Intelligent directional repeater with buffering capability

Abstract

Various aspects of the present disclosure provide apparatus, methods, processing systems, and computer-readable media that enhance the functionality of a directional repeater (a wireless device that relays directional wireless signals). For example, by adding even limited capability to buffer digital samples, repeater functionality can be enhanced to provide better coverage and more efficiently utilize time, frequency, and space resources. The example method generally includes receiving a configuration from a base station that indicates how a wireless device is to process stored digital samples of a first radio frequency (RF) signal, receiving the first RF signal, wherein the receiving includes generating digital samples of the first RF signal, storing the digital samples, and processing the stored digital samples according to the configuration.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Application No. 16 / 943,662, filed on July 30, 2020, entitled “Smart Directional Repeaterswith Buffering Capability,” which claims priority and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 881,902, filed on August 1, 2019, entitled “Smart Directional Repeaters with Buffering Capability,” which is assigned to the assignee of this application, and the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Technical Field

[0003] Aspects of the present disclosure relate to wireless communications and, more particularly, to techniques for repeating directional wireless transmissions. Background Art

[0004] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various telecommunication services, such as telephony, video, data, information transmission, broadcast, etc. These wireless communication systems may employ multiple access technologies capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., bandwidth, transmit power, etc.). Examples of such multiple access systems include 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, Advanced LTE systems (LTE-A), 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, to name a few.

[0005] In some examples, a wireless multiple access communication system may include multiple base stations (BSs), each of which is capable of simultaneously supporting communications for multiple communication devices (also referred to as user equipment (UE)). In an LTE or LTE-A network, a set of one or more base stations may define an evolved Node B (eNB). In other examples (e.g., in a next generation, new radio (NR) or 5G network), a wireless multiple access communication system may include multiple distributed units (DUs) (e.g., edge units (EUs), edge nodes (ENs), radio heads (RHs), smart radio heads (SRHs), transmit receive points (TRPs), etc.) communicating with multiple central units (CUs) (e.g., central nodes (CNs), access node controllers (ANCs), etc.), wherein a set of one or more DUs communicating with a CU may define an access node (e.g., which may be referred to as a BS, a 5G NB, a next generation Node B (gNB or gNodeB), a transmit receive point (TRP)). A BS or DU may communicate with a set of UEs on a downlink channel (eg, for transmissions from the BS or DU to the UE) and with a set of UEs on an uplink channel (eg, for transmissions from the UE to the BS or DU).

[0006] These multiple access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunication standards to provide a common protocol that enables different wireless devices to communicate at a city, country, region, and even global level. NR (e.g., New Radio or 5G) is an example of an emerging telecommunication standard. NR is an enhancement set to the LTE mobile standard released by 3GPP. NR is designed to better support mobile broadband Internet access by improving spectrum efficiency, reducing costs, improving services, utilizing new spectrum, and using OFDMA with cyclic prefix (CP) on the downlink (DL) and on the uplink (UL) to better integrate with other open standards. To this end, NR supports beamforming, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology, and carrier aggregation.

[0007] However, as the demand for mobile broadband access continues to increase, there is a need for further improvements to NR and LTE technologies. Preferably, these improvements should be applicable to other multiple access technologies and the telecommunication standards that employ these technologies. Summary of the invention

[0008] The systems, methods, and devices of the present disclosure each have several aspects, no single one of which is solely responsible for its desirable attributes. Without limiting the scope of the present disclosure as expressed by the appended claims, some features will now be briefly discussed. After considering this discussion, and particularly after reading the section entitled "Detailed Description," it will be understood how the features of the present disclosure provide advantages, including improved communications in an integrated access and backhaul system.

[0009] Certain aspects provide a method for wireless communication by a wireless device. The method generally includes: receiving a configuration from a base station indicating how the wireless device is to process stored digital samples of a first radio frequency (RF) signal; receiving the first RF signal, wherein the receiving includes generating digital samples of the first RF signal; storing the digital samples; and processing the stored digital samples according to the configuration.

[0010] Certain aspects provide a method for wireless communications by a network entity. The method generally includes generating a configuration that indicates how a wireless device is to process stored digital samples of a first radio frequency (RF) signal, and sending the configuration to the wireless device.

[0011] To achieve the foregoing and related ends, one or more aspects include features fully described below and particularly pointed out in the claims. The following description and the accompanying drawings set forth in detail certain illustrative features of one or more aspects. However, these features indicate only a few of the various ways in which the principles of the various aspects can be employed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] In order that the manner in which the above-mentioned features of the present disclosure can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the above brief summary can be made by reference to various aspects, some of which are shown in the accompanying drawings. However, it should be noted that the accompanying drawings only illustrate certain typical aspects of the present disclosure and are therefore not to be considered as limiting its scope, as the description may admit of other equally effective aspects.

[0013] Figure 1 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example wireless system in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0014] Figure 2 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example architecture of a distributed radio access network (RAN) in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0015] Figure 3 Example components of a base station and user equipment are shown in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0016] Figure 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example communication protocol stack in a RAN, according to certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0017] Figure 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a frame format for New Radio (NR) in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0018] Figure 6 is a block diagram of an example wireless system deploying repeaters in which aspects of the present disclosure may be implemented.

[0019] Fig. 7A and Figure 7B Example scenarios are shown in which aspects of the present disclosure may be implemented.

[0020] Figure 8 is a block diagram of an example architecture of a directional repeater.

[0021] Fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating the use of a repeater, in which aspects of the present disclosure may be implemented.

[0022] Fig.10 Example operations that may be performed by a directional repeater are shown in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0023] Fig.11

[0013] Example operations that may be performed by a network entity to configure a directional repeater are shown in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0024] Fig.12 is a block diagram of an example architecture of a directional repeater in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0025] Fig.13 is a call flow diagram illustrating example repeater configuration and operation according to certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0026] To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the figures. It is contemplated that elements disclosed in one aspect may be beneficially utilized on other aspects without specific recitation. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] Various aspects of the present disclosure provide apparatus, methods, processing systems, and computer-readable media for enhancing the functionality of a directional repeater (a wireless device that relays directional wireless signals). As described in more detail below, by adding even limited capabilities to buffer digital samples, repeater functionality can be enhanced to provide better coverage and more efficient use of time, frequency, and space resources.

[0028] The following description provides examples without limiting the scope, applicability or examples set forth in the claims. Changes may be made in the functions and arrangements of the elements discussed without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Various processes or components may be omitted, replaced or added to each example as appropriate. For example, the method described may be performed in an order different from the order described, and various steps may be added, omitted or combined. In addition, the features described with respect to some examples may be combined in some other examples. For example, a device may be implemented or a method may be implemented using any number of aspects set forth herein. In addition, the scope of the present disclosure is intended to cover such devices or methods implemented using other structures, functions, or structures and functions together with or in place of the various aspects of the disclosure set forth herein. It should be understood that any aspect of the disclosure disclosed herein may be embodied by one or more elements of the claims. The word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "used as an example, instance or illustration". Any aspect described as "exemplary" herein is not necessarily to be interpreted as being preferred or having advantages over other aspects.

[0029] The technology described herein can be used for various wireless communication technologies, such as LTE, CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA and other networks. The terms "network" and "system" are often used interchangeably. A CDMA network can implement radio technologies such as Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), cdma2000, etc. UTRA includes other variants of Wideband CDMA (WCDMA) and CDMA. cdma2000 covers IS-2000, IS-95 and IS-856 standards. A TDMA network can implement radio technologies such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). An OFDMA network can implement radio technologies such as NR (e.g., 5G RA), Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE802.20, Flash-OFDMA, etc. UTRA and E-UTRA are part of Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS).

[0030] New Radio (NR) is an emerging wireless communication technology under development in conjunction with the 5G Technology Forum (5GTF). 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) and Advanced LTE (LTE-A) are versions of UMTS that use E-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, UMTS, LTE, LTE-A, and GSM are described in documents from an organization named "3rd Generation Partnership Project" (3GPP). cdma2000 and UMB are described in documents from an organization named "3rd Generation Partnership Project 2" (3GPP2). The technology described herein can be used for the wireless networks and radio technologies mentioned above as well as other wireless networks and radio technologies. For clarity, although various aspects may be described herein using terms commonly associated with 3G and / or 4G wireless technologies, various aspects of the present disclosure may be applied to communication systems based on other generations (such as 5G and later technologies (including NR technologies)).

[0031] New Radio (NR) access (e.g., 5G technology) can support various wireless communication services, such as enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) targeting wide bandwidth (e.g., 80 MHz or above), millimeter wave (mmW) targeting high carrier frequency (e.g., 25 GHz or above), massive machine type communication MTC (mMTC) targeting non-backward compatible MTC technology, and / or mission critical targeting ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC). These services may include latency and reliability requirements. These services may also have different transmission time intervals (TTIs) to meet corresponding quality of service (QoS) requirements. In addition, these services may coexist in the same subframe.

[0032] The teachings herein may be incorporated into (eg, implemented in or performed by) various wired or wireless devices (eg, nodes). In some aspects, a wireless node implemented according to the teachings herein may include an access point or an access terminal.

[0033] An access point ("AP") may include, be implemented as, or be considered to be a Node B, a radio network controller ("RNC"), an evolved Node B (eNB), a base station controller ("BSC"), a base transceiver station ("BTS"), a base station ("BS"), a transceiver function ("TF"), a radio router, a radio transceiver, a basic service set ("BSS"), an extended service set ("ESS"), a radio base station ("RBS"), an IAB node (e.g., an IAB donor node, an IAB parent node, and an IAB child node), or some other terminology.

[0034] An access terminal ("AT") may include, be implemented as, or be considered to be a subscriber station, a subscriber unit, a mobile station, a remote station, a remote terminal, a user terminal, a user agent, a user device, a user facility, a user station, or some other terminology. In some embodiments, the access terminal may include a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol ("SIP") phone, a wireless local loop ("WLL") station, a personal digital assistant ("PDA"), a handheld device with wireless connection capability, a station ("STA"), or some other suitable processing device (e.g., an AR / VR console and a helmet) connected to a wireless modem. Therefore, one or more aspects of the teachings herein may be incorporated into a phone (e.g., a cellular phone or a smart phone), a computer (e.g., a laptop), a portable communication device, a portable computing device (e.g., a personal data assistant), an entertainment device (e.g., a music or video device or a satellite radio), a global positioning system device, or any other suitable device configured to communicate via a wireless or wired medium. In some aspects, a node is a wireless node. Such a wireless node may provide connectivity for or connect to a network (eg, a wide area network such as the Internet or a cellular network), for example, via a wired or wireless communication link.

[0035] Example Wireless Communication System

[0036] Figure 1 An example wireless communication network 100 is shown in which aspects of the present disclosure may be implemented. Figure 1 As shown, the base station 110a may include a repeater configuration module 112. The repeater configuration module 112 may be designed to configure the repeater 110r to store and process digital samples of analog RF signals (rather than simply retransmitting the received analog signal to another wireless device). The repeater 110r may include a digital sample storage and processing module 114, which may be configured by the base station 110a to store and process digital samples of analog RF signals. The RF signal may include a downlink RF signal from the base station to another wireless device (e.g., a user device or another repeater), and an uplink RF signal from another wireless device to the base station. In some embodiments, the repeater may be implemented in a user equipment (UE) (e.g., a relay UE), and may be used to store and process digital samples of analog RF signals sent from another UE (e.g., a remote UE connected to the base station via the relay UE) on a sidelink connection.

[0037] The wireless communication network 100 may be, for example, a new radio or 5G network. Figure 1As shown, the wireless communication network 100 may include multiple access points (APs) 110 and other network entities. An AP may be a station that communicates with a user equipment (UE). Each AP 110 may provide communication coverage for a specific geographic area. In 3GPP, the term "cell" may refer to the coverage area of ​​a Node B (NB) and / or a NB subsystem serving the coverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used. In NR systems, the terms "cell" and next-generation Node B (gNB or gNodeB), NR AP, 5G NB, or transmit receive point (TRP) may be interchangeable. In some examples, the cell may not be stationary, and the geographic area of ​​the cell may move according to the location of the mobile AP. In some examples, the access points may be interconnected to each other and / or to one or more other access points or network nodes (not shown) in the wireless communication network 100 via various types of backhaul interfaces (e.g., direct physical connections using any suitable transport network, wireless connections, virtual networks, etc.).

[0038] Generally, any number of wireless networks can be deployed in a given geographic area. Each wireless network can support a specific radio access technology (RAT) and can operate on one or more frequencies. RAT can also be referred to as radio technology, air interface, etc. Frequency can also be referred to as carrier, subcarrier, frequency channel, tone, subband, etc. Each frequency can support a single RAT in a given geographic area to avoid interference between wireless networks of different RATs. In some cases, NR or 5G RAT networks can be deployed.

[0039] An AP may provide communication coverage for macro cells, pico cells, femto cells, and / or other types of cells. A macro cell may cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., a radius of several kilometers) and may allow unrestricted access to UEs with service subscriptions. A pico cell may cover a relatively small geographic area and may allow unrestricted access to UEs with service subscriptions. A femto cell may cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a home) and may allow restricted access to UEs associated with the femto cell (e.g., UEs in a closed subscriber group (CSG), UEs of users in a home, etc.). The AP of a macro cell may be referred to as a macro AP. The AP of a pico cell may be referred to as a pico AP. The AP of a femto cell may be referred to as a femto AP or a home AP. In Figure 1 In the illustrated example, APs 110a, 110b, and 110c may be macro APs for macro cells 102a, 102b, and 102c, respectively. AP 110x may be a pico AP for pico cell 102x. APs 110y and 110z may be femto APs for femto cells 102y and 102z, respectively. An AP may support one or more (e.g., three) cells.

[0040] The wireless communication network 100 may also include a relay station. A relay station is a station that receives transmissions of data and / or other information from an upstream station (e.g., an AP or a UE) and sends transmissions of data and / or other information to a downstream station (e.g., a UE or an AP). A relay station may also be a UE that relays transmissions for other UEs. Figure 1 In the example shown, a relay station 110r may communicate with the AP 110a and the UE 120r to facilitate communications between the AP 110a and the UE 120r. A relay station may also be referred to as an IAB node, a relay AP, a relay, or the like.

[0041] The wireless communication network 100 may be a heterogeneous network that includes different types of APs, such as macro APs, pico APs, femto APs, relays, etc. These different types of APs may have different transmit power levels, different coverage areas, and different effects on interference in the wireless communication network 100. For example, a macro AP may have a high transmit power level (e.g., 20 watts), while a pico AP, a femto AP, and a relay may have a lower transmit power level (e.g., 1 watt).

[0042] The wireless communication network 100 may support synchronous or asynchronous operation. For synchronous operation, the APs may have similar frame timing, and transmissions from different APs may be approximately aligned in time. For asynchronous operation, the APs may have different frame timing, and transmissions from different APs may not be aligned in time. The techniques described herein may be used for both synchronous and asynchronous operation.

[0043] A network controller 130 may be coupled to a set of APs and provide coordination and control for these APs. The network controller 130 may communicate with the APs 110 via a backhaul. The APs 110 may also communicate with each other via a wireless or wired backhaul (eg, directly or indirectly).

[0044] UE 120 (e.g., 120x, 120y, etc.) may be dispersed throughout the wireless communication network 100, and each UE may be fixed or mobile. UE may also be referred to as a mobile station, terminal, access terminal, subscriber unit, station, customer premises equipment (CPE), cellular phone, smart phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless modem, wireless communication device, handheld device, laptop computer, cordless phone, wireless local loop (WLL) station, tablet computer, camera, gaming device, netbook, smartbook, ultrabook, appliance, medical device or medical equipment, biosensor / device, wearable device such as smart watch, smart clothing, smart glasses, smart wristband, smart jewelry (e.g., smart ring, smart bracelet, etc.), entertainment device (e.g., music device, video device, satellite radio, etc.), vehicle component or sensor, smart meter / sensor, industrial manufacturing equipment, global positioning system device, or any other suitable device configured to communicate via wireless or wired medium. Some UEs may be considered as machine type communication (MTC) devices or evolved MTC (eMTC) devices. MTC and eMTC UEs include, for example, robots, drones, remote devices, sensors, meters, monitors, location tags, etc., which can communicate with an AP, another device (e.g., a remote device), or some other entity. For example, a wireless node can provide connectivity to or to a network (e.g., a wide area network such as the Internet or a cellular network) via a wired or wireless communication link. Some UEs may be considered Internet of Things (IoT) devices, which may be narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) devices.

[0045] Some wireless networks (e.g., LTE) utilize orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) on the downlink (DL) and single carrier frequency division multiplexing (SC-FDM) on the uplink (UL). OFDM and SC-FDM divide the system bandwidth into multiple (K) orthogonal subcarriers, which are also commonly referred to as tones, bins, etc. Each subcarrier can be modulated with data. Typically, modulation symbols are sent in the frequency domain using OFDM, and modulation symbols are sent in the time domain using SC-FDM. The spacing between adjacent subcarriers can be fixed, and the total number of subcarriers (K) can depend on the system bandwidth. For example, the subcarrier spacing can be 15kHz, and the minimum resource allocation (called a "resource block" (RB)) can be 12 subcarriers (or 180kHz). Therefore, for a system bandwidth of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 megahertz (MHz), the nominal fast Fourier transform (FFT) size may be equal to 128, 256, 512, 1024, or 2048, respectively. The system bandwidth may also be divided into subbands. For example, a subband may cover 1.08 MHz (i.e., 6 resource blocks), and for a system bandwidth of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 MHz, there may be 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 subbands, respectively.

[0046] Although aspects of the examples described herein may be associated with LTE technology, aspects of the present disclosure may be applicable to other wireless communication systems, such as NR. NR may utilize OFDM with CP on both the uplink and downlink, and includes support for half-duplex operation using TDD. Beamforming may be supported, and the beam direction may be dynamically configured. MIMO transmissions with precoding may also be supported. MIMO configurations in the DL may support up to 8 transmit antennas, with multi-layer DL transmissions of up to 8 streams and up to 2 streams per UE. Multi-layer transmissions of up to 2 streams per UE may be supported. Aggregation of multiple cells may support up to 8 serving cells.

[0047] In some examples, access to the air interface can be scheduled. A scheduling entity (e.g., an AP) allocates resources for communications between some or all devices and equipment within its service area or cell. A scheduling entity may be responsible for scheduling, allocating, reconfiguring, and releasing resources for one or more subordinate entities. That is, for scheduled communications, subordinate entities utilize resources allocated by the scheduling entity. An access point is not the only entity that can act as a scheduling entity. In some examples, a UE may act as a scheduling entity and may schedule resources for one or more subordinate entities (e.g., one or more other UEs), and other UEs may use the resources scheduled by the UE for wireless communications. In some examples, a UE may act as a scheduling entity in a peer-to-peer (P2P) network and / or a mesh network. In a mesh network example, in addition to communicating with a scheduling entity, UEs may also communicate directly with each other.

[0048] exist Figure 1 In FIG. 1 , a solid line with double arrows indicates a desired transmission between a UE and a serving AP, which is an AP designated to serve the UE on the downlink and / or uplink. A thin dashed line with double arrows indicates an interfering transmission between a UE and an AP.

[0049] Figure 2 An example architecture of a distributed radio access network (RAN) 200 including an example IAB network 250 is shown, which may be Figure 1 The wireless communication network 100 shown in FIG. Figure 2 As shown, the distributed RAN includes a core network (CN) 202 and an access node (AN) configured as an IAB host 208 .

[0050] As shown, the IAB network 250 includes an IAB host node 208. The IAB host node 208 is a RAN node (e.g., an access point / gNB that terminates at an NR Ng interface with a core network (e.g., a next-generation NG core)) and is generally connected to the core network via a wired backhaul link. The CN 202 can host core network functions. The CN 202 can be centrally deployed. The CN 202 functions can be offloaded (e.g., to an advanced wireless service (AWS)) in an attempt to handle peak capacity. The CN 202 can include an access and mobility management function (AMF) 204 and a user plane function (UPF) 206. The AMF 204 and the UPF 206 can perform one or more of the core network functions.

[0051] The IAB host 208 may communicate with the CN 202 (e.g., via a backhaul interface). The IAB host 208 may communicate with the AMF 204 via an N2 (e.g., NG-C) interface. The IAB host 208 may communicate with the UPF 206 via an N3 (e.g., NG-U) interface. The IAB host 208 may include a central unit-control plane (CU-CP) 210, one or more central unit-user planes (CU-UP) 212, one or more distributed units (DU) 214-218, and one or more antenna / remote radio units (AU / RRU) (not shown). The CU and DU may also be referred to as gNB-CU and gNB-DU, respectively.

[0052] The IAB host node 208 may also be referred to as an IAB anchor node and may include an IAB central unit (e.g., NRCU) or an IAB distributed unit (e.g., NR DU). The IAB network 250 also includes one or more non-host IAB nodes (e.g., 220a-220e). Each IAB node (including a host IAB node and a non-host IAB node) may serve one or more UEs (e.g., 222a-222c) connected to the IAB node. As shown, the IAB nodes including the host IAB node 208 may be connected via a wireless backhaul link (e.g., an NR wireless backhaul link or a backup NR wireless backhaul link). Each IAB node is connected to the UE it serves via a corresponding access link.

[0053] Each IAB node is a RAN node (e.g., access point / gNB) that provides two roles for the IAB function, including a data unit function (DU-F) and a mobile terminal function (MT-F). The DU-F of an IAB node is generally responsible for scheduling UEs (e.g., served by the IAB node) and other IAB nodes (e.g., nodes connected to the IAB node as child nodes). The DU-F also controls the access link and backhaul link within its coverage. The MT-F of an IAB node is controlled and scheduled by an IAB host node or another IAB node as its parent IAB node. In one aspect, the IAB host node 208 only includes a DU-F and does not include an MT-F.

[0054] The CU-CP 210 may be connected to one or more of the DUs 214-218. The CU-CP 210 and the DUs 214-218 may be connected via a wired interface using the F1-C protocol. Figure 2 As shown, CU-CP 210 can be connected to multiple DUs, but these DUs can be connected to only one CU-CP. Figure 2Only one CU-UP 212 is shown, but the IAB host 208 may include multiple CU-UPs. The CU-CP 210 selects an appropriate CU-UP for the requested service (e.g., for the UE). The CU-UP 212 may be connected to the CU-CP 210. For example, the CU-UP 212 and the CU-CP 210 may be connected via an E1 interface. The CU-CP 212 may be connected to one or more of the DUs 214, 218. The CU-UP 212 and the DUs 214, 218 may be connected via an F1-U interface. Figure 2 As shown, the CU-CP 210 may be connected to multiple CU-UPs, but a CU-UP may be connected to only one CU-CP.

[0055] A DU such as DU 214 and / or 218 may host one or more TRPs (transmit / receive points, which may include edge nodes (ENs), edge units (EUs), radio heads (RHs), smart radio heads (SRHs), etc.). The DU may be located at the edge of a network with radio frequency (RF) capabilities. The DU may be connected to multiple CU-UPs (e.g., for RAN sharing, radio as a service (RaaS), and service-specific deployments), which are connected to the same CU-CP (e.g., under the control of the same CU-CP). The DU may be configured to provide traffic to the UE individually (e.g., dynamically selected) or jointly (e.g., joint transmission). Each DU 214, 218 may be connected to one of the AU / RRUs.

[0056] The CU-CP 210 may be connected to multiple DUs that are connected to the same CU-UP 212 (e.g., under the control of the same CU-UP). The connection between the CU-UP 212 and the DU may be established by the CU-CP 210. For example, a Bearer Context Management function may be used to establish the connection between the CU-UP 212 and the DU. Data forwarding between the CU-UPs 212 may be performed via an Xn-U interface.

[0057] The distributed RAN 200 may support fronthaul solutions across different deployment types. For example, the RAN 200 architecture may be based on transmission network capabilities (e.g., bandwidth, latency, and / or jitter). The distributed RAN 200 may share features and / or components with LTE. For example, the IAB host 208 may support dual connectivity with NR and may share a common fronthaul for LTE and NR. The distributed RAN 200 may enable collaboration between DUs 214, 218, for example, via CU-CP 212. Inter-DU interfaces may not be used.

[0058] Logical functions may be dynamically distributed in the distributed RAN 200. Figure 4 As will be described in more detail, the radio resource control (RRC) layer, the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, the radio link control (RLC) layer, the medium access control (MAC) layer, the physical (PHY) layer and / or the radio frequency (RF) layer may be adaptively placed in the AN and / or the UE.

[0059] Figure 3 AP 110 and UE 120 (eg Figure 1 300) that can be used to implement aspects of the present disclosure. For example, antennas 352, processors 366, 358, 364, and / or controller / processor 380 of UE 120, and / or antennas 334, processors 320, 330, 338, and / or controller / processor 340 of AP 110 can be used to perform the various techniques and methods described herein. For example, Figure 3 As shown, the processor 340 includes a repeater module 346. The repeater module 346 may correspond to Figure 1 The repeater configuration module 112 shown in FIG. 1 and may be configured to perform Fig.11 The operations 1100 shown in and described below, wherein AP 110 acts as Figure 1 The base station 110a shown in FIG. The AP 110 acts as Figure 1 In the case of the repeater 110r shown, the repeater module 346 may correspond to Figure 1 The digital sample storage and processing module 114 shown in FIG. 1 and may be configured to perform Fig.10 Operation 1000 is shown.

[0060] At the AP 110, a transmit processor 320 may receive data from a data source 312 and control information from a controller / processor 340. The control information may be for a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), a physical control format indicator channel (PCFICH), a physical hybrid ARQ indicator channel (PHICH), a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), a group common PDCCH (GC PDCCH), etc. The data may be for a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), etc. The processor 320 may process (e.g., encode and symbol map) the data and control information to obtain data symbols and control symbols, respectively. The processor 320 may also generate reference symbols for, for example, a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and a cell-specific reference signal (CRS). If applicable, a transmit (TX) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) processor 330 may perform spatial processing (e.g., precoding) on ​​data symbols, control symbols, and / or reference symbols, and may provide output symbol streams to modulators (MODs) 332a to 332t. Each modulator 332 may process a corresponding output symbol stream (e.g., for OFDM, etc.) to obtain an output sample stream. Each modulator may further process (e.g., convert to analog, amplify, filter, and upconvert) the output sample stream to obtain a downlink signal. The downlink signals from modulators 332a through 332t may be transmitted via antennas 334a through 334t, respectively.

[0061] At the UE 120, antennas 352a to 352r may receive downlink signals from the AP 110 and may provide received signals to demodulators (DEMODs) in transceivers 354a to 354r, respectively. Each demodulator 354 may condition (e.g., filter, amplify, downconvert, and digitize) a corresponding received signal to obtain input samples. Each demodulator may further process the input samples (e.g., for OFDM, etc.) to obtain received symbols. A MIMO detector 356 may obtain received symbols from all demodulators in the transceivers 354a to 354r, perform MIMO detection on the received symbols if applicable, and provide detected symbols. A receive processor 358 may process (e.g., demodulate, deinterleave, and decode) the detected symbols, provide decoded data for the UE 120 to a data sink 360, and provide decoded control information to a controller / processor 380.

[0062] On the uplink, at the UE 120, a transmit processor 364 may receive and process data from a data source 362 (e.g., data for a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH)) and control information from a controller / processor 380 (e.g., control information for a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH)). The transmit processor 364 may also generate reference symbols for reference signals (e.g., a sounding reference signal (SRS)). The symbols from the transmit processor 364 may be precoded by a TX MIMO processor 366, if applicable, and further processed by a demodulator in the transceivers 354a through 354r (e.g., for SC-FDM, etc.), and transmitted to the access point 110. At the AP 110, uplink signals from the user equipment 120 may be received by the antennas 334, processed by the modulators 332, detected by the MIMO detector 336, if applicable, and further processed by the receive processor 338 to obtain decoded data and control information transmitted by the UE 120. The receive processor 338 may provide decoded data to a data sink 339 and decoded control information to a controller / processor 340 .

[0063] Controllers / processors 340 and 380 may direct the operation at AP 110 and UE 120, respectively. Processor 340 and / or other processors and modules at AP 110 may perform or direct the execution of processes for the techniques described herein. Memories 342 and 382 may store data and program codes for AP 110 and UE 120, respectively. Scheduler 344 may schedule UEs for data transmission on the downlink and / or uplink.

[0064] Figure 4 A diagram illustrating an example of implementing a communication protocol stack 400 in a RAN (e.g., such as RAN 200) according to various aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The illustrated communication protocol stack 400 may be implemented by a device operating in a wireless communication system, such as a 5G NR system (e.g., wireless communication network 100). In various examples, the layers of the protocol stack 400 may be implemented as separate software modules, as part of a processor or ASIC, as part of a non-collocated device connected by a communication link, or various combinations thereof. Collocated and non-collocated implementations may be used, for example, for a protocol stack of a network access device or UE. As shown in FIG. Figure 4 As shown, the system can support various services through one or more protocols. One or more protocol layers of the protocol stack 400 can be composed of AN (e.g., Figure 2 AN 208, or Figure 1 The method may be implemented by the AP 110a) and / or the UE (eg, the UE 120) in the system.

[0065] like Figure 4As shown, the protocol stack 400 is split in the AN. The RRC layer 405, the PDCP layer 410, the RLC layer 415, the MAC layer 420, the PHY layer 425, and the RF layer 430 may be implemented by the AN. For example, each CU-CP (e.g., Figure 2 210) and CU-UP (e.g., Figure 2 CU-UP 212 in the DU (e.g., Figure 2 DUs 214 and 218 in the DU may implement RLC layer 415 and MAC layer 420. However, DUs may also implement PHY layer 425 and RF layer 430 via AU / RRU connected to the DU. PHY layer 425 may include a high PHY layer and a low PHY layer.

[0066] A UE (eg, UEs 222a - 222c ) may implement the entire protocol stack 400 (eg, RRC layer 405 , PDCP layer 410 , RLC layer 415 , MAC layer 420 , PHY layer 425 , and RF layer 430 ).

[0067] Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of a frame format 500 for NR. The transmission timeline of each link in the downlink and uplink may be divided into units of radio frames. Each radio frame may have a predetermined duration (e.g., 10 ms) and may be divided into 10 subframes, each of 1 ms, indexed from 0 to 9. Depending on the subcarrier spacing, each subframe may contain a variable number of slots. Depending on the subcarrier spacing, each slot may contain a variable number of symbol periods (e.g., 7 or 14 symbols). The symbol periods in each slot may be assigned an index. A mini slot, which may be referred to as a subslot structure, refers to a transmission time interval (e.g., 2, 3, or 4 symbols) whose duration is less than a slot. Each symbol in a slot may indicate a link direction (e.g., DL, UL, or flexible) for data transmission, and the link direction of each subframe may be dynamically switched. The link direction may be based on a slot format. Each slot may contain DL / UL data and DL / UL control information.

[0068] In NR, a synchronization signal (SS) block is transmitted. The SS block contains PSS, SSS, and dual-symbol PBCH. The SS block can be transmitted at a fixed time slot position, e.g. Figure 5Symbols 0-3 shown. The UE can use PSS and SSS for cell search and acquisition. PSS can provide half-frame timing, and SS can provide CP length and frame timing. PSS and SSS can provide cell identification. PBCH carries some basic system information, such as downlink system bandwidth, timing information within a radio frame, SS burst set periodicity, system frame number, etc. SS blocks can be organized into SS bursts to support beam scanning (sweep). Other system information, such as remaining minimum system information (RMSI), system information block (SIB), and other system information (OSI) can be sent on the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) in certain subframes. For example, for mmW, SS blocks can be sent up to 64 times, with up to 64 different beam directions. Up to 64 transmissions of SS blocks are called SS burst sets. SS blocks in an SS burst set are sent in the same frequency region, while SS blocks in different SS burst sets can be sent at different frequency locations.

[0069] In some cases, two or more slave entities (e.g., UEs) may communicate with each other using sidelink signals. Real-world applications of such sidelink communications may include public safety, proximity services, UE-to-network relay, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications, Internet of Everything (IoE) communications, IoT communications, mission-critical grids, and / or various other suitable applications. In general, a sidelink signal may refer to a signal that is communicated from one slave entity (e.g., UE1) to another slave entity (e.g., UE2) without relaying the communication through a scheduling entity (e.g., UE or AP), even if the scheduling entity may be used for scheduling and / or control purposes. In some examples, a licensed spectrum may be used to communicate sidelink signals (unlike wireless local area networks, which typically use unlicensed spectrum).

[0070] The UE may operate in various radio resource configurations, including a configuration associated with sending a pilot using a dedicated resource set (e.g., a radio resource control (RRC) dedicated state, etc.), or a configuration associated with sending a pilot using a common resource set (e.g., an RRC common state, etc.). When operating in the RRC dedicated state, the UE may select a dedicated resource set to send a pilot signal to the network. When operating in the RRC common state, the UE may select a common resource set to send a pilot signal to the network. In either case, the pilot signal sent by the UE may be received by one or more network access devices (e.g., an AN or DU, or a portion thereof). Each receiving network access device may be configured to receive and measure a pilot signal sent on a common resource set, and also receive and measure a pilot signal sent on a dedicated resource set allocated to a UE for which the network access device is a member of a network access device monitoring set. One or more receiving network access devices in the receiving network access device, or a CU receiving a measurement result to which a network access device sends a pilot signal, may use the measurement result to identify a serving cell for the UE, or initiate a change in a serving cell for one or more UEs in the UE.

[0071] Directional Repeater Example

[0072] The stated goals of the next generation (5G) wireless networks are to provide ultra-high data rates and support a wide range of application scenarios. The Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) system has been studied in 3GPP as a possible solution to help support these goals.

[0073] As mentioned above, in an IAB system, a wireless backhaul solution can be adopted to connect cells (IAB nodes) to the core network (which uses wired backhaul). Some attractive features of IAB are support for multi-hop wireless backhaul, sharing the same technology (e.g., NR) and resources (e.g., frequency band) for both access and backhaul links.

[0074] There are various possible architectures for the IAB node, including Layer 2 (L2) and Layer 3 (L3) solutions, and the specific architecture deployed may depend on which layers of the protocol stack are implemented in the intermediate node (IAB node), for example, an L2 relay may implement the physical (PHY), media access control (MAC), and radio link control (RLC) layers.

[0075] Certain aspects of the present disclosure relate to L1 relays (referred to as repeaters). L1 relays / repeaters also have many attractive features. For example, such repeaters can be relatively simple, low-cost, low-power devices and wirelessly connected to a host or another relay (e.g., a gNB).

[0076] Figure 6An example application of how repeaters can be used to help improve coverage by overcoming the obstruction of RF signals by objects, known as blockage, is shown. It is generally understood that blockage is a major problem in mmWave systems (e.g., high frequency systems such as those operating in the 50 GHz band), where beamforming is used to send directional signals. In the example shown, repeaters (r1, r2, and r3) can allow the gNB to serve UEs (UE1 and UE2) even if objects block the gNB directional RF signals from reaching those UEs.

[0077] As shown, because r1 is not blocked, r1 can receive the RF signal from the gNB and retransmit it to UE1 (even though UE1 is blocked and cannot receive the signal directly from the gNB). Similarly, because r2 is not blocked, r2 can receive the RF signal from the gNB and retransmit it to UE2 (even though UE2 is blocked and cannot receive the signal directly from the gNB). As shown in this relatively simple example, the L1 repeater can serve as a relatively simple and inexpensive solution to provide protection against blocking, extend the coverage of the MMW cell, and fill coverage holes.

[0078] Fig. 7A and Figure 7B Additional details are provided on how repeaters can help effectively overcome the challenges of blocking. Fig. 7A As shown, a conventional repeater receives an RF signal in one panel (corresponding to a receive or Rx beam) and transmits (retransmits) the signal in another panel (corresponding to a transmit or Tx beam). For example, a repeater may be configured as an amplify-and-forward system, where the repeater simply amplifies the received signal and forwards the amplified signal to become the transmitted signal.

[0079] exist Fig. 7A In the example shown, repeater r1 is able to receive RF (downlink) signals from a base station and relay the RF signals to a UE that is blocked from receiving RF signals directly from the base station. In the other (uplink) direction, repeater r1 can receive RF signals from a UE and relay the RF signals to the base station. Figure 7B As shown, the receiving panels and the transmitting panels can be used to implement some fixed beam patterns.

[0080] For wide coverage, the beam pattern is usually wide, so high array gain cannot be achieved.Repeaters generally do not know whether the signal is downlink or uplink in a TDD system, and operate in both directions simultaneously (full duplex).

[0081] Figure 8A schematic diagram of an example architecture 800 of a repeater (e.g., an L1 repeater) is shown. As described above, this type of repeater generally performs the following basic operations: receives analog RF signals on its RX antenna in a phased array 808 (e.g., based on some configured RX beamforming), amplifies the power of the received analog RF signal, and transmits the amplified signal from its TX antenna in a phased array 810 (e.g., based on some configured TX beamforming).

[0082] As shown, beamforming can be accomplished via phased antenna arrays 808 and 810 configured by controller 802, while amplification can be accomplished by variable gain amplifier 806. The repeater can also communicate some control signals with a server (e.g., a base station acting as a host, a control node, etc.) via a control interface 804. The control interface 804 can be implemented out-of-band (operating outside the carrier frequency on which the Rx signal is received) or in-band (e.g., using a smaller bandwidth portion of the same carrier frequency). The out-of-band control interface can be implemented, for example, via a separate (e.g., low-frequency) modem using a different radio technology (such as BT) or a different frequency (LTE NB-IoT).

[0083] Example of a smart directional repeater with buffering capability

[0084] Aspects of the present disclosure may enhance the functionality of a directional repeater. In some cases, by adding even a limited ability to buffer digital samples, repeater functionality may be enhanced (relative to Figure 8 architecture shown) to provide better coverage and more efficient use of time, frequency and space resources.

[0085] As mentioned above, in a conventional repeater architecture, the data path may be completely analog. In other words, the repeater does not further process the analog (to be repeated) RF signal. More precisely, the repeater forwards the signal in its analog form (without any digital baseband processing).

[0086] While forwarding signals in analog form without performing any additional processing may have some advantages (e.g., simplicity of implementation since the repeater may not need to include additional baseband processing components such as analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) and digital-to-analog converters (DACs)), forwarding signals in analog form without performing additional processing imposes some limitations in wireless communication systems. For example, since the received signal may need to be immediately forwarded from the repeater to the destination device (i.e., a gNB on the uplink, or a UE on the downlink), the received signal cannot be digitized and buffered. Another limitation is that the repeater must operate in full-duplex mode. For example, when receiving an RF signal via its backhaul link, the repeater needs to forward the received RF signal to the UE via its access link (and vice versa).

[0087] Furthermore, while the use of analog repeaters can be used to increase the spatial coverage area (and potentially the number of UEs to be served) and alleviate the blocking issues discussed above, forwarding analog signals without further processing does not allow for spatial multiplexing gains to be experienced in terms of processing / computation. In other words, the intermediate relay (relay) nodes generally perform minimal processing, while the base station (gNB) can be delegated to perform essentially all processing in the digital domain.

[0088] The use of analog repeaters in wireless communication systems can result in increased resource overhead for periodic transmissions. Figure 5 As described, SSBs are generally sent periodically. Each time an SSB is to be sent to a UE (or direction) served by a simple relay, the gNB needs to send a new copy to the relay to be forwarded, so as the number of relays and / or UEs increases, there will be a scaling problem. However, aspects of the present disclosure can help enable the relay to generate and send SSBs without the participation of the gNB.

[0089] Furthermore, the use of analog repeaters can lead to inefficient multiplexing of traffic to multiple UEs. This limitation can be seen in Fig. 9 The relatively simple example shown is described here, where two relays (rptr 1 and rptr 2) are deployed to help the gNB serve four UEs (UE1-UE4). With simple relays, only a single UE can be served at a time, because only one of the four possible paths listed below is active at a time:

[0090] {gNB->rptr 1->UE1},

[0091] {gNB->rptr 1->UE2},

[0092] {gNB->rptr 2->UE3}, or

[0093] {gNB->rptr 2->UE4}.

[0094] However, aspects of the present disclosure may allow UEs associated with different relays to be served simultaneously.

[0095] Aspects of the present disclosure can help address the limitations of the basic analog repeater architecture described above by adding signal processing functionality to the repeater. As will be described in more detail below, in some cases, an enhanced repeater can have additional components / capacity (relative to Figure 8 ), which can allow an enhanced repeater to receive an analog RF signal, digitize it, store (buffer) the digital samples, (reconstruct the analog signal from the stored samples), and later transmit the analog RF signal.

[0096] Fig.10 Example operations 1000 for wireless communications by a wireless device are shown according to certain aspects of the present disclosure. Operations 1000 may be performed, for example, by a repeater (e.g., Figure 1 , 6 , 7, 9, 12 or 13) and can be configured to relay uplink, downlink or sidelink signaling received at the repeater.

[0097] Operations 1000 begin at 1002 by receiving a configuration from a base station indicating how a wireless device is to process stored digital samples of a first radio frequency (RF) signal.

[0098] At 1004, the repeater receives a first RF signal, wherein the receiving includes generating digital samples of the first RF signal.

[0099] At 1006, the repeater stores the digital samples.

[0100] At 1008, the repeater processes the stored digital samples according to the configuration.

[0101] Fig.11 Example operations 1100 for wireless communications by a network entity are shown according to certain aspects of the present disclosure. Operations 1100 may be performed, for example, by a base station (e.g., Figure 1 , 2 , 6, 7, 9, 12 or 13) to configure an enhanced repeater that performs operation 1000 to relay uplink, downlink or sidelink signaling received at the repeater.

[0102] Operations 1100 begin at 1102 by generating a configuration that indicates how a wireless device is to process stored digital samples of a first radio frequency (RF) signal.

[0103] At 1104, the network entity sends the configuration to the wireless device.

[0104] Fig.12 An example architecture 1200 of an enhanced repeater is shown according to various aspects of the present disclosure. Figure 8 Compared to the basic architecture of an enhanced repeater, an enhanced repeater may have additional components, which may allow the enhanced repeater to receive an analog RF signal, digitize it, store the digital samples, (reconstruct the analog signal from the stored samples), and later transmit the analog RF signal.

[0105] For example, Fig.12The enhanced repeater may have components that allow the enhanced repeater to perform at least limited baseband processing. As shown, the architecture 1200 of the enhanced repeater may include a digital baseband processor 1202 and intermediate frequency (IF) stages 1204 and 1206. The digital baseband processor 1202 may have limited baseband capabilities relative to the UE or gNB and may include a buffer of sufficient size for storing digital samples (in-phase and quadrature (IQ) samples) of analog signals. The IF stage 1204 may be configured to convert a received RF signal into an IF signal, and the IF stage 1206 may be configured to convert the digital samples from the digital baseband processor into an RF signal for transmission. The IF stages 1204 and 1206 may include mixers, filters, ADCs, DACs, etc. designed to convert and generate RF signals for processing and transmission.

[0106] Fig.12 The enhanced repeater may also include a control interface 1208 to receive control signaling from a base station. The control signaling may, for example, indicate how to store and process digital samples. As described above, the control signaling may be in-band or out-of-band. In the case of in-band control, the control interface 1208 may be communicatively coupled to the digital baseband processor 1202, and the digital baseband processor 1202 may be used to extract the control signaling from the received RF signal.

[0107] Fig.13 Flowchart 1300 is called, which illustrates the operation of the enhanced repeater 1304 to process RF signals exchanged between the gNB 1302 and the UE 1306.

[0108] like Fig.13 As shown, in order to implement the enhanced relay functionality proposed in this article, various signaling can be first exchanged between the relay and the network entity (e.g., gNB).

[0109] To configure the repeater to store and process digital samples, the repeater 1304 may send capability signaling 1310 to the gNB 1302. The capability signaling 1310 may be one or more messages sent to the gNB 1302 that provide an indication of the processing and storage capabilities of the repeater 1304. For example, the capability signaling may include an indication of whether the repeater has the ability to store and replay IQ samples (e.g., the repeater is one of a new class of repeaters that can process and relay signaling in the digital domain). The capability signaling 1310 may also indicate the frequency resources (e.g., bandwidth and / or center frequency) supported by the repeater 1304. For example, if the repeater 1304 supports in-band control, the repeater 1304 may signal the gNB 1302 with the capability and a bandwidth part (BWP) over which the repeater 1304 can communicate control signals with the gNB 1302. The capability signaling 1310 may also indicate other information, such as the ADC resolution (in number of bits) of the digital samples, and the available memory to store the digital samples.

[0110] In response to receiving capability signaling 1310 from repeater 1304, gNB 1302 may send digital sample processing configuration 1312 to repeater 1304. In general, digital sample processing configuration 1312 may specify how repeater 1304 processes digital samples. For example, configuration 1312 may instruct repeater 1304 to receive, digitize, and store incoming RF signals (instead of, or in addition to, forwarding only the incoming RF signals). In some cases, the configuration may also specify details of how repeater 1304 is to store digital samples. Configuration information may include, for example, the resolution at which digital samples of the RF signal are to be stored. Configuration 1312 may also include information configuring repeater 1304 to generate and transmit an analog signal using stored IQ samples (e.g., by indicating an index to a stored set of signals).

[0111] In some embodiments, in the digital sample processing configuration 1312, the gNB 1302 may also indicate a beamforming (BF) configuration used by the relay 1304 to receive and / or transmit RF signals. The beamforming configuration may include, for example, information identifying a beam to be used for communication on a backhaul link between the relay 1304 and the gNB 1302 (e.g., a precoding matrix, etc.), and instructions to perform beamforming on an access link between the UE 1306 and the relay 1304.

[0112] In some embodiments, the digital sample processing configuration 1312 may include information indicating time resources to be used by the repeater 1304 to transmit RF signals to the gNB 1302 and the UE 1306 and / or to receive RF signals from the gNB 1302 and the UE 1306. The gNB 1302 may indicate in the digital sample processing configuration 1312 the frequency resources (e.g., center carrier frequency and / or bandwidth) of the signals to be sampled for reception by the repeater. The gNB 1302 may also indicate in the digital sample processing configuration 1312 the frequency resources to be used for the signals to be transmitted by the repeater. In some cases, the digital sample processing configuration 1312 may include information indicating or otherwise specifying a transmit power for the RF signals transmitted by the repeater 1304. The transmit power identified in the digital sample processing configuration 1312 may include, for example, a minimum transmit power (e.g., a minimum power required to receive a signal of sufficient strength at the gNB or UE), a maximum transmit power, or other power control parameters.

[0113] As shown, once the repeater 1304 is configured, it can process DL and / or UL signals based on the configuration. For example, at box 1316, the repeater can process (e.g., receive and digitize) and store digital samples according to the configuration 1312. As shown, at box 1316, the repeater 1304 can receive a DL RF signal 1314 from the gNB 1302, process the DL RF signal, and temporarily store the processed signal. Subsequently, the repeater 1304 can generate a DL RF signal 1318 and retransmit it to the UE 1306. The generated and retransmitted DL RF signal can be based on the stored samples of the DL RF signal 1314, which are generated at box 1316.

[0114] Similarly, the relay 1304 may receive an uplink signal 1320 from a UE or another relay. At block 1322, the relay 1304 may process (e.g., digitize) and store digital samples of the UL RF signal 1320 in accordance with the configuration 1312. The relay may then generate and (re) transmit a UL RF signal 1324 to the gNB 1302. The UL RF signal 1324 may be generated based on the digital samples of the uplink signal 1320 generated at block 1322 in accordance with the configuration 1312.

[0115] The repeater may apply the techniques described herein to a variety of different UL and DL signals. For example, the gNB may request / command the repeater to sample and store DL reference signals (RS) for later transmission. Examples of such DL RS include SSB, CSI-RS, and Tracking Reference Signal (TRS). In some cases, based on the stored samples, the enhanced repeater may be able to generate and send SSB without gNB involvement.

[0116] In some cases, the DL signals processed as described herein may include periodic and / or broadcast DL channels, such as RMSI, PDCCH, and PDSCH. In some cases, the DL signals processed as described herein may include unicast DL control and / or data channels, or multicast (group common) control and / or data channels. In this way, aspects of the present disclosure may allow UEs associated with different relays to be served simultaneously.

[0117] Examples of UL signals that the gNB may request the relay to receive, store and later send back include signals such as Random Access Channel (RACH), MSG1, Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) and Scheduling Request (SR).

[0118] In some cases, the gNB may use control signaling to instruct the repeater to delete or overwrite some or all stored digital (IQ) samples buffered at the repeater. In some cases, the gNB may provide some criteria (e.g., thresholds for received power) for the repeater to apply before storing / transmitting received signals.

[0119] In some cases, the relay may provide a status report of its available memory to the gNB. For example, the report may be in response to a request from the gNB and / or may be triggered by an event (e.g., when its memory is full or the available capacity is below a threshold).

[0120] The enhanced repeaters proposed herein can help increase network coverage and better utilize system resources. For example, by controlling the time, frequency, and / or spatial resources used by the enhanced repeaters (which can digitize and store samples of received RF signals for later transmission), the gNB may be able to serve more UEs than previously possible.

[0121] Other Considerations

[0122] The previous description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. Various modifications to these aspects will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the overall principles defined herein can be applied to other aspects. Therefore, the claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but are given the full scope consistent with the claim language, wherein the reference to the singular element is not intended to mean "one and only one", but "one or more", unless specifically stated. Unless otherwise explicitly stated, the term "some" refers to one or more. All structural and functional equivalents of the elements of the various aspects described throughout the present disclosure are expressly incorporated herein by reference, and are intended to be covered by the claims, and these structural and functional equivalents are known or will be known later to those of ordinary skill in the art. In addition, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be contributed to the public, regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recorded in the claims. Any claim element should not be interpreted according to the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112 (f), unless the element is explicitly recorded using the phrase "parts for...", or in the case of a method claim, the element is recorded using the phrase "step for...".

[0123] The various operations of the method described above can be performed by any suitable components capable of performing the corresponding functions. These components can include various hardware and / or software components and / or modules, including but not limited to: circuits, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) or processors. In general, where there are operations shown in the figure, those operations can have corresponding paired functional component components with similar numbers.

[0124] As used herein, the term "determining" includes a wide variety of actions. For example, "determining" may include calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, searching (e.g., searching in a table, a database, or another data structure), ascertaining, etc. In addition, "determining" may include receiving (e.g., receiving information), accessing (e.g., accessing data in a memory), etc. In addition, "determining" may include resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, etc.

[0125] As used herein, a phrase referring to "at least one of" a list of items refers to any combination of those items, including single members. For example, "at least one of a, b, or c" is intended to cover a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, and abc, as well as combinations containing multiples of one or more elements (aa, bb, and / or cc).

[0126] The various illustrative logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the present disclosure may be implemented or executed using a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device (PLD), discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. The general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in an alternative, the processor may be any commercially available processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The 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.

[0127] The steps of the method or algorithm described in conjunction with the present disclosure may be directly embodied in hardware, a software module executed by a processor, or a combination of the two. The software module may reside in any form of storage medium known in the art. Some examples of storage media that can be used include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disks, removable disks, CD-ROMs, etc. The software module may include a single instruction or multiple instructions and may be distributed over several different code segments, between different programs, and across multiple storage media. The storage medium may be coupled to the processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. In an alternative, the storage medium may be integrated into the processor.

[0128] The methods disclosed herein include one or more steps or actions for implementing the described methods. The method steps and / or actions may be interchangeable with each other without departing from the scope of the claims. In other words, unless a specific order of steps or actions is specified, the order and / or use of specific steps and / or actions may be modified without departing from the scope of the claims.

[0129] The means for receiving or the means for obtaining may include Figure 3 The receiver (e.g., receive processor 338) or antenna 334 of access point 110, or receive processor 358 or antenna 352 of station 120 is shown. The means for transmitting or the means for outputting may include Figure 3 The transmitter (e.g., transmit processor 320) or antenna 334 of access point 110 is shown, or the transmit processor 364 or antenna 352 of station 120. The means for associating, the means for determining, the means for monitoring, the means for deciding, the means for providing, the means for detecting, the means for executing, and / or the means for setting may include a processing system, which may include one or more processors, e.g. Figure 3The access point 110 and station 120 are shown with a receive processor 338 / 358, a transmit processor 320 / 364, a TX MIMO processor 330 / 366, or a controller 340 / 380.

[0130] In some cases, a device may not actually send a frame, but may have an interface (a component for outputting) that outputs a frame for sending. For example, a processor may output a frame to a radio frequency (RF) front end for sending via a bus interface. Similarly, a device may not actually receive a frame, but may have an interface (a component for obtaining) that obtains a frame received from another device. For example, a processor may obtain (or receive) a frame from an RF front end via a bus interface for receiving.

[0131] The functions described may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in hardware, an example hardware configuration may include a processing system in a wireless node. The processing system may be implemented using a bus architecture. Depending on the specific application and overall design constraints of the processing system, the bus may include any number of interconnecting buses and bridges. The bus may link together various circuits including a processor, a machine-readable medium, and a bus interface. The bus interface may also be used to connect a network adapter, etc., to the processing system via the bus. The network adapter may be used to implement the signal processing functions of the PHY layer. In the user terminal 120 (see Figure 1 ), a user interface (e.g., a keypad, display, mouse, joystick, etc.) may also be connected to the bus. The bus may also link various other circuits such as timing sources, peripherals, voltage regulators, power management circuits, etc., which are well known in the art and therefore will not be described further.

[0132] The processor may be responsible for managing the bus and general processing, including the execution of software stored on the machine-readable medium. The processor may be implemented using one or more general and / or special processors. Examples include microprocessors, microcontrollers, DSPs, and other circuits that can execute software. Software should be broadly interpreted as instructions, data, or any combination thereof, whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or other. For example, the machine-readable medium may include RAM (random access memory), flash memory, ROM (read-only memory), PROM (programmable read-only memory), EPROM (erasable programmable read-only memory), EEPROM (electrically erasable programmable read-only memory), registers, disks, optical disks, hard disks, or any other suitable storage media or any combination thereof. The machine-readable medium may be embodied in a computer program product. The computer program product may include packaging materials.

[0133] In a hardware implementation, the machine-readable medium may be part of a processing system separate from the processor. However, as will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art, the machine-readable medium or any portion thereof may be external to the processing system. For example, the machine-readable medium may include a transmission line, a carrier modulated by data, and / or a computer product separate from the wireless node, all of which may be accessed by the processor via a bus interface. Alternatively or additionally, the machine-readable medium or any portion thereof may be integrated into the processor, such as in the case of a cache and / or a general register file.

[0134] The processing system may be configured as a general purpose processing system having one or more microprocessors providing processor functionality and external memory providing at least a portion of a machine-readable medium, all linked together with other support circuits via an external bus architecture. Alternatively, the processing system may be implemented using an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) having a processor, bus interface, user interface in the case of an access terminal, support circuits, and at least a portion of a machine-readable medium integrated into a single chip, or using one or more FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays), PLDs (Programmable Logic Devices), controllers, state machines, gate logic, discrete hardware components, or any other suitable circuits, or with any combination of circuits that can perform the various functions described throughout this disclosure. Those skilled in the art will recognize how to best implement the functionality of the described processing system based on the specific application and the overall design constraints imposed on the entire system.

[0135] The machine-readable medium may include several software modules. The software modules contain instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processing system to perform various functions. The software modules may include a sending module and a receiving module. Each software module may reside in a single storage device or be distributed across multiple storage devices. For example, when a triggering event occurs, the software module may be loaded from a hard drive into a RAM. During the execution of the software module, the processor may load some instructions into a cache to increase access speed. Then, one or more cache lines may be loaded into a general register stack for execution by the processor. When referring to the functions of the following software modules, it should be understood that such functions are implemented by the processor when executing instructions from the software module.

[0136] If implemented with software, these functions can be stored on or transmitted by a computer-readable medium as one or more instructions or codes. Computer-readable media include computer storage media and communication media, and communication media include any media that facilitates the transfer of computer programs from one place to another. Storage media can be any available media that can be accessed by a computer. As an example and not limitation, such 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 medium that can be used to carry or store the desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer. In addition, any connection is properly referred to as a computer-readable medium. For example, if a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL) or wireless technology (such as infrared (IR), radio and microwave) is used to transmit software from a website, server or other remote source, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL or wireless technology (such as IR, radio and microwave) are all included in the definition of the medium. As used herein, disks and discs include compact discs (CDs), laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs (DVDs), floppy disks and Optical disks, where magnetic disks typically reproduce data magnetically, and optical disks reproduce data optically with lasers. Thus, in some aspects, computer-readable media may include non-transitory computer-readable media (e.g., tangible media). Additionally, for other aspects, computer-readable media may include transient computer-readable media (e.g., signals). Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0137] Thus, some aspects may include a computer program product for performing the operations presented herein. For example, such a computer program product may include a computer-readable medium having stored (and / or encoded) thereon instructions that are executed by one or more processors to perform the operations described herein. For some aspects, the computer program product may include packaging materials.

[0138] In addition, it should be understood that the module and / or other suitable components for executing the methods and techniques described herein can be downloaded and / or otherwise obtained by user terminals and / or access points where applicable. For example, such equipment can be coupled to a server to facilitate the transmission of components for executing the methods described herein. Alternatively, various methods described herein can be provided via storage components (e.g., RAM, ROM, physical storage media such as compact discs (CDs) or floppy disks, etc.) so that user terminals and / or access points can obtain various methods when storage components are coupled to or provided to the equipment. In addition, any other suitable technology for providing methods and techniques described herein to equipment can be used.

[0139] It should be understood that the claims are not limited to the precise configuration and components described above. Various modifications, changes and variations may be made in the arrangement, operation and details of the methods and apparatus described above without departing from the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication by a wireless device, comprising: receiving a configuration from a network entity indicating how the wireless device is to store digital samples of a first radio frequency (RF) signal and how to process the stored digital samples of the first RF signal; receiving the first RF signal, wherein the receiving comprises generating the digital samples of the first RF signal; storing the digital samples according to the configuration; as well as processing the stored digital samples according to the configuration; Wherein the configuration includes a resolution for storing the digital samples.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing signaling indicating the wireless device's ability to store and process digital samples.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the signaling indicates one or more of the following: The frequency resources in which the wireless device can store and process digital samples, or The capacity or resolution used to store digital samples. 4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing a report to the network entity indicating available memory for storing digital samples. The method of claim 1 , wherein the configuration indicates when to use the stored digital samples to generate and transmit a second RF signal.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration indicates at least one of: a beamforming configuration for receiving the first RF signal; a beamforming configuration for transmitting a second RF signal; a frequency resource of the first RF signal to be sampled; a frequency resource of the second RF signal to be transmitted; a transmission power for transmitting the second RF signal; or One or more criteria for at least one of when to store samples of the first RF signal or when to generate and transmit the second RF signal based on the stored digital samples.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a command from the network entity to at least delete or overwrite the stored digital samples.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein: The wireless device includes a repeater; and The first RF signal comprises a signal originating from the network entity.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein: The first RF signal includes at least one type of downlink reference signal; and The configuration indicates that the wireless device is to store digital samples of the at least one type of downlink reference signal, generate a second RF signal based on the stored digital samples, and indicate when to transmit the second RF signal to another wireless device.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein: The first RF signal includes at least one type of unicast, multicast or broadcast data or control channel; and The configuration indicates that the wireless device is to store digital samples of the at least one type in a unicast, multicast, or broadcast data or control channel, generate a second RF signal based on the stored digital samples, and indicate when to transmit the second RF signal.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The first RF signal comprises at least one type of uplink signal originating from an originating wireless device; and The configuration indicates that the wireless device is to store digital samples of the uplink signal, generate a second RF signal based on the stored digital samples, and indicate when to transmit the second RF signal.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein: The first RF signal includes at least one type of a random access channel (RACH) transmission, a sounding reference signal (SRS), or a scheduling request.

13. A method for wireless communication by a network entity, comprising: generating a configuration indicating how the wireless device is to store digital samples of a first radio frequency (RF) signal and how to process the stored digital samples of the first RF signal; as well as sending the configuration to the wireless device; Wherein the configuration includes a resolution for storing the digital samples.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising receiving signaling from the wireless device indicating capabilities of the wireless device to store and process digital samples, wherein the configuration is generated based at least in part on the indicated capabilities.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the received signaling indicates one or more of the following: The wireless device is capable of storing and processing digital samples of frequency resources, or At least one of a capacity or a resolution for storing digital samples.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising receiving a report from the wireless device indicating available memory for storing digital samples.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the configuration indicates when to use the stored digital samples to generate and transmit a second RF signal.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the configuration indicates at least one of: a beamforming configuration for receiving the first RF signal; a beamforming configuration for transmitting a second RF signal; a frequency resource of the first RF signal to be sampled; a frequency resource of the second RF signal to be transmitted; a transmission power for transmitting the second RF signal; or One or more criteria for at least one of when to store samples of the first RF signal or when to generate and transmit the second RF signal based on the stored digital samples.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising sending a command to the wireless device to at least one of delete or overwrite the stored digital samples.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein: The network entity includes a base station; The wireless device includes a repeater; and The first RF signal comprises a signal originating from the base station.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein: The first RF signal includes at least one type of downlink reference signal; and The configuration indicates that the wireless device is to store digital samples of the at least one type of downlink reference signal, generate a second RF signal based on the stored digital samples, and indicate when to transmit the second RF signal to another wireless device.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein: The first RF signal includes at least one type of unicast, multicast or broadcast data or control channel; and The configuration instructs the wireless device to store digital samples of the at least one type in a unicast, multicast, or broadcast data or control channel, generate a second RF signal based on the stored digital samples, and indicate when to transmit the second RF signal.

23. The method of claim 13, wherein: The first RF signal includes at least one type of uplink signal originating from a user equipment (UE); and The configuration indicates that the wireless device is to store digital samples of the uplink signal, generate a second RF signal based on the stored digital samples, and indicate when to transmit the second RF signal.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein: The first RF signal includes at least one type of a random access channel (RACH) transmission, a sounding reference signal (SRS), or a scheduling request.

25. An apparatus for wireless communication by a wireless device, comprising: At least one processor and memory, configured to: receiving a configuration from a network entity indicating how the wireless device is to store a first radio frequency (RF) signal and how to process stored digital samples of the first RF signal; receiving the first RF signal, wherein the receiving comprises generating the digital samples of the first RF signal; storing the digital samples according to the configuration; as well as processing the stored digital samples according to the configuration; Wherein the configuration includes a resolution for storing the digital samples.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the configuration indicates when to use the stored digital samples to generate and transmit a second RF signal.

27. An apparatus for wireless communication by a network entity, comprising: At least one processor and memory configured to: generating a configuration that indicates how the wireless device is to store a first radio frequency (RF) signal and how to process stored digital samples of the first RF signal; as well as sending the configuration to the wireless device; Wherein the configuration includes a resolution for storing the digital samples.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the configuration indicates when to use the stored digital samples to generate and transmit a second RF signal.

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