Technology of multiple transmit / receive points (multi-TRP) operation via repeaters

Abstract

Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communications are described. In some examples, a base station can identify one or more communication paths to a user equipment (UE) and can determine an end-to-end signal quality (e.g., a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)) for each communication path, one or more hop SNR values for each hop of each communication path, a ratio of the hop SNR value of each communication path to the end-to-end SNR, or a combination thereof. Based on the determined SNR values, ratios, or both, the base station can select a first communication path for a first type of communication (e.g., uplink, downlink, signal type, etc.) and a second communication path for a second type of communication (e.g., uplink, downlink, signal type, etc.), and can communicate with the UE using the selected communication path.

Description

[0001] Cross-references

[0002] This patent application claims priority to U.S. patent application No. 17 / 003,393, filed by ABEDINI et al. on August 26, 2020, entitled “TECHNIQUES FOR MULTIPLE TRANSMISSION / RECEPTIONPOINT (MULTI-TRP) OPERATION VIAREPEATERS,” which claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application No. 62 / 912,849, filed by ABEDINI et al. on October 9, 2019, entitled “MULTI-TRP OPERATION VIAREPEATERS,” which are assigned to the assignee of this application. Technical Field

[0003] The following relates generally to wireless communications, and more specifically to multiple transmit / receive point (multi-TRP) operation via relays. Background Art

[0004] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content, such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, etc. These systems can support communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). Examples of such multiple access systems include fourth generation (4G) systems such as long term evolution (LTE) systems, LTE advanced (LTE-A) systems, or LTE-A Pro systems, and fifth generation (5G) systems, which may be referred to as new radio (NR) systems. These systems may employ technologies such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), or discrete Fourier transform spread orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DFT-S-OFDM). A wireless multiple access communication system may include one or more base stations or one or more network access nodes, each base station or network access node simultaneously supporting communication with multiple communication devices, which may be referred to as user equipment (UE).

[0005] Radio access technologies (RATs) using millimeter waves, such as NR, may be affected by obstacles that hinder the passage of waves from a transmitting entity to a receiving entity. In such cases, the wireless communication system may include one or more repeaters to amplify the received signal and forward it from the transmitting entity to the receiving entity. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The described technology relates to improved methods, systems, devices and apparatuses for supporting multiple transmit / receive point (multi-TRP) operations via repeaters. In such a system, there can be multiple communication paths between a transmitting device and a receiving device, and at least some of these paths can include one or more repeaters. In some examples, the transmitting device can select a communication path in a multi-TRP system based on the end-to-end signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of each communication path to improve inefficiencies and reduce delays in wireless communication systems. In some examples, a base station can identify one or more communication paths to a user equipment (UE) and can determine the end-to-end SNR of each communication path, one or more hop SNR values of each hop of each communication path, the ratio of the hop SNR value of each communication path to the end-to-end SNR, or a combination thereof. Based on the determined SNR values, ratios, or both, the base station can select a first communication path for a first type of communication (e.g., uplink, downlink, signal type, etc.) and a second communication path selected for a second type of communication (e.g., uplink, downlink, signal type, etc.), and can communicate with the UE using the selected communication path.

[0007] A method of wireless communication is described. The method may include identifying a first communication path with a UE and a second communication path with the UE, wherein the first communication path, the second communication path, or both include one or more relays; determining a first end-to-end quality of the first communication path and a second end-to-end quality of the second communication path, wherein the first end-to-end quality and the second end-to-end quality each include at least a first hop quality associated with a first hop of the first communication path and a first hop quality associated with a first hop of the second communication path; selecting a first communication path for a first communication type for communicating with the UE based on a first hop quality of the first end-to-end quality, the first end-to-end quality, a first ratio of the first hop quality of the first end-to-end quality to the first end-to-end quality, or a combination thereof; selecting a second communication path for a second communication type for communicating with the UE based on the first hop quality of the second end-to-end quality, the second end-to-end quality, a second ratio of the first hop quality of the second end-to-end quality to the second end-to-end quality, or a combination thereof; and communicating with the UE via the first communication path, the second communication path, or both based on the selection.

[0008] A device for wireless communication is described. The device may include a processor, a memory coupled to the processor, and instructions stored in the memory. The instructions are executable by the processor to cause the device to identify a first communication path with a UE and a second communication path with the UE, wherein the first communication path, the second communication path, or both include one or more relays; determine a first end-to-end quality of the first communication path and a second end-to-end quality of the second communication path, wherein the first end-to-end quality and the second end-to-end quality each include at least a first hop quality associated with a first hop of the first communication path and a first hop quality associated with a first hop of the second communication path; select a first communication path for a first communication type for communicating with the UE based on a first hop quality of the first end-to-end quality, the first end-to-end quality, a first ratio of the first hop quality of the first end-to-end quality to the first end-to-end quality, or a combination thereof; select a second communication path for a second communication type for communicating with the UE based on the first hop quality of the second end-to-end quality, the second end-to-end quality, a second ratio of the first hop quality of the second end-to-end quality to the second end-to-end quality, or a combination thereof; and communicate with the UE via the first communication path, the second communication path, or both based on the selection.

[0009] Another apparatus for wireless communication is described. The apparatus may include means for identifying a first communication path with a UE and a second communication path with the UE, wherein the first communication path, the second communication path, or both include one or more relays; means for determining a first end-to-end quality of the first communication path and a second end-to-end quality of the second communication path, wherein the first end-to-end quality and the second end-to-end quality each include at least a first hop quality associated with a first hop of the first communication path and a first hop quality associated with a first hop of the second communication path; means for selecting a first communication path for a first communication type for communicating with the UE based on a first hop quality of the first end-to-end quality, the first end-to-end quality, a first ratio of the first hop quality of the first end-to-end quality to the first end-to-end quality, or a combination thereof; means for selecting a second communication path for a second communication type for communicating with the UE based on the first hop quality of the second end-to-end quality, the second end-to-end quality, a second ratio of the first hop quality of the second end-to-end quality to the second end-to-end quality, or a combination thereof; and means for communicating with the UE via the first communication path, the second communication path, or both based on the selection.

[0010] A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication is described. The code may include instructions executable by a processor to identify a first communication path with a UE and a second communication path with the UE, wherein the first communication path, the second communication path, or both include one or more relays; determine a first end-to-end quality of the first communication path and a second end-to-end quality of the second communication path, wherein the first end-to-end quality and the second end-to-end quality each include at least a first-hop quality associated with a first hop of the first communication path and a first-hop quality associated with a first hop of the second communication path; select a first communication path for a first communication type for communicating with the UE based on a first-hop quality of the first end-to-end quality, the first end-to-end quality, a first ratio of the first-hop quality of the first end-to-end quality to the first end-to-end quality, or a combination thereof; select a second communication path for a second communication type for communicating with the UE based on the first-hop quality of the second end-to-end quality, the second end-to-end quality, a second ratio of the first-hop quality of the second end-to-end quality to the second end-to-end quality, or a combination thereof; and communicate with the UE via the first communication path, the second communication path, or both based on the selection.

[0011] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, components, or instructions for selecting a first communication path for uplink communication, wherein the first communication type includes uplink communication, and selecting a second communication path for downlink communication, wherein the second communication type includes downlink communication.

[0012] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, components, or instructions for configuring one or more repeaters of a first communication path based on selecting the first communication path for uplink communication to receive one or more uplink signals from a UE and transmit the one or more uplink signals to a base station, and configuring one or more repeaters of a second communication path based on selecting the second communication path for downlink communication to receive one or more downlink signals from a base station and transmit the one or more downlink signals to a UE.

[0013] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, components, or instructions for selecting a first communication path for a first type of downlink signal, wherein the first communication type includes the first type of downlink signal, and selecting a second communication path for a second type of downlink signal, wherein the second communication type includes the second type of downlink signal.

[0014] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, components, or instructions for determining that a first end-to-end quality, a first ratio, or a combination thereof may be higher than a second end-to-end quality, a second ratio, or a combination thereof, wherein selecting a first communication path for a first type of downlink signal and selecting a second communication path for a second type of downlink signal may be based on the determination.

[0015] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, components, or instructions for transmitting a first type of downlink signal via a first communication path and transmitting a second type of downlink signal via a second communication path.

[0016] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the first type of downlink signal includes data signaling.

[0017] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the second type of downlink signal includes broadcast signaling or control signaling.

[0018] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the second communication path includes one or more relays, and wherein the first communication path includes a direct link between the base station and the UE.

[0019] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, components, or instructions for selecting a first communication path for the first signal, wherein the first communication type includes a first copy of the first signal, and selecting a second communication path for the first signal, wherein the second communication type includes a second copy of the first signal.

[0020] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, components, or instructions for selecting a first communication path for a first set of signals, wherein the first communication type includes a first communication flow, and selecting the first communication path for a second set of signals that may be different from the first set of signals, wherein the second communication type includes a second communication flow.

[0021] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, components, or instructions for selecting a first communication path for communicating with a UE, wherein the first communication type comprises an active communication mode, and selecting a second communication path for backup communication when communication via the first communication path fails, wherein the second communication type comprises a backup communication mode.

[0022] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, determining a first end-to-end quality of a first communication path may include operations, features, components, or instructions for determining a first SNR of the first communication path, wherein determining a second end-to-end quality of a second communication path.

[0023] A method for wireless communication at a relay is described. The method may include communicating between a base station and a UE via a first communication path that includes a relay, wherein the first communication path corresponds to a first end-to-end quality, and a second communication path between the base station and the UE that does not include the relay corresponds to a second end-to-end quality, wherein the first end-to-end quality and the second end-to-end quality each include at least a first hop quality associated with a first hop of the first communication path and a first hop quality associated with a first hop of the second communication path; receiving a configuration message from the base station at the relay in the first communication path, wherein receiving the configuration message adjusts a configuration state of the relay based on the configuration message to perform a communication type corresponding to the communication between the UE and the base station based on any combination of a first hop quality of the first end-to-end quality, the first end-to-end quality, a first ratio of the first hop quality of the first end-to-end quality to the first end-to-end quality, the first hop quality of the second end-to-end quality, the second end-to-end quality, and a second ratio of the first hop quality of the second end-to-end quality to the second end-to-end quality; and relaying one or more signals between the UE and the base station according to the communication type based on the adjustment.

[0024] An apparatus for wireless communication at a repeater is described. The apparatus may include a processor, a memory coupled to the processor, and instructions stored in the memory. The instructions are executable by a processor to cause the apparatus to communicate between a base station and a UE via a first communication path including a relay, wherein the first communication path corresponds to a first end-to-end quality, and a second communication path between the base station and the UE that does not include the relay corresponds to a second end-to-end quality, wherein the first end-to-end quality and the second end-to-end quality each include at least a first hop quality associated with a first hop of the first communication path and a first hop quality associated with a first hop of the second communication path; receive a configuration message from the base station at the relay in the first communication path, wherein receiving the configuration message is based on any combination of a first hop quality of the first end-to-end quality, the first end-to-end quality, a first ratio of the first hop quality of the first end-to-end quality to the first end-to-end quality, the first hop quality of the second end-to-end quality, the second end-to-end quality, and a second ratio of the first hop quality of the second end-to-end quality to the second end-to-end quality; adjust a configuration state of the relay based on the configuration message to perform a communication type corresponding to the communication between the UE and the base station; and relay one or more signals between the UE and the base station according to the communication type based on the adjustment.

[0025] Another apparatus for wireless communication at a relay is described. The apparatus may include means for communicating between a base station and a UE via a first communication path that includes a relay, wherein the first communication path corresponds to a first end-to-end quality and a second communication path between the base station and the UE that does not include the relay corresponds to a second end-to-end quality, wherein the first end-to-end quality and the second end-to-end quality each include at least a first hop quality associated with a first hop of the first communication path and a first hop quality associated with a first hop of the second communication path; means for receiving a configuration message from the base station at the relay in the first communication path, wherein receiving the configuration message is based on any combination of a first hop quality of the first end-to-end quality, the first end-to-end quality, a first ratio of the first hop quality of the first end-to-end quality to the first end-to-end quality, the first hop quality of the second end-to-end quality, the second end-to-end quality, and a second ratio of the first hop quality of the second end-to-end quality to the second end-to-end quality; means for adjusting a configuration state of the relay to perform a communication type corresponding to the communication between the UE and the base station based on the configuration message; and means for relaying one or more signals between the UE and the base station according to the communication type based on the adjustment.

[0026] A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication at a relay is described. The code may include instructions executable by a processor to communicate between a base station and a UE via a first communication path including a relay, wherein the first communication path corresponds to a first end-to-end quality and a second communication path between the base station and the UE that does not include the relay corresponds to a second end-to-end quality, wherein the first end-to-end quality and the second end-to-end quality each include at least a first hop quality associated with a first hop of the first communication path and a first hop quality associated with a first hop of the second communication path; receive a configuration message from the base station at the relay in the first communication path, wherein receiving the configuration message is based on any combination of a first hop quality of the first end-to-end quality, the first end-to-end quality, a first ratio of the first hop quality of the first end-to-end quality to the first end-to-end quality, the first hop quality of the second end-to-end quality, the second end-to-end quality, and a second ratio of the first hop quality of the second end-to-end quality to the second end-to-end quality; adjust a configuration state of the relay based on the configuration message to perform a communication type corresponding to the communication between the UE and the base station; and relay one or more signals between the UE and the base station according to the communication type based on the adjustment.

[0027] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, components, or instructions for relaying one or more uplink messages from the UE to the base station, wherein the communication type includes uplink communication.

[0028] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, components, or instructions for relaying one or more downlink messages from the base station to the UE, wherein the communication type includes downlink communication.

[0029] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, components, or instructions for relaying a downlink broadcast signal, a downlink control signal, or a downlink data signal from a base station to a UE, wherein the communication type includes a type of downlink signal.

[0030] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, components, or instructions for relaying a first copy of a signal between the UE and the base station, wherein the communication type includes the first copy of the signal.

[0031] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, components, or instructions for relaying a first set of signals between a UE and a base station, wherein the communication type includes a first communication flow.

[0032] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, components, or instructions for relaying a set of one or more signals between a UE and a base station, wherein the communication type includes an active communication mode.

[0033] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, components, or instructions for relaying a subset of a set of one or more signals between a UE and a base station that has not been successfully sent via a different communication path that does not include a repeater, wherein the communication type includes a backup communication mode.

[0034] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, a first end-to-end quality of a first communication path comprises a first SNR of the first communication path, wherein a second end-to-end quality of a second communication path comprises a second SNR of the second communication path, and wherein the first-hop quality comprises the first-hop SNR. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] Figure 1 An example of a wireless communication system supporting techniques for multiple transmit receive point (multi-TRP) operation via repeaters according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0036] Figure 2An example of a wireless communication system supporting techniques for multi-TRP operation via a repeater according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0037] Figure 3 An example of a baseline architecture supporting techniques for multi-TRP operation via a repeater according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0038] Figure 4 An example of a wireless communication system supporting techniques for multi-TRP operation via a repeater according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0039] Figure 5 An example of a wireless communication system supporting techniques for multi-TRP operation via a repeater according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0040] Figure 6 An example of a wireless communication system supporting techniques for multi-TRP operation via a repeater according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0041] Figure 7 An example of a wireless communication system supporting techniques for multi-TRP operation via a repeater according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0042] Figure 8 An example of a process flow supporting techniques for multi-TRP operation via a repeater according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0043] Figure 9 and Figure 10 A block diagram of a device supporting techniques for multi-TRP operation via a repeater according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0044] Figure 11 A block diagram of a communications manager supporting techniques for multi-TRP operation via a repeater according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0045] Figure 12 A diagram of a system including devices supporting techniques for multi-TRP operation via a repeater is shown according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0046] Figure 13 and Figure 14 A block diagram of a device supporting techniques for multi-TRP operation via a repeater according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0047] Figure 15 A block diagram of a communications manager supporting techniques for multi-TRP operation via a repeater according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0048] Figure 16A diagram of a system including devices supporting techniques for multi-TRP operation via a repeater is shown according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0049] Figures 17 to 20 A flow chart is shown illustrating a method of supporting techniques for multi-TRP operation via a repeater according to aspects of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] In some wireless communication systems, a transmitting device can use millimeter waves to communicate with a receiving device. Obstacles between the transmitting device and the receiving device may prevent these millimeter wave signals from reaching the receiving device. The use of repeaters in a multiple transmit-receive point (multi-TRP) system can allow signals to bypass obstacles and extend the reach of the transmitting device. Multiple repeaters can relay one or more signals to one or more receiving devices. Each link in the communication path between the transmitting device and the receiving device can be called a hop. For example, there may be hops between the transmitting device and the repeater, the intermediate repeater, and the repeater and the receiving device.

[0051] In a multi-TRP system, a transmitting device (e.g., a base station) may send a signal to one or more repeaters in a first hop, which will amplify and redirect the signal to one or more receiving devices (e.g., a UE or another repeater) in a second hop. The amplification of the signal may result in the amplification of the noise associated with the received signal and the internal feedback loop of the repeater. The noise in the signal may reduce the end-to-end SNR, thereby causing errors in the signal transmission, which may increase the delay and inefficiency of the system. Each hop in a wireless communication system may affect the end-to-end SNR of the communication path by a different magnitude. Specifically, the first hop in the communication path may have a greater impact on the end-to-end SNR than other hops. Therefore, the transmitter may consider the SNR of each hop in the communication path to optimize signal transmission for different communication types.

[0052] In some cases, the base station may select different communication paths for uplink and downlink communications based on the end-to-end SNR of the communication path, the SNR values of one or more hops in each communication path, or both. In some examples, the base station may select different communication paths for different communication types (e.g., data signals, control signals, broadcast signals, etc.).

[0053] Aspects of the present disclosure are initially described in the context of a wireless communication system. Aspects of the present disclosure are further illustrated and described with reference to a wireless communication system, a baseline architecture, and process flows. Aspects of the present disclosure are further illustrated and described with reference to apparatus diagrams, system diagrams, and flow charts related to techniques for multiple TRP operation via repeaters.

[0054] Figure 1An example of a wireless communication system 100 that supports techniques for multi-TRP operation via a relay according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The wireless communication system 100 may include one or more base stations 105, one or more UEs 115, and a core network 130. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may be a long term evolution (LTE) network, an LTE advanced (LTE-A) network, an LTE-A Pro network, or a new radio (NR) network. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may support enhanced broadband communications, ultra-reliable (e.g., mission-critical) communications, low-latency communications, communications with low-cost and low-complexity devices, or any combination thereof.

[0055] Base stations 105 may be dispersed throughout a geographic area to form wireless communication system 100 and may be devices of varying forms or capabilities. Base stations 105 and UEs 115 may communicate wirelessly via one or more communication links 125. Each base station 105 may provide a coverage area 110 over which UEs 115 and base stations 105 may establish one or more communication links 125. Coverage area 110 may be an example of a geographic area over which base stations 105 and UEs 115 may support signal communication according to one or more radio access technologies.

[0056] UEs 115 may be dispersed throughout the coverage area 110 of the wireless communication system 100, and each UE 115 may be stationary or mobile, or both, at different times. The UEs 115 may be devices of different forms or with different capabilities. Figure 1 Some example UEs 115 are shown in FIG. Figure 1 As shown, the UE 115 described herein may be capable of communicating with various types of devices, such as other UEs 115, base stations 105, or network devices (e.g., core network nodes, relay devices, integrated access and backhaul (IAB) nodes, or other network devices).

[0057] The base stations 105 can communicate with the core network 130 or with each other, or both. For example, the base stations 105 can interface with the core network 130 via one or more backhaul links 120 (e.g., via S1, N2, N3, or other interfaces). The base stations 105 can communicate with each other directly (e.g., directly between the base stations 105) or indirectly (e.g., via the core network 130), or both, via the backhaul links 120 (e.g., via X2, Xn, or other interfaces). In some examples, the backhaul links 120 can be or include one or more wireless links.

[0058] The one or more base stations 105 described herein may include or may be referred to by one of ordinary skill in the art as a base transceiver station, a radio base station, an access point, a radio transceiver, a NodeB, an eNodeB (eNB), a next generation NodeB or a giga-NodeB (any of which may be referred to as a gNB), a Home NodeB, a Home eNodeB, or other suitable terminology.

[0059] UE 115 may include or may be referred to as a mobile device, a wireless device, a remote device, a handheld device, or a subscriber device, or some other suitable terminology, where in other examples, a "device" may also be referred to as a unit, a station, a terminal, or a client. UE 115 may also include or may be referred to as a personal electronic device such as a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet computer, a laptop computer, or a personal computer. In some examples, UE 115 may include or be referred to as a wireless local loop (WLL) station, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, an Internet of Everything (IoE) device, or a machine type communication (MTC) device, etc., which may be implemented in various objects such as home appliances, vehicles, meters, etc.

[0060] like Figure 1 As shown, the UE 115 described herein can communicate with various types of devices, such as other UEs 115, which can sometimes act as relays, as well as base stations 105 and network devices including macro eNBs or gNBs, small cell eNBs or gNBs, or relay base stations, etc.

[0061] The UE 115 and the base station 105 can wirelessly communicate with each other via one or more communication links 125 on one or more carriers. The term "carrier" may refer to a collection of radio frequency spectrum resources having a defined physical layer structure for supporting the communication link 125. For example, a carrier used for the communication link 125 may include a portion of a radio frequency spectrum band (e.g., a bandwidth part (BWP)) operating according to one or more physical layer channels for a given radio access technology (e.g., LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR). Each physical layer channel may carry acquisition signaling (e.g., synchronization signals, system information), control signaling to coordinate carrier operation, user data, or other signaling. The wireless communication system 100 may support communication with the UE 115 using carrier aggregation or multi-carrier operation. The UE 115 may be configured with multiple downlink component carriers and one or more uplink component carriers according to a carrier aggregation configuration. Carrier aggregation may be used with both frequency division duplex (FDD) and time division duplex (TDD) component carriers.

[0062] In some examples (e.g., in a carrier aggregation configuration), a carrier may also have acquisition signaling or control signaling that coordinates the operation of other carriers. A carrier may be associated with a frequency channel (e.g., an Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number (EARFCN)) and may be located according to a channel raster for discovery by a UE 115. A carrier may operate in a standalone mode, where initial acquisition and connection may be performed by a UE 115 via the carrier, or in a non-standalone mode, where the connection is anchored using a different carrier (e.g., of the same or different radio access technology).

[0063] The communication link 125 shown in the wireless communication system 100 may include an uplink transmission from the UE 115 to the base station 105, or a downlink transmission from the base station 105 to the UE 115. A carrier may carry downlink or uplink communications (e.g., in FDD mode) or may be configured to carry both downlink and uplink communications (e.g., in TDD mode).

[0064] A carrier can be associated with a bandwidth of a radio frequency spectrum, and in some examples, the carrier bandwidth can be referred to as the "system bandwidth" of the carrier or wireless communication system 100. For example, the carrier bandwidth can be one of a plurality of determined bandwidths of a carrier for a radio access technology (e.g., 1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 40, or 80 megahertz (MHz)). The devices of the wireless communication system 100 (e.g., base station 105, UE 115, or both) can have a hardware configuration that supports communication on the carrier bandwidth or can be configured to support communication on one of a set of carrier bandwidths. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may include a base station 105 or UE 115 that supports simultaneous communication via carriers associated with multiple carrier bandwidths. In some examples, each served UE 115 can be configured to operate on a portion (e.g., a sub-band, a BWP) or all of the carrier bandwidth.

[0065] The signal waveform transmitted on the carrier may be composed of multiple subcarriers (e.g., using a multicarrier modulation (MCM) technique such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) or discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-S-OFDM)). In a system employing MCM techniques, a resource element may comprise a symbol period (e.g., the duration of a modulation symbol) and a subcarrier, where the symbol period and subcarrier spacing are inversely related. The number of bits carried by each resource element may depend on the modulation scheme (e.g., the order of the modulation scheme, the codec rate of the modulation scheme, or both). Therefore, the more resource elements received by UE 115 and the higher the order of the modulation scheme, the higher the data rate may be for UE 115. Wireless communication resources may refer to a combination of radio spectrum resources, time resources, and spatial resources (e.g., spatial layers or beams), and the use of multiple spatial layers may further increase the data rate or data integrity used for communication with UE 115.

[0066] One or more numerologies for a carrier may be supported, where the numerology may include subcarrier spacing (Δf) and a cyclic prefix. A carrier may be divided into one or more BWPs with the same or different numerologies. In some examples, a UE 115 may be configured with multiple BWPs. In some examples, a single BWP for a carrier may be active at a given time, and communications for the UE 115 may be limited to the one or more active BWPs.

[0067] The time interval of the base station 105 or the UE 115 can be expressed as a multiple of a basic time unit. For example, the basic time unit can be referred to as T s =1 / (Δf max ·N f ) seconds sampling period, where Δf max It can represent the maximum supported subcarrier spacing, and N f The maximum supported discrete Fourier transform (DFT) size may be indicated. Time intervals for communication resources may be organized according to radio frames, each having a specified duration (e.g., 10 milliseconds (ms)). Each radio frame may be identified by a system frame number (SFN) (e.g., ranging from 0 to 1023).

[0068] Each frame may include a plurality of consecutively numbered subframes or time slots, and each subframe or time slot may have the same duration. In some examples, the frame may be divided (e.g., in the time domain) into subframes, and each subframe may be further divided into a plurality of time slots. Alternatively, each frame may include a variable number of time slots, and the number of time slots may depend on the subcarrier spacing. Each time slot may include a plurality of symbol periods (e.g., depending on the length of the cyclic prefix that precedes each symbol period). In some wireless communication systems, the time slot may be further divided into a plurality of mini-slots containing one or more symbols. In addition to the cyclic prefix, each symbol period may contain one or more (e.g., N) symbol periods. f ) sampling period. The duration of a symbol period may depend on the subcarrier spacing or frequency band of operation.

[0069] A subframe, slot, mini-slot, or symbol may be the smallest scheduling unit (e.g., in the time domain) of the wireless communication system 100 and may be referred to as a transmission time interval (TTI). In some examples, the TTI duration (e.g., the number of symbol periods in a TTI) may be variable. Additionally or alternatively, the smallest scheduling unit of the wireless communication system 100 may be dynamically selected (e.g., in bursts of shortened TTIs (sTTIs)).

[0070] Physical channels can be multiplexed on a carrier using various techniques. Physical control channels and physical data channels can be multiplexed on a downlink carrier, for example, using one or more of time division multiplexing (TDM), frequency division multiplexing (FDM), or hybrid TDM-FDM techniques. A control region (e.g., a control resource set (CORSET)) for a physical control channel can be defined by multiple symbol periods and can extend across the system bandwidth of a carrier or a subset of the system bandwidth. One or more control regions (e.g., CORSETs) can be configured for a set of UEs 115. For example, one or more of UEs 115 can monitor or search the control region for control information according to one or more search space sets, and each search space set can include one or more control channel candidates in one or more aggregation levels arranged in a cascaded manner. An aggregation level of a control channel candidate can refer to multiple control channel resources (e.g., control channel elements (CCEs)) associated with coded information of a control information format having a given payload size. A search space set can include a common search space set configured for transmitting control information to multiple UEs 115 and a UE-specific search space set for transmitting control information to a specific UE 115.

[0071] Each base station 105 may provide communication coverage via one or more cells (e.g., macro cells, small cells, hot spots, or other types of cells, or any combination thereof). The term "cell" may refer to a logical communication entity used to communicate with a base station 105 (e.g., on a carrier) and may be associated with an identifier (e.g., a physical cell identifier (PCID), a virtual cell identifier (VCID), or other) used to distinguish between adjacent cells. In some examples, a cell may also refer to a geographic coverage area 110 or a portion of a geographic coverage area 110 (e.g., a sector) on which a logical communication entity operates. Depending on various factors such as the capabilities of the base station 105, such a cell may range from a smaller area (e.g., a structure, a subset of a structure) to a larger area. For example, a cell may be or include a building, a subset of a building, or an external space between or overlapping geographic coverage areas 110, etc.

[0072] A macro cell typically covers a relatively large geographic area (e.g., a radius of several kilometers) and may allow unrestricted access by a UE 115 through a service subscription with a network provider that supports the macro cell. A small cell may be associated with a base station 105 that is lower in power than a macro cell, and the small cell may operate in the same or different (e.g., licensed, unlicensed) frequency band as the macro cell. A small cell may provide unrestricted access to a UE 115 through a service subscription with a network provider, or may provide restricted access to a UE 115 associated with the small cell (e.g., a UE 115 in a closed subscriber group (CSG), a UE 115 associated with a user in a home or office). A base station 105 may support one or more cells and may also support communication over one or more cells using one or more component carriers.

[0073] In some examples, a carrier may support multiple cells, and different cells may be configured according to different protocol types (e.g., MTC, narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB)) that may provide access to different types of devices.

[0074] In some examples, base stations 105 can be mobile, and thus provide communication coverage for mobile geographic coverage areas 110. In some examples, different geographic coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies can overlap, but the different geographic coverage areas 110 can be supported by the same base station 105. In other examples, overlapping geographic coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies can be supported by different base stations 105. The wireless communication system 100 can include, for example, a heterogeneous network in which different types of base stations 105 provide coverage for various geographic coverage areas 110 using the same or different radio access technologies.

[0075] The wireless communication system 100 can support synchronous or asynchronous operation. For synchronous operation, the base stations 105 can have similar frame timing, and transmissions from different base stations 105 can be approximately aligned in time. For asynchronous operation, the base stations 105 can have different frame timing, and in some examples, transmissions from different base stations 105 can be misaligned in time. The techniques described herein can be used for either synchronous or asynchronous operation.

[0076] Some UEs 115, such as MTC or IoT devices, may be low-cost or low-complexity devices and may provide automated communication between machines (e.g., via machine-to-machine (M2M) communication). M2M communication or MTC may refer to data communication technology that allows devices to communicate with each other or with a base station 105 without human intervention. In some examples, M2M communication or MTC may include communications from devices that integrate sensors or meters to measure or capture information and relay such information to a central server or application that utilizes the information or presents it to a person interacting with the application. Some UEs 115 may be designed to collect information or enable automated behavior of machines or other equipment. Examples of applications for MTC devices include smart metering, inventory monitoring, water level monitoring, equipment monitoring, healthcare monitoring, wildlife monitoring, weather and geological event monitoring, fleet management and tracking, remote security sensing, physical access control, and transaction-based business charging.

[0077] Some UEs 115 may be configured to employ a reduced power consumption mode of operation, such as half-duplex communication (e.g., a mode that supports one-way communication via transmission or reception, but not simultaneous transmission and reception). In some examples, half-duplex communication may be performed at a reduced peak rate. Other power conservation techniques for UEs 115 include entering a power-saving deep sleep mode when not engaged in active communications, operating over a limited bandwidth (e.g., according to narrowband communication), or a combination of these techniques. For example, some UEs 115 may be configured to operate using a narrowband protocol type that is associated with a defined portion or range (e.g., a set of subcarriers or resource blocks (RBs)) within a carrier, within a guard band of a carrier, or outside a carrier.

[0078] The wireless communication system 100 can be configured to support ultra-reliable communication or low-latency communication, or various combinations thereof. For example, the wireless communication system 100 can be configured to support ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) or mission-critical communication. UE 115 can be designed to support ultra-reliable, low-latency or critical functions (e.g., mission-critical functions). Ultra-reliable communication can include private communication or group communication and can be supported by one or more mission-critical services such as mission-critical push-to-talk (MCPTT), mission-critical video (MCVideo), or mission-critical data (MCData). Support for mission-critical functions may include service prioritization, and mission-critical services can be used for public safety or general business applications. The terms ultra-reliable, low-latency, mission-critical, and ultra-reliable low-latency can be used interchangeably in this document.

[0079] In some examples, UE 115 can also communicate directly with other UEs 115 via device-to-device (D2D) communication links 135 (e.g., using a peer-to-peer (P2P) or D2D protocol). One or more UEs 115 utilizing D2D communication can be within the geographic coverage area 110 of base station 105. Other UEs 115 in such a group can be outside the geographic coverage area 110 of base station 105 or unable to receive transmissions from base station 105. In some examples, a group of UEs 115 communicating via D2D communication can utilize a one-to-many (1:M) system in which each UE 115 transmits to each other UE 115 in the group. In some examples, base station 105 facilitates the scheduling of resources for D2D communication. In other cases, D2D communication is performed between UEs 115 without involving base station 105.

[0080] In some systems, the D2D communication link 135 can be an example of a communication channel between vehicles (e.g., UE 115), such as a sidelink communication channel. In some examples, vehicles can communicate using vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, or some combination of these communications. Vehicles can signal information related to traffic conditions, signal scheduling, weather, safety, emergency situations, or any other information related to the V2X system. In some examples, vehicles in a V2X system can communicate with roadside infrastructure (e.g., roadside units) or with the network, or both, via one or more network nodes (e.g., base station 105) using vehicle-to-network (V2N) communication.

[0081] The core network 130 may provide user authentication, access authorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. The core network 130 may be an evolved packet core (EPC) or a 5G core (5GC), which may include at least one control plane entity (e.g., a mobility management entity (MME), an access and mobility management function (AMF)) that manages access and mobility, and at least one user plane entity (e.g., a serving gateway (S-GW), a packet data network (PDN) gateway (P-GW), a user plane function (UPF)) that routes packets or interconnections to external networks. The control plane entities may manage non-access stratum (NAS) functions, such as mobility, authentication, and bearer management, for UEs 115 served by base stations 105 associated with the core network 130. User IP packets may be transmitted via the user plane entities, which may provide IP address allocation and other functions. The user plane entities may connect to network operator IP services 150. Operator IP services 150 may include access to the Internet, intranet(s), IP multimedia subsystems (IMS), or packet-switched streaming services.

[0082] Some network devices, such as base stations 105, may include subcomponents such as access network entities 140, which may be examples of access node controllers (ANCs). Each access network entity 140 may communicate with a UE 115 through one or more other access network transport entities 145, which may be referred to as radio heads, smart radio heads, or transmit / receive points (TRPs). Each access network transport entity 145 may include one or more antenna panels. In some configurations, the various functions of each access network entity 140 or base station 105 may be distributed across various network devices (e.g., radio heads and ANCs) or consolidated into a single network device (e.g., base station 105).

[0083] The wireless communication system 100 can operate using one or more frequency bands generally in the range of 300 megahertz (MHz) to 300 gigahertz (GHz). In some examples, the region of 300 MHz to 3 GHz is referred to as the ultra-high frequency (UHF) region or decimeter band because the wavelengths range from approximately 1 decimeter to 1 meter long. UHF waves can be blocked or redirected by buildings and environmental features, but these waves can penetrate structures sufficiently for a macro cell to provide service to a UE 115 located indoors. Transmissions using UHF waves can be associated with smaller antennas and a shorter range (e.g., less than 100 kilometers) than transmissions using smaller frequencies and longer waves in the high frequency (HF) or very high frequency (VHF) portions of the spectrum with frequencies less than 300 MHz.

[0084] The wireless communication system 100 may also operate in the super high frequency (SHF) region (also known as the centimeter band) using frequency bands from 3 GHz to 30 GHz or in the extremely high frequency (EHF) region of the spectrum (e.g., from 30 GHz to 300 GHz, also known as the millimeter band). In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may support millimeter wave (mmW) communications between the UE 115 and the base station 105, and the EHF antennas of the respective devices may be smaller and more closely spaced than the UHF antennas. In some examples, this may facilitate the use of antenna arrays within the device. However, the propagation of EHF transmissions may be affected by greater atmospheric attenuation and shorter range than SHF or UHF transmissions. The techniques disclosed herein may be employed across transmissions using one or more different frequency regions, and the designated use of frequency bands across these frequency regions may vary by country or regulatory body.

[0085] The wireless communication system 100 can utilize licensed and unlicensed radio frequency spectrum bands. For example, the wireless communication system 100 can employ license assisted access (LAA), LTE unlicensed (LTE-U) radio access technology, or NR technology in an unlicensed band such as the 5 GHz industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) band. When operating in an unlicensed radio spectrum band, devices such as the base station 105 and the UE 115 can employ carrier sensing for conflict detection and avoidance. In some examples, operations in the unlicensed band can be based on a carrier aggregation configuration together with component carriers operating in a licensed band (e.g., LAA). Operations in the unlicensed spectrum can include downlink transmissions, uplink transmissions, P2P transmissions, or D2D transmissions, among others.

[0086] The base station 105 or UE 115 may be equipped with multiple antennas that can be used to employ techniques such as transmit diversity, receive diversity, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communications, or beamforming. The antennas of the base station 105 or UE 115 may be located within one or more antenna arrays or antenna panels that can support MIMO operations, or transmit or receive beamforming. For example, one or more base station antennas or antenna arrays may be co-located on an antenna assembly (e.g., an antenna tower). In some examples, the antennas or antenna arrays associated with the base station 105 may be located at different geographical locations. The base station 105 may have an antenna array with multiple rows and columns of antenna ports that the base station 105 may use to support beamforming for communications with the UE 115. Similarly, the UE 115 may have one or more antenna arrays that can support various MIMO or beamforming operations. Additionally or alternatively, the antenna panels may support radio frequency beamforming for signals transmitted via the antenna ports.

[0087] The base station 105 or UE 115 can use MIMO communication to take advantage of multipath signal propagation and improve spectral efficiency by sending or receiving multiple signals via different spatial layers. This technology can be referred to as spatial multiplexing. For example, multiple signals can be sent by a transmitting device via different antennas or different combinations of antennas. Similarly, multiple signals can be received by a receiving device via different antennas or different combinations of antennas. Each of the multiple signals can be referred to as a separate spatial stream and can carry bits associated with the same data stream (e.g., the same codeword) or different data streams (e.g., different codewords). Different spatial layers can be associated with different antenna ports for channel measurement and reporting. MIMO technologies include single-user MIMO (SU-MIMO) (in which multiple spatial layers are sent to the same receiving device), and multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO) (in which multiple spatial layers are sent to multiple devices).

[0088] Beamforming, which may also be referred to as spatial filtering, directional transmission, or directional reception, is a signal processing technique that can be used at a transmitting device or a receiving device (e.g., base station 105, UE 115) to shape or steer an antenna beam (e.g., a transmit beam, a receive beam) along a spatial path between the transmitting device and the receiving device. Beamforming can be achieved by combining signals transmitted via antenna elements of an antenna array so that some signals propagating at some orientations relative to the antenna array experience constructive interference while other signals experience destructive interference. Adjustments to signals transmitted via antenna elements can include the transmitting device or the receiving device applying an amplitude offset, a phase offset, or both to signals carried via antenna elements associated with the device. The adjustments associated with each antenna element can be defined by a set of beamforming weights associated with an orientation (e.g., relative to the antenna array of the transmitting device or the receiving device, or relative to some other orientation).

[0089] The base station 105 or the UE 115 may use beam sweeping techniques as part of a beamforming operation. For example, the base station 105 may use multiple antennas or antenna arrays (e.g., antenna panels) to perform beamforming operations for directional communications with the UE 115. Some signals (e.g., synchronization signals, reference signals, beam selection signals, or other control signals) may be transmitted multiple times by the base station 105 in different directions. For example, the base station 105 may transmit signals according to different sets of beamforming weights associated with different transmission directions. The transmissions in different beam directions may be used (e.g., by a transmitting device such as the base station 105 or by a receiving device such as the UE 115) to identify a beam direction for later transmission or reception by the base station 105.

[0090] Some signals, such as data signals associated with a receiving device, may be transmitted by base station 105 in a single beam direction (e.g., a direction associated with a receiving device such as UE 115). In some examples, a beam direction associated with transmission along a single beam direction may be determined based on signals transmitted in one or more beam directions. For example, UE 115 may receive one or more of the signals transmitted by base station 105 in different directions and may report to base station 105 an indication of the signal received by UE 115 with the highest signal quality or other acceptable signal quality.

[0091] In some examples, transmissions by a device (e.g., by a base station 105 or a UE 115) can be performed using multiple beam directions, and the device can use a combination of digital precoding or radio frequency beamforming to generate a combined beam for transmission (e.g., from the base station 105 to the UE 115). The UE 115 can report feedback indicating precoding weights for one or more beam directions, and the feedback can correspond to the number of configured beams across the system bandwidth or one or more subbands. The base station 105 can send reference signals that can be precoded or not precoded (e.g., cell-specific reference signals (CRS), channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS)). The UE 115 can provide feedback for beam selection, which can be a precoding matrix indicator (PMI) or codebook-based feedback (e.g., a multi-panel type codebook, a linear combination type codebook, a port selection type codebook). Although these techniques are described with reference to signals transmitted by base station 105 in one or more directions, UE 115 may employ similar techniques for transmitting signals multiple times in different directions (e.g., for identifying a beam direction for subsequent transmission or reception by UE 115) or for transmitting signals in a single direction (e.g., for transmitting data to a receiving device).

[0092] A receiving device (e.g., UE 115) may attempt multiple receive configurations (e.g., directional listening) when receiving various signals (e.g., synchronization signals, reference signals, beam selection signals, or other control signals) from a base station 105. For example, the receiving device may attempt multiple receive directions by receiving via different antenna subarrays, by processing received signals according to different antenna subarrays, by receiving according to different sets of receive beamforming weights applied to signals received at multiple antenna elements of an antenna array (e.g., different sets of directional listening weights), or by processing received signals according to different sets of receive beamforming weights applied to signals received at multiple antenna elements of an antenna array, any of which may be referred to as "listening" according to different receive configurations or receive directions. In some examples, the receiving device may receive along a single beam direction using a single receive configuration (e.g., when receiving data signals). The single receive configuration may be aligned in a beam direction determined based on listening according to different receive configuration directions (e.g., a beam direction with the highest signal strength, highest signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), or otherwise acceptable signal quality determined based on listening according to multiple beam directions).

[0093] The wireless communication system 100 can be a packet-based network operating according to a layered protocol stack. In the user plane, communications at the bearer or packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer can be IP-based. The radio link control (RLC) layer can perform packet segmentation and reassembly to communicate on logical channels. The medium access control (MAC) layer can perform priority processing and multiplex logical channels into transport channels. The MAC layer can also use error detection technology, error correction technology, or both to support retransmission at the MAC layer to improve link efficiency. In the control plane, the radio resource control (RRC) protocol layer can provide the establishment, configuration, and maintenance of an RRC connection between the UE 115 and the base station 105 or the core network 130 supporting the radio bearer for user plane data. At the physical layer, the transport channel can be mapped to the physical channel.

[0094] UE 115 and base station 105 can support retransmission of data to increase the likelihood of successfully receiving the data. Hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback is a technique for increasing the likelihood of correctly receiving data over communication link 125. HARQ can include a combination of error detection (e.g., using a cyclic redundancy check (CRC)), forward error correction (FEC), and retransmission (e.g., automatic repeat request (ARQ)). HARQ can improve the throughput of the MAC layer under poor radio conditions (e.g., low signal-to-noise ratio conditions). In some examples, a device can support same-slot HARQ feedback, wherein the device can provide HARQ feedback in a particular time slot for data received in a previous symbol in the time slot. In other cases, the device can provide HARQ feedback in a subsequent time slot or according to some other time interval.

[0095] The wireless communication system 100 may include a repeater 106 to extend the coverage of the base station 105. The repeater 106 can reduce the effects of propagation loss and signal blocking in the cell by filling coverage holes, particularly for mmW communications or other high-frequency applications. The repeater 106 can be configured to receive a signal (e.g., an analog signal, a mmW signal, etc.) from a first wireless device (e.g., a base station 105 or a UE 115), amplify the power of the received signal, and transmit the amplified signal to a second wireless device (e.g., a UE 115 or a base station 105). The repeater 106 can be equipped with multiple antennas, which can be used to employ techniques such as beamforming.

[0096] Each relay 106 can provide a coverage area 111 over which a UE and the relay 106 can establish one or more communication links 125. The coverage area 111 can be an example of a geographic area in which the relay 106 and the UE 115 can support signal communication according to one or more radio access technologies. The relay 106 can communicate with the base station 105, for example, via a wireless backhaul link 120, and facilitate communication between the UE 115 in the coverage area 111 and the base station 105 to extend the coverage of the base station 105 to include the coverage area 111.

[0097] Repeater 106 may include a control interface for receiving and processing control signals from base station 105. In some examples, repeater 106 may receive control signals via out-of-band transmissions, which may be transmitted using a different radio technology (e.g., Bluetooth) or frequency (e.g., NB-IoT, sub-6 GHz frequencies, etc.) than the radio technology or frequency used to receive and transmit signals (e.g., mmW communications). In some examples, repeater 106 may receive control signals via in-band transmissions, e.g., using a bandwidth that is less than the bandwidth used to receive and transmit signals.

[0098] The wireless communication system 100 may include devices (e.g., base station 105, repeater 106, and UE 115) that may be capable of multi-TRP operation. Multi-TRP operation may increase the capacity or reliability of the system. An example of this operation may include the base station 105 sending one or more signals to the repeater 106. The repeater 106 may then amplify the signal and redirect the signal to the UE 115. The path used to send a signal from the base station 105 to the UE 115 may be referred to as a communication path. The base station 105 may be able to select which communication path to use for different types of signals. The base station 105 may compare one or more SNR ratios, including the end-to-end SNR and the first-hop SNR of the communication path, to select a communication path.

[0099] By selecting a communication path based on the SNR of an individual hop as well as the SNR of the entire path, the base station 105 can select a communication path for certain types of transmissions to improve the efficiency of the wireless communication system. For example, the base station 105 can transmit control information on a communication path having a lower SNR than another communication path on which data can be transmitted, thereby efficiently utilizing available resources in the wireless communication system.

[0100] Figure 2 An example of a wireless communication system 200 that supports techniques for multi-TRP operation via a relay according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. In some examples, the wireless communication system 200 can implement aspects of the wireless communication system 100. For example, the wireless communication system 200 can include a base station 205, one or more relays 206, and one or more UEs 215, which can be reference Figure 1 Examples of corresponding devices are described. The wireless communication system 200 can include features for improved repeater operation and other advantages.

[0101] In the wireless communication system 200, a base station 205 can serve one or more UEs 215 located within a geographic coverage area 210. The UEs 215 within the geographic coverage area 210 can transmit and receive communications as scheduled by the base station 205. Devices in the wireless communication system 200 can use beamforming techniques to transmit using transmit beams 225 and receive transmissions using receive beams 230. The base station 205 can transmit in the mmW spectrum band, although the techniques described herein can be applied to transmissions in other frequency bands or using other RATs.

[0102] In some examples, such as Figure 2As shown and described, base station 205 may not be able to communicate directly with UE 215-a or UE 215-b. For example, obstacles 235-a and 235-b may block a direct communication path to one or more UEs 215. In some examples, obstacles 235-a and 235-b may represent intervening buildings or other objects. To fill coverage holes, base station 205 may communicate with UE 215 via repeater 206. For example, base station 205 may communicate with UE 215-a via repeater 206-a, and base station 205-a may communicate with UE 215-b via repeater 206-b. Alternatively, although Figure 2 Not shown, the base station 205 may communicate with the UE 215 - b or other UEs 215 via the repeaters 206 - a and 206 - c , which may be configured in a chain to extend the coverage of the base station 205 .

[0103] In some cases, the repeater 206 may be an amplify-and-forward repeater. The amplify-and-forward repeater may receive a signal from a transmitting entity (e.g., base station 205 or UE 215), amplify the signal, and change the beam direction toward the receiving entity (e.g., base station 205 or UE 215). The process of transmitting a signal through the repeater 206 may introduce noise into the system. The noise may be reflected in one or more quality metrics of the communication path (e.g., the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the communication path). The SNR may be used to compare the level of the desired signal to the level of background noise in the system. Therefore, for applications that require a stronger signal, a higher SNR may be required.

[0104] There may be an SNR value associated with the transmission of a signal to each device. The transmission of a signal from one device to another may be referred to as a hop. For example, a transmission from base station 205 to UE 215-b, including repeater 206-b, has two hops. The first hop is from base station 205 to repeater 206-b. The second hop is from repeater 206-b to UE 215-b. Each hop of the communication path may have an SNR value that may affect the end-to-end SNR value by a different magnitude based on the noise added to the system with each hop.

[0105] In one example, a signal may propagate from a source (e.g., base station 205 or UE 215) to a destination (e.g., base station 205 or UE 215) through repeater 206. The end-to-end SNR may be calculated based on the noise from each hop in the path. The first hop may be between the source and repeater 206. The SNR value for the first hop, or SNR1, may be calculated based on the power of the transmitted signal from the source and factors that affect the noise, such as channel variation (e.g., path loss) and additive noise. The second hop may be between repeater 206 and the destination. The SNR value for the second hop, or SNR2, may be calculated based on the power of the transmitted signal leaving the repeater, the variation in the channel, and the additive noise. The values of SNR1 and SNR2 may not be the only factors contributing to the end-to-end SNR.

[0106] A repeater may introduce noise that may affect the end-to-end SNR and the power output of the repeater. A repeater may operate completely efficiently, in which case it may receive a signal and immediately alter and transmit that signal. This process may result in a feedback loop that may leak a dampened output signal into one or more input ports, resulting in noise in the repeater. A repeater may also have internal noise, which may be referred to as a noise figure, denoted by F. Therefore, the input SNR to repeater 206 may be greater than the output SNR from repeater 206. The internal noise of repeater 206 and the feedback loop may reduce the power input to repeater 206, resulting in a lower power output. This reduction in power may result in a lower value of SNR2, referred to as SNR′2.

[0107] Taking into account the above-mentioned factors, the end-to-end SNR of a two-hop path including the source, one amplify-and-forward relay 206, and the destination can be expressed as SNR based on SNR1, SNR′2, and F. AF , as shown below with respect to Equation 1.

[0108]

[0109] In Equation 1, for the first term in the denominator, SNR1 is reduced by a factor of F. may be much smaller than 1. In this case, the second term in the denominator can be simplified to Therefore, the value of SNR1 can be reduced by a factor of F, while the value of SNR′2 is not. This phenomenon can be called the noise enhancement effect. The noise enhancement effect takes into account the situation where a repeater may enhance the noise from the first hop and then send a signal with enhanced noise on the second hop. The SNR values of the first hop and the second hop can be asymmetric. For example, if SNR1 is a large value, the factor F may not reduce the term as much as if SNR1 is smaller. This results in a greater SNR AFAs a result, it may be beneficial to determine which hop has a greater SNR value and then select that hop as the first hop when sending data.

[0110] In some examples, base station 205 can communicate with UEs 215-a and 215-b. Due to obstacles 235-a and 235-b, base station 205 may not be able to communicate directly with UEs 215-a and 215-b, respectively. Instead, base station 205 can determine to communicate via repeater 206. Base station 205 can use transmit beam 225-a to transmit a signal including repeater configuration information, data, control information, etc. to repeater 206-a, and repeater 206-a can use receive beam 230-a to receive the signal. In some examples, repeater 206-a can receive the signal, obtain any configuration information related to repeater 206-a, and forward a portion of the data transmission, control transmission, or configuration information to repeater 206-c using transmit beam 225-e. Repeater 206-c can use receive beam 230-e to receive the forwarded message. In some cases, where base station 205 uses a chain of repeaters 206, including repeater 206-a and repeater 206-b, to communicate with another UE 215, repeater 206-c may relay a received signal to a subsequent repeater 206 in the chain, or directly to another UE 215 (not shown). Similarly, base station 205 may transmit a signal to repeater 206-b using transmit beam 225-b, and repeater 206-b may receive the signal using receive beam 230-b. Repeater 206-b may relay a signal to UE 215-b using transmit beam 225-d, and UE 215-b may receive the relayed signal using receive beam 230-d.

[0111] Signals from base station 205 may include configuration information for communicating with UEs 215-a and 215-b. For example, base station 205 may configure repeater 206-a to transmit one type of signal to UE 215-a using transmit beam 225-c, and UE 215-a may receive the signal using receive beam 230-c. Similarly, base station 205 may configure repeater 206-b to transmit a different type of signal to UE 215-b using transmit beam 225-d, and UE 215-b may receive the signal using receive beam 230-d.

[0112] In some cases, the base station 205 can configure the repeater 206 for uplink or downlink signaling. For example, the base station 205 can configure the repeater 206-a for downlink signaling. In this case, the repeater 206-a can receive a downlink transmission from the base station 205 using a receive beam 230-a and can relay the signal to another device (e.g., repeater 206-c) using a transmit beam 225-e. In some examples, the base station 205 can configure the repeater 206-a to provide uplink signaling. In this case, the repeater 206-a can receive an uplink signal from a downstream device (e.g., repeater 206-c) using one or more receive beams 230. The repeater 206-a can relay the uplink transmission to the base station 205 using one or more transmit beams 225.

[0113] Figure 3 An example of a baseline architecture 300 supporting techniques for multi-TRP operation via a relay according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. In some examples, the baseline architecture 300 can implement aspects of the wireless communication system 100.

[0114] The baseline architecture 300 for a repeater 306 (e.g., a mmWave repeater) can be part of a multi-TRP operation. The repeater 306 can be a Tier 1 repeater. Tier 1 repeaters may have limited capabilities when compared to higher-tier repeaters, but may reduce cost and power requirements. The repeater 306 may not perform digital processing, so the transmitting entity can remotely perform control and scheduling operations for the repeater 306. The repeater 306 may have a control interface 305. The control interface 305 can be out-of-band or in-band. The out-of-band control interface 305 can use a different RAT (e.g., NR and Bluetooth) or different frequency resources (e.g., LTE-M, NB-IoT) than the transmitting entity. The in-band control interface 305 can use a portion of the same carrier frequency as the transmitted signal, which has a smaller bandwidth. The transmitting entity can send a signal to the control interface 305 of the repeater 306. The signal can be an analog signal. In some cases, the signal can include control information, configuration information, or both. The transmitting entity may send the beamforming configuration to the control interface 305 (eg, via a separate modem or in-band control).

[0115] Control interface 305 can communicate signal information with controller 310 via a communication link. Controller 310 can then amplify the power of the received analog signal using variable gain amplifier 315. In some cases, controller 310 can receive control information to direct the signal to one of phased arrays 320 or 325 instead of through variable gain amplifier 315. Phased arrays 320 and 325 can redirect the beam using a beamforming configuration from a transmitting entity. In some cases, the signal can pass through variable gain amplifier 315 before continuing to phased arrays 320 and 325. Control interface 305 can receive configuration information from the transmitting entity that allows repeater 306 to perform beamforming for both transmission and reception of signals.

[0116] The relay 306 may be able to communicate with the transmitting entity via a backhaul link. The relay 306 may be able to talk to the receiving entity via an access link. The controller 310 may use these links when processing information from the control interface 305. The relay 306 may have different beams for transmission and reception.

[0117] As reference Figure 2 As discussed, a transmitting entity (e.g., a base station) may select a communication path, which may include one or more repeaters 306, for a particular communication type (e.g., uplink, downlink, control, data, broadcast, etc.) based on the SNR of the communication path, the SNR of one or more hops of the communication path, or some combination of these SNR values.

[0118] Figure 4 An example of a wireless communication system 400 that supports techniques for multi-TRP operation via a relay according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. In some examples, the wireless communication system 400 can implement aspects of the wireless communication system 100.

[0119] The wireless communication system 400 may include a base station 405 and relays 406-a, 406-b, and 406-c, and UEs 415-a and 415-b, with corresponding geographic coverage areas 410. Figure 4 A single base station 405 is depicted, but the wireless communication system 400 may include one or more additional base stations 405, relays 406, and UEs 415. The base station 405 may be a reference Figure 1 An example of a base station 105 is described. Repeaters 406-a, 406-b, and 406-c may be reference Figure 1 UEs 415-a and 415-b may be examples of relays 106. Figure 1 An example of a UE 115 is described.

[0120] The base station 405 can establish one or more communication paths for communicating with one or more UEs 415. As used herein, a communication path may refer to a directional communication path from a transmitting entity (e.g., a base station 405) to a receiving entity (e.g., a UE 415-a, 415-b). Each communication path may include one repeater 406, multiple repeaters 406, or no repeater 406 between the transmitting entity and the receiving entity. Each link in the communication path may be referred to as a hop. For example, the first hop in the communication path may be from the transmitting entity to the repeater 406. The second hop in the communication path may be from the repeater 406 to another repeater 406 or to the receiving entity. The base station 405 may select a communication path for signal transmission based on the SNR of one or more hops, the SNR of the entire communication link (e.g., end-to-end SNR), or a combination or ratio of these SNR values.

[0121] In some cases, base station 405 can detect and establish a direct communication path to UE 415. For example, base station 405 can communicate with UE 415-a via first communication path 440. In these examples, base station 405 can transmit a downlink signal to UE 415-a via beam 420-a, and UE 415-a can receive the downlink signal via beam 420-b. Alternatively, UE 115-a can transmit an uplink transmission via beam 420-b, and base station 405 can receive the uplink transmission via beam 420-a. Thus, beam 420 can carry signals from base station 405 to UE 415 along first communication path 440, or vice versa. The first communication path can be an example of a direct communication path.

[0122] In some cases, base station 405 may include a repeater 406 in the communication path, as shown with respect to second communication path 445, third communication path 450, and fourth communication path 455. A transmitting entity (e.g., base station 405 or UE 415-a) may communicate with a receiving entity along second communication path 445 using beam 425. For example, base station 405 may transmit a signal to repeater 406-a via beams 425-a and 425-b. Repeater 406-a may then amplify the signal and redirect the signal to UE 415-a via beams 425-c and 425-d. In another example, UE 415-a may transmit a signal to base station 405. UE 415-a may transmit a signal to repeater 406-a using beams 425-d and 425-c. Repeater 406-a may then relay the signal to base station 405 using beams 425-b and 425-a.

[0123] In some cases, the base station 405 may select one or more of a plurality of available communication paths to communicate with a single UE 415. For example, the base station 405 may select the third communication path 450 or the fourth communication path 455. When selecting the communication path 450, the base station 405 may communicate (e.g., uplink or downlink communication) with the UE 415-a via beams 430-a, 430-b, 430-c, and 430-d. When selecting the fourth communication path 455, the base station 405 may communicate (e.g., uplink or downlink communication) with the UE 415-b via beams 435-a, 435-b, 435-c, and 435-d.

[0124] Base station 405 can utilize multiple available communication paths to increase the communication reliability or capacity of the system. Base station 405 can send configuration information to repeater 406 based on the desired benefits or resource utilization. In some cases, the transmitting entity can send the same signal over multiple paths. For example, base station 405 can send a signal to repeaters 406-b and 406-c via third communication path 450 and fourth communication path 455, respectively. If there is an obstacle blocking one of beams 430-a or 430-c, or if the signal quality for third communication path 450 is poor, the signal may not reach UE 415-b via third communication path 450. However, because base station 405 transmits the same signal over fourth communication path 455, UE 415-b can successfully receive the signal despite the obstruction of third communication path 450. Base station 405 can use any number of communication paths to transmit the same signal. Therefore, transmitting the same signal over multiple beams can improve communication reliability through spatial diversity.

[0125] In some examples, a transmitting entity can transmit multiple signals over multiple paths. In these examples, base station 405 can transmit a first signal to UE 415-b via third communication path 450 and transmit a second signal to UE 415-b using fourth communication path 455. Thus, UE 415-b can efficiently receive multiple signals, increasing the capacity of the wireless communication system by utilizing multiple communication paths in parallel.

[0126] In some examples, the base station 405 may use one communication path to send a signal while the second communication path is in standby mode. For example, the base station 405 may send one or more signals via the third communication path 450 and may keep the fourth communication path 455 reserved (e.g., in standby mode). In such an example, an obstacle may use the repeater 406-b to prevent the signal from reaching the UE 415-b via the third communication path 450. If this occurs, the base station 405 may determine to activate the repeater 406-c to use the fourth communication path 455 to send a signal to the UE 415-b. When the repeater 406 is in standby mode, using the communication path in standby mode can improve communication reliability and has the added benefit of saving power.

[0127] In another case, such as Figure 6 As described in more detail, the base station 405 may decide to use one communication path for downlink signaling and another communication path for uplink signaling. Figure 7 As described in more detail, the base station 405 may use one communication path for one type of signal and another communication path for a second type of signal. The base station 405 may select a communication type or uplink or downlink configuration based on the end-to-end SNR of the communication path, the hop SNR of each (e.g., one or more) hop of the communication path, the ratio of one or more hop SNRs to the end-to-end SNR of the communication path, or any combination thereof. Selecting a communication path based on such considerations can increase system capacity, improve efficiency, increase reliability, and improve user experience.

[0128] Figure 5 An example of a wireless communication system 500 that supports techniques for multi-TRP operation via relays according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. In some examples, the wireless communication system 500 can implement aspects of the wireless communication system 100. The wireless communication system 500 can include a base station 505 that can serve one or more UEs 515 within a geographic coverage area 510. The system can also include relays 506-a, 506-b, 506-c, and 506-d and UEs 515-a and 515-b. Although Figure 5 A single base station 505 is depicted, but the wireless communication system 500 may include one or more additional base stations 505, relays 506, and UEs 515, among other components. The base station 505 may be a reference Figure 1 The base station 105 described and referenced Figure 2 An example of a base station 205 is described. Repeaters 506-a, 506-b, 506-c, and 506-d may be reference Figure 1 Repeater 106 described and referenced Figure 2UEs 515-a and 515-b may be examples of relays 206. Figure 1 UE 115 described and referenced Figure 2 An example of UE 215 is described.

[0129] UE 515 may use one or more receive beams 530 to receive signals sent over one or more communication paths. Figure 5 Each communication path shown depicts a relay 506, but a communication path may include one, multiple, or no relay 506. The base station 105 may communicate with one or more UEs 515 using one or more communication paths, as described with reference to FIG. Figure 2-Figure 4 Described in more detail.

[0130] UE 515 can receive a signal from base station 505 using a single receive beam 535 for each corresponding communication path. For example, base station 505 can use repeater 506-a to send a signal on a first communication path. In such an example, base station 505 can send a downlink message (e.g., data, control signaling, configuration information, etc.) on transmit beam 525-a. Repeater 506-a can receive the downlink message using receive beam 530-a and can relay the message to UE 515-a using transmit beam 525-e. Similarly, base station 505 can use repeater 506-b to send another signal on a second communication path. In this case, base station 505 can send a downlink message (e.g., data, control signaling, configuration information, etc.) on transmit beam 525-b. Repeater 506-b can receive the downlink message using receive beam 530-b and can relay the message to UE 515-a using transmit beam 525-f. UE 515-a can receive messages from either communication path having the same receive beam 535. In some examples, the receive beam 535 can be coarse enough (e.g., spatially wide) to receive downlink or relay messages from various spatial directions. Thus, the receive beam 535 can receive signals from two communication paths. The receive beam 535 can be referred to as a composite beam. In some cases, the UE 515-a can receive different messages from each communication path without determining any differences between the communication paths. That is, the UE 515-a may be unaware of the multiple communication paths and may receive messages from multiple devices (e.g., repeater 506-a, repeater 506-b, etc.) regardless of the source of the signal. Similarly, the UE 515-a can send uplink messages via a coarse transmit beam so that multiple devices (e.g., repeater 506-a, repeater 506-b, etc.) can receive the uplink transmission and relay it to the base station 505.

[0131] UE 515 can receive signals from base station 505 using different receive beams 530 for each corresponding communication path. For example, base station 505 can use repeater 506-c to send signals on a first communication path. For example, base station 505 can send a downlink message (e.g., data, control signaling, configuration information, etc.) on transmit beam 525-c. Repeater 506-c can receive the downlink message using receive beam 530-c and can relay the message to UE 515-b using transmit beam 525-g. Similarly, base station 505 can use repeater 506-d to send another signal on a second communication path. In such an example, base station 505 can send a downlink message (e.g., data, control signaling, configuration information, etc.) on transmit beam 525-d. Repeater 506-d can receive the downlink message using receive beam 530-d and can relay the message to UE 515-b using transmit beam 525-h. UE 515-b can receive a downlink message via a first communication path using receive beam 530-e and can receive another downlink message via a second communication path using receive beam 530-f. Similarly, in some examples, UE 515-a can send an uplink message via a first communication path using a first transmit beam using repeater 506-c and can send another uplink message via a second communication path using a second transmit beam using repeater 506-d.

[0132] Figure 6 An example of a wireless communication system 600 that supports techniques for multi-TRP operation via relays according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. In some examples, the wireless communication system 600 can implement aspects of the wireless communication system 100. The wireless communication system 600 can include a base station 605 having a corresponding geographic coverage area 610. The system can also include relays 606-a and 606-b, and a UE 615. Although Figure 6 A single base station 605 is depicted, but the wireless communication system 600 may include one or more additional base stations 605, relays 606, and UEs 615, among other components. The base stations 605, relays 606, and UEs 615 may be referenced to Figure 1-Figure 5 Examples of corresponding devices are described.

[0133] In some cases, base station 605 may select one or more communication paths 635 for uplink and downlink communications based on one or more SNR values for communication paths 635. Repeaters 606 of communication paths 635 may amplify noise in the process of amplifying the signal. As a result, one or more determined SNR values and ratios for communication paths 635 may be used to determine the signal quality of communication paths 635. Communication path 635-a may have a different end-to-end SNR than communication path 635-b. Communication path 635-a may have a first hop 640-a and a second hop 640-b. Communication path 635-b may have a first hop 640-c and a second hop 640-d. The difference in the end-to-end SNRs of communication paths 635-a and 635-b may be directly related to the SNR of first hop 640-a, the SNR of second hop 640-b, and the first hop 640-c and second hop 640-d. In some examples, due to amplified noise of each repeater 606 of the communication path, the SNR of the first hop 640-a and the first hop 640-c of the first communication path 635-a and the communication path 635-b, respectively, may have a greater impact on the respective communication paths 635 than the second hop 640-b and the second hop 640-d. The base station 605 can use this information to configure the repeater 606 to select the communication path 635 with the stronger SNR for the first hop 640. The base station 605 can use the first communication path 635-a for one type of communication and the second communication path 635-b for a second type of communication based on the end-to-end SNR and the first-hop SNR value of each communication path 635.

[0134] The base station 605 may select a communication path 635 for uplink communications and another communication path 635 for downlink communications based on the SNR value and the SNR ratio. For example, the base station 605 may select a communication path 635-a for downlink communications and a communication path 635-b for uplink communications, and the selection may be based on the first-hop SNR of each communication path 635. In the first hop 640-a on the communication path 635-a, the base station 605 may transmit a downlink signal on a transmit beam 625-a, and the repeater 606-a may receive the downlink signal using a receive beam 630-a. The repeater 606-a may then amplify and redirect the signal on the transmit beam 625-b in the second hop 640-b based on configuration information from the base station 605. The UE 615 may then receive the signal on the receive beam 630-b. The base station 605 may select the communication path 635-b for the uplink communications. In a first hop 640-c on a second communication path 635-b, the UE 615 may transmit an uplink signal on a transmit beam 625-c, and the repeater 606-b may receive the uplink signal using a receive beam 630-c. The repeater 606-b may then amplify and redirect the uplink signal on the transmit beam 625-d in a second hop 640-d based on configuration information from the base station 605. The base station 605 may then receive the uplink signal on the receive beam 630-d.

[0135] In some cases, the base station 605 may consider the first-hop SNR when determining which communication path 645 to use for uplink and downlink signaling. Many factors may affect the first-hop SNR, including proximity. For example, the base station 605 may select communication path 635-a for downlink signaling to the UE 615. The first hop 640-a of the communication path 635-a may have a higher SNR than the second hop 640-b (e.g., because the repeater 606-b may be closer to the base station 605 than to the UE 615). Similarly, the base station 605 may select communication path 635-b for the uplink from the UE 615. The first hop 640-c of the communication path 635-b may have a higher SNR than the second hop 640-d (e.g., because the repeater 606-b may be closer to the UE 615 than to the base station 605). The base station 605 may send configuration information to each relay 606-a and 606-b when selecting the communication path 635 based on the first-hop SNR. The configuration information may indicate the selection to the relay 606 and may configure the relay 606 for downlink and uplink communications, respectively.

[0136] In some cases, base station 605 may determine that multiple TRP operations are performed to avoid maximum permitted exposure (MPE) limits. For example, base station 605 may not be able to use a direct communication path for downlink communication with UE 615 because the device or user is too close to UE 615. Communicating directly with UE 615 may exceed the MPE limit. Conversely, base station 605 may determine that downlink communication path 635-a limits exposure by using indirect repeater 606-a, and thus may be allowed under the MPE limit.

[0137] Figure 7 An example of a wireless communication system 700 that supports techniques for multi-TRP operation via a relay according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. In some examples, the wireless communication system 700 can implement aspects of the wireless communication system 100. The wireless communication system 700 can include a base station 705 having a corresponding geographic coverage area 710. The system can also include a relay 706 and UEs 715-a and 715-b. Although Figure 7 A single base station 705 is depicted, but the wireless communication system 700 may include one or more additional base stations 705, relays 706, and UEs 715, among other components. The base stations 705, relays 706, and UEs 715 may be referenced to Figure 1 Examples of corresponding devices are described.

[0138] The base station 705 may identify multiple communication paths 735, 740, and 745 with one or more UEs 715. In some cases, the base station 705 may select a communication path 735, 740, or 745 based on the type of signal (e.g., data, broadcast signaling, control signaling, etc.). The base station 705 may establish a direct communication path 735 with the UE 715-a. When using the communication path 735, the base station 705 may transmit a signal using a transmit beam 725-a. The UE 715-a may receive the signal using a receive beam 730-a. In a second communication path 740, the base station 705 may communicate with the UE 715-a via the repeater 706. The base station 705 may transmit a signal using a transmit beam 725-b. The repeater 706 may receive the signal using a receive beam 730-b. The repeater 706 may amplify the signal and redirect the signal to the UE 715-a using a transmit beam 725-c. UE 715-a may receive signals using receive beam 730-c. In a third communication path 745, the base station 705 may be able to send signals (e.g., control information) to multiple UEs 715-a and 715-b. The base station 705 may send signals on the same transmit beam 725-b. For example, the base station 705 may multiplex (e.g., OFDM) signals and send them simultaneously or at different times (e.g., via TDM) via transmit beam 725-b. UE 715-b and repeater 706 may be able to receive independent signals that the base station combines into the same OFDM symbol. UE 715-b may receive one or more of the signals via receive beam 730-d. The repeater 706 may receive the signal via receive beam 730-b and may relay the signal to UE 715-a via transmit beam 725-c.

[0139] In one example, the base station 705 can select different communication paths for different types of communications. For example, the base station 705 can determine that the communication path 735 can be a strong communication path directly to the UE 715-a. The base station 705 can also determine that the communication path 740 using the repeater 706 may be weaker than the communication path 735 (that is, the SNR value of the communication path 735 may be greater than the communication path 740). In some examples, different types of communications can rely on a larger SNR, more available frequency resources, or both (e.g., data communication). Therefore, the base station 705 can determine that this type of communication should be sent via a communication path with a stronger link (e.g., a higher SNR or more available frequency resources). In such an example, the base station 705 can use the communication path 735 with a stronger link to send a data signal. The base station 705 can use the communication path 740 with a link weaker than the first communication path 735 to send a broadcast or control signal (which may not rely on such a high SNR or may not use so many frequency resources).

[0140] In some examples, the base station 705 can communicate with multiple UEs via different communication paths via a single transmit beam 725. For example, the base station 705 can use the communication path 745 to send a signal (e.g., control information) to the UE 715-b using the same transmit beam 725-b as the communication path 740. That is, the base station 705 can determine which communication paths have a weak link or a strong link with the UE 715 to achieve more efficient resource utilization. For example, the base station 705 can determine to send one or more signals (e.g., control information for both the UE 715-a and the UE 715-b) to multiple UEs 715. The base station 705 can use the transmit beam 725-b to send the control information. The UE 715-b can receive the control information via the communication path 745, and the UE 715-a can receive the control information via the communication path 740.

[0141] Figure 8 An example of a process flow 800 is shown that supports techniques for multi-TRP operation via a repeater according to aspects of the present disclosure. In some examples, the process flow 800 can implement aspects of the wireless communication system 100. The process flow 800 can be an example of multi-TRP operation between a base station 805, a repeater 806, and a receiving entity (e.g., 815) in conjunction with a directional communication link 820.

[0142] The base station 805 can identify multiple communication paths for communicating with the UE 815. In one illustrative example, the communication path can include a repeater 806. In other examples, multiple repeaters 806 can be present in a single communication path. In some examples, the base station 805 can communicate directly with the UE 815 on one communication path and communicate with the UE 815 through the repeater 806 on a different communication path. The process flow 800 can illustrate any combination of these examples. Figure 8 As described, base station 805 may send downlink communications to UE 815, or UE 815 may send uplink communications to base station 805, or both.

[0143] At 820, the base station 805 and the repeater 806 can communicate via a directional communication link (e.g., via one or more directional beams). The repeater 806 and the UE 815 can communicate via another directional communication link (e.g., via one or more directional beams). In some examples, the base station 805 can communicate directly with one or more UEs 815 without communicating with the repeater 806. In some examples, the base station 805 can select a first type of communication for the first communication path and a second type of communication for the second communication path (e.g., with respect to FIG. 1 ). Figure 6In some examples, base station 805 may transmit certain types of signals (e.g., signals with low SNR requirements) through repeater 806 and transmit other types of signals (e.g., signals with high SNR requirements) through a direct link, even if direct communication signals are available for transmission.

[0144] At 825, the base station 805 may identify first and second communication paths with the UE 815. Each communication path may have one repeater 806, multiple repeaters 806, or no repeater 806. At least one communication path (e.g., the first communication path or the second communication path) may include at least one repeater 806. For example, referring to process flow 800, where there are two communication paths, if the first communication path does not include a repeater 806, the second communication path may include a repeater 806, and vice versa.

[0145] At 830, base station 805 may determine end-to-end SNR values for the first and second communication paths. Base station 805 may also determine the SNRs for the first hop in the first communication path and the first hop in the second communication path. The end-to-end SNR may be correlated with the first hop SNR.

[0146] At 835, base station 805 may select a first communication path for the first communication type and a second communication path for the second communication type. The selection of the first and second communication paths may be based on the SNR value of the first hop determined at 830, the SNR value of the second hop determined at 830, the end-to-end SNR determined at 830, the ratio of the one or more hop SNRs to the end-to-end SNR determined at 830, or any combination thereof. In some cases, base station 805 may determine the communication path based on the magnitude of the SNR of the first hop. For example, base station 805 may choose to select the first communication path for uplink communication and the second communication path for downlink communication. For the first hop between base station 805 and repeater 806, the downlink communication path may have a higher SNR value. For the first hop between UE 815 and repeater 806, the uplink communication path may have a higher SNR value. Base station 805 may determine the downlink and uplink communication paths before sending or receiving a signal.

[0147] In some cases, the base station 805 may configure a first communication path for a first type of downlink signal and a second communication path for another type of downlink signal. The base station 805 may select the first communication path based on determining that the first end-to-end SNR or the first ratio is higher than the second end-to-end SNR or the second ratio. In some examples, the base station 805 may determine to send a data signal in a downlink signal on a communication path with a higher end-to-end or first-hop SNR. In this case, after selecting the path, the base station 805 may send a first type of downlink signal on the first communication path and a second type of downlink signal on the second communication path. The first type of communication signal may be a data signal, and the second type of communication signal may be a broadcast or control signal. In some cases, the first communication path may be a direct link between the base station 805 and the UE 815, and the second communication path may utilize one or more repeaters.

[0148] In some cases, the base station 805 may select a first communication path for the first set of signals. The first communication type may include a first communication flow (e.g., including a first set of one or more signals). The base station 805 may select a second communication path for the second set of signals. The second communication type may include a second communication flow (e.g., including a second set of one or more signals different from the first set of signals).

[0149] In another example, base station 805 may select a first communication path with UE 815 that includes repeater 806. Repeater 806 may be in an active communication mode. Base station 805 may retain a second communication path with a second repeater 806 for backup communication. Second repeater 806 may be in backup communication mode unless the first communication path fails. For example, if an obstacle blocks the first communication path, base station 805 may decide to activate second repeater 806 and open the second communication path, transmitting signals on the second communication path until the first communication path is clear.

[0150] At 840, after selecting a communication path, base station 805 may generate a configuration message for relay 806. The configuration message may include information about which communication path corresponds to which communication type. The communication path may be determined based on an SNR ratio of a first-hop SNR to an end-to-end SNR for each path.

[0151] At 845, the base station 805 can send a configuration message to the repeater 806. The repeater 806 can receive the configuration message 845 (e.g., in a first communication path). The configuration message can instruct the repeater 806 how to adjust its configuration. Based on the configuration information, the repeater 806 can monitor, receive, amplify, and redirect one or more signals to the desired destination device (e.g., at 860). In some examples, the configuration information can apply to multiple repeaters 806 in a chain of repeaters 806. In such an example, one or more repeaters 806 in the chain of repeaters 806 can receive the configuration message and relay the configuration message to subsequent repeaters 806.

[0152] At 850 , the relay 806 may adjust its configuration based on the configuration message received at 845 from the base station 805 for subsequent communications at 860 .

[0153] At 860, the base station 805 may communicate with the UE 815 via the repeater 806. For example, the communication type may be an uplink signal, in which case the repeater 806 may relay the communication from the UE 815 to the base station 805 based on the configuration message received at 845. The communication type may be a downlink signal, in which case the repeater 806 may relay the message from the base station 805 to the UE 815. The configuration message may indicate that the repeater 806 will relay a type of downlink message (e.g., a broadcast signal, a control signal, or a data signal). Based on the configuration information, the repeater 806 may relay a first copy of the signal or a first set of signals between the UE 815 and the base station 805. In some examples, the repeater 806 may relay information between the base station 805 and the UE 815 in an active communication mode. If the base station 805 unsuccessfully transmits a signal over a different communication path, the relay 806 in a backup communication mode may be activated (eg, via a configuration message 845 ) to relay information between the UE 815 and the base station 805 .

[0154] Figure 9 A block diagram 900 of a device 905 supporting techniques for multi-TRP operation via a relay according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The device 905 can be an example of aspects of the base station 105 as described herein. The device 905 can include a receiver 910, a communication manager 915, and a transmitter 920. The device 905 can also include a processor. Each of these components can communicate with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0155] The receiver 910 may receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to techniques for operating multiple TRPs via a relay, etc.). The information may be passed to other components of the device 905. The receiver 910 may be a reference Figure 12 Examples of aspects of the transceiver 1220 are described. The receiver 910 may utilize a single antenna or a collection of antennas.

[0156] The communication manager 915 may identify a first communication path with a UE and a second communication path with the UE, wherein the first communication path, the second communication path, or both include one or more relays, determine a first end-to-end quality of the first communication path and a second end-to-end quality of the second communication path, wherein the first end-to-end quality and the second end-to-end quality each include at least a first hop quality associated with a first hop of the first communication path and a first hop quality associated with a first hop of the second communication path, select the first communication path for a first communication type for communicating with the UE based on the first hop quality of the first end-to-end quality, the first end-to-end quality, a first ratio of the first hop quality of the first end-to-end quality to the first end-to-end quality, or a combination thereof, select the second communication path for a second communication type for communicating with the UE based on the first hop quality of the second end-to-end quality, the second end-to-end quality, a second ratio of the first hop quality of the second end-to-end quality to the second end-to-end quality, or a combination thereof, and communicate with the UE via the first communication path, the second communication path, or both based on the selection. The communication manager 915 may be an example of aspects of the communication manager 1210 described herein.

[0157] The communication manager 915 or its subcomponents may be implemented in hardware, code (e.g., software or firmware) executed by a processor, or any combination thereof. If implemented in code executed by a processor, the functions of the communication manager 915 or its subcomponents may be performed by a general-purpose processor, a DSP, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein.

[0158] The communication manager 915 or its subcomponents can be physically located in a variety of locations, including being distributed so that portions of the functionality are implemented by one or more physical components at different physical locations. In some examples, the communication manager 915 or its subcomponents can be separate and distinct components according to various aspects of the present disclosure. In some examples, the communication manager 915 or its subcomponents can be combined with one or more other hardware components, including but not limited to input / output (I / O) components, a transceiver, a network server, another computing device, one or more other components described in the present disclosure, or a combination thereof according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0159] The transmitter 920 can transmit signals generated by other components of the device 905. In some examples, the transmitter 920 can be collocated with the receiver 910 in the transceiver module. For example, the transmitter 920 can be a reference Figure 12 Examples of aspects of the transceiver 1220 are described. The transmitter 920 may utilize a single antenna or a collection of antennas.

[0160] Figure 10 A block diagram 1000 of a device 1005 supporting techniques for multi-TRP operation via a relay according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The device 1005 can be an example of aspects of the device 905 or base station 105 as described herein. The device 1005 may include a receiver 1010, a communication manager 1015, and a transmitter 1040. The device 1005 may also include a processor. Each of these components can communicate with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0161] The receiver 1010 may receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to techniques for operating multiple TRPs via a relay, etc.). The information may be passed to other components of the device 1005. The receiver 1010 may be a reference Figure 12 Examples of aspects of the transceiver 1220 are described. The receiver 1010 may utilize a single antenna or a collection of antennas.

[0162] The communication manager 1015 may be an example of aspects of the communication manager 915 as described herein. The communication manager 1015 may include a communication path identification manager 1020, a communication path quality manager 1025, a communication path selection manager 1030, and a communication manager 1035. The communication manager 1015 may be an example of aspects of the communication manager 1210 as described herein.

[0163] The communication path identification manager 1020 may identify a first communication path with the UE and a second communication path with the UE, wherein the first communication path, the second communication path, or both include one or more relays.

[0164] The communication path quality manager 1025 can determine a first end-to-end quality of a first communication path and a second end-to-end quality of a second communication path, wherein the first end-to-end quality and the second end-to-end quality each include at least a first-hop quality associated with a first hop of the first communication path and a first-hop quality associated with a first hop of the second communication path.

[0165] The communication path selection manager 1030 may select a first communication path of a first communication type for communicating with the UE based on the first hop quality of the first end-to-end quality, the first end-to-end quality, a first ratio of the first hop quality of the first end-to-end quality to the first end-to-end quality, or a combination thereof, and select a second communication path of a second communication type for communicating with the UE based on the first hop quality of the second end-to-end quality, the second end-to-end quality, a second ratio of the first hop quality of the second end-to-end quality to the second end-to-end quality, or a combination thereof.

[0166] The communication manager 1035 may communicate with the UE via the first communication path, the second communication path, or both based on the selection.

[0167] Transmitter 1040 can transmit signals generated by other components of device 1005. In some examples, transmitter 1040 can be collocated with receiver 1010 in a transceiver module. For example, transmitter 1040 can be a reference Figure 12 Examples of aspects of the transceiver 1220 are described. The transmitter 1040 may utilize a single antenna or a collection of antennas.

[0168] Figure 11 A block diagram 1100 of a communication manager 1105 supporting techniques for multi-TRP operation via a repeater is shown in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The communication manager 1105 can be an example of aspects of the communication manager 915, the communication manager 1015, or the communication manager 1210 described herein. The communication manager 1105 can include a communication path identification manager 1110, a communication path quality manager 1115, a communication path selection manager 1120, a communication manager 1125, a communication type manager 1130, and a repeater configuration manager 1135. Each of these modules can communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0169] The communication path identification manager 1110 may identify a first communication path with a UE and a second communication path with the UE, wherein the first communication path, the second communication path, or both include one or more relays. In some cases, the second communication path includes one or more relays, and wherein the first communication path includes a direct link between a base station and the UE.

[0170] The communication path quality manager 1115 can determine a first end-to-end quality of a first communication path and a second end-to-end quality of a second communication path, wherein the first end-to-end quality and the second end-to-end quality each include at least a first-hop quality associated with a first hop of the first communication path and a first-hop quality associated with a first hop of the second communication path. In some examples, the communication path quality manager 1115 can determine that the first end-to-end quality, a first ratio, or a combination thereof is higher than the second end-to-end quality, a second ratio, or a combination thereof, wherein selecting the first communication path for the first type of downlink signal and selecting the second communication path for the second type of downlink signal is based on the determination. In some examples, determining the first end-to-end quality of the first communication path includes determining a first SNR for the first communication path, wherein determining the second end-to-end quality of the second communication path includes determining a second SNR for the second communication path, and wherein the first-hop quality includes the first-hop SNR.

[0171] The communication path selection manager 1120 may select a first communication path for a first communication type for communicating with the UE based on a first-hop quality of the first end-to-end quality, the first end-to-end quality, a first ratio of the first-hop quality of the first end-to-end quality to the first end-to-end quality, or a combination thereof. In some examples, the communication path selection manager 1120 may select a second communication path for a second communication type for communicating with the UE based on a first-hop quality of the second end-to-end quality, the second end-to-end quality, a second ratio of the first-hop quality of the second end-to-end quality to the second end-to-end quality, or a combination thereof.

[0172] The communication manager 1125 may communicate with the UE via the first communication path, the second communication path, or both based on the selection. In some examples, the communication manager 1125 may send a first type of downlink signal via the first communication path. In some examples, the communication manager 1125 may send a second type of downlink signal via the second communication path.

[0173] Communication type manager 1130 may select a first communication path for uplink communication, where the first communication type includes uplink communication. In some examples, a second communication path may be selected for downlink communication, where the second communication type includes downlink communication. In some examples, the first communication path may be selected for a first type of downlink signal, where the first communication type includes a first type of downlink signal. In some examples, the second communication path may be selected for a second type of downlink signal, where the second communication type includes a second type of downlink signal. In some examples, the first communication path may be selected for a first signal, where the first communication type includes a first copy of the first signal. In some examples, the second communication path may be selected for the first signal, where the second communication type includes a second copy of the first signal. In some examples, the first communication path may be selected for a first set of signals, where the first communication type includes a first communication flow. In some examples, the first communication path may be selected for a second set of signals different from the first set of signals, where the second communication type includes a second communication flow. In some examples, the first communication path may be selected for communication with a UE, where the first communication type includes an active communication mode. In some examples, when communication via the first communication path fails, a second communication path is selected for backup communication, wherein the second communication type comprises a backup communication mode. In some cases, the first type of downlink signal comprises data signaling. In some cases, the second type of downlink signal comprises broadcast signaling or control signaling.

[0174] The relay configuration manager 1135 can configure one or more relays of the first communication path based on selecting the first communication path for uplink communication to receive one or more uplink signals from the UE and transmit the one or more uplink signals to the base station. In some examples, the relay configuration manager 1135 can configure one or more relays of the second communication path based on selecting the second communication path for downlink communication to receive one or more downlink signals from the base station and transmit the one or more downlink signals to the UE.

[0175] Figure 12 A diagram of a system 1200 including a device 1205 supporting techniques for multi-TRP operation via a repeater according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. Device 1205 may be an example of or include components of device 905, device 1005, repeater 106, or base station 105 as described herein. Device 1205 may include components for two-way voice and data communications, including components for sending and receiving communications, including a communications manager 1210, a network communications manager 1215, a transceiver 1220, an antenna 1225, a memory 1230, a processor 1240, and an inter-station communications manager 1245. These components may be in electronic communication via one or more buses (e.g., bus 1250).

[0176] The communication manager 1210 may identify a first communication path with a UE and a second communication path with the UE, wherein the first communication path, the second communication path, or both include one or more relays, determine a first end-to-end quality of the first communication path and a second end-to-end quality of the second communication path, wherein the first end-to-end quality and the second end-to-end quality each include at least a first-hop quality associated with a first hop of the first communication path and a first-hop quality associated with a first hop of the second communication path, select the first communication path for a first communication type for communicating with the UE based on the first-hop quality of the first end-to-end quality, the first end-to-end quality, a first ratio of the first-hop quality of the first end-to-end quality to the first end-to-end quality, or a combination thereof, select the second communication path for a second communication type for communicating with the UE based on the first-hop quality of the second end-to-end quality, the second end-to-end quality, a second ratio of the first-hop quality of the second end-to-end quality to the second end-to-end quality, or a combination thereof, and communicate with the UE via the first communication path, the second communication path, or both based on the selection.

[0177] The network communications manager 1215 can manage communications with the core network (e.g., via one or more wired backhaul links). For example, the network communications manager 1215 can manage the delivery of data communications for client devices, such as one or more UEs 115, repeaters 106, and the like. The communications manager 1215, as described herein, can be implemented to achieve one or more potential advantages. One implementation can allow the device 1205 to increase device efficiency, reduce the likelihood of failed transmissions and delays, and improve overall system efficiency. For example, the device 1205 can reduce signaling overhead in communicating with the repeater 106 because the device 1205 can be able to send a single multicast control message rather than sending multiple separate control messages for the repeater 106.

[0178] The transceiver 1220 can communicate bidirectionally via one or more antennas, wired or wireless links, as described above. For example, the transceiver 1220 can represent a wireless transceiver and can communicate bidirectionally with another wireless transceiver. The transceiver 1220 can also include a modem for modulating packets and providing the modulated packets to the antenna for transmission, and demodulating packets received from the antenna.

[0179] In some cases, a wireless device may include a single antenna 1225. However, in some cases, a device may have more than one antenna 1225, which may be capable of sending or receiving multiple wireless transmissions simultaneously.

[0180] The memory 1230 may include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), or a combination thereof. The memory 1230 may store computer-readable code 1235, which includes instructions that, when executed by a processor (e.g., processor 1240), cause the device to perform various functions described herein. In some cases, the memory 1230 may include a BIOS, etc., which may control basic hardware or software operations, such as interaction with peripheral components or devices.

[0181] Processor 1240 may include an intelligent hardware device (e.g., a general-purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, a microcontroller, an ASIC, an FPGA, a programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic components, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof). In some cases, processor 1240 may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In some cases, the memory controller may be integrated into processor 1240. Processor 1240 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (e.g., memory 1230) to cause device 1205 to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting techniques for multi-TRP operation via a repeater).

[0182] The inter-site communication manager 1245 can manage communications with other base stations 105 and can include a controller or scheduler for controlling communications with the UE 115 in coordination with the other base stations 105. For example, the inter-site communication manager 1245 can coordinate the scheduling of transmissions to the UE 115 for various interference mitigation techniques such as beamforming or joint transmission. In some examples, the inter-site communication manager 1245 can provide an X2 interface within an LTE / LTE-A wireless communication network technology to provide communications between the base stations 105.

[0183] The code 1235 may include instructions for implementing aspects of the present disclosure, including instructions for supporting wireless communications. The code 1235 may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as system memory or other types of memory. In some cases, the code 1235 may not be directly executed by the processor 1240, but may cause a computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform the functions described herein.

[0184] Figure 13 A block diagram 1300 of a device 1305 supporting techniques for multi-TRP operation via a relay according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The device 1305 can be an example of aspects of a device as described herein. The device 1305 can include a receiver 1310, a communication manager 1315, and a transmitter 1320. The device 1305 can also include a processor. Each of these components can communicate with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0185] The receiver 1310 may receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to techniques for operating multiple TRPs via a relay, etc.). The information may be passed to other components of the device 1305. The receiver 1310 may be a reference Figure 16 Examples of aspects of the transceiver 1620 are described. The receiver 1310 may utilize a single antenna or a collection of antennas.

[0186] The communication manager 1315 may communicate between the base station and the UE via a first communication path including a relay, wherein the first communication path corresponds to a first end-to-end quality, and a second communication path between the base station and the UE that does not include the relay corresponds to a second end-to-end quality, wherein the first end-to-end quality and the second end-to-end quality each include at least a first hop quality associated with a first hop of the first communication path and a first hop quality associated with a first hop of the second communication path, based on the adjustment, relay one or more signals between the UE and the base station according to a communication type, receive a configuration message from the base station at the relay in the first communication path, wherein the received configuration message is based on any combination of a first hop quality of the first end-to-end quality, the first end-to-end quality, a first ratio of the first hop quality of the first end-to-end quality to the first end-to-end quality, the first hop quality of the second end-to-end quality, the second end-to-end quality, and a second ratio of the first hop quality of the second end-to-end quality to the second end-to-end quality, and adjust a configuration state of the relay based on the configuration message to perform the communication type corresponding to the communication between the UE and the base station. The communication manager 1315 may be an example of aspects of the communication manager 1610 described herein.

[0187] The communication manager 1315 or its subcomponents can be implemented in hardware, code (e.g., software or firmware) executed by a processor, or any combination thereof. If implemented in code executed by a processor, the functions of the communication manager 1315 or its subcomponents can be performed by a general-purpose processor, a DSP, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described in the present disclosure. The communication manager 1315 or its subcomponents can be physically located in a variety of locations, including being distributed so that parts of the functions are implemented by one or more physical components at different physical locations. In some examples, the communication manager 1315 or its subcomponents can be separate and distinct components according to various aspects of the present disclosure. In some examples, the communication manager 1315 or its subcomponents can be combined with one or more other hardware components, including but not limited to input / output (I / O) components, a transceiver, a network server, another computing device, one or more other components described in the present disclosure, or a combination thereof according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0188] Transmitter 1320 can transmit signals generated by other components of device 1305. In some examples, transmitter 1320 can be collocated with receiver 1310 in a transceiver module. For example, transmitter 1320 can be a reference Figure 16 Examples of aspects of the transceiver 1620 are described. The transmitter 1320 may utilize a single antenna or a collection of antennas.

[0189] Figure 14 A block diagram 1400 of a device 1405 supporting techniques for multi-TRP operation via a relay according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The device 1405 can be an example of aspects of the device 1305 or device 115 as described herein. The device 1405 can include a receiver 1410, a communication manager 1415, and a transmitter 1430. The device 1405 can also include a processor. Each of these components can communicate with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0190] The receiver 1410 may receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to techniques for operating multiple TRPs via a relay, etc.). The information may be passed to other components of the device 1405. The receiver 1410 may be a reference Figure 16 Examples of aspects of the transceiver 1620 are described. The receiver 1410 may utilize a single antenna or a collection of antennas.

[0191] Communications manager 1415 may be an example of aspects of communications manager 1315 as described herein. Communications manager 1415 may include communications manager 1420 and relay configuration manager 1425. Communications manager 1415 may be an example of aspects of communications manager 1610 as described herein.

[0192] The communication manager 1420 can communicate between the base station and the UE via a first communication path including a repeater, wherein the first communication path corresponds to a first end-to-end quality, and a second communication path between the base station and the UE that does not include the repeater corresponds to a second end-to-end quality, wherein the first end-to-end quality and the second end-to-end quality each include at least a first-hop quality associated with a first hop of the first communication path and a first-hop quality associated with a first hop of the second communication path, and based on the adjustment, relay one or more signals between the UE and the base station according to the communication type.

[0193] The relay configuration manager 1425 can receive a configuration message from the base station at the relay in the first communication path, wherein the received configuration message is based on any combination of the first hop quality of the first end-to-end quality, the first end-to-end quality, the first ratio of the first hop quality of the first end-to-end quality to the first end-to-end quality, the first hop quality of the second end-to-end quality, the second end-to-end quality, and the second ratio of the first hop quality of the second end-to-end quality to the second end-to-end quality, and adjust the configuration state of the relay based on the configuration message to perform a communication type corresponding to the communication between the UE and the base station.

[0194] Transmitter 1430 can transmit signals generated by other components of device 1405. In some examples, transmitter 1430 can be collocated with receiver 1410 in a transceiver module. For example, transmitter 1430 can be a reference Figure 16 Examples of aspects of the transceiver 1620 are described. The transmitter 1430 may utilize a single antenna or a collection of antennas.

[0195] Figure 15 A block diagram 1500 of a communication manager 1505 supporting techniques for multi-TRP operation via a repeater according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The communication manager 1505 can be an example of aspects of the communication manager 1315, the communication manager 1415, or the communication manager 1610 described herein. The communication manager 1505 can include a communication manager 1510, a repeater configuration manager 1515, a communication type manager 1520, and a communication path quality manager 1525. Each of these modules can communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0196] The communication manager 1510 may communicate between the base station and the UE via a first communication path including a relay, wherein the first communication path corresponds to a first end-to-end quality, and a second communication path between the base station and the UE that does not include the relay corresponds to a second end-to-end quality, wherein the first end-to-end quality and the second end-to-end quality each include at least a first-hop quality associated with a first hop of the first communication path and a first-hop quality associated with a first hop of the second communication path. In some examples, the communication manager 1510 may relay one or more signals between the UE and the base station based on the communication type based on the adjustment. In some examples, a first copy of the signal is relayed between the UE and the base station, wherein the communication type includes the first copy of the signal.

[0197] The relay configuration manager 1515 can receive, at a relay in the first communication path, a configuration message from the base station, wherein the received configuration message is based on any combination of a first hop quality of a first end-to-end quality, the first end-to-end quality, a first ratio of the first hop quality of the first end-to-end quality to the first end-to-end quality, the first hop quality of a second end-to-end quality, the second end-to-end quality, and a second ratio of the first hop quality of the second end-to-end quality to the second end-to-end quality. In some examples, the relay configuration manager 1515 can adjust a configuration state of the relay based on the configuration message to perform a communication type corresponding to communication between the UE and the base station.

[0198] The communication type manager 1520 may relay one or more uplink messages from the UE to the base station, where the communication type includes uplink communication. In some examples, one or more downlink messages are relayed from the base station to the UE, where the communication type includes downlink communication. In some examples, a downlink broadcast signal, a downlink control signal, or a downlink data signal is relayed from the base station to the UE, where the communication type includes a type of downlink signal. In some examples, a first set of signals is relayed between the UE and the base station, where the communication type includes a first communication flow. In some examples, a set of one or more signals is relayed between the UE and the base station, where the communication type includes an active communication mode. In some examples, a subset of the set of one or more signals is relayed between the UE and the base station, where the subset has not been successfully sent via a different communication path that does not include a repeater, where the communication type includes a backup communication mode. In some cases, the first end-to-end quality of the first communication path includes a first SNR of the first communication path, wherein the second end-to-end quality of the second communication path includes a second SNR of the second communication path, and wherein the first hop quality includes the first hop SNR.

[0199] Figure 16 A diagram of a system 1600 including a device 1605 supporting techniques for multi-TRP operation via a repeater according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. Device 1605 may be an example of or include components of device 1305, device 1405, repeater 106, or a device as described herein. Device 1605 may include components for two-way voice and data communications, including components for sending and receiving communications, including a communications manager 1610, an I / O controller 1615, a transceiver 1620, an antenna 1625, a memory 1630, a processor 1640, and a codec manager 1650. These components may communicate electronically via one or more buses (e.g., bus 1645).

[0200] The communication manager 1610 may communicate between the base station and the UE via a first communication path including a relay, wherein the first communication path corresponds to a first end-to-end quality, and a second communication path between the base station and the UE that does not include the relay corresponds to a second end-to-end quality, wherein the first end-to-end quality and the second end-to-end quality each include at least a first hop quality associated with a first hop of the first communication path and a first hop quality associated with a first hop of the second communication path, based on the adjustment, relay one or more signals between the UE and the base station according to a communication type, receive a configuration message from the base station at the relay in the first communication path, wherein the received configuration message is based on any combination of the first hop quality of the first end-to-end quality, the first end-to-end quality, the first hop quality of the first end-to-end quality and a first ratio of the first end-to-end quality, the first hop quality of the second end-to-end quality, the second end-to-end quality, and the second ratio of the first hop quality of the second end-to-end quality to the second end-to-end quality, and adjust a configuration state of the relay based on the configuration message to perform the communication type corresponding to the communication between the UE and the base station.

[0201] I / O controller 1615 can manage input and output signals for device 1605. I / O controller 1615 can also manage peripheral devices that are not integrated into device 1605. In some cases, I / O controller 1615 can represent a physical connection or port to an external peripheral device. In some cases, I / O controller 1615 can utilize a variety of interfaces such as or another known operating system. In other cases, I / O controller 1615 may represent or interact with a modem, keyboard, mouse, touch screen, or similar device. In some cases, I / O controller 1615 may be implemented as part of a processor. In some cases, a user may interact with device 1605 via I / O controller 1615 or via hardware components controlled by I / O controller 1615.

[0202] The transceiver 1620 can communicate bidirectionally via one or more antennas, wired or wireless links, as described above. For example, the transceiver 1620 can represent a wireless transceiver and can communicate bidirectionally with another wireless transceiver. The transceiver 1620 can also include a modem for modulating packets and providing the modulated packets to the antenna for transmission, and demodulating packets received from the antenna.

[0203] In some cases, a wireless device may include a single antenna 1625. However, in some cases, a device may have more than one antenna 1625, which may be capable of sending or receiving multiple wireless transmissions simultaneously.

[0204] Memory 1630 may include RAM and ROM. Memory 1630 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code 1635, which includes instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to perform the various functions described herein. In some cases, memory 1630 may include, for example, BIOS, which may control basic hardware or software operations, such as interaction with peripheral components or devices.

[0205] Processor 1640 may include an intelligent hardware device (e.g., a general-purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, a microcontroller, an ASIC, an FPGA, a programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic components, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof). In some cases, processor 1640 may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In other cases, the memory controller may be integrated into processor 1640. Processor 1640 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (e.g., memory 1630) to cause device 1605 to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting techniques for multi-TRP operation via a repeater).

[0206] The processor 1640 of the device 1605 (e.g., controlling the receiver 1310, the transmitter 1320, or the transmitter 920) can increase signaling reliability, improve system efficiency, and reduce the possibility of system delays based on selecting the most efficient communication path. In some examples, the processor 940 of the device 905 can receive configuration information from the base station 105 and communicate with the base station 105 and the UE 115. The improvement in signaling reliability and increased system efficiency can further increase power efficiency at the device 905 (e.g., by reducing or eliminating unnecessary or failed processing of transmissions, etc.).

[0207] The code 1635 may include instructions for implementing aspects of the present disclosure, including instructions for supporting wireless communications. The code 1635 may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as system memory or other types of memory. In some cases, the code 1635 may not be directly executed by the processor 1640, but may cause a computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform the functions described herein.

[0208] Figure 17 A flow chart illustrating a method 1700 for supporting techniques for multiple TRP operation via a relay according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The operations of the method 1700 may be implemented by the base station 105 or components thereof, as described herein. For example, the operations of the method 1700 may be performed by a communication manager, as described with reference to FIG. Figures 9 to 12In some examples, the base station may execute a set of instructions to control functional elements of the base station to perform the functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the base station may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the functions described below.

[0209] At 1705, the base station may identify a first communication path with the UE and a second communication path with the UE, wherein the first communication path, the second communication path, or both include one or more relays. The operations of 1705 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1705 may be described with reference to Figures 9 to 12 The communication path identification manager is executed.

[0210] At 1710, a base station may determine a first end-to-end quality of a first communication path and a second end-to-end quality of a second communication path, wherein the first end-to-end quality and the second end-to-end quality each include at least a first-hop quality associated with a first hop of the first communication path and a first-hop quality associated with a first hop of the second communication path. The operations of 1710 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1710 may be described with reference to Figures 9 to 12 The communication path quality manager is used to perform the above operations.

[0211] At 1715, the base station may select a first communication path for a first communication type for communicating with the UE based on a first hop quality of the first end-to-end quality, the first end-to-end quality, a first ratio of the first hop quality of the first end-to-end quality to the first end-to-end quality, or a combination thereof. The operations of 1715 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1715 may be described with reference to Figures 9 to 12 The communication path selection manager is executed.

[0212] At 1720, the base station may select a second communication path for a second communication type for communicating with the UE based on the first hop quality of the second end-to-end quality, the second end-to-end quality, a second ratio of the first hop quality of the second end-to-end quality to the second end-to-end quality, or a combination thereof. The operations of 1720 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1720 may be described with reference to Figures 9 to 12 The communication path selection manager is executed.

[0213] At 1725, the base station may communicate with the UE via the first communication path, the second communication path, or both based on the selection. The operations of 1725 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1725 may be described with reference to Figures 9 to 12 The communication manager is executed.

[0214] Figure 18A flow chart illustrating a method 1800 for supporting techniques for multiple TRP operation via a relay according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The operations of the method 1800 may be implemented by the base station 105 or components thereof, as described herein. For example, the operations of the method 1800 may be performed by a communication manager, as described with reference to FIG. Figures 9 to 12 In some examples, the base station may execute a set of instructions to control functional elements of the base station to perform the functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the base station may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the functions described below.

[0215] At 1805, the base station may identify a first communication path with the UE and a second communication path with the UE, wherein the first communication path, the second communication path, or both include one or more relays. The operations of 1805 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1805 may be described with reference to Figures 9 to 12 The communication path identification manager is executed.

[0216] At 1810, a base station may determine a first end-to-end quality of a first communication path and a second end-to-end quality of a second communication path, wherein the first end-to-end quality and the second end-to-end quality each include at least a first-hop quality associated with a first hop of the first communication path and a first-hop quality associated with a first hop of the second communication path. The operations of 1810 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1810 may be described with reference to Figures 9 to 12 The communication path quality manager is used to perform the above operations.

[0217] At 1815, the base station may select a first communication path for uplink communication with the UE based on the first hop quality of the first end-to-end quality, the first end-to-end quality, a first ratio of the first hop quality of the first end-to-end quality to the first end-to-end quality, or a combination thereof. The operations of 1815 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1815 may be described with reference to Figures 9 to 12 The communication path selection manager is executed.

[0218] At 1820, the base station may select a second communication path for downlink communication with the UE based on the first hop quality of the second end-to-end quality, the second end-to-end quality, a second ratio of the first hop quality of the second end-to-end quality to the second end-to-end quality, or a combination thereof. The operations of 1820 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1820 may be described with reference to Figures 9 to 12 The communication path selection manager is executed.

[0219] At 1825, the base station may configure one or more relays of the first communication path based on selecting the first communication path for uplink communication to receive one or more uplink signals from the UE and transmit the one or more uplink signals to the base station. The operations of 1825 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1825 may be as described with reference to Figures 9 to 12 The Repeater Configuration Manager is used to perform the above operations.

[0220] At 1830, the base station may configure one or more relays of the second communication path based on selecting the second communication path for downlink communication to receive one or more downlink signals from the base station and transmit the one or more downlink signals to the UE. The operations of 1830 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1830 may be as described with reference to Figures 9 to 12 The Repeater Configuration Manager is used to perform the above operations.

[0221] At 1835, the base station may communicate with the UE via the first communication path, the second communication path, or both based on the selection. The operations of 1835 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1835 may be described with reference to Figures 9 to 12 The communication manager is executed.

[0222] Figure 19 A flow chart illustrating a method 1900 for supporting techniques for multiple TRP operation via a relay according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The operations of the method 1900 may be implemented by the base station 105 or components thereof, as described herein. For example, the operations of the method 1900 may be performed by a communication manager, as described with reference to FIG. Figures 9 to 12 In some examples, the base station may execute a set of instructions to control functional elements of the base station to perform the functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the base station may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the functions described below.

[0223] At 1905, the base station may identify a first communication path with the UE and a second communication path with the UE, wherein the first communication path, the second communication path, or both include one or more relays. The operations of 1905 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1905 may be described with reference to Figures 9 to 12 The communication path identification manager is executed.

[0224] At 1910, a base station may determine a first end-to-end quality of a first communication path and a second end-to-end quality of a second communication path, wherein the first end-to-end quality and the second end-to-end quality each include at least a first-hop quality associated with a first hop of the first communication path and a first-hop quality associated with a first hop of the second communication path. The operations of 1910 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1910 may be described with reference to Figures 9 to 12 The communication path quality manager is used to perform the above operations.

[0225] At 1915, the base station may select a first communication path for a first type of downlink signal based on a first hop quality of the first end-to-end quality, the first end-to-end quality, a first ratio of the first hop quality of the first end-to-end quality to the first end-to-end quality, or a combination thereof. The operations of 1915 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1915 may be described with reference to Figures 9 to 12 The communication path selection manager is executed.

[0226] At 1920, the base station may select a second communication path for the second type of downlink signal based on the first hop quality of the second end-to-end quality, the second end-to-end quality, a second ratio of the first hop quality of the second end-to-end quality to the second end-to-end quality, or a combination thereof. The operations of 1920 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1920 may be described with reference to Figures 9 to 12 The communication path selection manager is executed.

[0227] At 1925, the base station may transmit a first type of downlink signal via a first communication path. The operations of 1925 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1925 may be described with reference to Figures 9 to 12 The communication manager is executed.

[0228] At 1930, the base station may transmit a second type of downlink signal via a second communication path. The operations of 1930 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1930 may be described with reference to Figures 9 to 12 The communication manager is executed.

[0229] Figure 20 A flow chart illustrating a method 2000 for supporting techniques for multiple TRP operations via a relay according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The operations of the method 2000 may be implemented by the devices described herein or components thereof. For example, the operations of the method 2000 may be performed by a communication manager, as described with reference to FIG. Figures 13 to 16In some examples, a device may execute a set of instructions to control functional elements of the device to perform the functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the device may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the functions described below.

[0230] At 2005, a device may communicate between a base station and a UE via a first communication path including a relay, wherein the first communication path corresponds to a first end-to-end quality, and a second communication path between the base station and the UE that does not include the relay corresponds to a second end-to-end quality, wherein the first end-to-end quality and the second end-to-end quality each include at least a first-hop quality associated with a first hop of the first communication path and a first-hop quality associated with a first hop of the second communication path. The operations of 2005 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 2005 may be performed by reference to Figures 13 to 16 The communication manager is executed.

[0231] At 2010, the device may receive, at a relay in a first communication path, a configuration message from a base station, wherein the received configuration message is based on any combination of a first hop quality of a first end-to-end quality, the first end-to-end quality, a first ratio of the first hop quality of the first end-to-end quality to the first end-to-end quality, the first hop quality of a second end-to-end quality, the second end-to-end quality, and a second ratio of the first hop quality of the second end-to-end quality to the second end-to-end quality. The operations of 2010 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 2010 may be performed as described with reference to Figures 13 to 16 The Repeater Configuration Manager is used to perform the above operations.

[0232] At 2015, the device may adjust the configuration state of the relay based on the configuration message to perform a communication type corresponding to the communication between the UE and the base station. The operation of 2015 may be performed according to the method described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 2015 may be as described in reference Figures 13 to 16 The Repeater Configuration Manager is used to perform the above operations.

[0233] At 2020, the device may relay one or more signals between the UE and the base station based on the adjustment and the type of communication. The operations of 2020 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 2020 may be referred to as Figures 13 to 16 The communication manager is executed.

[0234] It should be noted that the methods described herein describe possible implementations, and that the operations and steps may be rearranged or otherwise modified, and that other implementations are possible. Additionally, aspects from two or more methods may be combined.

[0235] Although aspects of LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR systems may be described for example purposes, and the terminology of LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR may be used in most of the description, the techniques described herein are applicable to applications beyond LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR networks. For example, the described techniques are applicable to various other wireless communication systems, such as Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDM, and other systems and radio technologies not explicitly mentioned herein.

[0236] The information and signals described herein may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0237] The various illustrative blocks and components described in conjunction with the disclosure herein may be implemented or executed using a general-purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, a CPU, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A 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 combination with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0238] The functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over a computer-readable medium as one or more instructions or code. Other examples and implementations are within the scope of this disclosure and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, the functions described herein may be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, or any combination thereof. Features that implement the functions may also be physically located in various locations, including being distributed so that portions of the functions are implemented in different physical locations.

[0239] Computer readable medium includes both non-transitory computer storage medium and communication medium, and communication medium includes any medium that helps to transfer a computer program from one place to another place.Non-transitory storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a general or special-purpose computer.As an example and not limitation, non-transitory computer readable medium can include RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory, compact disc (CD) ROM or other optical disk storage, disk storage or other magnetic storage device or can be used for carrying or storing required program code mode in the form of instruction or data structure and can be accessed by a general or special-purpose computer or a general or special-purpose processor.In addition, any connection is appropriately referred to as computer readable medium.For example, if coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL) or wireless technology (such as infrared, radio and microwave) are used to send software from a website, server or other remote source, coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL or wireless technology (such as infrared, radio and microwave) are included in the definition of computer readable medium. Disk and disc, as used herein, include CDs, laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray discs where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above are also included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0240] As used herein, including in the claims, "or," as used in a list of items (e.g., a list of items preceded by a phrase such as "at least one" or "one or more"), indicates an inclusive list such that, for example, a list of at least one of A, B, or C means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C). Furthermore, as used herein, the phrase "based on" should not be interpreted as a reference to a closed set of conditions. For example, an example step described as "based on condition A" could be based on both condition A and condition B without departing from the scope of this disclosure. In other words, as used herein, the phrase "based on" should be interpreted in the same manner as the phrase "based at least in part on."

[0241] In the drawings, similar components or features may have the same reference label. In addition, components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference label with a dash and a second label that distinguishes between similar components. If only the first reference label is used in the specification, the specification applies to any similar component having the same first reference label, regardless of the second or subsequent reference labels.

[0242] The description set forth herein in conjunction with the accompanying drawings describes example configurations and does not represent all possible examples that may be implemented or within the scope of the claims. The term "example" as used herein means "serving as an example, instance, or illustration," rather than "preferred" or "superior to other examples." The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing an understanding of the described technology. However, these technologies can be practiced without these specific details. In some cases, to avoid obscuring the concepts of the described examples, known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form.

[0243] The description provided herein enables one of ordinary skill in the art to make or use the present disclosure. Various modifications to the present disclosure will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication, comprising: identifying a first communication path with a user equipment (UE) and a second communication path with the UE, wherein the first communication path, the second communication path, or both include one or more relays c determining a first end-to-end quality of the first communication path and a second end-to-end quality of the second communication path, wherein the first end-to-end quality and the second end-to-end quality each include at least a first-hop quality associated with a first hop of the first communication path and a first-hop quality associated with a first hop of the second communication path; selecting the first communication path for a first communication type for communicating with the UE based at least in part on a first hop quality of the first end-to-end quality, a first ratio of the first hop quality of the first end-to-end quality to the first end-to-end quality, or a combination thereof; selecting the second communication path for a second communication type for communicating with the UE based at least in part on a first-hop quality of the second end-to-end quality, a second ratio of the first-hop quality of the second end-to-end quality to the second end-to-end quality, or a combination thereof; and communicating with the UE via the first communication path, the second communication path, or both based at least in part on the selection, Wherein, in response to both the first communication type and the second communication type being uplink communications or both the first communication type and the second communication type being downlink communications, selecting the first communication path for the first communication type and selecting the second communication path for the second communication type is based at least in part on determining that one of the first hop quality or the first ratio of the first end-to-end quality is higher than the corresponding one of the first hop quality or the second ratio of the second end-to-end quality.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: selecting the first communication path for uplink communication, wherein the first communication type comprises uplink communication; and The second communication path is selected for downlink communications, wherein the second communication type comprises downlink communications.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein both the first communication path and the second communication path include the one or more repeaters, the method further comprising: configuring the one or more relays of the first communication path to receive one or more uplink signals from the UE and to transmit the one or more uplink signals to a network node based at least in part on selecting the first communication path for uplink communications; as well as Based at least in part on selecting the second communication path for downlink communications, configuring the one or more relays of the second communication path to receive one or more downlink signals from the network node and to transmit the one or more downlink signals to the UE.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: selecting the first communication path for downlink signals of a first type, wherein the first communication type includes downlink signals of the first type; as well as The second communication path is selected for downlink signals of a second type, wherein the second communication type includes downlink signals of the second type.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising: Determining that the first end-to-end quality is higher than the second end-to-end quality, wherein selecting the first communication path for the first type of downlink signal and selecting the second communication path for the second type of downlink signal is based at least in part on: determining that the one of the first hop quality or the first ratio of the first end-to-end quality is higher than the corresponding one of the first hop quality or the second ratio of the second end-to-end quality, and determining that the first end-to-end quality is higher than the second end-to-end quality.

6. The method according to claim 4, further comprising: transmitting a downlink signal of the first type via the first communication path; as well as The second type of downlink signal is transmitted via the second communication path. The method of claim 4 , wherein the first type of downlink signal comprises data signaling. The method of claim 4 , wherein the second type of downlink signal comprises broadcast signaling or control signaling.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein the second communication path comprises the one or more relays, and wherein the first communication path comprises a direct link between a network node and the UE.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: selecting the first communication path for a first signal, wherein the first communication type includes a first copy of the first signal; as well as The second communication path is selected for the first signal, wherein the second communication type includes a second copy of the first signal.

11. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising: selecting the first communication path for a first signal set, wherein the first communication type comprises a first communication flow' and The second communication path is selected for a second set of signals different from the first set of signals, wherein the second communication type includes a second communication flow.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: selecting the first communication path for communicating with the UE, wherein the first communication type comprises an active communication mode; as well as The second communication path is selected for backup communication when communication via the first communication path fails, wherein the second communication type includes a backup communication mode.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein: Determining the first end-to-end quality of the first communication path includes determining a first signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the first communication path, wherein determining the second end-to-end quality of the second communication path includes determining a second SNR of the second communication path, and wherein the first-hop quality includes a first-hop SNR.

14. A method for wireless communication at a repeater, comprising: Communicating between a network node and a user equipment (UE) via a first communication path including the relay, wherein the first communication path corresponds to a first end-to-end quality, and a second communication path between the network node and the UE not including the relay corresponds to a second end-to-end quality, wherein the first end-to-end quality and the second end-to-end quality each include at least a first-hop quality associated with a first hop of the first communication path and a first-hop quality associated with a first hop of the second communication path. receiving, at the relay in the first communication path, a configuration message from the network node, wherein receiving the configuration message is based at least in part on any combination of a first hop quality of the first end-to-end quality, the first end-to-end quality, a first ratio of the first hop quality of the first end-to-end quality to the first end-to-end quality, a first hop quality of the second end-to-end quality, the second end-to-end quality, and a second ratio of the first hop quality of the second end-to-end quality to the second end-to-end quality; adjusting a configuration state of the relay based at least in part on the configuration message to perform a communication type corresponding to communication between the UE and the network node; as well as Based at least in part on the adjustment, one or more signals are relayed between the UE and the network node according to the communication type.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising: One or more uplink messages are relayed from the UE to the network node, wherein the type of communication comprises uplink communication.

16. The method according to claim 14, further comprising: One or more downlink messages are relayed from the network node to the UE, wherein the type of communication comprises downlink communication.

17. The method according to claim 14, further comprising: A downlink broadcast signal, a downlink control signal, or a downlink data signal is relayed from the network node to the UE, wherein the communication type comprises a type of downlink signal.

18. The method according to claim 14, further comprising: A first copy of a signal is relayed between the UE and the network node, wherein the communication type includes the first copy of the signal.

19. The method according to claim 14, further comprising: A first set of signals is relayed between the UE and the network node, wherein the communication type comprises a first communication flow.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising: A set of one or more signals is relayed between the UE and the network node, wherein the communication type comprises an active communication mode.

21. The method of claim 14, further comprising: A subset of the set of one or more signals is relayed between the UE and the network node, the subset having been unsuccessfully sent via a different communication path that does not include the relay, wherein the communication type comprises a backup communication mode.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein the first end-to-end quality of the first communication path comprises a first signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the first communication path, wherein the second end-to-end quality of the second communication path comprises a second SNR of the second communication path, and wherein the first-hop quality comprises a first-hop SNR.

23. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: means for identifying a first communication path with a user equipment (UE) and a second communication path with the UE, wherein the first communication path, the second communication path, or both include one or more relays; means for determining a first end-to-end quality of the first communication path and a second end-to-end quality of the second communication path, wherein the first end-to-end quality and the second end-to-end quality each comprise at least a first-hop quality associated with a first hop of the first communication path and a first-hop quality associated with a first hop of the second communication path; means for selecting the first communication path for a first communication type for communicating with the UE based at least in part on a first hop quality of the first end-to-end quality, a first ratio of the first hop quality of the first end-to-end quality to the first end-to-end quality, or a combination thereof; means for selecting the second communication path for a second communication type for communicating with the UE based at least in part on a first-hop quality of the second end-to-end quality, a second ratio of the first-hop quality of the second end-to-end quality to the second end-to-end quality, or a combination thereof; as well as means for communicating with the UE via the first communication path, the second communication path, or both based at least in part on the selection, Wherein, in response to both the first communication type and the second communication type being uplink communications or both the first communication type and the second communication type being downlink communications, selecting the first communication path for the first communication type and selecting the second communication path for the second communication type is based at least in part on determining that one of the first hop quality or the first ratio of the first end-to-end quality is higher than the corresponding one of the first hop quality or the second ratio of the second end-to-end quality.

24. The apparatus according to claim 23, further comprising: means for selecting said first communication path for uplink communications, wherein said first communication type comprises uplink communications' and Means for selecting the second communication path for downlink communications, wherein the second communication type comprises downlink communications.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising: means for selecting said first communication path for downlink signals of a first type, wherein said first communication type comprises downlink signals of said first type; as well as Means for selecting the second communication path for downlink signals of a second type, wherein the second communication type comprises downlink signals of the second type.

26. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising: means for selecting said first communication path for a first signal, wherein said first communication type comprises a first copy v of said first signal and Means for selecting the second communication path for the first signal, wherein the second communication type comprises a second copy of the first signal.

27. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising: means for selecting said first communication path for a first set of signals, wherein said first communication type comprises a first communication flow; as well as means for selecting the second communication path for a second set of signals different from the first set of signals, wherein the second communication type comprises a second communication flow.

28. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising: means for selecting the first communication path for communicating with the UE, wherein the first communication type comprises an active communication mode' and means for selecting the second communication path for backup communications when communications via the first communication path fail, wherein the second communication type comprises a backup communication mode.

29. An apparatus for wireless communication at a repeater, comprising: Means for communicating between a network node and a user equipment (UE) via a first communication path including the relay, wherein the first communication path corresponds to a first end-to-end quality, and a second communication path between the network node and the UE not including the relay corresponds to a second end-to-end quality, wherein the first end-to-end quality and the second end-to-end quality each include at least a first-hop quality associated with a first hop of the first communication path and a first-hop quality associated with a first hop of the second communication path. means for receiving, at the relay in the first communication path, a configuration message from the network node, wherein receiving the configuration message is based at least in part on any combination of a first hop quality of the first end-to-end quality, the first end-to-end quality, a first ratio of the first hop quality of the first end-to-end quality to the first end-to-end quality, a first hop quality of the second end-to-end quality, the second end-to-end quality, and a second ratio of the first hop quality of the second end-to-end quality to the second end-to-end quality; means for adjusting a configuration state of the relay based at least in part on the configuration message to perform a communication type corresponding to communication between the UE and the network node; and means for relaying one or more signals between the UE and the network node based at least in part on the adjustment according to the communication type.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, further comprising: means for relaying one or more uplink messages from the UE to the network node, wherein the type of communication comprises uplink communication.

31. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: at least one processor, a memory coupled to the at least one processor; and Instructions, which are stored in the memory and can be executed by the at least one processor, so that the at least one processor performs the method of any one of claims 1 to 13.

32. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: at least one processor, a memory coupled to the at least one processor; and Instructions stored in the memory and executable by the at least one processor to cause the at least one processor to perform the method of any one of claims 14 to 22.

33. A computer-readable medium having program code recorded thereon, wherein: The program code can be executed by one or more processors to cause the processors to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

34. A computer-readable medium having program code recorded thereon, wherein: The program code can be executed by one or more processors to cause the processors to perform the method according to any one of claims 14 to 22.

35. A computer program product comprising computer-readable instructions, wherein: The computer-readable instructions are executable by a processor to cause the processor to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

36. A computer program product comprising computer-readable instructions, wherein: The computer readable instructions are executable by a processor to cause the processor to perform the method according to any one of claims 14 to 22.

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