., valve actuators, etc.), audible sound generators, visual warning devices, motors (e.g., direct current (DC) motors, stepper motors, etc.), wheels, thrusters, propellers, claws, clamps, hooks and / or other similar electromechanical components. In an embodiment, the platform 700 is configured to operate one or more EMCs 722 based on one or more capture events and / or instructions or control signals received from a service provider and / or various clients.

[0154] In some specific implementations, the interface circuit may connect the platform 700 to the positioning circuit 745. The positioning circuit 745 includes a circuit for receiving and decoding signals transmitted / broadcasted by the positioning network of the GNSS. Examples of navigation satellite constellations (or GNSS) may include the GPS of the United States, the GLONASS of Russia, the Galileo system of the European Union, the Beidou navigation satellite system of China, regional navigation systems or GNSS augmentation systems (e.g., NAVIC, QZSS of Japan, DORIS of France, etc.), etc. The positioning circuit 745 includes various hardware elements (e.g., including hardware devices such as switches, filters, amplifiers, antenna elements, etc. for facilitating OTA communication) to communicate with components of the positioning network such as navigation satellite constellation nodes. In some embodiments, the positioning circuit 745 may include a micro PNT IC that uses a master timing clock to perform position tracking / estimation without GNSS assistance. The positioning circuit 745 may also be part of the baseband circuit 610 and / or the RFEM 715 or interact with it to communicate with nodes and components of the positioning network. Positioning circuitry 745 may also provide position data and / or time data to application circuitry 705, which may use the data to synchronize operations with various infrastructure (e.g., radio base stations) for use in turn-by-turn navigation applications, etc.

[0155] In some implementations, the interface circuit may connect the platform 700 with a near field communication (NFC) circuit 740. The NFC circuit 740 is configured to provide contactless short-range communication based on the radio frequency identification (RFID) standard, where a magnetic field is sensed to enable communication between the NFC circuit 740 and an NFC-enabled device (e.g., an "NFC touch point") external to the platform 700. The NFC circuit 740 includes an NFC controller coupled to an antenna element and a processor coupled to the NFC controller. The NFC controller may be a chip / IC that provides NFC functionality to the NFC circuit 740 by executing an NFC controller firmware and an NFC stack. The NFC stack may be executed by the processor to control the NFC controller, and the NFC controller firmware may be executed by the NFC controller to control the antenna element to transmit a short-range RF signal. The RF signal may power a passive NFC tag (e.g., a microchip embedded in a sticker or wristband) to transfer stored data to the NFC circuit 740, or initiate data transfer between the NFC circuit 740 and another active NFC device (e.g., a smartphone or an NFC-enabled POS terminal) close to the platform 700.

[0156] The driver circuit 746 may include software and hardware elements for controlling specific devices embedded in, attached to, or otherwise communicatively coupled to the platform 700. The driver circuit 746 may include various drivers to allow other components of the platform 700 to interact with or control various input / output (I / O) devices that may be present in or connected to the platform 700. For example, the driver circuit 746 may include: a display driver for controlling and allowing access to a display device, a touch screen driver for controlling and allowing access to a touch screen interface of the platform 700, a sensor driver for obtaining sensor readings of the sensor circuit 721 and controlling and allowing access to the sensor circuit 721, an EMC driver for obtaining an actuator position of the EMC 722 and / or controlling and allowing access to the EMC 722, a camera driver for controlling and allowing access to an embedded image capture device, and an audio driver for controlling and allowing access to one or more audio devices.

[0157] A power management integrated circuit (PMIC) 725 (also referred to as “power management circuit 725”) may manage power provided to various components of the platform 700. Specifically, the PMIC 725 may control power selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-DC conversion relative to the baseband circuit 710. When the platform 700 is capable of being powered by a battery 730, for example, when the device is included in a UE 501, 502, the PMIC 725 may generally be included.

[0158] In some embodiments, the PMIC 725 may control or otherwise be part of various power saving mechanisms of the platform 700. For example, if the platform 700 is in the RRC_Connected state, where the device is still connected to the RAN node because it expects to receive traffic immediately, then after a period of inactivity, the device may enter a state known as discontinuous reception mode (DRX). During this state, the platform 700 may be powered off for short time intervals, thereby saving power. If there is no data traffic activity for an extended period of time, the platform 700 may transition to the RRC_Idle state, where the device is disconnected from the network and no operations such as channel quality feedback, handover, etc. are performed. The platform 700 enters a very low power state and performs paging, where the device wakes up periodically again to listen to the network and then powers off again. The platform 700 may not receive data in this state; in order to receive data, the platform must transition back to the RRC_Connected state. Additional power saving modes may prevent the device from using the network for longer than the paging interval (ranging from a few seconds to a few hours). During this time, the device is completely unable to connect to the network and can be completely powered off. Any data sent during this time will be significantly delayed, and it is assumed that the delay is acceptable.

[0159] The battery 730 can power the platform 700, but in some examples, the platform 700 can be mounted in a fixed location and can have a power source coupled to a power grid. The battery 730 can be a lithium-ion battery, a metal-air battery such as a zinc-air battery, an aluminum-air battery, a lithium-air battery, etc. In some implementations, such as in V2X applications, the battery 730 can be a typical lead-acid car battery.

[0160] In some implementations, the battery 730 may be a "smart battery" that includes or is coupled to a battery management system (BMS) or a battery monitoring integrated circuit. The BMS may be included in the platform 700 to track the state of charge (SoCh) of the battery 730. The BMS may be used to monitor other parameters of the battery 730, such as the state of health (SoH) and state of function (SoF) of the battery 730 to provide fault prediction. The BMS may transmit information about the battery 730 to the application circuit 705 or other components of the platform 700. The BMS may also include an analog-to-digital (ADC) converter that allows the application circuit 705 to directly monitor the voltage of the battery 730 or the current from the battery 730. The battery parameters may be used to determine actions that the platform 700 may perform, such as transmission frequency, network operation, sensing frequency, etc.

[0161] A power block or other power source coupled to the grid can be coupled to the BMS to charge the battery 730. In some examples, the power block XS30 can be replaced with a wireless power receiver to obtain power wirelessly, for example, through a loop antenna in the computer platform 700. In these examples, a wireless battery charging circuit can be included in the BMS. The specific charging circuit selected can depend on the size of the battery 730 and therefore on the required current. Charging can be performed using the aviation fuel standard published by the Aviation Fuel Alliance, the Qi wireless charging standard published by the Wireless Power Alliance, or the Rezence charging standard published by the Wireless Power Alliance.

[0162] The user interface circuit 750 includes various input / output (I / O) devices present in or connected to the platform 700, and includes one or more user interfaces designed to enable user interaction with the platform 700 and / or a peripheral component interface designed to enable peripheral components to interact with the platform 700. The user interface circuit 750 includes input device circuits and output device circuits. The input device circuit includes any physical or virtual means for accepting input, including, in particular, one or more physical or virtual buttons (e.g., a reset button), a physical keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, a touchpad, a touch screen, a microphone, a scanner, a headset, etc. The output device circuit includes any physical or virtual means for displaying information or otherwise conveying information (such as sensor readings, actuator positions, or other similar information). The output device circuitry may include any number and / or combination of audio or visual displays, including, in particular, one or more simple visual outputs / indicators (e.g., binary status indicators (e.g., light emitting diodes (LEDs)) and multi-character visual outputs, or more complex outputs, such as display devices or touch screens (e.g., liquid crystal displays (LCDs), LED displays, quantum dot displays, projectors, etc.), where outputs of characters, graphics, multimedia objects, etc. are generated or produced by the operation of the platform 700. The output device circuitry may also include speakers or other audio emitting devices, printers, etc. In some embodiments, the sensor circuitry 721 may be used as an input device circuitry (e.g., an image capture device, a motion capture device, etc.) and one or more EMCs may be used as output device circuitry (e.g., an actuator for providing tactile feedback, etc.). In another example, an NFC circuit may be included to read an electronic tag and / or connect to another NFC-enabled device, the NFC circuitry including an NFC controller and a processing device coupled to an antenna element. The peripheral component interface may include, but is not limited to, a non-volatile memory port, a USB port, an audio jack, a power interface, etc.

[0163] Although not shown, the components of platform 700 may communicate with each other using a suitable bus or interconnect (IX) technology, which may include any number of technologies, including ISA, EISA, PCI, PCIx, PCIe, a time-triggered protocol (TTP) system, a FlexRay system, or any number of other technologies. The bus / IX may be a proprietary bus / IX, such as used in SoC-based systems. Other bus / IX systems, such as I 2 C interface, SPI interface, point-to-point interface and power bus, etc.

[0164] Figure 8 8 shows exemplary components of a baseband circuit 810 and a radio front end module (RFEM) 815 according to various embodiments. The baseband circuit 810 corresponds to Figure 6 The baseband circuit 610 and Figure 7 Baseband circuit 710. RFEM 815 corresponds to Figure 6 RFEM 615 and Figure 7 RFEM 715. As shown, RFEM 815 may include radio frequency (RF) circuitry 806, front end module (FEM) circuitry 808, and an antenna array 811 coupled together at least as shown.

[0165] The baseband circuit 810 includes circuits and / or control logic components that are configured to execute various radio / network protocols and radio control functions that enable communication with one or more radio networks via the RF circuit 806. The radio control functions may include, but are not limited to, signal modulation / demodulation, encoding / decoding, radio frequency shifting, etc. In some embodiments, the modulation / demodulation circuit of the baseband circuit 810 may include fast Fourier transform (FFT), precoding, or constellation mapping / demapping functions. In some embodiments, the encoding / decoding circuit of the baseband circuit 810 may include convolution, tail-biting convolution, turbo, Viterbi, or low-density parity check (LDPC) encoder / decoder functions. The implementation of the modulation / demodulation and encoder / decoder functions is not limited to these examples, and may include other suitable functions in other embodiments. The baseband circuit 810 is configured to process baseband signals received from the receive signal path of the RF circuit 806 and generate baseband signals for the transmit signal path of the RF circuit 806. The baseband circuit 810 is configured to communicate with the application circuit 605 / 705 (see Figure 6 and Figure 7 ) to generate and process baseband signals and control the operation of RF circuit 806. Baseband circuit 810 may handle various radio control functions.

[0166] The aforementioned circuits and / or control logic components of the baseband circuit 810 may include one or more single-core or multi-core processors. For example, the one or more processors may include a 3G baseband processor 804A, a 4G / LTE baseband processor 804B, a 5G / NR baseband processor 804C, or some other baseband processors 804D for other existing generations, generations under development or generations to be developed in the future (e.g., the sixth generation (6G), etc.). In other embodiments, some or all of the functions of the baseband processors 804A-D may be included in a module stored in the memory 804G and executed via a central processing unit (CPU) 804E. In other embodiments, some or all of the functions of the baseband processors 804A-D may be provided as a hardware accelerator (e.g., a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an ASIC, etc.) loaded with an appropriate bitstream or logic block stored in a corresponding memory unit. In various embodiments, the memory 804G may store program code of a real-time OS (RTOS), which, when executed by the CPU 804E (or other baseband processor), will enable the CPU 804E (or other baseband processor) to manage resources of the baseband circuit 810, schedule tasks, etc. Examples of RTOS may include: Operating System Embedded (OSE) provided TM , by Mentor Nucleus RTOS provided TM , by Mentor Versatile Real-TimeExecutive (VRTX) provided by Express Provided by ThreadX TM ,Depend on FreeRTOS and REX OS provided by Open Kernel (OK) OKL4 provided, or any other suitable RTOS, such as those discussed herein. In addition, the baseband circuit 810 includes one or more audio digital signal processors (DSPs) 804F. The audio DSP 804F includes elements for compression / decompression and echo cancellation, and may include other suitable processing elements in other embodiments.

[0167] In some embodiments, each of processors 804A-8104E includes a corresponding memory interface to send data to / receive data from memory 804G. Baseband circuit 810 may also include one or more interfaces for communicatively coupling to other circuits / devices, such as an interface for sending data to / receiving data from a memory external to baseband circuit 810; an interface for sending data to / receiving data from a memory external to the baseband circuit; Figures 6 to 8An application circuit interface for sending data to / receiving data from the application circuit 605 / 705; Figure 8 RF circuit 806 to send data / receive data from the RF circuit RF circuit interface; for receiving data from one or more wireless hardware elements (e.g., near field communication (NFC) components, Low power consumption components, components, etc.) to send data / receive data from these wireless hardware elements; and a power management interface for sending power or control signals to / receiving power or control signals from the PMIC 725.

[0168] In an alternative embodiment (which can be combined with the above embodiment), the baseband circuit 810 includes one or more digital baseband systems, which are coupled to each other and to the CPU subsystem, the audio subsystem and the interface subsystem via an interconnection subsystem. The digital baseband subsystem can also be coupled to the digital baseband interface and the mixed signal baseband subsystem via another interconnection subsystem. Each of the interconnection subsystems may include a bus system, a point-to-point connector, a network on chip (NOC) structure and / or some other suitable bus or interconnection technology, such as those discussed herein. The audio subsystem may include a DSP circuit, a buffer memory, a program memory, a voice processing accelerator circuit, a data converter circuit such as an analog-to-digital converter circuit and a digital-to-analog converter circuit, an analog circuit including one or more of an amplifier and a filter, and / or other similar components. In one aspect of the present disclosure, the baseband circuit 810 may include a protocol processing circuit with one or more control circuit instances (not shown) to provide control functions for the digital baseband circuit and / or the radio frequency circuit (e.g., the radio front end module 815).

[0169] although Figure 8Not shown, but in some embodiments, the baseband circuit 810 includes various processing devices (e.g., "multi-protocol baseband processor" or "protocol processing circuit") to operate one or more wireless communication protocols and various processing devices to implement PHY layer functions. In these embodiments, the PHY layer functions include the aforementioned radio control functions. In these embodiments, the protocol processing circuit operates or implements various protocol layers / entities of one or more wireless communication protocols. In a first example, when the baseband circuit 810 and / or the RF circuit 806 are part of a millimeter wave communication circuit or some other suitable cellular communication circuit, the protocol processing circuit may operate LTE protocol entities and / or 5G / NR protocol entities. In a first example, the protocol processing circuit will operate MAC, RLC, PDCP (Packet Data Convergence Protocol, Packet Data Convergence Protocol Layer), Service Data Adaptation Protocol Layer (SDAP), RRC, and NAS functions. In a second example, when the baseband circuit 810 and / or the RF circuit 806 are part of a Wi-Fi communication system, the protocol processing circuit may operate one or more protocols based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). In a second example, the protocol processing circuit will operate the Wi-Fi MAC and logical link control (LLC) functions. The protocol processing circuit may include one or more memory structures (e.g., 804G) for storing program code and data for operating protocol functions, and one or more processing cores for executing program code and performing various operations using data. The baseband circuit 810 may also support radio communications for more than one wireless protocol.

[0170] The various hardware elements of the baseband circuit 810 discussed herein may be implemented as, for example, a solder-in substrate including one or more integrated circuits (ICs), a single packaged integrated circuit soldered to a main circuit board, or a multi-chip module containing two or more ICs. In one example, the components of the baseband circuit 810 may be appropriately combined in a single chip or a single chipset, or disposed on the same circuit board. In another example, some or all of the components of the baseband circuit 810 and the RF circuit 806 may be implemented together, such as, for example, a system on a chip (SOC) or a system-level package (SiP). In another example, some or all of the components of the baseband circuit 810 may be implemented as a separate SoC communicatively coupled to the RF circuit 806 (or multiple instances of the RF circuit 806). In yet another example, some or all of the components of the baseband circuit 810 and the application circuit 605 / 705 may be implemented together as a separate SoC (e.g., a "multi-chip package") mounted to the same circuit board.

[0171] In some embodiments, the baseband circuit 810 may provide communications compatible with one or more radio technologies. For example, in some embodiments, the baseband circuit 810 may support communications with E-UTRAN or other WMANs (wireless metropolitan area networks), WLANs, WPANs (wireless personal area networks). Embodiments in which the baseband circuit 810 is configured to support radio communications of more than one wireless protocol may be referred to as multi-mode baseband circuits.

[0172] The RF circuit 806 can communicate with a wireless network through a non-solid medium using modulated electromagnetic radiation. In various embodiments, the RF circuit 806 may include switches, filters, amplifiers, etc. to facilitate communication with the wireless network. The RF circuit 806 may include a receive signal path, which may include circuits for down-converting RF signals received from the FEM circuit 808 and providing baseband signals to the baseband circuit 810. The RF circuit 806 may also include a transmit signal path, which may include circuits for up-converting baseband signals provided by the baseband circuit 810 and providing an RF output signal for transmission to the FEM circuit 808.

[0173] In some embodiments, the receive signal path of the RF circuit 806 may include a mixer circuit 806a, an amplifier circuit 806b, and a filter circuit 806c. In some embodiments, the transmit signal path of the RF circuit 806 may include a filter circuit 806c and a mixer circuit 806a. The RF circuit 806 may also include a synthesizer circuit 806d for synthesizing the frequencies used by the mixer circuit 806a of the receive signal path and the transmit signal path. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 806a of the receive signal path may be configured to down-convert the RF signal received from the FEM circuit 808 based on the synthesized frequency provided by the synthesizer circuit 806d. The amplifier circuit 806b may be configured to amplify the down-converted signal, and the filter circuit 806c may be a low pass filter ("LPF") or a band pass filter ("BPF") configured to remove unwanted signals from the down-converted signal to generate an output baseband signal. The output baseband signal may be provided to the baseband circuit 810 for further processing. In some embodiments, the output baseband signal may be a zero frequency baseband signal, although this is not required.In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 806a of the receive signal path may include a passive mixer, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0174] In some embodiments, mixer circuit 806a of the transmit signal path may be configured to upconvert an input baseband signal based on a synthesized frequency provided by synthesizer circuit 806d to generate an RF output signal for FEM circuit 808. The baseband signal may be provided by baseband circuit 810 and may be filtered by filter circuit 806c.

[0175] In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 806a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 806a of the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for orthogonal down-conversion and up-conversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 806a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 806a of the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for image suppression (e.g., Hartley image suppression). In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 806a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 806a of the transmit signal path may be arranged for direct down-conversion and direct up-conversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 806a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 806a of the transmit signal path may be configured for superheterodyne operation.

[0176] In some embodiments, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be analog baseband signals, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some alternative embodiments, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be digital baseband signals. In these alternative embodiments, the RF circuit 806 may include an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuit, and the baseband circuit 810 may include a digital baseband interface to communicate with the RF circuit 806.

[0177] In some dual-mode embodiments, separate radio IC circuits may be provided to process signals for each spectrum, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0178] In some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 806d may be a fractional-N synthesizer or a fractional-N / N+1 synthesizer, but the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect, as other types of frequency synthesizers may also be suitable. For example, synthesizer circuit 806d may be a delta-sigma synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer including a phase-locked loop with a frequency divider.

[0179] Synthesizer circuit 806d may be configured to synthesize an output frequency based on the frequency input and the divider control input for use by mixer circuit 806a of RF circuit 806. In some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 806d may be a fractional-N / N+1 synthesizer.

[0180] In some embodiments, the frequency input may be provided by a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), although this is not required. The divider control input may be provided by the baseband circuit 810 or the application circuit 605 / 705 according to the desired output frequency. In some embodiments, the divider control input (e.g., N) may be determined from a lookup table based on the channel indicated by the application circuit 605 / 705.

[0181] The synthesizer circuit 806d of the RF circuit 806 may include a frequency divider, a delay locked loop (DLL), a multiplexer, and a phase accumulator. In some embodiments, the frequency divider may be a dual-mode frequency divider (DMD), and the phase accumulator may be a digital phase accumulator (DPA). In some embodiments, the DMD may be configured to divide the input signal by N or N+1 (e.g., based on a carry) to provide a fractional division ratio. In some example embodiments, the DLL may include a cascaded, tunable, delay element, a phase detector, a charge pump, and a set of D-type flip-flops. In these embodiments, the delay element may be configured to divide the VCO cycle into Nd equal phase groups, where Nd is the number of delay elements in the delay line. In this way, the DLL provides negative feedback to help ensure that the total delay through the delay line is one VCO cycle.

[0182] In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuit 806d can be configured to generate a carrier frequency as an output frequency, while in other embodiments, the output frequency can be a multiple of the carrier frequency (e.g., twice the carrier frequency, four times the carrier frequency) and used with a quadrature generator and divider circuit to generate multiple signals with multiple different phases relative to each other at the carrier frequency. In some embodiments, the output frequency can be the LO frequency (fLO). In some embodiments, the RF circuit 806 can include an IQ / polarity converter.

[0183] The FEM circuitry 808 may include a receive signal path that may include circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from the antenna array 811, amplify the received signals, and provide an amplified version of the received signals to the RF circuitry 806 for further processing. The FEM circuitry 808 may also include a transmit signal path that may include circuitry configured to amplify transmit signals provided by the RF circuitry 806 for transmission by one or more antenna elements in the antenna array 811. In various embodiments, amplification by the transmit or receive signal path may be accomplished only in the RF circuitry 806, only in the FEM circuitry 808, or in both the RF circuitry 806 and the FEM circuitry 808.

[0184] In some embodiments, the FEM circuit 808 may include a TX / RX switch to switch between transmit mode and receive mode operation. The FEM circuit 808 may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the FEM circuit 808 may include an LNA to amplify the received RF signal and provide the amplified received RF signal as an output (e.g., to the RF circuit 806). The transmit signal path of the FEM circuit 808 may include a power amplifier (PA) for amplifying an input RF signal (e.g., provided by the RF circuit 806), and one or more filters for generating an RF signal for subsequent transmission by one or more antenna elements of the antenna array 811.

[0185] The antenna array 811 includes one or more antenna elements, each of which is configured to convert an electrical signal into a radio wave to travel through the air and convert the received radio wave into an electrical signal. For example, a digital baseband signal provided by the baseband circuit 810 is converted into an analog RF signal (e.g., a modulated waveform), which is amplified and transmitted via the antenna elements of the antenna array 811 including one or more antenna elements (not shown). The antenna elements may be omnidirectional, directional, or a combination thereof. The antenna elements may be formed into a variety of arrangements as known and / or discussed herein. The antenna array 811 may include a microstrip antenna or a printed antenna fabricated on the surface of one or more printed circuit boards. The antenna array 811 may be formed as a patch of metal foil of various shapes (e.g., a patch antenna) and may be coupled to the RF circuit 806 and / or the FEM circuit 808 using a metal transmission line or the like.

[0186] The processor of the application circuit 605 / 705 and the processor of the baseband circuit 810 can be used to execute elements of one or more instances of the protocol stack. For example, the processor of the baseband circuit 810 can be used alone or in combination to perform layer 3, layer 2, or layer 1 functions, while the processor of the application circuit 605 / 705 can utilize data received from these layers (e.g., packet data) and further perform layer 4 functions (e.g., transport communication protocol (TCP) and UDP layers). As mentioned herein, layer 3 may include an RRC layer, which will be described in further detail below. As mentioned herein, layer 2 may include a MAC layer, an RLC layer, and a PDCP layer, which will be described in further detail below. As mentioned herein, layer 1 may include a PHY layer of a UE / RAN node, which will be described in further detail below.

[0187] Fig. 9 is a block diagram illustrating components capable of reading instructions from a machine-readable medium or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium) and performing any one or more of the methods discussed herein, according to some exemplary embodiments. Specifically, Fig. 9A schematic diagram of hardware resources 900 is shown, including one or more processors (or processor cores) 910, one or more memory / storage devices 920, and one or more communication resources 930, each of which may be communicatively coupled via a bus 940. For embodiments in which node virtualization (e.g., NFV) is utilized, a hypervisor 902 may be executed to provide an execution environment for one or more network slices / sub-slices to utilize the hardware resources 900.

[0188] Processor 910 may include, for example, processor 912 and processor 914. Processor 910 may be, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processor, a complex instruction set computing (CISC) processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a DSP such as a baseband processor, an ASIC, an FPGA, a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), another processor (including those discussed herein), or any suitable combination thereof.

[0189] The memory / storage device 920 may include main memory, disk storage, or any suitable combination thereof. The memory / storage device 920 may include, but is not limited to, any type of volatile or non-volatile memory, such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, solid-state storage, etc.

[0190] The communication resources 930 may include an interconnect or network interface component or other suitable device to communicate with one or more peripheral devices 904 or one or more databases 906 via the network 908. For example, the communication resources 930 may include a wired communication component (e.g., for coupling via USB), a cellular communication component, an NFC component, (or Low power consumption) components, components and other communication components.

[0191] The instructions 950 may include software, programs, applications, applet, applications, or other executable code for causing at least any one of the processors 910 to perform any one or more of the methods discussed herein. The instructions 950 may reside completely or partially in at least one of the processors 910 (e.g., within a cache memory of the processor), the memory / storage device 920, or any suitable combination thereof. In addition, any portion of the instructions 950 may be transmitted to the hardware resources 900 from any combination of the peripheral device 904 or the database 906. Therefore, the memory of the processor 910, the memory / storage device 920, the peripheral device 904, and the database 906 are examples of computer-readable media and machine-readable media.

[0192] Example Process

[0193] In some respects, Figures 1 to 9 The electronic devices, networks, systems, chips or components or parts or specific implementations of the present invention or some other figures of the present invention may be configured to perform one or more processes, techniques or methods or parts thereof described herein. One such process may be Fig.10 For example, the process may include: configuring or causing configuration of DL and uplink (UL) reception sources of a first IAB node; sharing a radio frequency (RF) receiver between a DL reception branch of the IAB node and a UL reception branch of the first IAB node or causing both to share an RF receiver; and determining or causing determination of a DL timing adjustment (TA) value of a second IAB node that may be a child IAB node of the first IAB node, wherein the determination may be based on one or more of: a UL TA value of the second IAB node, and a timing offset.

[0194] In some respects, Figures 1 to 11 The electronic devices, networks, systems, chips or components or parts or specific implementations of the present invention or some other figures of the present invention may be configured to perform one or more processes, techniques or methods or parts thereof described herein. One such process may be Fig.11 For example, the process may include: configuring or causing configuration of a DL and uplink (UL) reception source of a first IAB node; a DL reception branch of the IAB node and a UL reception branch of the first IAB node share a radio frequency (RF) receiver or causing the two to share an RF receiver; and using a timing adjustment group (TAG) to determine or causing the TAG to be used to determine a DL timing adjustment (TA) value of a second IAB node that may be a child IAB node of the first IAB node, wherein the TAG may not be based on or associated with a UL TA value of the second IAB node.

[0195] For one or more aspects, at least one of the components shown in one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes and / or methods described in the following embodiments. For example, the baseband circuit described above in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the following embodiments. For another example, the circuits associated with the UE, base station, network element, etc. described above in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the embodiments shown in the embodiments section below.

[0196] Example

[0197] The examples described herein are intended to be illustrative and not exhaustive.

[0198] Example 1 is a radio access node, which includes: one or more processors, which are configured to determine a first reference timing of a first communication connection between the radio access node and a second parent radio access node. The one or more processors may be further configured to determine a second reference timing of a second communication connection between the radio access node and a third child radio access node. The radio access node may also include a memory storing the first reference timing and the second reference timing. The one or more processors are further configured to: generate a request to perform a timing advance adjustment on the child radio access node based on the stored first reference timing and the second reference timing, so that in the case of a frequency division multiplexing signal, the uplink reception signal sent by the child radio access node arrives at the radio access node at the same time as the downlink reception signal sent by the parent radio access node arrives at the radio access node.

[0199] Example 2 is a radio access node according to Example 1, wherein the radio access node is integrated in a 5G communication network, and the signal is a signal of the 5G communication network.

[0200] Example 3 is a radio access node according to any of Examples 1 or 2, wherein the radio access node comprises at least one receiver configured to receive signals sent by the parent radio access node and the child radio access node.

[0201] Example 4 is a radio access node according to any one of Examples 1 to 3, wherein the radio access node comprises at least one transmitter configured to send the request.

[0202] Example 5 is a radio access node according to any one of Examples 1 to 4, wherein the radio access node is a base station or a core network component.

[0203] Example 6 is a radio access node according to any one of Examples 1 to 5, wherein the radio access node is an integrated access and backhaul node (IAB). The integrated access node and backhaul node may also be denoted as a relay node.

[0204] Example 7 is a radio access node according to any one of Examples 1 to 6, wherein the child radio access node is an integrated access and backhaul node.

[0205] Example 8 is a radio access node according to any one of Examples 1 to 7, wherein a downlink connection and an uplink connection of the radio access node share the same receiver.

[0206] Example 9 is a radio access node according to any one of Examples 1 to 8, further comprising a plurality of receivers for communicating with a parent radio access node and a child radio access node.

[0207] Example 10 is a radio access node according to any one of Examples 1 to 9, wherein the radio access node is configured to apply different analog spatial beamformers to received signals sent by the parent radio access node and the child radio access node.

[0208] Example 11 is a radio access node according to any one of Examples 1 to 10, wherein the radio access node and the child (c) radio access node (see Figure 2 ) is configured so that both the radio access node and the child radio access node use the same RF receiver for DL ​​and UL reception of FDM. For the radio access node, the UL Tx timing advance of the radio access node signaled by the parent radio access node It can be calculated using formula (1).

[0209] Example 12 is a radio access node according to any one of Examples 1 to 11, wherein the radio access node is configured to, at approximately the same time t0 ( Figure 2 ) to send a DL signal. The radio access node is configured to use formula (2) to determine its DL transmission (tx) timing relative to its reference timing t1

[0210] Example 13 is a radio access node according to any one of Examples 1 to 12, wherein, when receive (rx) signals of FDM sent by both a parent radio access node and a child radio access node in DL and UL, respectively, are received simultaneously, the radio access node is configured to suppress non-orthogonality that may exceed a cyclic prefix caused by misaligned arrival timing, and further, the radio access node is configured to command the child radio access node to perform timing advance adjustment so that the UL rx signal sent by the child radio access node can arrive approximately simultaneously with the DL rx signal sent by the parent radio access node.

[0211] Example 14 is a radio access node according to any one of Examples 1 to 13, wherein the radio access node is configured such that a reference timing of a child radio access node (defined as t2) is determined by an arrival time of a DL rx signal of the child radio access node sent by the radio access node, such that the time advance value relative to t2 sent by the radio access node can be calculated using formula (3)

[0212] Example 15 is a radio access node according to any one of Examples 1 to 14, wherein the radio access node is configured to implement synchronous DL transmission, and the DL Tx timing of the child radio access node relative to t2 can be calculated using formula (4).

[0213] Example 16 is a radio access node according to any one of Examples 1 to 15, wherein the timing advance adjustment of the child radio access node DL transmission Depends on the TA value sent by UL and another parameter T (d，1) , both, this parameter is the timing difference between the DL Tx and UL Rx of the radio access node.

[0214] Example 17 is a radio access node, the radio access node comprising: one or more processors, the one or more processors configured to determine a first reference timing of a first communication connection between the radio access node and a second parent radio access node. The one or more processors may be further configured to determine a second reference timing of a second communication connection between the radio access node and a third child radio access node. The radio access node may also include a memory storing the first reference timing and the second reference timing. The one or more processors may be further configured to: generate a request to perform a timing advance adjustment on the child radio access node based on the stored first reference timing and the second reference timing, so that in the case of a frequency division multiplexing signal, an uplink receive signal sent by the child radio access node arrives at the radio access node at the same time as a downlink transmit signal sent by the radio access node arrives at the child radio access node.

[0215] Example 18 is a radio access node according to Example 17, wherein the radio access node is integrated in a 5G communication network, and the signal is a signal of the 5G communication network.

[0216] Example 19 is a radio access node according to any of Examples 17 or 18, wherein the radio access node comprises at least one receiver configured to receive signals sent by the parent radio access node and the child radio access node.

[0217] Example 20 is a radio access node according to any one of Examples 17 to 19, wherein the radio access node comprises at least one transmitter configured to send the request.

[0218] Example 21 is a radio access node according to any one of Examples 17 to 20, wherein the radio access node is a base station or a core network component.

[0219] Example 22 is a radio access node according to any one of Examples 17 to 21, wherein the radio access node is an integrated access and backhaul node (IAB).The integrated access node and backhaul node may also be denoted as a relay node.

[0220] Example 23 is a radio access node according to any one of Examples 17 to 22, wherein the child radio access node is an integrated access and backhaul node.

[0221] Example 24 is a radio access node according to any one of Examples 17 to 23, wherein a downlink connection and an uplink connection of the radio access node share the same receiver.

[0222] Example 25 is a radio access node according to any one of Examples 17 to 24, further comprising a plurality of receivers for communicating with a parent radio access node and a child radio access node.

[0223] Example 26 is a radio access node according to any one of Examples 17 to 25, wherein the radio access node is configured to apply different analog spatial beamformers to received signals sent by the parent radio access node and the child radio access node.

[0224] Example 27 is a radio access node according to any one of Examples 17 to 26, wherein the radio access node and the child (c) radio access node (see Figure 3 ) uses the same RF receiver for time division multiplexing (TDM) DL and UL reception. The DL and UL transmission times of the radio access node can be calculated using equations (1) and (2), respectively.

[0225] Example 28 is a radio access node according to any one of Examples 17 to 27, wherein rx signals of TDM transmitted in DL and UL by both the parent radio access node and the child radio access node are received at different times, and the radio access node is configured to command the child radio access node to perform timing advance adjustment so that the UL rx signal transmitted by the child radio access node can arrive at approximately the same time as the DL Tx signal of the radio access node (see Figure 3 ).

[0226] Example 29 is a radio access node according to any one of Examples 17 to 28, wherein the reference timing of the child radio access node (defined as t2) is determined by the arrival time of the DL rx signal of the child radio access node sent by the radio access node, so that formula (5) can be used to calculate the time advance value relative to t2 sent by the radio access node.

[0227] Example 30 is a radio access node according to any one of Examples 17 to 29, wherein the radio access node is configured to implement synchronous DL transmission, wherein the DL Tx timing of the child radio access node relative to t2 may be calculated using formula (6).

[0228] Example 31 is a radio access node according to any one of Examples 17 to 30, wherein the timing advance adjustment of the child radio access node DL transmission Depends only on the TA value sent in UL Similar to Radio Access Node Relative to

[0229] Example 32 is a radio access node according to Example 31, wherein the calculation is also performed in the case where the radio access node is equipped with multiple RF front ends and different analog spatial beamformers are applied to the received signals sent by the parent radio access node and the child radio access node. In this way, the baseband reception signals of the parent radio access node and the child radio access node may not interfere with each other.

[0230] Example 33 is a radio access node, the radio access node comprising: one or more processors, the one or more processors configured to determine a first reference timing of a first communication connection between the radio access node and a second parent radio access node. The one or more processors are further configured to determine a second reference timing of a second communication connection between the radio access node and a third child radio access node. The one or more processors are further configured to determine a third reference timing of a third communication connection between the radio access node and a fourth child radio access node. The radio access node also includes a memory storing the first reference timing, the second reference timing, and the third reference timing. The one or more processors are further configured to: generate a request to perform timing advance adjustment on a third sub-radio access node based on the stored first reference timing and second reference timing, so that in the case of a frequency division multiplexing signal, an uplink reception signal sent by the third sub-radio access node arrives at the radio access node at the same time as a downlink transmission signal sent by the radio access node arrives at the third sub-radio access node; and generate a request to perform timing advance adjustment on a fourth sub-radio access node based on the stored first reference timing and third reference timing, so that in the case of a frequency division multiplexing signal, an uplink reception signal sent by the fourth sub-radio access node arrives at the radio access node at the same time as a downlink transmission signal sent by the radio access node arrives at the fourth sub-radio access node.

[0231] Example 34 is a radio access node according to Example 33, wherein the radio access node is integrated in a 5G communication network and the signal is a signal of the 5G communication network.

[0232] Example 35 is a radio access node according to any one of Examples 33 or 34, wherein the radio access node comprises at least one receiver configured to receive signals sent by the parent radio access node and the child radio access node.

[0233] Example 36 is a radio access node according to any one of Examples 33 to 35, wherein the radio access node comprises at least one transmitter configured to send the request.

[0234] Example 37 is a radio access node according to any one of Examples 33 to 36, wherein the radio access node is a base station or a core network component.

[0235] Example 38 is a radio access node according to any one of Examples 33 to 37, wherein the radio access node is an integrated access and backhaul node (IAB). The integrated access node and backhaul node may also be denoted as a relay node.

[0236] Example 39 is a radio access node according to any one of Examples 33 to 38, wherein the child radio access node is an integrated access and backhaul node.

[0237] Example 40 is a radio access node according to any one of Examples 33 to 39, wherein a downlink connection and an uplink connection of the radio access node share the same receiver.

[0238] Example 41 is a radio access node according to any one of Examples 33 to 40, further comprising a plurality of receivers for communicating with a parent radio access node and a child radio access node.

[0239] Example 42 is a radio access node according to any one of Examples 33 to 41, wherein the radio access node is configured to apply different analog spatial beamformers to received signals sent by the parent radio access node and the child radio access node.

[0240] Example 43 is a radio access node according to any one of Examples 33 to 42, wherein the radio access node communicates with at least two sub-radio access nodes, wherein the TA value of the third sub-radio access node DL tx can be calculated according to formula (4), and the TA value of the fourth sub-radio access node Tx can be calculated according to formula (6). Therefore, the TA value of the third sub-radio access node can be configured by using UE-specific signaling.

[0241] Example 44 is a radio access node according to any one of Examples 33 to 43, wherein the DL tx timing originating from the third child radio access node It can be configured to be based on formula (6) and the UL transmission timing of the third sub-radio access node Associated.

[0242] Example 45 is a radio access node according to any one of Examples 33 to 44, wherein the DLtx timing originating from the third child radio access node It can be configured according to formula (4) and the UL transmission timing of the sub-radio access node and an additional signaled timing offset value T (d，1) Associated.

[0243] Example 46 is a radio access node according to any one of Examples 33 to 45, wherein the DL tx timing from the third child radio access node May be configured with an independent TA value, without assuming association with a corresponding UL TA.

[0244] Example 47 is a radio access node according to any one of Examples 33 to 38, wherein the DL cell originating from the child radio access node is signaled as a different TA group (TAG) from the corresponding UL transmission of the child radio access node. Therefore, the child radio access node can adjust the DL transmission timing and the UL transmission timing separately.

[0245] Example 48 is a method for downlink (DL) transmission timing of a radio access node (e.g., an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node in a fifth generation (5G) or new radio (NR) network). The method includes: configuring or causing configuration of downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) reception sources of the radio access node and for a third child radio access node, for example, sharing a radio frequency (RF) receiver by the radio access node and the child radio access node or causing the two to share an RF receiver; determining or causing determination of a DL timing adjustment (TA) value of the child radio access node based on one or more selected from the group consisting of: a UL timing adjustment (TA) value of the child radio access node, and a timing offset; and receiving or causing reception of one selected from the group consisting of: a UL reception (Rx) sent by the child radio access node at approximately the same time as a DL Rx signal sent by the parent radio access node, or a UL reception (Rx) sent by the child radio access node at approximately the same time as a DL Rx signal sent by the radio access node.

[0246] Example 49 is a method according to Example 48, wherein downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) receiving sources are configured using one or more selected from the group consisting of: frequency division multiplexing (FDM); and time division multiplexing (TDM).

[0247] Example 50 is a method according to any one of Examples 48 or 49, wherein the timing offset is a timing difference between a DL transmission time associated with the radio access node and a UL reception time associated with the radio access node.

[0248] Example 51 is a method according to any one of Examples 48 to 50, wherein the radio access node includes multiple radio frequency (RF) front ends, and wherein the radio access node applies different analog spatial beamformers to received signals sent by the second parent-child radio access node and the third child radio access node.

[0249] Example 52 is a method according to any one of Examples 48 to 51, further comprising: signaling or causing signaling that the DL TA value of the child radio access node is configured to be associated with the UL TA value of the child radio access node.

[0250] Example 53 is a method according to any one of Examples 48 to 52, further comprising: signaling or causing signaling that the DL TA value of the child radio access node is configured to be associated with the UL TA value and the timing offset of the child radio access node.

[0251] Example 54 is a method according to any one of Examples 48 to 53, wherein the method for downlink (DL) transmission timing of a radio access node (e.g., an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node in a fifth generation (5G) network or a new radio (NR) network) includes: configuring or causing configuration of downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) receiving sources of the radio access node and a child radio access node, wherein the child radio access node is a child IAB node of the radio access node; sharing a radio frequency (RF) receiver by the radio access node and the child radio access node or causing the two to share the RF receiver; using a timing adjustment group (TAG) to determine or causing the use of a TAG to determine a DL timing adjustment (TA) value of the child radio access node; and receiving or causing reception of one selected from the group consisting of: a UL reception (Rx) sent by the child radio access node at approximately the same time as a DL Rx signal sent by a second parent radio access node (e.g., a next generation Node B (gNB)), or a UL reception (Rx) sent by the child radio access node at approximately the same time as a DL Rx signal sent by the radio access node.

[0252] Example 55 is a method according to any one of Examples 48 to 54, further comprising: signaling or causing signaling that the DL TA value of the child radio access node is configured to be independent of the UL TA value of the child radio access node.

[0253] Example 56 is a device for use in downlink (DL) transmission timing for a radio access node (e.g., an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node in a fifth generation (5G) network or a new radio (NR) network), comprising: a device for configuring DL and uplink (UL) reception sources for the radio access node and for a child radio access node, for example, the child radio access node is a child IAB node of the radio access node; a device for sharing a radio frequency (RF) receiver by the radio access node and the child radio access node; a device for determining a DL timing adjustment (TA) value for the child radio access node based on one or more selected from the group consisting of: a UL timing adjustment (TA) value for the child radio access node, and a timing offset; and a device for receiving one selected from the group consisting of: a UL reception (Rx) sent by the child radio access node at approximately the same time as a DL Rx signal sent by a second parent radio access node (e.g., a next generation Node B (gNB)), or a UL reception (Rx) sent by the child radio access node at approximately the same time as a DL Rx signal sent by the radio access node.

[0254] Example 57 is an apparatus according to Example 56, wherein the DL and uplink (UL) receiving sources are configured using one or more selected from the group consisting of: frequency division multiplexing (FDM); and time division multiplexing (TDM).

[0255] Example 58 is an apparatus according to Example 56 or 57, wherein the timing offset is a timing difference between a DL transmission time associated with the radio access node and a UL reception time associated with the radio access node.

[0256] Example 59 is an apparatus according to any one of Examples 56 to 58, wherein the radio access node includes multiple radio frequency (RF) front ends, and wherein the radio access node applies different analog spatial beamformers to received signals sent by a second parent radio access node (e.g., a donor next-generation node B (gNB)) and a child radio access node.

[0257] Example 60 is an apparatus according to any one of Examples 56 to 59, further comprising: means for signaling that the DL TA value of the child radio access node is configured to be associated with the UL TA value of the child radio access node IAB.

[0258] Example 61 is an apparatus according to any one of Examples 56 to 60, further comprising: means for signaling that the DL TA value of the child radio access node is configured to be associated with the UL TA value and timing offset of the child radio access node.

[0259] Example 62 is a device for use in downlink (DL) transmission timing for a radio access node (e.g., an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node in a fifth generation (5G) network or a new radio (NR) network), comprising: a device for configuring DL and uplink (UL) reception sources of the radio access node and a child radio access node, the child radio access node may be a child IAB node of the radio access node; a device for sharing a radio frequency (RF) receiver by the radio access node and the child radio access node; a device for determining a DL timing adjustment (TA) value of the child radio access node using a timing adjustment group (TAG); and a device for receiving one selected from the group consisting of: a UL reception (Rx) sent by the child radio access node at approximately the same time as a DL Rx signal sent by a second parent radio access node (e.g., a next generation Node B (gNB)), or a UL reception (Rx) sent by the child radio access node at approximately the same time as a DL Rx signal sent by the radio access node.

[0260] Example 63 is the apparatus according to Example 62, further comprising means for signaling that the DL TA value of the child radio access node is configured independent of the UL TA value of the child radio access node.

[0261] Example 64 is a device for use in downlink (DL) transmission timing for a radio access node (e.g., an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node in a fifth generation (5G) network or a new radio (NR) network), the device being configured to: configure DL and uplink (UL) reception sources for the radio access node and for a child radio access node, which child radio access node may be a child IAB node of the radio access node; share a radio frequency (RF) receiver by the radio access node and the child radio access node; determine a DL timing adjustment (TA) value for the child radio access node based on one or more selected from the group consisting of: a UL timing adjustment (TA) value for the child radio access node, and a timing offset; and receive one selected from the group consisting of: a UL reception (Rx) sent by the child radio access node at approximately the same time as a DL Rx signal sent by a second parent radio access node (e.g., a next generation Node B (gNB)), or a UL reception (Rx) sent by the child radio access node at approximately the same time as a DL Rx signal sent by the radio access node.

[0262] Example 65 is an apparatus according to Example 64, wherein the DL and uplink (UL) receiving sources are configured using one or more selected from the group consisting of: frequency division multiplexing (FDM); and time division multiplexing (TDM).

[0263] Example 66 is an apparatus according to Example 64 or 65, wherein the timing offset is a timing difference between a DL transmission time associated with the radio access node and a UL reception time associated with the radio access node.

[0264] Example 67 is an apparatus according to any one of Examples 64 to 66, wherein the radio access node includes multiple radio frequency (RF) front ends, and wherein the radio access node applies different analog spatial beamformers to received signals sent by a second parent radio access node (e.g., a donor next-generation node B (gNB)) and a child radio access node.

[0265] Example 68 is an apparatus according to any one of Examples 64 to 67, further configured to: signal that the DL TA value of the third child radio access node is configured to be associated with the UL TA value of the child radio access node.

[0266] Example 69 is an apparatus according to any one of Examples 64 to 68, further configured to: signal a DL TA value of the child radio access node configured to be associated with a UL TA value and a timing offset of the child radio access node.

[0267] Example 70 is a device for use in downlink (DL) transmission timing of an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node in a fifth generation (5G) network or a new radio (NR) network, the device being configured to: configure DL and uplink (UL) reception sources of a radio access node and a child radio access node, for example, the child radio access node may be a child radio access node of the radio access node; share a radio frequency (RF) receiver by the radio access node and the child radio access node; use a timing adjustment group (TAG) to determine a DL timing adjustment (TA) value of the child radio access node; and receive one selected from the group consisting of: a UL reception (Rx) sent by the child radio access node at approximately the same time as a DL Rx signal sent by a parent radio access node (e.g., a next generation Node B (gNB)), or a UL reception (Rx) sent by the child radio access node at approximately the same time as a DL Rx signal sent by the radio access node.

[0268] Example 71 is the apparatus according to Example 70, further configured to: signal that the DL TA value of the child radio access node is configured independent of the UL TA value of the child radio access node.

[0269] Example 72 is an apparatus comprising means for performing one or more elements of a method of or related to any of Examples 1 to 71 or any other method or process described herein.

[0270] Example 73 is a radio access node, comprising: a receiver configured to receive a request sent by a first radio access node to perform a timing advance adjustment on the radio access node, so that an uplink receive signal sent by the radio access node arrives at the first radio access node at approximately a predetermined time; one or more processors, the one or more processors configured to perform a timing advance adjustment based on the received request, so that the uplink receive signal sent by the radio access node arrives at the first radio access node at approximately a predetermined time; and a memory for storing the request.

[0271] Example 74 is a radio access node comprising means for performing one or more elements of a method of or related to any of Examples 1 to 73 or any other method or process described herein.

[0272] Example 75 is a non-transitory computer-readable medium, wherein one or more non-transitory computer-readable media include instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform one or more elements of a method described or related to any of Examples 1 to 74 or any other method or process described herein.

[0273] Example 76 is a device according to any of the above examples, wherein the device includes logical components, modules or circuits for performing one or more elements of the method described or related to any of Examples 1 to 73 or any other method or process described herein.

[0274] Example 77 is a radio access node or electronic device according to any one of Examples 1 to 74, further comprising: one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media, the one or more computer-readable media comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform methods, techniques or processes or parts thereof described in or related to any one of Examples 1 to 74.

[0275] Example 78 is an apparatus according to any one of Examples 1 to 75, wherein the apparatus or any part thereof is implemented in or by a user equipment (UE).

[0276] Example 79 is an apparatus according to any one of Examples 1 to 75, wherein the apparatus or any part thereof is implemented in or by a base station (BS).

[0277] Unless otherwise expressly stated, any of the above examples may be combined with any other example (or combination of examples). The foregoing description of one or more specific implementations provides illustrations and descriptions, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limit the scope of the aspects to the precise forms disclosed. In view of the above teachings, modifications and variations are possible, or modifications and variations may be obtained from the practice of various aspects. Unless otherwise expressly stated, any of the above embodiments may be combined with any other embodiment (or combination of embodiments). The foregoing description of one or more specific implementations provides illustrations and descriptions, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limit the scope of the aspects to the precise forms disclosed. In view of the above teachings, modifications and variations are possible, or modifications and variations may be obtained from the practice of various aspects.

[0278] the term

[0279] For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply to the examples and aspects discussed herein.

[0280] As used herein, the term "circuit" refers to, is part of, or includes a hardware component such as an electronic circuit, a logic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group) and / or a memory (shared, dedicated, or group) configured to provide the described functions, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable device (FPD) (e.g., a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic device (PLD), a complex PLD (CPLD), a high capacity PLD (HCPLD), a structured ASIC, or a programmable SoC), a digital signal processor (DSP), etc. In some aspects, a circuit may execute one or more software or firmware programs to provide at least some of the described functions. The term "circuit" may also refer to a combination of one or more hardware elements and a program code for performing the functions of the program code (or a combination of circuits used in an electrical or electronic system). In these aspects, the combination of hardware elements and program code may be referred to as a specific type of circuit.

[0281] As used herein, the term "processor circuit" refers to, is part of, or includes a circuit capable of sequentially and automatically performing a series of arithmetic or logical operations or recording, storing, and / or transmitting digital data. The term "processor circuit" may refer to one or more application processors, one or more baseband processors, a physical central processing unit (CPU), a single-core processor, a dual-core processor, a triple-core processor, a quad-core processor, and / or any other device capable of executing or otherwise operating computer-executable instructions (such as program code, software modules, and / or functional processes). The terms "application circuit" and / or "baseband circuit" may be considered synonymous with "processor circuit" and may be referred to as "processor circuit".

[0282] As used herein, the term "interface circuit" refers to a circuit that enables, is a part of, or includes information exchange between two or more components or devices. The term "interface circuit" may refer to one or more hardware interfaces, such as a bus, an I / O interface, a peripheral component interface, a network interface card, etc.

[0283] As used herein, the term "user equipment" or "UE" refers to a device that has radio communication capabilities and can describe a remote user of network resources in a communication network. In addition, the terms "user equipment" or "UE" may be considered synonymous and may be referred to as a client, mobile phone, mobile device, mobile terminal, user terminal, mobile unit, mobile station, mobile user, subscriber, user, remote station, access agent, user agent, receiver, radio equipment, reconfigurable radio equipment, reconfigurable mobile device, etc. In addition, the term "user equipment" or "UE" may include any type of wireless / wired device or any computing device that includes a wireless communication interface.

[0284] As used herein, the term "network element" refers to physical or virtualized equipment and / or infrastructure for providing wired or wireless communication network services. The term "network element" may be considered and / or referred to as a networked computer, networking hardware, network equipment, network node, router, switch, hub, bridge, radio network controller, RAN equipment, RAN node, gateway, server, virtualized network function (VNF), NFV infrastructure (NFVI), etc.

[0285] As used herein, the term "computer system" refers to any type of interconnected electronic devices, computer devices, or components thereof. Additionally, the terms "computer system" and / or "system" may refer to various components of a computer that are communicatively coupled to one another. Furthermore, the terms "computer system" and / or "system" may refer to multiple computer devices and / or multiple computing systems that are communicatively coupled to one another and configured to share computing and / or networking resources.

[0286] As used herein, the terms "appliance", "computer appliance", etc. refer to a computer device or computer system with program code (e.g., software or firmware) that is specifically designed to provide specific computing resources. A "virtual appliance" is a virtual machine image to be implemented by a device equipped with a hypervisor that virtualizes or emulates a computer appliance or is otherwise dedicated to providing specific computing resources.

[0287] As used herein, the term "resource" refers to a physical or virtual device, a physical or virtual component within a computing environment, and / or a physical or virtual component within a specific device, such as a computer device, a mechanical device, a memory space, a processor / CPU time and / or a processor / CPU usage rate, a processor and accelerator load, a hardware time or usage rate, a power supply, an input / output operation, a port or a network socket, a channel / link allocation, throughput, memory usage rate, storage, a network, a database and an application, a unit of work, etc. "Hardware resources" may refer to computing, storage and / or network resources provided by physical hardware elements. "Virtualized resources" may refer to computing, storage and / or network resources provided by a virtualized infrastructure to an application, a device, a system, etc. The term "network resources" or "communication resources" may refer to resources that a computer device / system can access via a communication network. The term "system resources" may refer to any kind of shared entity that provides a service, and may include computing resources and / or network resources. System resources may be considered as a set of coherent functions, network data objects or services that can be accessed through a server, wherein such system resources reside on a single host or multiple hosts and can be clearly identified.

[0288] As used herein, the term "channel" refers to any tangible or intangible transmission medium for transmitting data or data streams. The term "channel" may be synonymous and / or equivalent to "communication channel", "data communication channel", "transmission channel", "data transmission channel", "access channel", "data access channel", "link", "data link", "carrier", "radio frequency carrier" and / or any other similar terms representing a path or medium through which data is transmitted. In addition, as used herein, the term "link" refers to a connection between two devices over a radio access technology (RAT) for the purpose of sending and receiving information.

[0289] As used herein, the terms "instantiate," "instantiate," and the like refer to the creation of an instance. "Instance" also refers to a specific occurrence of an object, which may occur, for example, during the execution of program code.

[0290] The terms "coupled," "communicatively coupled," and their derivatives are used herein. The term "coupled" may mean that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact with each other, may mean that two or more elements are in indirect contact with each other but still cooperate or interact with each other, and / or may mean that one or more other elements are coupled or connected between the elements said to be coupled to each other. The term "directly coupled" may mean that two or more elements are in direct contact with each other. The term "communicatively coupled" may mean that two or more elements may be in contact with each other by means of communication, including through a wire or other interconnect connection, through a wireless communication channel or link, etc.

[0291] The term "information element" refers to a structural element that contains one or more fields. The term "field" refers to the individual contents of an information element, or a data element that contains the contents.

[0292] The term "SMTC" refers to the synchronization signal block (SS / PBCH block) (SSB) based measurement timing configuration configured by SSB-MeasurementTimingConfiguration.

[0293] The term "SSB" refers to Synchronization Signal / Physical Broadcast Channel (SS / PBCH) Block.

[0294] The term "primary cell" refers to a master cell group (MCG) cell operating on a primary frequency, where the UE either performs an initial connection establishment procedure or initiates a connection re-establishment procedure.

[0295] The term "primary SCG cell" refers to a secondary cell group (SCG) cell in which a UE performs random access when reconfiguration is performed using a synchronization procedure for dual connectivity (DC) operation.

[0296] The term "secondary cell" refers to a cell that provides additional radio resources on top of a special cell for a UE configured with CA.

[0297] The term "secondary cell group" refers to a subset of serving cells including a primary SCell (PSCell) for a UE configured with DC and zero or more secondary cells.

[0298] The term "serving cell" refers to a primary cell for a UE in RRC_CONNECTED without CA / DC configured, where there is only one serving cell including the primary cell.

[0299] The term "serving cell" refers to a cell group including a special cell for a UE configured with a CM and in RRC_CONNECTED and all secondary cells.

[0300] The term "special cell" refers to the PCell of the MCG or the PSCell of the SCG for DC operation; otherwise, the term "special cell" refers to the Pcell.

[0301] Although the present invention has been shown and described with reference to certain aspects, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. The scope of the present invention is therefore indicated by the appended claims, and all changes coming within the meaning and range of equivalents of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced.

Claims

1. A device for wireless communication, comprising: one or more processors configured to cause the radio access node to: determining a first reference timing of a first communication connection between the radio access node and a parent radio access node; determining a second reference timing of a second communication connection between the radio access node and the child radio access node; generating a request to the child radio access node to perform a timing advance adjustment based on the first reference timing and the second reference timing so that, in case of a frequency division multiplexed signal, an uplink reception signal sent by the child radio access node arrives at the radio access node at the same time as a downlink reception signal sent by the parent radio access node arrives at the radio access node; as well as Different analog spatial beamformers are applied to receive signals sent by the parent radio access node and the child radio access node.

2. The device according to claim 1, The radio access node is integrated in a 5G communication network, and the signal is a signal of the 5G communication network.

3. The device according to any one of claims 1 or 2, Wherein the apparatus comprises at least one receiver configured to receive signals sent by the parent radio access node and the child radio access node.

4. The device according to any one of claims 1 or 2, The apparatus comprises at least one sender configured to send the request.

5. The device according to any one of claims 1 or 2, Wherein the radio access node is a base station.

6. The device according to any one of claims 1 or 2, Wherein the radio access node is an integrated access and backhaul node.

7. The device according to any one of claims 1 or 2, Wherein the child radio access node is an integrated access and backhaul node.

8. The device according to any one of claims 1 or 2, Wherein a downlink connection and an uplink connection of the radio access node share the same receiver.

9. The device according to any one of claims 1 or 2, further comprising: A plurality of receivers for communicating with the parent radio access node and the child radio access nodes.

10. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: one or more processors configured to cause the radio access node to: determining a first reference timing of a first communication connection between the radio access node and a parent radio access node; determining a second reference timing of a second communication connection between the radio access node and the child radio access node; generating a request to the child radio access node to perform a timing advance adjustment based on the first reference timing and the second reference timing so that, in case of a frequency division multiplexed signal, an uplink receive signal sent by the child radio access node arrives at the radio access node at the same time as a downlink transmit signal sent by the radio access node arrives at the child radio access node; as well as Different analog spatial beamformers are applied to receive signals sent by the parent radio access node and the child radio access node.

11. The device according to claim 10, The radio access node is integrated in a 5G communication network, and the signal is a signal of the 5G communication network.

12. The device according to any one of claims 10 or 11, Wherein the apparatus comprises at least one receiver configured to receive signals sent by the parent radio access node and the child radio access node.

13. The device according to any one of claims 10 or 11, The apparatus comprises at least one sender configured to send the request.

14. The device according to any one of claims 10 or 11, Wherein the radio access node is a base station.

15. The device according to any one of claims 10 or 11, Wherein the radio access node is an integrated access and backhaul node.

16. The device according to any one of claims 10 or 11, Wherein the child radio access node is an integrated access and backhaul node.

17. The device according to any one of claims 10 or 11, Wherein a downlink connection and an uplink connection of the radio access node share the same receiver.

18. The apparatus according to any one of claims 10 or 11, further comprising: A plurality of receivers for communicating with the parent radio access node and the child radio access nodes.

19. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: one or more processors configured to cause the radio access node to: determining a first reference timing of a first communication connection between the radio access node and a parent radio access node; determining a second reference timing of a second communication connection between the radio access node and the first child radio access node; determining a third reference timing of a third communication connection between the radio access node and a second child radio access node; generating a request to the first sub-radio access node to perform a timing advance adjustment based on the first reference timing and the second reference timing so that, in case of a frequency division multiplexed signal, an uplink reception signal sent by the first sub-radio access node arrives at the radio access node at the same time as a downlink transmission signal sent by the radio access node arrives at the first sub-radio access node; generating a request to the second sub-radio access node to perform a timing advance adjustment based on the first reference timing and the third reference timing, so that, in case of a frequency division multiplexed signal, an uplink reception signal transmitted by the second sub-radio access node arrives at the radio access node at the same time as a downlink transmission signal transmitted by the radio access node arrives at the second sub-radio access node; as well as Different analog spatial beamformers are applied to receive signals sent by the parent radio access node, the first child radio access node and the second child radio access node.

20. The device according to claim 19, wherein the radio access node is an integrated access and backhaul node; and Wherein the first sub-radio access node and the second sub-radio access node are integrated access and backhaul nodes.

21. The device according to any one of claims 19 or 20, wherein the apparatus comprises at least one receiver configured to receive signals transmitted by the parent radio access node, the first child radio access node and the second child radio access node; and The device comprises at least one transmitter.

22. The device according to any one of claims 19 or 20, Wherein a downlink connection and an uplink connection of the radio access node share the same receiver.

23. The apparatus according to any one of claims 19 or 20, further comprising: A plurality of receivers for communicating with the parent radio access node, the first child radio access node, and the second child radio access node.

24. A method for wireless communication, comprising: determining a first reference timing of a first communication connection between the radio access node and a parent radio access node; determining a second reference timing of a second communication connection between the radio access node and the child radio access node; generating a request to the child radio access node to perform a timing advance adjustment based on the first reference timing and the second reference timing so that, in case of a frequency division multiplexed signal, an uplink reception signal sent by the child radio access node arrives at the radio access node at the same time as a downlink reception signal sent by the parent radio access node arrives at the radio access node; as well as Different analog spatial beamformers are applied to receive signals sent by the parent radio access node and the child radio access node.

25. The method according to claim 24, The radio access node is integrated in a 5G communication network, and the signal is a signal of the 5G communication network.

26. The method according to any one of claims 24 or 25, Wherein the radio access node is a base station.

27. The method according to any one of claims 24 or 25, Wherein the radio access node is an integrated access and backhaul node.

28. The method according to any one of claims 24 or 25, Wherein the child radio access node is an integrated access and backhaul node.

29. The method according to any one of claims 24 or 25, Wherein a downlink connection and an uplink connection of the radio access node share the same receiver.

30. A method for wireless communication, comprising: determining a first reference timing of a first communication connection between the radio access node and a parent radio access node; determining a second reference timing of a second communication connection between the radio access node and the child radio access node; generating a request to the child radio access node to perform a timing advance adjustment based on the first reference timing and the second reference timing so that, in case of a frequency division multiplexed signal, an uplink receive signal sent by the child radio access node arrives at the radio access node at the same time as a downlink transmit signal sent by the radio access node arrives at the child radio access node; as well as Different analog spatial beamformers are applied to receive signals sent by the parent radio access node and the child radio access node.

31. The method according to claim 30, The radio access node is integrated in a 5G communication network, and the signal is a signal of the 5G communication network.

32. The method according to any one of claims 30 or 31, Wherein the radio access node is a base station.

33. The method according to any one of claims 30 or 31, Wherein the radio access node is an integrated access and backhaul node.

34. The method according to any one of claims 30 or 31, Wherein the child radio access node is an integrated access and backhaul node.

35. The method according to any one of claims 30 or 31, Wherein a downlink connection and an uplink connection of the radio access node share the same receiver.

36. A method for wireless communication, comprising: determining a first reference timing of a first communication connection between the radio access node and a parent radio access node; determining a second reference timing of a second communication connection between the radio access node and the first child radio access node; determining a third reference timing of a third communication connection between the radio access node and a second child radio access node; generating a request to the first sub-radio access node to perform a timing advance adjustment based on the first reference timing and the second reference timing so that, in case of a frequency division multiplexed signal, an uplink reception signal sent by the first sub-radio access node arrives at the radio access node at the same time as a downlink transmission signal sent by the radio access node arrives at the first sub-radio access node; generating a request to the second sub-radio access node to perform a timing advance adjustment based on the first reference timing and the third reference timing, so that, in case of a frequency division multiplexed signal, an uplink reception signal transmitted by the second sub-radio access node arrives at the radio access node at the same time as a downlink transmission signal transmitted by the radio access node arrives at the second sub-radio access node; as well as Different analog spatial beamformers are applied to receive signals sent by the parent radio access node, the first child radio access node and the second child radio access node.

37. The method according to claim 36, wherein the radio access node is an integrated access and backhaul node; and Wherein the first sub-radio access node and the second sub-radio access node are integrated access and backhaul nodes.

38. The method according to any one of claims 36 or 37, Wherein a downlink connection and an uplink connection of the radio access node share the same receiver.

39. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed, implement the method of any one of claims 24 to 38.

40. A computer program product comprising program code portions for performing the method according to any one of claims 24 to 38 when the computer program product is executed on one or more computing devices.

Images