Method and apparatus for efficient signaling of resource modes in an Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) network

Abstract

In one aspect, the present disclosure includes a wireless communication method, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable medium for providing a resource pattern on an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) backhaul for a donor node. This aspect may include: determining, at a central unit (CU) of a donor node, a configuration of a resource pattern for a plurality of IAB nodes of an IAB network, wherein the configuration of the resource pattern includes a basic resource pattern, the basic resource pattern being configured with a basic periodicity of one or more time slots and a plurality of distributed unit (DU) time slot format indexes within the basic periodicity. This aspect may include: transmitting, by the CU of the donor node, the resource pattern to one or more of the plurality of IAB nodes of the IAB network.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 843,236, filed on May 3, 2019, entitled “EFFICIENT SIGNALING OF RESOURCE PATTERN IN INTEGRATED-ACCESS AND BACKHAUL (IAB) NETWORKS,” and U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 862,365, filed on April 29, 2020, entitled “EFFICIENT SIGNALING OF RESOURCE PATTERN IN INTEGRATED-ACCESS AND BACKHAUL (IAB) NETWORKS,” both of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0003] background

[0004] Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to wireless communication networks, and more particularly to Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) networks.

[0005] Wireless communication networks are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, etc. These systems may be multiple-access systems capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing the available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). Examples of such multiple-access systems include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) systems, and time division synchronous code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA) systems.

[0006] These multiple access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunication standards to provide common protocols that enable different wireless devices to communicate at city, country, region, and even global levels. For example, the fifth generation (5G) wireless communication technology, which may be referred to as New Radio (NR), is designed to expand and support diverse usage scenarios and applications relative to current mobile network generations. On the one hand, 5G communication technology may include: enhanced mobile broadband for people-centric use cases for accessing multimedia content, services, and data; ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC) with certain specifications on latency and reliability; and massive machine type communications, which may allow a very large number of connected devices and the transmission of relatively small amounts of non-delay sensitive information. However, as the demand for mobile broadband access continues to grow, further improvements to NR communication technology and super-NR technology may be expected.

[0007] For example, for NR and beyond NR communication technologies, current backhaul solutions may not provide the desired speed or customization level for efficient operation. Thus, improvements to wireless communication operations may be desirable.

[0008] Overview

[0009] A brief summary of one or more aspects is given below to provide a basic understanding of such aspects. This summary is not an exhaustive overview of all conceived aspects, and is neither intended to identify the key or critical elements of all aspects nor to define the scope of any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as a prelude to a more detailed description that will be presented later.

[0010] In one aspect, the present disclosure includes a wireless communication method, apparatus, and computer-readable medium for providing a resource pattern on an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) backhaul for a donor node. This aspect may include: determining, at a central unit (CU) of a donor node, a configuration of a resource pattern for a plurality of IAB nodes of an IAB network, wherein the configuration of the resource pattern includes a basic resource pattern, the basic resource pattern being configured with a basic periodicity of one or more time slots and a plurality of distributed unit (DU) time slot format indexes within the basic periodicity. This aspect may include: transmitting the resource pattern by the CU of the donor node to one or more of the plurality of IAB nodes of the IAB network.

[0011] In a further example, a device for wireless communication is provided, the device comprising a transceiver, a memory configured to store instructions, and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory. The one or more processors are configured to execute instructions for providing a resource pattern on an IAB backhaul for a donor node. This aspect may include the one or more processors being configured to execute instructions to perform the following operations: determining a configuration of a resource pattern for multiple IAB nodes of an IAB network at a CU of a donor node, wherein the configuration of the resource pattern includes a basic resource pattern, the basic resource pattern being configured with a basic periodicity of one or more time slots and multiple DU time slot format indexes within the basic periodicity. This aspect may include the one or more processors being configured to execute instructions to perform the following operations: transmitting the resource pattern by the CU of the donor node to one or more IAB nodes of the multiple IAB nodes of the IAB network.

[0012] In another aspect, an apparatus for wireless communication is provided, comprising means for providing a resource pattern on an IAB backhaul by a donor node. This aspect may include: means for determining, at a CU of a donor node, a configuration of a resource pattern for a plurality of IAB nodes of an IAB network, wherein the configuration of the resource pattern includes a basic resource pattern configured with a basic periodicity of one or more time slots and a plurality of DU time slot format indexes within the basic periodicity. This aspect may include: means for transmitting the resource pattern by the CU of the donor node to one or more IAB nodes of the plurality of IAB nodes of the IAB network.

[0013] In yet another aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided, comprising code executable by one or more processors for a donor node to provide a resource pattern on an IAB backhaul. This aspect may include: code for determining, at a CU of a donor node, a configuration of a resource pattern for a plurality of IAB nodes of an IAB network, wherein the configuration of the resource pattern comprises a basic resource pattern, the basic resource pattern being configured with a basic periodicity of one or more time slots and a plurality of DU time slot format indexes within the basic periodicity. This aspect may include: code for transmitting, by the CU of the donor node, the resource pattern to one or more of the plurality of IAB nodes of the IAB network.

[0014] In another aspect, the present disclosure includes a wireless communication method, apparatus, and computer-readable medium for providing a resource pattern on an IAB backhaul for a donor node. This aspect may include: receiving a resource pattern from a CU of an IAB donor node via one or more IAB nodes in an IAB network at a DU of the IAB node, the resource pattern corresponding to a basic resource pattern, the basic resource pattern being configured with a basic periodicity of two or more time slots and multiple DU time slot format indexes within the basic periodicity. This aspect may include: determining a scheduling behavior based at least on the resource pattern. This aspect may include: communicating with one or more additional adjacent IAB nodes of the IAB network based on the scheduling behavior associated with the resource pattern.

[0015] In a further example, a device for wireless communication is provided, the device comprising a transceiver, a memory configured to store instructions, and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory. The one or more processors are configured to execute instructions for providing a resource pattern on an IAB backhaul for a donor node. This aspect may include the one or more processors being configured to execute instructions to perform the following operations: receiving a resource pattern from a CU of an IAB donor node via one or more IAB nodes in an IAB network at a DU of an IAB node, the resource pattern corresponding to a basic resource pattern, the basic resource pattern being configured with a basic periodicity of two or more time slots and a plurality of DU time slot format indexes within the basic periodicity. This aspect may include the one or more processors being configured to execute instructions to perform the following operations: determining a scheduling behavior based at least on the resource pattern. This aspect may include the one or more processors being configured to execute instructions to perform the following operations: communicating with one or more additional adjacent IAB nodes of an IAB network based on a scheduling behavior associated with the resource pattern.

[0016] In another aspect, an apparatus for wireless communication is provided, comprising means for providing a resource pattern on an IAB backhaul by a donor node. This aspect may include: means for receiving a resource pattern from a CU of an IAB donor node via one or more IAB nodes in an IAB network at a DU of the IAB node, the resource pattern corresponding to a basic resource pattern, the basic resource pattern being configured with a basic periodicity of two or more time slots and a plurality of DU time slot format indexes within the basic periodicity. This aspect may include: means for determining a scheduling behavior based at least on the resource pattern. This aspect may include: means for communicating with one or more additional neighboring IAB nodes of the IAB network based on the scheduling behavior associated with the resource pattern.

[0017] In yet another aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided, comprising code executable by one or more processors for a donor node to provide a resource pattern on an IAB backhaul. This aspect may include: code for receiving a resource pattern from a CU of an IAB donor node via one or more IAB nodes in an IAB network at a DU of the IAB node, the resource pattern corresponding to a basic resource pattern, the basic resource pattern being configured with a basic periodicity of two or more time slots and a plurality of DU time slot format indexes within the basic periodicity. This aspect may include: code for determining a scheduling behavior based at least on the resource pattern. This aspect may include: code for communicating with one or more additional neighboring IAB nodes of the IAB network based on the scheduling behavior associated with the resource pattern.

[0018] To achieve the foregoing and related ends, the one or more aspects include the features fully described below and particularly pointed out in the claims. The following description and drawings set forth in detail certain illustrative features of the one or more aspects. However, these features are merely indicative of several of the various ways in which the principles of the various aspects may be employed, and this description is intended to cover all such aspects and their equivalents. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] The disclosed aspects will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are provided to illustrate rather than limit the disclosed aspects, wherein like reference numerals designate like elements, and wherein:

[0021] Figure 1A is a schematic diagram of an example wireless communication network having nodes including a relay resource pattern configuration component and / or a donor resource pattern configuration component configured to provide a resource pattern over a wireless backhaul in accordance with the present disclosure;

[0022] Figure 1B is a schematic diagram of an example 5G core network;

[0023] Figure 2 is a network diagram of an example wireless backhaul network including an IAB node;

[0024] Figure 3 is a network diagram of an example wireless backhaul network including a donor node and a plurality of child nodes;

[0025] Figure 4A is a network diagram of an example wireless backhaul network engaging in half-duplex time division multiplexing (TDM) communications;

[0026] Figure 4B is a network diagram of an example wireless backhaul network engaging in half-duplex frequency division multiplexing (FDM) communications;

[0027] Figure 5is a diagram illustrating an example IAB resource management framework;

[0028] Figure 6 is a diagram of examples of resource types for an IAB network;

[0029] Figure 7 is a diagram of an example of a semi-static configuration of a resource pattern;

[0030] Figure 8 is a diagram of an example of a UL time slot format table;

[0031] Fig. 9 is a diagram of an example of a resource mode configuration supporting per-link configuration;

[0032] Fig.10 is a diagram of an example of a resource pattern configuration to support a cell-specific configuration;

[0033] Fig.11 is a flow chart of an example of a method of operating a donor node to provide a resource pattern over a wireless backhaul;

[0034] Fig.12 is a flow chart of an example of a method of operating an IAB node to receive a resource pattern over a wireless backhaul and communicate using the resource pattern;

[0035] Fig.13 yes Figure 1A A schematic diagram of example components of an IAB node of FIG.

[0036] Fig.14 yes Figure 1A A schematic diagram of example components of a donor node.

[0037] Detailed Description

[0038] Various aspects are now described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth for explanation purposes to provide a thorough understanding of one or more aspects. However, it is apparent that such aspects may be practiced without these specific details. In addition, the term "component" as used herein may be one of the components constituting a system, may be hardware, firmware and / or software stored on a computer-readable medium, and may be divided into other components.

[0039] The present disclosure generally relates to wireless backhaul networks using cellular radio access technologies (RATs), such as integrated access and backhaul (IAB) networks.

[0040] More specifically, the present disclosure addresses issues related to configuring resource patterns in such wireless backhaul networks. The resource management framework and supported resource types in an IAB network provide an efficient signaling format for configuration of resource patterns for an IAB network. A flexible format with reasonable signaling overhead is provided to support a variety of resource patterns in an IAB network. For example, a resource pattern may support configuration by DU, by DU cell, or by a sub-backhaul link of a DU. In addition, a resource pattern may support different patterns at different time slots due to the presence of other semi-static configurations. In one example, a cell-specific signal / channel (such as SSB, PRACH) broadcasts system information, scheduling requests, periodic CSI-RS, and the like.

[0041] In general, the present disclosure describes the configuration of resource patterns. For example, in one aspect, the present disclosure includes a wireless communication method, apparatus, and computer-readable medium for providing a resource pattern on an IAB backhaul for a donor node. This aspect may include: determining, at a central unit (CU) of a donor node, a configuration of a resource pattern for a plurality of IAB nodes of an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) network, wherein the configuration of the resource pattern includes a base resource pattern, the base resource pattern being configured with a basic periodicity of one or more time slots and a plurality of distributed unit (DU) time slot format indexes within the basic periodicity. This aspect may include: transmitting the resource pattern by the CU of the donor node to one or more IAB nodes of the plurality of IAB nodes of the IAB network.

[0042] In another aspect, the present disclosure includes a wireless communication method, apparatus, and computer-readable medium for providing a resource pattern on an IAB backhaul for a donor node. This aspect may include: receiving a resource pattern from a CU of an IAB donor node via one or more IAB nodes in an IAB network at a DU of the IAB node, the resource pattern corresponding to a basic resource pattern, the basic resource pattern being configured with a basic periodicity of two or more time slots and multiple DU time slot format indexes within the basic periodicity. This aspect may include: determining a scheduling behavior based at least on the resource pattern. This aspect may include: communicating with one or more additional adjacent IAB nodes of the IAB network based on the scheduling behavior associated with the resource pattern.

[0043] Additional features of various aspects of the invention are described in more detail below with reference to FIGS. 1-14 .

[0044] It should be noted that the technology described herein can be used for various wireless communication networks, such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA and other systems. The terms "system" and "network" are often used interchangeably. A CDMA system can implement radio technologies such as CDMA2000, Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA). CDMA2000 covers IS-2000, IS-95 and IS-856 standards. IS-2000 versions 0 and A are commonly referred to as CDMA2000 1X, 1X, etc. IS-856 (TIA-856) is commonly referred to as CDMA2000 1xEV-DO, High Rate Packet Data (HRPD), etc. UTRA includes Wideband CDMA (WCDMA) and other variants of CDMA. A TDMA system can implement radio technologies such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). OFDMA systems can implement technologies such as Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDM TM Radio technologies such as LTE and UTRA. UTRA and E-UTRA are part of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) and Advanced LTE (LTE-A) are new UMTS versions that use E-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, UMTS, LTE, LTE-A, and GSM are described in documents from an organization called the "3rd Generation Partnership Project" (3GPP). CDMA2000 and UMB are described in documents from an organization called the "3rd Generation Partnership Project 2" (3GPP2). The techniques described herein can be used for the systems and radio technologies mentioned above as well as for other systems and radio technologies, including cellular (e.g., LTE) communications on shared radio frequency spectrum bands. However, the following description describes LTE / LTE-A and 5G systems for example purposes, and LTE and 5G terms are used in most of the following descriptions, but these techniques are applicable to other next generation communication systems.

[0045] The following description provides examples and does not limit the scope, applicability, or examples set forth in the claims. Changes may be made to the functions and arrangements of the elements discussed without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Various examples may appropriately omit, substitute, or add various procedures or components. For example, the described methods may be performed in an order different from that described, and various steps may be added, omitted, or combined. In addition, features described with reference to some examples may be combined in other examples.

[0046] Reference Figure 1AAccording to various aspects of the present disclosure, an example wireless communication network 100 includes at least one base station 102-b, 102-c having a modem 140 having a relay resource pattern component 150 that receives a resource pattern on a wireless backhaul 134 and uses the resource pattern to communicate. As illustrated, the base stations 102-b and 102-c may not have a direct backhaul link 132 (e.g., an NG interface) to a 5G core network 180. The term "IAB node" may refer to an IAB node that does not have a direct backhaul link to the core network. In contrast, the term "donor node" may refer to an IAB donor that has a direct backhaul link to the core network. In addition, the wireless communication network 100 (also referred to as a wireless wide area network (WWAN)) includes at least one base station 102-a having a modem 160 having a donor resource pattern component 170 that provides a resource pattern for the wireless backhaul 134. Base station 102-a may be a donor node that includes a backhaul link 132 to core network 180. The IAB nodes of base stations 102-b and 102-c may establish a wireless backhaul 134 via the donor node of base station 102-a.

[0047] The base station 102 (which may alternatively be referred to as a gB node (gNB)) interfaces with the 5G core network 180 via a backhaul link 132 (e.g., an NG interface). In addition to other functions, the base station 102 may also perform one or more of the following functions: delivery of user data, radio channel encryption and decryption, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., switching, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection establishment and release, load balancing, distribution of non-access stratum (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, radio access network (RAN) sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), subscriber and equipment tracking, RAN information management (RIM), paging, positioning, and delivery of warning messages. The base station 102 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., through the 5G core network 180) on the backhaul links 132, 134 (e.g., X2 interfaces). The backhaul links 132, 134 may be wired or wireless. In one aspect, the disclosure relates to networks in which at least some of the backhaul links 134 are wireless links.

[0048] Base stations 102 may communicate wirelessly with UEs 104. Each base station 102 may provide communication coverage for a corresponding geographic coverage area 110. There may be overlapping geographic coverage areas 110. For example, a small cell 102' may have a coverage area 110' that overlaps with the coverage area 110 of one or more macro base stations 102. A network that includes both small cells and macro cells may be referred to as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network may also include a home evolved Node B (eNB) (HeNB) and / or gNB, which may provide services to a restricted group referred to as a closed subscriber group (CSG). A communication link 120 between a base station 102 and a UE 104 may include an uplink (UL) (also known as a reverse link) transmission from the UE 104 to the base station 102 and / or a downlink (DL) (also known as a forward link) transmission from the base station 102 to the UE 104. The communication link 120 may use multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity. These communication links may be over one or more carriers. For each carrier allocated in a carrier aggregation for transmission in each direction up to a total of Y*x MHz (where x is the number of component carriers), the base station 102 / UE 104 may use a spectrum of up to Y MHz (e.g., 5, 10, 15, 20, 100 MHz) bandwidth. These carriers may be adjacent or contiguous to each other or may not be adjacent or contiguous to each other. The allocation of carriers may be asymmetric with respect to DL and UL (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated to DL compared to UL). The component carrier may include a primary component carrier and one or more secondary component carriers. The primary component carrier may be referred to as a primary cell (PCell) and the secondary component carrier may be referred to as a secondary cell (SCell).

[0049] Some UEs 104 may communicate with each other using a device-to-device (D2D) communication link 108. The D2D communication link 108 may use DL / UL WWAN spectrum. The D2D communication link 108 may use one or more sidelink channels, such as a physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH), a physical sidelink discovery channel (PSDCH), a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), and a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH). The D2D communication may be through a variety of wireless D2D communication systems, such as, for example, FlashLinQ, WiMedia, Bluetooth, ZigBee, Wi-Fi based on the IEEE 802.11 standard, LTE, or NR.

[0050] The wireless communication system may further include a Wi-Fi access point (AP) 122 that communicates with a Wi-Fi station (STA) 124 in the 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum via a communication link 126. When communicating in the unlicensed spectrum, the STA 124 / AP 122 may perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) prior to communication to determine whether the channel is available.

[0051] The small cell 102' may operate in a licensed and / or unlicensed spectrum. When operating in an unlicensed spectrum, the small cell 102' may employ NR and use the same 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum as used by the Wi-Fi AP 122. The small cell 102' employing NR in the unlicensed spectrum may boost the coverage of the access network and / or increase the capacity of the access network.

[0052] The g B node (gNB) 106 may operate in millimeter wave (mmW) frequencies and / or near mmW frequencies to communicate with the UE 104. When the gNB 106 operates in mmW or near mmW frequencies, the gNB 106 may be referred to as a mmW base station. In one aspect, the gNB 106 may be a gNB distributed unit (gNB-DU) connected to another base station 102 via a wireless backhaul 134. Extremely high frequency (EHF) is part of the RF in the electromagnetic spectrum. EHF has a range of 30 GHz to 300 GHz and a wavelength between 1 mm and 10 mm. The radio waves in this band may be referred to as millimeter waves. Near mmW may extend down to 3 GHz frequencies with a wavelength of 100 mm. The super high frequency (SHF) band extends between 3 GHz and 30 GHz, which is also referred to as centimeter waves. Communications using the mmW / near mmW radio frequency bands have extremely high path loss and short range. The mmW gNB 106 may utilize beamforming 184 with the UE 104 to compensate for the extremely high path loss and short range.

[0053] A base station may also be referred to as a gNB, a Node B, an evolved Node B (eNB), an access point, a base transceiver station, a radio base station, a radio transceiver, a transceiver function, a basic service set (BSS), an extended service set (ESS), or some other suitable term. A base station 102 provides an access point to a 5G core network 180 for one or more UEs 104. Examples of UEs 104 include a cellular phone, a smart phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a laptop, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a satellite radio, a global positioning system, a multimedia device, a video device, a digital audio player (e.g., an MP3 player), a camera, a game console, a tablet device, a smart device, a wearable device, a vehicle, an electric meter, a gas pump, a large or small kitchen appliance, a health care device, an implant, a display, or any other similar functional device. Some UEs 104 may be referred to as IoT devices (e.g., parking meters, gas pumps, ovens, vehicles, heart monitors, etc.). UE 104 may also be referred to as a station, a mobile station, a subscriber station, a mobile unit, a subscriber unit, a wireless unit, a remote unit, a mobile device, a wireless device, a wireless communication device, a remote device, a mobile subscriber station, an access terminal, a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a remote terminal, a handset, a user agent, a mobile client, a client, or some other suitable terminology.

[0054] A communication network that can accommodate some of the various disclosed examples can be a packet-based network that operates according to a layered protocol stack, and the data in the user plane can be based on IP. The user plane protocol stack (e.g., Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP), Radio Link Control (RLC), MAC, etc.) can perform packet segmentation and reassembly to communicate on a logical channel. For example, the MAC layer can perform priority handling and multiplex logical channels into transport channels. The MAC layer can also use hybrid automatic repeat / request (HARQ) to provide retransmission of the MAC layer, thereby improving link efficiency. In the control plane, the RRC protocol layer can provide the establishment, configuration and maintenance of the RRC connection between the UE 104 and the base station 102. The RRC protocol layer can also be used for the core network 180 to support the radio bearer of user plane data. In the physical (PHY) layer, the transport channel can be mapped to the physical channel.

[0055] In one aspect, base stations 102-b and 102-c may be IAB nodes, wherein modem 140 includes a relay resource pattern component 150 that utilizes the received resource pattern for communication between base stations 102. For example, base station 102-c may be an access IAB node that maps a radio access channel to a radio backhaul channel, and base station 102-b may be an intermediate IAB node that maps a backhaul radio channel with a first peer base station (e.g., base station 102-c) to a backhaul radio channel with a second peer base station (e.g., base station 102-a). A peer base station may refer to a base station with which a base station has established a backhaul link. Relay resource pattern component 150 may receive a resource pattern from a neighboring IAB node in an IAB network at a distributed unit (DU) of the IAB node, the resource pattern corresponding to a basic resource pattern that is configured with a basic periodicity of two or more time slots and a plurality of DU time slot format indices within the basic periodicity. Relay resource pattern component 150 may further determine scheduling behavior based at least on the resource pattern. The relay resource pattern component 150 can communicate with one or more additional neighboring IAB nodes of the IAB network based on the scheduling behavior associated with the resource pattern.

[0056] In one aspect, the base station 102-a may be a donor node, wherein the modem 160 includes a donor resource pattern component 170 that provides a resource pattern to an IAB node of the IAB network. The donor resource pattern component 170 may determine, at a central unit (CU) of the donor node, a configuration of a resource pattern for a plurality of IAB nodes of the IAB network, wherein the configuration of the resource pattern includes a basic resource pattern configured with a basic periodicity of two or more time slots and a plurality of DU time slot format indexes within the basic periodicity. The donor resource pattern component 170 may further provide the resource pattern to one or more of the plurality of IAB nodes of the IAB network by the CU of the donor node.

[0057] The base station 102 and the UE 104 can communicate with the network through the 5G core network 180. The core network 180 may include an access and mobility management function / session management function (AMF / SMF) entity 182, a user plane function (UPF) 184, and other entities or components for communicating packet data units (PDUs).

[0058] Reference Figure 1B, illustrates a schematic diagram of a 5G core network 180. As shown, the 5G core network 180 may include an authentication server function (AUSF) 192, a unified data management (UDM) 194, an AMF / SMF entity 182 (shown as two elements), a policy control information (PCF) 188, and an application function (AF) 190, as well as other components that enable a network (e.g., IP service 186) to communicate with a UE 104 and a random access network (RAN) (which may include one or more base stations 102).

[0059] AMF 182 provides several functions, including but not limited to registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, access authentication, access authorization, location service management, and EPS bearer ID allocation. SMF 182 provides several functions, including but not limited to session management, UE IP address allocation and management, ARP proxy and / or neighbor solicitation proxy, selection and control of UP functions, configuration of traffic steering at UPF to route traffic to the appropriate destination, termination of the interface towards the policy control function, lawful interception, control and coordination of charging data collection at UPF, termination of the SM part of NAS messages, downlink data notification and roaming functionality. UPF 184 provides several functions, including but not limited to, anchor point for intra / inter-RAT mobility, external PDU session point interconnected to data network (e.g., IP service 186), packet inspection, user plane part of policy rule information, lawful interception, traffic usage report, QoS handling of user plane, uplink traffic verification, transport level packet marking in uplink and downlink, sending and forwarding one or more "end markers", and APR proxy and / or neighbor solicitation proxy. AUSF192 handles the authentication of various components within the 5G core network 180. UDM 194 provides several functions, including but not limited to, generating authentication credentials, user identity handling, access verification, support for service / session continuity, subscription management and SMS management. PCF 188 provides several functions, including but not limited to, support for a unified policy framework to manage network behavior, providing policy rules to control plane functions for implementation, and accessing subscription information related to policy decisions in a unified data repository (UDR). AF190 provides several functions, including but not limited to, applying the impact of traffic routing, accessing network exposure functions, and interacting with the policy framework for policy control.

[0060] Reference Figure 2, an example of a wireless backhaul network 200 includes a donor node 210 and several IAB nodes 220 that provide access to UE 104. Wireless backhaul 214 can provide range extension to wired backhaul 212 or fronthaul. The wireless backhaul network can support multiple backhaul hops and redundant connectivity, for example, by providing multiple paths between the donor node 210 and the IAB node 220. In this context, the donor node 210 provides a wireless network with a wired network (e.g., 5G core network 180 ( Figure 1A An example for wireless backhaul is the Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) mentioned in 3GPP Release 15.

[0061] The cellular RAT provides QoS differentiation through the bearer concept. The access link 222 can support multiple bearers, such as data radio bearers (DRBs) or signaling radio bearers (SRBs). Each bearer can be assigned a different QoS class and thus provide QoS class-specific priorities in data scheduling on the air interface. Scheduling decisions may include QoS class prioritization and other assertions, such as QoS class-specific bit rates and latency guarantees or bit rate limits. The UE 104 can simultaneously support multiple services related to different QoS classes through the establishment of multiple bearers, each of which is assigned a different QoS class.

[0062] Reference Figure 3 , an example of the IAB network 300 may include an IAB donor and a plurality of IAB nodes, wherein each IAB node may serve as a scheduling node for a plurality of child nodes (including child access UEs and / or child IAB nodes).

[0063] Reference Figure 4A , network diagram 410 shows an example wireless backhaul network that participates in half-duplex time division multiplexing (TDM) communications. That is, an IAB node communicates with only one of the parent or child IAB nodes at a given time. Figure 4B , network diagram 420 shows an example of an IAB network participating in half-duplex FDM or SDM communications, where the IAB nodes are either in transmit mode on both the parent link and the child link, or in receive mode on the parent link and the child link, and FDM / SDM techniques are used to separate the parent link and the child link.

[0064] Reference Figure 5, example diagram 500 illustrates an example IAB resource management framework. For example, the F1-AP interface between the CU and the DU supports the exchange of information including TDD-UL-DL configuration and the delivery of encapsulated RRC messages for the child MT of the IAB node. Enhancements to the F1-AP message include configuration of the DU resource mode regarding hard / soft / NA. The Uu air interface between the parent DU and the child MT supports the delivery of the RRC message of the CU to the child MT and dynamic scheduling of the child MT. Enhancements to the Uu interface include dynamic control of the soft resources of the child DU.

[0065] Reference Figure 6 , example diagram 600 illustrates an example of resource types for an IAB network. The DU may assume that hard resources (H) are available regardless of the configuration of the child UE or mobile terminal (MT). The DU may assume that unavailable resources (NA) are not available. Soft resources may indicate that resources can be used if indicated by the parent node through explicit or implicit signaling. Soft resources may have a soft+ state when indicated as available. The soft+ state may be similar to hard resources. Soft resources may have a soft- state when indicated as unavailable. The soft- state may be similar to NA resources.

[0066] Reference Figure 7 , example diagram 700 illustrates an example of a semi-static configuration of resource patterns including a basic resource pattern and an overridden resource pattern. For example, each DU slot format may have a corresponding pattern within a slot. In this example, DU slot format 0 has a corresponding all-hard pattern within a slot, DU slot format 1 has a corresponding all-soft pattern within a slot, DU slot format 2 has a corresponding all-NA pattern within a slot, and DU slot formats 3 to L-1 have corresponding mixed hard / soft / NA patterns within a slot. Each DU slot format has a basic resource pattern that may be replaced by an overridden resource pattern including one or more scaling factors.

[0067] Reference Figure 8 , example diagram 800 illustrates an example of a DU slot format table to be used for a basic resource mode (and an overwrite mode). For example, each DU slot format may include a corresponding mode within each slot.

[0068] Reference Fig. 9 , example diagram 900 illustrates an example of resource mode configurations that support per-link configuration. For example, each resource mode configuration for IAB node 1 may include a basic mode and an overwrite mode. Each basic mode includes several DU slot formats with corresponding modes within the slot.

[0069] Reference Fig.10, example diagram 1000 illustrates an example resource pattern configuration that supports a different mode than a basic mode at a time slot with a cell-specific signal / channel. For example, the resource mode may be configured as hard for even time slots and as NA for odd time slots, but the SSB symbols are configured as hard at NA time slots.

[0070] Reference Fig.11 For example, the wireless communication method 1100 in which the donor node 102 operates to provide a resource pattern over an IAB backhaul according to the above aspects includes one or more actions defined herein.

[0071] For example, at 1110, the method 1100 includes: determining, at a central unit (CU) of a donor node, a configuration of a resource pattern for a plurality of IAB nodes of an IAB network, wherein the configuration of the resource pattern includes a basic resource pattern, the basic resource pattern being configured with a basic periodicity of one or more time slots and a plurality of DU time slot format indexes within the basic periodicity. For example, in one aspect, the donor node 210 may execute the donor resource pattern component 170 to determine, at the CU of the donor node 210, a configuration of a resource pattern for a plurality of IAB nodes 220 of the IAB network, wherein the configuration of the resource pattern includes a basic resource pattern, the basic resource pattern being configured with a basic periodicity of two or more time slots and a plurality of DU time slot format indexes within the basic periodicity. Thus, the donor node 210 and the donor resource pattern component 170 may define a device for determining, at a central unit (DU) of the donor node, a configuration of a resource pattern for multiple IAB nodes of the IAB network, wherein the configuration of the resource pattern includes a basic resource pattern configured with a basic periodicity of one or more time slots and multiple DU time slot format indexes within the basic periodicity.

[0072] In one aspect, method 1100 includes: the configuration of the resource pattern further includes one or more overwrite patterns, each overwrite pattern is configured to replace the basic resource pattern for one or more specified time slots. For example, the overwrite resource pattern is configured with a scaling factor and a plurality of overwrite time slots, and includes a time slot index and a DU time slot format for each of the plurality of overwrite time slots. In addition, the time slot index corresponds to a value between 0 and a maximum value, which is calculated based on the basic periodicity and the scaling factor. Additionally, the overwrite resource pattern is configured according to the DU of each IAB node of the plurality of IAB nodes of the IAB network, or according to the DU cell associated with one or more IAB nodes of the plurality of IAB nodes of the IAB network.

[0073] In one aspect, the method 1100 includes: the DU slot format index corresponds to a DU slot format table, the DU slot format table including a plurality of entries, each entry indicating a pattern of DU resource types at each symbol within a slot. For example, the DU resource type corresponds to at least one of a hard resource, a soft resource, or an unavailable resource. In addition, the basic resource pattern is configured in the F1-AP interface for one or more of the multiple IAB nodes of the IAB network. Additionally, the basic resource pattern is configured per DU of each of the multiple IAB nodes of the IAB network, or per DU cell associated with one or more of the multiple IAB nodes of the IAB network.

[0074] At 1120, the method 1100 includes transmitting, by the CU of the donor node, the resource pattern to one or more of the plurality of IAB nodes of the IAB network. For example, in one aspect, the donor node 210 may execute the donor resource pattern component 170 to transmit, by the CU of the donor node 210, the resource pattern to one or more of the plurality of IAB nodes 220 of the IAB network. Thus, the donor node 210 and the donor resource pattern component 170 may define means for transmitting, by the CU of the donor node, the resource pattern to one or more of the plurality of IAB nodes of the IAB network.

[0075] Reference Fig.12 For example, the wireless communication method 1200 for operating the IAB node 220 to communicate using a resource mode over a wireless backhaul according to the above aspects may include one or more actions defined herein.

[0076] For example, at 1210, the method 1200 includes: receiving a resource pattern from a CU of an IAB donor node via one or more IAB nodes in an IAB network at a DU of the IAB node, the resource pattern including a basic resource pattern, the basic resource pattern being configured with a basic periodicity of two or more time slots and a plurality of DU time slot format indexes within the basic periodicity. For example, in one aspect, the IAB node 220 may execute the relay resource pattern component 150 to receive a resource pattern from a neighboring IAB node in the IAB network at the DU of the IAB node, the resource pattern including a basic resource pattern, the basic resource pattern being configured with a basic periodicity of two or more time slots and a plurality of DU time slot format indexes within the basic periodicity. Thus, the IAB node 220 and the relay resource pattern component 150 may define a device for receiving a resource pattern from a CU of an IAB donor node via one or more IAB nodes in an IAB network at the DU of the IAB node, the resource pattern including a basic resource pattern, the basic resource pattern being configured with a basic periodicity of two or more time slots and a plurality of DU time slot format indexes within the basic periodicity.

[0077] At 1220, method 1200 includes determining a scheduling behavior based at least on the resource pattern. For example, in one aspect, IAB node 220 may execute relay resource pattern component 150 to determine a scheduling behavior based at least on the resource pattern. Thus, IAB node 220 and relay resource pattern component 150 may define means for determining a scheduling behavior based at least on the resource pattern.

[0078] At 1230, the method 1200 includes communicating with one or more additional neighboring IAB nodes of the IAB network based on the scheduling behavior associated with the resource pattern. For example, in one aspect, the IAB node 220 may execute the relay resource pattern component 150 to communicate with one or more additional neighboring IAB nodes of the IAB network based on the scheduling behavior associated with the resource pattern. Thus, the IAB node 220 and the relay resource pattern component 150 may define means for communicating with one or more additional neighboring IAB nodes of the IAB network based on the scheduling behavior associated with the resource pattern.

[0079] Reference Fig.13 , an example of an implementation of the IAB node 220 at the base station 102 may include various components, some of which have been described above, but also include components such as one or more processors 1312 and memory 1316 in communication via one or more buses 1344 and a transceiver 1302, which may operate in conjunction with the modem 140 and the relay resource mode component 150 to implement one or more functions described herein. In addition, the one or more processors 1312, modem 1314, memory 1316, transceiver 1302, RF front end 1388, and one or more antennas 1386 may be configured to support voice and / or data calls (simultaneous or non-simultaneous) in one or more radio access technologies.

[0080] In one aspect, the one or more processors 1312 may include a modem 1314 using one or more modem processors. Various functions associated with the relay resource mode component 150 may be included in the modem 140 and / or the processor 1312, and in one aspect, may be performed by a single processor, while in other aspects, different ones of these functions may be performed by a combination of two or more different processors. For example, in one aspect, the one or more processors 1312 may include any one or any combination of the following: a modem processor, or a baseband processor, or a digital signal processor, or a transmit processor, or a receiver processor, or a transceiver processor associated with the transceiver 1302. In other aspects, some of the features of the one or more processors 1312 and / or the modem 140 associated with the relay resource mode component 150 may be performed by the transceiver 1302.

[0081] In addition, the memory 1316 can be configured to store local versions of data and / or applications 1375 used herein, or one or more of the relay resource pattern component 150 and / or its subcomponents executed by the at least one processor 1312. The memory 1316 can include any type of computer-readable medium usable by a computer or the at least one processor 1312, such as a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a tape, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a volatile memory, a non-volatile memory, and any combination thereof. In one aspect, for example, when the base station 102 is operating the at least one processor 1312 to execute one or more of the relay resource pattern component 150 and / or its subcomponents, the memory 1316 can be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more computer-executable codes and / or data associated therewith that define the relay resource pattern component 150 and / or its subcomponents.

[0082] The transceiver 1302 may include at least one receiver 1306 and at least one transmitter 1308. The receiver 1306 may include hardware, firmware, and / or software code executable by a processor for receiving data, the code including instructions and stored in a memory (e.g., a computer-readable medium). The receiver 1306 may be, for example, a radio frequency (RF) receiver. In one aspect, the receiver 1306 may receive signals transmitted by at least one other base station 102. Additionally, the receiver 1306 may process such received signals and may also obtain measurements of these signals, such as but not limited to Ec / Io, SNR, RSRP, RSSI, etc. The transmitter 1308 may include hardware, firmware, and / or software code executable by a processor for transmitting data, the code including instructions and stored in a memory (e.g., a computer-readable medium). Suitable examples of the transmitter 1308 may include, but are not limited to, an RF transmitter.

[0083] In addition, in an aspect, the IAB node 220 may include an RF front end 1388 that may operate in communication with one or more antennas 1365 and the transceiver 1302 for receiving and transmitting radio transmissions, such as wireless communications transmitted by at least one UE 104 or wireless transmissions transmitted by another base station 102. The RF front end 1388 may be connected to the one or more antennas 1365 and may include one or more low noise amplifiers (LNAs) 1390, one or more switches 1392, one or more power amplifiers (PAs) 1398, and one or more filters 1396 for transmitting and receiving RF signals.

[0084] In one aspect, the LNA 1390 can amplify the received signal to a desired output level. In one aspect, each LNA 1390 can have a specified minimum and maximum gain value. In one aspect, the RF front end 1388 can use one or more switches 1392 to select a particular LNA 1390 and its specified gain value based on the desired gain value for a particular application.

[0085] In addition, for example, one or more PAs 1398 can be used by the RF front end 1388 to amplify the signal to obtain an RF output at a desired output power level. In one aspect, each PA 1398 can have a specified minimum and maximum gain value. In one aspect, the RF front end 1388 can use one or more switches 1392 to select a particular PA 1398 and its specified gain value based on the desired gain value for a particular application.

[0086] In addition, for example, one or more filters 1396 can be used by the RF front end 1388 to filter the received signal to obtain an input RF signal. Similarly, in one aspect, for example, a corresponding filter 1396 can be used to filter the output from the corresponding PA 1398 to produce an output signal for transmission. In one aspect, each filter 1396 can be connected to a specific LNA 1390 and / or PA 1398. In one aspect, the RF front end 1388 can use one or more switches 1392 to select a transmit or receive path using a specified filter 1396, LNA 1390, and / or PA 1398 based on a configuration as specified by the transceiver 1302 and / or the processor 1312.

[0087] As such, the transceiver 1302 may be configured to transmit and receive wireless signals through one or more antennas 1365 via the RF front end 1388. In one aspect, the transceiver may be tuned to operate at a specified frequency so that the IAB node 220 may communicate, for example, with one or more UEs 104 or one or more cells associated with one or more base stations 102. In one aspect, the modem 140 may configure the transceiver 1302 to operate at a specified frequency and power level based on, for example, the base station configuration of the IAB node 220 and the communication protocol used by the modem 140.

[0088] In one aspect, the modem 140 can be a multi-band-multi-mode modem that can process digital data and communicate with the transceiver 1302 so that the digital data is sent and received using the transceiver 1302. In one aspect, the modem 140 can be multi-band and configured to support multiple frequency bands for a specific communication protocol. In one aspect, the modem 140 can be multi-mode and configured to support multiple operating networks and communication protocols. In one aspect, the modem 140 can control one or more components of the base station 102 (e.g., RF front end 1388, transceiver 1302) to enable transmission and / or reception of signals from the network based on a specified modem configuration. In one aspect, the modem configuration can be based on the mode of the modem and the frequency band used.

[0089] Reference Fig.14 , an example of a base station 102 implemented as a donor node 210 may include various components, some of which have been described above, but also includes components such as one or more processors 1412 and memory 1416 in communication via one or more buses 1444 and a transceiver 1402, which may operate in conjunction with a modem 160 and a donor resource mode component 170 to implement one or more functions described herein. In another example, the donor node 210 may include a wired communication interface 1450, which may operate in conjunction with the modem 160 and the donor resource mode component 170 to implement one or more functions described herein.

[0090] The transceiver 1402, receiver 1406, transmitter 1408, one or more processors 1412, memory 1416, application 1475, bus 1444, RF front end 1488, LNA 1490, switch 1492, filter 1496, PA 1498, and one or more antennas 1465 may be the same as or similar to the corresponding components of the IAB node 220 described above, but are configured or otherwise programmed for donor node operation rather than IAB node operation.

[0091] The above detailed description set forth above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings describes examples and does not represent the only examples that can be implemented or fall within the scope of the claims. The term "example" when used in this description means "used as an example, instance, or illustration", rather than "better than" or "better than other examples". This detailed description includes specific details to provide an understanding of the described techniques. However, these techniques can be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring the concepts of the described examples.

[0092] Information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different techniques and technologies. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be mentioned throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or optical particles, computer executable codes or instructions stored on computer-readable media, or any combination thereof.

[0093] The various illustrative blocks and components described in conjunction with the disclosure herein may be implemented or executed with a specially programmed device, such as, but not limited to, a processor designed to perform the functions described herein, a digital signal processor (DSP), an ASIC, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof. The specially programmed processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The specially programmed processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, for example, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0094] The functions described herein can be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, each function can be stored as one or more instructions or codes on a non-transient computer-readable medium or transmitted by it. Other examples and implementations fall within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, the above-mentioned functions can be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, hard wiring, or any combination thereof executed by a specially programmed processor. The features that implement the functions can also be physically located in various locations, including being distributed so that the various parts of the functions are implemented at different physical locations. In addition, as used herein (including in the claims), the "or" used in the enumeration of items followed by "at least one of" indicates a disjunctive enumeration, so that, for example, the enumeration of "at least one of A, B, or C" represents A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C).

[0095] Computer-readable media include both computer storage media and communication media, including any media that facilitates a computer program to be transferred from one place to another. Storage media can be any available media that can be accessed by a general or special-purpose computer. As an example and not limitation, computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other media that can be used to carry or store the desired program code means in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a general or special-purpose computer or a general or special-purpose processor. Any connection is also properly referred to as computer-readable media. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwaves, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwaves are included in the definition of medium. Disk and disc as used herein include compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk, and Blu-ray disc, wherein disk usually reproduces data magnetically, while disc reproduces data optically with laser. Combinations of the above media are also included in the scope of computer-readable media.

[0096] The previous description of the disclosure is provided to enable those skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the common principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. In addition, although the elements of the described aspects and / or embodiments may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural is also contemplated unless explicitly stated to be limited to the singular. In addition, all or part of any aspect and / or embodiment may be used in conjunction with all or part of any other aspect and / or embodiment, unless otherwise stated. Thus, the disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein, but should be granted the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A wireless communication method for a donor node, comprising: determining, at a central unit (CU) of the donor node, a configuration of a resource pattern for a plurality of IAB nodes of an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) network, wherein the configuration of the resource pattern comprises a basic resource pattern configured with a basic periodicity of one or more time slots and a plurality of distributed unit (DU) time slot format indexes within the basic periodicity, wherein the DU time slot format indexes correspond to a DU time slot format table, the DU time slot format table comprising a plurality of entries, each entry indicating a pattern of DU resource types at each symbol within a time slot, and wherein the DU resource type corresponds to at least one of a hard resource, a soft resource, or an unavailable resource; as well as The resource pattern is transmitted by the CU of the donor node to one or more IAB nodes of the plurality of IAB nodes of the IAB network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein: The configuration of the resource patterns further includes one or more overwrite resource patterns, each overwrite resource pattern configured to replace the base resource pattern for one or more designated time slots.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein: The overwriting resource pattern is configured with a scaling factor and a plurality of overwriting time slots, including a time slot index and a DU time slot format for each of the plurality of overwriting time slots.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein: The time slot index corresponds to a value between 0 and a maximum value, which is calculated based on the basic periodicity and the scaling factor.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein: The overwrite resource pattern is configured at least per DU of each of the multiple IAB nodes of the IAB network, per DU cell associated with one or more of the multiple IAB nodes of the IAB network, or per sub-backhaul link of a DU.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein: The basic resource mode and the overwrite resource mode are configured in an F1-AP interface for the one or more IAB nodes among the plurality of IAB nodes of the IAB network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein: The basic resource pattern is configured per DU of each of the plurality of IAB nodes of the IAB network or per DU cell associated with one or more of the plurality of IAB nodes of the IAB network.

8. A wireless communication method for an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, comprising: receiving, at a distributed unit (DU) of the IAB node from a central unit (CU) of an IAB donor node via one or more IAB nodes in an IAB network, a resource pattern comprising a basic resource pattern configured with a basic periodicity of two or more time slots and a plurality of DU time slot format indexes within the basic periodicity, wherein the DU time slot format indexes correspond to a DU time slot format table, the DU time slot format table comprising a plurality of entries, each entry indicating a pattern of a DU resource type at each symbol within a time slot, and wherein the DU resource type corresponds to at least one of a hard resource, a soft resource, or an unavailable resource; determining a scheduling behavior based at least on the resource pattern; as well as Communicating with one or more additional neighboring IAB nodes of the IAB network based on the scheduling behavior associated with the resource pattern.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein: The resource pattern further includes an overwrite resource pattern configured to replace the base resource pattern for one or more designated time slots.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein: The overwriting resource pattern is configured with a scaling factor and a plurality of overwriting time slots, including a time slot index and a DU time slot format for each of the plurality of overwriting time slots.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein: The time slot index corresponds to a value between 0 and a maximum value, which is calculated based on the basic periodicity and the scaling factor.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein: The overwrite resource pattern is configured per DU of each of a plurality of IAB nodes of the IAB network or per DU cell associated with one or more of the plurality of IAB nodes of the IAB network.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein: The basic resource mode is configured for the IAB node in the F1-AP interface.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein: The basic resource pattern is configured per DU of each of a plurality of IAB nodes of the IAB network or per DU cell associated with one or more of the plurality of IAB nodes of the IAB network.

15. A network entity, comprising: a memory for storing instructions; as well as a processor in communication with the memory, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions to: determining, at a central unit (CU) of a donor node, a configuration of a resource pattern for a plurality of IAB nodes of an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) network, wherein the configuration of the resource pattern comprises a basic resource pattern configured with a basic periodicity of one or more time slots and a plurality of distributed unit (DU) time slot format indexes within the basic periodicity, wherein the DU time slot format indexes correspond to a DU time slot format table, the DU time slot format table comprising a plurality of entries, each entry indicating a pattern of DU resource types at each symbol within a time slot, and wherein the DU resource type corresponds to at least one of a hard resource, a soft resource, or an unavailable resource; as well as The resource pattern is transmitted by the CU of the donor node to one or more IAB nodes of the plurality of IAB nodes of the IAB network.

16. The network entity according to claim 15, wherein: The configuration of the resource patterns further includes one or more overwrite resource patterns, each overwrite resource pattern configured to replace the base resource pattern for one or more designated time slots.

17. The network entity according to claim 16, wherein: The overwriting resource pattern is configured with a scaling factor and a plurality of overwriting time slots, including a time slot index and a DU time slot format for each of the plurality of overwriting time slots.

18. The network entity of claim 16, wherein: The overwrite resource pattern is configured at least per DU of each of the multiple IAB nodes of the IAB network, per DU cell associated with one or more of the multiple IAB nodes of the IAB network, or per sub-backhaul link of a DU.

19. A network entity comprising: a memory for storing instructions; as well as a processor in communication with the memory, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions to: receiving, at a distributed unit (DU) of an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a resource pattern from a central unit (CU) of an IAB donor node via one or more IAB nodes in an IAB network, the resource pattern comprising a basic resource pattern configured with a basic periodicity of two or more time slots and a plurality of DU time slot format indexes within the basic periodicity, wherein the DU time slot format indexes correspond to a DU time slot format table, the DU time slot format table comprising a plurality of entries, each entry indicating a pattern of a DU resource type at each symbol within a time slot, and wherein the DU resource type corresponds to at least one of a hard resource, a soft resource, or an unavailable resource; determining a scheduling behavior based at least on the resource pattern; as well as Communicating with one or more additional neighboring IAB nodes of the IAB network based on the scheduling behavior associated with the resource pattern.

20. The network entity of claim 19, wherein: The resource pattern further includes an overwrite resource pattern configured to replace the base resource pattern for one or more designated time slots.

21. The network entity of claim 20, wherein: The overwriting resource pattern is configured with a scaling factor and a plurality of overwriting time slots, including a time slot index and a DU time slot format for each of the plurality of overwriting time slots.

22. The network entity of claim 20, wherein: The overwrite resource pattern is configured per DU of each of a plurality of IAB nodes of the IAB network or per DU cell associated with one or more of the plurality of IAB nodes of the IAB network.

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